LMT’s Best of 2012

I think they got some things reversed here.

After yesterday’s rather absurd end-of-year ranking based solely on week-to-week viewing, I thought it may be best to provide a real ranking of the series that finished in the year 2012. Rather than just settle for just a simple top 10, I went over the top and just went for all 37 I completed this year. The first 27 of these will just be short descriptions of why I did, or did not like a particular series. After that, there’s a bit more detail. I hope you enjoy this, and feel free to let me know how wrong/right I was about the anime that aired in 2012 in the comments.

12 Days of Something II: A Tale of Two Halves

This is legitimately terribad, and I thought it was better than Hyouka.

Jormungand, Sengoku Collection, Lupin the 3rd: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna, Natsuiro Kiseki, Nazo no Kanojo X, Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, Shining Hearts: Shiawase no Pan, Sakamichi no Apollon, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, Upotte!!, Space Brothers, Queen’s Blade Rebellion…I know that’s technically a list rather than a real sentence, but that is the list of shows that began in the spring season and would have been in the top five episodes I watched each week. There’s probably a very noticeable series that did not make that list if you kept track of when I started doing those weekly recaps again. That would be Hyouka if you were paying attention.

The Return of the Recap 18

Hopefully shopping for the holidays doesn’t go as bad as this particular trip

With the holidays rapidly approaching, I have been trying to finish things off as far as the usual stuff. Buying gifts for people (which I can do well), then wrapping them (which I can’t do so well) is a surprisingly normal thing to do. Now as far as the shows that have been airing, it’s been pretty much the same. Conclusions are approaching, so the final twists and turns are being written. And there was plenty of that this week.

Sakamichi no Apollon 12 – Making Dreams Come True in ’76

Women dig men who know everything there is to modern railway networks

The final episode of Apollon takes place over the span of about 9 years from the aftermath of Sentarou’s departure all the way to the final reunion at the end. In that space in between Kaoru tries to burn his bridges with Ritsuko, then has an emotional departure as he heads to Tokyo. Then, 8 years in the future, characters make cameos which ultimately lead to Kaoru finding Sentarou on an island church where they play yet another set just as Ritsuko arrives.

Sakamichi no Apollon 11 – The End of the Dream

“Listen to my song”

The 11th episode of Apollon begins with reconciliation and ends with a silent departure under a tragic cloud. Kaoru was camped outside of Sentarou’s place and manages to stop him from leaving. After seemingly tolerating his father’s return, Sentarou returns with a push to out perform Seiji at the festival, even dragging Ritsuko in to perform as a singer. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes on the night before in the form of a motorbike accident which injured Sentarou, but left Sachiko unconscious in the hospital with an uncertain prognosis. Kaoru and Sentarou end up meeting again on the roof of the hospital to comfort each other, after that Sentarou disappears perhaps never to return.

Sakamichi no Apollon 10 – The Last Man

The moment when Kaoru realizes that he is experiencing the wrong kind of warm feeling

The 10th episode of Apollon begins with the effects of Yurika’s departure and ends with another departure that was entirely unexpected. News of Yurika’s elopement meant that any reminders of her existence had to be removed from the school, including the award winning painting that Sentarou modeled for. After trying to help Sentarou to help recover emotionally from Yurika, Kaoru ends up helping Sentarou pass the tests that he needs just to make it to the 3rd year of high school. Then, Kaoru has two separate conversations with Ritsuko that seem to go nowhere, but her departing words after the 2nd one convince him to successfully confess his feelings for her. Months pass before Seiji throws down the gauntlet at Kaoru and Sentarou over who can win at the school festival. Before they can play again, however, Sentarou’s father was about to return home.