Ask John: What Were the Best Anime of 2008?

Question:
What have the best anime of the year been? What were the worst anime of the year?

Answer:
The total number of TV and web anime productions this year has been up slightly from 2007, but down from the record number of new titles debuted in 2006. But 2008 may be the strongest year of new TV anime since 2002’s large class of outstanding freshmen. In fact, there have been so many exceptional TV and web anime productions this year that I’m forced to apply a number of exclusions to help narrow my list. Priority goes to the combination of artistry and originality. Unlike the uncertainty of the Hollywood film production industry, typically anime productions with big budgets actually do turn out better than productions with more modest resources. But it’s unfair to determine best anime productions by their production values alone. I’m also hesitant to nominate sequels because sequels have an inherent unfair advantage over premiere titles. Sequels don’t have to introduce their characters, settings, and relationships the way introductory productions do, so sequels have, in effect, a head start out of the gate. Considering the strength of several of this year’s sequels and original productions, I’ve chosen to give preference to works that exhibit unique originality – shows that aren’t immediately and easily comparable to any other work. I know that it’s not entirely fair to judge the quality of a work based on watching merely one, or a handful of episodes, but with the massive number of works in competition, doing precisely that is unavoidable. Of the 159 TV and web anime productions to debut in 2008, I’ve been fortunate enough to watch at least one full episode of 150 of them.

I’ll deal with the 800 pound gorillas first. Macross Frontier, Code Geass: Lelouche of the Rebellion R2, and Mobile Suit Gundam 00 second season impose themselves onto the list of 2008’s best TV anime by virtue of their profound resources. All three of these productions had the benefit of established continuity, generous production budgets, and talented & committed production staffs. All three shows are typified by strong writing, compelling characters, intriguing narratives and plot twists, catchy music, and excellent animation. Like unstoppable juggernauts, these three shows were expected to be among the year’s best, and anything less would have been shocking.

More interesting, at least to me, are the new titles that took the anime world by surprise, excelling with pure creativity rather than lots of money. The most fascinating anime series of 2008 must be director Maasaki Yuasa’s sci-fi parable Kaiba. This amazingly profound and personal production borrowed inspiration from myriad sources but stirred its influences into a totally original stew. The mysterious and moving story of a man missing his heart, lost in a vast universe in which memories are as much a commodity as a personality trait, poses ethical questions about the value of life, love, and the boundary between possibility and moral responsibility. And the show did so within a frame of totally unique visual design and fluid animation. The series’ climax, I’ll concede, does feel slightly rushed and slightly under explained, but that small shortcoming detracts little from the exceptional creativity, intelligence, and enthralling artistry of the whole production.

Natsume Yuujin Cho is one of this year’s TV productions that simply got everything right. This balmy, painterly series evokes a glowing warmth consisting of humor, melancholy, kindness, and the temporal beauty of natural life and death. An episodic structure allows the series to exhaustively explore its protagonist through his interactions with a variety of characters expressing a range of personalities, motivations, and goals – ranging from selfish to benevolent to malicious. Natsume Yujin Cho excels at developing an absorbing, pervasive atmosphere that’s enthralling, engrossing, and affecting. The show draws in viewers and completely engages their heart and mind the way that very few other anime are able to. This is a beautiful series, both in terms of its visual design, and its affective impact on viewers.

Nijuu Menso no Musume, The Daughter of Twenty Faces, is another of this year’s largely overlooked TV productions to have gotten everything right. This engaging adventure story set during the early 20th century first details the life of a young girl adopted by, then violently separated from, a charming rogue thief and his gang, then expands into a sci-fi suspense story with global implications. The series does a fine job of gradually depicting protagonist Chizuko Mikamo’s growth from a smart but subjugated girl into an assertive, capable young woman. The series organically presents adventure, science fiction, mystery, historical drama, and believable, tentative romance in a steady story progression that never resorts to filler or narrative digression. The animation quality stays steadily good, periodically reaching excellence. Nijuu Menso no Musume is simply a rare, solidly constructed, intelligent & literary adventure that never panders to audience expectations or genre conventions.

