Rory’s Summer 2013 Anime Awards

Welcome to my first quarterly anime awards! It is here that we hold a festival of positivity and celebrate all the anime I have watched in a particular season; the Summer 2013 Season has the honour of being the first recipients of my awards!

First, a list of the anime I have watched for this season, in alphabetical order (I will use English titles where I can, but you may notice at least one exception to the rule):

• A Certain Scientific Railgun S (Silent Party Arc)
• Attack on Titan (Female Titan Arc)
• Chronicles of the Going Home Club
• Fantasista Doll
• Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya
• Gatchaman Crowds
• Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation
• il sole penetra le illusioni ~ Day Break Illusion
• Kiniro Mosaic
• Senki Zesshou Symphogear G
• Stella Women’s Academy, High School Division Class C3

So, with that in mind, be aware that there will be spoilers for the anime series listed above. Now, let’s get on to the awards, shall we?

 Best Opening Theme

Where better to start the awards than with the opening themes? Question is, which anime had the best opening theme?

• “eternal reality” by fripSide – Opening of A Certain Scientific Railgun S’ Silent Party Arc
• “Jiyuu no Tsubasa” by Linked Horizon – Opening of Attack on Titan’s Female Titan Arc
• “2 Gakki Debut Daisakusen!!” by Otome Shintō – Chronicles of the Going Home Club
• “Ima yo! Fantasista Doll” by Fantasista Doll Cast – Fantasista Doll
• “starlog” by ChouCho – Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya
• “Crowds” by White Ash – Gatchaman Crowds
• “Dimension Tripper” by nao – Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation
• “träumeri” by LiSA – il sole penetra le illusioni ~ Day Break Illusion
• “Jumping!!” by Rhodanthe* – Kiniro Mosaic
• “Vitalization” by Nana Misuki – Senki Zesshou Symphogear G
• “Shape My Story” by Anna Yanno – Stella Women’s Academy, High School Division Class C3

The winner of the Best Opening Theme Award is: “Dimension Tripper” by nao. This was a close choice between the themes from il sole penetra illusioni ~ Day Break Illusion, Attack on Titan and Gatchaman Crowds, but Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation came out on top. Definitely listen to the full version; there’s a pretty sweet guitar solo.

Best Plot

So, which anime series told the best story? Well, I’ll go through each one with a quick summary of each plot first.

• A Certain Scientific Railgun S (Silent Party Arc) – Haruki Aritomi is a scientist who feels that those without Esper powers don’t get enough recognition within Academy City. As a result, he created an artificial human, in hopes that he would gain some fame. The Railgun stumbles across the artificial human, Febri, which ends up getting them involved in Haruki’s plot.
• Attack on Titan (Female Titan Arc) – After Eren had displayed the ability to transform into a Titan, he is given one chance to prove his worth to humanity by venturing outside the walls with the Survey Corps. When they get outside the walls, they discover that another human has the ability to turn into a Titan, and she causes the Survey Corps’ mission to fail. Back inside the city walls, the identity of the Female Titan is revealed.
• Chronicles of the Going Home Club – Natsuki Andou has no intention of joining an after school club once a new school year starts. When asked which club she’s going to join, she says the “going home club”. It turns out that there is an actual Going Home Club, which she ends up joining.
• Fantasista Doll – Uzume Uno is a middle school student who is given a deck of cards that allow her to summon dolls. She is actively hunted down by the Mutual Dream Assurance Group, who seek to take her cards from her.
• Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya – Illyasviel von Einzbern lives a normal life until a sentient magical wand interrupts her bath one day, and gives her the powers of a magical girl. Under the tutelage of Rin Tohsahka, Illya has to retrieve the Class Cards, by defeating them in battle.
• Gatchaman Crowds – Aliens known as MESS are seen to be hostile towards the human race. However, the newest Gatchaman, Hajime Ichinose, reaches out to the MESS. As a result, all humans are returned. However, another alien by the name of Berg Katse seeks to destroy the world, by manipulating people and abusing a social networking phenomena known as Galax.
• Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation – Based on the Hyperdimension Neptunia games, this shows the CPUs (goddesses) of four nations signing a peace treaty, and then dealing with various threats to their nations. Rather than one overarching plot, this anime shows several events from the games.
• il sole penetra le illusioni ~ Day Break Illusion – Elemental Tarot Card users have to fight people possessed by Daemonia. However, the only way to save a possessed person is to kill them. Akari Taiyou is the next user of the Sun Tarot Card, and a target for a mysterious person known as Cerebrum.
• Kiniro Mosaic – Japanese girl Shinobu Oomiya does a homestay in England with the Cartalet family. The only English she knows is “hello”; however, she becomes friends with Alice Cartalet, an English girl who is the same age. Some years pass, and Alice moves to Japan in order to be with friend.
• Senki Zesshou Symphogear G – A scientist named Dr. Ver seeks for a way to become a “great hero”, which he moves towards by using the Cane of Solomon to summon Noise. He also uses the terrorist group FIS in order to fulfil his ambitions. FIS happens to have three Symphogear users amongst its ranks, though they seek to save the world from the lunar fall.
• Stella Women’s Academy, High School Division Class C3 – Yura Yamato starts a new life at the prestigious Stella Women’s Academy, where she discovers that her roommate, Sonora Kashima, keeps guns in her room. She ends up joining the C3 club; a club that are dedicated to airsoft. Yura is initially shy, but the airsoft quickly changes her personality, though maybe not for the best…

The winner of the Best Plot Award goes to Gatchaman Crowds. The use of social networking, and the need for heroes in the world was an intriguing concept that was extremely enjoyable to watch.

