Best and worst anime of 2008

S

sanji no 1

Vampire Ninja
So its another year finished. 2008 has been pretty good for anime if you ask me. Ive seen LOADS of anime this year. Some good and some bad. lets just hope 2009 will be just as good!

So what has been your best and worst anime shows of 2008?

The best animes ive in 2008 are:

Note* These anime didnt come out this year, Its just that i saw them this year.

Gungrave: I wasnt all sure about it when i got the boxset. I bought it because it was cheap. However, when i watched it, it was amazing! All the characters were great and lovable. You actually cared about them. The story was great. Having a gangsta theme worked really well. Also the action was very good.

Heat Guy J: I bought this because it was cheap aswell. I was amazed when i saw this. The characters. The Story. The action. EVERTHING WAS PERFECT!!! It makes me wonder why animes like this arent popular and animes like Evangelion are.

Samurai champloo: After watching Afro samurai, I heared about Samurai champloo. Alot of people compared them. To be honest i like Afro samurai more but this is still great. One of the first animes i saw in 2008.

The worst animes ive in 2008 are:

Tokyo Underground: I also bought this because it was cheap. And now i know why its so damn cheap. WHY DONT THEY MOVE WHEN THEY FIGHT?!?!?!?! Its mostly all steel frames when they fight. Why did Studio Pieret do that? its not cool, its lame and lazy! What a bunch of arse!

Otogi Zoshi: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING!!!! All that goes on in this anime is "We must find the Magatama" "We must find the Magatama" "We must find the Mother f***ing Magatama". The background art and character desighs were HIDEOUS!! it actually made me sick. Seriously.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: It wasnt bad, actually far from it, Just that its so damn overrated. And when i saw it i was dissapointed. It doesnt disserve the amount of credit it gets.

So these have been my best and worst of 2008. please feel free to me your bests and worsts.
 
Best and Worst of 2008. Well going by what i remember, i don't actually think i finished much last year, so i'm going to have to go with what i've seen overall.

Best:

Soul Eater - By far one of the highlights for me from last year, and will be ongoing through this year too. i absolutely adore this series, the characters are enjoyable, funny, likeable, as you'd hope, storyline is great, battles, you name it. Annoyingly time stopped me from really going further than 30 episodes so far, but i have read every chapter of the manga so far, so i'm ahead of where the anime is at, but it still doesn't take any of the enjoyment away from this series. If i where to choose any particular character(s) i like the most, it would have to be Black Star and Tsubaki. Ok at first glance Black Star does seem fairly naruto-esque, but his character is far more likeable and a has a bit more depth to it than he does, and Tsubaki as well, albeit she speaks probably the least of the main characters, has an interesting backstory and on top of that, she seems to just match up with Black Star perfectly.

Spice and Wolf - Alright i know some will wonder why i chose this, but its one series i'd say was definitely worth a look into. Both Lawrence and Horo are great characters, and the conversations and development together is great to watch. Some will no doubt be put off by the whole trade side of things, as it can be a lot to take in, but i'd try to ignore that and watch it through anyway. Was glad to hear that a second season was announced too, i know the novels span 9 volumes now, and i'm slowly working my way through them, so it'll be interesting to see how the story progresses after the first season, both anime and novel wise.

Worst:

If i'm to be honest, from what i have actually watched, i can't really pick much out to be the worst i've seen. If i where to have more time on my hands and where able to watch more, no doubt i would, but at the moment, it'd feel that all i was doing was nit-picking. After i've finished one or two of the shows i've been watching since last year, i'll probably update this and say what i think, but until then, i don't see it fair in my mind to do so.
 
This is rather a 'best seen' rather than 'best released' list I hope, because i'd never manage otherwise.

Best:

Probably the most innovative I watched (save the way the dvds lack a 'play all' option was Noein definately a step above most anime on the intellectual front, it certainly. Very clever, and very different. Liked it lots.

Mushishi deserves a mountain of praise as well. Reminding me somewhat of Haibane Renmei in tone, if not in story, it is a really touching and different anime which keeps me wanting to follow it all the way to the end.

The Girl who leapt through time also jumps in well, with a good bit of cheer, and interesting set up that certainly put a smile on my face while I watched it

Kamichu gets my last spot. A wonderfully charming and witty experience about a girl who turns into a god. It had a couple of duff episodes, but the whole package works so well that it deserved its spot.

