Darker than Black
Great cast, very slick action sequences, solid storyline for the most part.
- Inconclusive ending, quite a few loose ends.

Serei no Moribito.
Strong, beautifully told story with a very traditional feel to it. Also had one of the coolest fights of the year!
- The pacing may be too slow for some.

My top five shows of the year (top to bottom) would be Geass -> Death Note -> Sola -> DtB -> Kanon.

Considering there were at least ten shows I wanted to add to my top 5, I’d say it has been a good year.

Lucky Star

Guess it’d be fair to comment on Lucky Star. Now I’ll actually say that I dropped the series after the first episode. Which is really rare for me since i hold out for a long time. But damn at the end of it I felt my life had been thrown out the window. But eventually clamor (well mostly saimoe) urged me back and I finally watched the rest of it. It wasn’t all that bad of a series really. Not quite my thing, but I liked some of the characters. Things like Lucky Corner was pretty entertaining so was worth going back to.

Ef: A Tale of Memories

Ef was a great series for 2007. Not sure if I’d call it my favourite of the whole year but it was right up there. Did a good job developing characters and telling stories that I looked forward to. From the tragic situation of Chihiro to the love triangle it was interesting. Early on the art style felt pretty weird. But you got used to it and at times it actually worked well with what was being told in the story. A very nice ending which you can’t always get with some shows.

Nanoha StrikerS

Maybe my greatest disappointment was Nanoha StrikerS. Now it wasn’t terrible by any stretch and I’m glad it came out. Simply because I hadn’t seen the first 2 seasons and this caused me to go into a crash course. But in the end I liked those proceeding series much more than than StrikerS. They spent too much time training and the introduction of Vivio completely shifted the story.

You could have cut the Lightning Squad (aside from Fate) and would not have missed much. Bad division of character development and backgrounds that were only touched on. Also I curse them for marrying off Chrono just so he could be put aside. Guy was a good character and that was a disappointment. Was more fun to talk in message boards and discuss the series than actually watching it. Still thanks to the fact this caused me to watch the first two seasons I’ll give it thanks.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

If I was to name a favourite for this year I may go with Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. A few months before this got started I heard about the first season and watched in in batch. Now I’ll say never do it at night….definitely never again. First season was a lot of tragedy and terrible deaths. But that really wasn’t what the show overall was about. The second season helped to develop things and show this was a story about overcoming a terrible situation and fighting for the sake of those you care about. Rika turned out to be one of the best heroines of the year. Just great overall with voice acting, determination, and some excellent internal strength in dark times. Can’t go into the plot all that much but I really enjoyed discovering what was going on and cheering the characters on as the series reached its conclusion. Just a good show for the year.

And in regards to some episodes being delayed the Japanese Media are a bunch of idiots. What happened was really far removed from Higurashi. Some serious home life issues caused a girl to kill her father with an axe. Now I feel the tragedy but blaming a show is just stupid. Sad that a murder took place and condolences to the people connected to this. Was a tense time just worrying if someone was going to crack and cancel the show because of it. So glad it all ended alright in that regard.

Seto no Hanayome

Wouldn’t be right to talk about 2007 without bringing up Seto no Hanayome. This was a really funny show for the year. Had a nice romance element to it, but also did a great job of keeping smiles going. You toss in mermaid mafia like groups with a normal guy and there will be interesting times. There were some great characters here that while things had comedy did have their serious moments. Like a girl who had great singing talent and worked hard at it was suddenly usurped by the female lead who didn’t care that much about singing. So going out to become a pop idol to prove herself. But of course having some great comedy to add to things. One show that shouldn’t be avoided for the year.

Shakugan no Shana II & Zero no Tsukaima II

On the sequels Shakugan no Shana II & Zero no Tsukaima II. Zero was a pretty sad drop for a few people. With only 13 episodes they rushed through a ton of important things and so hurt the emotional impact of them. Louise got dropped to a pretty flat character that always turned the situation into a whipping fest. Had its moments but once you find out what happened during times that the series covered in the novels it is a really painful thing.

Shana has been an interesting journey. Released a movie in 2007 that was top notch and great in quality. The second season has been slow moving things along. Spending at times multiple episodes while the female leads discover that jealously feels bad (yeah thanks for the update). Wasn’t quite a good balance between the serious Flame Haze world that had great danger and the romance in high school aspect. But things seem to be turning around going into 2008 so there is hope there. Show with potential that hopefully can step up to that next level in the new year.

