This is the last part of our look back at 2012. Those moments that defined the anime experience, those scenes that you just can’t get enough of and those events that’ll stick with you forever. We started with Shining Hearts and Tony Taka’s awesome character design, talked about some great anime moments like Gin and Futayo kicking ass, talked about worst ones like the disturbing beach episode from Another and there are also a lot of kissing moments that I am too ashamed to admit. We have reached the top twenty five now and these moments are truly the ones that made the whole anime experience of 2012 an amazing ride. Have you seen your favorite moments yet? Maybe they’re in this one. Maybe not. I’m not exactly the kind of blogger that goes with the flow so some of these moments may not even cross your mind.

Can you guess the number one though? No. Come on, I’m sure you’ve heard about it.

Please keep in mind though. This is MY list so some moments meant a lot more to me than others and I know for a fact that you will disagree at some of the entries. Some anime had a lot of moments in it but I decided to just take three moments max for every anime. The ranking is done by how much a moment made an impact. These moments would come up in a conversation when you mention the anime and the higher it is, the more memorable it is. There will also be spoilers in the moments so be warned. Spoilers ahead. This list is obviously incomplete but rest assured that it will be updated when I see the rest of the 2012 anime. One man can only do so much so please bear with me.

Dear readers, fellow anime lovers, closet otaku, fujoshis, shippers and everybody else. This is The Pantless Anime Blogger’s list of the greatest anime moments of 2012.

25. Secret of the Sybil – Psycho Pass

It wasn’t really that big of a surprise when the inner workings of the Sybil System were revealed. I was actually expecting unborn babies in a jar talking telepathically as the backbone of the system. I’ve seen it done somewhere before but I’m not sure where. Anyways, it was definitely a nice treat to learn that the Sybil System, an independent thinking machine that judges society without the influence of a human operator, is actually a bunch of brains from people who have committed some pretty f*cked up crimes the system cannot judge. Heh, and you thought your government is corrupt.

There were two things that made the revelation memorable. One, I was really bummed when Kagari was killed after learning of the secret. He didn’t really mean much in the show but I felt like he also didn’t need to die. I was hoping the lesbians would be killed but to know that Kagari got obliterated for knowing too much was a bit hard to take. Throughout the rest of the anime, I was one hundred percent behind Makishima and his goal of destroying the Sybil System. You don’t kill off bishies. You just don’t!

The other thing is the Sybil System extending their hands to Tsunemori. They are really backed in a corner if they are willing to reveal their secret to this girl. Tsunemori’s hand was forced though because she wanted to save Kogami. Even if it meant being a pawn of a system she does not agree with. I was pretty turned on though when she started taking charge and thinking like Kogami. This innocent little puppy showing her rabid side was really sexy. It’s too bad the Sybil System kept on going afterwards. I want another season just to see the breakdown of society and the Sybil System becoming the enemy. No movies, please. I feel like they’ll milk this series like they did the Madoka franchise.

24. Don’t F*ck with Ugo – Magi

In the tenth episode of the anime, Judar appeared. He is the arrogant black Magi that have tremendous power. He came in and wreaked havoc over people he knows has no chance against him. He actually loved the fact that no one can stop him and every time he laughs, you just want to see someone put their fist in his face. The problem was that this was the first time he appeared. Shounen rules dictates that he gets the upper hand now and then the heroes would fight back in another episode. Bound by that rule, Judar just went on a rampage and he picked on poor little Aladdin knowing he isn’t as powerful as him. Even when Aladdin is pushed in a corner, Judar was relentless. You just had to sit through all that crap knowing no one can fight back.

The funny thing is that someone did fight back. Ugo, the djinn inside Aladdin’s flute, went on a rampage as well. Judar actually enjoyed the challenge because he knows he is untouchable but Ugo surprised the hell out of all of us. Ugo was relentless. Judar’s powers were deadly but Ugo kept fighting back. Ugo was so rabid that Judar felt helpless and you can just see the fear in his eyes.

Oh god, how sweet was it to see Ugo kick that guy’s ass. The first time he appeared and he was jell-o coming out of the fight. I was clapping and laughing as I see him get his ass handed to him by Ugo. It’s a shame the Ko Empire made the save before Ugo could decidedly finish him. Of course, he was a main character so he can’t die now but it was fun to see the Shounen rule broken for once. I wish they do that all the time.

23. Can I Touch Your Boobs? – Kimi to Boku II

In episode eight of the second season, the flowery boy in the bunch was worried of how fast his little brother was going in his relationship with his girlfriend. Shun thinks they are too young to do any form of sexual activity. He even disapproves of kissing. That is how innocent Shun is. The episode featured Shun’s brother spending his birthday in a karaoke place with his girlfriend. When asked what he wanted for his birthday, he asked if he can touch her boobs.

This was the most manly episode of Kimi to Boku. Seriously, the combined season had cross-dressing, baking and hugging so it was a breath of manly air to see an episode discuss sexual mature topics as oppose to the Shoujo-esque trail of the anime. It was also my favorite moment because while Shun’s bro was feeling up his girlfriend’s chest, I distinctly remember her giving a reassuring smile and then she started to cry. It was funny and probably the most non sausage fest scene in the anime.

