My 12 moments of anime for 2012

Credit to linked pixiv user

Since 2009 I’ve been participating in the anime blogsphere’s “12 Moments of Anime” project, which consists of us counting down our best anime-related moments of the year every day during the twelve days until Christmas. As usual, I prefer to list my twelve moments altogether in one post rather than split them over twelve posts. I know I’m doing my moments post earlier than usual this year, but that’s due to my new blogging schedule of only posting once a week and in the coming weeks I’m already planning to review some seasonal anime that are going to be ending. So, without further adieu, here are my 12 moments of anime for 2012…


#12: The Aniblog Tourney 2012

Like in 2010, my blog again participated in the Aniblog Tourney held this year. This time the blogs were placed into different tiers depending on their popularity and age. My blog was in one of the higher tiers so I didn’t get my first match until a couple of months after the tourney started. I managed to win my first match but lost my second one…but regardless, it was a thrilling ride like it was in 2010 and I look forward to the next one in 2014.


#11: Shakugan no Shana Final

The Shakugan no Shana series isn’t one of my favorites per se, but Shana is one of my most favorite characters and it was great finally seeing the ending to an anime I’ve been following since 2007. Not only that, but I enjoyed this third season of Shana more than both of the previous ones. So yeah, it was awesome that my favorite flaming tsundere got to go out with a bang! Now I’ve gotta rewatch all three seasons back-to-back someday =P


#10: Finishing the Bleach anime

Even more accomplishing than completing the Shana series, this year I completed the anime version of a much longer series – Bleach. While I did skip some gaps of filler episodes, for the most part I’ve been watching Bleach continuously since 2005, and since it’s classified as one of the big, seemingly never-ending shonen series, I had no idea when it would ever end. Despite having a lot of issues with the series in general and never much liking most of the characters even after all these years, I guess I still found enough good in it to keep tuning in until finally this year, when the anime finished airing. The manga is still going, but from what I’ve heard it’s going to be ending soon as well. I don’t like Bleach enough to want to read the manga to see the things left out of the anime, but if an anime version of the final manga chapters is ever made, like what was done with the finale of Inuyasha, I’m sure I’ll check it out.


#9: Kingdom Hearts

Since gaming has always been a secondary hobby to me after anime and all I really do is play games from a few select series I like, mostly on Nintendo consoles, I’ve never had a PS2 and thus never played many of the most popular games. Kingdom Hearts was quite a hit amongst my peers when I was in high school but all I saw was bits of it when I went to friends’ houses and never thought that my PS2-less self would play through it all – until earlier this year when one of my friends who now has a PS3 lent me her PS2 and Kingdom Hearts to play. Being unemployed at the time, I had plenty of time to play through the game…and while it took a while for me to get into it, I ended up really liking it! =) I’m not familiar with Final Fantasy but I’m a huge Disney fan, so I loved playing through the various Disney worlds and interacting with the characters. I played through the whole game as well as many of the difficult side-quests. I started Kingdom Hearts II but didn’t get very far before I had to stop to play Pokemon Black 2 =P But I plan to pick it up again one of these days. I greatly enjoyed the first Kingdom Hearts at least, and I’m glad I finally got to play it even if it is ten years late XD


#8: Emma

I’ve praised this series enough already, but like I said, it’s hands-down the best series I watched this year even though it came out in 2005 (season 1) and 2007 (season 2). Definitely better late than never with this one ;) Having such high regard for it, how could I not place it somewhere amongst my best anime moments? XD Again, I urge anyone who likes quality anime titles that don’t have any of the typical otaku traits, to check it out. You can also get both season box sets for a good price on RightStuf.


#7: AnimeYume turning 10 years old

While my blog and domain name grow a year older every year, I think turning ten years old is a big accomplishment. The blog itself just turned six but my AnimeYume.com domain name finally hit the decade mark this year. As I thoroughly discussed in my post about it, it’s quite a good feeling knowing that I’ve been able to keep up a web site for so long despite various changes in my life. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep it up for more years to come~


#6: Changing web hosts

And in addition to my site turning ten years old, I also moved my entire site and domain name to a new host for the first time since buying my domain ten years ago. Despite how expensive and limited my Yahoo! hosting was, I resisted changing servers all these years due to my lack of knowledge as to how and fear that something might go wrong with some part of the site if I did. But this year I finally decided to go through with it thanks to the help of fellow blogger and computer whiz Chikorita157. The transition from Yahoo! Web Hosting to HostGator went smoothly and so far HostGator is pleasing me =)


