Your Top 5 Anime in 2012

[Doraku]

Since year 2012 is almost/already ended, I'm wondering what Anime which you consider the best/top 5 during year 2012? I guess 5 options are adequate, since 10 options are too much and 3 option are too little.

This is the list of Anime series which are completed during 2012:

Accel World
Acchi Kocchi
AKB0048
Amagami SS+ Plus
Ano Natsu de Matteru [Waiting in the Summer]
Another
Aquarion EVOL
Arashi no Yoru ni -Himitsu no Tomodachi-
Arcana Famiglia
Area no Kishi [The Knight in the Area]
Bakugan Battle Brawlers Gundalian Invaders
Bakuman s2
Battle Spirits Heroes
Beelzebub
Binbou-gami ga!
Black Rock Shooter TV
BLEACH
BRAVE10
BTOOOM!
Busou Shinki
Campione
Cardfight Vanguard
Chihayafuru
Chitose Gecchu [Chitose Get You]
Chouyaku Hyakunin Isshu: Uta Koi
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai [Chu-2 ...]
CODE:BREAKER
Cross Fight B-daman
Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai [So, I Can't Play H?]
Danbooru Senki [Little Battlers eXperience]
Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou [Daily Lives of High School Boys]
Digimon Xros Wars [Digimon Fusion]
DOG DAYS s2
Duel Masters Victory
Ebiten -Kouritsu Ebisugawa Kouukou Tenmonbu-
Eureka Seven AO
Fate Zero s2
Fushigi no Yappo-jima Pukipuki to Poi
Gakkatsu
Gintama s2
Gokujyo. Gokurakuin Joshikou-ryou Monogatari
Guilty Crown
Gundam Age
Hagure Yuusha no Aesthetica [Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero]
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san
Hakuouki Reimeiroku
Hayate no Gotoku! CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU
Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb
High School DxD
HIGH SCORE
Hiiro no Kakera (s1+s2)
Himitsu Kessha Taka no Tsume Gaiden Mukashi no Yoshida-kun [Eagle Talon gaiden]
Hyouge Mono
Hyouka
Inazuma Eleven GO
Inuboku Secret Service [Inu x Boku SS]
Jewelpet Sunshine
Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita [Humanity Has Declined]
Jormungand (s1+s2)
Joshiraku
K
Kamisama Hajimemashita [Kamisama Kiss]
Kill Me Baby
Kimi to Boku s2
Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate [Love, Elections & Chocolate]
Koiken -Watashi-tachi Anime ni Nacchatta-
Kokoro Connect
Kono Naka ni Hitori, Imouto ga Iru! [Nakaimo - My Sister is Among Them]
Kore wa Zombie desu ka? OF THE DEAD [Is This a Zombie? s2]
Kuroko no Basuke [Kuroko's Basketball]
Kyoukaisenjou no Horizon II [Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere II]
Last Exile (s2) Ginyoku no Fam
Litchi Hikari Club
Lupin the Third -Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna-
Lupin the Third: Touhou Kenbunroku -Another Page-
Mainichi Kaasan
Maji de Otaku na English! Ribon-chan -Eigo de Tatakau Mahou Shoujo-
Medaka Box (s1+s2)
Metal Fight Beyblade 4D
Metal Fight Beyblade ZEROG
Mirai Nikki [Future Diary]
Mouretsu Pirates [Bodacious Space Pirates]
Moyashimon Returns
Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse
Natsuiro Kiseki
Natsume Yuujin-chou s4 [Natsume's Book of Friends 4]
Natsuyuki Rendezvous
Nazo no Kanojo X [Mysterious Girlfriend X]
Nekomonogatari: Kuro
Nisemonogatari
Oda Nobuna no Yabou [The Ambition of Oda Nobuna]
Onii-chan dakedo Ai sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne
Papa no Iu-koto wo Kikinasai[Listen to Me, Girls. I Am Your Father]
Persona 4
Phi Brain Kami no Puzzle (s1+s2)
Pim to Pom no Chicchana Bouken
Pokemon Best Wish
Pretty Rhythm: Aurora Dream
Queen's Blade Rebellion
Recorder to Randsell Do+Re [Recorder and Randsell s1-2]
Rinne no Lagrange [Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne] (s1+s2)
Sakamichi no Apollon [Kids on the Slope]
Saki Achiga-hen episode of side-A
Sankarea
Seitokai no Ichizon Lv.2
Sengoku Collection
Sengoku Paradise -Kiwami-
Senki Zesshou Symphogear
Shakugan no Shana III Final
Shiba Inuko-san
Shin-Tennis no Oujisama [New Prince of Tennis]
Shining Hearts -Shiawase no Pan-
SKET DANCE
Suki'tte Iina yo [Say I Love You]
Sweet Pretty Cure
Sword Art Online
Tamagotchi
Tantei Opera Milky Holmes s2
TARI TARI
Tasogare-otome x Amnesia [Dusk Maiden of Amnesia]
Teekyuu
Thermae Romae
To Love-ru Darkness
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun [My Little Monster]
Tottoko Hamutarou Dechu
Tsuritama
Upotte
Wooser no Sono-hi-gurashi [Wooser's Hand-to-Mouth Life]
Yurumates 3D
YuruYuri s2
Yuugiou ZEXAL [Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal]
Zero no Tsukaima F [The Familiar of Zero F] (s4)
ZETMAN
Zoobles