22. Lucky Coincidence – Sengoku Collection

My favorite episode of Sengoku collection is episode eighteen that featured the most dramatic story of the anime. Every episode of the anime had different stories and it focused on different characters. People call it an ‘experimental’ approach to storytelling. I just find it unique because the anime is a giant mixed bag of good and bad things. Anyways, my favorite episode involves Otani Yoshitsugu (cute girl wrapped in bandages) with a very bad luck. She hoped a four leaf clover can brighten her repetitive days in the factory she works in. She never gets invited to go bowling and other people often buy the last piece of her favorite bread in the bakery. She just sighs deeply and walks away without saying anything. In a massive depressed state, she wrote to an author named “Angel” about how her life sucks. Angel wrote back and Otani was pleasantly surprised.

The two exchanged letters afterwards. Angel claims that her bad luck isn’t really that bad. She should think of it coincidences that will lead to good luck. This got Otani out of her depressed state and she began being more active while writing to Angel. One day though, Angel didn’t write back. She was devastated after the money she saved to fly to Angel’s home was misplaced, she didn’t need another bad luck. She once again, fell on her depressive state. Otani then receives a letter in the mail after months and it was from Angel. It had a plane ticket so she can fly to where Angel lives.

She hurriedly went there but only to discover that Angel had died. She overworked herself just so she can buy a plane ticket for Otani. In her desk, Angel leaves a final letter that tells how she was planning to kill herself but decided to live on after receiving Otani’s letter. It was, as Angel calls it, a lucky coincidence.

See, I still remember crucial details of the episodes because it just hits me hard. It was predictable but the execution was perfect and it was the best episode on Sengoku Collection I have seen. It was familiar yet pretty fun to watch. I, of course, have other favorite episodes on the anime but this one is the most memorable.

21. Literary Girl – Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou

Ask anyone who have seen Danshi Nichijou and they’ll tell you that the Literary Girl segments are the best moments of the show. One of the reasons people love this skit is because deep down, we can relate. Here we have a girl who is quiet and a bit shy. She is a bit awkward and clumsy but she also tries to reenact her romantic fantasies. She goes in the riverbank to spot scenes that looks like cliché moments and hopes for something sweet to happen. There is something pretty sad yet completely relatable at the things literary girl do. I’m sure we also wish to play out our fantasies and literary girl is so determined she’d even make a fool of herself. It’s no wonder people really love these segments.

Don’t you just die of laughter though when the boys play along?

I love literary girl but it was the guys who would say something cool and then think about how embarrassing those words are deep down that really sold the moment for me. The respond with cringe worthy and totally cheesy lines that you just die of laughter. The fact that they know they are stupid and cheesy lines yet goes along the flow was pretty freaking inspired. Nichibro had a lot of funny moments but nothing tops literary girl, for sure.

20. This Kiss Means I Love You – Sukitte Ii na yo

In the second episode of the anime, the two characters became an item. This was a surprise to me because I was expecting the show to end with the relationship on a standstill like some of the Shoujo anime I’ve seen. This anime was different. Mei recently learned that Yamato give away his kisses like it was nothing. To her, being an innocent little flower, a kiss means a lot. In a spur of jealous thoughts, she followed Yamato at a karaoke. Yamato accidentally saw her following him so he confronted the girl. They had an exchange of words and Yamato showed how he kisses the people he truly loves. “This kiss means I care for you” on the first kiss. ”This kiss means I love you” on the second kiss. It was a great moment most anime build up to and Sukitte Ii na yo gave it away at the second episode.

Apparently the manga is smut that includes the couple having sexy time. I haven’t read the manga and never will but it was certainly a surprise. The anime was kind of focused on how far the relationship will go so leaning towards smut isn’t really surprising. If I had the same dedication to reading manga the same as watching anime then I would’ve picked up the manga just to see how much sexy time the characters do.

19. Freaky Bread – Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita

The first episode of Jinrui was a huge hit because of the bread spurting out blood after tearing himself open. It was a weird moment and something completely unexpected. This was what people liked about the anime and they were disappointed when that certain element slowly faded away from the anime. I was shocked too because it looks graphic but funny but deeply disturbing.

I was so shocked by that damn bread that I made a GIF of it.

18. Counterfeit Theory – Hyouka

Episode nineteen of Hyouka is my favorite episode in the anime. When people had doubts about the show, I always ask them to watch this episode because it pretty much captures the show’s spirit. The episode was about Chitanda and Oreki in the club room alone together. Oreki said that a theory can be created out of anything and he tried to demonstrate it by having Chitanda throw any random mystery at him. They soon worked on solving the mystery of the announcement made minutes before Oreki took the challenge. The story soon devolved though from Oreki proving anyone can put together theories into a step by step analysis of facts and deductions to solve the mystery.

It was cute to see a playful conversation turn into a serious mystery solving story. The best part is that the viewers are together with Oreki doing a clear procedure of the facts and the theories. It was so well thought out and the pacing was brilliant. This was doubly more exciting because of the awkward pauses the characters do when they stare at each other. Chitanda would often put her face uncomfortably close to Oreki’s without noticing and then she would blush after realizing what she did.