#5: English release of Haruhi novel 7

Since 2009 the good folks at Yen Press have been releasing official English versions of the Haruhi novels at the rate of two a year. This year however marked the release of a very special volume, novel 7, “The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya.” It’s the first volume that contains a full story (rather than a series of short stories) that has not been seen in the anime. It’s also a big turning point for the series in general in that it introduces new, important characters, antagonistic ones actually, as well as big plot points. It’s one of the better stories in the series in my opinion, and for this big Haruhi fan, it certainly deserves a spot on the list ;) Now if only I can be sure it will get an anime adaptation…


#4: English release of Pokemon Black 2 and White 2

I didn’t get nearly as excited about Black 2 and White 2 as I did for their predecessors, but I still got really into my copy of Black 2 when I got it, and I’m actually still playing it often, having gotten hooked on the Pokemon World Tournament feature and battling players in real-time over Wi-fi. As I said in my review of the game, despite being a bit weak in story, it’s great in all its other aspects. Being the big Pokemon fan that I am, Pokemon game release always rank highly amongst my moments XD


#3: Madoka Magica movies

As many of you know, the Madoka Magica movies have been having showings in various parts of the world, quite a few in the US. I was lucky enough to attend one of the earliest showings in LA. It was an awesome event, the movies were great, and I managed to get a bunch of rare goods! Definitely an irreplaceable anime event and one that easily places highly among my anime moments this year!


#2: Weiss Schwarz

For those of you who read my recent post about trading card games, Weiss Schwarz is an anime-themed card game that I recently got totally engrossed in. I haven’t gotten this passionate about a card game in years. As I explained in the post, it’s just such a fun, unique game and the fact that you can crossover so many anime series just makes it irresistible to a fan like me XD You can tell how much I got into it by how much money I’ve already spent on getting those rare card sets and accessories – and I still plan to dish out a lot more if Playmoya ever gets more copies of the Haruhi booster box!


#1: Anime Expo 2012

Anime Expo always ranks highly on my list of moments for the year, and this year nothing else topped my four day stay at the con =) I actually spent the most time at this year’s AX than I did for previous years, going there on Day 0 to get my badge as well as spending the full four days and not leaving until late afternoon on the last day. I also went to two concerts and other fun events, as well as purchased lots of goodies of course XD AX is always the highlight of the year for me and this year was one of the best~

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In the coming weeks, I plan to review the seasonal series I’m watching that are ending soon, as well as count down my top favorite anime of 2012 around New Year’s. See you all soon!

No Comments… read them or add your own.

  1. Kal says:

    Oh nice! I’m not sure I could even make a list like that. I only watch anime, so it would just be a list of the anime I liked the most on 2012. Kingdom Hearts is a really fun game. Kingdom Hearts 2 I remember had a slower start, and the plot was a bit different, but I still enjoyed it back then.

    Actually, one of the highlights for this year was reading the latest Haruhi book which you help translate. Having to wait with the cliffhanger from the book before that for too long would have been bad. So I remember that fondly, and I’m still thankful you all the translators. I can probably talk more about the anime from this last season as highlights (there are quite a number of good ones), but I’ll wait for your other posts.

    So I hope next year is even better than this one in the anime front!

    • Yumeka says:

      Yeah, I’m still in the beginning part of Kingdom Hearts II and it is a bit slow…still interesting though ;) And that’s awesome that you finally got around to reading our translations of the latest Haruhi novels. Glad you enjoyed them ^_^

  2. Shikon says:

    What a great list! I still haven’t completely finished the Bleach series but hope to at some point, I’ve heard that its going to be continued in the future but I’m not sure if that’s true. Regardless finishing a long running series like Bleach is definitely an accomplishment, now if only we could finish Naruto Shippuden…=P

    I’m glad you liked kingdom hearts, I’ve played 1 and 2 and they’re both pretty good games. Like yourself I never really got into the Final Fantasy series that much (never been a huge fan of turn based games) the only exception to that being Pokemon.

    I’m with you in the hope that the Haruhi novels get an anime adaptation, would love to see some new content out there, definitely something to wish for in the coming year =)

    • Yumeka says:

      I’m sure once the Bleach manga ends, an anime version of the final chapters will be made eventually. Much like the Inuyasha anime, the Bleach anime finished with an open ending that could continue the story in a sequel.

      For the past few years I’ve been hoping for more Haruhi anime and every year that goes by without any announcement or anything makes it seem more hopeless…I won’t rule it out completely though XD

  3. Myna says:

    Figured Bleach and KH were going to be on here. Anyway, nice list! Can’t wait to see the Madoka movies for myself.