Even with only three episodes released, Studio Rikka’s Eve no Jikan (The Time of Eve) web anime is already an outstanding achievement. The series’ impressive visual design bears much in common with fellow independent animator Makoto Shinkai, which is alone enough to justify praise. But the greater strength of Eve no Jikan lies in its ability to subtly deconstruct Japanese society and the larger arbitrary conventions of human assumption. The series poses intriguing questions about instinctive human behavior and Japanese society’s strict insistence on social conformity. Do humans instinctively prioritize respect based on visual perception? Why greet and thank a machine that resembles a human being, but not offer the same courtesy to a machine that doesn’t resemble a human body? If personality is the only distinguishable difference between an android and a human, should there be arbitrary distinctions at all? Are Japanese people that interact with androids on a personal level ostracized because they’re mentally unstable, or because of Japanese cultural convention? The ability to pose these sort of moral quandaries within the context of a visually dynamic, engaging, and enjoyable anime makes Eve no Jikan a fascinating work that dares to propose social critique and genuine philosophical debate.

Finally, certain critics may scoff at the nomination of Strike Witches as one of 2008’s best anime series, but I’ll state my own case and also point out that an authority no less than the Japanese government’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs has recognized the Strike Witches TV series as one of 2008’s best anime. Ultimately, the story crux of the Strike Witches television series was revealed to be not especially profound or unique, but the series’ excellence lies in other small details. Anime with ensemble casts are common, but few anime develop and distinguish each member of their cast as distinctively and thoroughly as Strike Witches. For a show ostensibly about girls with guns and exposed panties, the Strike Witches TV series spend an admirable amount of its time illustrating and developing character, especially Yoshika Miyafuji and Lynette Bishop’s gradually developing confidence and sense of responsibility. Nearly all of the other cast members were also fleshed out with background details and personal stories that felt like completely natural narrative development. So much time is spent on establishing and deepening character relationships that everything which occurs in the show feels totally believable, like a natural result of the girls’ relationships with each other. Viewers that look beyond the obvious fan service will find that the Strike Witches TV series exhibits admirable animation quality, appealing character design, and unusually strong character development.

Two components have made 2008 an especially good year for anime. The first is a large number of exceptional works that include Candy Boy, Casshern Sins, Kannagi, Kurenai, Kurozuka, One Outs, Ookami to Koshinryo, RD Senno Chosashitsu, and Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. The other half of the equation is a very minimal number of particularly bad productions. In fact, there’s only one TV production from this year that I think deserves special condemnation. The Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino- series was simply awful. The show had almost no character design continuity carried forward from its respectable first series. In fact, Il Teatrino’s visual design frequently looked poor enough to suggest that some of it wasn’t even finished. And while I’ve never thought that the 2003 series is as smart as it’s given credit for being, Il Teatrino is simply stupid much too frequently. While not bad, per se, the Mugen no Juunin, Blade of the Immortal, television series should be cited as the year’s biggest disappointment. After years of assertion that Hiroaki Samura’s manga couldn’t be adequately adapted into anime, Bee Train’s adaptation seemed to prove that point.

Considering the limited number of 2008’s theatrical movies and OVAs I’ve been able to watch, I don’t feel confident about making exhaustive comparisons. However, I would like to mention a few titles briefly.

The quality of the Kara no Kyoukai movies has varied a bit, and because of their structure and continuity, they don’t effectively stand as independent films. With those provisions in place, the third movie, “Remaining Sense of Pain,” is an especially intense, exciting, and provocative picture. And while Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea loses some steam in its third act, it’s still on par with expectations, and a fine return to the form of Miyazaki’s classic 80s films.

