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Old 2012-11-27, 21:32   Link #21
Archon_Wing
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Tari Tari

With the mediocrity of Hana Saku Iroha and Another fresh in my mind, and possessing what looked like a copy and paste of Hanairo with worse character designs, plus my tendency to dislike all of PA Works' ending stretches, and lacking the Mari Okada that brought that any coherent scripts from that studio at that point, Tari Tari looked doomed. The trailer was generic as hell with no outstanding premise and didn't bring up my hopes.

But I was wrong, they really could do it. Tari Tari won't win any awards for anything, but it's a simple heartwarming story that brought upon great comedy which never overstayed its welcome. The fact that they even created a character of any value using Minko's design as a base is simply to put it, a miracle. But really, it was an uphill battle and I think Tari Tari is my favorite anime out from PA Works.

YuruYuri (season 2)
I was thinking this anime couldn't possibly maintain my interest since it usually revolves around the same gags. First few episodes did seem to be wearing thin, but this series seems to always surprise me when I think it's done.
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Old 2012-11-27, 22:08   Link #22
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Hyouka
I wasn't really expecting anything from this show to be honest. I never really did a background check before I watched this. Moving on
First, The references made from the classic mystery writers and their works are good. It made me speculate stuff, which was fun. Anyway, what really stood out in this series from the rest of the anime from that season was its characters, mainly the 4 main ones. The energy reserving-mystery solver Oreki, The curious(kininarimasu) Chitanda, The inferiority complexed-living database Satoshi and the mangaholic-one sided(?) lover Mayaka. Not to mention the great voice acting done by their respective voice actors, these character certainly left a good impression on me when the series finished.
I think that people who never liked these characters never understood the meaning behind their facades. I could certainly relate to them, especially Satoshi, that's why I think I could understand their actions a bit. Character growth wasn't forced, you could tell why and how the character changed from what s/he was before to what s/he is now.
Lastly, The animation was amazing, as expected from KyoAni. The ending, was the best way to end the show too. Hands down to a job well done by KyoAni.

Because of Hyouka, my expectations for Chu2Koi were a bit high. But it exceeded my expectations so I'm very satisfied :P

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
I was really anxious to watch this at first, knowing that JC Staff, the one behind Little Busters!, was also doing this. But it had a different Director so I have it a shot. Much to my surprise, The show wasn't pure ecchi/fanservice. It had great comedy and a surprisingly good plot.
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Old 2012-11-27, 22:30   Link #23
Arturia Polaris
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Fate/Series I had always been very skeptic on fighting anime and the such. But since UTW did it and I religiously watch most of their shows I gave it a go. God was I surprised.

AKB0048 As someone said, idols are not something I normally look at. This show went out of its way to show me what I'm missing.

Accel World Fighting animes, as I said, didn't really interest me. The whole concept of a futuristic world that seems plausible simply hooked me up very well. Same goes for Sword Art Online

Tari Tari P.A. Works... is somewhat of a wildcard. Angel Beats!, then Hanasaku Iroha, then Another... I went into TT being somewhat intrigued. I was surprised and I loved how the show managed to make every character EXTREMELY believable. (Incidentally I wrote a fanfic about Tari Tari in case anyone wants to see it. That's how much I liked it)

Honorable Mention: Natsuiro Kiseki I really liked the show, good music only marred with less than likable animations sometimes. But it was a good watch.

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Old 2012-11-27, 22:46   Link #24
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Zetsuen no Tempest. I'd pretty much had a complete loss of faith in Bones, and prior to the first episode airing, there were only a handful of posts in its thread. I'm happy to say Tempest blindsided me in how much I enjoyed it. This is the type of show I used to automatically expect out of them, and I'm really hoping it's a sign that they aren't completely washed up.
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Old 2012-11-27, 23:10   Link #25
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Sengoku Collection

It's hard to expect much from a show based off of a cellphone game, especially one with no real story. But the creators of the Sengoku Collection anime were given free reign to do whatever they wanted with the characters, and they played that advantage to the hilt. Instead of some sort of light romance comedy, Sengoku Collection decided to use a different genre for every episode, and explore a lot of ideas that are rarely seen in anime.


AKB0048

You'd expect that a show made mainly to advertise the hottest musical act in Japan would be a pure idol show like Idolmaster, with an emphasis on singing, dancing, friendships and concerts. And it is. But since the guy running the show is Kawamori Shoji, there's also a lot of mecha action, micsabers, evil governments and legitimate drama as well. All in all, it's a very strange mix of story elements that work a lot better than they should.


