The Grand Search for the Best Anime of the 2000s

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Yessssss finally a round where all the stuff I want to make it makes it. Good job guys, I guess I'll have to stick around.

Group Light
1. Mawaru Penguindrum (2011) IMAGIIIIIIIIINE
2. AnoHana (2011)
3. Kara no Kyoukai (2008)
4. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima (2006)
5. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (2004)
6. RahXephon (2002)

Group Dark
1. Dennou Coil (2007)
2. Spice and Wolf (2008)
3. Eden of the East (2009)
4. Fullmetal Alchemist (2004)
5. Paranoia Agent (2004)
6. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011) (Pay for your transgressions against Penguindrum last year)

[Zeldafan2]

Group Light
Kara no Kyoukai (2008)6
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima (2006)1
AnoHana (2011)5
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (2004)2
Mawaru Penguindrum (2011)3
RahXephon (2002)4

Group Dark
Dennou Coil (2007)6
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011)1
Fullmetal Alchemist (2004)2
Paranoia Agent (2004)3
Eden of the East (2009)4
Spice and Wolf (2008)5

[KnightOfFive]

Group Light
5Kara no Kyoukai (2008)
2The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima (2006)
4AnoHana (2011)
3Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (2004)
6Mawaru Penguindrum (2011)
1RahXephon (2002)

Group Dark
6Dennou Coil (2007)
5The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011)
1Fullmetal Alchemist (2004)
3Paranoia Agent (2004)
4Eden of the East (2009)
2Spice and Wolf (2008)

[Neane]

More people need to watch Dennou Coil and Kara no Kyoukai.

[ClosetOtaku]

Sheesh, how on earth did all of these fall into one group?

Group Light
Kara no Kyoukai (2008) 6
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima (2006) 2
AnoHana (2011) 4
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (2004) 5
Mawaru Penguindrum (2011) 3
RahXephon (2002) 1

Group Dark
Dennou Coil (2007) 6
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011) 4
Fullmetal Alchemist (2004) 2
Paranoia Agent (2004) 1
Eden of the East (2009) 3
Spice and Wolf (2008) 5

[MangaRocks!]

Finally, a round that I feel I can vote in again! In order of my ranking...


Group Light:

(1) - Mawaru Penguindrum
----------------------------------------------------
(2) - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima
(3) - Kara no Kyoukai
(4) - AnoHana
(5) - Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG
(6) - RahXephon


Group Dark:

(1) - The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
(2) - Dennou Coil
----------------------------------------------------
(3) - Spice and Wolf
(4) - Fullmetal Alchemist
(5) - Paranoia Agent
(6) - Eden of the East

[Atria35]

Group Light
Kara no Kyoukai (2008)
AnoHana (2011)
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima (2006)
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (2004)
-----------------
RahXephon (2002)
Mawaru Penguindrum (2011)

Group Dark
Spice and Wolf (2008)
Dennou Coil (2007)
Fullmetal Alchemist (2004)
Eden of the East (2009)
Paranoia Agent (2004)
-------------------
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011)

[Maokun]

Guys, you all need to watch paranoia agent. When you do, prepare to shed bitter years of regret for the way you voted for it today. It's Satoshi Kon's, guys.

[goldenspines]

Guys, you all need to watch paranoia agent. When you do, prepare to shed bitter years of regret for the way you voted for it today. It's Satoshi Kon's, guys.

It'll be okay, Maokun.

[Atria35]

Guys, you all need to watch paranoia agent. When you do, prepare to shed bitter years of regret for the way you voted for it today. It's Satoshi Kon's, guys.

Okay, I adore Satoshi Kon.... but Paranoia Agent isn't my favorite work of his. I'm actually quite happy with where I ranked it.

[skreyola]

Guys, you all need to watch paranoia agent. When you do, prepare to shed bitter years of regret for the way you voted for it today. It's Satoshi Kon's, guys.

That's how I feel about Cross Game.

[GeneD]

Darn I missed the Water Earth groups, oh well.