Best Main Character

Without any characters, anime would just be shot after shot of background scenery, without much happening. Of course, some characters are in the spotlight more than others; the question is, which of these main characters is the best one?

• Mikoto Misaka – The protagonist of A Certain Scientific Railgun S. A Level 5 Electromaster Esper. She is also known as “Railgun”, due to her trademark attack where she flicks a coin charged with electricity. At first, she wouldn’t involve her friends in certain events, but she is more willing to let them help during the Silent Party Arc.
• Eren Jaeger – The protagonist of Attack on Titan. Also the only male character on this list. When he was younger, he saw his mother devoured by a Titan. From that moment on, he had a deep-rooted hatred of Titans, which made him want to join the Survey Corps. He achieves his dream, but his hesitation to enter into battle results in the Female Titan killing many members of the Survey Corps. Eren’s dream is to explore the world outside the walls.
• Natsuki Andou – The protagonist of Chronicles of the Going Home Club. She always seems ready to retort to the Going Home Clubs’ remarks, and is very much the straight man of the group. She is quite a bully towards her younger brother.
• Uzume Uno – The protagonist of Fantasista Doll. She often goes to her friends for advice on anything, and often seems to lack confidence. She doubts her abilities as a doll master to begin with, but things quickly get better.
• Illyasviel von Einzbern – The protagonist of Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya. She initially enjoys becoming a magical girl, but after witnessing how real the dangers are, she falls into a slump. Even more so when Miyu tells her to leave it. However, she comes to realise that Miyu was just trying to protect a dear friend, and reveals that she feels the same way about Miyu.
• Hajime Ichinose – The protagonist of Gatchaman Crowds. She also seems to have energy to spare. The first impression you get of Hajime doesn’t really explain what she is like. She becomes the entire G-Crew’s ray of sunshine, and even engages in friendly conversation with Berg Katze.
• Neptune – The protagonist of Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation. Despite being the CPU of Planeptune, she would rather spend her days playing games and lazing around. She does get serious when necessary however, and will work to protect her home nation.
• Akari Taiyou – The protagonist of il sole penetra le illusioni ~ Day Break Illusion. Akari ends up having the power of the Elemental Tarot thrust upon her, leading to the death of her cousin Fuyuna. She is able to hear the voices of Daemonia, which renders her unable to fight properly against them at first. However, she was willing to make a sacrifice in order to save her friends.
• Alice Cartalet – The protagonist of Kiniro Mosaic. An English girl who moved over to Japan in order to be with her best friend, Shinobu Oomiya. She’s practically fluent in Japanese, in addition to have grown up speaking English. She is shy at first, but she opens up after becoming friends with Shino. She gets envious easily whenever Shino interacts with someone else or vice-versa.
• Hibiki Tachibana – The protagonist of Senki Zesshou Symphogear G. She knows what she fights for, and no longer hesitates. She is kind-hearted, though she can be aloof sometimes. Hibiki loves to help other people. She considers Miku Kohinata to be the sun that keeps her warm.
• Yura Yamato – The protagonist of Stella Women’s Academy, High School Division Class C3. She is initially shy at first, but starts to open up as she participates in airsoft matches with the C3 club. However, she quickly becomes obsessed with winning, which results in her feeling like she no longer belongs to the C3 club.

And the winner for the Best Main Character award goes to Hibiki Tachibana. The main heroine of Senki Zesshou Symphogear G, she makes it her mission to help everyone she can. Also, she is perfectly capable of holding her own in a fight, and presses on even through dark times.

Best Antagonist

There are the good guys, and then there are the bad guys. Each villain has their own objective, though which antagonist is the best?