The 3 episode independently produced Amuri in Star Ocean OVA series may have been largely overlooked by international viewers because of its obvious “moe” design and its full CG animation, but this highly enjoyable series exhibits some of the most amazing visual creativity I’ve ever seen in anime. Amuri in Star Ocean isn’t something that can be effectively described. It literally has to be seen to be fully appreciated. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the first Zettai Shogeki ~Platonic Heart~ OVA was so bad that I couldn’t bear to watch the second & third episodes.

Here, then, is my possibly incomplete list of 2008 premiere anime.

TV & Internet anime:
Akane-Iro ni Somaru Saka
Allison to Lilia
Amatsuki
ARIA The ORIGINATION
attacked kuma3
Battle Spirits: Shonen Toppa Bashin
Bihada Ichizoku
BLASSREITER
Blue Dragon: Tenkou no Shichi Ryu
Bounen no Xamd
BUS GAMER
Candy Boy (web anime)
Casshern Sins
CHAOS;HEAD
Chi’s Sweet Home
Chocolate Underground (web anime)
Clannad After Story
Code Geass: Lelouche of the Rebellion R2
Crystal Blaze
D.C. II Second Season
Death Note Rewrite 2: L wo Tsugumono (TV Special)
Decodeco Town (web anime)
Dolly Variety
Druaga no Tou ~the Aegis of URUK~
Dual Masters Cross
ef -a tale of melodies-
Eve no Jikan (web anime)
Fightension Televi
Fireball
Gag Manga Biyori 3
Gakkou no Kaidan Anime Special
Garei Zero
Golgo 13
GUNSLINGER GIRL -IL TEATRINO-
H2O ～FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND～
Hakaba Kitaro
Haken Taiken Daisuki! Shimajiro
Hakushaku to Yousei
Hatenkou Yugi
Hennako-chan (web anime)
Hidamari Sketch x365
Himitsu Top Secret ~The Revelation~
Hokuto no Ken Raoh Densetsu: Ten no Haoh
Hyakko
Ikkitousen Great Guardians
Ikuze! Gen-san (web anime)
Inazuma Eleven
Inugaisha (web anime)
Itazura na Kiss
Jigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae
Junjo Romantica
Junjo Romantica 2
Kaiba
Kamen no Maid Guy
Kannagi
Kanokon
Kemeko DX
Kido Senshi Gundam 00 second season
Kiku-chan to Okami (TV special)
Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore De
Kissdum R -Engage Planet-
Kodai Ouja Kyouryu King D Kids Adventure Yokuryuu Densetsu
Koihime Musou
Kurenai
Kurogane no Linebarrel
Kuroshitsuji
Kurozuka
Kyo no Go no Ni
Kyouran Kazoku Nikki
Kyou Kara Maoh third series
Little Village People
Liveon Cardliver Kakeru
Lupin the 3rd: Sweet Lost Night (TV special)
Macademy Washoi
Mach Girl
Macross Frontier
Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~Natsu no Sora~
MAJOR 4th season
Megumi (web anime)
Michiko to Hachin
Minamike ~Okawari~
Mission E
Mnemosyne -Mnemosyme no Musume Tachi-
Moegaku 5
Monochrome Factor
Mouryou no Hako
Mugen no Juunin
Nabari no Ou
Natsume Yuujincho
Negibozu no Asataro
Neo Angelique Abyss
Neo Angelique Abyss Second Age
Net Ghost Pipopa
Nijuu Menso no Musume
Nintama Rantaro (16th series)
Nodame Cantabile Paris Hen
Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
Noramimi
Noramimi 2
Ojarumaru (11th series)
One Outs
Onegai My Melody Kirara
Ookami to Koshinryo
Peeping Life
Penguin Musume Heart (web anime)
Penguin no Mondai
