As we head towards the final days of 2013, we introduce to you the inaugural Capsule Computers Anime of the Year Awards. This year in particular has been a particularly big one for anime, with countless quality anime bursting onto the scene. With so much great anime this year it is only right to celebrate the best of the best. So without further adieu, here are our nominees for the year of 2013.
Best OVAOVA stands for Original Video Animation. An OVA is usually an original one-shot episode or a side-story to a popular series. This year has featured several great OVA releases that have wowed anime fans. Some have proved to be a nice side-story and others have served to add even further to the series they spawned from. On top of that there has been some great original one-shots that have made some major impact. Here are the nominees for Best OVA of 2013:
- Attack on Titan: Ilse’s Journal
- Corpse Party: Tortured Souls
- Gundam Unicorn 6
- Fairy Tail x Rave Master
Best SequelA sequel can come in many shapes and forms. Sometimes it can continue on a past work in a consistent fashion, other times it can top it. It can even be something completely different. But what makes a great sequel is the way it works with the original piece. This year feature a number of great sequels that add to the existing content in a huge way even surpassing it. Here are our nominees for best sequel of 2013:
- High School DxD New
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 2 – Battle Tendency
- Kuroko’s Basketball 2
- Oreimo 2
- Valvrave the Liberator 2
- The World God Only Knows – Goddess Arc
Best Anime MovieFilm is a medium that stands on the opposite end of the spectrum to television. A film is a shorter form of story-telling but it is also capable of telling stories of the same caliber as long-form television. Anime films are in and of themselves a special breed and this year we have been privy to many great ones. Here are the nominees for best anime movie of 2013:
- Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo
- Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
- Hunter x Hunter: Phantom Rouge
- Iron Man: Rise of Technovore
- The Garden of Words
- A Certain Magical Index: Endyumion’s Miracle
- The Wind Rises
- Madoka Magica: Movie 3 – Rebellion
Best AnimationThere are some moments in anime that just blow you away. A lot of these moments are ones that feature mind-blowing animation, in particular sakuga animation. That isn’t all that makes animation great however, the artwork can play a big role in what makes the animation so good. There were some really stunning series in terms of animation this year. Here are the nominees for best animation of 2013:
- Monogatari Series Second Season
- Blood Lad
- Eccentric Family
- Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
- The Garden of Words
- Beyond the Boundary
- Valvrave the Liberator
- Attack on Titan
- Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
Best StudioIt takes a good studio to make a great anime series, but it takes a great studio to make a great anime series over and over again. Consistent brilliance is a special kind of thing and it is something that is a quality of a great anime studio. Here are the nominees for best anime studio of 2013:
- Production I.G
- Kyoto Animation
- Madhouse
- J.C. Staff
- Sunrise
- Tatsunoko Productions
Best Theme SongWhat is it that makes a great theme song? Is it one that suits the series to perfection or is it one that transcends the very nature of being an anime theme song entirely? Regardless, a great anime theme song is one that sticks with you long after listening. Here are the nominees for best theme song of 2013:
- Watamote OP
- Attack on Titan OP1
- Log Horizon OP
- Valvrave OP1
- Ace of Diamond OP
Best ScoreThe score is an integral part of any anime series. The music can either make or break many anime series. With a great soundtrack a series can reach truly great heights. However with a bad one it can fall apart entirely. This year several anime stood out as featuring an impressive score. Here are our nominees for best score:
- Blood Lad
- Symphogear G
- Love Live
- Kill La Kill
- Valvrave the Liberator
- Eccentric Family
- Attack on Titan
Best Anime of Winter 2013Winter was an interesting season for anime, despite by and large being rather hit and miss, there were some truly memorable anime series to come out of it, some of which made a huge impact on the year of 2013. Here are the nominees for best anime of Winter 2013:
- Problem Children Are Coming From Another World
- Maoyu Maou Yuusha
- Kotoura-san
Best Anime of Spring 2013This was undoubtedly the season filled with the big hitters. There was a number of huge titles released in Spring 2013 and it was certainly hard to narrow it down to the best of the best. With so many quality anime in Spring 2013 we brought it to the three best of the best. Here are our nominees for best anime of Spring 2013:
- The Devil is a Part-Timer
- Attack on Titan
- Valvrave the Liberator
Best Anime of Summer 2013Much like Spring, Summer 2013 was filled with great anime. There was a number of stand-outs but there can only be one winner. Summer was at boiling point with quality anime and as such many deserve a nomination. The nominees for best anime of Summer 2013 are:
- Watamote
- Blood Lad
- Silver Spoon
- Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya
- Eccentric Family
Best Anime of Fall 2013Fall is historically one of the biggest hitters in terms of anime and it was no different this year. Jam-packed with high profile anime series, Fall 2013 was one to remember. Here are the nominees for best anime of Fall 2013:
- Golden Time
- Kill La Kill
- Outbreak Company
- Valvrave the Liberator 2
- Ace of Diamond
Best Anime Release of the YearWhat a phenomenal year it has been for anime releases in the West. We have been lucky enough to get some incredible home releases, but what were the real cream of the crop? Were they ones that packed a punch content wise? Did they come in some fancy packaging? Was the series itself the real winner? What makes a great release? Well it comes down to the quality of release and this year there has been many of them. Here are our nominees for both Australia and the United States for best anime release of the year:Australian Releases:
- Sengoku Basara Samurai Kings Collection (Madman)
- Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko (Hanabee)
- Garden of Sinners Deluxe Collection (Madman)
- Another (Hanabee)
- Tiger and Bunny (Siren Visual)
US Releases:
- Tiger and Bunny (Viz Media)
- Yuru Yuri Season 1 Premium Edition (NIS America)
- High School DxD (Funimation)
Anime of the YearThe top prize in these awards in none other than Anime of the Year. The anime that is selected as Anime of the Year is truly the greatest anime as an artform has to offer for the year of 2013. It has etched itself into anime history as one of the best of the best. 2013 will forever be remembered as the year that this great anime aired. So what is the Anime of the Year? What anime will reach the greatest height the medium can reach, that is being the best of the best? Here are our nominees for Anime of the Year for 2013:
- Attack on Titan
- Eccentric Family
- Valvrave the Liberator
- Log Horizon
