Snapshots

Also, Stilts’ newest fetish. Zephyr’s too. We’ve got problems around here, folks.

Continuing our string of Twelve Days of Anime posts, we chose a more traditional topic to discuss today: the one 2012 anime moment that we found particularly awesome. Granted, we don’t know how we managed to sort out that one moment out of the dozens upon dozens of series we’ve watched this year, but the thing that matters is we managed to do it and you’ll see the picks of myself, Moomba, Stilts, and Zanibas below. Feel free to disagree and post your own favorite moments though (just don’t forget to spoiler tag em after listing the series they’re from).

This is how Koko rolls.

Zephyr

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take part in this collaboration! I mean, after watching some 70+ series (not including Movies/OVAs) in some shape or form this year, the notion of finding that one particular awesome moment felt like an impossible task to say the least. Looking back though (hindsight’s 20/20 afterall!), it seems like I was just worrying about nothing as the pick ended up much easier than expected.

Because in the end, there wasn’t a single moment that had me going HOLY CRAP/OMG/WOW/GOTTA REPEAT THAT AGAIN IN SLOW MOTION more than one from Jormungand: Perfect Order’s third episode. Yes. It’s that moment. The moment where Koko retaliates against Hex by using a B-52 to blow her to bits.

I mean, how the heck do you top someone using a bomber made by the enemy’s own country just to kill one person? Combine that with the fact that we’ve pretty much never saw Koko react to anything with any real emotion up until that point and the fact that this came so quickly after R’s death… and well, it just made for an intense moment that just left my mouth hanging open. It really was just “WOW, DID SHE REALLY JUST DO THAT?” “HOLY, I GOTTA WATCH THAT AGAIN!” and “YEAHHHHHHHH” all wrapped up in one. But yeah, I guess it’s just how it is. When the smoke clears and you gotta pick a side, you darn well better not mess with Koko.

I think I’m gonna need a pacemaker.

Moomba

I imagine everyone else will be talking about moments with profound depth and emotional power so I want to shake things up a little bit by bringing up a moment that made me go both ‘d’awwwww’ and ‘holy shit’ at the same time. The moments in anime which inspire either one of those reactions are too numerous to count, but rare are those which inspire both within the same breath. DOG DAYS’ is a series which exists for the sole purpose of entertainment and simple enjoyment. After the first season, the staff realised their mistake in attempting to write a serious plot and decided to cast that idea aside for the sequel. It was the correct decision. DOG DAYS shines when it’s not taking itself seriously, when it’s providing comical and enjoyable moments of mindless fun. Throughout the series there are plenty of individual ‘d’awwwww’ and ‘holy shit’ moments, but this one in particular manages to combine the two into something that transcends the others.

DOG DAYS adores its fantasy tropes and this moment is yet another example of knowing exactly how to use them to spectacular effect. In a particular episode, the encounter with a particular demon, released from its seal by accident, causes the majority of the cast to de-age. Lolis (and a single lone shota) abound in an unprecedented explosion of cuteness as they continue to fight against the not-so-deadly foe. This alone would be enough, inspiring various levels of ‘d’awwwww‘ from viewers left right and center, but that was not enough for DD’. No, they had to go further, they had to bring us into ‘holy shit’ territory. Lolification has a counter procedure, lovingly titled ‘ojification’ by Stilts when I couldn’t come up with an appropriate counterpart. While our two heroes, Gaul and Cinque, could easily have been turned into shotas along with the others, they instead use gems to age into their late teens in a move reminiscent of later Negima! arcs and defeat the demons in spectacular style. The crowning moment comes from Becky’s comments on how illegal it feels to have the adult Cinque cling to her in mid-flight.

A beautiful love, blossoming out beyond the horizon.

Stilts

Though I hate to think that I’m becoming predictable, anyone who knows anything about me should not be surprised by my pick. Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon absorbed a frankly absurd amount of my time during this past summer season, but I consider it time well spent. Why? Because it consistently delivered powerful and stirring scenes that sent chills down my spine and my body leaping out of my chair in gales of excitement and glee. In truth, I could have written this on almost any scene from the last five episodes, so thick were the amazing moments – plot lines were brought up and resolved in spectacular fashion back-to-back, and yet hardly diminished the supply. Yet of them all, one moment from Season 2 reigns supreme – the moment when Mary and Tenzou finally come together.