    • Yumeka says:

      I’m sure you’ll love the Madoka movies. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we get fansubs or the official BD/DVD English releases from Aniplex.

  4. Emperor J says:

    I never had a chance to say this, but I apologize for my part in #12. You really deserved to advance there.

    • Yumeka says:

      Thanks XD It was a close match but I guess your blog just had that extra bit of popularity to garner the votes you needed to win. I look forward to seeing what 2014 brings.

  5. Mikoto says:

    #6 A PS2 on your hands now, huh? It had a very good library of games. I liked the first Kingdom Hearts a lot, myself. If you ever want, I could recommend you a few other titles that you might like, haha.

    #5 This year, I definitely caught up in collecting the light novels of Haruhi. I completely agree with you, Intrigues brings a lot of new interesting elements to the table and I wished Kyoto Animation would stop leaving their cash cow hanging and get onto the real meat of the series!

    #3 Quite lucky you got to see an early screening of the Madoka movie. I cant wait to see that movie, myself.

    #2 Truth be told, I always wanted to get into Wein Schwarz, myself, but importing the latest packs seems too deathly expensive for me. :P My friend recently got a couple of Little Busters! Wein Schwarz cards that was included in his Little Busters! Perfect Edition visual novel that he had imported from Japan.

    • Yumeka says:

      Heh, I have my hands full right now with getting back to Kingdom Hearts II when I’ve had my fill of Pokemon. I’m not much of a gamer and now that I’m working, I have even less free time for that AND anime =P Thanks anyway though.

      Glad you’ve been catching up with the Haruhi novels =D I can’t wait to see Intrigues and the other new stories animated – I hope my waiting will not be in vain!

      Weiss Schwarz is great fun, but it’s difficult and expensive for those of us outside of Japan to get the cards and find people to play with. But if you can find at least one person who also likes the game and is willing to play with you, that’s all you need really ;)

  6. Astereae says:

    Was planning to get Pokemon B&W 2 a few days after release, but my mom tactfully (lol) monopolized it as a Christmas gift. The Madoka films were playing in area near me, but not sure if you can consider four hours away close. I will just catch it on DVD/BD XD

    • Yumeka says:

      I hope you enjoy the game =) If you ever want to battle someone online, don’t be afraid to ask me. And yeah, I hope the Madoka films get a DVD/BD release soon!

      • Astereae says:

        Thanks and I might take you up on that offer one day. I hope to be somewhat of a challenge since I haven’t played against anyone in awhile. Should only be a matter time, since Aniplex USA released the series. I hope it is next year.

  7. Artemis says:

    I can’t believe after all this time I still haven’t seen any of Emma! I’ve been meaning to try it but it’s one of those anime I’ve just somehow never gotten around to watching. Thank you for reminding me – I’ll absolutely remember to give it a look now. :)

  8. Kai says:

    Now that when I think about it, Kingdom Hearts released it’s sequels and prequel as fast as selling hotcakes. Aside from KH1 and 2, there’s birth by sleep on the PSP (KH1 prequel), then there 356/2 days (Roxas story, and I might had messed up the number, lol), chain of memories (taken place between kh1 and kh2) and a lot others I didn’t play or perhaps never even heard of, lol.

    Surprised you think well of Shana 3. While I like our favorite flaming tsundere likewise, I can’t help but feel that Shana 3 was a disappointment, I actually like the previous two seasons more. As for Bleach, I ignored it to the point that I couldn’t even bother to touch the show now :p

    Are the cards expensive, I’m still priotizing on figure purchases right now. Might get the cards but mostly just for the sake of collection, none of my friends are playing it D:

    • Yumeka says:

      I don’t intend to play any other Kingdom Hearts games after I finish the second one. I actually did play Chain of Memories when it came out because I had the system it was on, Game Boy Advance. Don’t remember that much about the story but I remember liking it at least =P

      I felt Shana III had a lot of good character development and I found the whole war between the Tomogara and Flame Haze interesting. I still like season 1 too and unfortunately I barely remember season 2 as I only watched it once back when it was airing in 2007.

      The Weiss Schwarz cards are pretty expensive – most online stores only sell them in their trial decks and booster sets rather than individual packs of cards. Most sets are at least $50, and the older sets where fewer copies are left could be over $100. It’s a great card game but if you’re going to construct your own decks, do so gradually ;)

  9. CoolCARTGuy says:

    Cool list, especially #3; I need to see the Madoka Magica movies for myself sometime…

    Another Madoka-related event this year was the English release of the manga; while it may be [quite] close to the anime, it is still a good read all the same IMO. The release of Persona 4 Arena and Udon Entertainment announcing that they’ll be releasing an English translation of the Valkyria Chronicles 3 artbook were two other great events.

