Top 5 of Winter 2012

So it’s once again time for my OCD to kick in – have to have this end of season list done before I start First Impressions posts!  From the Winter 2012 season I watched 11 shows and dropped another two mid-season, however since so many of them were meh incarnate, I’m only doing a top 5 this time.

5. Thermae Romae

Only three episodes long and still miles better than most of the other rubbish I ended up watching!  Thermae Romae was not pretty, but what it lacked in the animation area it more than made up in with wit and charm.  The concept is extremely simple, but was just so endearingly well written that it was impossible not to enjoy.  If you haven’t seen this little show yet, don’t deny yourself any longer – it’s only three episodes, get some Lucius in your life!

4. Aquarion EVOL

It is damn near impossible not to enjoy this show, and the best thing is that Aquarion is only midway through its run!  Aquarion EVOL is cheese, adolescent hormones and Fabulous~! made into an anime – nothing about this show is subtle, but it knows exactly what it’s doing and plays up to that fact.  The result is a series that is just pure entertainment.  If I have a criticism it’s that the villains are shite – I don’t care about the plot, I just want to watch more delicious cheesy goodness wrapped up in a gorgeous colourful package!

3. Nisemonogatari

Admittedly I was nowhere near as enamoured of Nisemono as I was of Bakemonogatari, but Nisemono was still a gripping watch……if for some rather shallow reasons.  The direction in Nisemono put Bakemono to shame in a lot of areas, the stories themselves may not have been as interesting as the previous seasons, but the way they were framed and the wonderful SHAFTy way everything was presented, meant Nisemono was never dull to watch.  Overall though I vastly prefer Bakemono – I guess watching Araragi molest his little sisters for 11 episodes just wasn’t my kind of thing.

2. The Daily Lives of High School Boys

Ah NichiBros!  What a joy this show was – I am so, so glad it didn’t turn out to be another “cute boys do cute things” show, rather NichiBros turned out to be part satire, part s’life and part absurdist comedy, which made it a lot of fun to watch every week.  Of course as with all comedy shows, it had some weak segments and dull moments, but over all the series was excellent.  I do hope there is another season in the works – would definitely watch more!

1. Natsume Yuujinchou Shi

Yes I know, I am a shameless Natsume fangirl.  However this latest season of Natsume just ticked all the right boxes for me – no other show this season left me with the same warm satisfied feeling I got after an episode of Natsume.  I know some people are bored with Natsume now, but for me that pleasant feel-good glow is still going strong and the show still manages to make me tear up and squeal.  A show that still triggers that kind of emotional reaction out of me after four seasons deserves its place at the top of this list.

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Writing this has made me realise how utterly predictable I am!  Regardless those are my top picks of the Winter season.  Honorable mention goes to Moretsu Pirates for managing to be completely different to what I was imagining initially, and dishonorable mentions go to Another and Black Rock Shooter TV for utterly failing to understand the meaning of the word “subtlety”.

First Impressions will be going up during the week – I have a few days off thanks to Easter & my birthday, so I shouldn’t have to kill myself getting them done.