Best Anime of 2010
in The Guy's Opinion  

Alright, so I decided to test out my writing skills by going over, in my opinion, the top 10 anime series that aired in Japan this year. Granted, I did not watch every single series that aired, but I did watch a decent amount. And this fall I actually watched most of the good ones. Since I wanted to focus on just series for the main list, I decided to also include my favorite OVA/Movie of the year first. So, here we go! (Disclaimer! My music opinions are MY music opinions!!!)

This one was tough to wait on. Although it started showing in theaters in Japan, we had to wait until December 18th for the good quality version when the DVD/BluRay came out. But, god damn, it was worth it.

If you have seen any of the other Haruhi episodes, you know what the series holds. This speicific movie was an adaptation of one full novel, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. Since I havn't read any of the novels, going into the movie I had no idea what was to happen. I was given a wonderful masterpiece from Kyoto Animation. I think the best part of this movie was that KyoAni didn't give a damn about how long the movie ended up. They just wanted to make sure they represented it well. And that resulted in a wonderous 2 hour and 41 minute movie. In essence, seven to eight episodes if it was to be a regular TV show.

If you have seen any of the show previous, you already know how great Tomokazu Sugita is as Kyon, and he continues his great work. This movie puts the usually emotionless Yuki Nagato (Minori Chihara) near the forefront of the movie. After her performance, and knowing what she is actually capable of, despite previous thoughts, I have a newfound appreciation of Yuki. Of course, longhaired Haruhi (Hirano Aya) is a great delicacy in this movie.

Overall: If you have seen the previous episodes of the anime series, or have read the light novels, this is a must see. If you have not, it might be confusing. It is definitely a supplement to the series to date. And that is what is awesome about it.

The first on my top 10 of this year is Amagami SS. Based off of a Playstation 2 dating simulator, Amagami SS is one of the first "Harem" anime where the guy gets all the girls. In Omnibus format. Thats right, each girl will get a shot at the Junichi, the main character. Each girl gets four episodes throughout this series to share their time with Junichi, plus one epidose with a "special admirer".

The show itself was pretty entertaining. Although there was a big drawback, if you didn't like one of the heroines, you were out four episodes. But then again, all you had to do was wait for four episodes. Honestly, only one heroine's route was not very good, in fact, it didn't even seem like he got the "good ending". But every one else seemed like they got the "best end". Yunichi himself was a very different character, not afraid of anything sometimes.

There are two pretty good Opening songs, both by azusa. Each arc has a different ending song sung by the heroine of the arc.

Overall: If you are tired of the typical harem anime without any closure on any of the girls, I would suggest checking this one out. Yunichi basically scores all of them.

Number 9 on my top 10 is Durarara!!. Based of the novel of the same name, the exhilarating series from the creators of Baccano! (which is of it's own a must see!).

Like Baccano, Durarara has a vast many characters which may make it hard to keep track of. But after a few episodes, it is quite easy to determine who is the baddies and the goodies. A great deal crazy shit takes place throughout this series. Just be sure to keep your disbelief suspended, or else you may not be able to understand what is going on. But if you have been watching anime for a while ,you should know how to do that by now. It is hard to come up with any synopsis without giving away too much from the story, so I urge you to check it out. There are a couple of arcs to break up the series.

There are two different openings: "Uragiri no Yuuyake" by Theatre Brook and "Complication" by ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D, both decently good. The first ending is "Trust Me" by Yuya Matsushiata, while the second is "Butterfly" by ON/OFF, the first one pretty fun, while the second one alright.

Overall: If you likes Baccano, give this one a try. Not as good as Baccano, but, really, what is?

Number 8 of my list is Soredem Machi wa Mawatteiru. Based of off the manga of the same name, produced by SHAFT.

Yes, I said SHAFT. If you have seen any of SHAFT's previous shows, you (might) know what you are looking at. Although not as crazy as Gainax, SHAFT loves to experiment and go outside the bounds of their shows, and Soredemo is no exception. Too the bones, it is a slice of life like kind of anime. Hotori Arashiyama (Chiaki Omigawa) is the main character with a love for detective stories. Others characters include Toshiko Tatsuno (Aoi Yuuki), Hiroyuki Sanada (Miyu Irino) and Natsuhiko Moriaki (Tomokazu Sugita, yes that is Kyon). Each characters personality is of great importance in the show, and each episode brings something completely different, from slice of life, to slife of irregular life, to a slice of the afterlife. Outstanding.

The opening is "Down Town" by Round Table, a group that has done a few differtent CLAMP series, a group which I love greatly. The ending theme is very different and specific by some of the seiyuu of the show, "Maids Sanjou!". Very Fun.

Overall: If you like SHAFT, you will like this show. It isn't as crazy as SHAFT usually is, but the story itself is. A great pickup by the company. If you want something completely different, check it out.

The number 7 of this year is The World God Only Knows. Based off of a manga, announced to have a second season before the first even started... Confident, arn't they? TWGOK was produced by a lesser known company, but still one that worked on Ergo Proxy and the infamous Samurai Champloo.

TWGOK centers around a highschool student who plays dating sims. Thats all he ever does. He denies the world around him and considers himself a God of gaming. A demon chooses him and his skills to help capture lost souls who have logded themselves into the hearts of real girls. It is now his job to win over the feelings of these girls, an arc at a time, in order to capture these lost souls for the cute demon. He does so against his will and caring, making him Alpha as fuck. The show is very strong in its characters. Keima, the main protaganist, goes through the entire series putting his 2d skills to use in the '3d' world, while his Demon partner, Elsie, tries to help. Each girl he 'captures' has their own varying length arc.

