THE ANIME/MANGA AWARDS
Voted on سے طرف کی the committee of me, myself, and I. And Iago, my plush bird. Titles generally refer to anime. If I’m talking about the manga, I’ll specify so. If your پسندیدہ isn’t mentioned, maybe I just haven’t watched it yet? I’ve been into عملی حکمت about 9 years now, so many of the عملی حکمت I mention are “old”. And, yes, this مضمون contains tons of spoilers.
SIGH…ROMANCE! یا NOT!
Couple I would most like to have seen kissed: Wolfwood and Milly (“Trigun”), followed up سے طرف کی Vash and Meryl (“Trigun”, also). There was enough in the series to suggest the first couple shared a bed, and that the سیکنڈ couple would get together soon in the future, but no actual kissing scenes. That’s why I turned to doujinshi! Where not only can one see Wolfwood and Milly kiss, but also see…well, um, as much as آپ want to!
Also, Kaname and Sousuke (Full Metal Panic).
Character I would have most liked to have seen naked: Wolfwood. He looks well built. I won’t say Vash because Vash had a nude scene! Well, except for the pelvic area, which was in shadow.
Best nude scene: Well, now here I’ll credit Vash, for his baring all for love! But not in that way that people usually bare all for love! To protect a young girl he’s befriended from the ugliest villain in the world, he agrees to humiliate himself in public. His body is all hideously scarred, but..it’s Vash! And we love Vash! And when آپ love a guy, آپ wanna see him naked..um, maybe.
Runners up: Gawl, “Generator Gawl”. Gawl, Koji, and Ryo are in a Japanese public bath, when Gawl abruptly decides to get out of the pool. There is a full frontal shot with water splashing in front of his “area”, causing me to wonder—did they actually دکھائیں something یا not? As disturbing as it is delightful.
“GetBackers”: In an otherwise blah episode, “The Monkeys’ Counterattack!”, Ginji and Ban stand up in some hot springs, revealing everything but their areas, which they place their hands over protectively.
Worst nude scene: Gates in “Full Metal Panic: The سیکنڈ Raid”. Oh, why waste a nude scene on an ugly bad guy? Why not have Sousuke instead? Oh, why, why, why?! I think آپ can see just about everything here, shot from behind.
The twins, “Full Metal Panic: The سیکنڈ Raid”: “Full Metal Panic” used to have what I call “Barbie doll nudity”, that is, no nipples یا genitalia drawn in. But the twins have nipples. Then they go and hug each other, which is just gross incest! It’s a good thing I already loved “Full Metal Panic” so much, یا I might’ve hit the eject button. Oh, why, why, why?! “Full Metal Panic”, why must thou get dirtier instead of cleaner?
Lamest romance: Spike and Julia, “Cowboy Bebop”. Who is this Julia? Why is Spike passionate about her? Why should we care? I have a hard time accepting pre-existing boyfriend/girlfriend situations. I have to see them meet, یا slowly start developing feelings, stuff like that. To just be told, okay, there’s this girl in Spike’s past he can’t forget about, that’s not enough for me. Especially as I’d rather have seen Spike get something going with Faye.
Hottest kiss: Akito and Yurika from “Martian Successor Nadesico”, followed very closely سے طرف کی Gene Starwind and Melfina from “Outlaw Star”. In both cases, the romances slowly built over the course of the series, until finally, in the last episodes of both series, hopeless romantic viewers like me were rewarded with seeing the couples’ first kisses. Sweet!
Most disappointing potential romance: George Kodama and Miyuki, “Kaze no Yojimbo”. In spite of all the provocative shots of Miyuki in states of undress in the opening theme, this potential couple never got off the ground. Never so much as kissed. The mystery of George’s brother’s disappearance wrapped up nicely, but the romance didn’t.
Characters I crush on even though they are so not my type: Spike, “Cowboy Bebop”. He doesn’t like dogs یا kids یا theme parks..well, I could accept not liking kids, but not dogs یا theme parks? I live for dogs and theme parks! Still, he’s so good looking and sounds so sexy, I fell for him anyway.
Runner-up: Yoji, “Weiss Kreuz”. A playboy with lines like, “I like to go for rides..but not alone.” He’s no innocent virgin (and I love innocent virgins!). But he is cute. And full of angst.
Did They یا Didn’t They Award: First place to Arima and Yukino of the manga “Kare Kano”, whose sex scene left me scratching my head over whether anything had happened. Later it was revealed in clearer terms that they had indeed had sex.
Runner-up: Karou and Aoi from “Ai Yori Aoshi: Enishi”. In the episode “White”, did they have sex in a Yokohama hotel room? Who knows? But I’d like to know! I sneaked a peek at the manga and saw that Karou froze up from memories of childhood abuse, but the manga and عملی حکمت are not necessarily the same continuity.
YEARBOOK CATEGORY
Best دوستوں Forever!: Ginji and Ban, of “GetBackers”. I’m as on آگ کے, آگ for this friendship as I am for the romances of other shows. I want Ginji and Ban to be together forever (screw what Paul says), and I never want them to have wives یا girlfriends, because they would just get in the way. I’m not totally yaoi over it, though. I can’t imagine them sticking their pen—er, this is getting too graphic. Oh, but when I see Ban look at Ginji with affection in his eyes, یا Ginji look at Ban with adoration in his, I just want to swoon.
Weirdest Christian: عملی حکمت has a lot of weird references to Christianity, دکھانا they don’t really understand what it’s all about. For this category, I’m going to vote for my favorite, Wolfwood, of course.
Best animal: Kir, the bird sidekick of Jing. Iago says Kir is a good friend of his.
