The Best of Anime 2012


Now that 2012 is over, it’s time for our yearly diversion into the ranking of things, the Best of Anime 2012 post! This year we’re doing things a little different, not the least because it’s not Divine’s name at the top of this post. As with the season previews, where once one man was enough, now multiple writers are teaming up. Divine was legendary for completing upwards to 3/4ths of the anime airing in a year by himself, which left him uniquely able to identify the best that year had to offer. Alas, his hiatus from blogging also hit his time for watching anime, so the three active writers who watched the most anime this past year are stepping in to take up the torch.

…more after the jump

Disclaimer: As always, disclaimers abound! Please keep in mind that “best” is subjective. What’s best for us isn’t necessarily best for you, and that’s okay. This list shouldn’t be taken as some kind of inviolable truth, but rather the opinions of three guys after a lot of anime watching and about eight hours of arguing, which are naturally influenced by our own tastes, experiences, and personal impressions. Before you go bashing one of our choices, please make sure that you’ve at least seen it and know where we’re coming from. Finally, all we ask is that you respect our opinions, just like we respect yours. Thank you.

Disclaimer #2: The choices in this post are not necessarily reflective of the opinions of all RandomC writers. They are solely the opinions of Moomba, Zephyr, and I (Stilts), and no one else. Thank you for your understanding.

* This post will be kept at the top for the next while, so be sure to scroll past it or check the Recent Entries on your right for new posts.

Spring 2012 Preview!

Without further ado, welcome to the first collaborative edition of the Random Curiosity season preview, now featuring more writers for you to love and adore than ever. (Please don’t stalk us too much though.) As you all probably know, Divine, our season preview writer/extraordinaire, is taking an indefinite hiatus so he has passed on the baton to the rest of us writers – and just in time for the spring preview too, which is generally one of the busiest seasons with 50 new shows and counting. As is standard fare, we have the usual batch of hotly anticipated sequels to recent shows such as Fate/Zero 2nd Season, Kimi to Boku 2, and Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? OF THE DEAD, but there are also sequels and spiritual successors to venerated older shows as well like Eureka Seven Astral Ocean, the return of the Saint Seiya franchise after 25 years, and the reunion of Cowboy Bebop’s director and composer for a new show after over ten. So dust off that TV, free up some hard drive space, or do whatever else it is you do to get ready, because this season looks highly promising. Long-awaited sequels, a diversity of genres, and a nice balance of original works and manga/light novel adaptations have filled the slate with many shows that merit more than just a passing glance, and made this is a season one where even the pickiest of viewers should be able to find something to enjoy.

— This preview will be kept at the top for the next while, so be sure to scroll past it or check the Recent Entries on your right for new posts.
— A season poll will be available a little later is available on the sidebar.
— Please forgive the tardiness of this preview, work on it wasn’t started until several weeks later than usual, due to the transition.

The Sum is Greater Than Its Parts


I promised a status update at the end of the week, so here it is.

Thank you everyone for the kind words. I thought it was going to be more difficult to step away from the site, but your understanding is making it a lot easier to do so.

Updates:
03/10: I’ve gone through the 35 or so applications that I’ve received and have shortlisted them down to ~8 people, many of whom are female. There are a lot of candidates who show promise and fit RC’s perspective on anime, so I may even bring on board more than 4 writers. I apologize for taking a while with this review process and keeping everyone in suspense, but I want to make sure that I give everyone proper consideration.

The Best of Anime 2010


Now that 2010 is over, here’s a look back at some of the best series the year had to offer. Due to the subjective nature of it all and the fact that I’m constrained to what I’ve seen, I’m not trying to pick series that the vast majority finds agreeable. Instead, I’m here to convey my personal favorites for 2010, after which you’re more than welcome to chime in with your respective choices. Carrying over from last year, there’s an increased number of categories separated into corresponding areas, namely Production, Miscellaneous (fun stuff), Genre, and Notable Others. Also included at the end are the final results to the Reader’s Choice Poll.

 

Disclaimer: These are purely my personal opinions based on the shows that we’ve seen in the past year. While I’ve watched a lot of series (56 this past year), please keep in mind that I haven’t watched everything. For a show to even qualify for consideration, it had to have met the requirements outlined in the Reader’s Choice Poll. For OVAs/movies, the additional requirement is that it’s been either released on DVD/BD so that viewers outside of Japan have had a chance to watch it.

Seiyuu: The 6th Quiz

[flv:Random_Curiosity_Seiyuu_Quiz_6.mp4 512 288]Another one, already? Don’t worry, it’s A LOT easier this time.


Winner of the Contest – nikici
Winner of the “I Named Most Series” and got really close – Nhelraios, Rei, and Dusk
It took 8 Hours and 42 Minutes for someone to solve the quiz. Good job to everyone who participated!

Answers inside the post!

Announcements

July 2014 07/01: Happy Canada Day to all our Canadian visitors! Prooof has been away for the past few weeks, but will resume his coverage of the Bleach manga when he returns sometime mid-July. February 2014 02/26: Site performance should be drastically improved compared to recent weeks. May 2013 05/04: …

Fall 2020 Preview!

Fall: ‘tis the season of change, and with the birds and the bees now giving way to frost and pumpkin spice lattes, anime too has yet more goodies in store for us once again. While last-minute postponements and unknown air dates remain in abundance (looking at you Shingeki no Kyojin), there’s still plenty on tap to tickle the fancy as you keep those hands warm on your autumn beverage of choice. Besides the incredibly popular and eagerly awaited sequels to DanMachi and Mahouka Koukou to Rettousei, everyone’s favourite Meiji era Golden Kamuy is back for its third season alongside surprise reboots to the psychological horror Higurashi no Naku Koro and anime’s arguable fantasy progenitor in Dragon Quest. Ever-present isekai retains its seasonal presence with the likes of world saving 100-Man no Inochi, the slime studying Kami-tachi Hirowareta Otoko, and Bofuri successor Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, while Jun Maeda’s next original story Kamisama ni Natta Hi and Crunchyroll manhwa adaptation Noblesse help liven the party. And if that wasn’t enough, we also get the next Strike Witches and sports powerhouse Haikyuu seasons, fluffy romcom Tonikaku Kawaii, and some very interesting (if wholly unknown) originals in the Kotobuki-inspired Senyoku no Sigrdrifa and magical girl Assault Lily. The days may be shorter and the nights growing colder, but at least anime is here to help keep us company! This is Random Curiosity’s Fall 2020 Preview:

Fall 2019 Preview!

It’s been a crazy year in the real world and we’re headed toward quite an exciting (albeit chaotic) conclusion, depending on your outlook. And what a decade it has been! Times ahead seem uncertain and we must be prepared for a brave, new world, one where I’d encourage all of you to challenge your fates. But in the course of seeking a reprieve from the banalities of daily life, let us dive into the world of anime, which is about to roll over into autumn. NANJA KORYAAA?!? We need to get down to business. Wake up y’all, this is the Random Curiosity Fall 2019 Preview! We will guide you through the good, the bad and the ugly – our destination depending on whichever of these so happen to tickle your fancy.