[IXI! Digest] Top 10 Anime of 2012

Well, it’s that time of year again, and that means its time for my Top 10 Anime of 2012. It was a hard choice this time around, but I finally got the list down to ten anime. What a year it’s been. So many good anime aired and finished, old-school animation styles seemed to come back into common use, Bleach ended, I completed a milestone of having completed over 800 anime. What a year. Now, let’s just get right into it, starting with a special mention.

Special Mention: Highschool DxD
Now, this title gets a bit of a bad name because of all the fanservice, and a lot of people are quick to write it off as nothing but a vessel for it. However, the series had surprisingly good writing despite that. Am I defending the amount of fanservice used in this show? No. Frankly, I’m desensitized to it at this point, along with a number of other things. The writing is good, the plotline is solid and interesting, and the characters are likable and realistic. As Chuck would say, come for the fanservice, stay for the plot and interesting characters.

10. Sword Art Online
One of the more popular anime this year, and not exactly for no reason. The series is visually beautiful, and you can tell that a lot of thought went into the mechanics of the games it takes place in. Now, it can be absolutely ridiculous at points, and the main character is a little over the top, but it’s hard to find fault with it despite that. It just presents itself so well, and it’s hard not to enjoy the ride. An enjoyable, wonderful spectacle from beginning to end, I also like how it was half a character study as much as it was about the action. It feels like a lot of thought was put into the responses of the characters to their situation, and it was as realistic as it could be considering.

9. Sankarea
One would think that a series that was essentially about necrophilia couldn’t be that good. They would be wrong. This series was well written, and presented amazingly, making you actually care about the plight of a zombie girl. The romance was adorable, and for the most part, the characters were interesting and relatable. The story itself was nothing to sneeze at either, being well written and genuinely interesting. Just give it a shot, you won’t regret it.

8. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!
I don’t even know what to say about this one being here, but it was just so damn cute. A series about high school, and trying to fit in, done with a humorous take on the idea, it was surprisingly well written. The characters were likable, the animation was very cutesy, but it worked for the series as a whole. The romance element was well done as well. Despite the fact that the two characters had essentially just met, they just kind of clicked to such an extent that you could be excused for assuming they were old friends. The moment when they actually got together, as well as the lead-up to it was incredibly heartfelt and adorable, and it just made me love the series so much. That’s why it made it into my top 10.

7. Uchuu Kyoudai
I wasn’t sure whether I was going to be interested or not going into this show, but it managed to hook me right from the get go. An incredibly well-written piece about following your dreams, this show became a major hit this year. There’s just something special about it, even the stupid puns and jokes seem charming. It also helps that despite the rather large cast, there really aren’t any unlikable characters in the mix. It’s just a joy to watch this show, and I’d recommend it to everyone.

6. Kuroko no Basket
Yeah, I know, a Sports anime made it to my top ten, but you have to give this one some serious credit. The animation is fluid and beautiful, as one would expect from Production IG. The series manages to get you completely hyped for the games, and actually feel terrible when the team loses as if you were on the bench. Also, I have to give it credit for something else. I hate basketball, and yet I was waiting every week for the next episode to come out. I very much enjoyed the series despite my strong dislike for the sport represented, and that has to count for something. A solid series from start to finish, and I can’t wait for season 2, despite all the issues that have popped up surrounding the series as a whole recently.

5. Fate/Zero 2nd Season
Yes, the first season of this made it to my top 10 of 2011, but the second season only got better. Aside from a little bit of a stumble in its first few episodes, the second season is where things finally started to get serious, and it ended off very strong. The ending was quite possibly one of the best conclusions to an anime that I’ve seen in a long time, and a few dramatic reveals towards the end were handled very well. The Fate/Stay Night franchise is very popular, but for good reason, and its very deserving of its high position on this list.

4. Nazo no Kanojo X
So, I’m sure some people may be wondering how a show that’s essentially about spit made it this high up on the list. The answer is simply, because it deserves to be. I think this may have been one of the most original approaches to a romance in recent years. Originality and creativity are the key to how successful this show was, managing to make it cute and heartfelt despite the gross-out factor that stopped a lot of people initially. The storytelling was solid, and the characters were likable and relatable, getting the general thought process of a teenage boy down pat. A fun, adorable series from beginning to end, this is definitely one to give a watch.

3. Ano Natsu de Matteru
The latest series by the same staff as Onegai Sensei and Onegai Twins, this anime is something of a return to form. At first glance, the story and characters may seem quite the same as their previous works, but the series itself proves you wrong very quickly. What you end up with is a heartfelt, wonderful story about love transcending boundaries with excellent animation and well laid-out characters all trying to find themselves in the midst of a summer of dreams and miracles. It’s truly an experience unto itself, and should not be written off just because of the basic synopsis.

2. Sakamichi no Apollon
Probably one of the bigger favourites amongst fans this year, this series is like almost nothing else I’ve seen in years. A story about a couple of misfit high school kids coming together through jazz music, it’s excellently laid out and the characters and the voice actor performances really draw you in. The music as well is wonderful, giving you a true taste of old-school jazz while you watch. The music and writing together make this show quite the watch, and should not be missed by an music-lover out there.

1. Psycho-pass
And finally, the number one anime of 2012 is… Psycho-pass, the coming together of Production IG, and Urobuchi Gen, the writer of Madoka and the Fate/Zero novel. This series just doesn’t pull any punches. A serious police drama taking place in a dystopian future, this show isn’t afraid to show the horrors that society produces.  The writing is as solid as you’d expect from Urobuchi, and the animation quality just makes it wonderful to look at as well. Frankly, with such a dream team behind it, it would be hard for this show to not be amazing. The characters get you very interested in what’s going on as well, you just want to know what makes them tick. Anyways, watch it. Seriously. Do it. Oh my god, why haven’t you started already? Get to it!

*cough*

Anyways, that’s it for this year. I’ll be back in less than a month with my first impressions of the Winter 2013 season, so look forward to it. Also, what’s that? There’s a lot of shoujo on my list this year? Yeah, that’s true. Then again, a lot of the more action-oriented anime this year just plain sucked. I mean, did you guys watch K? What the hell happened there? All that hype beforehand and nothing. Anyways, see you all soon.