Rank	Anime (no. of first place votes)	Studio	Episode	Change
1	Sakamichi no Apollon (17)	Tezuka Productions	3	–
2	Fate/Zero 2 (5)	ufotable	17	–
3	Tsuritama (6)	A-1 Pictures	3	–
4	Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna (2)	TMS Entertainment	4	2
5	Uchuu Kyoudai (0)	A-1 Pictures	4	3

On the cusp: Sankarea, Jormungand, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, Eureka Seven AO, Natsuiro Kiseki

Last week’s results, about the Anime Power Rankings

Sakamichi no Apollon was a no-brainer for the top spot this week – the amount of development that this show has gone though in only 3 episodes is staggering – most shows take at least 10 episodes before a character can scrape up the courage to confess to the one they like!  I really love how Apollon isn’t messing about with its characters; the show feels much more grounded as a result.

I’m really enjoying Tsuritama at the moment – the introduction of the mysterious Duck organisation had me in fits of giggles, but I’m also impressed by how well written most the characters are at this stage; there are some really nice wee touches in this show.

Caraniel (Caraniel’s Ramblings)

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This week, Aeroblip and I sit down the the boys from Anime Afterlife Podcast and FAP about what’s on our minds. Lerxst and Gabe have a podcast on their own, so make sure to check it out, too! First we talk briefly about some shows that are airing, including Fate/Zero and Sankarea and then we go into a discussion about what “slice of life” means. As kevo’s favorite genre of anime, this is a topic close to his heart, but does his definition of it match Lerxst’s description? Can the two compromise on an opinion? Finally, the four of us have a discussion about two very different animation studios: Kyoto Animation and Shaft.

From left to right: Lerxst, kevo, Aeroblip, Gabe

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I will unabashedly say that Fate/Zero 16 is my favorite episode this season. To put it simply, it is sums up every reason I find the show so good. The slick action scenes, cool magical powers, and moreover the convincing characters and their conflicts — they all come together in these 22 minutes of pure entertainment.

Beats the hell out of Upotte...

I have a knack for antiheroes. From Batman to Vegeta, I find them to be incredibly fun characters to analyse, and Fate/Zero is full of them. They are likable because they have a closer similarity to the every-man. Whereas the traditional hero is faster, stronger, and more attractive than us lowly mongrels and follow a sacred and higher calling of justice, the antihero is more spartan, often resorting to lowly means to accomplish their goals. They can posses fear, even cowardice. But deep down inside, they are doing what is right. Fate/Zero spoilers up to episode 16 after the break.

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Rank	Anime (no. of first place votes)	Studio	Episode	Change
1	Sakamichi no Apollon (9)	Tezuka Productions	2	–
2	Fate/Zero 2 (8)	ufotable	16	1
3	Tsuritama (6)	A-1 Pictures	2	1
4	Jormungand (1)	White Fox	2	5
5	Sankarea (4)	Studio Deen	3	7

On the cusp: Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna (1), Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, Uchuu Kyoudai (4), Eureka Seven AO, Nazo no Kanojo X

Last week’s results, about the Anime Power Rankings

Never since I’ve been blogging has there been another week where choosing just 5 series would be so difficult.

Guardian Enzo (Lost in America)

Choosing among the current shows is like pulling teeth.

Taka (My Sword is Unbelievably Dull)

For the second week in a row, Sakamichi no Apollon has wowed audiences and taken the top spot in the Anime Power Rankings. The week was not without stir-ups in the rankings however, as Lupin the Third and Uchuu Kyoudai (Space Brothers) drop out of the top 5 for the first time for newcomers Jormungand and Sankarea. This season’s power rankings is almost exclusive to new anime — with the obvious exception of Fate/Zero, the highest placing anime continuing from last season is the season finale of Mirai Nikki, in 12th place.

I really enjoyed the amount of character development in this week’s Sakamichi no Apollon. I didn’t really like Kaoru after the first episode, but he appeared far more endearing after this week’s episode. The jazz soundtrack also felt much more effective this time around. I am slightly relieved after the scene Sentarou falls in love at first sight or whatever, because hopefully this show won’t devolve into love triangles. If I wanted NTR, I would watch Aquarion Evol.

I feel that Sakamichi no Apollon has lost some of the charm that the first episode had in favor of a more traditional love story. Not exactly a bad thing, but it can be a bit disappointing if you have seen others like it. The jazz keeps things relatively fresh, though.

fkeroge (Ambivalence, or is it Ambiguity?)

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Aquarion Evol might be the most incredible and mind-blowing show this year. The anime may have been waning in attention as of late, partially forgotten beneath the whirlwind of shows in the promising current season. I, however, would never abandon my beloved. That’s because Aquarion Evol is testament that you can create a marginally entertaining anime with a completely uninspired staff.