• Haruki Aritomi – The main antagonist of the Silent Party Arc of A Certain Scientific Railgun S. He does not possess any Esper powers, and feels that people like him don’t receive the recognition they deserve within Academy City. Haruki is the leader of the group known as STUDY. Their goal is to show their power in Academy City.
• Annie Leonhart – The eponymous Female Titan of the arc of the same name in Attack on Titan. She relentlessly pursues Eren, killing off many members of the Survey Corps as she does so. She was able to get her hands on Eren once, but Mikasa and Levi were able to save him. Armin works out her identity, and an attempt to capture her inside the city is launched.
• Komachi Kiyomasa – The chairman of the Mutual Dream Assurance Group. Uzume doesn’t know this about her at first, and often went to her for advice. Komachi was the previous master of Uzume’s dolls, and seeks to regain them in order to resurrect her first friend, a doll named Sonnet.
• Berg Katse – An alien from Gatchaman Crowds. He had destroyed OD’s home planet, and murdered Paiman’s friend in the past. Berg Katse seeks to destroy Earth, all without lifting a finger. He delights in human suffering, and possesses the ability to shapeshift.
• Dr. Ver – The main antagonist of Senki Zesshou Symphogear G. He is a scientist, who steals the Cane of Solomon. He uses the FIS in order to awaken the Frontier, and manipulates the feelings of others in order to make friends turn against friend.
• Arfoire – The first main antagonist of Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation. She was able to successfully capture the four CPUs. Naturally, her plan didn’t work out in the end, though that didn’t stop her from making a second attempt. She was able to kidnap IF, and abuse Neptune’s weakness to eggplants. However, Iris Heart put an end to her villainous ways.
• Rei Ryghts – Another antagonist from Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation. She initially seems to lack confidence, and acts as if she had been dragged into troublesome situations. However, she is actually the CPU of the ancient nation Tari, and she wants to reclaim her former glory.
• Cerebrum – The main antagonist of il sole penetra le illusioni ~ Day Break Illusion. His goal is to mate with Akari Taiyou, as she is half-Daemonia. If he achieves his goal both he and Akari would ascend into higher beings. He forced Akari to relive the day Fuyuna died in an attempt to break her.

And the winner of the Best Antagonist Award goes to Berg Katse. Berg Katse is just an evil alien bent on the destruction of the world in Gatchaman Crowds, a goal which he moves towards by manipulating humans. Berg Katse won’t get his own hands dirty, and takes sheer delight from witnessing humans suffer. Also an honourable mention for Dr. Ver from  Senki Zesshou Symphogear G, as he also takes great delight in achieving his goals.

Best Cast of Characters

So we’ve had main characters, and their enemies, but what about everyone else? There are more than two characters in each series, but which group is best?

• The Railgun’s Friends – Kuroko Shirai, Ruiko Saten, Kazari Uiharu, Febri, Mitsuko Kongou, Maaya Awatsuki, Kinuho Wannai. Each of Mikoto’s friends are willing to help her out, no matter how dangerous the situation becomes. Each one possesses their own skills, and they can all be relied on.
• The Survey Corps – Eren becomes part of the Survey Corps after his training, in Attack on Titan. Notable members include Hanji, who just loves to dissect things and gather information; Levi, who is considered the strongest member of the team; and Erwin, the commander. Of course, some of Eren’s fellow trainees joined the Survey Corps; Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Sasha and a few others.
• The Going Home Club – Naturally, the main cast of Chronicles of the Going Home Club. Natsuki serves as the straight man of the group, Sakura seems to be the one to come up with bizarre schemes, Botan is able to win fights against bears, Claire is a rich girl who would buy an entire stationery shop just for an eraser and Karin who exudes feminine appeal.
• Masquerade Curry Upbeat – The name of the card club that Uzume joined. It consists of her, Manai, Kagami and their dolls.
• Illya, Miyu, Rin & Luvia – The two main characters and their tutors from Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya. Illya and Miyu are the magical girls, whereas Rin and Luvia provide them with support in their quest to retrieve all the Class Cards.
• The G-Crew – The group of people who are able to transform into Gatchaman, from Gatchaman Crowds. The initial crew stick to the rules, but with Hajime’s arrival, things change. They decide to take the fate of the Earth into their own hands.
• CPUs & CPU Candidates – Representatives of the three main console companies and Sega, each CPU is fiercely devoted to protecting her home nation. The CPU Candidates are representative of handheld consoles, and will do what they can to aid their older sisters.
• The Tarot Quartet – Thus named by Akari Taiyou, the four main characters of il sole penetra le illusioni ~ Day Break Illusion. They work together to fight Daemonia, and are able to rely on each other when their emotions get the better of them.
• Alice, Shino, Aya, Youko & Karen – The five main characters in Kiniro Mosaic. The five of them are good friends, though there are feelings between Alice and Shino and Aya and Youko respectively. Still, they all get along well, and the anime they are from is definitely well worth watching.
• 2nd Division Mobile Disaster Response Corps – The group that Hibiki Tachibana is part of in Senki Zesshou Symphogear G. There are two other Symphogear users; Chris Yukine and Tsubasa Kazanari. They are led by Genjuuro Kazanari. Miku Kohinata and Shinji Ogawa are also part of that group.
• The C3 Club – The club that Yura joins in Stella Women’s Academy, High School Division Class C3. The other members are Sonora Kashima, Rento Kirishima, Karila Hatsuse, Yachiyo Hinata and Honoka Mutsu. They love airsoft, and have fun playing it whenever they can.

And the winner of the Best Cast of Characters Award goes to Kiniro Mosaic. Watching the interactions between the characters was pure joy, and they all played off each other extremely well.

Cutest Character

There are a whole host of character designs within the anime listed above. Characters possess various traits, and this award will go to the one I consider cutest.