You have to list 5 Anime which you think the best Anime in 2012, and briefly explain why you consider those Anime as the best of 2012.

[Ju-da-su]

If I were to go with your list of anime that ends this year...

Persona 4 Just...incredible job, Atlus. The game was already so full of pure wins, and they completely upsized everything in the anime, both the comedic and dramatic parts. It's the anime that made me laugh the most (or tie with Gintama) and the only anime that manage to make me cry every single time things become so dramatic (especially around Nanako...not like I like her, but it's just...T_T ) A talking hero definitely made SO MUCH DIFFERENT! Definitely my best of the year! XD

Gintama' Gintama rose up so rapidly on my list I just can't stop it from getting into my top five, both as a manga and as an anime. I only started watching and reading it last year, and it just...swooshed my entire list away just like that. The gags are seriously very well done, but the dramatic and slice-of-life-kinda part is also very touchy. It's the anime that actually is just as good as the original manga, even though they changed some of the manga gags to suit the anime and do have some fillers (which are ftw anyway).

Hyouka Awesome. I don't exactly know how to really explain it, but it's just awesome, period.

Sword Art Online I won't deny it. I know a lot of people hate ALO arc, but to me, it's not like that'll be enough to pull it anywhere down from my list. (I'm an extreme simpleton after all. I've never seriously criticize any anime...except for one, in my whole life. I don't know what's so bad about ALO as well. *shrug*) The action is good. The plot is good. Basically am loving it as a whole, and can't wait for the next season to come.

K I know a lot of people say they hate this show because there's no real plot to it. As I said in the anime discussion thread, the last two episodes of this show are more than enough to kick it up to being the best anime of Autumn for me. At first, if considering the whole year, I actually hesitate between giving it to this or to Accel World, but come to think of it, I don't really like how Accel World ends all that much, in comparison to this short series. (Accel World has been OK until its last couple of episodes. I like everything before it went into the Dusk Taker arc...in contrast, for K, I'm so-so with everything, but the final scene is really full of impact for me. So...I'll give this one the fifth place in the whole year... )

[Doraku]

Allright, I think I'm going to start listing.

1. Hyouka

Absolutely my number one favorite Anime of this year. I never consider myself as a fan of KyoAni, even though I watch Clannad and Haruhi before I watched Hyouka. I think the most interesting part of Hyouka for me is how it's wonderfully written, the story does not feel forced, it's attracting me to watch every episode closely. I'm also a huge fan of mystery genre as well - no matter how "small" mystery in Hyouka are - so that's a huge plus for me to watch this Anime.

2. Fate/Zero

The second cour of this Anime is not as interesting as the first part, since well.. the Anime skips some significant details which are appeared in the light novel, yet I was captivated by its animation. Reading the light novel and watching Animation are obviously two different experiences, but I was mesmerized how the battle was meticulously made. I knew ufotable is very famous because their state-of-the-art animation quality when they released Kara no Kyoukai, but Fate/Zero made me realize that ufotable is a top-notch studio.

