|
Oh boy, ranking time.  Love the manga, love the show. A really great prison break story with an entertainingly stupid premise, utterly unashamed of what it's trying to be. Also, I'm a sucker for comedy due to ASTOUNDINGLY stupid characters.  ...unfortunately, this one's getting demoted because I just finished Shirabako, it's awesome and I can only vote for 5 series. Sorry, Prison School. 5. Owarimonogatari. For me, the -monogatari shows pretty much succeed when they don't focus on garbage tier characters (of which there are too many, yeah). This season mostly did that, so good job! Ougi is fantastically creepy + manipulative, Kanbaru pretty much saves the second half of this season. Certainly doesn't come close to the unbeatable combination of Senjougahara + Kaiki, but I'll take it! I'm always amazed how great this show can be with nothing but talking. 4. Concrete Revolutio. Didn't see this one coming. It's weird as hell, VERY political, almost Watchmen-like in its commentary, and pretty dang complex. The action isn't that great, but it has its moments. The true verdict comes when this show starts to resolve its conflicts - a lot could go wrong then. But for now, it's interesting, unusual, and strangely appealing! 3. JoJo Stardust Crusaders: Egypt Arc. I'll be honest, I didn't like the first half of this show. Phantom Blood was okay and intriguing enough for me to continue; Battle Tendency was phenomenal; Stardust Crusaders was... hm. I didn't like the monster-of-the-week approach, and the action seemed to consist of nothing but stills with lip flaps added. If it weren't for the trademark JoJo weirdness, I would've dropped it pretty fast. It felt MUCH rougher around the edges than Battle Tendency. Well, the second half was loving phenomenal, so all is forgiven! The villains are MUCH more interesting, on par with the great antagonists from earlier seasons, which also makes all the mid-battle talking that much greater. Hell, it pretty much becomes the point. Coupled with some pretty great action scenes (doubtlessly due to the iconic scenes they're in), it's great, tense, badass and totally weird. There's a couple animation issues later down the road, but eh. I'm basically a dinosaur, I only see motion anway.  2. Shirobako (shamelessly added in a later edit) Holy poo poo it's good I hadn't even seen this yet when making this post. Went through all of it in two days. It's educational, it's heartwarming, it's absurdly inspiring, and it's got this overpowering optimism that you just can't shake off. And honestly - THE FEELS WERE TOO STRONG. Episode 12 with the old animator's return seriously got me. Also, the finale with the insane Western showdown at the publisher's office and, of course, voice actress finally making her first step - "I'm one step closer to my dream now..."  Yes you are, yes you really are...This would easily be #1, but no-one's stronger than 1. One Punch Man. The moment this was announced, I knew there was no chance it wouldn't take first place in my personal list. It's funny and full of incredible action. One of the few anime shows I would recommend to non-anime viewers without hesitation. And even though you'd think its main premise, a hero who's gotten so strong he always wins in one punch, would tire out very fast - it never does! And there's a great parody underneath: countless stereotypes get thrown against the unbeatable hero, only to get mercilessly exposed as the arrogant fuckups & idiots they are, because bullying through power just doesn't work with this guy. In the end, it's about what a hero really is. It's a loving parody of superhero action shows, and like all great parodies, an incredible superhero action show as well. And since I'm a sucker for good-looking action, this easily takes #1. Plus, the opening theme is insanely stupid rock and it's great. I never skipped it. ...unfortunately, these are also the only five shows from 2015 I watched, so I couldn't even include any others if I had to Guess I'll check out Shirobako, seeing how many put it in their top 5! Maybe Euphonium too? Dunno, I REALLY liked K-On, and Euphonium didn't seem nearly as whacky going by the first episode... Meh.