Sweetest hero: Daisuke, “Heat Guy J”. If آپ stabbed him in the back, then apologized, he’d say, “Oh, that’s okay. I’m sure آپ had your reasons.”
Runner-up: Kaoru-sama, “Ai Yori Aoshi”. Can’t bring himself to ever contradict a girl.
Doll of the year: L, “Death Note” (okay, so “Death Note” didn’t come out this year. Play along.) How can a guy with bad posture and dark circles under his eyes be a doll? I don’t know, but L is. Perhaps it’s his mysterious nature, perhaps his ultimate vulnerability (if آپ know what I mean) that puts him in the “squee” category. (Yes, ultimate vulnerability attracts me, me being a bit morbid.) That, and he’s blessed to be able to eat sweets all the time and stay thin. Maybe he’s related to Shaggy. The live action L is cute, too.
Doll of گزشتہ years: Sousuke Sagara, “Full Metal Panic.” Oh, he is so adorable! Maybe he’s a no nonsense soldier, but underneath that military exterior is an innocent babe.
Characters I would least like to trade places with: The angst-ridden teenage assassins of “Weiss Kreuz”, always questioning themselves as they run a sword through some evil villain--after that villain was somehow responsible for the death of someone a member of Weiss loved. How many tragic losses can a cute guy handle? These four guys shoulda been a boy band instead of legally sanctioned killers. (In fact, I think there was a real life boy band based on Weiss Kreuz.)
Runner up, the crew of the Bebop. Never rolling in dough, and worse yet, rarely managing functional relationships amongst themselves.
Best heroine: Milly Thompson, “Trigun”. She’s not the most kick پچھواڑے, گدا heroine ever, not one totally knowledgeable in military یا crimefighting ways. And she’s not terribly smart. But that’s part of her appeal—she’s an ordinary office girl in extraordinary situations, yet she comes through. Plus, she gets to romance Wolfwood!
Best monologue: These are suitable for young actors and actresses going to auditions! (Maybe.)
1. Natsume’s suicide note, “Generator Gawl”.
2. Wolfwood’s dying confession in an abandoned church, “Trigun”.
3. Light defending himself, final chapters of the “Death Note” manga.
Most likeable villain: I generally don’t like villains; they cause so much pain for the heroes. But I am kinda charmed سے طرف کی the following:
Without a doubt, except for wondering if this guy really is a villain, I heartily nominate سے papillon, تیتلی کے of “Buso Renkin”. He’s so flamboyant and he revels in it. One just can’t hate him.
Second place: Akabane, a.k.a. Dr. Jackal of GetBackers. He’s not really immoral, but amoral, looking for things to do that interest him. If he feels like joining the GetBackers instead of fighting them, he will for a lark.
I am kinda charmed سے طرف کی the jazzman Midvalley the Hornfreak from “Trigun.”
Ugliest looking villain: That round guy from the “Trigun” episode “Goodbye for Now”. Not sure he has a name. But he’s so f**king ugly I can hardly look at the screen straight when he’s on!
Cutest tush: Solty Revant of “Solty Rei”. Maybe it’s that little patch above her buttocks that draws attention to how cute her bum is. I shouldn’t even be noticing this; I’m a straight female…But she is cute!
Very most پسندیدہ character: Wolfwood.
SUPERLATIVE MOMENTS:
Most faithful adapation from manga to anime: “Fushigi Yugi”, “Death Note”
Loosest adaptation from manga to anime: “Nadesico.” The relationship between Yurika and Akito is there in both versions, but while Akito is sexually distracted from her سے طرف کی Haruka (think that’s her name) in the manga, in the عملی حکمت Haruka is involved with someone else and it’s Megumi who distracts (but not to the point of nudity) Akito from Yurika. Runner up, “Trigun”. It’s so different, it’s alienating. I stopped reading the manga after “Trigun Maximum” volume 6. Can’t say I didn’t give it a chance.
Most gratuitous tragedy: عملی حکمت does love its tragic moments. But sometimes it’s just overkill, like too much sugar. For this, I vote for an عملی حکمت I didn’t pay close attention to, but let run while I was doing other things, like looking through catalogs. The دکھائیں is “Mobile Suit Gundam”, which was one pointless tragedy after another. Well, not pointless—the point was war is an indiscriminate killer. I’ll nominate the incident where a lady officer all the boys were smitten with visited White Base. Of course, at the end, she and her crew die defending the Base.
“A.D. Police” had a lot of tragedy, too. Most tragedies in عملی حکمت “hurt so good”, as John Mellencamp might say. But when an officer tries to save his wife and young child from a bomb and ends up the victim himself, that’s just disturbing. I did like the tragedy of the final episode, though.
Most outlandish coincidence(s): In “Chance Pop Session”, three girls come together to form a singing group. But what they don’t know, but will find out, is that they are all sisters, separated when they were very young. And their mother is the head of the موسیقی school they attend! And Darth Vader is their father! Well, the last one’s not true…Still, I enjoyed the show.
Funniest series: “Cromartie High School”. This doesn’t need drama, tragedy, یا even romance—it’s fine as it is. Stupid, yet delightfully so!
Hungriest cast of characters: I think the trio from “Samurai Champloo”, who travel the road with little money, beat out the crew of the Bebop, who also find themselves hungry and unemployed مزید often than they’d like. Well, at least it puts a human face on hunger!
Most shocking moment: 1. Spike’s death, “Cowboy Bebop”. (See also most intense ending category later in this Awards Show).
2. Julia’s death, also from “Cowboy Bebop”. Up til then, I thought the young lovers were going to win in the end.
3. Vash’s scarred body revealed for the first time, in the episode, “Vash the Stampede”.
Coolest revelation: In “Generator Gawl”, that the Professor and Kanae are really alternate timeline versions of Ryo and Koji.
