2019 Jury Write-Ups
All write-ups for the 2019 r/anime Awards can be found on the site here. Selecting Read Category Info will show the State of the Category Write-Up for that category, as well as show the jurors for that category. The juries I was involved in for 2019 were Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Sports.
The specific write-ups which I did were:
Seishun Buta Yarou wa Yumemiru Shoujo no Yume wo Minai for Drama
Karakai Jouzu Takagi-san 2 for Romance
Endro~! for Slice of Life
Drama Seishun Buta Yarou wa Yumemiru Shoujo no Yume wo Minai 8th Place Write-up
Like the TV series preceding it, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl earns its nomination in these awards thanks to its reworking of modern problems into the Puberty Syndrome and its charming cast of characters. Some in the jury found themselves wrapped up in the strong character drama as Sakuta faced the realities of this movie's heroine, Shouko, and his own role in her fate. The way that Sakuta's heroism affected other characters, namely Mai, showed the strength of their relationships and how Sakuta's self-sacrificing nature could adversely affect those who care about him.
The way that the ending affects the stakes of the character drama and the film's overall mediocre production quality became some downsides which kept it from placing higher in the rankings. The way Shouko wove herself into Sakuta's personal history was interesting for some, and confusing for others. The build-up of Shouko's character was also found to be disappointing. Still, in the face of fierce competition, its strong themes earned its inclusion in the top 8 dramas of the year.
Romance Karakai Jouju no Takagi-san 2 7th Place Write-Up
Continuing in the form of the first season, Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san 2 returned with more teases and tricks, but this time focused its teasing much more in the direction of advancing the romantic goals of its titular Takagi towards her classmate Nishikata. This season took a turn to more flirty teasing, better displaying a growth in the relationship between the main duo, and allowing itself to naturally progress in a charming way towards its end goal.
There were a handful of places where Takagi faltered, and ultimately kept it from placing higher in the jury rankings. Some found it to have slowly paced progress which did not advance fast enough to be significant to them. Also, some found the show's reliance on its formula repetitious. While there was subtle nuance between skits that provided a varied and entertaining experience, the show did not tend to create too much variance in the most basic structural elements of its skits. In addition, there was division on Nishikata as a character. Some found his drive to succeed and his subtle characterization and subconscious development endearing. Others found his lack of conscious development for most of the series to be infuriating, especially as the teasing became more forwardly flirtatious from Takagi. Overall, Takagi's fun antics hoisted this show into 7th place, only lower due to this common division.
Slice of Life Endro~! 3rd Place Write-Up
The colorful and bright world of Endro delighted many of the Slice of Life jurors this year, with many appreciating its vibrant world, delightful comedy, and entertaining cast. While not all jurors were able to find common ground in these aspects, many found that the approach to exploring the everyday life of a hero without the quest laid out before them was excellently executed. Endro goes for a poppy art style which, while some found it a bit too moe, gave its world a soft, playful feel that allows for both the comedy to land well as well as the more laid back episodes to warm the heart, but doesn't diminish the more tense moments when they present themselves. The comedy was seen as hit or miss to a few jurors at times, but on the whole was praised. The show also boasts some fantastic character chemistry. Most jurors expressed that many of the main characters felt one-note, a flaw which likely kept it out of the top spot for the category. One exception to this was Mao, who was considered fairly multi-faceted, and the rest of the cast's personalities and how they bounced off of each other gave the cast strength through friendship even in the face of their individual weaknesses. This rather common theme of friendship is also one which is explored in an interesting way by the series, resulting in an overall cohesion which left the jury smitten with the charm this show presented.