This scene is about music, and building, and politics, and epic scale. The characters are as they always have been – Tenzou is determined and perverted, Mary selfless, bashful, and unsure. It starts slow, with misunderstandings being resolved as the music slowly builds. Elizabeth challenges Tenzou, calling him naive – but he does not give up! His determination is a force unto itself; all objections are shot down with an immediate “I don’t care!”, even in the face of fighting the entire world. That’s part of what makes it so amazing – this is not a high school romance where the only impediment is each other’s feelings and a meddling love interest. No, this is a romance that literally the entire world doesn’t want to see happen, for one reason or another. Everyone wants to see Mary die, as it’s the “best” thing for everyone. Except for Mary. Except for Tenzou. Except for anyone is willing to stand by their morals when things get really tough.

This romance is great because it’s about more than that. It’s about damning all consequences and doing what is right in the face of colossal difficulties. It is about one man challenging an entire nation, threatening turning one of his country’s few potential allies against them, all for the sake of one woman, and for doing what’s right. And that’s exactly how it should be. He loves her, and she loves him; politics should have no say in their relationship, and by the time Tenzou is done, it does not. As the glorious music builds to a crescendo and flowers blossom all around them, they come together, embrace, Tenzou pulls down his mask, and finally, they kiss. For a shining moment, everything is perfect in the world as one man does everything he can to save the woman he loves, a woman everyone else would rather die. It’s a beautiful love story, and one that sends chills down my spine every single time I see it. It’s also my favorite moment of anime in 2012.

Human of the Female Persuasion Power!

Zanibas

Unfortunately, I am terribly split between two moments in anime, but I think it works out nicely. I apologize for my heavy bias in advance.

First, I want to state that I love Sukitte Ii na Yo, but I love Mei as a character even more. Although she is quiet, reclusive, and doubtful of herself, she is a person with amazing perception and a good foundation of morals. The times that she creeps outside of her comfort zone are the most amazing parts of the anime, which is why I label the end of episode four as one of the crowning gems this season. Without any malice and with only the intent of doing the right thing, I almost cried when Mei stood up for Aiko and then against her, simultaneously defending herself while helping the struggling opponent stand up for herself. It was a beautiful display of how moving human empathy can be when done right, and it transformed Aiko into one of the more likeable characters into the show. Couple that with the following scene where on commenting on Yamato’s injury, “I love that scar so much I could cry,” and suddenly you have a tearful Zanibas. As an amazing example of how honesty to oneself can move the heart so much, I wholeheartedly endorse this soulful scene.

By contrast, my other favorite moment lies on the other end of the emotional spectrum, filled with ecstasy and glee. I had no idea what I was going into when I covered Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, but I sure did bet well. Although the show had innumerable moments where I squealed, yelled, laughed, and squealed some more, the best moment of the end of the year for me had to be the end of episode one for Tonari. As a commenter put it in meme form, “that escalated quickly.” So much progress in a relationship was plowed through in one episode, culminating in Haru going in for the kill, although oblivious to its meaning. That moment, which lasted an entire 10 seconds, with “White Wishes” playing in the background, was absolutely magical and KYAAAAAH! at the same time. Again, I feel so bad for listing this as a favorite moment, but the first time I watched that scene (out of 20+), I had to cover my mouth to cover the abnormally large grin on my face. Although this rarely would work in reality, the suspension of reality worked well here, reminding me of why I love watching romantic comedies.

While in past years I may have vouched for more unique, thought provoking, and dramatic scenes, this year was a blessing for romance. Fall provided us with a strong showing of all types of love stories, which rewarded us with some damn good emotional scenes. I am blessed to have watched these moments, which although not unique, are testaments to how some emotional tugs may never grow weary in strength.

65 Comments

  4. While I don’t hold Hyouka in very high esteem overall, its festival arc was simply put the best thing an anime show had to offer this year.

    Special mention to Nisemonogatari’s first half and Jinrui’s second one, both of them were filled with much needed memorable moments.

    “DOG DAYS shines when it’s not taking itself seriously.”

    DOG DAYS shines when it stays as far as possible from Pastillage and all its defects (being high pitched voice squirrel princess, retard pervert demon lord and Mary Sue hero) and simply focuses on Genoise or Yukki (Hina & bro are very fine too).

    In the end 2012 had one or two of the weakest seasons I’ve saw in a while.

