2014, the Best Year in Anime:

With the addition of 5 new fall 2014 anime series to my top anime rankings, and the airing of a minor Steins;Gate special featured by IBM of all things, 2014 has just emerged as the top star in anime years in all categories:

The number of ranked series receiving new or additional content is now up to 56, equal to 2013's 56.  In addition, the number of breakout new ranked series in 2014 is now 20, more than 2013's 11 or any other year's productivity by far.  Just for reminder's sake, I'll list all the good new series of 2014 yet again in their (current rankings) order:

107. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (2014) (12) (manga)
128. Gokukoku no Brynhildr (2014) (14) (manga)
140. Sakura Trick (2014) (12) (manga)
141. Mikakunin de Shinkoukei (2014) (14) (manga)
142. No Game No Life (2014) (12) (light novel)
146. Atelier Escha & Logy (2014) (12) (video game) * #
155. Hanayamata (2014) (12) (manga)
159. Wake Up, Girls! (2014+) (13) (original) * #
160. Locodol (2014) (13) (manga)
161. Ao Haru Ride (2014) (12) (manga)
166. Grisaia no Kajitsu (2014+) (2) (visual novel) *
167. Akame ga Kill (2014+) (15) (manga)
168. Sora no Method (2014+) (2) (original) #
169. Akatsuki no Yona (2014+) (2) (manga)
170. Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai (2014+) (2) (visual novel) *
171. Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru (2014+) (2) (original)
172. Shirobako (2014+) (2) (original) #
173. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (2014+) (2) (manga) #
174. Ore, Twintail ni Narimasu (2014+) (2) (light novel)
175. Amagi Brilliant Park (2014+) (3) (light novel) 

Now, you might be thinking, how can the best year in anime produce 20 new shows in the bottom half of the rankings?  The answer to that is the *'s and #'s you find to the right of their ranking.  Only Atelier Escha and Wake Up, Girls! reached the fullness of their potential.  The rest of the great anime that aired this year hasn't reached a suitable ending point yet, which is why it remains so far down my list compared to previous anime greats.  In the future, a great many of these shows will get sequels and soar to higher heights, proving their worth on the grandest stage.  2014 is just the year of their birth, there's no need to be too strict on these guys and expect miracles.

In 2014, all the best shows were only 1 cour.  The only ranked 2014 newly minted show entering its second cour is Akame ga Kill, and without that second cour it never would have made the rankings, so Akame ga Kill is strangely enough the weakest of these shows in 'per episode quality'.  This means all the anime of 2014 is severely lacking in length, and yet still competing with shows that have 24 eps, 48 eps, or hundreds of episodes to their name.  How many 12 episode (normal length, 24 minute) shows not currently slated for a sequel are ranked higher than the 2014 crop?  

Kitakubu
Outbreak Company
Majikoi
Vividred Operation
Anohana
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
Rocket Girls

Seven!  Just seven!  It is virtually impossible for a show to reach a ranking above that of Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun with just twelve episodes under its belt.  Even this list is suspect -- Anohana is really 11 episodes plus one full length movie, and Majikoi has a prequel season of They Are My Noble Masters buttressing its length.  So you could actually lower that count down to 5 if you were being finnicky.  2014 is full of young talent that could really use an extra season.  That doesn't mean the original season of these newborn series was bad, it just means mathematically it's hard to be twice or thrice or frice as good as your competition that's just brimming over with so much more length than you.

On an ep per ep comparison, Sakura Trick, Gekkan Shoujo or Mikakunin de Shinkoukei won't lose to anyone.  When 20 such series come out with sterling ep per ep quality but all 20 have short lengths, it still adds up to an awful lot of great anime.  Just imagine if they were 10 24 episode length series instead -- they'd all be ranked near the top instead of 20 new shows ranked near the bottom.  And if a year produced 10 top ranking series in a single year, that would be the best year in anime too.

Setting that aside, let's look at the rankings of the top 50 shows that received new content in 2014.  For now I'll just concentrate on sizable additions and not worry about minor ova's or specials.

1. One Piece (1999-2015+) (567) (manga) #
2. Naruto (2002-2015+) (375) (manga) #
3. Sword Art Online (2012-2014+) (40) (light novel) 
5. Pretty Cure (2004-2015+) (539) (original) #  
9. Fairy Tail/Rave Master (2001-2015+) (177) (manga) #
10. Fate/Etc (2006-2015+) (73) (visual novel/light novel/manga)
11. Little Busters (2012-2014) (48) (visual novel) *  
14. Dragon Ball (1986-2015+) (142) (manga) *
15. Bake-(etc)-monogatari (2009-2015+) (59) (light novel) *    
29. Saki (2009-2014+) (54) (manga) # 
38. Love Live (2010-2015+) (32) (original) # 
49. Sailor Moon (1992-2015+) (7) (manga) *  

How does 2013 compare to this list?

1. One Piece (1999-2015+) (567) (manga) #
2. Naruto (2002-2015+) (375) (manga) #  
5. Pretty Cure (2004-2015+) (539) (original) # 
10. Fate/Etc (2006-2015+) (73) (visual novel/light novel/manga)
11. Little Busters (2012-2014) (48) (visual novel) *  
15. Bake-(etc)-monogatari (2009-2015+) (59) (light novel) *   
17. Bakuman (2010-2013) (75) (manga) * #
19. Shinsekai Yori (2012-2013) (25) (light novel) * #
20. Ore no Immouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (2010-2013) (31) (light novel) * #
24. To Aru Majutsu no Index/Kagaku no Railgun (2008-2014) (98) (light novel/manga) 
26. Hayate no Gotoku (2007-2014+) (104) (manga)
27. The World God Only Knows (2010-2013) (40) (manga) *     
29. Saki (2009-2014+) (54) (manga) #   
32. Boku ha Tomodachi ga Sukunai (2011-2013) (25) (light novel)
38. Love Live (2010-2015+) (32) (original) #  
44. AKB0048 (2012-2013) (26) (original) * #

16 to 12 in 2013's favor.  However, if you just look at the top 15 shows, it's 8 to 6 in 2014's favor.  So you can cut the numbers either way.  In terms of sizable contributions to the most important series in anime, 2013 and 2014 are pretty much a wash.

The three ways anime are made great -- great new series, more content to great old series, and the best shows giving fans more of their best -- come out with 2014 leading in one category by twice as much (20 to 11) and virtually tied in the other two (56-56) (16-12/8-6)  If all else is equal, that 20 to 11 comparison is a sayonara home run grand slam.  Crushing victory.  End of story.  2014 wins.