Uzume from Sekirei

It is already the second half of 2009, and yet here I am finally talking about 2008. The past year has been the first year that I well and truly got into blogging, and perhaps even watching anime more than I should. Yet this draft had been lying unused for 6 months ever since I made it in January, till I finally decided to get down to it today, and take a first look at what I wish to do for the 2008 in Retrospect series.

I first wanted to do an additional categorical look at the blogosphere, but realized that it was almost pointless by now. What I think of the blogosphere and how much I participate in it no longer, if it even did in the first place, matters. Thus, the categories involved will be concentrating on the anime series and their music, seiyuu and the like alone.

The categories are as follows:

• First Look (this post)
• Anime (Parts 1-3)
• OP
• ED
• Male Seiyuu
• Female Seiyuu
• Best Supporting Characters
• Top Ten Female Characters
• Best Figure & Figure Manufacturer
• Best Male Lead Character
• Best Female Lead Character

Why the necessity for a first look, you may ask. Originally I had planned for many categories, each with its own post(s), maybe more than one at times. Yet even though I had them all written down as a table of contents, I just never found the motivation to actually get down and write them, even more so after I got into Granado Espada. Well, now that I am so unmotivated to do just about anything else, I should finally turn to doing what I should have done at the start of the year. This first look is necessary because of that – it has been more than half a year since 2008, and I find my memory now hazy, unable to recall what songs or series I might have seen.
 

Viletta Nu from Code Geass

This post also serves as a guide to tell you, the reader, what I have watched and what kind of basis I thus fall upon. Admittedly, I have not watched as many shows as others, but since this is my own opinion, what does it matter? And that is what I want to stress – that the winners are all chosen of my own opinion. It in no way represents another’s, or the consensus; rather, you get to see what I watched and why I picked them, and why I might even recommend some of them.

There are those that will appeal to you and those that will not – it is entirely your own decision to make as to which to watch (or if you have already watched, to agree or disagree with me based on what you think and conclude) if you have not watched them.
 

Minami Haruka from Minami-ke

Of course, rules must exist in order to keep to the proper year. I mean, having watched a certain show in 2008, like, for example Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, which first screened in 2006 in Japan, does not enter it into the ranking for the year, as its year was 2006. And, there are shows that started near or towards the end of 2008, but finish in 2009, and are thus not counted as well. There are even shows that started in 2007 that end in 2008, and they will be included into the ranking.

Here are the shows by chronological order that I watched from 2007 till the end of 2008. Note that only shows I have completed watching (and not just finished airing) are included. The only exception to this rule is Niijuu Mensou no Musume (last episode not watched). Another exception to the rule, but only regarding songs and seiyuu, will be Bleach, as it is still on-going from 2004.
 

2007 Spring
Hayate no Gotoku!

2007 Fall
Ghost Hound

2008 Winter
Spice & Wolf
Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Oure de
Chi’s Sweet Home
Minami-ke: Okawari
Mnemosyne – Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi (OVA)

2008 Spring
Allison & Lillia
Kaiba
Blassreiter
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2
Crystal Blaze
Kyouran Kazoku Nikki
Real Drive
The Tower of Druaga – The Aegis of Uruk

2008 Summer
Koihime*Musou
Natsume Yuujinchou
Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo
School Rumble Sangakki (OVA)
Sekirei
World Destruction: Sekai Bokumetsu no Rokunin

2008 Fall
Chaos;Head
Hyakko
Yozakura Quartet

I ran through my own list at ANN, so that should be about all I watched in 2008 that carried over from 2007 and also all those that aired and finished in 2008. I am not giving out awards for Best Action, Animation and the like, particularly because I do not feel like doing it when I always try to look at a series in its whole. Plus, that would just mean more unnecessary work.
 

Kuonji Shinra from Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Oure de

One or two of these series already have reviews here, so I will link to them when I get to them. All OPs and EDs will be selected based on when they were released, so any that gets released in 2008 and was in my anime watchlist (and that I actually listened to) will be added. This includes series that are not on the list, for example, Casshern Sins‘ first ED. Top ten female characters are noted with this ranking as well – as long as a series had some airtime in 2008, a female inside is considered.

For figures and manufacturers, only figures released in 2008 will be included. I know this is an odd category to have, but since I still have some interest in them, why not?
 

So, that is the first look at the 2008 in R series. The next set in the series will be going through the anime series as a whole in chronological order in 3 parts. The first 2 will cover the anime series I watched excluding the three that will be mentioned in the final part, which means my top 3 best anime that I considered the series I really liked the most. All 2008 in R series posts will have the tag “2008 in Retrospect” to make it easier to search for them in the future. Stay tuned for further updates.

Related posts:

1. 2008 in Retrospect – Anime OP Theme Songs
2. 2008 In Retrospect – Anime Part 2
3. 2008 in Retrospect – Anime Part 1
4. 2008 in Restropect – The Best of Anime
5. 2008 in Retrospect – Anime ED Theme Songs