best of 2007: #7, #6, and #5
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Countdown continues with #7, #6, and #5.
#7: Potemayo
Ho-ni! Ho-ni! Potemayo moe blogs its way to #7. I think out of all the series in the countdown, I wrote about Potemayo the least. There really isn’t a lot to this series, and it became clear to me by episode 4-ish that it was just Aishiteruze Baby with a moe blob instead of a little kid. And this moe blob is needier, clingier, fatter, and more vicious than any little kid. The thing is, Potemayo actually had some heartwarming moments (probably the most out of any series in the countdown), and a lot of the stories just had a really good slice-of-life feel to them. Potemayo also earns the distinction that it’s the only series JC Staff didn’t butcher in 2007.
Not unlike Minami-ke, Potemayo‘s strength is in its character interaction. It’s a tangled web, and all the characters have their own dysfunction, but for whatever reason, I was fascinated by any moment involving that little bird that sits on top Potemayo (much like Shana-tan) and, of course, any scene involving Guchuko. I’m still not sure why those two weirdos became my favorite characters. Guchuko 4tw!
(In my early drafts, I had Potemayo ranked anywhere from being off of the countdown to #3. I eventually decided to sandwich it between Gundam 00 and Clannad, just because Potemayo had a higher degree of being good and entertaining than Gundam 00, but it doesn’t have the melonpan to compete with the Fujibayashi twins. See, I have some logic behind this!)
#6: Clannad
Dozo! Clannad bullies its way to #6. I’m a big fan of Kyoto Animation’s continuing excellence, and Clannad is probably their best Key visual novel to anime translation yet. The animation quality has jumped yet another notch from Lucky Star and Kanon, and the characters are all endearing in their own way. I would have ranked it higher, but the delay in the HD broadcast coupled with four episodes of giving out wooden starfish warrants some minor penalty so I’m sticking it at #6. I do think Clannad does have the potential to be a top 5 series if we get some actual fanservice… kinda odd, but Kyoto’s non-visual novel franchises have featured more fanservice than their Key visual novel franchises. Is Kyou nibbling on Kotomi’s ear too much to ask for? I do think Clannad has a much higher potential ceiling, and I have no doubt that Kyoto can reach it.
Still, I’ve enjoyed Clannad so far. Some of my favorite moments have been anything involving Tomoyo, Nagisa “confessing” to Ryou, Ryou telling Fuko that “it fell off,” and Kyou’s tsundere act. But it doesn’t mean I’m giving up on Kyou forcing a meido outfit onto Kotomi.
(Kyoto is turning into the New England Patriots. Just like how Vegas always gives the Pats a larger spread than they should get, I can’t believe I’m penalizing Clannad because it’s not significantly more awesome than Kyoto’s previous series.)
#5: Minami-ke
I am boss! Okay, maybe not, but Minami-ke is amazing at #5. This series is a great example of find something that it’s potentially good at, and then do it well. Execution and faithfulness to the source material can go a long way, and that’s why Minami-ke makes the top five. The Minami sisters aren’t settling out to revolutionize moe, to intervene global conflicts in giant mecha, or to settle billions of yen of debt, but they are out to enjoy and live life with their wacky friends. And what more can we ask for?
The strength of Minami-ke is in its characters. There’s not a weak one in the bunch. There’s the amazing Haruka-neesama, the gullible Chiaki, the Gundam Meister-in-training Kana, the punching bag Fujioka, the narcissist Hosaka, the boy-girl Touma, the soon-to-be-murdered Natsuki, and, of course, the legendary Mako-cakes. They’re all tragically interesting in their own way, and it’s hard to go wrong with stories about any of them. I think there’s a subtle genius behind how all the characters are setup, and it’s definitely one of the most interesting casts of 2007. Plus, they run the gamut for fanservice purposes… between Haruka, Kana, Chiaki, Hosaka, Touma, and Mako-cakes, there’s something for everyone… as scary as it might be.
18 Responses to “best of 2007: #7, #6, and #5”
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huh, you really have me scratching my head on the next 3. not 4, since Gurren Lagann is a given. Shana’s better than it was but still out. Umisho perhaps, with the Yukari Fukui victory. Only two other’s I can think of that Jason consistently talks about are ef and moyashimon. I’ll have to read old thin slicing to remind me what else was on this year. never blogged the end of Murder Princess…
also in response to quigonkenny http://derailedbydarry.com/arc.....ent-155325
how the hell is gainax not suing?