Paprika nicely rounds out my top tier. Satoshi Kon was already one of my top three Anime directors after Paranoia Agent and his previous films, but this takes it right to the next level. Comedy, drama, sci fi, fantasy, all is in there, but it works so well that it is possibly the best film of the year for me full stop.

Honroable mentions go to Petopeto-san, REC, and the Gargoyle of the Youshinagas

Worst:

Without a doubt the worst Anime I watched this year was Heat Guy J. Outside children's anime I have rarely seen a show with so little substance in it. Even She the ultimate weapon tried in places. This is generic to the core for me. Not fun at all.

Equally, Gunslinger Girl had very little going for it. A fundimentally depressing Anime without depth or wit to carry it through.

Ghost in the shell: Solid State Society and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence both get lumped together here. As always with this franchise, they usually come so close to greatness, but someone always throws a spanner in the works, (Tachikoma's in the series, long scene narration in the first film) Solid state adds nothing at all and counts simply as one of the 'get together sequels' which are always bad (Case in point, Nadesico, Prince of Darkness) and Innocence feels padded to the extreme. Still searching for the definitve Ghost in the Shell...

Fantastic Children had oodles of promise. I mean, a full blown epic crossing two worlds of promise. The animation style did not go against it, even helping it. However the flagrant disregard for continuity, constant 'capture/escape/capture' events, and enough unfinished threads to sink a textile barge leaves this as a massive dissapointment more than anything else.

Origin: Spirits of the Past rounds out my dislikes. I did not follow the development of this one over the net, so I should have seen alarm bells ringing when it seemed like a very pretty Nausicaa clone, but alas I failed. Also i should have been frightened of the length - 90 minutes simply cannot do an epic of the kind described. Yet I gave in. It was pretty, I will give it that, and the first part of the film actually seemed to be going somewhere, but then it collapsed into a massive mess all round. It is a pity, but it seems that the only person who can do enviromental epics is Miyazaki.

Dishonourable mentions include, Strawberry Panic (Though I blame my friend for suggesting it!) Appleseed Ex Machina, Otogi Zoshi and Naruto.


...

Oh, and the 'So great but completely fluffed the ending' award goes to Eureka Seven. It completely tried to do the Eva ending by ballsing it up good and proper. In the event, few endings could be as bad as Eva, but it was pretty poor, especially considering how good the few episodes leading up to it were.
 
Some surprising 'worsts' here, but hey different tastes and all that.

It's hard to say exactly what my faves of 2008 are, but to pick few recent additions of the past year:

Xam'd: Ignored it for far too long, this anime is absolutely gorgeous. The attention to details, design, setting and general imagination are all great.

There was an earlier mention of Gungrave which I can second. Discovered it this year, and was astounded at the overall quality of the character development and drama.

Eve No Jikan is one I only found a month or so ago. In spite of it's short, restrictive releases it's very compelling. The themes surrounding people's uses for and the purpose of robots have been used a lot, but it manages to put a fresh spin on them.

I saw a number of bad animes which I dropped this year, but it's the ones which had wasted potential that I remember:

The Daughter of Twenty Faces - the first 6 episodes are astoundingly good, and they remain servicable up to the early teens. It's a crippling disappointment that it devolves into one of the most generic plotlines imaginable for the finale.

Naruto Shippuden - I've tried to stick with this for a long time, but the most recent filler arc crushed my enthusiasm once and for all. It''s not that Naruto doesn't have good episodes, you just have to wade through a dozen naff ones to get to them. I'm just not up to it anymore.

Gunslinger Girl 2 I think this was early on this year. I loved the original, but the sequel proved inferior in just about every respect. The animation, direction, music - there's a good story in there, but the clumsy execution really drags it down a long way.
 
Just one for each. I'm too lazy to write any more.

Best: Mushi-shi
Not only the best looking TV anime I've ever seen, with consistently fluid motion and stunning backgrounds, but also one of the most atmospheric. A series of compelling stories about how mysterious lifeforms known as Mushi affect the lives of the people whose paths they cross.

Worst: Shuffle!
The exclamation mark is easily the most exciting thing about this steaming pile of *********. A criminally dull harem show that embraces all the tired genre tropes before suddenly shifting into overwraught melodrama just before the half-way point - which is where I decided to cut my losses.
 
Best
5 cm per second
The girl who leapt through time

Worst
Naruto Shippuden

This year was a rather melodramatic one for me, so I think my choices for best were made on two animes that made me go WOW.