The ending of the episode was pretty awesome as well when the deductions Oreki had about the strange announcement was actually true that he saw it on the newspaper the following day.

17. I Think of You When I Masturbate – Kokoro Connect

The first arc of Kokoro Connect, with the characters swapping body, is the only arc that truly mattered to me because it was the only one that was nicely done. The rest of the anime felt forced and the story soon showed its cracks. There was one line in the first half that caught me off guard. Taichi first told his secret to Inaba so she could trust him. His secret was that he secretly thinks of her when he masturbates. Towards the end of the anime, Inaba whispered to Taichi that she masturbated thinking of him before.

It was a shocking moment because I knew something sinister would happen afterwards. No, it’s not in the anime but in the fandom. I bet you there is now some artwork of Inaba masturbating thinking of Taichi out there. Goddamn rule 34.

16. One Man Army (Boy) – Jormungand

In the fifth episode of the anime, it featured a flashback on how Jonah and Kasper met. Kasper employed the boy while promising to spare the lives of the other kids in the base. The reason he wanted Jonah was because this boy killed everyone on the base he was prisoned in. The episode nicely tells the ugly side of humans with an actual human eye. Majority of the anime has battle hardened characters with no remorse for others and has no emotions when pulling the trigger. It was one of my complaints in the anime. It needed someone to point out that things are f*cked up in the anime. Jonah was the closest human element in the anime. In the flashback, he was trying to protect the other kids from the bad guys but suddenly lost it when one of them was apparently sent out to look for land mines. She died and Jonah went berserk.

In the dead of the night, using the darkness as cover, Jonah armed himself and killed people on the base. He used the confusion to his advantage and he mercilessly killed the bad guys. Kasper’s team was the first to see the carnage and immediately did damage control. This was the best moment in the anime for me. Even though we saw the monster inside Jonah, we also saw how it was backed into a corner and his innocence consumed. The idea of a boy killing a lot of armed men by himself was also pretty awesome.

15. The Devil Wears Striped Knee Socks – Little Busters

Easily the best arc in the Little Busters anime was the one about Haruka and Kanata. The estranged relationship of the two girls is the moment that I truly love about the anime. Kanata is a b*tch. She is the kind of b*tch that you can respect though because she does look commendable ruling with an iron fist and regulating the school. She has a particular fondness of picking with Haruka though and again, it’s excusable because Haruka is a bit of a slob that loves breaking every rule in the school and not thinking of the consequences. The two has even declared their hate for each other. Things got extremely serious when Kanata was hell bent on bullying Haruka with various disciplinary actions over the rules she has broken. Some of them aren’t justifiable though but it doesn’t matter because she just wants Haruka nailed on the cross. The excusable reason we placed on her soon vanishes when she would smile like an evil b*tch seeing Haruka in pain. She would go as far as to declare to the whole school that she is the daughter of an arsonist. Shit got very heavy afterwards.

I personally love the antagonistic nature of Kanata because it just really crawls under your skin but you just can’t seem to hate her. Something is definitely up so you just can’t place blame on her. She is acting out and you know she is because she went as far as dressing up as Haruka and making being comfy with her friends just to spite the girl. The length she goes through making Haruka suffer was pretty damn sweet. It’s a contrast to the fluffy nature of the anime. The only best thing that is as dark as Kanata’s attitude towards Haruka was a dead cat found on the canals during the annoying girl’s arc. I do not remember her name and I don’t want to.

Anyways, it turns out that they are actually siblings. Twins, in fact and the whole family dynamic of their household is just purely insane. The family practices having the mother have two husbands and the twins were a product of both fathers. It must’ve been a threesome during the conception phase because one twin shared the DNA of one father. It doesn’t end there though. The family heir is one of the twins but one was the daughter of an arsonist criminal so they tried to pluck out the weed. They weighed each other on how accomplished they are. Kanata was praised like a goddess because she does a lot of things better than Haruka. The other girl was soon deemed as the seed of a criminal. She was then mistreated for the rest of her life and we actually saw her thrown out of a house and landed on a mud puddle to demonstrate how much of a trash she is being treated.

To lash out, the moment she got into school, she tried to break every rule and be as unruly as possible. The family would blame Kanata because she was supposed to be able to leash her sister if she is to become an effective heir and so she is severely punished for all the things Haruka would do. As you can see, the two clearly hate each other. It’s a wonderfully told story about two people of equal opportunities treated differently simply because of the blood that flows through their veins. The funny thing is though that no one really knows who is the father of whom and the rest of the arc was about Haruka trying to contact the arsonist dad to ask him who his actual daughter was. Things took the mellow road from there so I’ll just stop. In the end, they live happily ever after and no more dead cats were found in dirty canals.

14. Eight Minutes of Death – Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse

Muv Luv came off as another Rinne no Lagrange anime with light hearted mecha battles at first. I wasn’t impressed. It was too normal but the second episode changed my perception of it when it featured the eight minutes of death. It’s an idea in the anime where the humans are most likely to die eight minutes in the battle against the monsters. If you can survive after eight minutes then you’re pretty much safe. The anime showcased this concept in the most horrific way by having the teenage girls, inexperienced at battle, picked off by the monsters one by one.

