THE ANIME/MANGA AWARDS
Voted on দ্বারা 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 পছন্দ isn’t mentioned, maybe I just haven’t watched it yet? I’ve been into জীবন্ত about 9 years now, so many of the জীবন্ত I mention are “old”. And, yes, this প্রবন্ধ contains tons of spoilers.
SIGH…ROMANCE! অথবা NOT!
Couple I would most like to have seen kissed: Wolfwood and Milly (“Trigun”), followed up দ্বারা Vash and Meryl (“Trigun”, also). There was enough in the series to suggest the first couple shared a bed, and that the সেকেন্ড couple would get together soon in the future, but no actual স্নেহ চুম্বন 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 আপনি 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 প্রণয় Vash! And when আপনি প্রণয় a guy, আপনি 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 প্রদর্শনী something অথবা 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 সেকেন্ড Raid”. Oh, why waste a nude scene on an ugly bad guy? Why not have Sousuke instead? Oh, why, why, why?! I think আপনি can see just about everything here, shot from behind.
The twins, “Full Metal Panic: The সেকেন্ড Raid”: “Full Metal Panic” used to have what I call “Barbie doll nudity”, that is, no nipples অথবা 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, অথবা 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, অথবা 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 দ্বারা 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 সারমেয় অথবা kids অথবা theme parks..well, I could accept not liking kids, but not সারমেয় অথবা theme parks? I live for সারমেয় and theme parks! Still, he’s so good looking and sounds so sexy, I fell for him anyway.
Runner-up: Yoji, “Weiss Kreuz”. A প্লেবয় with lines like, “I like to go for rides..but not alone.” He’s no innocent virgin (and I প্রণয় innocent virgins!). But he is cute. And full of angst.
Did They অথবা Didn’t They Award: First place to Arima and Yukino of the জাপানি কমিকস মাঙ্গা “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 জাপানি কমিকস মাঙ্গা and saw that Karou froze up from memories of childhood abuse, but the জাপানি কমিকস মাঙ্গা and জীবন্ত are not necessarily the same continuity.
YEARBOOK CATEGORY
Best বন্ধু Forever!: Ginji and Ban, of “GetBackers”. I’m as on আগুন 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 অথবা girlfriends, because they would just get in the way. I’m not totally জ্যায়াই 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, অথবা Ginji look at Ban with adoration in his, I just want to swoon.
Weirdest Christian: জীবন্ত has a lot of weird references to Christianity, প্রদর্শিত হচ্ছে 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 আপনি stabbed him in the back, then apologized, he’d say, “Oh, that’s okay. I’m sure আপনি 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 এল-মৃত্যু পত্র is. Perhaps it’s his mysterious nature, perhaps his ultimate vulnerability (if আপনি 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 এল-মৃত্যু পত্র is cute, too.
Doll of পূর্ববর্তি 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 গাধা heroine ever, not one totally knowledgeable in military অথবা 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 নায়িকা 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 চার্মড্ দ্বারা the following:
Without a doubt, except for wondering if this guy really is a villain, I heartily nominate papillon 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 চার্মড্ দ্বারা 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 পছন্দ character: Wolfwood.
SUPERLATIVE MOMENTS:
Most faithful adapation from জাপানি কমিকস মাঙ্গা to anime: “Fushigi Yugi”, “Death Note”
Loosest adaptation from জাপানি কমিকস মাঙ্গা to anime: “Nadesico.” The relationship between Yurika and Akito is there in both versions, but while Akito is sexually distracted from her দ্বারা Haruka (think that’s her name) in the manga, in the জীবন্ত 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 পাঠ করা the জাপানি কমিকস মাঙ্গা after “Trigun Maximum” volume 6. Can’t say I didn’t give it a chance.
Most gratuitous tragedy: জীবন্ত does প্রণয় its tragic moments. But sometimes it’s just overkill, like too much sugar. For this, I vote for an জীবন্ত I didn’t pay close attention to, but let run while I was doing other things, like looking through catalogs. The প্রদর্শনী 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 জীবন্ত “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 গান গাওয়া 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 সঙ্গীত 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, অথবা 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 আরো 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 প্রেমী 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 পছন্দ জীবন্ত series: “Trigun”
Most পছন্দ জীবন্ত 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 আপনি get rescued দ্বারা 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 অনুরাগী 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 আরো 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 সেকেন্ড পছন্দ 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 প্রদর্শনী in this category, both worked on দ্বারা 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 বৃক্ষ (besides the “Chance Pop Session” gals!): I think Spike’s ancestor is George Kodama from “Kaze no Yojimbo”. Extremely similar characters. Then maybe the বৃক্ষ 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 সম্পাদনা 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 প্রদর্শনী 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 প্রদর্শনী ended up becoming a favorite.