  10. Marow says:

    Anime expos sure seem fun, at least if you got good company. I almost want to travel to USA just for one, even if it is expensive for such a “silly” thing. ^^’
    Have you done some post explaining how it is to go to an expo? Or just some general thoughts on it?

    I’m jealous that you got to see the Madoka Magica movies in a cinema :(

    • Yumeka says:

      I always write about my experiences at Anime Expo every year if you want to see what kind of events and stuff go on there. You can check my “anime conventions” tag here to find the posts. Maybe they’ll show the Madoka movies at Anime Expo, possibly this coming 2013 con since they’ve already been licensed and subtitled by Aniplex…that would be great =D Then you definitely have to come!

  11. Adziu says:

    Ten years with a blog is something to be very proud of! Very nice.

    KH is a great game. Be sure to beat Sephiroth – a great little challenge, that! My favourite was Birth By Sleep, so if you can get your hands on a PSP I highly recommend it – preferably Final Mix, which will complement your Japanese studies!

    • Yumeka says:

      Like I said in the post, I think I played through all of the extra side-quests including the optional bosses…except for Sephiroth. I tried fighting him a few times and it was friggin’ impossible XP

      I’ll keep Birth By Sleep in mind if I do ever get a hold of a PSP.

  12. chikorita157 says:

    You’re welcome, It’s my pleasure to help the blogosphere. Aside from that, I can’t believe that time passed by so quickly as I finally graduated college and planning go continue my studies through grad school. Hopefully once I get a job, this is probably when I have more freedom to attend conventions.

    Aside from that, Pokemon Black and White 2 was a good addition to the series and yes, I have played the tournament and some of the download teams. Believe it or not, I have a hard time beating 2012日本代表に挑戦 (2012 Japan Representative Challenge), which is obviously only in the Japanese version of the game even though I have EV trained and IV bred Pokemon, but I eventually beaten them just once. But yes, I need to download the other ones later.

    • Yumeka says:

      Good luck at grad school! You’re majoring in something related to computers right? I’m sure you’ll be great with that (since you’re already great with web site building and all that XD)

      We should battle in Pokemon again sometime since I’ve also been EV training lately. Let me know if you ever want to :3

  13. Nopy says:

    I stopped watching Bleach in 2006 because I thought it was going to go on forever. I never thought I’d still be into anime when the day came that they ended the series.

    I’ve been using HostGator ever since the day Nopy’s Blog appeared on the web. I initially went with them because they were the cheapest web hosts around, but they also have exceptional customer service. Every time I’ve gone to them with a question or problem, they’ve been able to get back to me within 24 hours. They’ve even taken the time to help me optimize my site so that it runs faster. Needless to say, I’ll be sticking with them for a long time.

    You play Weiss Schwarz!? I got the game at Anime Expo (actually, I got several Madoka decks) and love it. The only problem is that no one around here plays it :( If we ever meet each other in real life, I demand that we play a game or two :)

    • Yumeka says:

      Yeah, I’m satisfied with HostGator so far =) They seem to have good customer service like you said as I had to call them a couple of times and they were helpful.

      Nice to know another English-speaking Weiss Schwarz player =D Yeah, it is hard to find people to play with. I was surprised when I found out that a store here in CA holds Weiss Schwarz tournaments on the weekends and has a decent following. When you say you have “several Madoka decks,” do you mean you bought the Japanese versions of the cards? It’s too bad the only English releases are the Fate/Zero and Madoka trial decks. But it’s not too hard playing with the Japanese cards as players simply memorize what their cards do and the Heart of the Cards site provides good translations. If you go to Anime Expo again this year we should definitely play =D Hopefully I can get my not-very-good Haruhi deck I have now up to speed.

  14. lostty says:

    It seems like you had a pretty eventful year!!

    It’s still a dream for me to one day got to Anime Expo! I’ve never even left Canada before, and it’s going to take a long time for me to have the money to get there, but it’s a goal I plan to keep until I complete it!

    As for Kingdom Hearts, you definitely need to get around to playing the sequel soon! I loved the first game, but the sequel pretty much took every little fault (like minor aspects of the gameplay) and made it better, basiclly turning the sequels into one of the best games I’ve ever played! Oh, how I love the PS2!

    • Yumeka says:

      I would love to meet you at Anime Expo someday ;D Just keep trying and saving up, you’ll get there one of these years.

      Actually, I’ve been slowly getting through Kingdom Hearts II lately. It’s quite fun =)

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