sola heads Japan's list of favorite 2007 anime?!
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Matsuri, YOU'RE WINNER!
Yeah, it's so shocking it's worth stealing and reposting from Danny Choo's barely five-minute-old post. I happen to get on the internet at just the right time, I suppose.
Anyways, according to Danny Choo the results from about 2 million Japanese ballots are in, and everyone's favorite tomato-juice-drinking, sky-photographing show apparently grabbed the top spot by an overwhelming margin, with over 340,000 votes to runner-up Lucky Star's 140,000. The full standings are as follows:
1) sola
2) Lucky Star
3) Katei Kyoshi Hitman Reborn
4) Ookiku Furi Kabutte
5) Higurashi
6) Gintama
7) Nanoha StrikerS
8) Nanatsuiro Drops
9) Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
10) Hidamari Sketch
Really curious, if you ask me. It makes me wonder (as I commented on over there) what the criteria were to be eligible, as many big-name shows that ended this year, like Kanon and Gurren Lagann among other things, are nowhere to be seen.
I'm pleasantly surprised to see sola up there at the top - it was one of the shows I enjoyed greatly this season, despite it having a few glaring flaws. Still, to have it top all with nary a moe show (or even very many manly shows) in sight is quite perplexing. Makes you curious what the polling audience was in Japan - random people off the street? 2ch visitors? Any certain demographic?
It makes me wonder again of the divides present in anime fandom; it's apparent to many that anime that casual or inexperienced U.S. fans watch (typically shonen), and anime that hardcore English bloggers watch (all over the board, but a lot more moe, mecha, and dramatic) are worlds apart, but is there a second difference in taste between the anime fanatics on both sides of the Pacific? And is there a similar, 'casual' anime division in Japan that is looked down upon?
And which one was the most vocal in this vote? All food for thought, speaking as a relatively new member to the anime community.
Regarding that and the rest of the list, I guess this means I can't tout sola and NanaDrops as 'underrated anime that no one's heard of', as I've been out to do of recently. I do enjoy playing a show's (advertising) knight in shining armor too much.
Lucky Star was popular, as expected from a slice-of-life on moe crack (lemme tell you, them's good crack too), and I'm happy to see SZS up there on the list as well. This list also reinforces my idiocy as the only person left on Earth who hasn't waxed poetic about Hidamari Sketch as well...time to put that back on the list.
Would like to see the rest of the list, but that's probably not possible.
-CCY
(Obvious thanks to Danny Choo for the news.)
5 comments:
December 27, 2007 at 5:23 PM
Hi. I'm visitng you because i saw your comment in DannyChoo's page and i'm agree with you.
The anime taste change with every region of the world. In my country, Venezuela, almos the 90% of "otaku population" don't know the mentionet series of the list.
In fact i just know Lucky Star, Sola and Gintama. The other titles i just know by mention, when i translate the news about anime and manga for my own anime blog.
I think this kind of list, about top 10, are more about "what is cool" in the moment when they do the poll. And not about quality.
In my personal opinion, 2 great animes of 2007 are Claymore and Nodame Cantabile, and none of them are in the list.
Sorry for my english, but my idiom is spanish.
Greetings from Venezuela.
Saouri from Saouri's Window:
http://saoblog.laventanadesaouri.com/
December 27, 2007 at 7:05 PM
Hmmm... from the list, I only know Lucky Star, Higurashi, Nanoha Nantsuiro, Zetsubou and Hidamari Sketch. For me, the greatest revelation has been lucky star, and I'm astonished to know that in Japan they prefer sola. Maybe I'll have to check sola eventually...
December 27, 2007 at 10:02 PM
This certainly came as a big surprise. While I enjoy most of Sola (had found the ending dramatic but weak in the consistency department), it's a long shot from the top spot. Despite my moe leanings, I would have thought series like Code Geass, Seirei no moribito and Claymore, if not vying for top place, would be jostling in the top 3 positions. I haven't see TTGL but I expect many to have a lot to say not it not even being top 10.
December 28, 2007 at 4:35 PM
I'd also be curious to see the criteria for eligibility in the voting. I imagine there had to be a few of the high profile shows that we're thinking of that were excluded for some reason or another.
December 29, 2007 at 10:20 AM
saouri: Still, it's about just 2007 anime though, and I don't know if these particular anime would be considered more 'cool' than any other anime.
After all, like Stripey hinted at, there's a strong lack of shonen (guys') anime, like popular mecha shows Gurren Lagann and Code Geass (which took top spot over at Random Curiosity's Reader's Choice), something I find interesting, since usually those are the most popular kinds of shows (just look at Bleach and Naruto which have been running for eons with high ratings).
I've only heard of about two-thirds the anime on this list and only seen four of them, so even though I'm a heavy moe watcher, I can definitely sympathize with those who are confused with the list here.
And as a side note: apparently the sola manga has been licensed by Broccoli Books (who I admit I've never heard of)...I wonder if this news will spark a rush for someone to claim "Japan's #1 anime of 2007!" ... which wouldn't be too bad.
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