the best of 2005: anime

It’s that time of year again when I post my “Best Of” lists for posterity. This is earlier than I would ordinarily do it, but since I’ll be gone for the last week of December, I figure I might as well post them as soon as I get them done. If I read/see/experience something so stellar in December that it cries out for inclusion, then I’ll edit as necessary. Keep in mind, of course, that your mileage may vary.

Anyway, here we go with the first list. This one will be of limited interest to all but a handful of people, but I’m doing it anyway.

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BOKUSATSU TENSHI DOKURO-CHAN
(Beat-to-Death Angel Dokuro-chan)


A high school student's life is turned upside down when an angel comes to live with him. She gets angry easily, and beats him to death on a regular basis, only to revive him immediately. Then another angel shows up with the intention of assassinating him for good...but why? Lots of raunchy toilet humor, outrageous fountains of gore, and some absolutely priceless facial expressions make this a must-watch. My favorite anime of the year.

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HONEY AND CLOVER


Beautiful watercolor art highlights this sweet anime about a group of art students struggling with life and love. It ends on a perfect note, too, which is an unfortunate rarity in anime. Good manga as well.

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PARADISE KISS


A teenage girl falls in with a motley crew of fashion students. I've read the manga, so there are no real surprises to be had for me, but I love the unusual art style, and the opening and ending songs ("Lonely in Gorgeous" by my #1 favorite J-pop singer EVAH, Tommy February6, and "Do You Wanna" by Franz Ferdinand, respectively) rock mucho ass.

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BLOOD+


A teenage girl is tapped to exterminate vampire-like monsters in this stylish and thrilling anime, a sequel of sorts to the wildly popular movie Blood.

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GINBAN KALEIDOSCOPE


A Japanese figure skater is possessed by the ghost of a dead Canadian named Pete Pumps, proving once again that the Japanese are all on some serious drugs.

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DAMEKKO DOUBUTSU
(Useless Animals)


It was inevitable…anime for furries. Still, it’s very cute, and the opening song rules.

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GOKUJOU SEITOKAI
(Gokujou Student Council)

The student council of an elite academy is given more authority than the teachers...which isn't necessarily a good thing, considering that half of them are stupid. One of the best things about this show is that the main character, Rino, has a hand puppet that seems to think for itself.

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SPEED GRAPHER


Jeeeeeebus...apparently, this was the "Blood-Spattered Heroine" anime season in Japan. Anyway, a photographer goes undercover at a secret sex club, where he accidentally receives superpowers that allow him to use his camera as a weapon. He escapes with a young girl at the club and they must deal with an assortment of freaks, such as a woman who eats diamonds and a dentist who enjoys his job far too much, sent by the girl's mother to retrieve her. The opening credits to the first season featured women masturbating to "Girls on Film" by Duran Duran. Yeah.

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EMMA


If Merchant-Ivory were to make an anime, this gentle show about a Victorian maid and the upper-class man she falls in love with would be it.

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JIGOKU SHOUJO
(Hell Girl)


There's a website where, if you log on at exactly midnight, you can petition to have Hell Girl exact revenge on your behalf. Of course, there's a catch...(insert maniacal voice here) YOUR IMMORTAL SOUUUUUUL! Deliciously creepy.