Everyone loves to mention their favorite shows of the decade.

Me? I notice the milestones. Tainted as my view may be.

10. Overman King Gainer

Why: Made mecha fun again. Even though it probably was 7 years too late.

9. Gundam SEED

Why: After the incredibly successful experiment by Sunrise and Bandai to rake in more money, aka Gundam Wing, Bandai applied the same formula for SEED. And included hot women and the Gundam brand to ensure the masses would buy it even though it was clearly a really long advert to sell plamo kits. The followups, Gundam SEED DESTINY and  Gundam 00, continued this trend.

8. Azumanga Daioh

Why: The popular 4-koma animated series introduced slice of life in it’s purest form, a feat not to be topped until ARIA rolled along. It’s bloody good stuff.

7. Burst Angel

Why: Burst Angel was the first GONZO show I actually stopped caring about. Up until then, every GONZO show I watched was, at the very least, pretty decent.Even Sunabozu, but I’m crazy like that. Who knew that after Burst Angel, they would actually either screw up good source material or did horrible things to animation?

6. Strike Witches

Why: LOOK AT DEM WITCHES. NO PANTS. NO PANTS. Sardonically, I’d say it was because of this show that brought about Queen’s Blade being aired, but then again, I could mention the crapload of H-anime being released. This is also the last good show GONZO made. Well, okay, that and Saki, but who cares? DEM WITCHES WEAR NO PANTS.

5. Tengan Toppan Gurren Lagann

Why: It’s probably the last good super robot show being made for a while (No, Shin Mazinger Z is a remake of a much older and beloved series). Also marks the beginning of the end for mecha in general.

4. The Melanchony of Suzumiya Haruhi

Why: It’s simply the biggest thing in Japanese animation since, well, ever. The posterchild of “Japanese soft power”, the rock star of Japanese animation, it did what Eva did over a decade ago: win over new fans and wowed older ones. It’s also interesting to note that this was when moé finally took off like a badly-made North Korean rocket.

3. K-ON!

Why: It’s moé, in a nutshell. Azumanga Daioh had humor and good characters, ARIA was simply amazing, and Hidamari Sketch was probably too cute for mortal eyes. But K-ON, unfortunately, had none of those. In my opinion. Oh, some good music, but seriously, all bad shows have good music. So there.

2. Genshiken

Why: Not Densha Otoko? Because Genshiken humanized the otaku. And made them look like normal, if mildly idiosyncratic individuals. Train Man made the otaku look normal, to be honest, but Genshiken reinforced that notion by portraying them as people instead of caricatures.  Also made characters with geek hobbies a mainstay of character archetypes.

1. Kanon (2002)

Why: Okay, so eroge adaptations have been going on way before this happened, but Kanon was one of the biggest shows to be animated in that decade. But what about To Heart? Well, To Heart probably wasn’t made in the last decade.

Okay, I’m probably being a bit way too melodramatic about this, considering that the mecha-to-everything else ratio seems to be rather constant with the 1990’s, but…

When you consider that the only notable mecha shows in the past decade were either the Bandai cashcows (the various Gundams, Code GAY ASS), Overman King Gainer (Oh yes it was, shut up), Gurren Lagann, remakes of old super robot shows and Macross (Moe) Frontier…

Plus factoring in the almost criminal lack of mecha in the last 2 or so seasons (No, Asura Cryin’ S2 does not count as a separate series)…

I’m starting to wonder if mecha is starting to lose favor with the commercial realities.

In the cut-throat world of Japanese animation (which follows Japanese business practices, sadly), mecha is slowly losing it’s status as the moneymaker. IIRC, Full Metal Panic! sucked in a lot of money for KyoAni and they have yet to make it all back. And it was a rather good franchise to capitalize on, to be honest. (Who wants a Bonta-kun plushie? I know I’d want one.)

And then KyoAni made Haruhi, and KyoAni put hand to plow and never looked back.

Of course, we should have seen it coming, what with Eva introducing Rei and Asuka and Kanon geting animated in 2002, but…

If you noticed, the appearance of mecha shows in the past decade seems to be going DOWN. And until I get further information regarding trends in the animation industry, chances are, if you’re not Sunrise, Gundam, or Macross, you’re not going to see money flowing in anytime soon.

Part of the reason is that the people who saw Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, Gundam and Macross are suddenly at least 30-odd years old and are not as idealistic or full of bloody hope as it is. The realities of life (and Japan’s sustained economic recessions) are starting to sink in, and no amount of courage-fuelled shouting is going to fix the economy. Suddenly, the mecha fans see themselves as alienated, lonely and to be honest, depressed. Misery seeks company, and well, there’s the Japanese solution to the problem: 2D girls. Zoom forward to 2006, and Haruhi’s popularity is now explained. Gone is the age of Kouji Kabuto fighting for justice in Mazinger Z, Nekki Basara singing to the space whales, Guy Shishioh defeating evil with PASSION and COURAGE. In comes the seductive curves of Haruhi and company.

