best of 2007: individual awards
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Has it been a year already? Oh man, time flies. Again, it’s the end of the year, and it’s time for Anim– err– Derailed by Darry’s contrived year end awards. And the envelope, please…
Since 2002, this blog has posted its “Best of†awards during the holiday season. The awards will run everyday until the end of the year. This year, I decided to do the end of the year awards a bit differently. For the first time, I will be listing Derailed by Darry’s top ten shows of the year. This year had a lot of solid choices for the top ten, and it was not an easy list to write down. For people who have read this blog the past year (and more), none of the top ten list should be a shock. And, unlike other lists that depend on pretentiousness and snobbery, Derailed’s list is all about entertaining and fun and moeblob anime.
I also wonder if this year will yield a juggernaut like last year’s Haruhi Suzumiya that fueled a Kyoto Animation domination of the awards (along with Kanon). This year? Let’s see, shall we?
We start with an appetizer. I always like to kick off the award with quite possible the most prestigious of them all, and today, we’ll do just that and also run down other individual awards. Don’t blame me if this year’s category seem like they could double as AVN awards.
Best Meido of 2007
Winner: Maria, Hayate the Combat Butler
The most beautiful sound I ever heard:
Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria.
All the beautiful sounds of the world in a single word:
Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria.
(Ironically, I’m showing Maria here without her meido uniform.)
(o_o;;)
Runner Ups: Reika, Ninomiya-kun; Yui, Koharu Biyori; Siesta, Zero no Tsukaima; Patricia Martin, Lucky Star; Wilhelmania, Shakugan no Shana
Most Ageless of 2007
Winner: Yoshinoya, Hidamari Sketch
The new poster girl for “jyuu nana sai desu!” Only she’s teaching them.
Runner Ups: Balsa, Guardian of the Sacred Spirit; Sanae, Clannad; Chigusa, Shakugan no Shana Second
Most Manly Man of 2007
Winner: Taniguchi, Lucky Star
Wow, actually had enough candidates for this category this year. It takes a lot of courage to do what Taniguchi did for Lucky Star, and he had to be really drunk, really blackmailed, or just really having fun. But it didn’t diminish the simple comedic genius of someone making a fool of himself in a way that you really can’t do much but laugh. Now that’s a manly man.
Runner Ups: Kamina, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann; Kuze, ef ~a tale of memories~; Dan-kun, Bamboo Blade; Simon, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Best DFC of 2007
Winner: Tsukasa, Lucky Star
A Tsukasa is fine too! Balsamic vinegar! Reindeer! There’s no better example of the DFC moe mode in 2007 than Tsukasa. She put up an MVP-like performance.
Runner Ups: Pre-Time Slip Nia, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann; Post-Time Slip Darry, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann; Kagami, Lucky Star; Entire Female Cast, Sky Girls; Shana, Shakugan no Shana
Best Melonpan of 2007
Winner: Yoko, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Tough, tough year for this award, and I think the tipping point for Yoko is that her melonpan ushered in a new era of spiral growth. That has to count for something right?
Runner Ups: Sumeragi, Gundam 00; Ms. Wang, Gundam 00; Tomoyo, Clannad; Kyou, Clannad; Haruka, Minami-ke; Maria, Ookiku Furikabutte; Fate, Nanoha StrikerS; Aoi, Moyashimon; Suzu, Nagasarete Airantou; Amuro, Umisho; Patricia Martin, Lucky Star; Chie, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Best Moeblob of 2007
Winner: Potemayo, Potemayo
If I looked up “moeblob” in the dictionary, I fully expect to see a picture of Potemayo next to the entry. If you asked me what “moeblob” meant, I would have just shown you an image of Potemayo and be done with it. I don’t think it’s too early to start petitioning Merriam Webster to have “moeblob” for Word of the Year in 2008.