I remember one of the girls even rejoicing for surviving eight minutes but then got shot by a laser. The robot she rode not only exploded but also had blood burst out of it like confetti. The remaining girls were forced to retreat and they were reduced in numbers while lasers kept hitting them. There was a moment of relief because you have this idea that they are the main characters so they won’t die easily. They aren’t but the anime didn’t reveal that right away. Instead, it showed the girls hopelessly trying to crawl out of the battle field. The later part of the second episode showed one of the dead girls dragged out of her cockpit and torn apart by the monsters while another girl was trapped in her cockpit begging the actual main character to kill her before the monsters get to her. The main character couldn’t pull the trigger and the last thing she saw was the frozen defeated face of the girl while the monster tore her in half and rolled her head on the floor for the main character to witness in all its gory details.

I was shocked after it happened and I seriously felt a part of me died seeing the episode. I went in a corner of my room and just stayed there in a fetal position. It’s an awesome scene that really set the stage for the rest of the anime.

13. Lancer Exits Stage – Fate Zero II

Episode sixteen of Fate Zero was really memorable. This was the episode where Lancer and Saber, who both nod at each other’s chivalrous ways, decided to finish their duel. Lancer wounded Saber before and it can never recover unless she beats Lancer so they decided to battle one last time. It was as impressive as their first fight and you just have a feeling that the fight will end in a grand way. It did but it was also very sour.

In earlier episodes, Lancer’s master, Kayneth, was almost killed by Kiritsugu, Saber’s master. He was mostly in bed for the rest of the Holy Grail war while having a personal squabble with his wife. He agrees to lend Lancer to her despite knowing that she is in love with the guy. Kiritsugu took this dysfunctional relationship as a weakness. He kidnaps the wife, interrupted Saber’s fight with Lancer, and ordered Kayneth to tell Lancer to kill himself or else he will his wife. Kayneth agreed and a bewildered Lancer cursed everyone before he slowly disappeared from this world after stabbing himself with his lance. The best awesome final words ever, by the way. Kiritsugu then told them that he promised not to kill the pair but Maiya, his assistant hiding in the shadows with a sniper, can. Maiya shoots the two and we see the miserable death of some of the participants of the war.

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOeaEwbmFZI

It was really horrible. I was hoping that Lancer die in a very cool way but I never expected Kiritsugu to be so cruel. He is battle hardened and only has a goal of winning. This is really disturbed and you just grow more hatred to this guy. Saber was the most furious of all realizing she has such a distasteful master leaving an even deeper scar between the two.

12. Are You Eating Well? – Zetman

Many people hated Zetman because it crammed the five year long manga into twelve episodes. Some stuff would be left out and things would be watered down. I understand that but I still loved the show because it’s an action anime but also has an equal showing of drama. These are two genres that are hard to incorporate together. The most emotional scene in the anime for me was in episode eight where Jin was reunited with his grandfather.

The dude died in the first half of the anime after a rogue monster killed him while trying to protect Jin. The guy raised Jin as his son and gave him love when no one else would provide it for the poor boy. Instead of just letting the guy die a miserable death, the Amagi Corporation, kept him alive by preserving his head and attaching it to a spider robot body. They wanted more information on Jin and they’d go as far as keeping this poor man in suspended state mentally channeling his thoughts through a computer.

Jin discovered this god awful act and pulled the life support on his grandfather. For a man who could’ve asked his son to kill the people that cut his head off and kept it in a freezer, his final words were simply “Are you eating well” flashed across the monitor screen  signifying his undying love for the monster he embraced as his own son.

It was a sweet moment and I admittedly cried over it. It was a short scene though but I was still executed pretty nicely. I admire the drama aspects of the anime as it showed Jin’s life and sacrifices while treading the path of a hero. It’s well thought out and it really has a lot of emotion put behind it. I can’t believe this was made by the same guy who created Video Girl Ai. It boggles the mind.

11. End of the World – Sword Art Online

The most overrated anime of the year. A lot of people claimed it to be the best anime and, if you watch anime like I do, this anime is really just subpar. It promised a lot that it couldn’t deliver and the audience is pretty much divided on the positives and negatives of the show. I like the second half but other people loathe it. Some people liked the structure of the anime with the skipping of floors and suddenly shifting to romance, I absolutely hated it. I liked the romance, other people called it shallow and forced. So if you ever saw this anime, different scenes will stick out to you. The moment that I ultimately remember though is the final episode of SAO. I mean the fourteenth episode where the game of SAO ended.

After a grueling boss fight, Kirito revealed that Heathcliff is actually the bastard that created the game. He was supposed to be the final boss of the game and he kind of liked the twist behind a comrade being the evil bad guy. I liked the idea too so I was shocked that the anime ended it all on the fourteenth episode. Kirito had a one on one fight with Heathcliff on the promise that if he wins then he ends the game. A lot of good moments soon happened afterwards.  1.) Kirito defeated Heathcliff after his HP almost depleted to zero. He had that one brilliant moment of heroism that I liked. It was a good twist. If the battle was longer and more thought out and not rushed, then this fight should’ve meant more. The anime suffered from fast pacing all throughout so when Kirito killed Heathcliff after he got struck by the guy’s sword, it didn’t generate any strong emotion from me.

