best of 2007: group awards
Categories: best of 2007
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Today we’ll take a break from the countdown and pass out a few group awards, including Best Harem.
Best Twincest of 2007
Winner: Kyou and Ryou, Clannad
Fantastic set of twins. Ryou is a bit too open to suggestions and manipulable, while Kyou definitely has some butch in her.
Runner Ups: Kagami and Tsukasa, Lucky Star; Kei and Chihiro, ef ~a tale of memories~; Sonozakis, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai
Most Interesting Couple of 2007
Winner: Dan-kun and Miya-Miya, Bamboo Blade
Shut up, just shut up. You had me at “We’re one with the wind.”
(The best theory I ever heard as to why Miya-Miya is with Dan-kun is that he is, in fact, a walking, talking, 4 feet penis. Actually, scratch that and scratch that from your memory. Renji-kun and Chihiro, claim your reward. Now I will impale myself with a katana.)
Runner Ups: Konata and Kagami, Lucky Star; Renji-kun and Chihiro, ef ~a tale of memories~; Simon and Kamina, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann; Matoko and Katsura, School Days, Kiri and Chie, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Best Studio of 2007
Winner: Gainax
I’ve mentioned this before, but if two years ago, you told me that Gainax would be remaking Evangelion and be making an original 27 episode TV series about a guy who digs through dirt, I would have been pumped for more Evangelion, just because Gainax hasn’t had a great track record with their TV series lately. Well, 2007 is ending, and I could care less about Rei-chan. If Gurren Lagann symbolizes the return of the old fanboy version of Gainax that brought us Evangelion, Kare Kano, Ebichu, and Mahoromatic, I’m all for it.
(Honestly, they win just because Simon left like a 27 episode apology for inflicting Shinji Ikari on us. Now if only Kyoto can make an apology for inflicting wooden starfish on us.)
Runner Ups: Kyoto Animation, Doumu
Worst Sequel of 2007
Winner: Epic Four Way Tie (Zero no Tsukaima Futatsuki no Kishi, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, Shakugan no Shana Second, Nanoha StrikerS)
2007 has not been kind to sequels. Not at all. I really can’t think of one that didn’t make me cringe. Sometimes, I get the feeling that the teams making the sequel just forgot what made the original so great, or they just run out of story to tell. For whatever reason, Zero no Tsukaima just completely broke down. It wasn’t even worth watching for the fanservice. Higurashi… wow… what happened? Shana suddenly got real old, much like Gary Payton in Miami (or Lakers for that matter). Nanoha developed cast enlargement disease, and Vivio sounds more like a failed Intel marketing campaign than a lovechild of two lesbians.
(Probably not a good sign when the largest positive contribution any of these four series made was for a new flag for England. And it still couldn’t beat out Kamina.)
Runner Ups: You’re Under Arrest Full Throttle, Da Capo SS
The Gundam Seed Destiny Memorial Falling Off a Cliff the Fastest of 2007
Winner: Nagasarete Airantou
One of my favorite manga series gets beaten to a pulp. Ugh. I don’t even want to talk about it.
Runner Up: Sayanora Zetsubou Sensei
Best Team of 2007
Winner: Nishiura High Baseball, Ookiku Furikabutte
I’m giving the nod to Nishiura’s baseball team because of the contrast shown throughout the series between a good team and a bad team. It’s kinda amazing how much faith each of the individual members have for each other, and even when someone struggles, everyone rushes to pick him up. That’s a team.
Runner Ups: Umisho Swim Team, Umisho, Gurren Brigade, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Muroe Kendo Team, Bamboo Blade
Best Engrish of 2007
Winner: euphoric field, ef ~a tale of memories~
“Don’t give it up; here comes the life /
Be alive; take it /
Promise to find; yes I will”
… I love this song.
Runner Ups: None
Best OP/ED/Insert of 2007
Winner: Sora Iro Days, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
I think the whole purpose of an OP (besides selling CDs) is to get pumped for a show. I always have a hard time with this award, but I liked what Gainax did with Sora Iro Days by changing the animation as the cast changed and by using the second verse instead of going with a different song post-time slip. I also liked when it was used as an insert… I can picture it like a WWE match where poor Simon in Lagann is getting pinned, and then, out of nowhere, you hear Sora Iro Days with Gurren and Kamina entering the ring. The two then combine and proceed to kick everyone’s ass, including the refs. Now that’s a good intro song.