Guess what happened? Instead of giant robots, they now put their hopes (and perversions) onto 2D females. It’s a match made in heaven. Otaku get their fantasy, and producers get their money. I’m not too sure if the females who do watch robot shows watch it for the robots or for the emo bishies piloting them.

It’s a very sad thing, really, but unless Gurren Lagann triggers a new era of super robot shows, we’re gonna have to stomach yet another Bandai plamo marketing blitz (since Kawamori is probably done fucking around with Macross for at least 10 years).

Here’s hoping 2010 proves me wrong. Very much wrong.

PS: Shit, another round of SD Gundam would probably be better than not seeing mecha for the next 5 seasons.

I consider it the greatest irony to be writing about animé trends from 2000 onwards even though my exposure to it has been painfully limited. In fact, while trawling through the top (insert arbitary number here) lists, I’m actually learning new things.

Let’s just say I did not fully appreciate some of the stuff I was watching and am now scrambling to learn more. Also I didn’t know Kawamori was off being James Cameron when he’s not being James Cameron with TRANSFORMING ROBOTS POWERED BY POP MUSIC (also known as fucking around with the Macross franchise).

I’ll be liberally referring to MATT ALT’s timeline and related articles as I go along, peppered with what I can glean from THE PATRICK MACIAS LECTURES ABOUT OTAKU CULTURE. (The CAPS LOCK is totally required.)

However, let me just say something about the last decade.

How could people not watch shows like Busou Renkin and Overman King Gainer? I mean, If Fukuyama Yoshiki sang the OP (or ED) to a show, it’s probably a good bet the show IS good. Then again, people pay good money for troll attempts like Endless 8 and The OverHype Of Suzumiya Haruhi, so I can’t really say anything.

Also, when the most significant robot shows of the decade are remakes of already known classics and moépop Macross (and Gurren Lagann), there’s a big problem.

…Yeah. I need to read more.

And do you know why?

Because 2009 was CRAP. So crap, it made Momotato weep HOT TEARS OF SHAME.

And that is why there is no Momotato post.

Ironically, Momotato is so revered, that calling him a troll is probably the worst possible thing ever. Retarded, even.

PS: I miss Momotato ;-;

What a badass.

The best show of the year has arrived.

Fuck your moeblobs, fuck your Gundams, heck, fuck the Macross Frontier movie and fuck Sunred. Yes, I meant that offensively and sexually.

THE LEGEND OF KOIZUMI HAS ARRIVED.

And it is made of badass Japanese ex-Prime Ministers, badass mahjong action rivalling Akagi, and. So. Much. MANLY. PASSION.

What I learnt about Junichro Koizumi:

• He can take survive being assassinated.
• It takes more than 3 bullets to kill him. And by bullets, I mean Browning .50 MG bullets.
• He is a total mahjong-playing badass.
• He is full of MANLY PASSION and will do anything for world peace and Japan. Well, maybe not getting plowed in the butt, but he’s so badass he wins all his mahjong matches.
• He can play mahjong WITH FATAL BULLET WOUNDS.

What I learnt about Taro Aso:

• He is a total mahjong-playing badass.
• He is a crack shot with a bolt-action rifle. One assumes that the rifle he is holding is an Arisaka Type 93. With a scope.
• He is not, contrary to popular belief, the worst Prime Minister the country ever has.
• Nor does he mention anything about courting the otaku vote.

Go watch this show. It will probably blow your mind. It is that good.

No seriously, go have sex with a cat or something. I mean, it is the Year of the Tiger and all, and tigers are related to cats.

And now, THE SPIRIT OF THE DECADE LONG THOUGHT TO BE DEAD. I mean, the decade review.

The best show of the decade was Overman King Gainer, followed by Macross Frontier, Gurren Lagann and Shin Mazinger Z in second place. Astro Fighter Sunred takes a close third simply because it aired in 2009.

The worst shows of the decade were KissxSis (for almost-hardcore porn), Aki Sora (for actual hardcore porn), totally not Queen’s Blade (for softcore porn on TV), and maybe the Evangelion remake (I didn’t watch it), due to the fact that it was a blatant grab for cash by Hideaki Anno. Apparently being paid to make bigoted right-wing speeches doesn’t rake in as much money as it should.

Shows that were misjudged for the decade include Strike Witches and… … … Strike Witches. I need to watch more shows.

Good thing that happened in the last decade include the apparent death of Gonzo (for most people), Kyoani making too much cash for it’s own good, Gurren Lagann, Macross Frontier, and uh, probably the existence of Colony Drop.

Bad things that happened this decade include The Overrating Of Suzumiya Haruhi, the formation of the OEG, wah, Gipface being a dick, Haeleth being a dick, gp32 being a dick, gg being trollsubbers, Dattebayo stopped subbing Naruto due to troll end…

You know what, 2009 was a quiet year. None of the usual suspects trolled hard enough to make an impact, and the new trolls on the block were way worse since they were acting from a basis of moral superiority. No wait.