The Kindler, Gentler জীবন্ত 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 জীবন্ত 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 প্রদর্শনী 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 সারমেয় 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 প্রদর্শনী Whose “Lesson” I Refuse to Learn: “Death Note”, আরো the manga, although it’s in the anime. This idea that humans go to “nothingness” when they die, and there is no Heaven অথবা Hell. As a Christian, this is blasphemy to me, and besides, I like to imagine এল-মৃত্যু পত্র 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 দ্বারা 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 দ্বারা his buddy Kazuma (“s-CRY-ed”), Edmundo’s partner Romeo being stabbed to death (“Heat Guy J”), Furet being shot down in the রাস্তা 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 কুকুরছানা 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 কুইন 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 বন্ধু 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 জীবন্ত CATEGORY:
Live action, Western (Canadian) প্রদর্শনী 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 জীবন্ত called “The Adventures of Sinbad”, but I bet it didn’t have Firouz in it!
জীবন্ত 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 আপনি don’t give me those donuts, I’ll work my telekinetic powers on আপনি and make আপনি strangle yourself!” Marge could be tall Milly, and Lisa could be short Meryl. Wolfwood would be portrayed দ্বারা neighbor Ned Flanders. “Just call me Nicholas D. Wolferino!”
ডিজনি character that comes closest to being an জীবন্ত bishonen: Jim Hawkins, “Treasure Planet”. Maybe it’s all the angst from being abandoned দ্বারা 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 আপনি 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 জীবন্ত obsession.
Most disappointing ending to a series: “King of Bandit Jing”
It didn’t feature any startling revelations, অথবা 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 আরো had gone on. And he’d never shown interest in girls before—I was beginning to think he might be like me, if আপনি 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 আগুন 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 দ্বারা 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, হারিয়ে গেছে Brandon. But I liked it because when Brandon and Harry confronted each other, at the old, abandoned ভোজনকারী where they used to live as young punks, they did আরো talking than shooting, and actually became বন্ধু 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 আরো 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 দ্বারা talking them over আরো 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 আপনি killed me instead? That was really something. Ha ha.”
Sweetest ending to a series: “Gunparade March”
“I…I…I…I প্রণয় you!” This declaration means even আরো when আপনি 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 জীবন্ত ending I ever saw prompted me to make this awards show.
Voted on দ্বারা 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 পছন্দ isn’t mentioned, maybe I just haven’t watched it yet? I’ve been into জীবন্ত about 9 years now, so many of the জীবন্ত I mention are “old”. And, yes, this প্রবন্ধ contains tons of spoilers.
SIGH…ROMANCE! অথবা NOT!
Couple I would most like to have seen kissed: Wolfwood and Milly (“Trigun”), followed up দ্বারা Vash and Meryl (“Trigun”, also). There was enough in the series to suggest the first couple shared a bed, and that the সেকেন্ড couple would get together soon in the future, but no actual স্নেহ চুম্বন 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 আপনি 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 প্রণয় Vash! And when আপনি প্রণয় a guy, আপনি 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 প্রদর্শনী something অথবা 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 সেকেন্ড Raid”. Oh, why waste a nude scene on an ugly bad guy? Why not have Sousuke instead? Oh, why, why, why?! I think আপনি can see just about everything here, shot from behind.
The twins, “Full Metal Panic: The সেকেন্ড Raid”: “Full Metal Panic” used to have what I call “Barbie doll nudity”, that is, no nipples অথবা 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, অথবা 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, অথবা 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 দ্বারা 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 সারমেয় অথবা kids অথবা theme parks..well, I could accept not liking kids, but not সারমেয় অথবা theme parks? I live for সারমেয় and theme parks! Still, he’s so good looking and sounds so sexy, I fell for him anyway.
Runner-up: Yoji, “Weiss Kreuz”. A প্লেবয় with lines like, “I like to go for rides..but not alone.” He’s no innocent virgin (and I প্রণয় innocent virgins!). But he is cute. And full of angst.
Did They অথবা Didn’t They Award: First place to Arima and Yukino of the জাপানি কমিকস মাঙ্গা “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 জাপানি কমিকস মাঙ্গা and saw that Karou froze up from memories of childhood abuse, but the জাপানি কমিকস মাঙ্গা and জীবন্ত are not necessarily the same continuity.
YEARBOOK CATEGORY
Best বন্ধু Forever!: Ginji and Ban, of “GetBackers”. I’m as on আগুন 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 অথবা girlfriends, because they would just get in the way. I’m not totally জ্যায়াই 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, অথবা Ginji look at Ban with adoration in his, I just want to swoon.
