Forum - View topicYour Single Most Favorite Anime of 2006.
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CGord
 Posts: 163 Location: Phoenix, AZ suburbs |
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#1 by a mile is The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. For me, the only rival that one has to being The Best Anime Ever is FLCL. It's basically perfect.
2nd is Ouran High School Host Club. I don't often laugh out loud watching anime, but this one had me roaring, especiallyspoiler[ the ep where the twins are arguing. The food fight with the King flying through the air, "ahhhhhh....." LMAO!] |
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coffee
 Posts: 170 Location: Florida |
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My top Japanese release this year is a tie between Mushishi and Haruhi. I liked Mushishi for having some of the best art I've seen, the concept of the mushi, and the pacing all tied together to make something amazing. I'm crossing my fingers for a R1 release. Haruhi was enjoyable due to the zany nature of the series (characters, episode mix up and content), and for provoking some good thoughts such as spoiler[what if something like that were to happen? just what would you do if you were Kyon?]
And as I don't have cable, I will give my favorite 2006 DVD release. Eureka Seven When I first read about this I thought it was one of the most retarded ideas I had heard in along time. Boy was I wrong, after I strapped in for the first disc, I've been addicted to it. I love the colors, and epsecially the music, as well as the way the mecha design and implementation is done. |
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d.yaro
Posts: 528 |
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LIke the Oscars, the shows that come out later in the year are the ones that ended more likely to get my vote for "Favourite Anime of 2006". So shows like Shinigami no Ballad, Jigoku Shoujo and even that juggernaut Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu got plowed under simply because their runs were in the spring and summer. Time and memory weren't good to them in this race. Then there were others like Ergo Proxy, Nana, Black Lagoon, Death Note and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni which only held my interest for one or two episodes simply because there were more enticing things to do with my time. Like paddling, travel, work and other peculiar time wasters such as travelling 125 miles to see a bunch of Japanese rock bands in a concert. In the end, the last two series I completed watching are Kamichu! and NHK ni Youkoso! and they're my two contenders. Odd but these two contenders for my choice have titles that end in exclamation marks.
I am having a small amount of difficutly in saying that NHK ni Youkoso! is my choice for my favourite anime of 2006 on its own merits. Because it wouldn't have been my top choice if I hadn't read the five volumes of the managa. I had watched the first episode back in early August and then put the series aside. I rediscovered the story by chance when browsing through my local Book-Off shop in early November and quickly purchased what I could get my hands on. So all in all I can still say to myself that my enjoyment of the anime was dependent on my enjoyment of the manga. Looking into that question I suppose I could argue that the "NHK ni Youkoso!" manga and anime are essentially two separate beasts. They share the same set of characters and circumstances along with similar but often divergent plotlines. And it definitely was the manga which rekindled my interest in the anime. The other series which I dropped didn't have the characteristic. Even if they are available as manga they're not the sort I would've been inclined to purchase or read. Given that situation, "Kamichu!" was definitely a charmed series for it to stick out and get my attention as a contender for favourtie of 2006. Though it probably helped that I picked up the last volume of the R1 DVDs last week. Hence the choice came down to a series about mild cases of teen angst presented in a gentle fashion with a backdrop that was oh so familiar but oh so fantastic and a series about angst ridden young adults trying to work their way down the potholed roads of their so called lives. The latter series is of course "NHK ni Youkoso!". For me, all the stories in the series, with their themes about fear of changes in life, trying to save face, trying to be supportive of friends and family and struggling to find some meaning to life, were presented in a dynamic and captivating fashion. At one point I'd find myself laughing at the foibles of a character and in the next stroke I'd be struck with that feeling that something terrible had happened to them. There were so many points in the series where the stories tread that fine line between comic and tragic and achieved good results with just a small swing one way or the other. They also did a wonderful job of working in scenes depicting the imaginary that ran the gamut from wacky hallucinations to wicked illusions and on to compelling "What if?" daydreams. Those sorts of sequences served well as examples where anime is much more adept at providing entertaining and technically good looking imagery that might have looked "hokey", clumsy or cheap if done with special effects in a live action show. An example that sticks out in my mind is the "What kind of a girl is a 'Pururin' girl?"