Best & Worst of 2005

By Joe, Otaku, David & John
22nd Jan 06

It's that time of year again (well, 22...23 days past that time of year if you're being picky!), so here's a quick overview of the highlights and lowlights of 2005. You may have noticed that we've downscaled our yearly roundup a little this time around, although David has compensated for the loss with several articles covering his thoughts on the year's anime, videogames and manga. As before, please do note that David's picks are based around R1 US releases which may or may not be available in the UK at time of writing.

Best show

Joe - Difficult as 2005 offered a lot of quality titles. We’ve had Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Millennium Actress, Nausicaa, The Cat Returns and Gundam Seed to name but a few. If I’m going to pick one it has to be Paranoia Agent, Satoshi Kon’s first anime TV series is just as good if not better than his feature length work, creating a world where no-one is quite sure what is what, and little pink plush toys come to life, look out for the remaining two volumes in 2006.

Otaku_kei - Well with so many quality releases over the last 12 months this is certainly a difficult judgement. Clearly Manga Entertainments resurgence with GITS: SAC has been a phenomenal success, but with so many other quality titles out there from ADV, MVM, Beez & Optimum it is hard to pin it down to just one. But for me the one show that has captivated me from start to finish has to be R.O.D. The TV Series. Right from the start this show has entertained and thrilled me. Sure it’s got its fair share of fan service moments, but it is the character interaction that makes this show so enjoyable.
Honourable mentions – GITS: SAC; Last Exile; Gundam SEED; Ghibli Movies

David - I'm going to stick to my guns and proclaim Planetes was best of 2005. It came out as a nicely done sci-fi title that had nothing to do with the standard rhythm and roll of sci-fi cannon fodder cliches (and that can only be a good thing).

John - This was always going to be a difficult decision with so many quality shows released this year, but once again I’ve gone with a very personal choice that many people probably wouldn’t even consider. Although it’ll never win any awards for originality, New Fist of the North Star was nevertheless an extremely welcome return for Kenshiro and co. Updating the classic formula with modern production values, this three-part OVA gets my vote for sheer entertainment value alone. There may have been many titles more deserving from a technical standpoint, but when I think back on 2005 I struggle to think of anything that I enjoyed more than this.
Honourable mentions – Last Exile, Samurai Champloo, Nausicaa

Sleeper/surprise hit

Joe - “The Works” exclusive anime box sets were certainly one of the largest surprises of the year. Two different boxes with ten different titles in for £15 each (which was later reduced to £10), made many think that they were in fact bootlegs. When they turned out to be legit everyone was rushing to get there hands on them. Arguably, the red box set was far superior to the blue with the first volumes of Paranoia Agent, Chobits, Gungrave and more. Speaking of specific titles though the biggest sleeper for 2005 has to be Planetes, with little or no fanfare this took me totally unaware, an impressive mix of comedy and drama set to an impressive backdrop.

Otaku_kei - Once again a show that has been successful, but that does not receive the levels of praise that I feel it deserves: Haibane Renmei. This tale, from the guys who brought us Serial Experiments Lain & Texhnolyze, has been a whimsical fairytale from start to finish. Rakka’s coming of age story is beautiful to behold a meanders along at its own pace. Enchanting.
Honourable mentions: Gad Guard; Planetes

David - The title I want to put here isn't here yet. Aria, which just premiered during the summer of 2005 on Japanese TV, is my pick for SLEEPER of 2005. Right now only people who read the manga know of the title, and of course those who watched the Japanese TV version, but if it is as solid as the Manga then (when it does finally make the leap of faith to R1 & R2) it will be the sleeper hit to be on the lookout for.

John - It’s difficult to call a Ghibli movie a sleeper hit, but I was nonetheless surprised just how much I ended up enjoying The Cat Returns. Arriving with little of the hype and publicity that surrounds most Ghibli releases, my expectations were understandably low after reading up on several (ill judged, I feel) indifferent opinions. Yet when I finally persuaded myself to give it a try, I was knocked back by the utterly charming experience that Ghibli’s junior staff had conjured up without the aid of Miyazaki and Takahata. Proof if proof were needed that there’s life in Ghibli beyond its two most famous exponents.
Honourable mentions: Gravion

Worst Show

Joe - This is difficult as there was far more this year that I didn’t see, Witch Hunter Robin didn’t little to live up to the hype that surrounded it, but wasn’t awful just incredibly disappointing. Stratos 4 was quite poor, there was nothing special about it, and the plot was shaky at best. Still the worst show has to be Gundam Char’s Counter Attack , without having seen Gundam Zeta and Double Zeta the viewer only had the faintest idea what was going on, plus the ending was extremely poor.

Otaku_kei - As good as 2005 was, it had its fair share of truly awful shows. From the generic through to the down right atrocious. But only one show really sticks in my mind as awful – Battle Vixens (Ikki Tousin). This show seemed little more than a vehicle for getting top-heavy schoolgirls stripped down to their underwear. Forget about the ridiculous premise of school kids imbued with the souls of ancient warriors carrying on an immortal battle for supremacy. You may think I am too harsh to judge this from volume 1 alone, but so far this show is shockingly bad.
Dishonourable mentions: Street Fighter Alpha 2: Generations; Witch Hunter Robin; Get Backers

David - Can I still say Princess Tutu the Animated Series? Ok... 2005 what did I hate the most? Hmm... nothing really springs to mind as a series I really really hated. Guess BANDAI didn't have one bad Anime at all last year to send me for review.

John - To be honest I’ve not watched enough anime this year to pinpoint a truly awful show, although it’s easy to name and shame several average ones. Get Backers is an uninspired and very generic romp through averagedom, while Aquarian Age and DN Angel aren’t necessarily awful, they’re simply not to my taste. But don’t let these stinkers fool you; 2005 was a great year for anime in the UK with a good quality to quantity ratio.

Hot Pick for 2006

Joe - After the amazing first series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GiG is set to be far more impressive. Speaking of Ghost in the Shell there will also be the region 2 version of Innocence with an English dub, which wasn’t featured on the region 1 version. Gundam Seed Destiny looks set to be a winner also, I also recommend anyone who has not yet seen Boogiepop Phantom to check out the box set from ADV as well as looking for the live action Boogiepop and others.

Otaku_kei - Well looking forward to yet another year of growth for the UK anime scene, and there are a lot of quality titles lined up for release. But heads and shoulders above the rest of the pack has got to be Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig! Given the success and quality of the first season of this show, 2nd Gig seems sure to blow all other contenders out of the water in 2006.
Honourable mentions: Ghibli movies; Gunslinger Girl; Yugo The Negotiator

David - Be on the lookout for Season 4 of Galaxy Angel, which should be out sooner or later. If you enjoyed the previous seasons then you'll be back for this new batch of episodes. Another pick for the new year is GITS : SAC 2nd GIG, and the premiere on Japanese TV of the rumored 3rd season of GITS : SAC. Finally my pick for SLEEPER is here. Aria. When ADVFilms finally puts this one out on DVD I'll be there, ready to check it out.

John - 2006 will be a good year for fans of Masamune Shirow as both Ghost in the Shell 2nd Gig and the long awaited movie sequel Innocence should see release. It’s also potentially a bumper year for Full Metal Panic, with the bizarrely titled semi-sequel Fumoffu and the currently Japan only Second Raid lined up. But my hot pick for 2006 has to go to Steamboy, a rare release for maestro Katsuhiro Otomo that’ll finally see the light of day in the UK via a long overdue DVD release. Can’t wait.
Honourable mentions: Elfen Lied, Howl’s Moving Castle

-- Joe, Otaku, David & John 22nd Jan 06