Best of the Best (BotB) - 2006
Posted on December 23rd, 2006 by retsgip - 16,613 Views
Surprise, surprise. Retsgip jumped on the bandwagon by offering yet another “Best of,” “Top #,” or whatever else you choose to call these ranking schemes. First off, I want to mention that I absolutely hate comparing one anime to another, because I feel that most of them have different traits, which all fulfill me in different ways. In order to make it easier on myself (and the reader), I’m going with a Top 5, and then I’ll finish it up with a few awards.
Were there any guidelines for my BotB 2006?
I was pretty lenient with my choices for the Top 5 to allow for a better selection and to allow for a higher quality of anime in my rankings. None of the anime chosen was skipped by me, meaning this was not generated by a poll, nor did I use outside input to sway my decisions. The good thing about really good anime is that it is ALWAYS subbed, so rest assured that my Top 5 has taken into account all popular and quality anime in the year 2006. As for time-line requirements, I held no prejudice against anime that started before or will end after 2006. From there on, it’s all personal preference.
BotB 2006 - Top 5: (BEWARE - Possible Spoilers Below)
#1. Naruto: Episodes 166 - 215
Notable Characters: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Rock Lee, Hyuga Hinata
Notable Arcs/Episodes: Laughing Shino (Ep. 186), Chubby Paradise (Ep. 192), Shinobazu Arc (Ep. 209-212)
What can I say that could possibly make this anime better? Nothing. The forever loved Naruto continues to amaze me as he goes about his missions with his signature overzealous vigor. Each filler arc presented the same familiar setting that the fans enjoyed and loved “back in the day” when Kakashi’s group was taking on missions for Konoha before the exam. Sure, these are fillers, but they reflect the brilliance that was the non-filler episodes, which of course were top notch. Some of the best plot development we get in the fillers are the subtle character pairings, and the even subtler romantic interactions between them that kept my eyes glued to the screen, wanting more. Plus, everyone loves ninjas right? I know I do! That is why Naruto still holds the number one spot in my Best of the Best this year.
#2. Lovedol ~Lovely Idol~
Notable Characters: Sakaki Mizuki, Fujisawa Ruri, Fujisawa Tomohiro (Mr. Manager)
Notable Arcs/Episodes: Is it a Barter? (Episode 5 - Beach Episode)
I don’t want to point fingers, but if these episodes were subbed faster this series might just well be my #1 Best of the Best 2006 winner. But alas, we can’t have everything we desire in life, so all I can do is wait patiently. For those of you who don’t know how awesome this anime is, just imagine watching MTV’s MADE featuring a girl trying to become a j-idol, then multiply it by 6! I know at first you may be skeptical (like me) but once you really start getting into the plot, the characters really come to life.
What I enjoy most is their undying devotion to their dream, and their ability to always stay positive while trying to achieve that dream. I am also a fan of harems, and this show exhibits very subtle traces of a harem, with the male lead being Mr. Manager. Rest assured, once more episodes get subbed, this will be #1.
#3. Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro na ~Crecent Love~
Notable Characters: Feena, Asagiri Tatsuya, Takamizawa Natsuki
Notable Arcs/Episodes: The Princess is in a Cooking Showdown!!(Episode 3)
Liked Romeo and Juliet? Well then hop on board and watch this marvelously crafted diamond in the rough! The animation quality and the plot is absolutely superb and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys romantic comedies. Personally, I enjoyed watching Feena and Tatsuya gradually fall in love, and then have to defend themselves against all odds to protect that love. Nothing is more touching than when a couple conquers all obstacles in their way to finally come out on top.
One other character that I didn’t mention in the notable characters was the photographer, which is an anime-only character, and surely sent me into fits of laughter to help break up the serious setting and plot. My only qualm is that it was just too damn short! I was left wanting more, and I highly doubt they’ll come back with a second season. Sigh.
#4. Soul Link
Notable Characters: Aizawa Ryota, Nagase Sayaka, Aizawa Shuhei, Morisaki Nao
Notable Arcs/Episodes: Mourning (Episode 11)
Soul link is like romantic comedy meets biochemical warfare. I’m so there man! The plot was pretty solid which even had some twists and turns along the way, surprising us when we least expected it. It aired a long time ago so I’m still a little hazy, but I seem to remember that I was scared for everyone’s life the entire time. On top of all that suspense, we had some sexy girls (made by Navel after all…) and a sweet yet simple love relationship. The loving bond Shuhei and Nao shared was almost heart breaking because of the circumstances and the way the plot unfolded, we were unsure if Shuhei would survive.
I would have liked a little more development of Ryota (like a love story!) since he was my favorite character, because it would have been awesome to see him end with Sayaka. It was all just too crazy with the hijacking, the suggested yuri, the relationships, and the sex. I was almost overwhelmed by it all, but I sure had fun in the process!
