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Dec 21 2002

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All of the winners (losers) correspond to what I have seen/witnessed/purchased in 2002. Some anime, games, etc may have been released prior to 2002.

a n i m e

Best: Spirited Away
The shear animation/sound/production quality of this film rivals any of Disney’s recent works. A true modern classic in the making, Chihiro’s story is both compelling and timeless, regardless of how old you are. Honorable Mention: Adventures of Mini-Goddess for bringing more Belldandy goodness into our hearts.

Most Pleasant Surprise: Now and Then, Here and There
I usually don’t expect much from renting random anime from Blockbuster, but NTHT is good stuff, if by definition “good stuff” means dramatic plot, character development, and superior storytelling.
Honorable Mention: My Neighbors the Yamadas for showing how simple family life can be so funny.

Most Disappointing: Chobits
The manga and the anime are like Dark Chii and Chii. I wanted to like the show, honest, but, well, I was disappointed by the non-existant plot and the endless recaps of such non-existant plot. Chii!

Best Sequel: Mahoromatic, Something More Beautiful
I’m a bit partial to Mahoro, so this should come as no surprise. The sequel has been just as enjoyable as the first while retaining the good old Mahoro charm.

Most Kawaii Female Character: Chii, Chobits
Uh, yeah… do I need to explain this at all? Honorable Mention (tie): Demon Belldandy with Tsukai, Aa! Megami-sama, for being so evil and kawaii, and also Shia with Nyaa, Pita-Ten, for being so evil and kawaii.

Most Efficient Killer: Kyo, Samurai Deeper Kyo
A lot like Kenshin, Kyo lacks the remorse and love of that hitokiri, but he still manages to win over Yuya-han. Honorable Mention: Van, Escaflowne- A Girl in Gaea, for having a slightly lower body count than Kyo.

Shinest Object: Eva Metal Box
It looks so good, even without DVD 8.

g a m e

Best: Warcraft III- Reign of Chaos
The hundreds of hours that I’ve spent on Warcraft III only proves that Blizzard is the most l33t gaming company in the world. Custom maps such as tower defense and mini-rpgs only further extend the playability of an already great game. Honorable Mention: Metroid Prime for bringing Samus back in style with gameplay to spare.

Most Pleasant Surprise: Guilty Gear XX- The Midnight Carnival
I played it almost daily when I was in Tokyo, and I drove to seven different stores when I got back to get Guilty Gear X. Not only that, it started the Guilty Gear firestorm that’s been ravaging chat and the forums. Honorable Mention: X-Box Live for (a) working and (b) being incredibly fun.

Most Disappointing: Contra- Shattered Soldier
It’s just not the same. Upgraded graphics cannot compensate for destroying the old fun ‘n gun gameplay of the original for the “you will die” gameplay of Shattered Soldier. On the opposite end of the spectrum as Metroid Prime. Honorable Mention: Hunter, the Reckoning for being Gauntlet Legacy with vampires.

Best Guilty Gear Character: Zato-1one/Eddie
The buzzsaw rush is just too good. Honorable Mention: Dizzy for pummeling me so many times. Gomen.

L33t Male Character: Sam Fisher, Splinter Cell
It is very hard to be a Snake fan after playing Splinter Cell. Sam has better moves, better stealth gameplay, and insane graphics that top those of Metroid Prime. Honorable Mention: Demon Hunter (pre-nerf), Warcraft III, for burning my mana, dodging my attacks, and engulfing me with immolation.

Most Annoying Enemy: Sore losers on battle.net
Whine whine whine. ‘Nuff said. Honorable Mention: Fission metroids, Metroid Prime, for being so incredibily annoying and pointless to defeat.

Best Purchase Made During the Clinton Presidency: Project Majestic Mix Gold
It’s nice being part of the 1,500 who get to enjoy such great re-arrangements of old songs that we grew up with.

c o m m u n i t y

MVP: Xerlic’s fserve
We’re not a l33ch chan, but Xerlic’s fserve takes MVP… mmm… Honorable Mention: Variable, for being with chan since the beginning even though he’s now Kamzu’s fanboy-in-training.

Most Confusing Love Polygon: < --> Will < --> Quinne < --> Kamzu < --> Pam < --> Variable < -->
I’d draw out a better picture, but I have trouble keeping up with it myself.

Hardest Trivia Question: Love Hina: What is the name of Suu’s older brother?
I call this “the streak breaker”. Has anyone answered it correctly yet?

Most Changed Nicks: birdangel/pam/minako-chan/integral/???
Fortunately, she doesn’t change her URL as often. Honorable Mention: kamzu/kamxu/kamzu-rabid/banpei/lythetca/tsukai/whatever for all the nick spamming, but he doesn’t change as often as B/I/M/P does.

Best Blog: nullspace
The half-naked chix0rs of Xerlic greet visitors with a smile, and his ranting is usually amusing whenver it is actually coherent. That, and it looks great. Honorable Mention: Karimaru for being all the interesting quiz spam.

Most Kicked Banned Word: “Bored”
It seemed funny at the time. It’s not banned now, fyi.

Most Interesting Chat: The Potato Joke
Xerlic: What states grow potatos?
Xerlic: *state
Quinne: Idaho.
Xerlic: And I da pimp!

Most Interesting Forum Post: Xerlic’s guilty pleasure reply
“My guilty pleasure is ducking down behind my shrub. And who better to duck down behind my shrub with than everyone’s favorite Kamzu? I guess that would make this Kamzu’s guilty pleasure as well. Bad Kamzu. Bad.”