Coolest bonus feature: The English dub cast’s outtakes in “Weiss Kreuz/Knight Hunters” and its follow up “Weiss Kreuz Gluhen/Knight Hunters Eternity”. Absolute hilarity! Well, there’s the line flubbing, but there’s also the actors just fooling around.
Very most پسندیدہ عملی حکمت series: “Trigun”
Most پسندیدہ عملی حکمت episode: “Paradise” from “Trigun”. Wolfwood and Milly (romance), Wolfwood and Vash (friendship reconciled), Wolfwood and God (a very spiritual moment). Good night, sweet priest.
Runners-up: “Brain Scratch” from “Cowboy Bebop”. The crew acts like a functional family for once!
“Angel” from “Heat Guy J”: Daisuke gets captured and (well, mildly) tortured, J gets nearly blown apart, and Kyoko takes action to save her man—though she only seemed to realize starting in this episode that Daisuke might indeed be her man. Daisuke is gracious about being rescued “by a woman”, and ends the episode with this line: “It’s not everyday آپ get rescued سے طرف کی an angel. Can’t beat that.”
“Tears” from “Heat Guy J”: Even the deaths of supporting characters can be touching. Police detective Edmundo, both friend and rival to Daisuke, is obsessed after his young partner, Romeo, is stabbed to death in the streets. Climaxes with Edmundo punching out an elite politician—and he gets jailed for it, until Daisuke bails him out.
“Escape from Pain” from “Trigun”: Lots of شائقین seem to find the plot of this episode confusing, involving a slave ring and a kid with two fathers, but with lots of time for Milly and Wolfwood to spend together, I find it extremely watchable. In fact, I’ve seen it مزید times than any other “Trigun” episode.
“New World” from “Death Note”: Light gets his comeuppance, for killing L…I mean, killing all those people. Near solves the case, and comic relief Matsuda (my سیکنڈ پسندیدہ character) goes all serious and carries out the execution, making it rather gratuitous but delightfully full of betrayal for Ryuk to write Light’s name in the Death Note.
Note: There are no “Generator Gawl” episodes listed here, because that series was all one big long continuing plot. Therefore it can be hard to recall exactly which episode such and such a cool scene happened in.
THROWAWAY CATEGORY
True successor to Cowboy Bebop: “Samurai Champloo.” “Wolf’s Rain” was the other دکھائیں in this category, both worked on سے طرف کی members of the Bebop creative forces. But it’s “Champloo” that often seems like the Bebop characters and situations transported to another time and place.
Characters most likely from the same family درخت (besides the “Chance Pop Session” gals!): I think Spike’s ancestor is George Kodama from “Kaze no Yojimbo”. Extremely similar characters. Then maybe the درخت goes back to Mugen of “Samurai Champloo”, who at least in the English dub, sounds like Spike—because it’s the same actor.
The Why Did Cartoon Network Try to ترمیم This Into a Kid’s Show? award: “Outlaw Star”. The original can get horny sometimes! But Cartoon Network tweaked it and passed it off kids’ entertainment. I discovered the دکھائیں on Cartoon Network, got used to the clean version, and found I couldn’t handle the original version. If I had known from the start how naughty certain characters could get, I might have been able to accept it.
The Glad We Stuck Around award: “Heat Guy J”. The first episode was stylish but uninvolving, and I was tempted to give up on it then and there, but I decided to watch the rest of the disc. And the دکھائیں ended up becoming a favorite.
The Kindler, Gentler عملی حکمت award: “Aria” (and “Aria the Natural”). So happy, so peaceful, that whenever anything bad happens, it seems like a betrayal of what the series is about. It’s about an innocent gondolier making wonderful discoveries in a new version of Venice on a terraformed Mars.
“Ai Yori Aoshi” (and it’s clone, er, sequel “Ai Yori Aoshi: Enishi”). A sweet natured romance عملی حکمت where the big crisis of the episode may be getting a pastry to your boyfriend before it gets too cold. Really, I’m not kidding.
The دکھائیں I Actually Learned Something From: “Trigun.” "People who sin say this: that they had to to survive. People who sin say this: it's too late now to stop. The shadow called sin dogs them steadily from behind, silently, without a word. Remorse and agony are repeated only to end up at despair in the end. But the sinners just don't know that if they'd only turn around, there is a light there, a light which keeps shining on them, ever so warmly, a light that will never fade."
The دکھائیں Whose “Lesson” I Refuse to Learn: “Death Note”, مزید the manga, although it’s in the anime. This idea that humans go to “nothingness” when they die, and there is no Heaven یا Hell. As a Christian, this is blasphemy to me, and besides, I like to imagine L in a happy afterlife. If Light wants to go to nothingness, that’s okay with me. Light evil.
The I’m Actually for Conflicting Romances award: “s-CRY-ed”. I felt for Mimori as she carried a torch for Ryuho, yet I also liked the idea of Cougar winning her over. And though part of me wanted to see Ryuho turn to Mimori, I was touched سے طرف کی Scheris’ devotion to him, especially her “ultimate sacrifice”, as the DVD blurbs put it.
Hurts So Good: Mostly deaths—Wolfwood dying confession (“Trigun”), Natsumi’s suicide note (“Generator Gawl”), Kimishima’s death while being carried سے طرف کی his buddy Kazuma (“s-CRY-ed”), Edmundo’s partner Romeo being stabbed to death (“Heat Guy J”), Furet being shot down in the سٹریٹ, گلی in “Scrapped Princess.”. I guess Spike’s death (“Cowboy Bebop”) fits in here, too.
Doesn’t Hurt So Good, Just Hurts: The death of Tsukiko’s adorable کتے in “Paranoia Agent”. Gaah, I can’t stand it when bad things happen to dogs! I’ll never watch “Old Yeller”!