#5. Kashimashi ~Girl meets Girl~
Notable Characters: Osaragi Hazumu, Kamiizumi Yasuna, Kurusu Tomari
Notable Arcs/Episodes: Together to the Sea (Episode 07)
This is the ULTIMATE yuri fanboy anime right here. There are so many delicious yuri situations in this anime that my nose was bleeding 24/7, no seriously. The plot itself wasn’t that bad either, because it took the generic trap-esque situation and tweaked it a little bit. Kazumu wasn’t just a trap anymore, he was actually changed into a female by aliens! The character designs were great too, which lead to many-a-nights of fapping and which brought the anime down to a more personal level.
Aside from the triangle love story, I really really enjoyed the addition of Jan Pu to the storyline. Her constant glomping of Kazumu in private and her huge boobs were just too much for me. I guess I have a soft spot for the inept sexy kinda girls since I did like DearS and they were somewhat similar in attitude and mannerisms. And how could I talk about Jan Pu without at least mentioning the crazy scientist/alien who brought her down. Sora Hitoshi was just a ball of laughs, and his constantly cosplay-esque dress wear always cracked me up. Seriously, if I liked romance or yuri a little bit more when I watched this, this anime would have skyrocketed up to at least #3.
Best Male and Female:
Best of the Best Male 2006: Fujisawa Tomohiro aka. “Mr. Manager”
I’m giving major props to Mr. Manager for his sense of style, his charm, and his ability to make one damn good bunch of idols. I mean, these girls can do the works: sing, dance, VA, you name it and they can do it. It was a hard pick between Mr. Manager and Naruto but the thing that tipped the scale was the fact that Mr. Manager leads a harem of 18 girls. Yes, I said 18, and no that’s not their age, they are much MUCH younger than that (at least some of them). Take it from me when I say we should all sit down over a cup of tea with this man and learn the tricks of the trade because DAMN! Unfortunately though, every hero has his/her faults, and Mr. Manager is no excuse. Like most harem leads, he is quite the spineless fellow, and doesn’t ever act on his urges (as of yet) to pursue any of the females. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Mr. Manager is not just the man of the year, but the man of the decade. You heard from me first.
Best of the Best Female 2006: Haruno Sakura
I find myself strangely drawn towards Sakura and her borderline tomboy personality because, for some reason, tomboy girls are hot. This isn’t why Sakura won best female though. She is the Best of the Best because Sakura is the jack of all trades, and she got a considerable amount of airtime in the Naruto filler episodes. I hate to mention the most recent episode but lately she’s appeared in a nurses outfit which I might add is extremely sexy, and she’s also shown healing, taking care of kids, and generally helping out where it’s needed. Any of you Ninja’s out there who are looking for a wife, look no further because she is definitely one hellova catch.
Special Award:
Worst Anime of 2006: The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi
Note: This wouldn’t be a genuine Retsgip entry if I didn’t bash something all to hell, and there is no better way than a “mini” rant about the worst of the worst anime of 2006.
I can understand some reasons behind people possibly putting this show on their Top 10, but #1? Are you kidding me? I can’t even begin to count how many flaws there are with this anime, but I will at least try to lay some of them out there so everyone can understand why it deserves the Worst Anime of 2006 award.
First of all, the characters are extremely cliche (especially for the year 2006) and it feels almost like the writers took the easy way out by adding the most popular architypes to their story. If you’ve ever watched Comic Party and remember the part where Kazuki goes crazy and starts adding everything into his comics in order to appease all the fans, I got the same feeling from Suzumiya Haruhi. We’ve got the overly tsundere female lead who, without her supporting cast, would just be an annoying POS who can’t fit into the normal crowd. Then there’s the big-boobed moe blob who does nothing productive the entire show, unless of course you count whimpering as productive. And lastly, the Rei clone, which is just sooooOOOoo original that I have no idea how they came up with such a character.
Aside from the overly cliche characters, there are some major problems with the episodes. Don’t even get me started with the chronological order of this series. Not only did it confuse about half the anime community, but it forced everyone to watch it one more time to see the “real” story in action. Plus you’d think they would at least make episode 00 an OVA so that we weren’t forced to view it (The FIRST episode?!??!??) because what the fuck is that shit. Seriously, it wasn’t creative, it was just dumb. The same goes for the order of the episodes. In fact, the same goes for everything involved with this series.
Happy Holidays!
-Retsgip
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…This just made my day. XD;
i totally agree with you, the naruto fillers seriously pwned all other anime. It was so kickass that im sure even those Yoake fans would have succumbed to its greatness
And Suzumiya Haruhi the worst anime of 2006? Perfect choice once again! Who’d want to watch some lame show about a bitchy girl and some alien and space invader crap? And I cant believe its actually getting licensed! I mean people wouild just die by watching this series. It’s probably more effective than a nuclear bomb if it is broadcast worldwide…
ps love your entry!