2.) Asuna died. Sacrificing herself to save Kirito from the decisive blow from Heathcliff, she plunged right in and died for him. I both liked and hated this one because I hated Asuna but I liked the fact that she died. I hated that I wasn’t able to savor the moment but I liked the fact that she died. I hated the anticlimactic end of their relationship but I liked the fact that she died. 3.) SAO ended. The deadly game ended and the players were released from their awesome RPG limbo. Kirito and Asuna watched as SAO slowly crumbled. I scratched my head a bit because I was like “That’s it?” after a rushed pacing and a bunch of stupid episodes. The anime went out with a whimper? I was pretty excited about the second half though to see just where the anime will end in. Alfheim was OK. It had its moments but the fact that Asuna is alive made me want to kill a baby chick.

This is basically the most memorable episode of SAO. A lot of sh*t happened that closed a dark chapter and opened a weaker one. I hope the second season makes up for the rushed pacing, anti-climactic ending and the actual death of Asuna because I will really kill a baby chick if the show doesn’t f*cking deliver.

Honorable Mention: OP ED Nostalgia –  Sukitte Ii na yo

Youtube: (Fruits Basket OP) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Iq37xdXtLc

Youtube: (Sukitte Ii na yo OP) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dumdRt3-N1o

The opening song was sung by Ritsuko Okazaki. She has a distinct style in the way she sings. She has a hushy voice and a calm pace that is really relaxing to listen to. I first heard her in Fruits Basket singing the OP song. I fell in love with her voice since then. She died in 2004 at the age of 44. Imagine the chills that rose in the back of my neck when I heard her do the OP song of Say I love You. It was a bitter sweet moment for me because the studio actually knows how awesome her voice is to go as far as to use her songs instead of featuring new artists. It also sucks because this talented lady is now dead. RIP Ritsuko Okazaki.

Youtube: (Honey and Clover 2 ED) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M42jEJkKGhU

Youtube: (Sukitte Ii na yo ED) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZINFWT36BI4

The studio seems to have a way of trying to bring forth nostalgia with their songs. The ED song was sung by Sunoheir. I know him for singing one of the songs in Honey and Clover. It was like the studio was really trying to cram as much Shoujo in the anime as possible that they would feature these two artists synonymous with their works in Shoujo anime. I just love the fact I can hear them again in an anime though. They are super talented and no doubt, while I was listening to their songs, I was in a state of deep nostalgia.

Honorable Mention: Parody Filled Galore – Haiyore! Nyaruko-san

I don’t remember a lot of great moments from this anime. Story wise, which is how I review my anime, it was pretty ordinary. It was heavy with parody and comedy that gave the show its identity. I later realized just how much the show loves parodies. There is a blogsite dedicated to the enormous amount of references in the anime. Every episode had a lot from simple scenes to background characters and even the freaking dialogue was referencing something else. It was pretty amazing. This is really the most incredible moment in the anime: it’s full of parodies and references. Nothing in the anime did much for me though. The twin tailed lesbian is hot and the trap is pretty awesome but nothing really stood out besides the parodies. I hope the second season has more moments outside its parodies.

10. A Fiend That Isn’t A Fiend – Shin Sekai Yori

Easily the best part of Shin Sekai Yori was when the world met its second ever fiend. A fiend is like a serial killer that kills anyone with their awesome psychic power. They have no remorse, they crave death and their mind is consumed with the idea of burning people to death or making their heads explode. The story of the village leader about the fiend she encountered has the fiend dying by chance. The fiend was unstoppable and no one can touch it but somehow they got lucky when the fiend had a moment of clarity. As it stands, there is no actual counter measure for a fiend. So imagine the shock of the people when another one appeared. The fiend running rampant and killing innocent people was pretty memorable but it was the backstory behind it that really made the moment so sweet.

The village once sentenced Mamoru to death and sent copycats to maul him. He escaped though and they wanted him back. Saki was ordered to return him to the village but she did not agree. In the end, Saki let Mamoru and Maria escape the village’s wrath and then made a false story about them dying. Her mistake was asking Squealer’s help because the dude is someone you can never trust since the first time he appeared. I hate him. Later on, Mamoru and Maria had a baby. Squealer took the baby and raised it as a little baby killing machine. The child became the fiend.

Saki is now forced to kill the child of the friends she treasured and her decision to let Squealer in on the plan has bit her in the ass. The ugly part is that the village seems to have made the right call on trying to kill Mamoru in the first place and the whole mess could’ve been avoided if she just followed their order. It’s all pretty heavy and the events that unfolded later on were just tragedy all around. It’s an absolutely powerful moment.

9. I’ll Handle The Business Side – Hyouka

Episode twenty two of Hyouka featured Eru inviting Oreki to attend the Doll Festival that she is a part of. The episode itself was pretty memorable where we saw a different side of Eru and the bond between the two characters nicely cemented. There was scene where Eru was super serious, nicely adhering to the image her family is expected to hold, giving orders to people that was completely different than the curious character we’ve known and loved. After the parade though, we see the same girl talking to Oreki normally signifying that they have bonded so close that Eru can be herself around him despite being around her family.

