Favorite (Best?) Anime of 2010 so far . . .

spazmaster666

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Edited By spazmaster666

So since it's been a while since I've posted an anime-theme blog, I felt "what the hell might as well post one." So I'm been contemplating (mostly off the top of my head since I really didn't feel like doing much research) about the anime that I've watched this past year, specifically my favorites so far. I know we still have a coulple of months to go, but enough of the year has past that we can still get a pretty good idea of what the year 2010 was like for anime. Anyway, here are some of my favorites of the past year (keep in mind, I'm limiting my titles mainly to the ones that I have finished watching as there are a bunch of episodes that I have in the backburner that I will need to go back to in the near future). Let's go in alphabetical order (I'll also try to be brief).

Angel Beats!

Ah, what can I say about this series. I loved it and I also hated it. I loved it for it's great animation, and intriguing premise, but hated it for it's lack of T.K. and lack of depth for many of the characters (and the fact that Jun basically copied Haruhi's character design for Yurippe). Still, Angel Beats! is a pretty good effort from P.A. Works, especially after their previous disappointing showing. And as much as I have hated on this series throughout it's thirteen episode run, I did find many parts of it quite enjoyable, so I can't quite find it in me to completely disregard it. Though I'm definitely not super excited for any future collaborations between P.A. Works and Mr. Maeda (especially not on one of his so called "original stories").

Arakawa Under the Bridge

Clearly, Kou didn't know what he was getting himself into...
Arakawa Under the Bridge is almost the anti-Angel Beats in the sense that while the previous worked too hard to make us sad, Arakawa didn't need to do much to make us chuckle. It helped that SHAFT stayed more-or-less true to the manga, despite a few original touches here and there, which while I haven't read, has a fairly good word of mouth. At it's heart, Arakawa has a pretty nonsensical premise, some pretty over the top moments, and a lot of silliness in between. But fortunately, the results were pretty damn hilarious more often than not. It's the kind of show that you can just sit down and watch now and then without really having to worry about over-saturated backstories or overarching storylines. It's a slice of life show for post-modernists, whatever the hell that means.

B Gata H Kei

Yes, Kyouka has some, strange fantasies...

This was a big surprise for me (in case you didn't know, the titles means Type: B, Style: H; refer to eroge if you still don't get it). I initially had thought this would be a pretty throwaway series. Sure the entire premise of the show is pretty juvenile and most of the jokes pretty raunchy (yet also filled with naivete), but the show has some surprisingly heartwarming moments among it's sea of echi humor. The "will they make it or not?" dynamic between Yamada (incidentally we never get her first name) and Takashi is always awkward and always hilarious and Kyouka's unhealthy love for her oni-sama and her "dark side" never ceases to amuse. I kept wanting to write off this series but ending up looking forward to it week after week.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Technically, this is a 2009 series, but I'm making the exception for it since it's during the second half when Brotherhood really starts to shine (and most of that second half is during 2010). To be honest, my watching of Brotherhood wasn't consistent. I more or less kept up with it on a weekly basis until the fortieth episode or so and then I kind of started archiving (mostly because there was too much stuff to watch and because I already knew what was going to happen). But when I went back to it, I basically watched the remaining 24 episodes in one sitting. Brotherhood is pretty damn good. It may be more of as straight up shounen series than it predecessor, but the story is so good and the characters so well fleshed out that it's really hard to care. And the fact that they were able to properly end the series this time only a short time after the conclusion of the manga is also pretty damned satisfying. The end of FMA truly was the end of an era for both anime and manga.

Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou

People are probably going to hate me for this but yes I really enjoyed Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou. Forget about the obviously trope ecchi harem setting or the sometimes questionable animation quality. Forget about the fact that they tried to cover way too much material then they should have in only 12 episodes. The fact is, Artland managed to tie things up quite nicely, despite a somewhat rushed ending. And to be honest, this show did make a lot of missteps but it still made me laugh on a consistent basis. And in the end, that's what matters the most to me. Also Akuto's GARness and Junko's tsundereness (?) cannot be discounted.

Kaichou wa Maid Sama

On the surface, the premise of the show seems to be rather random. A high school student council president being a maid at a maid cafe? And indeed anyone looking for any serious romantic drama should definitely go elsewhere. But as far a shoujo romantic comedies go, Maid-sama fairs better than most, and that's thanks not only to the large cast of silly but endearing side characters, but also to the strength of the main characters themselves. I compared this to Special A in my preview of the series due to some of the premises of the show and of course the whole Takumi/Misaki dynamic, and while the two shows don't really thematically resonate (Special A is actually somewhat more of a romantic series than Maid-sama), the comparison does hold up in terms of the dynamic between the rich, all-capable Takumi and the poor but almost as capable Misaki. I was somewhat disappointed with the series during the second half as they episodes weren't as funny or as endearing as they were in the first half of the series, but the show ended well nevertheless, despite some odd departures from the manga (more in terms of the chronology than anything else).