PERSONA -trinity soul-
Porfy no Nagai Tabi
RD Senno Chosashitsu
RoboDz
Rocket! Bokura wo Tsuki ni Tsuretette Shin Tsuki Sekai Ryokou
Rosario to Vampire
Rosario to Vampire Capu 2
S.A
Saint Seiya Meio Hades Elysion Hen
Scarecrowman: The Animation
Seiyou Kottou Yougashiten ~Antique~
Sekirei
Sentakuya Shin-chan (TV Special)
Shigofumi
Shikabane Hime Aka
Skip Beat
Slayers Revolution
Soul Eater
Stitch
Strike Witches
Sugar Bunnies Chocola!
Takane no Jitensha (TV special)
Tales of the Abyss
Telepathy Shoujo Ran
Tentai Senshi Sunred
Tetsuwan Birdy Decode
Toaru Majutsu no Index
Toradora!
Toshokan Sensou
Tower of Druaga ~Aegis of Uruk~
Trouble
true tears
Tytania
Uchi no 3 Shimai
Ultraviolet Code 044
Usavich season 3
Vampire Knight
Vampire Knight Guilty
Wagaya no Oinarisama
Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~ (second series)
World Destruction ~Sekai Bokumesu no Rukunin~
xxxHOLiC Kai
Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo
Yatterman
Yes! Precure 5 GoGo!
Yozakura Shijyuusou ~ Yozakura Quartet
Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s
Yume-Miru Anime On-chan
Zenryoku Usagi
Zero no Tsukaima ~Princesses no Rondo~
Zettai Karen Children
Zettai Yareru Greece Shinwa
Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Theatrical Anime:
.hack//G.U. TRILOGY
Biohazard: Degeneration
Bleach Super Jump Tour movie
Blue Dragon Super Jump Tour movie
Doraemon: Nobita to Midori no Kyojin Den
Dragon Ball: Ossu! Kaette Kita Son Goku to Nakama-tachi!!?
Gake no Ue no Ponyo
Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro: Nihon Bakuretsu!!
Gurren Lagann movie 1
Highlander Director’s Cut
Inuyasha SP Kuroi Tetsusaiga (It’s a Rumic World Exhibition special)
Kara no Kyokai movies 3-6
Keroro Gunso movie 3
Kokaku Kidotai 2.0
Major: Yujo no Winning Shot
Meitantei Conan: Senritsu no Full Score
Naruto Shippuden: Kizuna
One Piece: Episode of Chopper + Fuyu ni Saku, Kiseki no Sakura
One Piece: Romance Dawn Super Jump Tour movie
Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl: Parachina Giratina to Sora no Hanataba Sheimi
Pyu to Fuku! Jaguar
Ranma ½ (It’s a Rumic World Exhibition special)
Shin Kyuseishu Densetsu Hokuto no Ken: Kenshiro Densetsu
The Sky Crawlers
Soreike! Anpanman: Yosei Rinrin no Himitsu
Sunadokei
Sguy & the Family Stone
Tegami Bachi Jump Super Tour movie
Urusei Yatsura (It’s a Rumic World Exhibition special)
Yes! Precure 5 GoGo! Okashi no Kuni no Happy Birthday
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Jump Super Tour movie

OVA Anime:
Amuri in Star Ocean
Armored Trooper Votoms: Pailsen Files
Batman: Gotham Knight
Cobra the Animation
Detroit Metal City
GUNSLINGER GIRL -IL TEATRINO- OVA
Idol Master: Live for You
Kaito Tenchi Twin Angel
Kamen no Maid Guy OVA
Kiss×Sis
Kite: Liberator
Lucky Star OVA
Lupin III: Green vs Red
My-Otome 0~S.ifr~
Naisho no Tsubomi
Negima!? ~Shiroki Tsubasa~ ALA ALBA
QUIZ MAGIC ACADEMY ~The Original Animation~
School Days ~Magical Heart Kokoro-chan~
School Rumble San Gakki
Seto no Hanayome
Switch
To Heart 2ad
Yotsunoha
Zettai Shogeki ~Platonic Heart~