It’s episode 20, and Okazaki and Nagisa try to search for the story that Nagisa wants to turn into a play. However, along the way Akio tells Okazaki a secret from Nagisa’s past and why all their snooping around may not be the best thing. Meanwhile, Nagisa let’s something slip during a family picnic.
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It’s episode 19, and Okazaki’s teacher wants to talk to his father because of his suspension. However, this results in Nagisa seeing the true state of Okazaki’s relationship with his father. Meanwhile, the theater club finally gets off the ground, but Nagisa and company are finding it to be a lot more work than they expected. Finally, Nagisa lets Okazaki know of something that’s been bothering her for quite a while.
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It’s episode 18, and Okazaki gets suspended. However, once he gets back to school, he faces a new problem: nasty rumors being spread around about Sakagami. Okazaki must try to put down these rumors if his hope of Sakagami getting elected student council president are to be realized. Meanwhile, Nagisa also finally comes back to school, an event which forces Sakagami, Ryou, and Kyou to all realize what the situation with Okazaki really is.
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It’s episode 17, and the Choir and Theater clubs come to a compromise on an advisor, but it’s shot down by the Student Council. Meanwhile, Sakagami decides to start a daily service for Okazaki and Sunohara. However, Sakagami ends up having a run in with some old acquaintances.
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It’s episode 16, and Sunohara’s sister has come to visit. However, Okazaki and Sunohara still have to play their match against the school’s basketball team. But who will they get to play with them? And can we confirm two more girls who may be interested in Okazaki now?
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It’s episode 15, and Nagisa tries to restart the drama club once again, with the help of everyone deciding to lend their name to the club, giving it the 5 student requirement. The only problem now is finding a faculty sponsor, but Nagisa ends up having a clash with another start-up club in an attempt to pick one up. And apparently the school uniform designer also watches Evangelion a little too much.
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It’s episode 14, and it’s the conclusion to Kotomi’s arc. Will she ever come out of her room? Will she go study abroad? Also, we get the final pieces in the puzzle of what happened between Okazaki and Kotomi in the past.
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It’s episode 13, and Kotomi tells Okazaki about what happened to her parents in the past, and why she collects all of the newspaper and book clippings and why she studies so hard. Meanwhile, Okazaki and the others try to find ways to help Kotomi out, as her birthday is coming up very soon.
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I thought I would wait until 2007 was over before compiling this list. This list was drawn from all anime series that I watched that aired in 2007. This includes series aired entirely within 2007, series which started in 2007 and are carrying over to 2008, and series which started in 2006 and carried over to 2007.
By my count, this totals to 23 anime series for me, and I’ve narrowed it down to a list of 10 (actually, narrowing it down to about 8 was the easy part. Tacking on 2 more shows was the hard part). So, without further ado, here is the Top Anime of 2007 (warning - spoilers may lie ahead):
#10 Genshiken 2
This is a series that I watched most of (I think I got through episode 10 before it got licensed) and was a pretty solid 2nd-tier show I thought. It’s pretty funny from start to finish (heck, even the opening is) and I think would be enjoyable for most people who saw the first series.
#9 Mokke
Another pretty solid 2nd-tier show, Mokke is a pretty, shall we say relaxing, watch. It’s not quite as jello-inducing as sketchbook, but it has much more of a laid back feeling than most shows do. Toss on top of this a nice story about a pair of sisters who have to deal with supernatural spirits and solid storytelling and you’ve got yourself a good show.
#8 Myself; Yourself
The first of two “out of nowhere” series, Myself; Yourself is a series I almost didn’t watch, but ended up doing so since the fine people over at m33w were subbing it. This ended up being a surprisingly good show filled with twists that keept you on your toes. There may be some loose ends in this series, but it is overall pretty good.
#7 Idolmaster Xenoglossia
Idolmaster tops off a rather lackluster Spring season for me, and is the only show from that season that cracked the top 10 (granted, I only watched 4). I’m not one for mecha anime, so to see one which actually held my interest through 26 episodes is a pretty good feat. I think one reason is because this show seemed rather unique, at least to me. Yes, it’s similar to Evangelion in the sense that the machines have some sort of soul, but it’s more softer in Idolmaster than harsh like in Evangelion. Also, I think that the characters, and not the mecha, also helped drive this series forward and up.
#6 Minami-ke
The second “out of nowhere” series, the first top-tier series, and another series which I very nearly didn’t watch, Minami-ke ended up being a good random-hilarity series. There aren’t many series that can utterly lack a plot line and be successful. Azumanga Daioh tried and succeeded. Lucky Star tried and, for the most part, failed. Now, don’t get me wrong, Minami-ke is quite a different animal from Azumanga, but it’s still a good laugh from pretty much start to finish.
#5 Blue Drop
The top 5 in the list get into the heart of the top-tier shows of the year, and Blue Drop was certainly a treat to watch. One of two Greek Tragedies on the top 10 list, Blue Drop was great to watch, seeing how the main characters, Mari and Hagino, expand their relationship (both romantic and otherwise) under the backdrop of an eminent alien invasion. Probably the big thing that separates this from the top 4 is that I think the animation is kind of lacking from Blue Drop, but the storytelling makes up for it.
#4 CLANNAD
The only show on the list which may grace the 2008 list, CLANNAD has thus far been great to watch, as we’ve gotten through the story arc of 1 girl and are well into the story arc of a 2nd girl as we continue to unwind the mystery in this series. Add on top of the great storytelling by Key the fantastic animation of KyoAni, and you have one of the best shows of the year.
#3 ef - a tale of memories
Ef was clearly the prize of the just-concluded Fall season shows as it presented a story which is somewhat unusual for anime based on visual novels: multiple stories involving multiple males. In fact, three separate couples come out of this show, which each girl having her own unique and compelling story. A mysterious and well told (and well animated!) story gives ef the third spot on the list.
#2 Kanon
Like it’s fellow Key-KyoAni show, Kanon is a cross-year show. This one started in 2006 and finished up in 2007. Kanon quite possibly embodies the perfect visual novel-turned-anime show, with nearly perfect animation and a compelling story from start to finish. This would easily be the #1 show of the year, but only if one other show hadn’t aired, and that’s…
#1 School Days
Could any other show finish in the #1 spot but School Days? This show made waves in so many ways. First off, you had the male lead in the running for lamest male lead in an anime ever. Second, it’s rare that you actually get a harem show where the guy actually scores, much less which no fewer than 8 girls. Third, they creators of the show actually went through with the bloody ending, and we didn’t just get one, but two bloody endings, and memorable ones at that (”there’s no one inside” anyone?). Finally, this show will forever be remembered with the Nice Boat incident.
Yes, School Days must be the clear top show of 2007.
Also, did anyone else notice that all the top 4 shows are all visual novel-turned anime series?
It’s episode 12 of CLANNAD, and we delve deeper into the Kotomi storyline. What exactly were her parents working on? And why does Kotomi seem to have a sad or worried expression when they come up in conversation? And who is the older man following Kotomi around?
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