    Ananas
    Reply

  6. I absolutely agree with Stilts Mary and Tenzou’s confession was one of my favorite scenes of the year. On the other hand the tooth brush scene and the fact that it was pretty much one episode long was one of my least favorite moments of the year. Not that I don’t like fanservice but that scene disturbed me more than anything else.

    xephx
    Reply

  7. It is nice to see different opinions… but I think that if we base this on the amount of generated blog posts/internet memes/tweets/etc., the Toothbrush Scene is objectively the moment of the year. I mean, there is a reason why it was used as the top image of the post.

    Steelman
    Reply

  8. Geez, it’s almost cruel to limit it to one moment. I’ve had so many memorable moments from series this year, from laughing my ass off at certain absurd moments of Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita (that freaking bread) or Nisemonogatari (toothbrush scene), getting the warm fuzzies from Ano Natsu de Matteru, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun or Sakurasou no Pet no Kanojo, getting all tense while watching Another, to watching marvelous plots unfurl in Hyouka and Zetsuen no Tempest.

    Still, the hardest hitting moments would have been courtesy of Urobuchi Gen (much like last year with Madoka) in Fate/Zero S2. I have severe difficulty picking just one from that show, so I’m going to be cheating bastard and choose two:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Thus, being an archaeology student, I chose Alexander the Great as subject for my master’s thesis (we all gotta get our inspiration somewhere). Thanks Rider! *salutes*

    Dvalinn
    Reply

  9. With so many amazing series and moments this year, it’s hard to pick out just one. But for me, as the utterly unhealthily obsessed Eureka Seven freak that I am, Show Spoiler ▼

    That still makes me cry, regardless of how rushed and flawed the series ended (and was in general).

    Genesis
    Reply

  11. Esh, who would’ve thought Stilt’s fetishes are contagious….

    /troll

    on the other hand, I can only relate to Stilt’s Best anime moment in 2012 (it’s on par with its other confession during previous season). All those extreme characterizations (ooo…a lot of eyecandy) are just icing to this great series.

    (A great sorry to the other writers as I have not seen the other shows that got mentioned here. Suimasen.)

    info600
    Reply

  13. I know I’m probably going to get a lot of downvotes for this, but I put forward the first episode of Sword Art Online as one of my favourite anime moments of 2012. Regardless of what the series eventually became, there was something special in the experience of watching that first episode.

    Frog
    Reply

    1. Yeah, I agree! I really want to see a post for episode 21 in particular since that arguably made an even greater impact on me than the conclusion of the school festival arc.

      The second half of Hyouka in general was just full of powerfully emotional scenes. It’s the anime that taught me that there’s something special about day-to-day life if you just have the curiosity to look for it.

      Frog
      Reply

  17. Man there was so many good moments this year. Persona 4, Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, Nisemonogatari, Rinne no lagrange both seasons, Fate/zero, Horizon, Muv-Luv, AKB0048 (who knew concerts and dancing would be epic with mecha action)had amazing moments. Acchi Kocchi had me lol every episode. This falls drama has also had very memorable scenes from Sakurasou no pet and the two shows Zanibas is tied on (I agree really cool heroines). Tasogare Otome x Amnesia ending. lots of great stuff indeed. Tempest and psycho-pass have been really thrilling so far.

    But I think the shows that really had me fangasiming the most so far were probably Mouretsu no Pirates and Ozuma epic battles. Both lovable cast but the ship to ship battles be it in space or sand submarines are just so damn cool that the sci-fi nut in me that loves all the old mecha and ship battle animes of the past just died. I love the mech porn in rinne and muv-luv, but these shows just brought on a whole new level of polish and choreography of the fights were just amazing. If I had to pick one I will say the undersand battles in Ozuma just beats out the epic finale arc of pirates (by a hair).

    Although I was severely let down by astral ocean second half I have to admit that ep 12 last 5 mins were purely amazing the first time watching, definitely had me pumped, but awesome scenes like that probably what hyped up the show too much, none the less I’m enjoying tempest a lot more but when bones does get it right hot damn.

    Sherylfan
    Reply

  18. Probably one of the most memorable and inspiring moments I had seen from this year came from Sakamichi no Appolon.

    1. That moment when Kaoru was with his mother.
    2. And the last wrapping episodes of the series.

    Though it may have been felt “rushed”, nevertheless, it’s one of those times that tears were jerked from my eyes too easily.

    f4ctfinder
    Reply

  23. hard for me to think of one definitive moment for 2012.