Torquemadras fucked around with this message at 22:00 on Dec 25, 2015 |
#
¿
Dec 23, 2015 00:11
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 14, 2024 14:18 |
|
|
Hello Best Anime 2015 thread, you made me watch Shirobako these past few days. I doubt anybody gives a poo poo, but I'd like to recast my vote to include Shirobako instead of Prison School. Sorry, Prison School. Shirobako caused feels that were too powerful.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 25, 2015 21:39
|
|
|
Lucy Heartfilia posted:Good. Please edit your post accordingly. Shirobako shall be AOTY. Torquemadras posted:
Done. All glory to Shirobako. I seriously can't think of anything wrong with this show. (...okay, new animator girl in the later half was annoying. Oh well.) It's not even a little bit spiteful, and even though the shows they're making look like run-of-the-mill standard fare (...are they? Still gotta check out the additional episodes), I've never been so invested in the fate of an, uh, anime's anime. May not beat One Punch Man for me personally, but oh well, ranking's meaningless in the top 5 anyway. ... ...my favorite character was Taro, because he's every annoying office dude you've ever known rolled into one, yet he grows on you 
|
|
#
¿
Dec 25, 2015 22:10
|
|
|
The moment Shirobako won me over was that smash cut from happy highschool amateur animation times to Aoi sitting in the car, staring at traffic lights tired as gently caress And then car drifting 
|
|
#
¿
Dec 26, 2015 23:34
|
|
|
Lemon Curdistan posted:It was kind of a shame it didn't do more stuff like that but that smash cut was loving fantastic, yeah. I am glad Shirobako didn't end up all cynical, though. I think I read it somewhere in the resident Shirobako thread: "Shirobako is made by idealists trying to be realistic". Sounds true. They're not exactly sugarcoating it, especially when it comes to the damage a lack of professionalism can do, but the show is never bitter. I really liked that hopeful realism, or whatever you want to call it. Can't help but be swept up in it, very soothing. Go do your dumb doughnut anime pose, you've earned it.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 27, 2015 00:26
|
|
|
Motto posted:I didn't get that vibe. The stuff they were working on wasn't groundbreaking, sure, but I think it's a bit much to say that "being doomed to nameless mediocrity" is an underlying theme of the show. Some of the major plotlines are all about trying to make the shows the best they can be, and parts of them like the Exodus finale and the original TAGS scene are presented as having turned out great. The show did address the issues with the creative process (especially in adaptation), the worry about whether the stuff you're making is any good (Aoi in the old office) or will sell, and the very real possibility of everything going to pot (JigglyJiggly), but whenever dealing directly with scenes from the shows and the character's work on them, the tone was positive. I can agree with that... I don't think the show is ever cynical towards what they're working on. We get some glimpses of worst-case scenarios (like JigglyJiggly, and what we hear from resident cynic Hiraoka about his earlier jobs), but that's it. If anything, I'd say the show is very neutral regarding market trends and whatnot, it values craftsmanship above all, in every aspect of the industry. I think for that purpose the projects in the show are deliberately generic: a "safe" show about idols to get the studio back on its legs, and an adaption of a successful flavor-of-the-month novel series. And, hell, the show has a LOT to say about compromising between realizing your dream/craft/art, and what you just have to do. Shirobako is not about revolutionizing the industry (which would be quite arrogant as well), it's about appreciating what goes into it. And you better believe that lame-rear end "girls in fighter jets" show had gorgeous clouds.  Still, I'm very curious what else the show would have to say about the uglier sides of the industry... We've seen enough to know they are painfully aware of it, and once the protagonists move up in the hierarchy, we're bound to see more issues crop up. I hope more Shirobako happens, seems likely enough.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 28, 2015 21:16
|
|
|
Lucy Heartfilia posted:Watch Sore ga Seiyu if you haven't already. That's the show about voice actors, no? Might as well check that out! AlternateNu posted:You kind of see that during the meeting where they're selecting the voice actors. Fourteen hours to choose VAs for 6 characters, and you have the secondary market reps basically acting like caricatures of single-minded hacks pushing their own brand/sector. Do not devalue boobs guy's contribution the the industry, he is a hero ...seriously, scenes like those are great. I want to see all kinds of stuff go horribly wrong, only for the protagonists to overcome it by sheer competence, friendship and optimism. It's very soothing. Catharsis, I guess.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 28, 2015 21:51
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 14, 2024 14:18 |
|
|
That is a great list, and I feel suitably ashamed of losing interest in both Euphonium and Gatchaman three episodes in. Also, great going for Concrete Revolutio - the weirdest, most unexpected and ambitious show, which is still somehow a total underdog. It's either gonna crash and burn next year, or it'll make my Top 5 again. If it weren't for Mob Psycho 100, it would be the anime that I look forward to the most in 2016. If it weren't for this thread, I'd never given Shirobako a chance, so there's that too. I thought at first it's generic highschool girl adventures. I'm glad I was COMPLETELY wrong - I think it's easily in my Top 10 of all time now. I really hope it continues someday.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 4, 2016 22:07
|
|