Character I Like Though No One Else Does: Miaka from the original “Fushigi Yugi”. Others see her as whiny and always relying on Tamahome to rescue her. I see her as a plucky girl, always ready for a new obstacle thrown in the way of her quest. And as the queen of forgiveness—after her best friend betrayed her, she forgave her. No matter how cruel Yui was to her, Miaka always wanted to be best دوستوں forever again, instead of letting it be an “eye for an eye”.
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Sexiest voice actor: Steve Blum as Spike, Mugen, and others. But especially Spike.
Sweetest voice actor: Johnny Yong Bosch, as Vash. How tender he sounds!
Best music: Yoko Kanno, for her jazzy and sometimes eclectic songs that ran throughout the “Cowboy Bebop” soundtrack. Very listenable.
NOT QUITE عملی حکمت CATEGORY:
Live action, Western (Canadian) دکھائیں I would most like to see as anime: “The Adventures of Sinbad”. It’s got multiple choice for who wins the hero’s heart, just like many anime. Plus there’s fantasy, a quest, and many intriguing plot threads. There already was an عملی حکمت called “The Adventures of Sinbad”, but I bet it didn’t have Firouz in it!
عملی حکمت cast we would most like to have seen the Simpsons cosplay as: the characters from “Trigun”. Bart has Vash’s hairdo. Homer could be Legato Bluesummers, saying, “Boy, if آپ don’t give me those donuts, I’ll work my telekinetic powers on آپ and make آپ strangle yourself!” Marge could be tall Milly, and Lisa could be short Meryl. Wolfwood would be portrayed سے طرف کی neighbor Ned Flanders. “Just call me Nicholas D. Wolferino!”
Disney character that comes closest to being an عملی حکمت bishonen: Jim Hawkins, “Treasure Planet”. Maybe it’s all the angst from being abandoned سے طرف کی his Dad. Well, that and a cool hair cut and pretty face.
Funniest TV character ever: Homer Simpson. This has absolutely nothing to do with anime. (Unless آپ count Mr. Sparkle, the Japanese detergent mascot who looked eerily like Homer.)
ENDINGS:
Most intense ending to a series: “Cowboy Bebop”
As much as I have mixed feelings about Spike dying, and him and Faye never getting together, I have to admit that ending really floored me, and ignited my عملی حکمت obsession.
Most disappointing ending to a series: “King of Bandit Jing”
It didn’t feature any startling revelations, یا character death. I was just disappointed in Jing’s behavior. First, he let that innocent chump take his place in the arena (even though no one ended up getting hurt). Then he was mysterious when Kir asked him what happened between him and the princess. As far as I know, all he had time for was to steal a kiss, but his smiling silence made it seem like so much مزید had gone on. And he’d never shown interest in girls before—I was beginning to think he might be like me, if آپ know what I mean. Still, I was sure to check out “Seventh Heaven” when it came out.
Runners-up: “Legend of the Dragon Kings”. The dragon brothers get too big for their britches and start playing God, even setting آگ کے, آگ to the Pentagon, in their anti-US (well, at least anti-US military) crusade. I could expect that from the hotheaded dragon brother, but not Hajime, the usually sensible eldest brother. But apparently Hajime got it in his head that he has the right to dictate to the US how to run itself. I mean, maybe he’s better than some presidents, but I still don’t like the idea of some foreign dragon coming over here and telling us how to go about business!
“Scrapped Princess”—the prophecy plot winded up okay, but did Pacifica really have to slap her sweet suitor Leo in the face? I was rooting for them as a couple!
“s-CRY-ed”—The series should have ended with the defeat of Kyoji Mujo. Instead, after working together, Ryuho and Kazuma decide to renew their rivalry and duke it out in a pointless battle until they both collapse. Men.
Most fulfilling end to an anime:
I was not disappointed سے طرف کی the final episodes of Gungrave, though a friend had warned me about them. In fact, it surpassed my expectations. It was five star! Maybe my friend had a problem with it because Mika, the girl who is the ex-mob boss' daughter, lost Brandon. But I liked it because when Brandon and Harry confronted each other, at the old, abandoned ڈنر, کھانے where they used to live as young punks, they did مزید talking than shooting, and actually became دوستوں again. Harry was recently ousted as head of Millenion, and some guys were trying to shoot him, but Brandon tried to protect Harry. In the end, they do end up shooting each other, but it's مزید of a friendly suicide pact than revenge. Harry has been shot, and Brandon doesn't have much time left before his resurrected body goes kaput, so Brandon says, "Let's go home."
It was like Harry's murder of Brandon was just a petty argument, and friendship survived in the end. It was rather refreshing to see them solve things سے طرف کی talking them over مزید than fighting each other (although they did fight other gangsters). Scryed's Kazuma and Ryuho could take a lesson in that.
All the main characters who died appeared to Harry and Brandon as they were dying. It looks like a happy afterlife for all of them! I don't see how, but I like the idea. I can see scenes from the afterlife now: “Hey, remember that time I tried to kill you, but آپ killed me instead? That was really something. Ha ha.”
Sweetest ending to a series: “Gunparade March”
“I…I…I…I love you!” This declaration means even مزید when آپ consider that in Japan, these three words are spoken less than in the US, even between lovers. Yes, thinking of how this was the sweetest عملی حکمت ending I ever saw prompted me to make this awards show.
Voted on سے طرف کی the committee of me, myself, and I. And Iago, my plush bird. Titles generally refer to anime. If I’m talking about the manga, I’ll specify so. If your پسندیدہ isn’t mentioned, maybe I just haven’t watched it yet? I’ve been into عملی حکمت about 9 years now, so many of the عملی حکمت I mention are “old”. And, yes, this مضمون contains tons of spoilers.