Girls und Panzer

Girls und Panzer looks to be another cute girls doing cute things show for military fetishists. A lot of people thought that it would be another Strike Witches or Upotte! and dismissed it out of hand. However, it's actually more of a tank action show that's structured like a sports show. The amount of well produced combat sequences is quite astonishing and the attention to detail is laudable. What's also strange is that there has been way more tankservice than fanservice in the show.
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Old 2012-11-28, 03:31   Link #26
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Originally Posted by Arturia Polaris View Post
Accel World Fighting animes, as I said, didn't really interest me. The whole concept of a futuristic world that seems plausible simply hooked me up very well. Same goes for Sword Art Online
Yeah, this is actually the same for me for both of these shows. I wasn't sure about these shows going into them because, for whatever reason, I was under the impression that they'd be shounen action/fighting series, and those generally aren't up my alley. (The popularity among the English audience was actually a warning side for me, since my tastes don't always align.) But I quickly found myself engaged by the worlds presented in both these stories, interested in many of the elements and just generally entertained. I know that both shows have their fair share of detractors because they either wanted different things from the shows or consider certain factors more important than I apparently do, but to me these two would probably be my "pleasant surprises of the 2012" because I would never have guessed that they'd be the shows I feel most compelled to watch/re-watch.

I'll also nominate Hyouka to this list for a similar reason: I'm just generally not interested in mystery anime. But, Hyouka was actually much more of a character study, and consistently presented interesting situations/dilemmas that were much more important than the mystery that served as an illustration. The pacing and production values of course also helped tremendously, along with the many thoughtful and artistic touches in the presentation. The debate we had during/after the second arc was epic. Definitely a show that was way more than I expected.

And along the very same lines (because I don't generally like anime about ghosts, mysteries, etc.), Tasogare Otome x Amnesia was a beautiful and "haunting" () romance story that, to me anyway, was just really beautifully told. The use of colour through the series was striking (reminds me of the ef series, perhaps unsurprisingly), and I loved the development of the relationship portrayed. The OP and special insert song were particularly memorable.

There are of course other shows that I enjoyed and am enjoying, but they more-or-less matched my expectations for them. I guess all this probably shows that I shouldn't stereotype so much based on genre, but I deliberately try to limit the amount of anime I watch so that I won't want to collect the Blu-Rays (a very expensive hobby indeed...). That excuse probably doesn't make sense to most people who aren't me, but anyway...


Okay, and last, my less-serious doesn't-really-count nomination but that doubles as a confession. Earlier this year, the forum was exploding with a massive seemingly-insatiable (mostly teen male) audience going crazy over High School DxD, which had all appearances to me of being a sort of dime-a-dozen action/fanservice show that don't typically catch/hold my interest. But because of all the mod work that was involved with this show in particular, I finally got curious and said "I've got see what it is that people are going so crazy about" and decided to give it a chance. And... well, the fanservice was definitely immature and pretty silly, along with some aspects of the plot. And yet somehow, despite it all, the characters still managed to be pretty compelling, and I found myself cheering for them. So I left with a "hey, that actually wasn't bad" impression overall, despite the many disclaimers I'd have to apply before recommending it, and will probably check out the second season to see what happens next. Perhaps it was only a surprise in the sense that I was so heavily set against it in the first place based on the tone and nature of the forum discussions that ensued...
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Old 2012-11-28, 03:39   Link #27
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Here's my own pleasant surprises of the season :

High School DxD : I'm expecting another nonsensical harem show. Instead it was pretty good despite being somewhat heavy on fanservice. The story has some seriousness in it and I liked on how Issei progress on his own. I'm looking forward to the second season.

Sengoku Collection : I'm expecting another ridiculous historical genderbent show and I was partially right, except it wasn't bad as I thought. I loved the episodic nature of the show and how each girl tell her own life. The visuals are great, the music is fittingly fascinating and I loved everything that were made in it.

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san : I'm expecting another romcom with semi-serious tone. Instead, I got a manzai comedy that was really well done with subtle amount of romance and the characters are fun in their own way as well. Really looking forward to the second season as well.

The Ambition of Oda Nobuna : Another historical genderbent show that I expect nothing outstanding, but turns to be really well-done. The visuals are very enticing and the story keeps its own pace right. I can't wait to watch another season of it as well.

OniAi : I'm expecting another incest romcom with no outstanding elements. It was alright and many things were better than expected. I'm quite neutral on story's progression though, but I liked most of the jokes and fun moments.

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou : The story seems controversial, but turns out to be a pleasant surprise as well. I liked on how Sorata has to take care of Mashiro even though it may cause some trouble as well. Hopefully it gets better on.

Psycho-Pass : I expected a lot of great things in it, and it was sublime in around everything. The story seemed semi-episodic, but I loved on how the mysteries are connected as well. I'm expecting another masterpiece of this current season to make up.
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Old 2012-11-28, 15:01   Link #28
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AKB0048: At first I wasn't really going to watch it but I cried quite a bit during episode 1...