Well, Fuck that. 2010 is they year when THE LEGEND OF KOIZUMI airs (26 Feb). And after that, no other show will be talked about for a while.

SITE IS UP.

Have I mentioned that you totally have to watch this show?

In the hilarious parodial spirit of Christmas Boxing Day, spawned by this Colony Drop post (all valid, BTW), I am going to give out a few tips on how to comment better. Since it is apparent that SOME OF US can’t comment without triggering RAGE and HATE.

• Proofread that comment:  No one likes bad spelling, misinformation and not knowing about what you’re writing in a post. The same can be applied to comments.
• READ THAT POST: No seriously, don’t come barging in guns ablazing and RAGE Induced after the title and/or the paragraphs that interest you. Read the entire post in question before doing ANYTHING. This is IMPORTANT, and makes you look a little bit better.
• Be Constructively Critical: Yes, criticism with a bit of sarcasm nowadays is considered trolling by most people, but seriously, if you can, be constructive with your criticism where applicable. Even if it gets rebuffed.
• Don’t Go In With The Intention To Troll/Flame: If you’ve got nothing good to add to the comment pool, then shut yer trap. No one likes a fire starter or a troll. This is VERY IMPORTANT.
• 4chan is The Anus Of The Internet Spawned By An Even Bigger Shithole, Why The Frag Are You Acting Like A Shithead And Talking Like A High-Functioning Retard: It goes without saying that one should cut down on the *chan speak. Even if it is relevant, DON’T. The exception in this blog is /tg/ related memes, but that’s because the owner is also a fa/tg/uy and a bit of a faggot.
• Remember That You Represent Your Blog: When you comment, make a forum post somewhere on Animesuki or any famous animé board or even go Tripfagging on 4chan, remember that you are representing your blog. It is not kosher to make your name known for one thing and your blog for another. People will eventually put two and two together. Ensure consistency in your blogging and commenting and you WILL be respected. Unless you want to be known for being a total dickbutt.

I think I covered all the bases. Happy commenting in 2010, everyone, and I hope to see people commenting better.

(And yes, while this post is specifically aimed at certain people, it applies to absolutely everyone.)

Day 12 of THE 12 MOMENTS OF ANIME, SPONSORED BY CCY.

I’m probably the only person to link my hobbies to religion.

Unfortunately, if I told you because of it, I have gained a new appreciation for animé, you’d call me crazy. But it’s true.

And if I told you I’m Christian, you’ll probably sneer at me and think me a loony, even though what I just said is all true and I’m not a bloody fundie.

It’s strange, really, because I’m the only guy who can claim to be a Christian and still consider myself to be an animé fanatic, even though most conservative Christians (at least, as much as I know) tend to stay away from the medium due to preconceived notions. Which are not incorrect, especially if one looks into the history of art and eroticism in Japan. To say Japan is sick in the head is an understatement.

And yet, I’m at a rather unique crossroad, where it was due to my hobbies bringing me to faith, as opposed to the more conventional methods of coming to faith, so…

Maybe a quick rundown as to HOW I GOT THERE would suffice.

• 2006-ish: Got my hands on a copy of Planetarian, with English patch.
• 6 December 2006: Played it again, still didn’t know why.
• 25 December 2006: Did I mention I returned to church on this day?
• 31 December 2006: Woo.
• Also not mentioned: Being exposed to religion as a young kid. Both the pagan and not-so-pagan sides.

I think it was CS Lewis who said this.

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

I take the same approach. Not many will take the this approach, but then again, when your luminaries are famous trolls, an apathethic faggot, and uncontrollable firebrands with sticks in their butts, not to mention the Danny Choo wannabes, Sankaku Complex and, well, a so-called community driven more by flaming and trolling than enjoying animé, one has to wonder why we’re such a miserable.

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. Or maybe not. It was rather interesting racking my brains embarking on this project, even through a raoring fever. It helps when one of your posts is simply a picspam.

Day 11 of THE 12 MOMENTS OF ANIME, SPONSORED BY CCY.

Actually, I lie. It’s not AFA itself I’m going to talk about. The convention was nice enough, and there are things to keep me interested, but seriously, without that Anisong karaoke machine, most of the stalls don’t hold a lot of interest to me.

Instead I’ll be talking about the concerts. Those concerts were the reason I blew almost 200 dollars in the first place.

Now, I’ve never been to a concert before, and probably won’t attend most concerts, since mainstream music is not my thing.

And then Fukuyama Yoshiki decides to drop by to do a concert. There goes 200 bucks.

…Wait, no one said he’d be rocking out starting with KING GAINER OVER. OH MY GOODNESS WORK GUY. SON OF A BITCH MAKKA NA CHIKAI. HOLY SHIT HE’S DOING A MACROSS 7 MEDLY WITH MAY’N.

That was the best concert ever.

Incidentally, it recharged my batteries. I think I’m good to go for at least another 12 months of enjoying animé and the like.

:3