SIGH…ROMANCE! یا NOT!
Couple I would most like to have seen kissed: Wolfwood and Milly (“Trigun”), followed up سے طرف کی Vash and Meryl (“Trigun”, also). There was enough in the series to suggest the first couple shared a bed, and that the سیکنڈ couple would get together soon in the future, but no actual kissing scenes. That’s why I turned to doujinshi! Where not only can one see Wolfwood and Milly kiss, but also see…well, um, as much as آپ want to!
Also, Kaname and Sousuke (Full Metal Panic).
Character I would have most liked to have seen naked: Wolfwood. He looks well built. I won’t say Vash because Vash had a nude scene! Well, except for the pelvic area, which was in shadow.
Best nude scene: Well, now here I’ll credit Vash, for his baring all for love! But not in that way that people usually bare all for love! To protect a young girl he’s befriended from the ugliest villain in the world, he agrees to humiliate himself in public. His body is all hideously scarred, but..it’s Vash! And we love Vash! And when آپ love a guy, آپ wanna see him naked..um, maybe.
Runners up: Gawl, “Generator Gawl”. Gawl, Koji, and Ryo are in a Japanese public bath, when Gawl abruptly decides to get out of the pool. There is a full frontal shot with water splashing in front of his “area”, causing me to wonder—did they actually دکھائیں something یا not? As disturbing as it is delightful.
“GetBackers”: In an otherwise blah episode, “The Monkeys’ Counterattack!”, Ginji and Ban stand up in some hot springs, revealing everything but their areas, which they place their hands over protectively.
Worst nude scene: Gates in “Full Metal Panic: The سیکنڈ Raid”. Oh, why waste a nude scene on an ugly bad guy? Why not have Sousuke instead? Oh, why, why, why?! I think آپ can see just about everything here, shot from behind.
The twins, “Full Metal Panic: The سیکنڈ Raid”: “Full Metal Panic” used to have what I call “Barbie doll nudity”, that is, no nipples یا genitalia drawn in. But the twins have nipples. Then they go and hug each other, which is just gross incest! It’s a good thing I already loved “Full Metal Panic” so much, یا I might’ve hit the eject button. Oh, why, why, why?! “Full Metal Panic”, why must thou get dirtier instead of cleaner?
Lamest romance: Spike and Julia, “Cowboy Bebop”. Who is this Julia? Why is Spike passionate about her? Why should we care? I have a hard time accepting pre-existing boyfriend/girlfriend situations. I have to see them meet, یا slowly start developing feelings, stuff like that. To just be told, okay, there’s this girl in Spike’s past he can’t forget about, that’s not enough for me. Especially as I’d rather have seen Spike get something going with Faye.
Hottest kiss: Akito and Yurika from “Martian Successor Nadesico”, followed very closely سے طرف کی Gene Starwind and Melfina from “Outlaw Star”. In both cases, the romances slowly built over the course of the series, until finally, in the last episodes of both series, hopeless romantic viewers like me were rewarded with seeing the couples’ first kisses. Sweet!
Most disappointing potential romance: George Kodama and Miyuki, “Kaze no Yojimbo”. In spite of all the provocative shots of Miyuki in states of undress in the opening theme, this potential couple never got off the ground. Never so much as kissed. The mystery of George’s brother’s disappearance wrapped up nicely, but the romance didn’t.
Characters I crush on even though they are so not my type: Spike, “Cowboy Bebop”. He doesn’t like dogs یا kids یا theme parks..well, I could accept not liking kids, but not dogs یا theme parks? I live for dogs and theme parks! Still, he’s so good looking and sounds so sexy, I fell for him anyway.
Runner-up: Yoji, “Weiss Kreuz”. A playboy with lines like, “I like to go for rides..but not alone.” He’s no innocent virgin (and I love innocent virgins!). But he is cute. And full of angst.
Did They یا Didn’t They Award: First place to Arima and Yukino of the manga “Kare Kano”, whose sex scene left me scratching my head over whether anything had happened. Later it was revealed in clearer terms that they had indeed had sex.
Runner-up: Karou and Aoi from “Ai Yori Aoshi: Enishi”. In the episode “White”, did they have sex in a Yokohama hotel room? Who knows? But I’d like to know! I sneaked a peek at the manga and saw that Karou froze up from memories of childhood abuse, but the manga and عملی حکمت are not necessarily the same continuity.
YEARBOOK CATEGORY
Best دوستوں Forever!: Ginji and Ban, of “GetBackers”. I’m as on آگ کے, آگ for this friendship as I am for the romances of other shows. I want Ginji and Ban to be together forever (screw what Paul says), and I never want them to have wives یا girlfriends, because they would just get in the way. I’m not totally yaoi over it, though. I can’t imagine them sticking their pen—er, this is getting too graphic. Oh, but when I see Ban look at Ginji with affection in his eyes, یا Ginji look at Ban with adoration in his, I just want to swoon.
Weirdest Christian: عملی حکمت has a lot of weird references to Christianity, دکھانا they don’t really understand what it’s all about. For this category, I’m going to vote for my favorite, Wolfwood, of course.
Best animal: Kir, the bird sidekick of Jing. Iago says Kir is a good friend of his.
Sweetest hero: Daisuke, “Heat Guy J”. If آپ stabbed him in the back, then apologized, he’d say, “Oh, that’s okay. I’m sure آپ had your reasons.”
Runner-up: Kaoru-sama, “Ai Yori Aoshi”. Can’t bring himself to ever contradict a girl.