Aquarion Evol looks beautiful — the animation quality are top-notch and the character design is the only thing that keeps some people watching this anime. It’s quite obvious that Satelight has given directors Yamamoto Yuusuke and Kawamori Shoji all the money they need to make a really gripping blockbuster. The proceeded to hire a roster of impressive voice actors including Hanazawa Kana, Tanaka Rie, Nakajima Megumi, and Kaji Yuki. They hired back Kanno Yoko to do the music, with Akino to sing the songs. The animation is nice and I love how colorful and polished this anime looks. So unless they gave all the money to the animation department and sent the writers on vacation for a few months, this anime screams laziness on the directors’ part.

There is obviously enough money for this project, but the evidence is astounding that no one actually cares about the quality of this show. Can you guess which episode the above screenshot comes from? No? That’s because they have used that animation cut (during the UNION scene) about a dozen times now, including in both the openings. The plot is something about mecha being powered by teenage hormones and sex drive, which I admit is classier than Evangelion‘s robots being driven by teenage angst. A cascade of NTR, comically useless villains, gloriously cheesy dialogue, and general innuendo follows. Somehow, this is a step up from screenwriter Okada Mari’s previous work on Fractale, but not by much. (more…)

Rank	Anime	Studio	Episode	Change
1	Sakamichi no Apollon	Tezuka Productions	1	New
2	Tsuritama	A-1 Pictures	1	New
3	Fate/Zero 2	ufotable	2	–
4	Uchuu Kyoudai	A-1 Pictures	2	3
5	Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna	TMS Entertainment	2	3

On the cusp: Mirai Nikki, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, Nazo no Kanojo X (3), Jormungand, Shirokuma Cafe (6)

Last week’s results, about the Anime Power Rankings

I know only the top 5 of this make the official ballot, but I put all 19 in because I think if this were any week in the winter I would have put any of the top 14 in and been happy. This was easily the best single week of shows I’ve watched in the last 3 years and probably longer.

Emperor J (Lower Mid-Table)

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Spring is here, and as the snows melt and the flowers bloom, we sit back with Emperor J from Lower Mid-Table to go over our first thoughts on the new season. A compelling tale about brotherhood frame by the backdrop of space exploration? A fun comedy about talking animals and Japanese puns? Loli Cthulhu? This season has it all!

The Magic FAPcast Party Rocket (tm). Get it? Emperor Penguin? God I'm good.

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Against my better judgement, I was kinda looking forward to Upotte!! this season. I’m a big fan of stupid moe-anthropomorphism premises, and as a mild firearm enthusiast this naturally piqued my interest. The pilot episode of Upotte!! is a slew of mediocrity and plain character designs. While it didn’t come off as totally bad (unlike the usual Xebec show) it sure didn’t come off as good. Still, there is a non-zero chance Upotte!! will be entertaining somewhere down the line, so I’ll keep on watching.

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On the cusp: Mirai Nikki, Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka? of the Dead, Sankarea, Aquarion Evol

Last week’s results, about the Anime Power Rankings

 A quirky, surrealist comedy about talking animals and bad puns; a bold, stylized re-imagining of a classic cultural touchstone of adult-oriented anime; the return of one of last year’s most lavishly produced series about mythic heroes entangled in a dark action tale; and an uplifting story about the bonds of family, dreams of childhood, and optimism for the potential of the human race. The first week of the season delivers plenty of shows I can get excited about, and the promise of more to come. It’s a good time to be an anime fan.

kaidan1364 (The Nihon Review)

Uchuu Kyoudai, or Space Bros, takes the top spot in the first set of Anime Power Rankings this season. The first episode received more points this week than any other episode in history (the previous record was episode 7 of Nisemonogatari). Fans loved the well-executed characterization and the vast potential the series possesses. (more…)

Ok, it's not THAT kind of secret...

For as long as the Anime Power Rankings have been around, I have more or less kept the roster of voters as a carefully guarded secret. Sure, people would naturally figure out some specific people (like people who post their votes up, comment about their choices, or are quoted from their ballot), but the full scale of the operation was shrouded in mystery. I would like the reason for the secrecy to be creating an air of mystique around the “anime Illuminati”, but it was mainly because the roster was embarrassingly short in the early days. It’s been a few seasons now, and I figure people would like to explore some new anime blogs. I also gave all the bloggers a short demographic survey, whose results I’ll share in this post as well.

So prepare yourselves! For the first time in history: the identities of the people behind the Anime Power Rankings. (more…)