HomeAnimeThe Otaku's Study - Australian Anime Release of the Year 2012

The Otaku’s Study – Australian Anime Release of the Year 2012

-

AnimeoftheYearFeat

With it now being the 31st, it has now come the time to crown the recipients of the major “Top of the Year 2012” awards – Australian Anime Release and Game of the Year. First up…. the Australian Anime Release of the Year 2012!

This year has been pretty big in terms of anime in our country…. we have welcomed a brand new anime publisher Hanabee to the mix which while new have brought a number of interesting titles such as Toradora and Dream Eater Merry to our region, we have seen releases with dates even closer to our North American counterparts, the pop culture expo Supanova unveiled and held events at two new locations and of course we have had some great anime releases. Unfortunately it was my role in sorting out just what titles would be receiving the honor…. and while there was a cluster of 6 titles I found really deserving of any of the three positions…. I think I will go with these.

Starting with third place….

CardcaptorCover 202x300 Cardcaptor Sakura Collection 1: Clow Book   Anime ReviewCardcaptor Sakura (Uncut and Japanese Dubbed)
Madman Entertainment

Curiosity is part of any 10-year old’s life, but Sakura just broke the seal on a magical book and released all of the mischievous spirits imprisoned on the cards inside! Kero, the “Guardian of the Clow Cards” is horrified to find all of the cards gone and tells Sakura she must become the “Cardcaptor” and retrieve the spirits before they work their mischief in the world.

Given how long this series has been around even in the English-language market… you might be wondering just what the purpose of giving Cardcaptor Sakura a place in the top 3. Many years ago, Madman Entertainment began releasing Cardcaptor Sakura on DVD…. however after only a couple of small volumes decided to drop it leaving its release in Australia incomplete. Generally this bodes bad news for any series in this country, but after other successful classic releases (eg. Digimon) the company decided this year to grab some high-definition masters and do a full release of CardCaptor Sakura over two collections and providing us with our first non-English release for the series.

Evidently a lot of time and effort went into this release, delivering a high quality result overall even if it wasn’t on blu-ray like I am sure some fans would have hoped. Whether it is for the purpose of nostalgia or a look at another great “Cheez TV” series many kids in my generation grew up watching…. it is a fun, simple series.

Higurashi1 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai Part 1 (Episodes 1 13)   ReviewHigurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai
Siren Visual

The endless cycle of hatred and death that befall the small village of Hinamizawa continues…

On a hot summer day in 1983, a transfer student named Maebara Keiichi comes to a peaceful rural village in Hinamizawa. There he befriends his classmates Rena, Mion, Rika and Satoko. Just as Keiichi is beginning to assimilate into simple rural life, he stumbles upon the dark  history of Hinamizawa – every year for the past four years, one person has been murdered and another has gone missing on the day of the Watanagashi Festival. The construction of a dam nearby brings further chaos as the curse of Oyashiro-sama continues its miserable reign.

While North America was the first region to receive the English dubbed release of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Geneon Entertainment shut their doors on the release before it was made a reality. Last year, Australian anime publisher Siren Visual picked up the first season and due to evidently good sales were able to pick up the second season which covers the remaining “Answer” arcs – leading to an overall conclusion. So far this remains an Australian-exclusive English release.

While Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai was one of the first animes covered back when The Otaku’s Study was known as Sam’s Anime Study…. it was welcoming to see a company finally release the series. While it only contains a Japanese dub, it was a smart choice for the company especially given the  popularity of the series and it was a great release overall across the board.

———————

As I mentioned above, there were six titles I was heavily considering to earn a spot in my top three. So before I announce #1 I would like to give credit to the following releases:

  • Usagi Drop – Siren Visual
  • Toradora – Hanabee
  • Digimon: Digital Monsters II – Madman Entertainment

Now pretend there is an imaginary drum-roll as I announce #1

———————

Madoka Puella Magi Madoka Magica Volume One   ReviewPuella Magi Madoka Magica
Madman Entertainment

Madoka Kaname is an average 14-year-old girl who loves her family and friends. One fateful day, this all changes when she has a very magical encounter with a strange creature called a Kyubey. Kyubey have the power to grant one wish to chosen girls. However, in exchange, those chosen must become magical girls and use their powers to fight against witches, evil creatures born from darkness and catalysts of despair. Was this encounter by chance or fate? No matter the circumstance, this will surely change her destiny. This is the beginning of a new magical girl story…

Given the consistently high scores all three volumes of Madoka Magica has received on this site, I couldn’t help but give my “Australian Anime Release of the Year” to this series. While the three volume release for a total of 12 episodes felt a bit old fashioned for Madman Entertainment, it was a series that managed to keep my attention over the course of six or so months, aided by the attention Madman put into promoting the title (Including having Cristina Vee and Christine Marie Cabanos join us down under for Supanova Conventions….. and possibly some koala hugging).

The series is easily one of the best works visually by the studio SHAFT and comes with a short but interesting storyline, aided by the release of two films that recently received limiting screenings around Australia.

———————

Puella Magi Madoka Magica is now the second series to earn the title of “Australian Anime of the Year”, following Dennou Coil by Siren Visual receiving the title in 2011.

———————

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Advertisment

Recent Posts