Board 8 > Best Animated Series 2020 - Bracket And Discussion!

(+) Yeah! (+)

The bracket can be found here:

https://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=473952

I'll leave it open for predictions for a day, I'll start the first matches on Tuesday morning.

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Wow, there are going to be a lot of tough choices in the first round alone. So many good shows in this bracket.

Batman TAS > Lain
Death Note > South Park
Batman TAS > Death Note

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(1)Over the Garden Wall
Game 41 Details
(16)Undergrads

Why do you have to do this to me?

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Great_Paul posted...

(1)Over the Garden Wall
Game 41 Details
(16)Undergrads

Why do you have to do this to me?

To be fair, Over The Garden Wall is probably the weakest 1 seed.

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Yay, Code Lyoko got in... as Futurama fodder

Oh well, it wasn't going to be strong. Just nice to see it here.

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Shonen_Bat posted...

Yay, Code Lyoko got in... as Futurama fodder

Oh well, it wasn't going to be strong. Just nice to see it here.

Just too many good shows this time around to help Code Lyoko get a better seed. Back in the mid to late 2000s I think it got in a couple of times as a 9-12 level seed, but these days it was never going to be higher than a 13, and in a strong field, forget about it.

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Nice, Over the Garden Wall with a 1 seed. We just had an outdoor viewing here with leaves falling around us, it was so good.

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Favorites:

Batman TAS > Ren & Stimpy
Animaniacs > Moral Orel
Rick & Morty > Arthur
King of the Hill > Adventure Time
Steven Universe > TMNT
Over the Garden Wall > Boondocks
Simpsons > Space Ghost C2C
Hey Arnold > Neon Genesis Evangelion

Animaniacs > Batman TAS
King of the Hill > Rick & Morty
Steven Universe > Over the Garden Wall
Simpsons > Hey Arnold

Animaniacs > King of the Hill
Simpsons > Steven Universe

Simpsons > Animaniacs

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Favorites:

Gravity Falls>Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Attack on Titan>The Simpsons

Gravity Falls>The Simpsons

Oh no two of my favorites in Beast Wars and Korra with a potential round 2 matchup. =(

Holy shit, Xavier's gonna get hammered. Makes me wish there were a loser's bracket to fall back on.

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Cowboy Bebop v. Gurren Lagann first round... why

Adventure Time v. Home Movies... poor home movies (it should still win though, imo)

y'all call yourselves Avatar fans and are STILL sleeping on Dragon Prince

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Day 1 is up:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/79051391

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Whoops, ah well managed to nominate what I wanted most

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Yesterday's results:

(1) Gravity Falls: 17
(16) What's With Andy?: 1

(8) Invader Zim: 15
(9) Archer: 9

(5) One Punch Man: 16
(12) Ren and Stimpy: 8

(4) Spongebob Squarepants: 17
(13) Daria: 7

Gravity Falls crushed the obscure 2000s Canadian cartoon, as expected. Invader Zim showed some strength by keeping Archer at arm's length, and should be a much tougher opponent for Gravity Falls than What's With Andy was. One Punch Man hasn't lost a step from its 2018 Sweet Sixteen run, taking down Ren and Stimpy (which isn't nearly as strong as it used to be but is still a well known cartoon), while Spongebob managed to pull away from Daria and looks like it might make it a decent fight against One Punch Man in round two.

Day 2 is here:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/79053417

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Man I really didn't see Archer going down in round 1

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Zim and Archer have both always been solid midcarders in these tournaments. There was a brief time when Archer was getting really high seeds on the regular, but never really lived up to those seeds except for maybe one time when it got to the sweet sixteen.

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Yesterday's results:

(6) Kim Possible: 23
(11) Beavis and Butthead: 9

(3) Batman: The Animated Series: 23
(14) Aeon Flux: 2

(10) Aqua Teen Hunger Force: 14
(7) Junji Ito Collection: 8

(15) The Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog: 19
(2) The Critic: 13

Kim Possible scored an impressive win over Beavis and Butthead, considering that Beavis and Butthead beat shows like Steven Universe and Kill la Kill as recently as 2016 and will be coming back for a new season soon. It probably doesn't have a chance against defending champ Batman next round, but the impressive win against BaB at least gives it a puncher's chance. The Junji Ito Collection has proven popular in the nomination phase, but just not popular enough to win matches, and it suffers its second straight first round loss to the longtime Adult Swim mainstay. Meanwhile, The Critic fails to take advantage of its high seed and loses in a big upset to the "bad" Sonic the Hedgehog series, an embarrassing loss for sure.