3. Lupin the 3rd : Fujiko Onna

As a fan of classic things, it's embarrassing to admit that I never heard about Lupin 3rd franchise or Monkey Punch before I watched this Anime. This Anime made me watch almost all Lupin 3rd franchise. This anime in particular gives me a certain classic vibe, which you rarely seen in recent Anime.

4. Chuu-2 Byo Demo Koi ga Shitai!

When I knew that KyoAni made this, I was already hooked. The way Chuu-2 somewhat parodying Otaku culture is just awesome. The relationship between the cast is gradually getting better too, so it's just perfect. Some people might be disappointed because the latter part development, but well, judging from the title alone, you should know already about how the story would end.

5. Tsuritama

Yeah, I choose this Anime as my 5th favorite XD. The reason is pretty simple, I guess.. I just like the relationship between the characters, and its theme about fishing, which I consider unusual for an Anime or Manga.

Honorable Mentions:

Sakamichi no Apollon
Nichibros
Nisemonogatari
Joshiraku
Kokoro Connect
Tonari no Kaibutsu-Kun

[Jammin]

1. Gintama

Gintama was Gintama. Which, for people who don't know, means being over the top hilarious while at the same time retaining the ability to remain dramatic. It's characters do the unexpected and it's stories go places a sane mind would never expect. It makes your eyes tear up with laughter one minute and the next do it was sadness. This year Gintama anime did it again, and I loved every second of it.

2. Nisemonogatari

I think this was every bit as good as Bakemonogatari, which is high praise. It's unique and addicting dialogue style, combined with it's equally unique visaul style made it fantastic to watch and re-watch. The theme of "fakes" was something that really worked for me and I think couldn't have been done any better. Not to mention episode 8 (the toothbrush episode) cemented itself for me as the #1 thing I never want someone to catch me watching; I respect that.

3. Nekomonogatari: Kuro

The 4 episode Hanakawa story every bit as great as the rest of the related stuff but it was shorter so I'm putting it 3rd.

4. Ixon Saga DT

A real surprise for me. A really well done spoof or JRPG's and fantasy stereo types. This is a series that has really thrived on the stellar voice work. Thanks to that stuff that would normally be "ok" became "good" and stuff that would normally be "good" became "great". I've enjoyed Ixon Saga far more than I ever expected to.

5. Sword Art Online

I'm conflicted about SAO. On the one hand, the first half of the series was awesome. On the other, the second half was horrifically bad. Since I can't really think of a #5 series for my list SAO gets my choice based solely on the first half, which really was awesome. It's a shame things went the way the did.

[Skyguardian]

1. Persona 4 - The Animation

My favourite game made into an Anime. Thanks to this I saw 3 versions of the Story (PS2, TV, PS Vita). Without a doubt the mix of comedy and drama was unrivaled. Furthermore the animation quality was awesome and the voice acting was very good. They really nailed it.

2. Shakugan no Shana

The final to a masterpiece. In my opinion one of the best LN of all times. The story was outstanding and the characters were executed very very well. I'm still sad it is finished...

3. Chuunibyou demo Koi wa shitai

I already posted my opinion about this at the favourite Anime of Autumn season thread.

4. Accel World

I really liked the story. At last a not good looking male main char in a shounen world. The story was great and I really hope they animate the other LN volumes as well.

5. Sword Art Online

If I'd only counted SAO without ALO I had it placed at 3.
But because of ALO I placed it at 5 because ALO was horrible.
Because there weren't any other shows who were Top 5 quality and the first part of SAO was plain awesome it is still on my list.

[Monsterguy]

To the following 5 series below giving a rank would be meaningless in my opinion, why each and every one of them "shines on it's own":

• Nekomonogatari: Kuro
  Well truth be told Monogatari series is actually in general quite interesting to me becouse of it's good storyline. Anyway, I still think that Hanakawa "in her cat form" is that something what makes it complete so that it looks perfect to me (maybe I fell for her sexyness...). Nontheless, I must also admit it, that this movie "deeply increased" my interests into "Shinobu and Araragi's first meeting" !!!

