Top 14 Anime and Top 14 Characters of 2014

The first day of 2015 means it’s the first day we can turn, look back, and reflect upon 2014 as a whole. Today, I aim to present the results of my own introspection and analysis on all the anime I watched in 2014. I will present my final thoughts on the most remarkable, memorable and outstanding anime that aired in 2014 by revealing lists for both my favorite characters of the year and the top anime of 2014. So, how exactly will I remember 2014, and which of the anime that aired is simply the best to me?

12 Days of Anime (2014) – Day 2 – Favorite Anime Episode of the Year

Every year, I make an attempt to determine what single episode of every anime that I watched that was my absolute favorite. For some years, the decision is easy, such as 2011 (Puella Magi Madoka Magica episode 10) and 2012 (Sengoku Collection episode 18). For other years, it’s a real challenge. It’s demanding when you’re trying to decide between a number of exceptional episodes with no clear choice. For me, 2014 is the latter with three candidates vying for the honor of my favorite episode of the year. And since I remain undecided on this evaluation, still mulling my opinions for each, I’ll present the three episodes here to illustrate what I am going through.

Winter 2014 – Week 11 Anime Review

This week: the contrast between Aki’s family and Hachiken’s family in Silver Spoon, demonstrating Hiyori’s character growth through subtraction in Noragami, the humanistic personalities of djinn in Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, and the good half and bad half of the story in Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha.

Top 12 Anime and Top 12 Characters of 2012

The year of 2012 saw the debut and broadcasting of well over a hundred television anime and even more in the forms of movies and OVAs.  Over the past dozen months, I’ve spent countless hours watching these anime and documenting my thoughts, opinions and evaluations on each and every show.  Now with the year coming to a close, it’s time to summarize this year of anime with two simple lists: one on the top 12 characters of the year and the other on the top 12 favorite anime of the year.

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 2 – Sengoku Collection Episode 18

Considering that I watch over 50 anime each year, ranging roughly between 12 to 26 episodes each, you’d figure it might be difficult for me to choose my favorite episode of the year when there’s nearly a thousand to choose from.  However, from the moment I finished episode 18 of the Sengoku Collection, I knew which one it would be this year.  No episode of any other anime comes even remotely close to the profoundness, merit and brilliance of this episode of Sengoku Collection.  It stands alone at the summit of anime excellence, an episode comprised of a spectacular art style, influential and engrossing characters, the haunting absence of music, and a simple, modest story shown to us through ingenious directing to tie it all together and create an inspiring, illustrious episode that has become one of my favorite episodes of all time.

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 11 – Joining the Anime Community on Twitter

Although I officially joined Twitter on Christmas Day last year, it was 2012 when I discovered the bustling, chatty and sociable anime community there and began to frequent the service on a regular basis.  In my entire first year of blogging, I failed to capitalize on the dynamic resource that was Twitter which supports a lively community of numerous anime- and manga-fans.  Most other anime bloggers have accounts and use the media platform as a means to communicate with each other.  So throughout 2012, I began to use the service to connect with other anime- and manga-fans which had an unfathomable affect and influence on how I watch and appreciate anime.

Summer 2012 – Season Review

So, yeah, the Summer anime season ended quite a while back, but it’s never too late (or is it?) to provide my final thoughts, opinions, assessments, and evaluations on the various anime that aired over our warmer, sunnier months.  We’ve had plenty of time to watch and enjoy these shows and now it’s time to assign their final scores before they become little more than fond or funny memories or entries in our detailed anime histories.  So, just how well did every show do according to my personal preferences?  It’s time to explore and score the 2012 Summer anime season one last time!