Doll of the year: L, “Death Note” (okay, so “Death Note” didn’t come out this year. Play along.) How can a guy with bad posture and dark circles under his eyes be a doll? I don’t know, but L is. Perhaps it’s his mysterious nature, perhaps his ultimate vulnerability (if آپ know what I mean) that puts him in the “squee” category. (Yes, ultimate vulnerability attracts me, me being a bit morbid.) That, and he’s blessed to be able to eat sweets all the time and stay thin. Maybe he’s related to Shaggy. The live action L is cute, too.
Doll of گزشتہ years: Sousuke Sagara, “Full Metal Panic.” Oh, he is so adorable! Maybe he’s a no nonsense soldier, but underneath that military exterior is an innocent babe.
Characters I would least like to trade places with: The angst-ridden teenage assassins of “Weiss Kreuz”, always questioning themselves as they run a sword through some evil villain--after that villain was somehow responsible for the death of someone a member of Weiss loved. How many tragic losses can a cute guy handle? These four guys shoulda been a boy band instead of legally sanctioned killers. (In fact, I think there was a real life boy band based on Weiss Kreuz.)
Runner up, the crew of the Bebop. Never rolling in dough, and worse yet, rarely managing functional relationships amongst themselves.
Best heroine: Milly Thompson, “Trigun”. She’s not the most kick پچھواڑے, گدا heroine ever, not one totally knowledgeable in military یا crimefighting ways. And she’s not terribly smart. But that’s part of her appeal—she’s an ordinary office girl in extraordinary situations, yet she comes through. Plus, she gets to romance Wolfwood!
Best monologue: These are suitable for young actors and actresses going to auditions! (Maybe.)
1. Natsume’s suicide note, “Generator Gawl”.
2. Wolfwood’s dying confession in an abandoned church, “Trigun”.
3. Light defending himself, final chapters of the “Death Note” manga.
Most likeable villain: I generally don’t like villains; they cause so much pain for the heroes. But I am kinda charmed سے طرف کی the following:
Without a doubt, except for wondering if this guy really is a villain, I heartily nominate سے papillon, تیتلی کے of “Buso Renkin”. He’s so flamboyant and he revels in it. One just can’t hate him.
Second place: Akabane, a.k.a. Dr. Jackal of GetBackers. He’s not really immoral, but amoral, looking for things to do that interest him. If he feels like joining the GetBackers instead of fighting them, he will for a lark.
I am kinda charmed سے طرف کی the jazzman Midvalley the Hornfreak from “Trigun.”
Ugliest looking villain: That round guy from the “Trigun” episode “Goodbye for Now”. Not sure he has a name. But he’s so f**king ugly I can hardly look at the screen straight when he’s on!
Cutest tush: Solty Revant of “Solty Rei”. Maybe it’s that little patch above her buttocks that draws attention to how cute her bum is. I shouldn’t even be noticing this; I’m a straight female…But she is cute!
Very most پسندیدہ character: Wolfwood.
SUPERLATIVE MOMENTS:
Most faithful adapation from manga to anime: “Fushigi Yugi”, “Death Note”
Loosest adaptation from manga to anime: “Nadesico.” The relationship between Yurika and Akito is there in both versions, but while Akito is sexually distracted from her سے طرف کی Haruka (think that’s her name) in the manga, in the عملی حکمت Haruka is involved with someone else and it’s Megumi who distracts (but not to the point of nudity) Akito from Yurika. Runner up, “Trigun”. It’s so different, it’s alienating. I stopped reading the manga after “Trigun Maximum” volume 6. Can’t say I didn’t give it a chance.
Most gratuitous tragedy: عملی حکمت does love its tragic moments. But sometimes it’s just overkill, like too much sugar. For this, I vote for an عملی حکمت I didn’t pay close attention to, but let run while I was doing other things, like looking through catalogs. The دکھائیں is “Mobile Suit Gundam”, which was one pointless tragedy after another. Well, not pointless—the point was war is an indiscriminate killer. I’ll nominate the incident where a lady officer all the boys were smitten with visited White Base. Of course, at the end, she and her crew die defending the Base.
“A.D. Police” had a lot of tragedy, too. Most tragedies in عملی حکمت “hurt so good”, as John Mellencamp might say. But when an officer tries to save his wife and young child from a bomb and ends up the victim himself, that’s just disturbing. I did like the tragedy of the final episode, though.
Most outlandish coincidence(s): In “Chance Pop Session”, three girls come together to form a singing group. But what they don’t know, but will find out, is that they are all sisters, separated when they were very young. And their mother is the head of the موسیقی school they attend! And Darth Vader is their father! Well, the last one’s not true…Still, I enjoyed the show.
Funniest series: “Cromartie High School”. This doesn’t need drama, tragedy, یا even romance—it’s fine as it is. Stupid, yet delightfully so!
Hungriest cast of characters: I think the trio from “Samurai Champloo”, who travel the road with little money, beat out the crew of the Bebop, who also find themselves hungry and unemployed مزید often than they’d like. Well, at least it puts a human face on hunger!
Most shocking moment: 1. Spike’s death, “Cowboy Bebop”. (See also most intense ending category later in this Awards Show).
2. Julia’s death, also from “Cowboy Bebop”. Up til then, I thought the young lovers were going to win in the end.
3. Vash’s scarred body revealed for the first time, in the episode, “Vash the Stampede”.
Coolest revelation: In “Generator Gawl”, that the Professor and Kanae are really alternate timeline versions of Ryo and Koji.
Coolest bonus feature: The English dub cast’s outtakes in “Weiss Kreuz/Knight Hunters” and its follow up “Weiss Kreuz Gluhen/Knight Hunters Eternity”. Absolute hilarity! Well, there’s the line flubbing, but there’s also the actors just fooling around.