Runner Ups: Tsukasa, Lucky Star; Botan, Clannad; Yuno, Hidamari Sketch, A. oryzae, Moyashimon
Best Mecha of 2007
Winner: Gurren Lagann, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
If you are going to pierce the heavens with a drill, you might as well do it in ass-kicking style. Probably the most revolutionary character of 2007 is not made of flesh and bones but of spiral, of burning soul, of Matryoshka dolls, and of determination. There’s absolutely no point when I don’t get pumped when Lagann is trying to sink its metroid-like drill into something.
Runner Ups: Exia, Gundam 00; Sonic Diver, Sky Girls
Best Character Introduced Too Late of 2007
Winner: Patricia Martin, Lucky Star
Patty was fantastic the final few episodes of Lucky Star, and she’s just more entertaining than Yutaka and Minami.
Runner Ups: Post-Time Slip Darry, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Most Painful Sucker Punch of 2007
Winner: Nia, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
I wasn’t sure what to call this award. “Most Tragic Waifu of 2007”? “Best Filling Out of a Wedding Dress”? Eh. I’ll just call it what it is, a sucker punch. But I think it is a testament to Gurren Lagann and Gainax that we’re complaining that Simon doesn’t find the happiness that he deserves (though the tragedy fits nicely in the framework of the story) and not complaining about animation quality. That dubious award goes to Shaft and ef.
Runner Ups: NICE BOAT!
Most Ridiculous Ability of 2007
Winner: Able to Leave 99 Voice Mails, ef ~a tale of memories~
I can only imagine the cell phone bill.
(When Miya-Miya was threatening to run off, I wasn’t worried for her. With her ability to leave so many voice mails in such a short period of time, she could easily find word as a bill collector or phone solicitor.)
Runner Ups: Winning the Tour de France without HGH, Overdrive; Mako-cakes, Minami-ke; Seeing Microbes, Moyashimon
Most Amazing of 2007
Winner: Haruka, Minami-ke
Haruka-neesama is amazing.
Runner Ups: None
Best Seiyuu of 2007
Winner: Yukari Fukui
Tough one. I think Marina had some solid roles (Yoko, Kana) and one great one (Mihashi) just because I had no idea she voiced Mihashi until I wrote the first draft of this paragraph. But Yukari was fantastic as Nia, and I enjoyed her Shizuoka as well. For a four month or so stretch, she was Johan Santana-like.
Runner Ups: Marina Inoue (Yoko, Lilio, Mihashi, Kana, Eve); Aya Hirano (Konata); Minoru Shiraishi (Himself); Katsuyuki Konishi (Kamina, Ishida)
Best Emo Facial Distortion of 2007
Winner: Akira, Lucky Star
Easiest award to hand out so far!
Runner Ups: Allelulah, Gundam 00; Kotomi, Clannad
30 Responses to “best of 2007: individual awards”
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Well, for Maria, she gets her own episode (Ep 35), where she wears everything BUT meidofuku… so I think we’re all forgiven that.
But I’m afraid you’re missing a category here – and that is ‘dumbest character or mecha design of 2007’ – and for that, I’ll nominate Nadleeh Gundam with its ponytails on the one hand, and its fatsuit on the other… with its pilot running a close second.
OMG…. Taniguchi beat out Kamina for Manliest Man ~_~;;;
i believe you meant shiraishi, not taniguchi
Some fine choices there.
Anyone here who can’t guess what the top show of 2007 is going to be can probably safely be labelled a “Mayu-class intellect”.
Do you have a category for best nightmare/acid trip? I think Tomoya wins that award. Episode eleven after he eats Kotomi’s pie. Hahaha…
Oh, and Jason? Merry Christmas – here’s some Maria from Ep 35 of Hayate no Gotoku for you.
http://img522.imageshack.us/my.....marik7.png
Momu: “i believe you meant shiraishi, not taniguchi”
I’m betting he didn’t. As far as I’m concerned, he’s Taniguchi. He even made his initial mark on the show he won for by singing the wasuremono song. Some actors don’t mind being tied to one role, if it’s memorable enough.
I was expecting an epic battle between Simon and Kamina for that role. Can’t say I disagree with your reasoning for Taniguchi though.
