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Apr 01 2009

Categories: best of 2008

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A Meister. A Knight. And a Tiger.

#7: Gundam 00 S2

“Change for me, who cannot change.”

Also wins for 2008:

• Most Gundams
• Most Delicious Bridge Bunnies
• Best Brainless Entertainment on a Sunday Night
• The Tom Cruise “Maybe I Like Japan Too Much” Memorial Award
• Most Useless Character
• Best Use of a Cocktail Dress

There are times watching Gundam 00 S2 when I just wanted to pull my hair out– why kill off Ms. Wang? Why keep dicking around with Marie/Soma’s memories? What happened to the energy subplot? Why Marina?! And then there’s moments like Feldt giving Setsuna a flower, the final Ribbons vs. Setsuna battle, Tieria wooing Ribbons in a cocktail dress, Lockon bedding Anew, and 00 Gundam whipping out a giant phallic beam sword that reminds me why I keep watching. Just an awesome balance of almost becoming a train wreck but pulling out at the last minute.

I’m also thinking that 00 is the best modern Gundam. It has a half-way decent original premise (energy) and the new premise (understanding to stop war is a paradox in itself). It’s the first high definition Gundam. It doesn’t make me retroactively hate 00 S1 like what Seed Destiny did to Seed. It has the bromance and the mecha duels of Gundam Wing. I liked all the characters, which is something I couldn’t say about other series *cough* Shinn *cough*. It was even a fun show to complain about… I can bring up Tieria’s cocktail dress five years from now, and it’ll be as ingrained as the heretical Luna x Shinn kiss from Destiny. Am I going to toss out a Kannagi reference five years from now? Hell, no. Graham as the Last Samurai? Heck maybe! There was only one show since last August that I followed diligently every week: Gundam 00 S2. That counts for something too… I think.

(And if you asked me what anime series I would like to write for, I would probably pick a new Gundam series… over Mirai Nikki and Hanaukyo Maid Tai. The thing is, Gundam is pretty much the most prestigious anime franchise– wouldn’t Sunrise be able to get the best writers at some point? And, at the very least, Sunrise has the resources to make a Godfather-like offer to someone like Hiroyuki Morioka, couldn’t they?)

#6: Code Geass R2

“OH GEASS NO!!!'”

Also wins for 2008:

• Best Childhood Bromance
• Best Citrus Bromance
• Best Brotherly Bromance
• Best Knightly Bromance
• Best Rebellion Bromance
• Best Student Bromance

My writing for Code Geass R2 was either my best work (if you viewed Code Geass like I do in all its train wreck glory) or worst work (if you viewed it as a serious drama)… or just something in between. Irregardless, for me, it was a spectacular train wreck culminating in Lulu and Suzaku teaming up for a honeymoon that surpasses Nia and Simon’s seven days and a prank that surpasses Shizu and Mariya’s double genderswap. Just a bunch of nonsense piled on more nonsense that made Mai Otome seem like Jane Austin. And I loved every minute of it.

There’s a reason why shows like Nightline, 60 Minutes, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and Colbert Report exists… and then there’s reasons why shows like The Two Coreys, Bridget’s Sexiest Beaches, High School Reunion, Cheaters, Bridezilla, The Osbornes, and Flavor of Love exist. Code Geass is definitely not in the Nightline category, but it doesn’t stop it from entertaining. From guessing what atrocious plot twist will happen next to what haremette will be spurned next to when Suzaku and Lulu will finally kiss and make up to how many times C.C. has dry humped that Cheese-kun doll– just a tour de force. In the history of anime, no show has been so action-packed, cheesy, horrendous, endearing, bromantic, melonpanriffic, moe, wacky, confusing, random, ridiculous, geassy, distorted, emo, strange, hypocritical, exhaustive, comedic, happy, dysfunctional, and serious… all at the same time. Tour. De. Force.

(Code Geass has a much better train wreck factor… Gundam 00 has better writing, but saying that Gundam 00 has better writing than Code Geass is like saying that Jennifer Love Hewitt is a better actress than Denise Richards. And because, like how I’m not watching Ghost Whisperer for its insightful morality plays, I’m not exactly watching either of these shows for their writing. But, still, if I had to pick which one I would watch first… mmm… sorry Setsuna F. Seiei!)

#5: Toradora

“The Palmtop Tiger of Happiness.”

Also wins for 2008:

• Best School Fair Play
• Best Christmas Duet
• Best Horie Yui OP/ED
• Best Ski Trip
• Best Hiding Place For A Blue-Haired Girl
• The Umisho Memorial Fanservice-Ladden Swimming Competition Award

Toradora is good enough that I fully expect a bastardized live action j-drama variant of it in the near future. There’s three key ingredients for a successful harem anime: the haremettes, the gimmick (slash hook), and the chemistry.

I’ve always said that the foundation of any harem anime are the haremettes. We’re not exactly watching for the main character or for bromance or for the same old tired “he pulls down her skirt, he gets punched” gags. We want our Kyous, our Belldandys, our Miharus. And, then, there needs to be a gimmick. Love Hina had the college exam, Mahoraba has the MPD, and Magikano has the three onii-chan-crazed sisters. Then there’s plain old chemistry– how do the characters interact? There’s teams with good chemistry (SOS Brigade) and outright perplexing chemistry (Team Da Capo).

Toradora has all three: Taiga is in pole position as a tsundere goddess, Minori is a solid “A”, and Ami-chan… well… Ami-chan needs more screentime and Megami Magazine foldouts. The hook is up to par too, with the clashes between Taiga and Ryuji… and the initial proposition that both had someone else that they liked. But just Ryuji’s dealings with Taiga… well… it’s like Setsuna vs. Ribbons. (Okay, poor example… but Setsuna did penetrate Ribbons…) And they pass the important chemistry test. All five major characters interact with each other and had a vested interest in the outcome. (Though I would have wanted more fanservice from Minori and more seduction scenes with Ami-chan, but whatever.) That’s what brought Toradora together– it wasn’t some harem show like Gift or Wind where it just seemed like haremette of the week. There was a real story to be told. The tiger… and the dragon.

(You can go through my recent posts on Toradora if you want the review treatment.)

To recap, so far in the top ten, we have had Shigofumi, Minami-ke Okawari, Macross Frontier, Gundam 00 S2, Code Geass R2, and Toradora. One harem drama, one slice-of-life comedy, one point five train wrecks, one point five mecha, and one morality play– now that’s diversity. #2 through #4 revealed tomorrow. And, we’re out of the train wreck zone and the April Fool’s zone. I swear.