On that note, I nominate SS/Eclipse for hardest working fansubbers. Even if they are behind on that hayate episode I mentioned.
hey i guessed right! minami ke DID get top 5!
now to shoot wildly in the dark and guess ef is 3rd.
Funny how most “top” awards given at the end of a year mostly consists of things that are shown towards the end of the year, with almost nothing from the beginning of the year.
CLANNAD has actually been disappointing me so far. I’ve found that AIR is quite good for its atmosphere, and Kanon is only good because of its storytelling (the elements are the ones that prevent me from fully enjoying those anime). CLANNAD, 12 episodes in, doesn’t have the magic that Kanon had at this time around last year. Worse, it feels like a rehash, despite the change of seasons and theme. Even worse, there is no CLANNAD for this week and the next ;_;. Hopefully you’ll catch up if the Hi-DEFs don’t get delayed due to the holidays.
Noted before: working my way through Potemayo. Awesome character relationships. Nene is awesome.
I’ll be very pleased if ef makes it past this point.
I’m getting really curious about Potemayo at this point, I’ve followed every JC Staff production since I watched Shana first season, except Potemayo.. cause it looked ridiculous. But now its apperantly the best of theirs of this year, I wonder if this only holds true for people who enjoy moé blobs or if its just generally good.
“#5: Minami-ke”
You have chosen…poorly…
Minami-ke outside the top three is nothing short of a travesty. I mean, we all know Gurren-Lagann and Moribito probably have the top two spots locked, and rightly so, but what, honestly, is better than Minami-ke this year besides those two? Maybe (maybe) Baccano!, but you haven’t even mentioned it really this year. You better catch something I missed, or else I’ll…keep visiting the site but be really disappointed…
Bokurano the most underrated anime this year! Maybe it’ll get some justice?
Potemayo also earns the distinction that it’s the only series J.C.Staff didn’t butcher in 2007.
No one will argue about the butchering of Shana 2 and Louise 2. But what about Nodame Cantabile, Skygirls, and Kimikiss? Kimikiss, for one, is certainly not on Potemayo’s level and not worthy of the top 10, but is still quite enjoyable.
Potemayo is awesome, and should be on the list of heartwarming, funny, must-watch J.C.Staff shows just beneath the likes of Little Snow Fairy Sugar, Azumanga Daioh, and Mahoraba Heartful Days. I would rank Potemayo over Minami-ke and Clannad, but that’s probably just my pro-J.C.Staff, pro-moeblob bias talking.
^^^Sixten, I agree on the Nodame part. Not only did they not butcher it, it was BETTER than Potemayo. Kimikiss though, I have to say its just eye candy to me. And Sky girls, despite the lolis, just bored me enough to drop it very early.
As for Generic Key Game Turned Anime (or GKGTA), its mediocre. Kanon was above average because along with the great technical prowess, told a quite nice story. Clannad doesnt, its like an impressive technical exersize, but severely lacks a soul. I guess thats what no plot and uninteresting characters will do for you.
Minami-ke is top notch, I commend you for placing it top 5.
Funny, I found Clannad’s plot to be more coherent and intertwined than Kanon’s, and the characters are far and away more interesting. Nagisa’s the first ever main Key heroine that I just can’t seem to criticize, and Kyou is just a fantastic change from nearly every other Key character in existance. Plus, I found the family theme to be much more intriguing than their past themes, especially since it complements the Tomoya/Nagisa relationship so well that they’re probably the best Key couple I could imagine.
Have we been watching the same anime?
I liked the characters in Clannad far more than anyone in Kanon, excepted Mai, Akiko and Nayuki. No one so far has stuck on me as the weakest link. Fuko’s story was more appealing to me than both Makoto and ayu put together; hell, her purpose and relationship with the male lead put her a league above Makoto. What can I remember about Makoto outside of her pranks, failed or not? Those three, two, whole episodes of “Auuuu~”?
Nagisa, as female lead and end girl, is far more likeable than Ayu. In my eyes, her interaction with Tomoya is feeling and flowing more smooth. It’s not like I am watching a “WARNING! WARNING! AYU ENDING INCOMING! NAYUKI AND MAI FANS WILL BE SHAFTED!!” all over again. Maybe the fact that I didn’t know much about Clannad did help. It could be Mai Nakahara. I dunno.
