Turns out, it was [s]FMA[/s] this:
How do we know? Because we voted!
What is the best anime of 2011?
That is a question we'll be asking ourselves in a few weeks time as the year draws to an end. There are many metrics and measures of quality we can look at, but in the end, nothing can beat a good old popularity contest. And how do we do that? By setting up a single-elimination tournament, of course! And hopefully, I've learned enough from last year that the results won't be as suspect!
I will be asking for nominations for anime. There is no restriction in how many you can nominate. In fact, I encourage you to nominate as many as you can. But what qualifies an anime of 2011? Very simple. In order to qualify, the anime must have aired (if it's a TV series) or had a first DVD/BD release (if it's an OVA or theatrical feature) in Japan between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2011 inclusive.
Here are some examples from last year:
Kimi ni Todoke qualifies even though it aired in Fall 2009 because it finished airing in March 2010.
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn qualifies even though it's not finished because it had at least one DVD release in 2010.
Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto qualifies even though it finishes airing in 2011 because it began airing in 2010.
Bakemonogatari hilariously qualifies because SHAFT is bad at planning and it aired some episodes in 2010.
Eden of the East does not qualify even though it got a North American release in 2010 because it aired in Japan in 2009.
Eden of the East Movie I: The King of Eden qualifies even though it was in theatres in Japan in September 2009 because it got a DVD release in March 2010.
K-ON! does not qualify because it aired in Spring 2009.
K-ON!! qualifies because it aired in Spring 2010.
Welcome to the Space Show does not qualify even though it was in Japanese theatres in 2010 because it does not have a DVD release in 2010.
Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind does not qualify even though it got a Japanese Blu-ray release in 2010 because it did not first get released in 2010.
Doraemon qualifies because it's always airing.
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya qualifies even though the DVD hasn't been released yet because it will get a release in December 2010.
The final format and brackets haven't been decided yet; it definitely won't be exactly the same as last year and it'll be dependent on the number of nominations. However, the plan is to open voting for the match at 0000 EST until 2300 EST in this thread. Same deal with voting codes and fighting verbally amongst yourselves to defend your favourite show.
In order to nominate an anime, simply mention it. Again, don't be too selective; this is just the nomination stage. Nominate as many shows as possible, otherwise I will fill in the gaps with terrible, terrible anime that will make you regret not nominating more. Nominate shows that have already been nominated, because in the case of too many shows (ahahaha), the ones with more nominations will have priority; the rest will be subject to the random number generator, although I'm not sure we'll need this for this year yet. And if there aren't enough nominations, then obviously, no one is interested and the deadline will pass and no one will notice.
Nominations are open until Friday November 25 at 2300 EST
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