• Febri – A young blone-haired girl found by Misaka and her friends. She is actually an artificial human, but that doesn’t stop her functioning like the real thing. She loves cute thing as well, and enjoys being with her friends.
• Karin Touno – One of the members of the Going Home Club. Her feminine appeal level is OVER 9000! *ahem*… blame the actual anime for that Dragon Ball Z reference.
• Miko Uno – Uzume’s younger sister. Not much to say other than she can appreciate even a weird film that claims to have no end before it ends…
• Katia – One of Uzume’s dolls. She appears to be the youngest, and becomes friends with Miko. She also has an unconscious luck ability, which unknowingly keeps her out of trouble.
• Illyasviel von Einzbern – An ordinary schoolgirl who gained the powers and abilities of a magical girl. Just like the majority of the other characters for this award, her cuteness stems from being a child.
• Miyu Edelfelt – A magical girl who is the same age as Illya. Whereas Rin Tohsahka is Illya’s mentor, Luvia takes Miyu under her wing. She develops quite a thing for Illya.
• Utsutsu – One of the G-Crew. She possesses the ability to take and give life with a simple touch. She’s the quiet type at first, but Hajime’s influence has her opening up.
• Rom & Ram – The CPU Candidates of Lowee. They seem to get treated as one character, despite the fact they are twins. They are representative of the DS, and love their sister Blanc very much.
• Peashy – A young girl who just falls out of the sky onto Neptune one day. She develops a bond with Neptune, and often steals her pudding.
• Luna Tsukuyomi – One of the Tarot Quartet, she uses the Moon card. She generally uses vines to bind her opponents in battle. She develops feelings for Akari.
• Alice Cartalet – An English girl who had moved to Japan. She became friends with Shinobu Oomiya, a Japanese girl.   She is able to speak English (obviously) and Japanese.
• Miku Kohinata – Hibiki’s girlfriend. She is dedicated to Hibiki, though she was manipulated through her love for Hibiki.
• Chris Yukine – A character I didn’t originally intend to include on this list. However, after that scene with her treating Tsubasa to dinner, I had a change of heart.
• Yachiyo Hinata – The shortest member of the C3 club. Regardless of her size, she wields a sniper rifle with precision.

And the winner of the Cutest Character Award is Alice Cartalet. Things start with her first meeting with Shino, and then just get cuter and cuter as Kiniro Mosaic continues.

Most Badass Character

Stepping away from the sugary sweet cute characters, we get the characters who are able to pull their weight in battle, and do so consistently. So, who will claim this award?

• Mikoto Misaka – One of Academy City’s Level 5 Espers, she is an Electromaster. Thanks to her abilities, she isn’t just limited to using electricity to attack; she can magnetise iron particles to create weapons, or she can use her electromagnetism to stick to walls and ceilings.
• Mikasa Ackerman – Eren’s adopted sister, who will not hesitate to enter into battle with a Titan. Whenever she fights, it’s practically guaranteed that she will take out at least one Titan. She is even able to go against the Female Titan without taking any serious injuries.
• Botan Oohagi – Yep, a character from a slice-of-life show. She has fought bears and won, and can kick cans into orbit. Even handcuffing her, tying her legs together and launching her on a rocket can’t put a stop to her. The reason she’s so tough? Just in case the show gets retooled into a fighting anime.
• Illyasviel von Einzbern – Maybe not so much at first, but definitely after her encounter with Saber Alter. What helps is the way she manages to become the Heroic Spirit Archer, and then create an exact copy of Excalibur. Later on, she takes on Berserker alongside Miyu, Rin and Luvia.
• Joe Hibiki – He purposely gives of this image, and is the first of the G-Crew to challenge Berg Katze to battle. Things don’t really play out well for him afterwards, until Crowds attack and Sugane gives him some encouraging words through his Note.
• Iris Heart – The sadistic HDD form of Plutia. She loves inflicting pain and suffering upon her enemies, or just anyone who ticks her off. She takes out “Eggfoire” easily, and proves to be an excellent fighter.
• Akari Taiyou – The user of the Sun card. She has the duties of an Elemental Tarot user thrust upon her, but manages to fight the Daemonia. Well, until she realises that the only way to save a possessed human is to kill them…
• Hibiki Tachibana – She uses the Gungnir Symphogear. She will charge into battle, because she knows what she wants to protect. If she takes enough damage, she becomes berserk, which turns her into an incredibly deadly foe.
• Rin Haruna – Sonora’s friend and rival from Meisei Academy. The two were trained under the same master, and are second-to-none when it comes to airsoft. Yura decides to become like Rin, but quickly finds out there’s a lot more to airsoft than just winning.

And the winner of the Most Badass Character Award is Mikasa Ackerman. Eren’s adopted sister, she will charge into battle to protect him. She has killed many Titans, and even as a trainee possesses formidable skills.

Best Couple

Characters hook up with other characters. The interesting thing about this award is that all the couples here are same sex. Yuri goggles have been applied for a few of these. However, which two girls are the best couple?