Runner Ups: euphoric field; ef ~a tale of memories~; Mag Mell ~cuckool mix 2007~, Clannad; Motteke Sailor Fuku, Lucky Star; Soregai Aideshou, Lucky Star; Naraku no Hana, Higurashi; Mebae Drive, Hidamari Sketch; Dolphin Jet, Umisho; Shine, Guardian of the Sacred Spirit
Best Manga of 2007
Winner: Mirai Nikki
Since there’s a larger delay in manga than in anime, Best Manga encompasses what I started reading in 2007, but it can start prior. I started following quite a few enjoyable series in 2007, but I most look forward to Mirai Nikki. The concept isn’t really anything special and is quite typical of most Toriyama-styled shounen series with a hint of Survivor tossed in, but what really takes it up a few notches (much like how the over-the-top fanservice does to last year’s winner, High School of the Dead) is Yuno. I love craziness, and Yuno has the potential to be the Michael Jordan of crazy female haremettes. My gosh. Where do I even begin? Her stalking? Her stabbiness? Her drugs? Her torture techniques? Her carrying around her parents’ dead bones? I’d love to see Mirai Nikki anime from Kyoto go up against a High School of the Dead adaptation from Gainax in 2009 just to see my head explode from trying to figure out how to blog that combo.
Runner Ups: Koharu Biyori; Umisho; Omamori Himari
Best Harem of 2007
Winner: Tomoya, Clannad
Ugh. A murder’s row, and quite possibly better than Yuuichi’s from Kanon. Nagisa and Fuko are upgrades over Ayu and Makoto. Kotomi and Tomoyo are no worse than par with Mai and Wife Material Sayuri. I think the character that really pushes Tomoya over Yuuichi is that Yuuichi doesn’t have a tsundere or a potential emo facial distortion in his harem, and Tomoya has both in Kyou. Plus, basketballs.
(Yes, I did feel a bit stabby when Tomoya went on the quadruple date with Kyou, Ryou, Nagisa, and Kotomi.)
Runner Ups: Kaname, Umisho; Hayate, Hayate the Combat Butler; Ikuto, Nagasarete Airantou; Ninomiya, Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun
29 Responses to “best of 2007: group awards”
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I’m glad there’s some ef lovin in this category.
I STILL HAVE FAITH IN SHANA
Higurashi ni kai wasn’t THAT bad was it? minus the child abuse nonsense arc.
I just don’t think shana and higukai deserve to be in the same tier as ZnT 2 and nanoha, I’ll agree with you there though those sequels were painfully gut-wrenchingly awful.
“Best OP/ED/Insert of 2007
Winner: Sora Iro Days, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
[…]
Runner Ups: euphoric field; ef ~a tale of memories~; Mag Mell ~cuckool mix 2007~, Clannad; Motteke Sailor Fuku, Lucky Star; Soregai Aideshou, Lucky Star; Naraku no Hana, Higurashi; Mebae Drive, Hidamari Sketch; Dolphin Jet, Umisho; Shine, Guardian of the Sacred Spirit”
What? I’ll give you TTGL for the best overall, but no Death Note love in even the runner-ups? “Hey, hey ningen fu**er” was the most addictive OP lyric the entire year, and the song stood on its own enough that you didn’t need Kyo-animated jailbait dancing to it to distract you from epic auditory failure. Sure, the show started in ’06, but that 2nd OP and ED (best 1-2 punch of the year) were all 2k7.
Oh, yeah, Baccano! should be in there, too.
Sigh… Kyo-Ani hasn’t had a good OP since SHnY… Liked the Clannad Dango ED, though.
I have to agree, Shana really isn’t that bad as a whole, but the series suffers from pacing issues (as did the previous season). I’m an admitted slice-of-life fan, but that aspect in Shana 2nd literally killed the interest for some people. It also didn’t really help that the slice-of-life parts were mostly pasted on by J.C. Staff without regard to the source material (Konoe Fumina, here’s looking at you).
Higurashi as well, but I’m thinking people were still expecting the mysteries of the first season… You have to take note that Kai actually focused on the remaining Answer arcs, as well as the finale to the PC-port games (the 3rd season is probably going to focus on the non-PC arcs). All the mysteries have been solved, basically, so it’s just building up to the climax in Matsuribayashi-Hen.
I liked Happily Ever After more as a battle/insert theme than Sorairo Days, since it WAS the song that got Simon out of his post-Kamina depression.
But, dammit, how can you NOT give the insert award to “Libera Me” From Hell? Rap and Opera mixed together into a glorious eargasm of epic fighty proportions. Galaxies being thrown asunder. Improbable scales. Nia in nothing but a jacket. God DAMN it.
Great choice on best studio! They completely redeemed themselves for all the horrible shows they’ve ever done with Gurren Lagann this year! And i also agree with how they handled Sora Iro Days and instead of changing to another song for the time skip but using the second verse it was amazing! Good choices here!
I have to agree with all of these but as a Brit I feel compelled to call you out here;
England is no more Britain than New York is America. The Union Flag is for Britain, not just England.
