If you have not already listened to this category’s podcast, these are the final results, so this will spoil the course of the discussion on that podcast! Be warned!
The Winner
They Were Eleven
Can you have a thriller where no one has to die? Can a story can be tense without the spectre of death, where well meaning people can clash and still keep going? That kind of conflict comes out from the opening moments of They Were Eleven. Adapted from a 1970’s manga of the same name, this 1985 adaptation is a movie that deftly weaves thrillers, mystery, and romance in a shockingly forward thinking.
The movie follows the teens as they must find a way to work together to pass an intergalactic academy’s test, proving they are worthy of joining their prestigious ranks. Aliens and humans alike co-mingle and bring their own perspectives and trauma to the forefront as they must solve increasingly complicated problems while a saboteur is on the loose. We have people whose complex feelings on gender roles and politics clash.
Not to mention, the movie is gorgeously animated and strikingly scored, creating evocative imagery of the beauty and terror of space travel. Both dubs into Japanese and English have a laundry list of voice acting legends at the start of their careers, creating compelling performances from all of the members of this 11-man crew. While not everyone gets a spotlight, the depth and interiority of these characters are explored with the same curiosity as the grand adventure in space these teens go on.
At the heart of They Were Eleven is a story about the hope we people placed in space travel, floating in the idealized vision of cooperation and understanding. The future as presented by this movie has yet to come to pass, but by placing it a far off impossibly advanced future, we can draw from that vision our desire for peace. This movie is inspiring, thrilling, gorgeous, and the kind of thing that makes animation as a medium so incredible.
We can’t help but award this movie with our highest honor, and we hope one day the rights can be picked up again for a proper redistribution. But in the meantime, you owe it to yourself to seek this movie out.
-Kyrie
The Runners-Up
Apothecary Diaries
As much as I weaponize the concept against the many isekai I cover, I do actually like the Competence Fantasy. A little goes a long way, it’s important not to turn your protagonist into some sort of superhuman, but I like the idea of being good at a job that I enjoy doing. I would love to be a resource for others, a mentor.
That’s… perhaps a generous interpretation of Maomao, the lead of Apothecary Diaries, as she doesn’t seem particularly interested in mentorship. But there’s a pleasure in that too: a smart, clear-eyed person doing their job and trying to stay clear of drama. I expected a much more fantastical show than I got with this one, and the moments it meets those expectations are actually some of the weakest. The best of the show is when there are straightforward problems with interesting solutions, rather than high drama.
-Six
Medalist
One of the most transformative moments in my life was the years I spent as an educator. There is something special in being able to mentor and cultivate talent in children, providing the soil to let them flourish into their own person over time. Medalist is a story unlike others I have seen about young kids and their passion for sports. There are countless sports anime for children, but few are truly about children in the same way.
Focusing on Inori, who is potentially too old to compete in ice skating at a serious level, the story is about her growth into a competitor. But she cannot do it alone, especially with her own body and people around her reasonably preventing her from making progress. But with her coach, Tsukasa, they can both grow and learn from one another as he helps lay the groundwork for Inori to pursue her passions.
The anime has plenty of anime hyperbole, to be clear. There are lots of exaggerated characters and jokes and fun moments that capture the joys of the sport. But it does not flinch away from the real lives of these characters. Permanent injury is an element that is taken seriously, the ways toxic competitiveness can drive people away, and the myriad of personal traumas that prevent us from achieving our dreams. It is not dour or dark, but it does not hide the pitfalls.
The success of Medalist lies at the heart of seeing young people succeed despite all of that, though. Seeing Inori go from shivering train wreck to focused competitor is enthralling, and seeing Tsukasa being the gentle but firm hand that guides Inori into the right direction is equally compelling. I have rarely felt as seen by an anime as Tsukasa tearfully cheering as Inori nails something they spent weeks practicing.
There is so much more to the story of Medalist left to be told, but when Inori declares she will take gold and Tsukasa exclaims he will get her there, you feel it. It’s a one of a kind anime that I can’t wait to see it’s next confident leaps.
-Kyrie
Gosick
I know, I know: Jennifer has once again gravitated towards a gothic, over-the-top detective anime that mixes light mystery-solving with action setpieces. But Gosick is special, combining the traits that draw me to its particular niche with a compelling romance, one where the budding feelings and eventual devotion feel like they come about at a natural, believable pace.
Kujo and Victorique are such a delightful duo, with the former using his fiery, warrior-like spirit to complement the latter’s superb intellect. And the cases themselves feel right at home in its stuffy European academy setting, from an ancient, surprisingly fatal bell tower to an isolated village with a wolf problem. My attachment to the show also grew episode after episode: by the finale, I was glued to my couch, hoping beyond hope that these two unusual lovebirds would defy the hand fate dealt for them, staying together even as the tides of war pulled them apart. We watched plenty of great shows and movies over 2025, but very few of them came close to making me as emotional as Gosick.
-Jen
And that’s a wrap on week one of the Gimmick Awards 2025… mostly. The Best of 2025 piece from Six got pushed back for refinement, and will be coming out Saturday. But the proper Awards will resume on Tuesday with Best Surprise!
Our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky. That’s last year’s art, we’ll have new art for this year soon, so please look forward to that!