• Steins;Gate: Oukoubakko no Poriomania
  (Despite being released in februar 2012, it's not mentioned in the first post, but...)
  This movie was incredibly good as well, while watching it I enjoyed "whole heartedly". Primarly because I always wanted to see more of my favorite character from this series, a girl named "Kurisu", why my main interest lied in her right from the start (I was suspicious of her from the begining).
  

  I was interested into how she got involved into everything, and how she gave me impression like she met with the main character Okabe Rintarou at the begining.

  
  What I wanted to know was at the end given/"presented on the plate" to me in this movie, although I must admit, that I loved also almost everything else about this movie (like for example good graphic, well picked background sounds/voices, etc)...

• Hyouka
  Poor Houtarou always beaten by Chitanda's beauty (). But what is even more impressive to me in this series, is how can Houtarou make logical conclusions based on simple facts and evidences that are really hard to connect otherwise, I just can't have enough of those things...

• Natsume Yuujinchou Shi / Natsume Yuujin-chou s4 [Natsume's Book of Friends 4]
  I don't know how and why, but this series always calms me down. I have no clue how to describe it(put it into words), but after watching just one episode, something inside me says with a warm feeling: " You are never alone, why friends and loved ones are always there for you, you just need to be aware of them, and have fun !!!".

• High School DxD
  I think you will understand what this series is all about, after just watching the first episode. Pure awesomeness if you ask me, hot girls interacting with energetic males, I loved it and at times laughed like crazy while watching it, Issei as the main character is just "one of a kind" if you ask me...

PS: Additionly let me tell you that a few like "Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!" or "Nichibros" look also amaizing to me, but I didn't watch them yet...

[phio_chan]

Ah, I didn't notice this thread! Here's mine, in no particular order:

Chihayafuru ~ I didn't think I'd enjoy an anime about sports so much, not to mention literature-related, something as boring as karuta. I like how the characters and plot were presented. As its genre is also slice of life, it feels like you can relate to the characters better, understanding their complications, and growing up with it. It's funny and lovely.

Fate Zero s2 ~ Real action! One of my 'dark' anime this year, absolutely loved the action, the clash of ideas and definitions, and the solution to it. It was hard to stop and you ended up feeling like you wanted to hug all the characters for trying so hard and to have such fate.

Hyouka ~ I wouldn't thought I'd love Hyouka! The first few episodes were boring, I didn't know where the plot wanted to go to, but after the first arc it got better! The presentation of plot, the lovely characters (I missed super lazy Oreki!), and the mysteries eventually got me hooked to the series. Great!

Mirai Nikki ~ Freak. Weakling. I didn't like the characters but the plot was quite interesting so I followed it. It turned out to be great. Mirai Nikki managed to caught my feelings so the experience with this series was even better. Awesome survival anime, lol.

Last, a tie between Sakamichi no Apollon, Sword Art Online, and Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. All these series started brilliantly but the hype somehow died a bit as they came to an end. Probably because it didn't end as definite and clear as I wished they would be (Tonari and SAO are still on-going anyway). Still thumbs up for these series, they did bring me happiness despite the weakness in plot and character development.

[Kaiten]

I didn't start watching anime again until the fall season, but did catch up on some of the shows that aired earlier in the year.

1. Hyouka: My favorite of the year. Smart, funny, warm, well written, and beautifully animated. The characters were brilliant, the main cast all felt so human and real. A great series, and instant classic.
2. Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Remake of the sci-fi classic. Heart pounding action, incredibly well scripted and intense. Beneath all the action bombast is a very human story, with real emotions.
3. Chuunibyou: Another entry into the canon of KyoAni classics. Rikka is on the list of all time most memorable anime heroine. What could have been a good screwball comedy, and nothing more, was instead an emotionally deep, psychologically realistic love story about coming to grips with real life, without giving up your childhood.
4. Nisemonogtari: More Monogatari weirdness. Even without much Senjogahara, I liked this installment a little better than Bakemonogatari. The Fire Sisters are one of a kind, Kaiki makes a great villain, but Shinobu steals the show. Honorable mention to Nekomogatari: Black, which aired on New Years Eve.
5. Psycho-Pass: Knotty, violent cyberpunk thriller that gets better every week. Might be higher in retrospect, but the show is still airing, and all it's secrets have not yet been revealed