    I would say F/Z, Sakamichi, and Sakurasou all brought a lot of moments (too many things I have a hard time defining “the” moment). For moments I can actually pin down, it would have to be Hyouka in the abandoned shack and the confession in the finale, SAO when Kirito and Asuna clear the first level, Nisemonogatari toothbrush scene.

    shin
    Reply

  26. One of the most unexpected and surprising moments for me would have to be from episode 5 of Kokoro Connect when Show Spoiler ▼

    On the other hand, my favorite action scene from 2012 goes to the fight between Kiritsugu and Kirei in episode 24 of Fate/Zero. The scene was tense and made my blood boil as the confrontation between the two that had been building up throughout the series finally happened. I went and rewatched that section at least 5, 6 times after the episode.

    Chisel
    Reply

  27. To limit oneself to a single moment over the course of this year is difficult but that’s simply a testament to the stellar year we’ve had and we’re not quite finished yet either. There are still a few weeks to go in which anything is possible and a new moment that touches you in ways you cannot even imagine could surface and make you reflect on just what it is about anime that really draws us to love it as we do. And ultimately to this site.

    sakuga
    Reply

  28. My personal list of the best anime moments of 2012 :
    Show Spoiler ▼

    all in all, this year has been a pile of wonders for us anime fans…most of the shows we were waiting for succeeded in living up to our expectations…still, we don’t have the likes of Steins;Gate and FM : Brotherhood this year…but all in all this year was pretty satisfying…

    KingofConquerors
    Reply

  33. Difficult to choose, but i pick the festival arc from Hyouka. Everything was just amazing in the 4-5 episodes dedicated to it.

    F/Z’s final battles were also spectacular, as was the musical scenes from Sakamichi no Apollon.

    Kiiro
    Reply

  34. Well, there is so much epic moments in this season alone, I’d be hardly pressed to pick one defining…
    but, in no particular order:
    SAO: set player race to HALF-elf. EXECUTE!
    MLA-TE: 2 here: Great Kamchatka BETA hunt using hyper-rapid EM railgun, Infinities swooping in to help our heroes desperately fighting RLF remotes… Raptor powah!
    GuP: Pravda tanks rolling thru the snow to the singing of Katyusha! URRRAAA!
    TnK-k: Mitty and Haru sleeping together – totally innocently – on New Years night
    SnPnK: pool nightswim party, making your friend feel better when he’s down? sure!
    Jormungand 2: R’s last stand, Koko and her grand reveal of THE plan
    ZnT: three way debate between boys and Samon – 4 way if you include remote presence by princess
    Psycho-pass: Both when our heroine stands up to her stuck up superior, and when veteran detective lifts him by the collar to literally put him in his place
    Robotics;notes: all the Kona moments – she is so meta! :3
    Btooom!: every time Himiko stands up to fight for herself.

    ewok40k
    Reply

    1. GuP: Pravda tanks rolling thru the snow to the singing of Katyusha! URRRAAA!

      That hadn’t happened when I wrote my part of this post otherwise it would’ve been a guaranteed pick. Damn, I should’ve rewritten it anyway!

      Moomba
      Reply

  35. Starting from beginning of year to end of year:

    Ano Natsu de Matteru – That “no panties” scene, revealing Mio to be a closet exhibitionist
    Another – Identity of the “Another”
    Nisemonogatari – Toothbrush scene. Nuff’ said.
    Kokoro Connect – Heartseed trolling by nearly killing off Iori

    And then there are those series which have a profound impact, but as they’re so consistently good for the whole duration, it’s hard to pick any one individual scene:
    Fate Zero – Kiritsugu v Kirei. For the non-battle parts, the two-part Kiritsugu flashback episodes.
    Hyouka – Particularly the cultural festival arc
    TARI TARI
    Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai

    Currently airing (they probably don’t count for 2012 as they’ll continue onto Winter 2013, do they?)
    PSYCHO-PASS
    Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
    Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

    1. …revealing Mio to be a closet exhibitionist

      That’s not what it revealed at all (apart from her butt) – Show Spoiler ▼

      Anyway, my awesome moment was in the first episode of AKB0048 when the group appeared on their flying stage and sang Aitakatta. I’m not at all into idol groups or J-pop, but there was something about that moment that was sincerely trying to convey what it must have felt like for the people watching when music burst its way into their sombre existence.