The scene that made this very memorable though is when Oreki was walking home and Eru was accompanying him. They were talking about what they wanted to do after school. Eru said that she wanted to study management (? I’m not sure if it’s management, business related though) so she can help in the family business. Eru admitted though that she is not very good on the business side of things. Oreki gave a simple reply that really made me fangirl’ed like a teenage girl. He said “maybe I can handle the business side for you” as an indirect way of wanting to be with Eru and confessing his love to her. Eru stopped and I remember a short pause afterwards. Then Eru asked “what?” which reveals that the entire confession of Oreki was actually just in his head. The scene ended with wild winds making the cherry blossom petals dance while playing with Eru’s hair.

This scene did a lot for me. It wasn’t just a simple scene. It reminded me of the way Haruhi Suzumiya ended with Haruhi and Kyon kissing in the dream world. They didn’t really kissed in real life but the sheer satisfaction that their relationship is heading that way gave the anime a really soft note ending for me. The feelings I had then resurfaced when I saw the same scene in Hyouka. I pray to God though that KyoAni leaves the anime at that and don’t let the success get to their head. They let Haruhism bloat their ego and we got Endless Eight. The world does not need another Endless Eight.

8. Excalibur – Fate Zero II

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAAnUlVXkbY

I was expecting this from the anime. When I saw the Excalibur unleashed in Fate Stay Night, I was really impressed by it. After seeing the movie quality presentation by UFOtable, I just know the Excalibur moment would be ten times more amazing. I was right. It was f*cking awesome. After Caster unleashed a giant tentacle monster that threatens to kill innocent people, a lot of the summons decided to call a temporary truce so they can save the day. The monster is proving to be very tough though and Saber was forced to reveal her trump card. She was hiding her identity and she knew revealing Excalibur would give her presence away but her hand was forced. She needed to unleash her Noble Phantasm.

The entire scene is just pure poetry of brilliant animation that is very hard to beat. The golden light above her head, the water dancing at her feet and Saber’s beautiful yet fierce expression as she unleashes Excalibur is really amazing. I was so mesmerized by the scene that I remember having goose bumps when I saw it. It was also the perfect way to start the anime. Between the fight scene in the sky, Kiritsugu getting aggressive and Saber unleashing Excalibur, Fate Zero season 2 is easily one of the best anime of the year.

7. Pointy Umbrella – Another

Another is the biggest surprise of the Winter lineup. Horror anime is hard to pull off because the idea of a cartoon show scaring the bejesus out of you doesn’t really happen a lot. Another was really smart about its horror though because the first three episodes are probably the only time I ever felt like glancing at my back as I watch it. The intense paranoia the show gives you with its dead silence and creepy looking dolls is spot on. It’s amazing. The show couldn’t keep the paranoia intact though after the story is slowly unraveled. The horror was replaced with gore.

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoKxUK6izCY

The death scenes in the anime are pretty awesome and the first one was probably the very best of them all. It signaled the progression of the story and sadly, the disintegration of the paranoia. Yukari Sakuragi ran out of the classroom, grabbed her umbrella and then panicked after seeing Kouchi and Mei who are the supposed extra member of the class. She ran down the steps, slipped and then fell down the flight of stairs. Her neck was nicely impaled by her umbrella though. She wriggled like a worm as she slowly died on the stairs.

This scene is really inspired because I have never seen someone die of being impaled by an umbrella. I was even skeptical about it because umbrellas aren’t really that sharp. I changed my mind when I saw an umbrella used as a weapon in the anime Perfect Blue. I guess umbrellas in Japan are really pointy. This scene was so beautiful though with a slow mo of the umbrella positioning to kill her and then sequences of graphic shots of Yukari slowly dying. There’s a very cinematic approach to her death that I really like. I love it so much that I made a GIF of it. It’s pretty bad. Sue me, I was still not sure how to do GIFs when I made this.

6. You Were Born To Make People Happy – Medaka Box II 

I still never expected another season of Medaka Box. People hated the first season because it was “made by Gainax” or that it wasn’t faithful to the manga. The typical butt hurt comment from people who think just because they read the original material; they now feel like anything after it is bad. This is one of the reasons why I created TPAB. I wanted to show the beauty of every anime because the elitist I-read-the-manga-the-anime-is-bad mentality is slowly spreading making decent anime suddenly bad. No! They aren’t bad, give it a chance first.

Anyways, the second season explored Medaka fully and revealed her past. The positive girl who seemingly can do anything was actually a very negative girl when she was young. She felt like her existence was a sin because she can do anything with ease. People who worked hard and devoted their life to solving problems and issues feels defeated after seeing Medaka solves their life’s work in seconds. It was soon revealed that Medaka no longer wanted to be associated with normal people. That changed when she met Zenkichi. This young boy who was amazed at how Medaka can solve problems seemingly never feels any hatred towards the girl. Medaka hated him because she believes her ability is just a nuisance and that she should never have been born. Zenkichi didn’t believe that and he soon said that Medaka was born to make people happy.