Today's topic:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/79055401

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These results are... uh, something so far. Archer, The Critic and Beavis and Butt-head losing shocked me.

Archer's loss of clout over the years is sad to see. The first three seasons are masterful and have aged wonderfully, 4-6 have a lot of good material, and I hear the new season is a return to form. But man, the dreary Season 7 and those dream seasons really torpedoed the show's reputation.

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I don't hear people talking much about Beavis and Butt-head, so losing to Kim Possible doesn't surprise me. The Critic losing to AoStH did though.

The Critic has never performed strongly in this tournament, I think round three is the farthest it's ever gotten. I was quite surprised to see it get a #2 seed, I know it's got a very loyal fanbase but it seems like it's a rather small one.

Beavis and Butt-Head has always been a bust in the tournament, apart from that run in 2016 when it beat Steven Universe and Kill la Kill. It got a #1 seed back in 2002 and lost to Peanuts in the second round.

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AoStH is a lot more enjoyable if you remove it from the context of the Sonic universe. It's not some highbrow masterwork, and it doesn't have to be. it's doofy, insane fun that comes alive through the expressive animation boards of one Milton Knight. Baldry's Robotnik is definitely the highlight--arguably his greatest portrayal in any Sonic media, and that's a weirdly high bar.

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Yesterday's results:

(1) Futurama: 23
(16) Code Lyoko: 7

(9) Pokemon: 17
(8) Gargoyles: 16

(5) Recess: 20
(12) My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: 13

(4) Looney Tunes: 27
(13) Moral Orel: 8

Code Lyoko actually managed a somewhat respectable performance, though it got blown out by Futurama all the same. Pokemon and Gargoyles went back and forth in one of the most exciting matches in contest history (certainly in the first round), with Pokemon getting a late rally to come out on top. Recess kept MLP at bay, asserting its status as a solid midcarder, but it'll have its work cut out for it in round two against Looney Tunes, which smashed Moral Orel in an impressive rout.

Today's matches:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/79057794

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Yesterday's results:

(11) Dexter's Laboratory: 22
(6) Rugrats: 11

(3) Infinity Train: 10
(14) She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power (2018): 6

(7) Cowboy Bebop: 23
(10) Gurren Lagann: 7

(2) Animaniacs: 23
(15) Wolverine and the X-Men: 6

In a battle of two classic 90s cartoons, Dexter's Laboratory pulled away from Rugrats for an impressive win, and looks to be the favorite in its upcoming matchup with Infinity Train due to the staggeringly low votals for its close match with the new She-Ra. Cowboy Bebop and Animaniacs both crushed their competition, setting us up for a huge second round match that could easily have been a Sweet Sixteen or even Elite Eight match.

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Yesterday's results:

(16) Xiaolin Showdown: 19
(1) Rick And Morty: 13

(8) Tom And Jerry: 21
(9) One Piece: 13

(12) Johnny Bravo: 20
(5) Beast Wars: Transformers: 10

(4) The Legend Of Korra: 19
(13) Reboot: 9

Another 1-seed for Rick and Morty, another huge disappointment as the show goes down in the first round to Xiaolin Showdown, a show that it seems I badly underestimated how fondly it's remembered. Tom And Jerry handily knocked off One Piece, which failed to build on last year's Sweet Sixteen run. Johnny Bravo knocked out Beast Wars and Legend Of Korra handled Reboot in a pair of fairly ho-hum matches.

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Definitely nice to see Xiaolin Showdown pull off that upset, though I suspect some Rick and Morty anti-votes probably helped.

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Oh no Beast Wars. =(

I did pause a bit in voting for Rick and Morty cause I do really like Xiaolin Showdown. I should give it a rewatch sometime.

Xiaolin Showdown is probably like, a top 5 cartoon for me

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It probably should've had an 11 or 12 seed. I just don't remember people being super hyped about it at the time like they were about other cartoons like Teen Titans and Avatar: The Last Airbender. I remember it as a cartoon that was generally decently liked but not really beloved by a ton of people.

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FL81 posted...

