Character of 2017 Has Been Chosen!

Greetings fabulous people of the Internet!  2018 is finally here, and that means it’s time to unveil 2017’s Character of the Year!  I’ll admit, this year’s pick was a close call.  Then again, last year’s pick was also tough.  But this year had some great characters from some pretty great shows, making the lineup particularly rough.  While this year started a first in Hanime on Anime history with the addition of the Dynamic Duo and Starred Reviews, I eventually came to a decision.  And with that being said, ladies and gentlemen, my Characters of 2017 as well as my Dynamic Duo of 2017 are… Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover from Attack on Titan!

Ok, while there were a lot of great characters to choose from, I had to give it to these two.  Coming from one of the most talked about shows of 2017, Reiner and Bertholdt were some of the most impactful characters of the series.  Having mostly played background characters in season one of Attack on Titan-particularly Bertholdt-, it was quite a surprise to suddenly focus on these two characters early on in season two…that is until you find out who they really are.  In one of my favorite moments out of the entire season, if not the entire series, the two reveal themselves to be the Colossal and Armored Titans.  What follows is a plot twist that no one saw coming (unless you read the manga during the three year wait) as we take a look into the broken souls of these characters and the weight they have to carry as they fulfill their mysterious mission. 

What probably struck me the most about these two is how much they impact the series.  Again, these were two characters who played scenery from season one.  To have them come back in season two not only as important secondary characters but also villains had a huge impact on the series.  In some way, this plot twist made the series more entertaining and engaging.  Plus, it also made the Attack on Titan plot do a complete 360, changing what the characters, and the audience, thought they knew about everything.  They were some of the best characters of the series and made Attack on Titan all the more exciting to watch.  So keep being the greatest threat to humanity, Reiner and Bertholdt, because you’re Hanime on Anime’s Dynamic Duo and Characters of 2017!

And now for the Honorable Mentions.  As I said earlier, this year started what is no doubt a first in Hanime on Anime history.  But it wasn’t just the addition of some new recognitions that made history. Why?  Because my pick for Honorable Mention resulted in a three-way tie!  That’s right!  The decision for Character of the Year was so hard, I gave an honorable mention to three awesome characters.  And those characters are…Naraku from Inuyasha, Victor Nikiforov from Yuri on Ice!, and Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell!

 

Naraku (Inuyasha)

Victor Nikiforov (Yuri!!! on Ice)

Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell)

Talk about a close call!  These were some pretty memorable characters.  Having been featured on my Favorites month as one of my favorite villains in anime, I thought it was about time Naraku got the Character of the Month title he deserved, and then some.  Victor Nikiforov was one of my more unique choices for any Character of the Month title because he was a major supporting character.  Still, his impact on Yuri!!! on Ice is pretty hard to deny.  And then there’s Motoko Kusanagi.  Do I really need to say anymore about her?  She’s one of the most famous and recognizable characters in anime.  I’d be a fool not to even consider her!  Overall, these were some great characters)

And finally, beginning a new Hanime on Anime tradition, let’s take a look at my Starred Reviews of 2017.  If you read my post yesterday, my Starred Reviews are shows and films that I reviewed the past year that I really liked and wanted to talk about a little more.  And so without further adieu, here they are…

• Yuri!!! on Ice (January 2017)
• Ghost in the Shell (February 2017)
• Neon Genesis Evangelion (April 2017)
• Attack on Titan (June 2017)
• One Punch Man [rereview] (July 2017))
• Little Witch Academia (Novmeber 2017

And going back to yesterday’s post, I’m currently working on a list of Starred Reviews from previous years of the blog.  That list will be revealed hopefully later on in the month.

And so, that ends this year’s annual announcement for Character of the Year.  But before I go, I want to end this post with something very similar to what I did last year:

When I did my post for Character of the Year for 2016, I stated that 2016 was probably the worst year ever.  There were a lot of things going wrong with the world that seemed to end the year on a bitter note.  But for me, 2017 was my worst year.  The primary reason for this was my broken engagement early in the year and the emotional fallout I’ve had to deal with afterward, which I was very open about in my Autism Awareness posts.  Yet somehow, in the wake of that, 2017 ended in an amazing turn of events; from a promotion at work, to an amazing career opportunity, to nearing the end of my graduate studies, what’s seemed to be a lousy year has ended on a good foot.  And although I still deal with some grief and anger over the events of the past year, I know that the end of this year is leading me to the light at the end of the tunnel!  And, repeating what I said earlier, “what I want is tomorrow!”  And it looks like that tomorrow will be brighter than ever!

So for those reading this, I hope 2017 was a good year for you, and stay tuned next week with a new review on one of the hottest shows of the 2017 fall season, The Ancient Magus’ Bride!

-Hanime on Anime