Weirdest Christian: জীবন্ত has a lot of weird references to Christianity, প্রদর্শিত হচ্ছে 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 আপনি stabbed him in the back, then apologized, he’d say, “Oh, that’s okay. I’m sure আপনি 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 এল-মৃত্যু পত্র is. Perhaps it’s his mysterious nature, perhaps his ultimate vulnerability (if আপনি 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 এল-মৃত্যু পত্র is cute, too.
Doll of পূর্ববর্তি 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 গাধা heroine ever, not one totally knowledgeable in military অথবা 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 নায়িকা 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 চার্মড্ দ্বারা the following:
Without a doubt, except for wondering if this guy really is a villain, I heartily nominate papillon 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 চার্মড্ দ্বারা 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 পছন্দ character: Wolfwood.
SUPERLATIVE MOMENTS:
Most faithful adapation from জাপানি কমিকস মাঙ্গা to anime: “Fushigi Yugi”, “Death Note”
Loosest adaptation from জাপানি কমিকস মাঙ্গা to anime: “Nadesico.” The relationship between Yurika and Akito is there in both versions, but while Akito is sexually distracted from her দ্বারা Haruka (think that’s her name) in the manga, in the জীবন্ত 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 পাঠ করা the জাপানি কমিকস মাঙ্গা after “Trigun Maximum” volume 6. Can’t say I didn’t give it a chance.
Most gratuitous tragedy: জীবন্ত does প্রণয় its tragic moments. But sometimes it’s just overkill, like too much sugar. For this, I vote for an জীবন্ত I didn’t pay close attention to, but let run while I was doing other things, like looking through catalogs. The প্রদর্শনী 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 জীবন্ত “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 গান গাওয়া 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 সঙ্গীত 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, অথবা 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 আরো 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 প্রেমী 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 পছন্দ জীবন্ত series: “Trigun”
Most পছন্দ জীবন্ত 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 আপনি get rescued দ্বারা 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 অনুরাগী 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 আরো 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 সেকেন্ড পছন্দ 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 প্রদর্শনী in this category, both worked on দ্বারা 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 বৃক্ষ (besides the “Chance Pop Session” gals!): I think Spike’s ancestor is George Kodama from “Kaze no Yojimbo”. Extremely similar characters. Then maybe the বৃক্ষ 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 সম্পাদনা 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 প্রদর্শনী 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 প্রদর্শনী ended up becoming a favorite.
The Kindler, Gentler জীবন্ত 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 জীবন্ত 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 প্রদর্শনী 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 সারমেয় 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 প্রদর্শনী Whose “Lesson” I Refuse to Learn: “Death Note”, আরো the manga, although it’s in the anime. This idea that humans go to “nothingness” when they die, and there is no Heaven অথবা Hell. As a Christian, this is blasphemy to me, and besides, I like to imagine এল-মৃত্যু পত্র 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 দ্বারা 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 দ্বারা his buddy Kazuma (“s-CRY-ed”), Edmundo’s partner Romeo being stabbed to death (“Heat Guy J”), Furet being shot down in the রাস্তা 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 কুকুরছানা 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 কুইন 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 বন্ধু 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 জীবন্ত CATEGORY:
Live action, Western (Canadian) প্রদর্শনী 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 জীবন্ত called “The Adventures of Sinbad”, but I bet it didn’t have Firouz in it!
জীবন্ত 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 আপনি don’t give me those donuts, I’ll work my telekinetic powers on আপনি and make আপনি strangle yourself!” Marge could be tall Milly, and Lisa could be short Meryl. Wolfwood would be portrayed দ্বারা neighbor Ned Flanders. “Just call me Nicholas D. Wolferino!”
ডিজনি character that comes closest to being an জীবন্ত bishonen: Jim Hawkins, “Treasure Planet”. Maybe it’s all the angst from being abandoned দ্বারা 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 আপনি 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 জীবন্ত obsession.
Most disappointing ending to a series: “King of Bandit Jing”
It didn’t feature any startling revelations, অথবা 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 আরো had gone on. And he’d never shown interest in girls before—I was beginning to think he might be like me, if আপনি 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 আগুন 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 দ্বারা 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, হারিয়ে গেছে Brandon. But I liked it because when Brandon and Harry confronted each other, at the old, abandoned ভোজনকারী where they used to live as young punks, they did আরো talking than shooting, and actually became বন্ধু 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 আরো 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 দ্বারা talking them over আরো 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 আপনি killed me instead? That was really something. Ha ha.”
Sweetest ending to a series: “Gunparade March”
“I…I…I…I প্রণয় you!” This declaration means even আরো when আপনি 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 জীবন্ত ending I ever saw prompted me to make this awards show.
