I think I’ll be more active here.

Life can be tough sometimes.

Shit happens when you least expect it.

Things don't always go your way.

You'll feel sad.

You'll feel lonely.

You might even feel angry.

But it's okay.

There's always hope.

Don't give up!

Charge forth!

Challenge your limits!

One day, you’ll see the light.

And something special...

... might just happen.

P.S Most of the scenes used above are memorable moments in anime for me in 2011.

Eligibility: Anime shows that aired and ended during this calendar year. Ongoing Fall shows like Fate/Zero are ineligible.

BEST MAIN CHARACTER OF THE YEAR (MALE)

Winner: Okabe Rintarou – Steins;Gate
Runners-up: Kawachi Daikichi – Usagi Drop, Takakura Kanba – Mawaru Penguindrum

Kanba was willing to set Japan ablaze in order to save Himari, while Daikichi had to make sacrifices in order to raise Rin. However, both of them can’t compare to Okabe, who had to conquer time and space to save the people he cared for.

Okabe was not just a lively character who had a wonderful chemistry with Kurisu and the rest of the cast, but he was an interesting one as well. Despite calling himself a mad scientist, he was too kind to be one. Ironically, it was this kindness that nearly drove him to insanity as he attempted to reach a win-win solution for everyone.

He will be remembered for his trademark maniacal laughter, his part in boosting Dr Pepper sales and his hilarious attempt at conversing in English.

BEST MAIN CHARACTER OF THE YEAR (FEMALE)

Winner: Amami Haruka – The iDOLM@STER
Runners-up: Makise Kurisu – Steins;Gate, Akemi Homura – Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Kurisu was the calm and composed genius who acted as the pillar of support to our male protagonist of the year, and there’s Homura who had a task similar in magnitude to that of Okabe’s.

But I’m giving the award to Haruka this year. Her enthusiasm has not only rubbed onto the shoulders of her fellow idols, but also onto viewers like me. She is indeed the central figure to the idols’ successes – ushering her comrades on (including Broducer himself) and encouraging unity amidst adversity. While some might see her desire to be with everyone as a selfish act, I view it from another perspective – it shows her humility and her earnest wish to simply have fun as an idol, instead of pursuing wealth or fame.

Oh, and her radiant smile is a miracle of the universe too.

BEST SUPPORTING CHARACTER OF THE YEAR (MALE)

Winner: Accelerator – To Aru Majutsu No Index II
Runners-up: Broducer – The iDOLM@STER, Kuga Aki – Kamisama Dolls

This award would have belonged to Iskander if F/Z was eligible this year, but the servant would have to wait. Thus, Accelerator takes it home instead. He was the bright spark in an otherwise mediocre season of Index by J.C Staff. Whenever he makes an appearance, shit always gets real. He doesn’t give a damn about what others say, dares to challenge authority and does whatever he feels is right. Despite his ferocity, he has a kind side to him, as shown in the final episode where he took some responsibility for Ritoku’s death.

BEST SUPPORTING CHARACTER OF THE YEAR (FEMALE)

Winner: Amane Suzuha – Steins;Gate
Runners-up: Sakura Kyouko – Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Shijima Sui – Hanasaku Iroha

Kyouko was probably my favorite Puella Magi, and her sacrifice to save Madoka and Sayaka’s soul was one of the memorable moments in anime this year. However, Suzuha pips her to this award. The baitou senshi had to endure some tough times, fighting for freedom in a future dystopia and venturing into the unknown as she time-travelled in order to change the past. She assisted Okabe many times throughout the series – including saving his life – and took it hard upon herself when she failed in her mission. Her resilience is an admirable quality.

BEST OTP OF THE YEAR

Winner: Subaru X Tomoka – Ro-Kyu-Bu!
Runners-up: Okabe X Kurisu – Steins;Gate, Kyouhei X Hibino – Kamisama Dolls

Okabe X Kurisu will probably be the pick of many, but I’m settling for a lower profile couple. One of the main reasons as to why I ended up loving Ro-Kyu-Bu! was Subaru’s interaction with Tomoka. At the start of the show, Subaru’s passion for basketball had wavered due to inactivity, while Tomoka was on the other side of the spectrum, but was bereft of confidence. This was developed upon throughout the course of the show, as both parties embarked on a mission of self-rediscovery by observing and learning from the other.