Xiaolin Showdown is probably like, a top 5 cartoon for me

Yep, same here

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Yesterday's results:

(6) Arthur: 25
(11) Family Guy: 11

(14) Yu-Gi-Oh!: 22
(3) Ed, Edd, 'n Eddy: 14

(10) Chip And Dale: Rescue Rangers: 17
(7) Regular Show: 15

(2) Bojack Horseman: 13
(15) Hilda: 9

Back in the mid 2000s, Arthur vs. Family Guy would've been a 1/16 matchup, with Family Guy as the 1-seed and the overwhelming favorite. It goes to show how far Family Guy has fallen that this was such a dominating blowout. Yu-Gi-Oh pulled the upset over Ed, Edd, 'n Eddy, which is fondly remembered but probably not worthy of such a high seed. Regular Show and Chip And Dale had a ferociously close match, while Bojack Horseman avoided the fate of shows like The Critic and Rick And Morty to hold off a strong push from Hilda.

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Pleasantly surprised Rescue Rangers pulled that off. I thought it was finished the way the votes were looking yesterday.

(1) King Of The Hill: 13
(16) Serial Experiments Lain: 13

(9) Yu Yu Hakusho: 15
(8) Batman Beyond: 11

(5) Puella Magi Madoka Magica: 17
(12) The Grim Adventures Of Billy and Mandy: 7

(4) Rocko's Modern Life: 16
(13) Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law: 8

King Of The Hill has been known for getting high seeds and choking in the first two rounds (except for its Sweet Sixteen run last year), so it's back to its old form as Serial Experiments Lain is able to force overtime. Yu Yu Hakusho won a tough clash with Batman Beyond (and will probably go into its round two matchup as the favorite, whoever it has to face), while Madoka Magica and Rocko's Modern Life beat up on a couple of low midcarders to give us an intriguing round two matchup.

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(6) Steins;Gate: 17
(11) Bob's Burgers: 9

(3) Paranoia Agent: 15
(14) Harley Quinn: 8

(7) Clone High: 9
(10) The Owl House: 7

(2) Adventure Time: 16
(15) Home Movies: 10

Anime continues to be quite popular this year, with Steins;Gate and Paranoia Agent taking their first round matches without too much trouble. The Owl House got off to a 6-0 lead, but just hasn't built up enough of a fanbase to get many votes, and blew its strong start. Adventure Time was tested by Home Movies, but pulled away to a win and will face a similar challenge in round two against Clone High, with the winner set to meet a popular anime in round three.

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(1) Avatar: The Last Airbender: 24
(16) Xavier: Renegade Angel: 4

(8) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1980s): 17
(9) Digimon Adventure 01: 14

(5) Attack On Titan: 14
(12) The Tick: 13

(4) The Venture Bros.: 13
(13) Duckman: 10

Apart from Avatar stomping Xavier into the ground, yesterday was pretty exciting, with three close matches! TMNT battled back and forth with Digimon all day before getting the final few votes to win, Attack On Titan held off a ferocious challenge from The Tick, and The Venture Bros. took a close one against fellow cult hit cartoon Duckman.

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(11) Superman: The Animated Series: 15
(6) Sonic The Hedgehog (SatAM): 13

(3) Courage The Cowardly Dog: 20
(14) House Of Mouse: 6

(10) X-Men Evolution: 13
(7) Total Drama Island: 10

(2) Steven Universe: 11
(15) Primal: 8

Two of the best action series of the 1990s clashed in a close match, with Superman coming out on top thanks to a fast start. It'll have its work cut out for it against the popular Courage the Cowardly Dog, while X-Men Evolution knocked out Total Drama Island in a close tussle. Primal proved to be strong in its first outing, but, like other strong rookies, just hasn't built up enough of a following to win its first match. Maybe next time.

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(1) Over The Garden Wall: 20
(16) Undergrads: 3

(9) Pinky and the Brain: 21
(8) Spectacular Spider-Man: 11

(12) FLCL: 16
(5) Megas XLR: 14

(4) X-Men: The Animated Series: 22
(13) Kill la Kill: 8

Over The Garden Wall didn't have any trouble with Undergrads, but will have stiffer competition in round two when it faces longtime tournament veteran Pinky and the Brain, which easily dispatched the beloved Spectcular Spider-Man. FLCL survived a furious comeback to beat Megas XLR, but it wasn't all rosy for anime yesterday, as X-Men the Animated Series easily crushed Kill la Kill.