• Mikoto Misaka & Kuroko Shirai – A very one-sided couple, all the lust in this relationship lies within Kuroko. She absolutely loves her “onee-sama”, though the Railgun generally responds to her advances by zapping her.
• Karin Touno & Claire Kokonoe – Also one-sided. Claire absolutely adores Karin, and spoils her rotten. Since Karin isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, she doesn’t really consider Claire’s behaviour odd.
• Sakura Doumyouji & Botan Oohagi – The two original members of the Going Home Club. Sakura was Botan’s first friend, which helped to increase Botan’s confidence.
• Illyasviel von Einzbern & Miyu Edelfelt – The only two to share a kiss. It all started with Miyu wearing a maid’s uniform. In the end, Miyu became obsessed with Illya, that she didn’t want any of her other friends near her.
• Hajime Ichinose & Utsutsu – Two members of the G-Crew. Utsutsu was initially quiet, but then goes on to open up and admitting that she wants to be near Hajime.
• Akari Taiyou & Luna Tsukuyomi – The Sun and the Moon Elemental Tarot Card users. Luna develops feelings for Akari, though they are used against her. Truth be told, I don’t know if Akari’s feelings are mutual.
• Alice Cartalet & Shinobu Oomiya – An English girl and a Japanese girl. Alice gets jealous whenever anyone else shows any form of affection towards Shino, whereas Shino absolutely loves anything and anyone from outside of Japan.
• Aya Komichi & Youko Inokuma – Two Japanese girls. Aya is very much in love with Youko, yet she can’t just spit it out. Youko seems oblivious to Aya’s feelings, though at least one other person had noticed.
• Hibiki Tachibana & Miku Kohinata – There’s no doubt in my mind that these two girls from Symphogear G are definitely in a relationship. Dr. Ver uses Miku’s love for Hibiki to equip her with a Symphogear, and then Hibiki risks her life in order to save Miku.
• Tsubasa Kazanari & Chris Yukine – Maybe not as prominent as the other pairs from Symphogear, but there is definitely a dynamic between the two. One example that springs to mind is when Tsubasa and Chris confront Dr. Ver together, where Chris refers to Tsubasa as her senpai.
• Kirika Akatsuki & Shirabe Tsukuyomi – Another pairing that have names related to the sun and moon. Two Symphogear users who appear to be enemies at first, but their feelings for each other are undeniable. Of course, since this is Symphogear, the two end up fighting each other to prove their love.

And the winner of the Best Couple Award goes to Hibiki Tachibana & Miku Kohinata. There is no doubt that their relationship is canon, as Dr. Ver is able to use Miku’s love for Hibiki to equip her with a Symphogear. Hibiki and Miku are always there for each other. The other couples from Symphogear G and Kiniro Mosaic are definitely worth a mention as well.

Best Battle

Conflicts are an inevitable part of life, and one that everyone has to deal with at some point. The question is, when these conflicts become full on fights, which one happens to be the best?

• Mikasa Ackerman & Levi vs. The Female Titan – The Female Titan had absolutely decimated the Survey Corps, and managed to defeat Eren in his Titan form. Mikasa pursues, and then both she and Levi team up in order to save Eren from the Female Titan.
• Eren Jaeger vs. Annie Leonhart – A battle of titanic proportions, one might say. Both are in Titan form, though Eren’s second round against the Female Titan has a different ending.
• Uzume Uno vs. Kagami Totori – Both are masters of dolls. Kagami believes that she can discover the whereabouts of her brother if she defeats Uzume. However, Uzume wants to be friends with Kagami, therefore she will fight against her to prove that.
• Illyasviel von Einzbern vs. Saber Alter – Saber Alter appears after Illya and Miyu defeat Caster. Of course, Illya and Miyu are exhausted from their battle, but Illya has a technique she unconsciously uses in order to turn the battle around.
• Illya, Miyu, Rin & Luvia vs. Berserker – Berserker just keeps coming back from being killed in this battle. It is also the final battle in the first season, and quite epic. It is only thanks to the four characters working together that they finally take down Berserker.
• Joe Hibiki vs. Berg Katze – A fight in which the good guy does not win. Joe goes after Berg Katze, but isn’t able to lay a hand on him at all. Berg Katze curbstomps Joe, and comes close to killing him. He almost kills Sugane as well, but Hajime arrives and has a friendly chat with him.
• G-Crew vs. Crowds – Berg Katze had granted control of Crowds to the public, and they use them in order to wreak havoc in the city. The G-Crew all come together in order to defend the innocent, incapacitating the Crowds.
• CPU Candidates vs. Arfoire – Arfoire had managed to capture the four CPUs, and was draining their power. Nepgear, Uni, Rom and Ram all gain access to their HDD forms, and are able to stand against Arfoire and then rescue the CPUs.
• CPUs & Candidates vs. Rei Ryghts – Rei Ryghts has her Pongg laser pointed at the people of Planeptune, and neither Neptune nor Nepgear are in any fit state to be fighting due to lowered Share energy. However, the other CPUs arrive, and they all use team work to take down Rei Ryghts and her floating continent.
• Ginka vs. Dark Ginka – Ginka encounters her counterpart card. If a counterpart card is defeated, both the counterpart and the original die. However, she charges into battle, determined to keep her friends safe.
• Elemental Tarot Card Users vs. Cerebrum – After failing to break Akari, Cerebrum tries to kill her and her friends. This battle includes a one-winged angel form and a theme music power-up.
• Hibiki Tachibana vs. Nephilim – Nephilim is a creature that Dr. Ver has under his control that he sends out to fight the Symphogear users. Hibiki doesn’t hesitate to enter into combat with it, however, the words of one of her enemies results in her arm being bitten off. What follows is an epic turnaround as Hibiki’s Berserk mode is activated.
• Tsubasa Kazanari vs. Chris Yukine – Chris turns against Tsubasa, seemingly teaming up with Dr. Ver. She intends to claim responsibility for Solomon’s Cane, but Tsubasa refuses to leave her alone. Of course, the only way Tsubasa can make Chris realise that she isn’t alone is to fight her.
• Shirabe Tsukuyomi vs. Kirika Akatsuki – Two lovers who turn against each other. Kirika believes her soul will disappear due to Finé, and wants to try and save people Dr. Ver’s way. Of course, Shirabe believes the opposite, and both fight to prove their beliefs.
• Symphogear Users vs. Nephilim – All six Symphogear users team up in order to take down Nephilim, which has grown to monstrous proportions thanks to Dr. Ver.
• Stella’s C3 Club vs. Team Seto – One of the airsoft battles before Yura started taking things too seriously. They play a capture the flag match. Members of Team Seto are able to quad-wield guns, though their tactics end up being revealed.
• Yura Yamato vs. Sonora Kashima – Sonora has one final airsoft match with the C3 club before she moves to America. She seems to be victorious, but then Yura returns, ready to take her on. What follows is a match where they both have fun, and inspire their fellow club members to join in.