My choice for worst I don't think that needs an explanation. The anime is so inferior to the manga that it's a pain to follow. The manga also got into an all time low, but it's picking up again.
 
Well according to my MAL:
(Note: Only includes stuff I have completed or dropped, no on-hold stuff)

Best - All joint 9/10:
Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid OVA: Heh, that was just funny, lol.
GetBackers: Very good show with a nice mix of action and comedy, really wish it had been continued further.
Naruto Shippuuden: Gekijouban Naruto Shippuuden: Can't really remember this film, but I guess I liked it at the time. :?
DearS: Extremely funny, better than Chobits IMO *dodges rotten fruit*.
DearS - A Ball Of Gold: Same as above. OK, WHO THREW THAT!?!?!
Bleach - The DiamondDust Rebellion: A pretty good, yet rather generic Shounen anime film.
Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!! Only two words can describe this one: EPIC WIN!
School Rumble Ichi Gakki Hoshuu: Continuation/nice extra bit of a very funny series, can't complain.

Worst (Dropped) - With a massive 3/10:
Ikkitousen: I had really high hopes for this series, but oh well... It probably hindered my viewing experience of it.

Worst (Completed) - With 4/10:
Rockman.EXE (Megaman NT Warrior): Seemed better when I started watching it and was slightly closer to the target age range in 2005, but alas, now it seems very, very pfft.

I bet there will be some unpopular decisions in there. :roll:
 
Warmaster said:
This is rather a 'best seen' rather than 'best released' list I hope, because i'd never manage otherwise.

Best:

Probably the most innovative I watched (save the way the dvds lack a 'play all' option was Noein definately a step above most anime on the intellectual front, it certainly. Very clever, and very different. Liked it lots.

Mushishi deserves a mountain of praise as well. Reminding me somewhat of Haibane Renmei in tone, if not in story, it is a really touching and different anime which keeps me wanting to follow it all the way to the end.

The Girl who leapt through time also jumps in well, with a good bit of cheer, and interesting set up that certainly put a smile on my face while I watched it

Kamichu gets my last spot. A wonderfully charming and witty experience about a girl who turns into a god. It had a couple of duff episodes, but the whole package works so well that it deserved its spot.

Paprika nicely rounds out my top tier. Satoshi Kon was already one of my top three Anime directors after Paranoia Agent and his previous films, but this takes it right to the next level. Comedy, drama, sci fi, fantasy, all is in there, but it works so well that it is possibly the best film of the year for me full stop.

Honroable mentions go to Petopeto-san, REC, and the Gargoyle of the Youshinagas

Worst:

Without a doubt the worst Anime I watched this year was Heat Guy J. Outside children's anime I have rarely seen a show with so little substance in it. Even She the ultimate weapon tried in places. This is generic to the core for me. Not fun at all.

Equally, Gunslinger Girl had very little going for it. A fundimentally depressing Anime without depth or wit to carry it through.

Ghost in the shell: Solid State Society and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence both get lumped together here. As always with this franchise, they usually come so close to greatness, but someone always throws a spanner in the works, (Tachikoma's in the series, long scene narration in the first film) Solid state adds nothing at all and counts simply as one of the 'get together sequels' which are always bad (Case in point, Nadesico, Prince of Darkness) and Innocence feels padded to the extreme. Still searching for the definitve Ghost in the Shell...

Fantastic Children had oodles of promise. I mean, a full blown epic crossing two worlds of promise. The animation style did not go against it, even helping it. However the flagrant disregard for continuity, constant 'capture/escape/capture' events, and enough unfinished threads to sink a textile barge leaves this as a massive dissapointment more than anything else.

Origin: Spirits of the Past rounds out my dislikes. I did not follow the development of this one over the net, so I should have seen alarm bells ringing when it seemed like a very pretty Nausicaa clone, but alas I failed. Also i should have been frightened of the length - 90 minutes simply cannot do an epic of the kind described. Yet I gave in. It was pretty, I will give it that, and the first part of the film actually seemed to be going somewhere, but then it collapsed into a massive mess all round. It is a pity, but it seems that the only person who can do enviromental epics is Miyazaki.

Dishonourable mentions include, Strawberry Panic (Though I blame my friend for suggesting it!) Appleseed Ex Machina, Otogi Zoshi and Naruto.


...

Oh, and the 'So great but completely fluffed the ending' award goes to Eureka Seven. It completely tried to do the Eva ending by ballsing it up good and proper. In the event, few endings could be as bad as Eva, but it was pretty poor, especially considering how good the few episodes leading up to it were.
Click to expand...