Maybe because it was made clearer that the focus is not Tomoya and whatever harem he is building, but the place of an individual in a group and how that individual is affecting the group as whole.
But so far, I am liking Clannad more than Kanon, and I am speaking as a long time Mai fanboy.
Megami 93 has posters from Okawari (fail), Fate in half a swimsuit (win), Kagami and Konata in wedding dresses holding a bouquet together (Epic Win), Shana in gothic lolita fashion (you decide), and Rena Sayers-sama with her clothes half-off.
The last automatically wins Megami 93.
Y’know, quite a few people complained in the beginning that Clannad was a crappy copy of Kanon. After watching it so far, I’m amazed that this is still being said. I did like Kanon myself, but it was flawed in several ways, one of which was how each heroine was isolated in her story. There was relatively little interaction between each of the girls, save for the passing of arcs and plugging of plot holes.
Clannad has avoided this so far by not letting any of the main characters wander off and disappear while still focusing on the current story arc. I’ve loved how Fuko’s arc has involved all of the girls in scenes for both comedy and for plot advancement. All of the characters shine despite not even being in the main spotlight, and to achieve that is no small task.
Not to mention, it’s not even just the girls that are shining. Nagisa ‘s family, Sunohara, Botan, and other “minor” characters keep reappearing time and time again. They don’t simply stand around either, most are active in the events that occur, fleshing out each of their unique personalties and creating a complete world in which Clannad lives through. This along with the constant activity of the heroines makes Clannad quite worthy of a top 10, and more if it rises up to the high potential it has.
I cant believe what I said earlier in my comment, my brain wasnt working. I want to correct myself. The characters from Clannad are more interesting than the ones from Kanon. Kanon’s cast was very poor, Ayu, Fox-girl, sickly-girl and Nayuki were are either generic or too poorly developed. Of the main characters, only our hero and Mai were interesting.
That being said, I dont get all the raving about the girls of Clannad. Nagisa is typical and ordinary and the smart-violin-girl is very bland. Oh, and Fuko was simply annoying.
All that said, I stand by my original statement on plot, Kanon had a bit more (atleast from what ive seen so far) of a story, though i can really only judge the Fuko arc (which wasnt very good). I guess I can see why people are fans of these GKGTA but its when people rank them side-by-side with stuff like Gurren-Lagann and Baccano! that it gets to me. Yeah, it looks good, but the content isnt exactly Haibane Renmei.
The mind boggles to consider what the banner picture will be for the last one. My guess? A close up shot of the face of one of the Moyashimon bugs looking horrified.
Steven Den Beste: “The mind boggles to consider what the banner picture will be for the last one. My guess? A close up shot of the face of one of the Moyashimon bugs looking horrified.”
Maybe he can find one of the Gurren Lagann, since we know that’s going to be fairly low on the last page. Do they even make mecha versions of those…kururus, or giroros, or whatever the hell those things are called?
If you thought Fuko was annoying then I guess I can understand how you don’t get why people are liking Clannad so much since we’re only part way through, but I for one loved Fuko and am glad she’s getting cameos even now.
But then Clannad is my first series in this type of genre, so I don’t have Kanon or Air to compare it too.
>> The mind boggles to consider what the banner picture will be for the last one.
Big hint: Best of never finishes with Best Anime. Last year, Best of finished with Rejected Awards, and the years prior finished with Best Meido.
>> Funny how most “top†awards given at the end of a year mostly consists of things that are shown towards the end of the year, with almost nothing from the beginning of the year.
Funny how you can make general accusations with only seeing half the list. I do know that most of the series from the top ten come from a season other than fall. In fact, most come from the first half of the year.
Like, even so far, Hayate, Potemayo, and Lucky Star all started airing in the first half of this year. So it’s even funnier than your accusation is so blatantly wrong with the half evidence presented.
Comparing a finished anime with one that only concluded one arc so far. Yeah right….
So what? What’s your problem with the genre? Not enough hotblood and screams?
There are content, not exactly the kind you find in your favorites. Why do you think someone like OwenS, from Cruel Angel thesis blog, have been positively (so far) writing about Clannad when he predicted an epic failure right from the start, in the light of his past experiences with Air and Kanon? And his blog articles are not fanboy drooling or summaries.