Best Short: Tonari no Seki-kun: The Master of Killing Time
While there were a broad range of votes for many categories, there was little in the way of dispute when it came to the short form series that captured most of our staff’s attention: Tonari no Seki-kun: The Master of Killing Time. It appeared on every ballot (except mine). Focusing on the insane antics of the title character, but seen through the eyes of his incredulous classroom neighbor Rumi Yokoi, every episode had Seki (who is usually only referenced by his surname) engaged in building some outlandish contraption on his desktop, leading Yokoi into fits of distraction. Somehow, he never catches the teacher’s attention and is never called out for his blatant disregard for the lesson.
While Kestrel Swift said “no other (shorts) compare” and Brian Threlkeld lauded it for being “endlessly clever,” the fullest praise came from AJ Adejare: “If you would have told me I would love a show where a toy bear climbing a person would be interesting…I would have been a bit skeptical. That is a bit of what makes Seki-kun awesome: Making the simple things into magical concepts and making normal stuff interesting. From domino placement, to Shogi, Seki-kun never fails to succeed as a show that is both fun, innocent, and entertaining. Take a bow Rumi Yokoi and Toshinari Seki for giving us a great show.”
Congrats winners!