Oh god, just when I finally blocked the giant man-eating penis plucking scene from my mind…
Thumbs-up for twincest category! I think purple is the new pink.
>> no Death Note love in even the runner-ups?
Last I checked, Death Note aired in 2006. Hell, it even won Best Drama of 2006. So, yeah, I don’t think it’ll win anything this year.
(And the category is for either best OP, ED, or insert. Decided not to do three separate ones this year.)
In my opinion, the worst sequels were/are Shana and Nanoha Striker S, simply because I really enjoyed the originals (and A’s). The original ZnT really wasnt much better so I didnt expect anything and im not a Higurashi fan.
And you must really hate Baccano! not to give it atleast a nomination in best OP, ED or insert. I think Baccano! has the best OP since Bebop, which is the best OP ever.
At least Shana looks like it’s finally picking up now that Pheles has showed up. If it’s all action from here on out the series can easily be the Best Comeback show of the season.
If you expected Higurashi 2 to be just more of what Higurashi 1 was, I can see why you might be disappointed. The sequel changed moods, changed viewpoint characters, and I would argue it even changed genres. But that doesn’t make it bad in itself, just different. I mean, Minami-ke had hardly any dismemberment murders, but it’s still a good show.
I’m also not sure why Higurashi Kai is on that list. I actually liked this season more than season one, and it was certainly far better than stuff like StrikerS or Shana II.
Best OP/ED/Insert of 2007
Hey, where’s my Dango Daikazoku?
Your hate for Zetsubou Sensei has left me in despair
I actually like SZS… it may be terrible and completely off-the-wall, but it makes me laugh, so, eh.
GL had 26 episodes, because episode 4 doesnt exist.
>>GL had 26 episodes, because episode 4 doesnt exist.
Episode 4 introduced the Black Siblings, and had Simon figuring out how to gattai properly. It exists.
What doesn’t exist is the OVA. (USAAAAGON LAGAAAAAAN!)
I’m with most people here on Higurashi Kai – it’s the great struggle against the mystery instead of falling for it again. I enjoyed it MUCH more than the first season, which failed after the 1st arc. This time around, they had the original creators on the staff list, which really saved the show.
Mirai Nikki… hopefully the rumors about BeeTrain animating it for Spring 2008 will disapate soon…
>>but that 2nd OP and ED (best 1-2 punch of the year) were all 2k7.
I VERY MUCH concur with this. They’re probably the most memorial songs for me in 2007. Just perfectly epic with JUST AS PLANNED, LADIES, DADDIES, MELLODIES, and SWIMMING LESSONS.
>>Gundam Seed Destiny Memorial Falling Off a Cliff the Fastest
Working my way through SEED. Will watch Destiny no matter what you people say how much it sucks. Wish me luck.
>>Hayate, Hayate the Combat Butler
If only they did more with it. So disappointing despite not being the main focus.
Somewhat off topic, does anyone have a desktop size version of the Simon and Boota pic in the black background? And I gotta admit, I’m a little dissapointed that Guns and Roses from Bacanno! didn’t at least make runner-up for best OP/ED/Insert.
Where’s my Kaede Fuyou Memorial Award?
Is it just me or does it seem like Jason completely forgot to watch Baccano!? I know he included it in the summer thin slicing post but it’s the only time he’s bothered to mention it when it’s clearly one of the best anime this year. It may not be very fitting for these kind of awards but I’d say it’s a definite contender for ‘Most Interesting Couple’ and deserves at least runner up in a few others.
Awww, no School Days mention at least for best harem? Love it or hate it, Makoto was able to do what’s normally impossible for a harem lead – actually get into the pants of almost every girl interested in him.
So?
Does not excuse for basic walking of a cliff in terms of plot, also what people will always recall of that series is the ending.
Seto no Hanayome was not named either and its FAR superior to School Days.
>>Does not excuse for basic walking of a cliff in terms of plot, also what people will always recall of that series is the ending.
I thought the entire point of School Days was to walk off a cliff in terms of plot.
If it weren’t for Horie Yui, I’d have never finished Nagasarete. It had so much potential at the start too.
>>Working my way through SEED. Will watch Destiny no matter what you people say how much it sucks. Wish me luck.
I find it more fun to watch then Gundam 00. Though it kind of obviously fell apart towards the end and rewrote the story with some ridiculous shit. Fucking Kira hijack.
Higurashi Kai is also better then the first season. WTF at it being called a bad sequel.
I think people called a bad sequel because it didn’t meet their expectations, aka more mysteries, loli kills and emo facial distortions.
As far as I am concerned, I liked it.
I’m leaning toward School Days for best Harem. Regardless of what you think of the series, I agree with XiaNaphryz. The show went where most harems fear to tread. Clannad had a good harem, but was too Key-esque to be original.