TOP 25 SHOWS 2006 YEAR IN REVIEW
Click here for the 2006 Year-End chart.
2006 was another blowout year for the animes in Top 25 Shows. Animes were No. 1 every month for a second straight year. There was an anime-exclusive Top 10 Shows of the Week chart back on February 25. Animes locked down the entire top-3 and top-5 for much of the year in Top 25 Shows, except the Live Action Show category came on quite strong this year, keeping that rare anime-exclusive top-10 out of the question.
2006 also saw the return of Top 25 Shows veterans “Franklin” and “Digimon”. “Franklin” makes its first year-end recap appearance since 2002 and “Digimon” since 2004.
This was by far the most successful year for the animes in Top 10 Shows of the Week history. Animes were No. 1 for almost the entire year. A record twenty-four of the 29 shows that topped the weekly tally this year were animes heading the chart for 47 weeks out of 52! This represents 90% of the chart weeks this year!
Top 25 Shows Show of the Year for 2006 is “Fruits Basket”. “Basket” is the third anime in Top 25 Shows history, and the second straight, to take the honor. This gives the FUNimation imprint their first Show of the Year title, beating their previous year-end best of No. 3 from “Fullmetal Alchemist” in 2005. “Fruits Basket” leaps from a dead last finish last year to the summit.
“Fruits Basket” debuted at No. 1 in Top 25 Shows back in January and won another month in February. “Basket” topped the Top 10 Shows of the Week chart on six occasions this year, the most recent being this past October 14. “Basket” ended the year as the 2nd biggest grossing show.
“Fruits Basket” leads an anime-exclusive top-4 on this year’s chart.
The big surprise hit of 2006 is “Negima”. It finishes 2nd in 2006 as the year’s biggest new show. “Negima” came in on August 5 and went gangbusters in Top 25 Shows. It headed the monthly chart for three months (becoming the second show this year to debut at No. 1 in September), and headed the Top 10 Shows of the Week chart for 11 weeks, more weeks than any other show this year.
“Negima” is also a FUNimation-imprint show, handing the anime licensing company the top two slots. FUNimation becomes the first imprint in year-end chart history to take the top two slots.
“Negima” also managed to break several records. On September 2, it became the lone show in Top 10 Shows of the Week history to spend its first five weeks on the chart at No. 1. By September 30, it was No. 1 for eight of the nine weeks since its debut and on November 18 and 25, it broke the single-week No. 1 and No. 2 records, respectively, the second show in the tally’s history to accomplish the feat. On December 30, “Negima” pulled off the biggest upset in Annual Gross Races chart history when it was named 2006’s biggest grossing show, bringing in more than 8 billion career grosses.
Virtually the only thing that kept the anime away from the Show of the Year title was the fact that its Top 25 Shows debut during the second half of the year.
“Chrono Crusade” comes in for a 3rd place finish. This finish hands the Japanese animation firm GONZO its best ever year-end placement, besting the 4th place finish from “Vandread” in 2005. It’s licensing company, ADVFilms, also places its best ever year-end finish, topping the 4th place finish from “Azumanga Daioh” in the 2004 year-end chart.
“Crusade” was No. 1 in Top 25 Shows for three consecutive months in April, May, and June. It was No. 1 for seven weeks this year. It ended the year as the 4th biggest grossing show.
“Peacemaker” finishes 4th in 2006. “Peacemaker” headed the Top 25 Shows chart on two occasions in July and August making a near record jump to No. 1 and headed the weekly tally for just two weeks. It was the year’s 5th biggest grossing show. “Naruto” finishes 5th in 2006. That is up from a 17th place finish in 2005. “Naruto” ended 2006 as the 9th biggest grossing show. It headed the Top 10 Shows of the Week chart for a week on April 22, and went as high as No. 2 in Top 25 Shows in July.
Saturday morning FOX News business show “Bulls & Bears” finishes 6th in 2006. It was the year’s 3rd biggest grossing show. It went as high as No. 2 in November. “Vandread” slips to a 7th place finish in 2006, down from a 4th place finish last year. “Vandread” also headed the weekly tally for a week on April 29, and went to No. 2 in June. “Vandread” was the year’s 7th biggest grossing show. “Divorce Court” comes in for an 8th place finish in 2006. “Court” was the 6th biggest grossing show of the year. “Divorce Court” was No. 4 in Top 25 Shows back in April and spent a week at No. 1 in Top 10 Shows of the Week on March 11. “Magical DoReMi” dipped to a No. 9 finish in 2006. “DoReMi” was No. 1 for a month in March, and headed the weekly tally for two weeks back in February. “Digimon: Digital Monsters” rounds out the Top 10 Shows of the year, placing 10th. “Digimon” went as high as No. 2 in Top 25 Shows in February, its best showing in four years. “Digimon” was the year’s 13th biggest grossing show.
Elsewhere on the chart, “Chobits” finishes 11th. “Yu Yu Hakusho” finishes 12th, making its first Year-End recap appearance since 2003. “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” finishes 13th. FUNimation-imprint show “Spiral” finishes 14th and “Zatch Bell” finishes 15th.
“Trigun” closes out the year 16th. “Franklin” finishes 17th. “Trinity Blood” is No. 18. “Samurai 7” and “Mew Mew Power” round out the top-20.
Last year’s Show of the Year, “InuYasha” nose-dives to a 34th place finish.
"WWE Raw" failed to place in the Year-End chart... a first in 11 years!
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