Best Anime of 2010

I lied.  I got one more post for you all and it’s basically my Christmas present to the rest of my team and your viewers who take your time to come to this site.  As a tradition, we award the best anime shows of 2010 but this time, we’re doing things a bit differently.  Regardless, here’s a bland generic picture of a 2010 anime to get things started before you guys have to click on the “Click here to read more button”.

How we’re basically going to do this is we picked a bunch of shows from the different seasons and gave each season a pick.  Of course, we have one runner-up who also should get credit for having a fun and/or good anime.  Don’t expect Sekirei ~pure engagement~ to be on this list because as much as some of us enjoy bouncing boobs, ripping clothes, and hot girls fighting, that doesn’t define anime.  Imagine what would happen to us if we followed that stereotype.

Winter 2010

Blindability picked: Durarara!!

This makes the list just because it was highly anticipated, highly reviewed, and highly overrated. Just kidding. Yes there were some slow points to Durarara, but plot kept most of us guessing and theorizing until the very end. A good show keeps your curiosity piqued, even when the episodes it’s pumping out are bad. Plus there were so many wild theories floating around the aniblogsphere, it almost made the show feel more creative – not because any of these theories were realized, but because it presented a world and a cast of characters so interesting that people could get lost in their own imagination. Or maybe that was just me.

SPIRAL picked: Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu

Cute funny story all around and a great cast of characters.  Unique battle system all combined with the education and luxuries of highschool.  For me, this was the anime of the year since it was just a dark horse that simply took the season by storm.  Yes, it’s silly and it certainly has its downsides, but you can’t deny that if you watched all the episodes, each one had its fun and no episode was really boring.  Great series.  Brilliantly done and great artwork.

Spring 2010

Blindability picked: Arakawa Under the Bridge

Well, I know Arakawa isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly is mine. And I’ll have seconds on that, please. …Or maybe not, since Arakawa “seconds” aren’t nearly as good as their firsts. But non-existent second seasons aside, Arakawa was one the most outstanding animes to me for 2010. It was clever and it was consistently funny. They took a cast of eccentric characters, threw them together and made it work so well, that any “normal” person according to Society’s standards was the odd one out. One of the best things about Arakawa though, is that it’s not just about the humour: Arakawa has heart. It raised a lot of questions about social norms, community living, mental health, family and child rearing, inter-racial relationships, and gun control. Poor Sister is going to get into so much trouble if he ever gets caught.

SPIRAL picked: GIANT KILLING!

RAGEEEEE!  I really really really really like soccer as much as I do for my own life.  Not that’s the only reason I incorporated that but the tension and story was just so gripping.  If you never liked soccer but watched this show, I think you can learn to appreciate the complexities behind it that go through the minds of the players and the management.  Then again, I’m a boy so I guess sports anime really do shine for me.  ETU will never die!

Summer 2010

Blindability picked: Ookami-san to Suichinin no Nakamatachi

Hey, I mentioned it in the Summer Season Preview that I really liked Ryouko’s school uniform. I still do. Sure the story wasn’t solid and there were a lot of chiches, but the character design was what got me – and still gets me.

SPIRAL picked: Highschool of the Dead

Great artwork, great story, great characters, great fanservice, and a shitty conclusion.  But it was still legendary considering it’s still one of the few anime that my non-anime-watching friends watch since they heard how good it was.

Fall 2010

Blindability picked: Kuragehime

Well, I feel bad because I never did finish Tatami Galaxy and I don’t know if I ever will. With that being said, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Kuragehime, but boy was I surprised. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a girl, but there’s something very sincere about Kuragehime that’s so… relatable. The relationships aren’t rushed but also don’t weigh down the rest of the series – because it’s not really about Tsukimi x Kuranosuke or Shu; but the emotions behind all three of them do play an important role in the movement of the story and the development of the characters.

SPIRAL picked: Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls

Who doesn’t love girls who fight the crap out of each other with swords among other weapons?  I especially like it when it’s accompanied by a unique art-style and ink-blots that cover any sort of fanservice people could fap to.  I’m joking – it actually was fairly entertaining every episode and I always looked forward to this coming out.  I mean, there weren’t that many shows this season that were noteworthy although I was just going to put down Amagami SS as this season’s winner.  I’m sad that neither that nor Angel Beats made our list.  QQ

This makes the list just because it was highly anticipated, highly reviewed, and highly overrated. Just kidding. Yes there were some slow points to Durarara, but plot kept most of us guessing and theorizing until the very end. A good show keeps your curiosity piqued, even when the episodes it’s pumping out are bad. Plus there were so many wild theories floating around the aniblogsphere, it almost made the show feel more creative – not because any of these theories were realized, but because it presented a world and a cast of characters so interesting that people could get lost in their own imagination. Or maybe that was just me.