      Angelus
      Reply

  38. There are lots of awesome anime moments that I could think, though most of them that I could think now are from recent season…
    -JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: the beginning of second arc, Battle Tendency.
    -Girls und Panzer: the first episode zoom-out
    -Hyouka: last episode moment between Oreki & Chitanda
    -Nisemonogatari: that toothbrush moment
    -Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita: when Watashi found her roommate’s…er, habit…
    -Joshiraku: the last episode moment of Marii
    -Jormungand: the scene between R & Hexe
    -Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou: Markovich, Depp, Jack, and Tadakuni moment

    Those are not ranked, and of course, there are more, more other awesome moments in 2012 😀

    Kevin Yamagata
    Reply

  39. Mine have to be:
    -the moments in Sukite Ii na yo (same as Zanibas’ )
    -Episode 6 of Another (right up until the teacher…you know…)
    -Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita….do I really have to pick a particualr moment…
    -All the TakumaXTamaki moments of Hirro no Kakera:Dai Ni Sho
    -Shin Sekai Yori…again , I don’t want to pick a particular moment.
    -K …the episode where Shiro made jokes about Kuro being his wife , all the Neko moments , all the Anna moments.
    Tasogare Otome X Amnesia…the first epidoe. Was really , really funny.
    -Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai…again , ahrd to pic but I’d go for the final episode being the best one.

    Aki-Chan
    Reply

  40. Have to agree with stilts for Kyoukaisen. Mary & Tenzou’s scene there was probably my most replayed one for all of S2.

    – Fate/Zero + Iskander’s death was also a top favorite moment for me.
    – Uchuu Kyoudai’s latest ep for Mutta being told he passed was done fantastic as well.

    There were a few other moments of pure awesomeness throughout the year…but those 3 are definitely what I’ll recall the most from what I got around to seeing in 2012.
    Well really I enjoyed a lot of shows this year so that was nice. 😀

    Mukyuu
    Reply

  41. Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita “meeting” Assistant-kun for the first time. The build up to the backwards introduction was to heart warming for me.

    Koko… everything Koko, the ending should be a blast but I haven’t love something like this then Ghost in the Shell and Black Lagoon.

    JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, it’s so old in a good extreme way, I’m just enjoying the ride.

    Psycho-pass is a very intellectual cop drama.

    Shin Sekai Yori … down the rabbit whole.

    Tasogare Otome X Amnesia makes me laugh and love it so much. The omake episode 13 had be in stitches again.

    Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai … as a cosplayer the extreme escape nature of this show has been interesting to watch unfold. I think this is my favorite high school setting drama of the year for that reason.

    It’s strange that my favorite are from the later seasons but the ending and premiss of these show have left a stronger impression on me. The second cour of Fate/Zero was not as impressive as the first though for me. There is also a chance that Psycho-pass will have the same effect as Fate with the second season int he winter.

    Speaking of cour when is the Winter line up list going to show up. lol 😉

    Ani_BEE
    Reply

  42. A scene that I’ve actually stood up and clapped for was in the last episode of Ano Natsu de Matteru.

    That moment when
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Bacarara!
    Reply

    1. Or really, just the entire last episode. Though I do agree that the beginning with Remon-sempai, up to when she’s talking about the first alien she met, who is a good girl, and her friend… *shudders* just fantastic

      Stilts
      Reply

  43. Damn. I knew I should have yelled out “she wants the D” during that tonari scene (end of episode 1). I could have ruined one of Zanibas’s best moments in anime. I COULD HAVE! I won’t let opportunities like this slip away in the future D:<

    Abstinence
    Reply

  44. Though I hate to think that I’m becoming predictable, anyone who knows anything about me should not be surprised by my pick. Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon absorbed a frankly absurd amount of my time during this past summer season, but I consider it time well spent.

    LOL, you practically held a tutorial for each episode, knowing that many have problems trying to decipher the story.

    The Moondoggie
    Reply

  45. My gut hurts from all the laughing at people’s posts. XD

    The tooth brush scene takes the cake for me. I don’t know if I’m alone here but I had to watch it at least 6 times. I learned a new fetish. Otaku are some kinky people. lol

    Shirt
    Reply

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