Very most پسندیدہ عملی حکمت series: “Trigun”
Most پسندیدہ عملی حکمت episode: “Paradise” from “Trigun”. Wolfwood and Milly (romance), Wolfwood and Vash (friendship reconciled), Wolfwood and God (a very spiritual moment). Good night, sweet priest.
Runners-up: “Brain Scratch” from “Cowboy Bebop”. The crew acts like a functional family for once!
“Angel” from “Heat Guy J”: Daisuke gets captured and (well, mildly) tortured, J gets nearly blown apart, and Kyoko takes action to save her man—though she only seemed to realize starting in this episode that Daisuke might indeed be her man. Daisuke is gracious about being rescued “by a woman”, and ends the episode with this line: “It’s not everyday آپ get rescued سے طرف کی an angel. Can’t beat that.”
“Tears” from “Heat Guy J”: Even the deaths of supporting characters can be touching. Police detective Edmundo, both friend and rival to Daisuke, is obsessed after his young partner, Romeo, is stabbed to death in the streets. Climaxes with Edmundo punching out an elite politician—and he gets jailed for it, until Daisuke bails him out.
“Escape from Pain” from “Trigun”: Lots of شائقین seem to find the plot of this episode confusing, involving a slave ring and a kid with two fathers, but with lots of time for Milly and Wolfwood to spend together, I find it extremely watchable. In fact, I’ve seen it مزید times than any other “Trigun” episode.
“New World” from “Death Note”: Light gets his comeuppance, for killing L…I mean, killing all those people. Near solves the case, and comic relief Matsuda (my سیکنڈ پسندیدہ character) goes all serious and carries out the execution, making it rather gratuitous but delightfully full of betrayal for Ryuk to write Light’s name in the Death Note.
Note: There are no “Generator Gawl” episodes listed here, because that series was all one big long continuing plot. Therefore it can be hard to recall exactly which episode such and such a cool scene happened in.
THROWAWAY CATEGORY
True successor to Cowboy Bebop: “Samurai Champloo.” “Wolf’s Rain” was the other دکھائیں in this category, both worked on سے طرف کی members of the Bebop creative forces. But it’s “Champloo” that often seems like the Bebop characters and situations transported to another time and place.
Characters most likely from the same family درخت (besides the “Chance Pop Session” gals!): I think Spike’s ancestor is George Kodama from “Kaze no Yojimbo”. Extremely similar characters. Then maybe the درخت goes back to Mugen of “Samurai Champloo”, who at least in the English dub, sounds like Spike—because it’s the same actor.
The Why Did Cartoon Network Try to ترمیم This Into a Kid’s Show? award: “Outlaw Star”. The original can get horny sometimes! But Cartoon Network tweaked it and passed it off kids’ entertainment. I discovered the دکھائیں on Cartoon Network, got used to the clean version, and found I couldn’t handle the original version. If I had known from the start how naughty certain characters could get, I might have been able to accept it.
The Glad We Stuck Around award: “Heat Guy J”. The first episode was stylish but uninvolving, and I was tempted to give up on it then and there, but I decided to watch the rest of the disc. And the دکھائیں ended up becoming a favorite.
The Kindler, Gentler عملی حکمت award: “Aria” (and “Aria the Natural”). So happy, so peaceful, that whenever anything bad happens, it seems like a betrayal of what the series is about. It’s about an innocent gondolier making wonderful discoveries in a new version of Venice on a terraformed Mars.
“Ai Yori Aoshi” (and it’s clone, er, sequel “Ai Yori Aoshi: Enishi”). A sweet natured romance عملی حکمت where the big crisis of the episode may be getting a pastry to your boyfriend before it gets too cold. Really, I’m not kidding.
The دکھائیں I Actually Learned Something From: “Trigun.” "People who sin say this: that they had to to survive. People who sin say this: it's too late now to stop. The shadow called sin dogs them steadily from behind, silently, without a word. Remorse and agony are repeated only to end up at despair in the end. But the sinners just don't know that if they'd only turn around, there is a light there, a light which keeps shining on them, ever so warmly, a light that will never fade."
The دکھائیں Whose “Lesson” I Refuse to Learn: “Death Note”, مزید the manga, although it’s in the anime. This idea that humans go to “nothingness” when they die, and there is no Heaven یا Hell. As a Christian, this is blasphemy to me, and besides, I like to imagine L in a happy afterlife. If Light wants to go to nothingness, that’s okay with me. Light evil.
The I’m Actually for Conflicting Romances award: “s-CRY-ed”. I felt for Mimori as she carried a torch for Ryuho, yet I also liked the idea of Cougar winning her over. And though part of me wanted to see Ryuho turn to Mimori, I was touched سے طرف کی Scheris’ devotion to him, especially her “ultimate sacrifice”, as the DVD blurbs put it.
Hurts So Good: Mostly deaths—Wolfwood dying confession (“Trigun”), Natsumi’s suicide note (“Generator Gawl”), Kimishima’s death while being carried سے طرف کی his buddy Kazuma (“s-CRY-ed”), Edmundo’s partner Romeo being stabbed to death (“Heat Guy J”), Furet being shot down in the سٹریٹ, گلی in “Scrapped Princess.”. I guess Spike’s death (“Cowboy Bebop”) fits in here, too.
Doesn’t Hurt So Good, Just Hurts: The death of Tsukiko’s adorable کتے in “Paranoia Agent”. Gaah, I can’t stand it when bad things happen to dogs! I’ll never watch “Old Yeller”!
Character I Like Though No One Else Does: Miaka from the original “Fushigi Yugi”. Others see her as whiny and always relying on Tamahome to rescue her. I see her as a plucky girl, always ready for a new obstacle thrown in the way of her quest. And as the queen of forgiveness—after her best friend betrayed her, she forgave her. No matter how cruel Yui was to her, Miaka always wanted to be best دوستوں forever again, instead of letting it be an “eye for an eye”.