You are sooo wrong about fantastic children! :)
Can understand origin. While not terrible it was not as good as it should have been.
Watching gunslinger girl atm actually. Seems to be ok so far. Only 3 episodes in mind.
 
jonboy said:
You are sooo wrong about fantastic children! :)
Can understand origin. While not terrible it was not as good as it should have been.
Watching gunslinger girl atm actually. Seems to be ok so far. Only 3 episodes in mind.
Click to expand...

I really wanted to like fantastic children, I really did. I thought there as so much promise there as it was so different from anything I had recently scene, but by 3/4 of the way through it was clear it was just ending up in a mess that is not going to be properly sorted out and unfortunately I felt it was right. :(
 
I'll just go with what I've seen this year although the best I've seen was in the closing few months of the year. lol.

Best:
Noein - Started New Years Eve and I finished it on New Years Day but no one cares, alright? Amazing OST, I think Shangri-La is definately in my top ten OST tunes (If I ever had one) great cast of characters, brilliant dub, although the story was a bit of a mindfuck with all this techno babble about dimensions I got the jist of it. Episode 12 fight scene was the BEST.

Worst:
Code Geass - Honestly, I know it's popular and I usually just go "lol **** sux" but I did watch all of it and I wanted to be surprised and like it it was just... not very good in the long run, those several amazing episodes cannot make up for 18 or so bad ones. Death Note with mecha and SEVERE lack of mecha action, they just... stood there and talked, though it has one of the best animu chicks ever, Kallen. I did it enjoy it at times but there was far too many cringe-worthy moments. ONWARDS TO SEASON 2! (Yeah, right.)
 
The thing with Code Geass is that it's an elaborate troll, so it doesn't even take itself seriously. Death Note ended up sucking despite trying to take itself seriously, so I give Code Geass props for at least providing lulz.
 
Best: Code Geass and Lucky Star for me.
Code Geass has lots of (by most part) depressing shock moments, but it also has it's genius in Lelouch (I love his ego). And the fact that Britain has conquered most of the world is also a bonus. ;) The mecha fights were good as well, but it was all-round great for me.

Lucky Star is the best when it came to slice-of-life. It wasn't trying to make anything spectacular (like big bangs and such) and it was more of a realistic view from the world of anime. I had quite a few relations to the series (like MMORPGs and such), so I thought since I understood most of the gags, it was a fresh look on myself and others... in a humourous way.

Worst: - Ikki Tousen - Great Guardians.
Guah! Ok, Ikki tousen and Dragon Destiny had their flaws of fanservice at times, but for Pete's sake! This was an almost pointless filler series, and it burnt me to watch it all (I only did in hope it would change...) I''l stop at Dragon Destiny when it (hopefully) gets here.
 
Best/Worst.

Hmm
Best, would be Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit
Nice story and scene setting with nice animations (though why do all PIG main female chars all look similar?). I'd like the rest of the books doing too...

Worst, not really seen much but i'd have to say nothing tops Kyo: Samurai Deeper, its utter rubbish.
 
Well the only two I remember not liking this year were Tengen Toppa Gurren Laggan and Soul Eater. Both have good production values but everything else about these put me to sleep. Very little charisma or interest in the characters and since the stories again held little interest I really needed something from the characters.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was probably the best and Green Vs Red was an interesting spin on the Lupin universe that paid off.

Other than that there's nothing else anime related that stood out enough for me to remember right now.
 
I've lost track of time- it seems I watched gurren lagann in 07, so I'll probably go with Geass R2 as my favourite series this (last) year.

Up and down, amazing at times, spectacularly stupid during others, with some great twists, and some from nowhere (along with some characters) that make no sense. Several questions, some unanswered.

Despite it all though, it was probably the most entertainment I got from anything anime related in 2008.

Nothing really bad in 08, but I didn't like the art style of Mononoke (the series) so only watched one episode.
 
Best-
Macross Fontier- Great mecha, decent songs, and and some kick arse battles.
Code Geass- Don't know if it will have re-watchable value but it was definitely gripping while it was being fansubed. More twists than a corkscrew, and they best ambiguous ending for a while.
Witchblade - A reverse Gonzo. Generic and bland to being with but gaining maturity and character as is goes along.
Honourable mentions - mainly cause they aren't over yet.
Mushishi
Daughter of 20 faces
Xam'd
Worst
Dragonaut - The Resonance-
Blassenriter
Kanokon
 
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