The 2006 Anime Awards...

Okay, this isn't quite the same as a top picks post in terms of series (that was what my last post was for). It's more of a series of awards for specific things. In other words, it's another excuse for me to mention bits of series that I like (as if I don't do that enough already...)

The 'Best Portrayal of a Crappy Student Film' Award: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimaya


Okay, it's not like there's much in the way of competition for an award like this (can anyone think of another show this season that involves making a student film?) but as someone who got dragged into making several crappy student films in high school, I found that the first episode of Haruhi really hits its mark. And it was a creative way to start off the series too...

The 'Dramatic Entrance' Award: Hild, Ah! My Goddess: Sorezore No Tsubasa

The Demon Lord Hild looks kind of scary before she squeals
'Urd-chan!' and embraces her daughter with a flying bear hug...

Dark clouds obscure the sky. Winds howl. Lightning shatters the night, and a shadowy figure appears in the middle of a raging whirlwind. And then it squeals "Urd-chan!" and starts hugging not only Urd, but her younger half sisters and Keiichi as well. Yep, that would be Hild, Demon Lord of Hell, dropping in to visit her daughter. If you ever think any of your relatives have a tendency to be a bit too flashy, consider yourself lucky...

The 'Extreme Makeover' Award: Marller, Ah My Goddess: Sorezore No Tsubasa

Marller had some issues with people mistaking
her gender in Season One...

She doesn't seem likely to have the same problem in
Season Two though...

Not much to say on this one. Maybe the regeneration Marller needed after the events of the 'Lord of Terror' arc near the end of Season One came with free implants or something...

The 'Over the Top Gun Battle' Award: School Rumble Nigakki

School Rumble Nigakki's 'survival game' has plenty of melodrama...

Okay, technically they're using airsoft guns and the muzzle flashes and blood splatters are just Akira adding special effects on a computer later on, but even so... there's something awesome about SR Nigakki's 'survival game' and how seriously the students get into it. It's just a contest to determine whether you do a cafe or a play for the cultural festival, for crying out loud! There's no need for quests of vengeance and melodramatic scenes between lovers trapped on opposite sides of the battle lines!

Not that I'm complaining or anything.

The 'Who Needs English?' Award: Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid (OVA)

The facial expressions say a lot, don't they?
(Click on the images for more detailed views.)

Sometimes, anime doesn't need English to be funny. The opening scenes of the TSR OVA, in which young Captain Testarossa has a dream about her crush (and subordinate) Sousuke, wakes up, and -without realising she's now awake- proceeds to the hangar and starts getting friendly with the socially awkward young soldier before realising her mistake and freaking out- is absolutely hilarious without any sort of translations, or even much background on the characters in question. Although I do have to admit that being able to understand the situationally ironic audio coming from the battle simulation Sousuke is running does add something to the scene...