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Sexiest voice actor: Steve Blum as Spike, Mugen, and others. But especially Spike.
Sweetest voice actor: Johnny Yong Bosch, as Vash. How tender he sounds!
Best music: Yoko Kanno, for her jazzy and sometimes eclectic songs that ran throughout the “Cowboy Bebop” soundtrack. Very listenable.
NOT QUITE عملی حکمت CATEGORY:
Live action, Western (Canadian) دکھائیں I would most like to see as anime: “The Adventures of Sinbad”. It’s got multiple choice for who wins the hero’s heart, just like many anime. Plus there’s fantasy, a quest, and many intriguing plot threads. There already was an عملی حکمت called “The Adventures of Sinbad”, but I bet it didn’t have Firouz in it!
عملی حکمت cast we would most like to have seen the Simpsons cosplay as: the characters from “Trigun”. Bart has Vash’s hairdo. Homer could be Legato Bluesummers, saying, “Boy, if آپ don’t give me those donuts, I’ll work my telekinetic powers on آپ and make آپ strangle yourself!” Marge could be tall Milly, and Lisa could be short Meryl. Wolfwood would be portrayed سے طرف کی neighbor Ned Flanders. “Just call me Nicholas D. Wolferino!”
Disney character that comes closest to being an عملی حکمت bishonen: Jim Hawkins, “Treasure Planet”. Maybe it’s all the angst from being abandoned سے طرف کی his Dad. Well, that and a cool hair cut and pretty face.
Funniest TV character ever: Homer Simpson. This has absolutely nothing to do with anime. (Unless آپ count Mr. Sparkle, the Japanese detergent mascot who looked eerily like Homer.)
ENDINGS:
Most intense ending to a series: “Cowboy Bebop”
As much as I have mixed feelings about Spike dying, and him and Faye never getting together, I have to admit that ending really floored me, and ignited my عملی حکمت obsession.
Most disappointing ending to a series: “King of Bandit Jing”
It didn’t feature any startling revelations, یا character death. I was just disappointed in Jing’s behavior. First, he let that innocent chump take his place in the arena (even though no one ended up getting hurt). Then he was mysterious when Kir asked him what happened between him and the princess. As far as I know, all he had time for was to steal a kiss, but his smiling silence made it seem like so much مزید had gone on. And he’d never shown interest in girls before—I was beginning to think he might be like me, if آپ know what I mean. Still, I was sure to check out “Seventh Heaven” when it came out.
Runners-up: “Legend of the Dragon Kings”. The dragon brothers get too big for their britches and start playing God, even setting آگ کے, آگ to the Pentagon, in their anti-US (well, at least anti-US military) crusade. I could expect that from the hotheaded dragon brother, but not Hajime, the usually sensible eldest brother. But apparently Hajime got it in his head that he has the right to dictate to the US how to run itself. I mean, maybe he’s better than some presidents, but I still don’t like the idea of some foreign dragon coming over here and telling us how to go about business!
“Scrapped Princess”—the prophecy plot winded up okay, but did Pacifica really have to slap her sweet suitor Leo in the face? I was rooting for them as a couple!
“s-CRY-ed”—The series should have ended with the defeat of Kyoji Mujo. Instead, after working together, Ryuho and Kazuma decide to renew their rivalry and duke it out in a pointless battle until they both collapse. Men.
Most fulfilling end to an anime:
I was not disappointed سے طرف کی the final episodes of Gungrave, though a friend had warned me about them. In fact, it surpassed my expectations. It was five star! Maybe my friend had a problem with it because Mika, the girl who is the ex-mob boss' daughter, lost Brandon. But I liked it because when Brandon and Harry confronted each other, at the old, abandoned ڈنر, کھانے where they used to live as young punks, they did مزید talking than shooting, and actually became دوستوں again. Harry was recently ousted as head of Millenion, and some guys were trying to shoot him, but Brandon tried to protect Harry. In the end, they do end up shooting each other, but it's مزید of a friendly suicide pact than revenge. Harry has been shot, and Brandon doesn't have much time left before his resurrected body goes kaput, so Brandon says, "Let's go home."
It was like Harry's murder of Brandon was just a petty argument, and friendship survived in the end. It was rather refreshing to see them solve things سے طرف کی talking them over مزید than fighting each other (although they did fight other gangsters). Scryed's Kazuma and Ryuho could take a lesson in that.
All the main characters who died appeared to Harry and Brandon as they were dying. It looks like a happy afterlife for all of them! I don't see how, but I like the idea. I can see scenes from the afterlife now: “Hey, remember that time I tried to kill you, but آپ killed me instead? That was really something. Ha ha.”
Sweetest ending to a series: “Gunparade March”
“I…I…I…I love you!” This declaration means even مزید when آپ consider that in Japan, these three words are spoken less than in the US, even between lovers. Yes, thinking of how this was the sweetest عملی حکمت ending I ever saw prompted me to make this awards show.
Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara
The strongest delinquent in Seisen Middle School, he is an old friend and kohai of Shirokawa and Kurosaki. He used to be a pushover and a bit of a crybaby. He was saved سے طرف کی Shirokawa and Kurosaki once when he was being bullied, and immediately started looking up to them after that. Constantly seeking to become stronger, he kept his delinquent ways even after the two have graduated and retired from delinquency. He later kidnapped Yukimura, who was dressed like a girl and who he mistook as Shirokawa's girlfriend, and challenged the idiot trio to a fight elsewhere. Coincidentally, he and Aoi happen to attend the same middle school.