(sic) scene. I should also add that I found the accompanying music for this "NHK" to be bang on the money in my books. Yes, there were pieces that were a touch overused but all in all the music was effective in strengthening or reinforcing the melancholy, desparation or insanity of more than many a scene. Strings were used to heighten tension and guitars and voice served well in creating a sense of loss or emotional shakiness. The songs used throughout the series (OP, ED entries and those inserted into the shows) were a mixed bunch in terms of moods, styles and lyrical content but they served their purposes well. The artwork for this series? As others have stated, it was a bit of mixed bag in places. I enjoyed the attention to detail witnessed in a number of the backdrop drawings. The background art for scenes in Shibuya and Yokohama struck the nostalgia chord for me as I caught myself thinking out things like "Oh look! There's the Hikawa-maru and yes it really looks like that". The character designs were appealing in their relative simplicity. The only thing I found lacking in this area was Misaki-chan's apparently limited wardrobe. But that's a minor gripe. So in the end the series which reminded me of the old battle cry of "Let's put the FUN back into dsyfunctional!" gets my vote for my favourite anime of 2006. Yes, I enjoyed "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu" up to the point of purchasing and ordering all the R2 DVDs but at the end of the day NHK ni Youkoso! gets the nod. The escapist sci-fi adventure series with its teenage cast is a good body of entertainment but the thoroughly neurotic, tragi-comic tempest in a teapot which succeeded it on the TV schedule is the one I found to be compelling viewing (...next to Assate no Hokou, but that's a different creature unto itself). Sorry it took so long to get this point but there you have it... |
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Viga_of_stars
 Posts: 1240 Location: Washington D.C. in the Anime Atelier |
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I have to say for me personaly Eureka Seven
It had mechs with at first made it appeal to me. But its more than that or more than fighting. It deals with the trials and tribulations of two young lovers in this worlds circumstances. It had funny moments when Talho would bother Renton and serious dramatic moments like when spoiler[it was revealed Eureks is a corallion and when they flashedback her past and when Renton realized what gekko is doing and killing people] Because AS was more slacked on editing we got to see what the series had more. The supporting characters on the gekko all come out on its own sometimes to shine in the series and became faves of mine. It did start out whoa but by 5 ep i was hooked up to the last shown. This will be my fave for 06 going into 07. A good 2nd and third has to be Genshiken a good slice of life series and Super Gals a comedy gals anime that occassionally tackles real issues in some episodes and have wild crazy teen girl fun in the rest. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18444 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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In my earlier post I only listed my "straight from Japan" pick for 2006 because that's what I thought this thread was intended to be about. But since others have started mentioning their "on DVD" picks. . .
Of the series that came to North America this year and had at least two volumes released, my favorites come down to three titles: My-HiME - Granted, it's not one of the best-quality series to come out this year, and has a shaky English dub beyond its lead role, but for some reason this series just really, really clicked for me. I find myself more eagerly awaiting its next volume than any other title. Kodocha - There's actually one release I rate as funnier for the year, but this one has been a steady delight. Offers some of the year's best comedy and lead voice acting but also has some occasionally very good drama, too. Princess Tutu - No way I'm not mentioning this one. Although its storytelling sags a bit in places, it's a thoroughly lovely, inventive, and surprisingly engaging series with a beautiful, powerhouse finish and the year's best musical scoring. Probably my #3 pick for the year if rating series primarily on quality. |
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Viga_of_stars
Posts: 1240 Location: Washington D.C. in the Anime Atelier |
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i thought it was just anime you seen this year in general. it seems better that way but hey! |
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Lord Kefka
 Posts: 96 Location: California..for now |
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Actually Princess Tutu is one of the most awesome Anime there is...