K-ON!!

The one thing I need to say before anything else is that K-ON!! is not as good as K-ON!. The original series was better in almost every way. However, despite the slower pace, and the often lack of HTT performances, K-ON!! is still enjoyable because of KyoAni's attention to detail and because, well I knew what I was getting myself into. Slow moving slice of life comedies usually don't work because well, the audience generally gets bored. And unfortunately, I did find myself getting bored more than once watching K-ON!!. However, unlike some other series, I also couldn't stop watching the show despite it's sometimes drudgingly slow pacing. Sure you could say I'm biased toward KyoAni produced shows (and you would be correct) or that I'm partial toward moe (you would also be correct), but the greatness of HTT's final performance or the light-heartedness of high school life that the show portrays can't be denied (and neither can be the phenomenal production values). In the end, K-ON!! ended up being more of the first series, for better and for worse. And honestly, who would have expected anything else really?

Nodame Cantabile Finale

A fitting conclusion to one my favorite shoujo series of all time. I've talked in the past about Nodame Cantabile being the epitome of shoujo storytelling, and nothing has changed since then. Few other shows combine serious real-life issues and lighthearted slice of life comedy as well as Nodame Cantabile and the fact that it's set in the world of classical music just makes it even better. Admittedly J.C. Staff's handling of the animation is less than superb and the ending of the series is less than satisfying (mostly due to the fact that Ninomiya-san had to end the manga prematurely due to her pregnancy) but thematically, the series has never been better. It's always a treat to see characters develop and mature throughout a series and Nodame Cantabile is one of the finest examples of character development in any anime. This is a series that I wish would have gone on longer but also one that I'm glad came to a less-than-satisfying but also fitting resolution.

Occult Academy

Now that's what you can call an OMG face!

Admittedly, I'm not really a big fan of anime no chikara. However, Occult Academy is beginning to change my opinions. One of the big selling points of anime no chikara is original storytelling, rather than adaptive storytelling (which nowadays is the most common form of story telling in anime) and with Occult Academy, the results were finally what I had wanted out of previous projects like So Ra No Wo To and Senkou no Night Raid. Occult Academy has not only an intriguing premise but also a great overarching storyline and a satisfying conclusion which ties together everything in a very neat way. It's not necessarily a series I looked forward to every week but a series that I, nevertheless, could never let go of. This is no doubt the best series yet in the anime no chikara project and it goes show that original storytelling can definitely go a long way as long as you have the plot, characters, and premise to back it up (which was what I felt the previous two series lacked).

Seitokai Yakuindomo

Another series that has had a somewhat mixed reactions amongst the various sectors of anime fandom is Seitokai Yakuindomo. In that sense I suppose, it's in the same category as B Gata H Kei, as both of them are based on 4-koma mangas that liked to make use of raunchy humor. Of course, the difference is that B Gata H Kei is more slapstick and Seitokai Yakuindomo is almost all puns and oral gags. Not all of it is funny, but almost all of it is awkward in a broken way. The words that come of the mouths of Shino and Aria are jarring (but also hilarious since it's clear that they aren't saying those things in jest), and Takatoshi's deadpanned reactions are amusing (but also makes us feel sorry for him). There are also some elements of romance here and there, but a lot of the characters are really too broken for this series to have any semblance of actual romance or drama. Then again, that's why I loved the show.

Working!!

Well, that's one way of dealing with Inami

Last, but certainly not least, we have Working!!, yet another slice of life comedy based on a 4-koma manga. Unlike some of the other similar titles already discussed however, Working!! is absolutely hilarious and incredibly entertaining. Each of the characters in the series are broken in one way or another, and how their combined quirkiness doesn't result in the restaurant imploding is beyond my comprehension. Things like Teneshima's unending sensitivity about her height, Yamada's unhealthy love for Kyouko, or Inami's illogical fear of the opposite sex never gets old. The only thing bad I have to say about the series is that I wish the animation was better, and that I wish it would have been 24 episodes instead of 13.