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(6) The Boondocks: 15
(11) Batman: The Brave And The Bold: 12

(3) Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated: 15
(14) Spider-Man: The Animated Series: 13

(10) Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?: 16
(7) Duck Tales (2017): 14

(2) Death Note: 26
(15) The Fairly Oddparents: 5

Though it wasn't planned, it was quite fitting for both Scooby-Doo shows to have their matches on Halloween, and it was probably the Halloween bump that helped them both win their very close matches. The Boondocks also came back to beat The Brave and the Bold after trailing all day, while Death Note established itself as the one to beat in this eight pack and possibly this region with a dominating win over The Fairly Oddparents (its second straight tournament where it smashed a popular Nicktoon in round one, after crushing The Loud House in 2018)

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(1) The Simpsons: 24
(16) Hamtaro: 7

(8) South Park: 20
(9) The Powerpuff Girls (1998): 15

(12) Tiny Toon Adventures: 18
(5) The Amazing World Of Gumball: 14

(4) Young Justice: 16
(13) Sealab 2021: 9

Credit to Hamtaro for even managing seven votes, though it fell far short of what would have been the ultimate upset. South Park manages a close win against Powerpuff Girls, and will battle The Simpsons in a great second round clash. Tiny Toons took down Gumball in a showdown of beloved wacky cartoons, while Young Justice handily knocked off Sealab 2021.

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I am quite pleased that Hamtaro got even seven votes!

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oof, got 0/4'd

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1/4 here, and a pretty sad day on the whole. As it turns out, all of the losing shows were Cartoon Network originals, or at least were syndicated on the channel at some point.

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(11) The Magic School Bus: 16
(6) Space Ghost: Coast To Coast: 15

(3) Samurai Jack: 18
(14) Muppet Babies (1980s): 13

(10) Darkwing Duck: 21
(7) TaleSpin: 8

(2) Homestar Runner: 17
(15) Violet Evergarden: 11

The Magic School Bus was able to eke out a very close win against Space Ghost: Coast To Coast, while Samurai Jack held off Muppet Babies to advance as well. Darkwing Duck ran over fellow Disney Afternoon show TaleSpin, while Homestar Runner made the most of its long-delayed tournament debut by beating fellow rookie Violet Evergarden. It joins Infinity Train as the second (and last) rookie show to advance to the second round this year.

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(1) Dragonball Z: 15
(16) Green Lantern: The Animated Series: 8

(8) Neon Genesis Evangelion: 15
(9) Dragon Ball: 12

(5) Sailor Moon: 16
(12) Star vs. The Forces Of Evil: 4

(4) Teen Titans: 19
(13) Phineas and Ferb: 6

Dragonball Z won, but by a closer margin than it might have expected, and we could be set up for another close battle between Dragonball Z and Evangelion, which took down Dragon Ball in a huge 2002 rematch. Sailor Moon and Teen Titans both pulled away from their Disney Channel opponents to set up an exciting matchup for round two.

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(11) Justice League Unlimited: 19
(6) Mission Hill: 7

(14) Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: 12
(3) Castlevania: 10

(7) Hey Arnold: 15
(10) Freakazoid: 15

(2) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood: 20
(15) Code Geass: 5

The first round isn't QUITE over, since Hey Arnold and Freakazoid will be going to a tiebreaker. Justice League Unlimited and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood posted dominant wins yesterday, while Jojo's Bizarre Adventure squeaked by Castlevania, which didn't have the strength that it displayed during the nomination phase.

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Surprised Mission Hill was a 6 seed

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SockoressKnight posted...

Surprised Mission Hill was a 6 seed

It got four nominations, so it had to be seeded with all the other four nomination shows (which occupied the 4-6 seeds and a few of the 7 seeds).

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(1) Gravity Falls: 23
(8) Invader Zim: 9

(5) One Punch Man: 15
(4) Spongebob Squarepants: 15

(3) Batman: The Animated Series: 23
(6) Kim Possible: 7

(15) The Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog: 19
(10) Aqua Teen Hunger Force: 13

Gravity Falls impressed with a dominating performance over Invader Zim, proving that it's an upper carder, though it could have a tough road coming up with potentially Batman waiting in the sweet sixteen. Batman destroyed Kim Possible, as expected, while Sonic continues his Cinderella run. One Punch Man and Spongebob battled it out fiercely and now they'll have a tiebreaker to determine who'll take on Gravity Falls. Meanwhile, Hey Arnold took down Freakazoid in the tiebreaker to finish out round one.

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If Saitama had seen the Spongebob episode with Flats the Flounder, he would know that Spongebob is immune to punches.