BEST TROLL OF THE YEAR

Winner: Suzutsuki Kanade – Mayo Chiki
Runners-up: Tokugawa Ieyasu (Tokunyan) – Sengoku Otome, Shinonono Tabane – Infinite Stratos

The ojou-sama deserves this award because without her, Mayo Chiki would have been another mediocre light novel anime adaptation. No one in the cast was spared, as they were subjected to her antics in one way or another. She trolls, teases, outwits and causes misunderstandings on purpose, and she’s a perceptive girl too, anticipating things in advance and noticing Subaru’s feelings for the MC. KitaEri as her seiyuu was a bonus, too.

BEST VILLAIN OF THE YEAR

Winner: Watase Sanetoshi – Mawaru Penguindrum
Runners-up: Kyubey – Puella Magi Madoka Magica, SERN – Steins;Gate

Sanetoshi was a unique villain – he didn’t come across as one, and in fact, appeared to be otherwise as he was portrayed as a patrolling saint who kept Himari’s and Mario’s lives in the balance. He kept his true ideals under wraps, slowly leaking them out via his philosophical insights as the show progresses on. Eventually, it was revealed that he was no saint, but a nihilist who was willing to exploit the very human attributes that he hated to achieve his goals. A fabulous bastard indeed.

MOST WTF CHARACTER OF THE YEAR

Winner: Matsuyuki Atsumu (Yukiatsu) – Ano Hana
Runners-up: Kenmi – Sacred Seven, Barrot – Fractale

An arrogant bastard, a jealousy-ravaged soul and more creepily, a crossdressing freak. Yup. No one can surpass MANma in terms of WTF value this year.

BEST SHOW OF THE YEAR

Winner: Steins;Gate – White Fox
Runners-up: Puella Magi Madoka Magica – SHAFT, Moshidora – Production I.G.

For the second year running, a show produced by White Fox gets the vote from me.

It was tough trying to decide between Madoka and Steins;Gate as both were really impressive in their own ways. Madoka threw the norms of the mahou shoujo genre to the bin and went for a grimdark approach, thus setting new standards which the anime industry is sorely lacking. Steins;Gate was brilliant for a VN anime adaptation, a sci-fi mystery thriller which left me at the edge of my seat every now and then.

Both have their own faults, too. The conclusion for Madoka left me somewhat unsatisfied as I felt they took the easy way out in order to achieve a good ending. As a friend of mine mentioned: “They created a final boss that was too powerful. And as a result of that, they had to make the main even more powerful… sounds familiar?”

Meanwhile, Steins;Gate had obvious plot-holes, and the likes of Feyris and Ruka did not add much value to the show (Not that I hate Feyris, though). However, for the case of Steins;Gate, it was difficult to get around these problems. Since it’s adapted from a VN, they had to cater to everyone in the harem, and in fact I was actually glad they wrapped up Feyris’ and Ruka’s D-mail reversing arc within two episodes. Plot-holes are to be expected in a show that involves time-travel, and I’m satisfied with the way they handled things in general– by the end of the show, I didn’t find myself asking too many questions, as opposed to shows like… Penguindrum.

The strength of the main characters also gave Steins;Gate the edge over PMMM. The wily interaction between Okabe and Kurisu was always fun to see, and more importantly, their relationship was the overarching element of the show. Okabe was also more impressive with his interaction with the rest of the cast – taking time to tease them, and understanding their concerns. Madoka… didn’t really do much up till the final episode, with Homura running the show most of the time.

Nevertheless, both have been excellent shows worth of their hype, and I hope to see more of the same in 2012.

The other shows worthy of mention: Yuru Yuri, Ro-Kyu-Bu!, The iDOLM@STER, Hanasaku Iroha, Working’!!, Denpa Onna, Kamisama Dolls, Usagi Drop, Mawaru Penguindrum