It was a sweet moment and the relationship between the two characters is really special. We soon understand why Medaka loves helping people and it was because of Zenkichi giving her a reason to live. I also would like to point out that Medaka when she was a child was totally creepy and cute at the same time. It also feels amazing that Medaka wouldn’t be Medaka without her best friend. It’s a beautiful relationship the two characters have.

Honorable Mention: Mirror Fan Service – Medaka Box

It was a running joke in the series for the members of the Student Council to pose half naked in front of the mirror in the SC room. Everyone, except for Zenkichi though. There’s really nothing big in this moment. It just had some characters display fan service.

It’s interesting though because I got to the land of 300 views when I posted the GIF above. It was really just an afterthought that accidentally got people clicking on my blog. As far as GIFs goes, they really work. People always love searching for GIFs and they stumble on my blog because of it. I actually wanted to try and get a GIF of all the anime I watched but it was too much work since most anime has awesome scenes while others don’t and I have no patience to give time on reviews, making GIFs and my personal life. On a side note, my Chuunibyou post got me my highest view in a day that I sadly can’t beat.

Update upon writing this, I did beat it after my Shin Sekai Yori post. 🙂

5. The Jojo and Dio Epic – Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

One of the best stories I’ve seen in 2012 was the rivalry between Jojo and Dio. Dio is a massive dick absolutely hating on Jojo simply because he had an easy life compared to his. He did a lot of things to torture Jojo. He turned his friends against him, humiliated his first love and even burned his goddamn dog alive. Dio was certainly dead set making Jojo’s life a living hell but sadly, he can’t. Jojo was just too good to be tainted by anything he does. Dio then decided to just beat the guy up and make him realize who the dominant person is between the two. Despite Dio’s toughened fighting style, that is a bit dirty, Jojo just muscled his way to sure victory. This would be the setup of the rivalry the two would have. Dio would appear to have the upper hand and take dominance but Jojo would always find a way to win.

The rivalry heated up when Dio turned into a vampire and killed people as if they were used tissues. Dio would transcend human capabilities but Jojo took it upon himself to destroy him before anything bad happens. The two confrontations of the brothers would be some of the best moment in the anime.

The first one was the fight at the burning mansion. Dio was adjusting to his new found power to suit his dominance but Jojo would find his weakness, the sun. There weren’t any sun at the moment though so he decided to burn the mansion they live in. Dio would beat Jojo up like a rag doll but Jojo had a plan. He would plunge both of them in the fiery depths of the mansion and substitute it for the powers of the sun. The victory went to Jojo after he successfully impaled Dio in the statue of love displayed at the mansion. Jojo planned for the statue to impale Dio and send him straight to hell.

Dio revived though and he got a chance to fight back after turning a knight town into a nest for his zombies. He also mastered the ability to change his body temperature to cancel out the ripple technique that Jojo recently learned. This second fight was outstanding because I was expecting Dio to get a victory over Jojo but Jojo always finds a way to win. After sticking a sword down Dio’s chest, he baited himself in and then used the flames heating up the sword behind Dio to cancel out the cold attack Dio had. Dio was defeated another time. The rivalry doesn’t end there though.

In the final confrontation between the two, Dio was just a mere talking head but he had Jojo trapped in a boat full of zombies. Jojo decided to end it all by sinking the ship before Dio can get what he want: Jojo’s body. Up until the end, Dio always had the upper hand but Jojo would persevere. It was a great tale of heroism and awesome sacrifice that I missed in Shounen anime. The whole thing is phased out in the new Shounen of today. Jojo would die together with Dio after the ship exploded.

It would seem the story isn’t over yet though because the third arc of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures is about Joseph Joestar’s grandson, the hero of the second arc, fighting Dio who has now obtained the body of Jojo awaiting his time to get out of his watery grave. The Dio and Jojo epic is apparently far from over….

4. Mix Turned Trap – Aquarion Evol

I love Aquarion Evol because it’s a different kind of mecha anime. It has humor combined with the stunning visual aspects that make for a damn good anime experience. The cast was one of the anime’s biggest draw. There were a lot of standouts and a lot of pairings that look really cute together. My favorite couple in the anime is Andy and Mix. Their personality really clashed the first time they met and I kind of knew deep down in my gut that they are the perfect pair long before the anime ever decided to ship them together. Something about their playful interaction was really damn cute and those episodes that featured them were the most memorable moments for me. This super strict girl confiding in this laidback dude had an air of sweetness to it that I couldn’t get enough of.

Imagine my shock and absolute rage when Mix was kidnapped by the enemies. I threw a lot of stuff at my laptop because, of all the girls they could’ve taken to their world, the bastards took my favorite character. The reason the enemies abduct girls is because all the female in their planet died out and they are now facing extinction. They need the girls of Earth to ensure their survival but something screwy happens when the girls arrive to the enemy’s planet. They turn into dudes. It’s like a nasty twist and a big FU to the enemies but something ultimately gut wrenching for me. Mix was taken to their planet and she turned into a man.

Proving that they are the best couple in the anime, Andy didn’t care what gender Mix is though. Andy isn’t bothered by the fact that her giant boobs are gone now and all that is left is an empty field where man’s dreams used to gallop. He love Mix and he would love her till the end. Yes, even if this sexy girl is now a dude. In fact, I think the anime ended with Mix staying a dude. I’m hurt because I love Mix and damn it, they had a lot of girls including one with a paper bag on her head yet they took Mix. Those bastards.