Joshiraku: I didn't really expect to find it that funny. There was a lot of things I didn't get, but yeah. I guess it's why I've been enjoying Seitokai no Ichizon so much.

Kingdom was something that I didn't think would be too good after getting through the long first episode, but I've really enjoyed it since then, and I usually just like shorter series.

Battle Spirits Sword Eyes: I don't know why I tried it, having not seen any previous Battle Spirits, but so far it's been a lot better than Zexal II for me.

Jojos Bizarre Adventure: I didn't think I would like it at all, and it's probably one of the shows I enjoyed the least this season, but at least it is interesting enough.

Shin Sekai Yori: Not really my sort of thing and I thought it would be pretty scary. These creatures look quite freaky, but it hasn't actually been scary for me and the latest episode as of right now would probably be my favorite so far.

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Old 2012-11-28, 15:05   Link #29
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The character development in Hyouka definitely went far beyond anything I ever expected from the show. It was also consistently near-movie quality visually. I was expecting something kinda interesting and it ended up being my second favorite KyoAni franchise (after K-On ).
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Old 2012-11-28, 18:42   Link #30
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The character development in Hyouka definitely went far beyond anything I ever expected from the show.
I'll agree with that. I wouldn't quite call it a pleasant surprise from my own perspective, because I hold KyoAni in fairly high regard, they've always produced quality series that I greatly enjoyed. However, the first 6 or so episodes of Hyouka, the actual "Hyouka" arc, did not grab me at all. The show was not engaging, I was downright bored at times, and expectations plummeted. Hyouka got so much better though. Every following arc was more interesting than the first, and the focus on genuine character development, especially for Satoshi and Mayaka, was a pleasant surprise in every sense of the word. The show really rewards patience.
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Old 2012-11-28, 20:34   Link #31
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Rinne no Lagrange: Yes, I'm nominating it as one of the pleasant surprises of 2012 despite the fact that I also nominated it as a disappointment. Why? Because before it disappointed me with its ending, this show went from being something I had low expectations for to being a front runner for my pick for anime of the year.

Tari Tari: This show took its time to prove itself to me. At first I had trouble even telling some of the characters apart! But once it got a ways in I started to really enjoy it. Heck, I even appreciated the early episodes more after going back and rewatching them (a not uncommon phenomenon for me and shows I come to really like).

Jormungand: I wasn't too impressed by this at first. I didn't see what was supposed to be so intellectual about it and the action scenes seemed rather clumsy compared to what you'd get in something like Black Lagoon. But I really liked how Koko got her team out of danger without firing a shot in episode two, and over the course of the series I've come to be rather fond of many of the characters.

Zetsuen no Tempest: The preview description didn't sound so good, but this has become one of my favorite series of the current season.

An an honorable mention to Muv Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse for coming back strong strong after some of its weak parts.
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Old 2012-11-28, 20:39   Link #32
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Natsuiro Kiseki - I caught the episode 1 pre-air stream and didn't think fondly of the show. I ended up dropping it after episode 2, but when I had some free time (ironically in the summer) I picked it back up and went through it in two nights. Really enjoyed it in the end. The tale of friendship during one summer was a great overall plot. At first, I disliked the randomness of the episodes' stories, but it really seemed to feel like a summer vacation near the end with all the various activities they did. Definitely my surprise of the year.
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Old 2012-11-28, 21:09   Link #33
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Not so much as pleasantly surprised as blown away by how much I'm enjoying Kingdom. I picked it up on whim during airing of 3rd or 4th episode. Based on the short description I read and a pic I thought it was some kiddie CG anime with a historic telling. This has turned into my must watches and eagerly anticipated series. Great story with such good pacing it's almost non-stop. Level of GARness is frequently high. I haven't read any source materials so can't do a comparison. The OP song is good, I loved ED1, and ED2 has ingrained itself into my head recently as well. I hope this series runs long this picks me up after a long Monday.
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Old 2012-11-29, 12:25   Link #34
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Tsuritama: a show about fishing. Needless to say, I didn't expect much from it. I only decided to watch it because it was on Noitamina. This turned out to be a wonderful show that balanced comedy and drama perfectly. Great characters as well.

Hyouka: I had been wary of Kyoani shows these past few years and was only interested in Hyouka because it was described as a mystery anime. The first episode was incredibly disappointing to me: gorgeous looking but extremely dull story-wise. However, as time went on, the show grew on me and I ended up loving it. I was particularly impressed with the depth of the male characters, who ended up being as developed as the girls if not more, which is a bit of a rarity nowadays. In the end, the series ended up being very different from what I expected: the mysteries were not that interesting for the most part and were mostly vehicles for character development; the 4 main characters were what made the show so great. Of course, it also didn't hurt that the direction and animation were mind-blowingly good.