And man, has it really been a year since the first time I saw these awards?
I’m surprised you’ve never covered the Dokuro-chan OVAs. Those are pure gold.
Have you ever heard the Motteke! Sera Fuku remix (I think it’s called the Matsuri remix) with Taniguchi, where the first thing he says is “TANIGUCHI DESU~ “? Either it’s Taniguchi crossing over, or Shiraishi having a bit of fun with all of us.
I wonder if the second production team will be able to show how amazing Haruka is as well. Could be a repeat in 2008.
>> (I think it’s called the Matsuri remix)”
Matsuri Mix, and it is on the remix CD (Motteke! Sailor Fuku Re-Mix001). Shiraishi is clearly reprising his role as Taniguchi in those Lucky Star ED bits, so the award obviously should go to Taniguchi, not Shiraishi.
On the whole, I approve of these awards, especially Best Mecha and Most Amazing ones. Can’t say much about Seiyuu thing, I’m normally completely unaware who is voicing what, at best only able to connect performances to other shows because their voices are unique or memorable enough (ie Ladd Russo as Yuuji’s dad in Shana, Kikuko Belldandy Inoue as Nagisa’s mom in Clannad, or Jouji Nakata’s various roles, and yes I had to look these names up).
Just to be entirely scientific, can a character be DFC without specifically labeling themself as DFC? I always thought that that labeling was reserved for those who actually noticed their reverse endowment (i.e. Minami and Konata).
Oh, who am I kidding. Tsukasa FTW, oh yes, Lovely Tsukasa~
(Also, Haruka’s award was brilliant. Nothing less from AoMM, the meme-spawning machine. XD)
While I’m all in favour of pretentiousness and snobbery, nice list. Gurren Lagann aside it strikes me that good mecha have been a little lacking.
Dan-kun was robbed!
Surely Miya-Miya from Bamboo Blade deserves a runner-up award in “Best Emo Facial Distortion of 2007”.
If there was a scale of manly, Taniguchi would be a 10,000 out of 10 (after blackmailing, a gallon of sake, and some motivation)
How can the emo face NOT be that bird guy in tengen toppa :O?
THeJUlk….the Rossiu punch emo facial distortion from Simon is a much better choice. :O
Runner Ups: Dan-kun, Bamboo Blade
…
Dan-kun!!!?
And Kamina didn’t win!!!?
My whole world is collapseing…
Nice call on the melonpan tho. ^_^
Don’t deny it, Kamina is the manliest man to ever walk the earth!!
Haruka-neesama is amazing. No runner ups, too :D
For me, the moeblob award goes to Haruka from Xenoglossia. Yep, I am one of the few people who considers Xenoglossia to be a great anime.
But don’t worry. I’m still continuing on Potemayo. It’s been pretty good so far.
Overall, great choices! And if I’m not wrong, Yukari Fukui also did Arika from Otome, didn’t she?
Everything is in place over here, maybe the Most Painful Sucker Punch could have been other, still good choices.
Haruka-nee FTW!!
Runner Ups: Tsukasa, Lucky Star; Botan, Clannad; Yuno, Hidamari Sketch, A. oryzae, Moyashimon
Absolutely hilarious. Oryzae indeed. But yeah, I just watched Potemayo from start to finish a week ago, and I can’t believe how many times I said “Jeez, that’s really cute.”
As for melonpan, that’s a tough field to contend against, but I realize that any one of those could’ve been a winner…
Although for DFC, I think you know where I stand on that.
I just realized a grievous error. Where’s your tsundere of the year?
But Tsukasa isn’t a DFC… She is ranked a Small in the chest size category. The only ones who are DFCs on Lucky Star are Minami and Hikage.
Most emo distortion should be awarded to Seto No Hanayome’s Nagasumi and the gang.
LOL, Taniguchi winning Manliest Man. Congrats to him.
All great awards there, Jason. I enjoyed them thoroughly.
hahaha @ taniguchi