The opening, "God Only Knows Daisanmaku", is performed by ELISA, a very long, very good song. The ending is one song, "Koi no Shirushi" performed by the seiyuu of the arc.

Overall: This show was pretty fun in its execution. Keimi, as said before, is Alpha as fuck. He knows exactly what he needs to do do get the girl, just based on all the dating sims he has played. I can only wish it really works in real life. His demon counterpart, Elsie, is quite adorable, and my favorite girl in the show. A second season will be coming this spring, with more awesomeness as I hear.

Number 6 on my list, Ika Musume. Squid Girl. God, that sounds so much dirtier than it really is. It is actually very moe.

Imagine, a squid, in the guise of a human girl, along with her 10 tentacles, coming to the surface in order to invade and take over to persecute humanity because we polute the oceans. Yeah, thats what she had in mind. Too bad she really had no idea about humanity at all. The show turns into a comedy with the hardheaded Ika Musume trying to learn about us while living and working at a seaside restaraunt. Many crazy characters appear and the show is just adorable, including a girl who developes an unhealthy crush on her, and some scientists who thinks she is an alien.

The opening and ending is quite average for the show.

Overall: If you like sillyness in your anime, this is the must watch of the fall season. The premise of the show seemed silly to me at first, but I found myself eagerly awaiting the new episode each week.

Number 5 on the list comes with Working!!

This show is pretty ridiculous. It shows the everyday life of those working in a family restaraunt. Each with their own crazy personality problems. I can't really say much more without too much spoilers.

The opening, "SOMEONE ELSE" by the female cast, is probably the most addictive of the entire year. The ending is rather average in comparison.

Overall: Very fun show in the end. All of the characters bring in a very new and fun aspect to the show. It also breaks the traditional rules in who the main guy ends up with in the end...

Number 4 for 2010 is Angel Beats! Based on an original Story by Jun Maeda, the man behind the stories of Air, Kanon, and Clannad.

Unlike his previous Key incarnations, Angel Beats focuses more on action and mystery rather than romance. The show leaves the audience hanging at the end of every episode while strengthening most of the characters in the show. The entirety of the show takes place in an 'afterlife' where the main characters find themselves fighting a mysterious enemy apparently from God trying to take them out.

The opening and ending of the show are both outstanding, working along with the feel of the show. "My Soul, Your Beats!" by Lia as the Opening and "Brave Song" by Aoi Tada for the ending. The show itself has a 'fake' band called 'Girls Dead Monster' that has released four separate single albums with three songs each and a full album using some songs from the singles. Their music is outstanding and I continue to listen to them.

Overall: I feel the show could have been so much better, but suffers greatly from being only 13 episodes long. But the story it holds is very powerful. If you want some heart-pulling drama, check out Angel Beats!

Number 3 on my list is K-On!! The show that has almost divided the internet into moe lover and anti-moe.

This is the second season preceding the previous K-On! Produced by Kyoto Animation, the show is a slice of life about a group of high school girls in an after school band. The first season last 13 episodes for two school years, while this season lasted 26 episodes for only 1 school year. Seems a little backwards. But the animation was outstadning, and I never did get tired of watching the antics of the girls.

The show has two different openings and endings througout the season. All of which are 'performed' by the 'band'. All of which are pretty good.

Overall: Despite being a show about a band, there isn't that much story about them being a band. It is about them being friends and doing random things in highschool. If you like cute and randomness, you will like K-On!!

Mitsudomoe! My number 2 of this year, which is actually my secret favorite of the year. Based off of the manga of the same name.

To me, Mitsudomoe was a very special anime and the most overlooked anime of the year. The show focuses on the antics of the Marui triplets, Mitsuba, the eldest and slight Tsundere (Ayahi Takagaki), Futaba, the middle and very strong and energetic (Satomi Akesaka), and Hitoha, the youngest, very to herself (Haruka Tomatsu). They are in the sixth grade and show centers around their exploits and the other kids in their class. I think it depicts the actions of sixth graders very well, and in a very hilarious fashion.

The opening "Mittsu Kazoete Daishuugou!" by the triplets is very fun, while the ending, "Yume-iro no Koi" by Saori Atsumi is kinda bland. Although it shows all the characters dreams...

Overall: Once you get past a certain gross scene in the second episode, this show is outstanding. Each episode has, like, three different little stories. The second season is coming this winter, and I can't wait.

Fullmetal Alchemist. If you didn't expect this show at number 1, well, you might need to go watch it then. Created by Bones as the real adaptation to Hiromu Arakawa's original manga.

What can I say? Fullmetal Alchemist is an outstanding story that finally got an outstanding anime adaptation. I am sure most of y'all have seen the first anime series on Cartoon Network or something. Here is a suggestion, watch the first half of that and then watch the real show. The first half of the 'first show' is kinda rushed for this adaptation since they knew most of the audience has already seen the first one. But once we get past episode ten of this one, it follows the manga completely (from what I hear...). For the jackwagons who don't know, Fullmetal Alchemist is set in a rather fantasy land with people practicing Alchemy. The main characters, Ed and Al have been thrown into a crazy predicament due to their own tragic actions as children. Now they are trying to correct those actions, but end up having to try to save the country. Wow.

Since the show runs through 64 episodes (with only skipping two different weeks, I might add. An awesome nod to the creators), it runs through 5 different openings and endings, each with their own power to be added to the particular part of the show.

Overall: If you havn't watched Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, watch it. Watch it now! It is one of the greatest shows of its time. Its got everything, heartbreak, sadness, redemption, awesomeness, badassedness (I know that's not a word!). Just watch it! (Fine! You don't believe me?! Rie Kugimiya is in it! I know right? Crazy! But she is! Although she doesn't play a tsundere... she plays a boy... a Main Character!)

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