Tari Tari: I thought I'd get an inferior Hanasaku Iroha. I got the opposite. A very well done coming of age story with likable and believable characters. Plus, no Okada antics. Even the ending was satisfying! Good job, P.A.
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Old 2012-11-29, 12:34   Link #35
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Hyouka and Tari Tari - I thought that both shows would at least be pretty good, but they both ended up considerably exceeding my expectations.

Hyouka's characters were much richer, and its narrative arcs much more interesting and well-developed, than I thought they would be.

Tari Tari was impressively well-balanced, between drama and comedy; serious and lighthearted; overarching plot and slice of life. Just awesome balance with a very likeable cast.


As much as I was disappointed by its romance side, I also have to list Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate here. It really did exceed expectations considerably when it comes to its handling of its overarching election plot.

Right now, Sakurasou is a pretty good show that has better character drama and romance than what I expected.


tl;dr I expected Hyouka and Tari Tari to be pretty good, but they ended up being truly excellent. I expected Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate and Sakurasou to be average, but they ended up being pretty good.
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Old 2012-11-30, 21:38   Link #36
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Top 5 would be:
Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita (Humanity Has Declined), I had no idea on what to expect on it besides that some of my friends liked, and it turned out to be one of my favorites of the season with it's unique setting, cynical main character, and often dark satirical humor, not what I expected from the colorful art of the show .

Natsuiro Kiseki, I had expected a typical SoL cute girls doing cute things show, and instead got something more interesting with actual character development with some drama, while still keeping the humor generally, it was much more enjoyable than I expected.

AKB0048, I have to agree with early posters the premise did seem silly, but somehow the show really make it work.

Accel World, honestly I had written it off from ep 1 due to the MC design and personality initially, though after my anime club picked it up, and I watched more of it and found it got better as it went on, and it had a great sound track.

Girls und Panzer, I thought this would end of with K-On level focus on the tanks, but in actuality it's put plenty of focus between the girls and the tanks, and actually had good battles for the show thus far.

Others:
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
Hyouka
Chihayafuru
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san
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Old 2012-12-01, 00:16   Link #37
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I join the ranks in saying AKB4800. Five minutes in I was like ".....this is gonna be stupid" but the second half of the first episode made my opinion do a 180.

......Chiibi loves her drama!
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Old 2012-12-01, 07:49   Link #38
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Also really liked Thermae Romae
I'll toss in a vote for this show as well. It flew under the radar here for the most part and was gone almost before anyone took notice.

Thermae Romae joins Oh! Edo Rocket in my list of most unexpected licensing decisions.
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Old 2012-12-01, 08:59   Link #39
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This is the thread that I'd rather answer since positivity is always better than negativity.

Mysterious Grilfriend X: I expected a disgusting anime about drool and while I did get that aspect, I also got a lot of romance and an actual relationship between two people. Honestly, having a show revolving around the relationship aspect rather than the courting aspect is very rare. Mysterious Grilfriend X does this and adds a lot of symbolisms while at it.

Robotics;Notes: It's still airing so I wouldn't know if it'll turn disappointing towards the end but it doesn't change the fact that I was honestly surprised on how good the characterization is in this series. People downplayed R;N a bit with people saying that the VN was crap or that the creators of Steins;Gate were also the creators of Chaos;Head. While it's no Steins;Gate plot-wise (it's not like the real plot of R;N has come into play), the characters have the same down to earth realistic 3-dimensional feel to them (though of course there's no one as awesome as Okabe in R;N) which makes it such a delight to watch every week.

Hyouka: I was pretty darn excited about this since it was KyoAni and I've technically liked every single KyoAni series I've watch (except Munto) but the first episode was pretty underwhelming for me. This series keeps up the underwhelming feel that the first episode gave but the thing is, Hyouka kept on building and building its own little world with its abnormally slow pacing and before I knew it, it was the anime that I anticipated week per week. Definitely a pleasant surprise for me.

Others: Hunter X Hunter (Phantom Troupe Arc is unlike any other), Bodacious Space Pirates (a lot more intelligent than what the premise makes it to be), Sankarea (managed to lift its stinky source material into something very watchable),
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Old 2012-12-01, 13:12   Link #40
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I can definitely agree about Mouretsu Pirates. The slow burn of the first several episodes is hard to get over but it makes for some decent world-building that lets the stuff later on make sense. All of the technical problems with its setting are eventually addressed to make sense and it looks like things will really pick up if this show ever gets a second season. It's a solid watch for anyone who's just watching for fun.

I'll also put a voucher for Humanity Has Declined. Who knew pessimism could be so entertaining? The time loop arc and the Mediator's backstory were lacking in consistency and impact respectively but otherwise this show elicits the WTFs?! that it's supposed to in the most (dis?)honest way possible.
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