Made my day too. oO; wow, you have really bad taste. Only enjoyable anime here was Kasimasi.
I don’t know you anymore!…. they are like all worst to me… including suzu haruhi :X
ok ok, this also made my day lol, now I need to wait for haruhi fanboys to start trolling or something… then maybe I really enjoy it!
I actually more or less agree with your assessment of Suzumiya Haruhi even though you were being sarcastic.
Other than that nice veiled bashing.
@sana jisushi: Well I’m glad my top 5 has made your day.
@danny: You are a true pal. Thank you for always supporting me in my anime likes/dislikes.
@tess: To each his/her own I always say! We can’t all have the same taste.
@akurashy: That’s just not cool man. And I’m ready for any and all the haruhi fanboys to come my way. I’ll take them all on.
@matrim: “Veiled bashing???????”
This five lame show is the best of 2006 for you?
I’m please to give you The worst taste of 2006 prize.
I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or genuine anymore xD It all seems like the former to me xDD
But Naruto really did have some nice filler episodes/arcs despite its mass number and bad quality. The latest one that ended being one of them for me. And all this hype about The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi makes me want to watch it and see if it’s as good (or bad) as everyone makes it out to be.
This really is the Best entry of the Best of the Best.
Know why?
NARUTO RULZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!! KAGEBUNSHIN ALL THE WAY GUYZ!!!!
lol Haruhi, seriously, worst anime evaR!!!
amidoinitrite Rets? =p
Jawsome writeup, can’t get enough.
@Plant42: well, at least I got an award. Maybe next year!
@whispered.hope:
@darkshaunz: word man WORD! Kagebushin + rasengan = iwinbutton k?
I’m with Whispered Hope on this one, I can’t tell if you are being sarcastic or being serious.
Though I do like your choices for the Top 5 as I also have watched all of these (wait, does that mean I have bad taste as well?). Also I prefer Naruto fillers over Bleach fillers. Ever since Bleach fillers started, I get so pissed off from watching it. Either way, a good read.
Lol Adun now I cant tell whether you’re being sarcastic or not. And Whispered.Hope, you MUST watch Haruhi, regardless of how good or shit it is, since then you’ll actually be able to understand what the hell everyone is ranting about.
Lol hiliarious article, I thought it was really funny and a good parody on some of the other best articles on some blogs.
Although sadly enough I’d agree with your sarcastic assessment of Haruhi Suzumiya as the most overrated show (but not the worst) of 2006.
Also I’d love to read your actual best of the best for 2006.
And if this isn’t a well-done sarcastic assessment, but what you actually thought, well I guess I have one less blog to read >;/.
horray for fillers ~~
LOL! You need a beer and be true to yourself. XD
@adun: Haha ;p And no, if you liked any of these, it does not mean you have bad taste, it just means you are whatever target audience they were shooting for when making certain animes. Everyone has their own likes/dislikes.
@Danny: I agree, love it or hate it, I think Haruhi is a must watch for anyone that is halfway interested in anime. If anything, you’ll appreciate the art and the parodies, which is what I liked most about it.
@Atobe: thanks man, thats what i was going for pretty much. your request may be answered by the end of the year, if you catch my drift.
@alafista: omg is this entry ALSO a filler?? oh noes!!!
@stripey: That is the best advice I have heard all christmas break. I’m pretty sure “i’ll be true to myself” tomorrow at the christmas eve party ;p
This is be BEST “Best of 2006″ list I’ve read. It pays to be creative when it comes to evaluating anime. And so what if some of the “so-called experts” bash your choices? Fact is, the shows you pointed out did attract an audience and were enjoyed by many.
As for Suzumiya Haruhi - unfortunately, I completely agreed with your evaluation of the show. This is the first show I managed to drop in the MIDDLE of an episode.
If I were you I’d just leave this entry to stand as your “real” BtoB entry. Why not go for something different? I’d also like to see your top 5 “Worst of the worst” list, with Suzumiya Haruhi at #1. Kanon 2006 looks like a strong candidate for #2 at the moment.
This entry and Azure Flame’s Kanon Harem diaries definitely enter my personal “hall of fame” for blog entries. And if you decide to do a “Worst of the Worst” list; you’ll have another eager reader!
Lol, I fuckin’ lol’d
Great entry, seriously!
Lol, YHBT?
i dont get it is this for real or joke because your top5 anime in your list are the ones who gets the least score in your entry ? my best anime is naruto but not the fillers i am dieing for part2 i thought your worst anime will be naruto fillers because your review of episodes say this i am afraid that you are making a joke out of naruto because if so i will be really angry
you give haruhi the worst just because u didn’t understand what the story tell you. actually i think GMG is worse than this because it has nothing deep inside the story.