Group Light
1. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima (2006)
2. Kara no Kyoukai (2008)
3. RahXephon (2002)
4. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (2004)
5. Mawaru Penguindrum (2011)
6. AnoHana (2011)

Group Dark
1. Eden of the East (2009)
2. Paranoia Agent (2004)
3. Fullmetal Alchemist (2004)
4. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011)
5. Spice and Wolf (2008)
6. Dennou Coil (2007)

[Maokun]

It'll be okay, Maokun.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*ahem*

[color="LemonChiffon"]Group Light[/color]
2 Kara no Kyoukai (2008)
1 The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima (2006)
6 AnoHana (2011)
3 Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (2004)
4 Mawaru Penguindrum (2011)
5 RahXephon (2002)

[color="Black"]Group Dark[/color]
4 Dennou Coil (2007)
3 The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011)
5 Fullmetal Alchemist (2004)
2 Paranoia Agent (2004)
6 Eden of the East (2009)
1 Spice and Wolf (2008)

[airichan623]

[color="LemonChiffon"]Group Light[/color]
Kara no Kyoukai (2008)-4
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima (2006)-1
AnoHana (2011)-3
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (2004)-5
Mawaru Penguindrum (2011)-2
RahXephon (2002)-6

[color="Black"]Group Dark[/color]
Dennou Coil (2007)-5
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011)-3
Fullmetal Alchemist (2004)-2
Paranoia Agent (2004)-6
Eden of the East (2009)-4
Spice and Wolf (2008)-1

[MomentOfInertia]

Group Light
1.Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (2004)
2.Mawaru Penguindrum (2011)
-----
3.The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima (2006)
4.Kara no Kyoukai (2008)
5.RahXephon (2002)
6.AnoHana (2011)

Group Dark
1.Dennou Coil (2007)
2.Spice and Wolf (2008)
-----
3.The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011)
4.Eden of the East (2009)
5.Paranoia Agent (2004)
6.Fullmetal Alchemist (2004)

[Vii]

I'm sad RahXephon's getting so many 6's. ⊙︿⊙
But, man, these rounds are so stacked.

[Neane]

That's how I feel about Cross Game.

I saw a bit of Cross Game, but I stopped watching it after a while. I have yet to see a shonen romance that actually appealed to me in any way. Shonen action is great, but the romance? Nooo.

[Hugo Bernhardt]

Group Dark
1 Fullmetal Alchemist (2004)
2 Spice and Wolf (2008)
3 Eden of the East (2009)
-----------------------
4 The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011)
5 Dennou Coil (2007)
6 Paranoia Agent (2004)

[Hugo Bernhardt]

hmmmm .... somehow I double posted. Is it possible to delete a post ?

[Maokun]

Results for the last day of the second preliminary round:

[color="LemonChiffon"]Group Light[/color]
36 The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima (2006)
48 Mawaru Penguindrum (2011)
--------------------------------------------------------
52 Kara no Kyoukai (2008)
--------------------------------------------------------
57 Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (2004)
58 AnoHana (2011)
67 RahXephon (2002)

[color="Black"]Group Dark[/color]
40 Spice and Wolf (2008)
52 Fullmetal Alchemist (2004)
-----------------------------------------------
53 The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011) (parity broken by earlier positions)
-----------------------------------------------
53 Eden of the East (2009)
55 Dennou Coil (2007)
60 Paranoia Agent (2004)

And that's a wrap for this round! Here are the top 5 third places which advance to the next round along with the top 2 of each group (number of points averaged against amount of voters):

41 Tokyo Godfathers (2003) 3.15
50 Sword of the Stranger (2007) 3.3
44 Mononoke (2007) 3.38
52 Kara no Kyoukai (2008) 3.46
56 Birdy The Mighty Decode (2008) 3.5
----------------------------------------------------
60 Texhnolyze (2003) 3.52
53 The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011) 3.53 (what have you done, Hats!?)
61 Planetes (2004) 3.8


And so, we have arrived at the tournament proper! Our 21 titles left from the carnage of the preliminary rounds join the champions from each year, like this:

[color="Red"]Group A[/color]
Spirited Away (2001)
Kaiba (2008)
REDLINE (2009)
Paprika (2006)

[color="Magenta"]Group B[/color]
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (2007)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)
Kara no Kyoukai (2008)
Millennium Actress (2001)

[color="Sienna"]Group C[/color]
Eureka Seven (2005)
Baccano! (2007)
Princess Tutu (2003)
Birdy The Mighty Decode (2008)

[color="DarkOrange"]Group D[/color]
Ouran High School Host Club (2006)
Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)
Haibane Renmei (2002)
Macross Frontier (2008)

[color="YellowGreen"]Group E[/color]
The Tatami Galaxy (2010)
Mawaru Penguindrum (2011)
Monster (2004)
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (2007)

[color="Yellow"]Group F[/color]
5 Centimeters per Second (2007)
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
Fullmetal Alchemist (2004)
Durarara!! (2010)

[color="Lime"]Group G[/color]
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima (2006)
Noein (2005)
Mononoke (2007)
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

[color="Cyan"]Group H[/color]
Spice and Wolf (2008)
Summer Wars (2009)
Chihayafuru (2011)
Sword of the Stranger (2007)

The first matches of this round will go live the Monday at 20:00 EST. In the meantime feel free to mourn and/or celebrate accordingly.