Claymore

Have to mention Claymore to be fair to things. Was quite surprising in how good a show this turned out to be. Wasn’t quite sure what it’d be like with a seemingly distant main character. A group of female warriors whose bodies had youma inserted into them giving them power to fight against those same youma who killed and ate humans. But was quite deep with many great characters. Also wasn’t shy about killing people off at times and you were at times worried about who might go next. Abilities shown off weren’t infinite and even the most powerful wasn’t guaranteed to win out. Strategy and using what you had was a real strength. Also the dark side of a group seemingly out to help humanity. Ending wasn’t that great but that is a hit and miss category at times with shows.

Busou Renkin

Since it wasn’t on the list should bring in Busou Renkin. While one of those action shows you might have seen enough of this did a good job. Main character wasn’t blow away powerful and there were plenty of characters who had strengths as well. Was quite a situational kind of fight since if your abilities didn’t match up well with your opponent it was easy enough to lose. Actually managed to insert plenty of comedy into the serious times to keep you smiling along the way. Showing that things are never as simple as you might believe at the start. Good fights, romance between the leads, and just an enjoyable series.

Kaze no Stigma

Maybe another show that didn’t get a ton of attention from people. Based on a novel (curse my not reading Japanese ability) got stuck on Gonzo for which we should all weep. Animation budget may be my one vice with this series. It could have looked so much better its sad to think about. One of the most memorable leads of the year in Yagami Kazuma. Someone who was pretty smart and skilled in many ways but born into a fire clan and having no talent made him an outcast. Coming back years later as a very powerful wind user. Was interesting just because he was the type who knew what he wanted and did it. Extremely powerful and willing to mess with people and do what some may be a bit nervous about.

Lead Ayano started off pretty immature. She was overconfident and didn’t really understand how strong she was in comparison to others until Kazuma showed up. Developed pretty well along the series getting teased mercilessly by Kazuma much to the viewers entertainment. But really she grew stronger in powers but also in maturity. Had to deal with her own weakness and wanting to be more useful which was a nice thing to see. Overall while action animation was pretty weak I liked the characters which made it a personal favourite of the year.

D. Gray-Man

D. Gray-Man was an interesting 2007 show that’s for certain. At the start it really did seem pretty interesting. People involved in a Dark Order that went out to save people from akuma. But that order as we could see was one that would do just about anything to win the fight for the world. Be it forcing people who were compatible to fight by any means necessary or not alerting relatives that their family had died. Had some lax moments with filler that at times wasn’t necessary. But right now it’s hit a peak in the darkness of the situation and the fights we are getting.

Code Geass

Code Geass. Can’t really go through the year without at least mentioning this one. Was a pretty interesting show in displaying that ideals can’t do everything. If you want to change things or overthrow an empire then you will have to get dirty and do things that others won’t forgive you in regards to. Many hated the rival Suzaku, someone who had his ideals and stuck by them even if they didn’t seem to help things. The white knight that went under the conquerers and as a result fought trying to change things from within even if that wasn’t a likely result.

Had some great fights with interesting mech designs. But some real issues about power and I’m really looking forward to the second season of this one.

Night Wizard: The Animation

Night Wizard. A show that probably won’t get a ton of attention and slipped under the cracks. From the first episode I honestly was unsure just what I was getting into with this one. Some odd moments with a protagonist who was skilled, but just wanted to go to school. Instead being dragged around by a loli to fight battles. But it really grew on me. Had a dark force that could destroy the world and the lead who wasn’t willing to sacrifice his friend even if it seemed like the logical choice. Was just a nice series that in the end the world was saved and things ended out fine. Probably helped that the loli Great Devil Lord Bell Zepher was a great character. Looked fine and could really blow things up when it got serious. Not a bad show to watch this year.

So just about mentioned most shows I watched this year. Now could probably dig out even more but this is probably a solid list to go with. There were a lot of interesting shows that came out in 2007. This year may live in infamy due to School Day. That show just went so downhill its frightening. Characters snapping and killing each other, a male lead that slept with almost the entire cast. Got help us why anyone liked that loser and they probably all had mental issues that were beyond belief. Maybe one day the nightmare of that show will leave my memory.

But overall I really liked this year. Some shows that will stick with me and I’m glad that I watched. Hopefully I got to mention enough to show that. Also if anyone is actually still reading this good for you. Really did like many of what came out and hope 2008 is entertaining as well. Happy New Years to all!

Kanon and Clannad are definitely on my list. Kanon/Clannad/Air are amoung one of my favorite animes.

Shakugan no Shana series has also been one of my favorites. Shana being one of my favorite characters.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai was difinitely a unique show. I still have not gotten to watching the 2nd season yet though.