@dsong: i intend to let this be my real entry, and i’m “thinking” about a worst of the worst but its questionable.
@41nano: ;p
@Rivensteel: did you happen to find any of my easter egg picture links? There are 5 of them
@qwertypoiuy: dude, me make fun of naruto? That’s unheard of. And yes, I am also waiting for Hurricane Chronicals.
@=__=: Haruhi had a story? No WAY. So why do you like it?
dude suzumiya haruhi is like hamtaro seriously!
I liked Haruhi Suzumiya, but like you’ve said, we can’t all have the same tastes.
The other thing is, Yoake having a superb animation quality? LOL! i like Yoake too but, being realistic… the animation quality for me is pretty average and sometimes gets really bad, fact that is a bit disapointing, but it’s a very good series.
Kashimashi r00x. I’m done *he’s gone~*
I, too, am unable to determine your intentions (sarcastic or not?). Black is white and we have always been at war with Eastasia.
@GAR: exactly like hamtaro.
@VargS: life is full of surprises, my friend.
@Einsteinmonkey: Well, judging by my Naruto posts, what would you think? And this isn’t one of those extreme right or wrong kind of answers.
ฺBecause low quality anime this year like “Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro na ~Crecent Love~” and “Soul Link” in BotB 2006, I don’t surprise why Suzumiya Haruhi became the worst anime in this blog.
If someone want to know why Suzumiya Haruhi famous in Japan and license in north america , please read some reason and comment on other web on animeblooger.
Ex. http://randomc.animeblogger.net/2006/12/25/the-best-of-anime-2006
I will visit this blog for next award again.
I’d give you haruhi was one of the most overrated shows of the seasons!
But I just cried a soul link, and I can draw better than that feena shit.
But you have be being sarcastic.. oh well.
Some people just don’t get it. I’d hate to spell it out for everyone because it would surely ruin one of my favorite entries.
@helspectre: The thing about Haruhi is that it was over-hyped after it started airing, and it ruined the experience for quite a few viewers. I didn’t even know Haruhi was gonna be decent when I stumbled across it randomly. I can probably draw better than Cecent Love too
I would have to say you’re correct in the final statement, but omg my lips are sealed because I enjoy people taking my entry seriously.
Retsgip, some of your comments are so spot-on that it’s hard NOT to take you seriously.
I suppose best sarcasm is rooted in truth.
With that said, thanks for your recommendations! I’ve already decided to download Crescent Love. And I may check out Kashimashi on DVD when it comes out.
Retsgip, I think might be onto something…
I watched the first 6 episodes of Crescent Love - and while I wouldn’t the plot or the animation superb, there was an odd charm to the characters that made the show somewhat entertaining to watch.
Well, at least it was more enjoyable than Kanon 2006.
You idiots, just stick to Pokemon! Pokemon is the god of all anime!
personally, i hate hate hate naruto and i loved the melancholy of suzumiya haruhi. might be just me, but naruto seems to me to be full of the “most popular arch[e]types” as well.
The first episode of Pokemon was indeed golden, and the first season had several top-notch episodes. But it goes downhill in the subsequent seasons.
BUNZAI for your worst anime that become No.1 anime or top ten in many magazine in japan.
So 75% of your best of best anime is suck anime in my feeling.
I’m surprised how many people don’t get satire. I feel saddened and greatly disappointed.
Great entry though, made me laugh heartily.
Ah, but that’s where part of the fun comes from.
From reading the responses of the people who simply do not get it. 
I held off commenting this long because I wanted to avoid dropping the ball and see how long Retsgip can milk the hilarity from overly-serious people.
You know, the same sort of people who proclaim that Harry Potter is Evil and corrupts people’s minds.
I betcha a keg that Retsgip has been laughing up his lungs over some of the comments in here.
Cheers.
@danny: Pokemon 4life!
@joel: *gasp* how dare you rag on my naruto. Hmm I’m not really sure how popular Naruto’s architypes are, but there are quite a few of them.
@endearth: japan must not know what they’re talking about then
@lupus: seriously huh? It’s amazing how few understand, maybe I didn’t hint enough.
@Skane: How very evil of you to suggest such things Skane, so very evil. No need to even bet a keg lol, you know its true. Its funny because most people dont read the comments section before they comment so the hilarity never ends…
As soon as I saw Naruto fillers as number one, I knew you couldn’t be serious.
Bravo.
I don’t see whats so special about NAruto its the most simples stroy in the world i have come up with but not saying i don’t like NAruto but it just is so simple and they make so much money off of it. I just don’t make sense.