[Neane]

Texhnolyze lost?

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

[skreyola]

I saw a bit of Cross Game, but I stopped watching it after a while. I have yet to see a shonen romance that actually appealed to me in any way. Shonen action is great, but the romance? Nooo.

When I first watched it, it took me a little while to figure out that it was a romance... except between Ko and Waka... but if you don't like romance, I can see how it might not be your cup of tea... but still. It's a beautiful show.

Results for the last day of the second preliminary round:

After the preliminary round, most of the ones I've actually seen are gone... *snif*

The first matches of this round will go live the Monday at 20:00 EST. In the meantime feel free to mourn and/or celebrate accordingly.

So, we don't start voting until then?

*mourning all my favorite shows that were in the original lists*

[Atria35]

I saw a bit of Cross Game, but I stopped watching it after a while. I have yet to see a shonen romance that actually appealed to me in any way. Shonen action is great, but the romance? Nooo.

Well, the issue is that the romance is intergrally wrapped into the story about baseball (and there isn't that much 'action', per say, until later in the series). I read the manga and was a whole lot more pleased by how it developed, so maybe you should give that a shot?

[Maokun]

Texhnolyze lost?

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

If it's any consolation, it is -by the metrics of this contest- the 33th best anime title of the last 11 years.

So, we don't start voting until then?

Correct. This will be a round-robin-style tournament, meaning that each title gets to battle in turn each other title in their group. Winners will get 3 points, draws will net 1 point to each title and losing, 0 points. At the end of the round, the 2 titles of each group with best scores will advance to the knockout finals.


Some more random data obtained from the past round:

-Year 2002 lost all its titles and only has left the champion of the year to represent it in the contest.
-Years 2006 to 2008 keep being the strongest years in anime of the past decade and between them three, supplied half-minus-one of the titles for this tournament.
-Year 2009 lost most of it's titles, except Redline -a movie that was only officially released in the west in 2011- and it's for all purposes of this tournament, the weakest year of anime in recent memory.
-Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002), Kino no Tabi (2003), Victorian Romance Emma (2004), Dennou Coil (2008), Cross Game (2009) and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011) are titles that once placed second in their respective years' tournaments but couldn't even make it to the main tournament this time.
-Of the 13 titles that weren't given a automatic slot in the preliminaries, but were suggested by public nomination, only one remains: 5 Centimeters per Second -unsurprisingly, a 2007 anime.

[skreyola]

I've heard good things about Kino no Tabi, but I haven't found a subbed stream of it, or I'd have watched it.
I'm still very sad Cross Game didn't make it past the prelims.

[Atria35]

I've heard good things about Kino no Tabi, but I haven't found a subbed stream of it, or I'd have watched it.

The first two episodes are streaming on Hulu, but it's not *legally* streaming online anywhere else... not the entire show. Illegally, it's no issue, but yeah.

[mechana2015]

I miss one vote and it goes all wacky... =.=

[Maokun]

I miss one vote and it goes all wacky... =.=

Haha I knew someone was missing! Which travesty would have you been able to prevent?

[MangaRocks!]

Wow. That's... pretty shocking that Melancholy made it but Disappearance didn't. I mean, I'm sure Melancholy is great and all (I've been reading the Haruhi Suzumiya novels rather than watching the TV series, but the novels are certainly quite good), but the Disappearance movie was downright amazing.

...Then again, I still can't believe how early Steins;Gate got knocked out of both its own year's contest as well as this one, so... *stares sadly at the 10/10 MAL rating I gave both Disappearance and Steins;Gate*

[ClosetOtaku]

Some more random data obtained from the past round:

-Year 2002 lost all its titles and only has left the champion of the year to represent it in the contest.
-Years 2006 to 2008 keep being the strongest years in anime of the past decade and between them three, supplied half-minus-one of the titles for this tournament.
-Year 2009 lost most of it's titles, except Redline -a movie that was only officially released in the west in 2011- and it's for all purposes of this tournament, the weakest year of anime in recent memory.
-Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002), Kino no Tabi (2003), Victorian Romance Emma (2004), Dennou Coil (2008), Cross Game (2009) and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2011) are titles that once placed second in their respective years' tournaments but couldn't even make it to the main tournament this time.
-Of the 13 titles that weren't given a automatic slot in the preliminaries, but were suggested by public nomination, only one remains: 5 Centimeters per Second -unsurprisingly, a 2007 anime.

This is really nifty info. I wonder if it parallels some of the dynamics of what we've seen in the anime industry -- the peak of public interest happening between 2005-2007 -- or perhaps when people came into the anime collective -- or a combination -- it seems the distribution should be more even across the time period.