The winner of the Best Battle Award goes to Symphogear users vs. Nephilim. The climactic final battle of Senki Zesshou Symphogear G, and an epic one. Maria ends up using her sister’s Symphogear armour, and all of them use their X-Drive forms to fight the monstrous Nephilim.

Best Powers

Since I am drawn towards action-oriented anime, it makes sense that the characters within are going to possess a whole manner of different powers. However, which powers do I consider best? The contenders are:

• A Certain Scientific Railgun S – Esper Abilities. Rather than pick one, I’ll just include the whole bunch. From being able to manipulate electromagnetic waves to teleportation, there are a whole host of varied powers that Espers can use. If I had to pick a personal favourite, it would be Railgun’s power, of course.
• Attack on Titan – Titan Transformation. A power displayed by both Eren Jaeger and Annie Leonhart in the anime. By simply drawing blood and having a clear focus on their goal, one can transform into a giant creature known as a Titan. Quite a handy ability to have when your enemies are monstrous man-eating humanoid creatures.
• Fantasista Doll – Doll Summoning. By using her cards, Uzume Uno can summon dolls in order to help her do battle. In addition to summoning five capable warriors, Uzume can use support cards to help her team gain the upper hand. Of course, Uzume isn’t the only one with the ability to summon dolls, as both her friends and enemies can do the same.
• Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya – Magical Girl. A power that may almost be old as anime itself. It comes along with a change of clothes, magical projectile attacks, and the ability to put Class Cards to use.
• Gatchaman Crowds – Gatchaman. By chanting the words “Go, Bird!” the G-Crew can assume their Gatchaman forms. Each form is unique, and provides the user with powers based upon their personalities. It is possible for a member of the G-Crew to transform without anyone knowing, thanks to “Amnesia Effect”.
• Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation – HDD Form. A form only initially achievable by the four main CPUs, the CPU Candidates learn to do it later on. I imagine the transformation increases a CPU’s power, and gives them the ability to fly. Mostly used for combat, though the CPUs do use their HDD Forms in order to get from place to place by flying.
• il sole penetra le illusioni ~ Day Break Illusion – Elemental Tarot. There are 22 Elemental Tarot users in total, though we don’t see all of them. However, each Elemental Tarot user has powers based upon the card they get their powers from. Also, when they use the Elemental Tarot, their appearances change slightly, but not too much.
• Senki Zesshou Symphogear G – Symphogear. By singing a certain song, Symphogear users don their armour. That allows them to fight Noise, that would turn normal humans to ash just by touching them. Also, each Symphogear user has access to a “Swan Song”, that drastically increases their power, though there is a heavy price to pay for using it.

The winner of the Best Powers Award goes to A Certain Scientific Railgun S. Esper powers are diverse, and can range from teleportation to manipulation of electricity.

Best Transformation

Some powers require transformation to work, or bring about a transformation. There are a whole host of transformations, but which is the best?

