AAA'08 - Award for Best Anime Moment

Phew, been awhile eh? Had the WORST FEVER OF MY LIFE for 3 days, plus classes have started so blogging had to wait, till now that is. Continuing AAA'08, here are my favourite 5 moments of 2008:



Click here to reveal best moment #5.

Zetsubou Sensei Art Direction Overhaul



So you walk into class one day and suddenly find your students transformed into chibi cute magical girls. And you have a staff in your hand and wear a cape. It should strike you by now that you'll be having the time of your life.

Just look at the video. Remember, a parody of a magical girl show intro must ALWAYS include sound effects, transformation scenes, a romantic scene, around 3 tragic snapshots and the occasional panty shot. They even managed to sneak in a reference to Contra! Did you spot that?

After this segment, you are served with a whole platter of different art directions for the rest of the episode, from pop art to claymation. Totally mind-blowing and confusing, yet I craved for more. Shaft, you da man.

Click here to reveal best moment #4.

Kurenai the Musical



I salute the director of Kurenai, specially for this episode. He had the balls to have the whole cast burst into a musical. That's right, out of nowhere everyone started singing their hearts out, broadway-style. They didn't do it in other episodes, only this one. A big WTF slammed right into your face.

A move that's totally bold and witty. Truly, it's this kind of random spark that made Kurenai shine. Try it one day, suddenly sing to your mom about what you want for dinner. Who needs a mundane life anyway rite?

Click here to reveal best moment #3.

The Sudden Proposal



"Let's get married."
"Okay."

So one would expect a marriage proposal to come packaged with candlelight dinner, some charming light effects and an expensive ring in one hand right? Nope, not this time. In the spur of a frustrated moment, Tomoya proposed to Nagisa.

Tomoya sincerely wanted Nagisa to be with him for life. He needed her. That's all. Nagisa's reply might be cliche, but it explained why she didn't hesitate to accept: "...There is no else in my mind but you the entire time".

Two people who love each other, to the point that they can't imagine being with any other person. As blatant and early as the proposal was, that was the message it delivered, and it was executed perfectly. A marriage proposal without the fireworks, touched by the magic hands of Kyoani.

Oh the couple also had no money, but that's clearly beside the point. Yup.

Click here to reveal best moment #2.

Muscular Girl Meets Cute Boy



A girl's memory inside a muscular male body. A guy's memory inside a cute girl's body. They met and were unsure of each other's identity. Yet, they felt something for each other, a feeling that neither of them could describe.

At first, this scene didn't make sense. Once I got to know that both of them loved each other when they were in their past bodies, the scene had a whole different meaning. It was a symbol of their love that transcends physical bodies. I'd say that's some pretty strong lovin'!

This scene cleverly utilized the premise, in which people can transfer their memories to other bodies. To make a scene beautiful only a few episodes later is one big triumph in storytelling, imo.

Click here to reveal best moment #1.

Alice's Graduation Ceremony



Here, you have a simple scene where two gloves are removed from the hands of a girl. With the genius mind of Amano Kozue, you can have the same scene with a more epic touch!

In Aria, one glove removed means you are one step closer to being a full-fledged gondolier. Of course if you have two gloves, you have two major tests to pass before you can give tours on a gondola by your own.

Now imagine you have a friend (and her name is Alice... and she's kewt as hell) who wanted to be a gondolier for the longest time. After going through one test, she has both her gloves removed at the same time, a first in gondolier history. Don't you feel so thrilled for her?!

You see, this is what makes Aria beautiful. Simple gestures mean a lot to the audience when it comes in a certain context, and this scene is no exception. Add to the fact that Alice didn't know the whole thing was a test, and sprinkle a dash of beautiful singing amidst Alice's nostalgic takes, and wonderful scenery and colours, and you get what I deem to be the best moment in 2008!