TOP 25 SHOWS 2014 YEAR IN REVIEW.
Click here for the 2014 Year-End Chart.
Summary.
An anime wins Show of the Year yet again winning the top prize for an eighth time in nine years. It goes to a Pretty Cure show for a second straight year and for the third time in four. With so many recent victories under its belt, could Toei Animation be considered in the midst of a dynasty?
The Pretty Cure franchise, which was created by Toei Animation, has finished either 1st or 2nd on the Year-End chart for the fourth straight year. The last time an imprint had such an impressive run was Toronto-based Nelvana, which notched five Show of the Year victories in six years from 1998-2003 (it lost only in 2000).
T-10 Chart.
On the T-10 chart, there were twenty-nine (29) different No. 1 shows, a slight 7.4% increase over the 27 in 2013. The twenty-nine was the most in a year since 2008 when there were 31. Of the 29 No. 1 shows, 21 were anime that led for a total of 36 weeks.
There was a big improvement in the number of new shows that came in this year. There were 34 debuts in 2014, a stunning 61.9% increase over 2013’s record low of 21, and the most since 2008 (35). A record seven shows debuted at No. 1 on the T-10 chart this year. It beats the previous record of six set in 2010. That is a stunning contrast to the Top 25 Shows chart, which did not have a No. 1 debut. They were as follows: X-Men (2011) (Jan. 11), MAGI: The Labyrinth of Magic (Mar. 8), Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch (Jul. 19), The Rose of Versailles (Aug. 16), Appleseed XIII (Nov. 8), Sofia the First (Nov. 15), and Rail Wars! (Dec. 6). Five of the No. 1 debuts came in the second half, a record.
#1 debuts in Top 25 Shows.
There weren’t any No. 1 debuts on the Top 25 Shows chart in 2014. It is the first time that has occurred since 2001. In fact, no show debuted at No. 2 this year either (2014 appears to be the first year with that distinction). The highest debut of the year was a No. 3 debut from Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing in October. With HappinessCharge PreCure! And My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic occupying the penthouse for 10 out the 12 months this year, there wasn’t much chance for a show to enter at No. 1.
So… what were the biggest shows in Top 25 Shows this year?
HappinessCharge PreCure!, the most current season in the Pretty Cure franchise, wins Show of the Year. Like its predecessor Suite PreCure!, Happiness was beginning to run away with Show of the Year starting around Labor Day. But unlike Suite, it wasn’t an all-out rout. Happiness beat the runner-up My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic in points 530-464. Even that is the most commanding victory since Suite PreCure!.
Happiness was No. 1 on the Top 25 Shows chart for five consecutive months, matching Suite’s record for longest streak at No. 1 for an anime. It led the T-10 chart for ten weeks, including two hat tricks, the first show to have two hat tricks in a calendar year since Negima in 2006.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic finishes 2nd. After starting off the year so strong -- and expected to run away with Show of the Year by the time season 4 ended in May, Pony’s off-season wane hurt it yet again this year. Its weak showing in the off-season allowed Happiness to surge right past it and take the victory. Pony led the Top 25 Shows chart for five non-consecutive months, leading all but one month during the first half. Pony had nine No. 1’s on the T-10 chart.
The Young and the Restless finishes 3rd for a third straight year. Y&R’s two-year streak of being named the biggest grossing show of the year ended this year to Happiness. Y&R led only April 19’s T-10 chart. Science Channel show How It’s Made is No. 4. Made twice peaked at No. 2, first in June and November and led one T-10 chart on October 4. In the Heat of the Night finishes at No. 5. Night led two T-10 charts on May 24 and June 7. It received the 3rd most Top 25 Shows points with 318; it peaked at No. 4 in January on the Top 25 Shows.
The Bold and the Beautiful, last year’s runner-up, drops to 6th this year. B&B was No. 2 in July and led one T-10 chart on June 14. Yes! PreCure 5 finished 7th. It peaked at No. 5 in March and led the T-10 chart on Feb. 22. Little Busters! Finished 8th. Busters led the Top 25 Shows chart for July and led two T-10 charts on Apr. 26 and Jun. 21, the latter of which resulted in the anime breaking the No. 1 week grossing record. It held the record until Dec. 27. Star Trek: The Next Generation finished 9th. It stopped at No. 10 in June, and led the Nov. 29 T-10 chart. The anime version of X-Men rounded out the top-10. X-Men was the only other No. 1 show in Top 25 Shows in the 1st half besides My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. X-Men led three T-10 charts: Jan. 11, Feb. 8, and Feb. 15.
The new shows for this year include: Hyakko (No. 14), MAGI: The Labyrinth of Magic (No. 15), Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing (No. 17), Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch (No. 20), Appleseed XIII (No. 26), Blade (No. 31), and Wolverine (No. 34). DokiDoki! Pretty Cure, the 2013 Show of the Year, finished 23rd.
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