• Eren Jaeger’s Titan Form
• Annie Leonhart’s Titan Form
• Magical Girl Rin Tohsahka
• Magical Girl Luviagelita Edelfelt
• Magical Girl Illyasviel von Einzbern
• Magical Girl Miyu Edelfelt
• Archer Illyasviel von Einzbern
• Saber Miyu Edelfelt
• Hajime Ichinose’s Gatchaman Form
• Sugane Tachibana’s Gatchaman Form
• Joe Hibiki’s Gatchaman Form
• Berg Katse’s Gatchaman Form
• Paiman’s Gatchaman Form
• Utsutsu’s Gatchaman Form
• OD’s Gatchaman Form
• Purple Heart
• Black Heart
• White Heart
• Green Heart
• Purple Sister
• Black Sister
• White Sisters
• Eggfoire
• Iris Heart
• Yellow Heart
• Rei Ryght’s HDD Form
• Akari’s Sun Elemental Tarot Card
• Luna’s Moon Elemental Tarot Card
• Seira’s Star Elemental Tarot Card
• Ginka’s Temperance Elemental Tarot Card
• Priscilla’s Fool Elemental Tarot Card
• Meltina’s Magician Elemental Tarot Card
• Hibiki’s Gungnir Symphogear
• Tsubasa’s Ame no Habakiri Symphogear
• Chris’ Ichaival Symphogear
• Maria’s Black Gungnir Symphogear
• Shirabe’s Shung Sheol Symphogear
• Kirika’s Igalima Symphogear
• Hibiki’s Berserk Form
• Miku’s Sen Shoujing Symphogear
• Maria’s Airgetlam Symphogear
• Symphogear’s X-Drive

The winner of the Best Transformation Award is Archer Illyasviel von Einzbern. Illya subconsciously uses the power of the Archer class card, and becomes the heroic spirit Archer itself. She is able to fight and defeat Saber Alter due to that.

Best Attack

I’ll be choosing a single attack for each character, otherwise the list for this one will be ridiculously massive.

• Friendship Cannon – Used by Uzume Uno and her dolls. It is used as a finishing move, which obviously runs on the power of friendship.
• Friendship Blade – Used by Kagami Totori and her dolls. It takes the form of a giant shuriken, and is also intended to be used as a finishing move.
• Excalibur – Saber’s trademark attack, used by several other characters throughout Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya. A huge blast of energy that is considered an “anti-fortress” attack.
• Blanc et Noir – Hajime combines twin blades holstered in her boots into a giant pair of scissors that she can use as a sword for combat.
• Arashi (Storm) – Sugane has to charge this attack up before using it. It is a sword beam that teleports to the target by ripping through the fabric of space.
• Phoenix Dive – Joe becomes engulfed in flames, flies into the air and then dives down, causing an explosion.
• Bite and Build – Paiman uses this biting attack in his Gatchaman form.
• Right Hand of Death – Simply by touching someone with her right hand, Utsutsu can drain their life. She is also able to use this technique non-lethally.
• Victory Slash – With a little help from her fellow goddesses, Purple Heart used this slashing attack to destroy Rei Ryghts’ Pongg Laser.
• Rainy Ratnapura – A rapid stabbing attack used by Green Heart.
• Tanzerin Trombe – White Heart uses a spinning attack followed by a downward strike.
• Lace Ribbon Dance – An attack used by Black Heart.
• Mirage Dance – An attack used by Purple Sister.
• Ice Coffin – The White Sisters summon a star-shaped chunk of ice together, which they use to attack their enemy.
• EX Multi Blaster – Black Sister uses her long-range weapon to launch this attack.
• Fighting Viper – Iris Heart uses her whip-sword to launch this attack.
• S2CA Tri Burst – Hibiki, Tsubasa and Chris sing their swan songs, and then Hibiki takes the power and launches a rainbow-coloured attack.
• One Thousand Tears – Tsubasa rains multiple blades down on her opponent from above.
• Billion Maiden – Chris’ crossbows become large gatling guns, which trades her crossbows homing power for raw power.
• Horizon Spear – Maria’s spear blades split open and extend the lance into an energy cannon that fires a purple energy beam.
• Final Oppression – Neverland – Kirika’s scythe grows in size and splits into three.
• Final Omega Style – Dystopia – Pieces of Shirabe’s armour form into a mech that she controls from behind the head.
• Liu Xing – An extremely strong laser attack used by Miku whilst she has the Shen Shou Jing Symphogear armour.
• Vitalization – All six of the Symphogear users combine their might, forming two giant hands from the Gungnir and Airgetlam relics that clasp together to attack.

The winner of the Best Attack Award is S2CA Tri Burst. After all, what could be better than a mass of rainbow-coloured destruction? Vitalization from Symphogear also deserves a mention.

Best Finale

Which show went out with a bang? That’s simply the question I’m asking here, though there can only be one winner.

