So right now I'm gonna rip-off Anime New Network.

Superdeformed's Best Anime Crap of 2008 (Part 1)

*Most of this will be stuff that was release in Japan this year, if it has to do with what was released in America I'll say so.*

Best Almost Good Series:
Allison to Lillia - Definitly inspired by Nadia and much like Nadia has it's blah parts. However this series doesn't quite overcome it's shortcomings.

This 26 episode TV series is based on two light novel (LN) series by
Keiichi Sigsawa is a series of very short and rushed adventures of two kids (and later their kid) in very early 1900's-like world just getting past their version of WW1 (only it went on much longer).

Given a larger episode count maybe this could have worked. The setting, characters (except one), and plot were almost there, they were all likable, but needed more development. Since there was little to no set up there was never a feeling of urgency during any of the climaxes, it never felt like the bad guys could win.

The first half (based off the Allison LN series) was by far the best part of this show. Wilhelm and Allison pretty decent characters and the transition to the Lillia to Treize half honestly surprised me. Treize was a decent character as well, but Lillia was a worthless bitch.

Had this series simply been Allison then I'd be singing it's praises and eagerly awaiting 2009's follow up series. Instead I see a butt-ton of wasted potential and what could have been.

Best Almost Bad Series:
Macross Frontier - The love triangle. Mistakenly, the main focus of the Superdemension Macross universe. I feel it's a needed key element, but it should not be the main focus as it has been since the final arc of the original TV series. This series just managed to squeek by and be good unlike the other recent series Macross Zero.

The Bad:
Ranka Lee, in the grand tradition of Linn Minmei she is the dumb/selfish/annoying idol singer of this series.

Referencing Macross Zero as cannon. Sure they could ignore Macross II but not Zero. Damn you Shoji Kawamori!

Pandering to all fan demographics. Sure the mecha porn (not robots having sex) I accept since this is a mecha show, but there is way too much moe' (not just limited to little girls) and high school hijinks.

Shoji Kawamori. Stick to designing jets, ok?

The in the middle:
Fold Technology + Singing. This was almost an Episode 1 Metachlorians situation all over again, but luckily it didn't turn out to be the case.

The character designs, definitely not Mikimoto but not horrible either.

The good:
Sticking to the basics. Epic space war with unknown alien? Check. Love Triangles? A little too much check. This is a Macross series. No space whales, no flying rocks, no singing at the enemy instead of shooting them.

Bobby. Normally he's flaming gay and making passes at the male cast, but when he's at the helm of the Macross Quarter he's a manly man of BURNING PASSION.

Homage to the original series. I'm not going to point them all out, but they also pull some fake-out homages like the pine salad homage in episode 17.

The music. Sure it's J-pop, but at least it's good j-pop. Not my favorite style music, but I can hear that it's well put together.

The animation. For a TV series it's fucking outstanding, it can hold it's own with Movies and OAVs as well. The mecha combat is some fun stuff. Animation recycling is done subtly so it's barely noticed.

------------------

To be continued....