Takoyaki Anime Awards 2014

A conversation with a friend about sports animes:
E: How's Kuroba?
Me: I like it! I've read one arc of it only. Although I like the Karasuno babes more
E: They're your favourite~
Me: Yeah but I feel like IC21 is the one most likely to make me cry when re-reading it
Me: ...
Me: Hey I should make awards for these!

Welcome to the first annual Takoyaki Anime Awards 2014! (Taking place three months after the end of 2014 because pictures are the biggest hurdle to running an anime blog apparently; mostly because I keep RE-READING SERIES WHEN I LOOK FOR PICTURES) Here we seek to recognize the very best in anime and manga that one person has experienced in their limited memory of this year. No, not the series that have come out this year because that might make sense. Instead it's just the ones I've personally read or watched because there's not enough chaos in the world. The categories are: Overall Series, Shounen, Shoujo and etcetera because I'm too lazy to think of all of them.

First up, awards for overall series in both anime and manga:
Genre Coming At You Like A Dark Horse (There's No Going Back): Sports

No contest.

MVP Series: Naruto
Runner Up: Eyeshield 21

It was the best at times, it was the worst at times but it was always important

Best 4Koma: Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki Kun

"I believe addressing the tanuki is your first priority"

Best Deconstructed Trope: Gender bender (Shishunki Bitter Change)

Wacky hijinks? More like gender identity and realistic relationship upheavals

Best Mood Whiplash: Athena Arc (Hayate no Gotoku)

Tbh, Nagi was the real MVP of this arc. 

In Shounen:
I'm Crying A Decade's Worth Of Feels: Naruto

[The sound of 'ROCKS' playing softly in the distance]

Best 'I'm So Proud Of You Baby' Character Development: Naruto (Naruto)
Runner Up: Sena Kobayakawa

'Believe it' I whisper through my tears

The Congratulations You Had Sex Award: My ships from my weeaboo years (Naruto)

It's like fanfiction.net circa 2005 all over again

Store Brand™ Generic Fantasy Adventure: The Seven Deadly Sins

Hero with mysterious past! Band of misfits saving the kingdom! Knights! Castles! Princesses!

Indecisive Genre Chameleon: Donten ni Warau
Runner Up: God of Highschool

Also know as the genre of 'whatever at least the main characters are hot'

Still Reading This Only Because I've Already Invested Years: Bleach

Although let's be real if Naruto hadn't ended this year it would get this award

Family Issues For Tear Stained Tissues: Ao no Exorcist

THE FIRST FUCKING CHAPTER TOO

In Shoujo:
Greatest Plot Twist Ending: The first guy NOT winning (Hirunaka no Ryuusei)

My thoughts before reading the final chapter because this ending is rarer than a shooting star

We All Saw It Coming: Ao Haru Ride
Runner Up: Akuma to Love Song

Endings like these are why endings like HnR's are rarer than shooting stars

I Liked It When It Started But It Got Weird Now Just Glad It's Over: The One
Runner Up: 1/2 Prince

If you loved it so much why'd you spend the last half of  the series not doing modelling related plots

Classiest Sex Scene: Hori and Miyamura (Horimiya)

Points also for least shoujo exaggerated relationship

The Cold War Award for Will They Or Won't They: Nisekoi
Runner Up: Watashi Ga Motete Dousunda

They won't.

Sudden Feels I Did Not Prepare For: Amnesia!En choosing to disappear (Usotsuki Lily)

MINE TOO

This Comedy Just Got Too Real: Dealing with gender and sexuality issues (Usotsuki Lily)

"Doesn't she understand that this manga doesn't have what it takes to deal with stuff like that?! Why is she throwing this in here just because it's right before the climax?!"

Best Bramance: Sakura and Momiji (Binbougami Ga!)

"You're making me blush baby~♡"

Head Bitch In Charge Award: Yona (Akatsuki no Yona)
Runner Up: Hurrem (Yume no Shizuku, Ougon no Torikago)

A hundred motherfuckers can't tell me nothing

In Webtoons:
So Good I Got Into A New Medium: Tower of God (Korean Webtoons)

TWO whole blog posts with PICTURES that's how good this was

Watching It For This Ship: Banya and So-Yoon (A Thousand Years Ninetails)

A poor man's Inuyasha

Best Nakama Band Before One Guy Went Solo: Magician 
Runner Up: Tower of God 

Instead of everything being confusing and Edermask being shady as fuck

Best Concept In A Series Which Lost My Interest: Friendship between Si-hoon and Mephistopheles (Soul Cartel)
Runner Up: Psychology (Dr.Frost)

I never thought I'd say this but I DON'T WANT THE TIME SKIP OR THE TOURNAMENT ARC please go back to when they were cute and friendship things were happening

Best Concept In A Series Still Keeping My Interest: Guy gets RPG powers in real life (The Gamer)

In the loving words of his best friend: "YOU'RE A BULLSHIT CHARACTER"

Real World Politics Are Less Complicated Than This Plot: Kubera
Runner Up: Tower of God

I've read ~200 chapters and honestly I cannot tell you what this series is about

Most Heartstrings Tugged: My Young Cat and Old Dog

I-I'm not crying it's just raining indoors...

In Sports
Best 'My Precious Babies' Team: Karasuno Boys Volleyball Club (Haikyuu!!)
Runner Up: Deimon Devil Bats (Eyeshield 21)

Precious cute crow babes

Best 'Oh God I'm Going To Cry' Character Development: Eyeshield 21
Runner Up: Haikyuu!!

The tears I've shed over these children could be measured in football fields

Worst Theft of Feels Flashback: Miracle Gen Arc (Kuroko no Basket)

It physically hurts me to look at this 

Best In Making Me Want To Watch The Actual Sport: Haikyuu!! (Volleyball)

Source because there's no way I can make gifs this smooth

Best Product Placement: Nike Air Jordan 6 (Slam Dunk)

I'd buy a pair if they weren't covered in manga tbh

The Dragonball Z Award: Kuroko no Basket

Although we all know TeniPuri is the all time record holder

Honourable Mention - Solid But Not Outstanding: Green Boy

A solid generic coming of age story with romance and rivals thrown in (It's no Ashita no Joe but not terrible either)

In Misc
Most Surprisingly Interesting Speciality Club: Koto Club (Kono Oto Tomare!)

Now all that's left is for them to perform in meido outfits

Worst Series To Read At Night: Shokugeki no Souma
Runner Up:Ghost Hunt

This beat out a horror mystery series do you understand its terrifying power?

Thanks for tuning in for the first ever (and perhaps last ever) year-end-but-posted-in-March anime awards! I hope to write at least one more blog post in this new year. Here's hoping~