3. Kissing to the Extreme – Campione

This happened on the twelfth episode of Campione. Just look at that GIF!!

In the anime, the main character, Godou Kusanagi, was running out of ideas to save the hot Italian girl from having her life force drained by the world they are stuck in. His last resort was awakening his remaining unmastered power. The only way to use this power was through mouth to mouth and it started with an aggressive kiss. Godou didn’t want the girl to die so he just attacked that soft mouth as if it was his enemy. He was so into the moment that the girl bled through her mouth but it got even crazier when he hooked his leg on hers. It soon looked like a scene from a hentai anime that certainly looks insane…but you just can’t look away!! It was an awesome moment that made me feel satisfied I stuck through till the end of this anime.

Read more here: https://thepantlessanimeblogger.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/campione-gifs-its-just-a-kiss/

2. A Villian of Godlike Magnitude – Psycho Pass

It’s pretty obvious that Makishima was the shining star of the anime. He possessed a mind that could rival L from Death Note and he has the ability to use other people just like Lelouch but without the super powers. Without him, Psycho Pass wouldn’t be as great as it was. You rarely see a villain like him that has a calm demeanor but a sociopathic tendency that cuts the line between antagonistic existence and intellectual vigilante. He just really shook things in ways no other anime villain have shaken things since back in ’05. So his mere existence is easily one of the best moments in the anime.

He was an anarchist but he transcended that role quite fast giving us viewers something to clamor for. The beautiful thing about him was that we know he is the antagonist but he is someone you just want to applaud because of how wonderful he is. One of the best moments that I really enjoyed in the anime is when the Sybil System guaranteed him a seat at their exclusive club. The talking brains are actually humans just like him that the Sybil System cannot judge. He is one of a kind and he belongs with them on a seat worthy of Gods everywhere. Like the true anarchist that he is though, he just laughed at their faces and proceeded to kill the person that offered him the position. He grew into a man that not even the system can tempt. It’s because he simply doesn’t want anything than to create chaos,  watch people embrace chaos and to shatter the illusion that the Sybil System has promised. It was amazing. He deserves more credit for being such an amazing character.

The other death scenes in the anime were good but nothing as emotionally charged as when he died. Makishima was escaping after failing to destroy the hyper oats of Japan but he was up against Kougami and Tsunemori. After crashing his escape car on the field and badly hurt, he squirm his way out of the oats field. The scene then had a classical music play in the background symbolizing his eventual demise.  It was the final confrontation and, after some exchange of words between Kougami and Makishima that was very thrilling, Kougami killed Makishima and the anime ended.

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh9mHh52zW4

I would really love to pick Gen Urobuchi’s brain apart. He has a knack for grabbing the viewers and choking them slowly while letting go and disappearing in the streets before the neck would snap. Full emotionally charged anime that is pretty hard to beat. The one thing going on in my mind while watching Psycho Pass though was “Gee, I bet Guilty Crown would’ve been ten times better if Uro-butcher wrote it”.

1. Tooth Brush Sex- Nisemonogatari

This is expected, right?

Seriously, it’s a no brainer. The tooth brush scene of Nisemonogatari is the most memorable moment of 2012. It may not be the best or the worst but it’s damn memorable. This is the moment that will be forever talked about by people who have seen it and people who will see it. It’s just a moment that truly lasts even if you don’t want it to. The anime itself isn’t that good. I know some people liked it and some don’t. The first season was accused of being a mindless Ecchi anime because of the unnecessary fan service in it and I believe the second season prove that accusation. Story over Fan service is something that truly dampens an anime experience.

Of all the needless fan service though, it was when the main character decided to brush his sister’s teeth that just really made an impact. I believe it was to prove that he can arouse her. It’s all blurry to me now but she wanted a proof of his claim. He got her toothbrush, placed some toothpaste on it, warned his sister that she can no longer refuse once he does the deed and then went inside his sister’s mouth.

It was certainly a weird moment. The sister was moaning in satisfaction and you can see her resist the pleasurable feeling she was experiencing but her body was slowly giving in. There were some pretty descriptive scenes of her being in total orgasmic world and the big brother was slowly being drawn by it. If you thought the scene couldn’t get any more weird then you are wrong. He suddenly got on top of his sister and he was passionately working her mouth. It ends pretty climactic as well.

I saw pretty speechless when I first saw this and I was having a hard time looking away. It was the kind of bad thing that you can’t help but enjoy watching. Something about brushing the teeth to arouse a person was pretty intriguing, I give points for that. The incest and the underage notion of the scene comes afterward. If you are planning to watch the scene then be prepared. It’s not a great experience but it is something that truly tops everything else in this list.

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1jY7BLQVMc

This moment was the most memorable moment of 2012. I’d say it’s the best but it can also be the worst, to be honest. I love original moments and experiences that are new to me. The tooth brush scene of Nisemonogatari is the number one moment of 2012.

Agree? Disagree? Let’s hear your opinion. 🙂