• Judgment vs. STUDY – Whilst Mikoto and Febri go to save Janie, Judgment takes on STUDY’s mechs at the Academy City Research Exhibit Assembly sites. After saving Febri, Mikoto and Kuroko team up to stop a rocket.
• Eren takes on the Female Titan inside the walls – Attack on Titan
• Quickfire Records -The Going Home Club strives to fit as many gags in the final episode as they can.
• Uzume battles Komachi – After taking on Komachi and Proto Zero, Uzume and all the other masters use their dolls to gather Sonnet’s data in order to revive her.
• Berserker battle, and Illya and Miyu’s relationship – After being killed several times, Berserker gets back up once more. However, Illya and Miyu are able to combine their power and finally defeat the final servant. After that, Illya ends up kissing Miyu on the lips, which causes the latter to become extremely possessive of the former.
• Berg Katse’s defeat and distribution of CROWDS – OD faces Berg Katse in a final battle, and CROWDS are distributed to everyone. Berg Katse’s dream of seeing the world go up in a big red blaze are dashed.
• The battle against Rei Ryghts – Things appear hopeless for Neptune at first, but the arrival of her comrades turns the situation around. A familiar character is the one who puts a stop to Rei Ryghts in the end.
• The battle against Cerebrum – Cerebrum fails in his objective to break Akari, so he decides to take a more direct route and try to kill her. All of Akari’s allies help her out in the battle.
• Shino’s story – The ending of Kiniro Mosaic is a musical narrated by Shino that includes princesses, pirates, princes and mermaids.
• Battle against Nephilim – The Symphogear users join forces in order to take down the monstrous Nephilim, whilst Genjuro and Shinji confront Dr. Ver.
• Queen of the Field Tournament – The C3 Club and a few other familiar faces enter a tournament in hopes of winning a year’s supply of BB pellets and some new airsoft guns. The winner of the tournament was unexpected, but it was fun to watch.

The winner of the Best Finale Award goes to the Battle with Nephilim. It was an impressive climax to Symphogear G, with the Nephilim serving as a final boss of sorts. It powers up, but so the Symphogear users. The music for the final battle is good as well. Another honourable mention, this time for the Judgment vs. STUDY battle in A Certain Scientific Railgun S.

Best Ending Theme

Alas, all things must come to an end. The question is, which song stood out as the best ending theme?

• “Links” by Sachika Misawa – A Certain Scientific Railgun S (Silent Party Arc)
• “Infinia” by Sachika Misawa – A Certain Scientific Railgun S
• “great escape” by cinema staff – Attack on Titan (Female Titan Arc)
• “Wakuwaku DAYS☆” by Ibuki Kido & Miharu Kobayashi – Chronicles of the Going Home Club
• “Hanabi” by Sae Aeuchi & M.A.O – Chronicles of the Going Home Club
• “Kimi ni tsuite Ieru Koto” by Mitsuki Yūna & Ayaka Senhongi – Chronicles of the Going Home Club
• “Best Friend” by Miharu Kobayashi, Sae Aiuchi & Ayaka Senhongi – Chronicles of the Going Home Club
• “DAY by DAY” by Fantasista Doll Cast – Fantasista Doll
• “Prism Sympathy” by StylipS – Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya
• “Tsunagu Kizuna Tsutsumu Kodoku” by StylipS – Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya
• “Innocent Note” by Maaya Uchida – Gatchaman Crowds
• “Neptune☆Sagashite” by Afilia Saga – Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation
• “Go→Love & Peace” by Ayane – Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation
• “Ito” by Afilia Saga – Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation
• “-Mirage-” by Natsumi Okamoto – il sole penetra le illusioni ~ Day Break Illusion
• “Your Voice” by Rhodanthe* – Kiniro Mosaic
• “Ressou – Gungnir” by Yoko Hikasa – Senki Zesshou Symphogear G
• “Next Destination” by Ayahi Takagaki – Senki Zesshou Symphogear G
• “Vitalization” by Nana Mizuki – Senki Zesshou Symphogear G
• “Niji Iro no Flugel” by Aoi Yuuki, Nana Mizuki, Ayahi Takagaki, Yoshino Nanjo, Ai Kayano & Yoko Hikasa – Senki Zesshou Symphogear G
• “Hajikero! C3!” by Yui Makino, Miyuki Sawashiro, Ai Kayano, Chiwa Saito, Rima Nishizaki & Madoka Yonezawa – Stella Women’s Academy, High School Division Class C3

And the winner of the Best Ending Theme Award is “Next Destination” by Ayahi Takagaki. Just one of many great songs from Senki Zesshou Symphogear G. Definitely worth listening to the full version.

Best Anime Award

Here is the final award; which anime was the best? Am I going to be fair and analyse each anime’s pros and cons? Hell no, I’m going hand over to the anime that I loved watching the most! However, which one was it?

The winner of the Best Anime Award is Senki Zesshou Symphogear G.

A quick summary of awards here, then.

• Best Opening Theme: “Dimension Tripper” by nao
• Best Plot: Gatchaman Crowds
• Best Main Character: Hibiki Tachibana
• Best Antagonist: Berg Katse
• Best Cast of Character: Kiniro Mosaic
• Cutest Character: Alice Cartalet
• Most Badass Character: Mikasa Ackerman
• Best Couple: Hibiki Tachibana & Miku Kohinata
• Best Battle: Symphogear users vs. Nephilim
• Best Powers: Esper abilities.
• Best Transformation: Archer Illyasviel von Einzbern
• Best Attack: S2CA Tri Burst
• Best Finale: Senki Zesshou Symphogear G
• Best Ending Theme: “Next Destination” by Ayahi Takakagi
• Best Anime: Senki Zesshou Symphogear G

And that’s it for Summer 2013’s Anime Awards! Were they fair and without any bias? No, definitely not. Do I care? Nope. See you next time, for the Autumn 2013 Anime Awards!