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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I guess it depends, some people view fansubs regularly while others simply use the DVD releases as their primary viewing methods. I couldn't really do straight from Japan releases because I usually don't view anything that way so DVD releases simply makes more sense in my situation. |
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Lord Kefka
Posts: 96 Location: California..for now |
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yeah I changed that since some don't watch fansubs and some do.
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selenta
Subscriber Posts: 1774 Location: Seattle, WA |
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Well, if we're going to include the new R1 release of the year as well (and I'd have to agree that would make sense...) there's not much competition in my field.
My #1 R1 release of the year goes to Kamichu! without a second thought. One of my all time favorites, with gorgeous artwork, amazingly well done slife, decent plot (except for a few episodes, like the martian one  ), and the absolutely best soundtrack I've heard in years. I've brought this one up a bunch, but it's hard to really work it into most conversations as I don't think it got as much exposure as it deserved. 
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DragonMasterZero
 Posts: 22 Location: Penticton/Victoria |
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The top series of '06 would have to be The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, though Ouran High School Host Club comes close.
tMoHS is done exceptionally well, particularly in all the little details such as Yuki's glasses missing in every episode after 4 (chronologically). With Kyon's sarcasm and apathy for everything going on in the SOS Brigade, makes you realize how utterly wierd everything is in the show. The animation is absolutely amazing in this show, as well the OP and ED have excellent music and choreography. |
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CGord
Posts: 163 Location: Phoenix, AZ suburbs |
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It is excellent. My copies arrived today, & I sat the family down & we watched all of Vol 1 tonight. Vol 2 tomorrow! 
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youkai_ronin
Posts: 117 Location: beneath the starry night sky |
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Oh god i am in your debt for Black Lagoon, after your post i decided to check it out, it was in no uncertain terms F****** beautiful. I watched the entire first season and half of the second in a day(well they're short but still...) Especially episode 3 spoiler[Where Revy is having to jump from boat to boat shooting those guys in the face all while listening to her music player  ]
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aya_honda
 Posts: 920 Location: Around here |
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Glad I could help, I guess....  I'm happy that you have enjoyed so much Black Lagoon and hey, there's an entire thread about Black Lagoon only so you might want to check it. Trust me, you won't regret it.
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WesW
 Posts: 144 |
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I haven't seen some of the newest releases that have been menioned so often, like NANA or NHK, but for shows that finished in '06, two of the best have been Blood+ and Fate/Stay Night.
I "acquired" the soundtract to Blood+ last week, and was blown away by the orchestral score. I knew how good the OP's and ED's were, but I hadn't appreciated how great the orchestral score was until I sat down to listen to it by itself. Hollywood blockbusters should have such music. It reminded me of a cross between the scores for Conan the Barbarian and the Star Wars films. (If this seems odd, just check it out, and I think you will understand.) Easily as good as the scores for FMA and Naruto. To second Key, I also happened to watch Karin a couple of weeks ago, and found it to be a nice little gem of a series. I didn't realize how new it was until afterward when I looked it up, since the animation seemed a few years old. Of the shows that have already been mentioned multiple times, Haruhi, Higurashi and Black Lagoon were standouts. Black Lagoon was especially notable for the realistic character portayals, something which is very rare in such a gritty and action-packed series. |
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I enjoyed very much the story: it was an original way not to mention really smart and creative way of telling a story that doesn't seem anything special in the beginning. Each episode was a journey through a well designed intrigue with lots of smart remarks and irony, not to mention the beauty of Kyon's lines (a powerful combination of irony and humour, full of something real at the same time). I also liked the fact that the episodes weren't in a chronological order which practically forced me of giving all my attention to this anime and thus be able to see the magic of the story. The wonderful feeling that I had when noticing small things that made sense later on in the anime will not be forgotten easily. I also likes the character's way of entering the story., of creating themselves the necessary existence in the anime and thus making us feel that without one of the them the story would not be the same. Incredible music and artwork. My vote will go for 2006 to  |
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