And that just about does it for the shows that have finished airing/I have finished. There are plenty of shows that I really enjoy that are still airing or haven't finished watching, but like I said, it's only fair for me to talk about shows that I have finished or have finished airing. However, here are the other shows that I have enjoyed this year which don't fall into the previous two categories I mentioned (this includes shows that have just started airing this fall):

Amagami SS (still airing)
Black Lagoon Roberta's Blood Trail (all OVA's not yet released)
Broken Blade (all OVA's not yet released)
Giant Killing (haven't finished watching)
Legend of Legendary Heroes (still airing)
Motto To Love-ru ~Trouble~ (still airing)
Bakuman (still airing)
Oreimo (still airing)
Rainbow (haven't finished watching)
Shinryaku! Ika Musume (still airing)
Star Driver (still airing)
Strike Witches 2 (haven't finished watching)
The World God Only Knows (still airing)
Toaru Majutsu no Index II (still airing)

Well that just about does it for this edition of I was bored so I felt like writing a blog about anime. Now back to studying I suppose.

Edit: updated with pics as original post was sorely lacking them.
Edit 2: sigh, I really hate how the images are handled in the editor. <_<

13 years ago

spazmaster666

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#1 Edited By spazmaster666

So since it's been a while since I've posted an anime-theme blog, I felt "what the hell might as well post one." So I'm been contemplating (mostly off the top of my head since I really didn't feel like doing much research) about the anime that I've watched this past year, specifically my favorites so far. I know we still have a coulple of months to go, but enough of the year has past that we can still get a pretty good idea of what the year 2010 was like for anime. Anyway, here are some of my favorites of the past year (keep in mind, I'm limiting my titles mainly to the ones that I have finished watching as there are a bunch of episodes that I have in the backburner that I will need to go back to in the near future). Let's go in alphabetical order (I'll also try to be brief).

Angel Beats!

Ah, what can I say about this series. I loved it and I also hated it. I loved it for it's great animation, and intriguing premise, but hated it for it's lack of T.K. and lack of depth for many of the characters (and the fact that Jun basically copied Haruhi's character design for Yurippe). Still, Angel Beats! is a pretty good effort from P.A. Works, especially after their previous disappointing showing. And as much as I have hated on this series throughout it's thirteen episode run, I did find many parts of it quite enjoyable, so I can't quite find it in me to completely disregard it. Though I'm definitely not super excited for any future collaborations between P.A. Works and Mr. Maeda (especially not on one of his so called "original stories").

Arakawa Under the Bridge

Clearly, Kou didn't know what he was getting himself into...
Arakawa Under the Bridge is almost the anti-Angel Beats in the sense that while the previous worked too hard to make us sad, Arakawa didn't need to do much to make us chuckle. It helped that SHAFT stayed more-or-less true to the manga, despite a few original touches here and there, which while I haven't read, has a fairly good word of mouth. At it's heart, Arakawa has a pretty nonsensical premise, some pretty over the top moments, and a lot of silliness in between. But fortunately, the results were pretty damn hilarious more often than not. It's the kind of show that you can just sit down and watch now and then without really having to worry about over-saturated backstories or overarching storylines. It's a slice of life show for post-modernists, whatever the hell that means.

B Gata H Kei

This was a big surprise for me (in case you didn't know, the titles means Type: B, Style: H; refer to eroge if you still don't get it). I initially had thought this would be a pretty throwaway series. Sure the entire premise of the show is pretty juvenile and most of the jokes pretty raunchy (yet also filled with naivete), but the show has some surprisingly heartwarming moments among it's sea of echi humor. The "will they make it or not?" dynamic between Yamada (incidentally we never get her first name) and Takashi is always awkward and always hilarious and Kyouka's unhealthy love for her oni-sama and her "dark side" never ceases to amuse. I kept wanting to write off this series but ending up looking forward to it week after week.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Technically, this is a 2009 series, but I'm making the exception for it since it's during the second half when Brotherhood really starts to shine (and most of that second half is during 2010). To be honest, my watching of Brotherhood wasn't consistent. I more or less kept up with it on a weekly basis until the fortieth episode or so and then I kind of started archiving (mostly because there was too much stuff to watch and because I already knew what was going to happen). But when I went back to it, I basically watched the remaining 24 episodes in one sitting. Brotherhood is pretty damn good. It may be more of as straight up shounen series than it predecessor, but the story is so good and the characters so well fleshed out that it's really hard to care. And the fact that they were able to properly end the series this time only a short time after the conclusion of the manga is also pretty damned satisfying. The end of FMA truly was the end of an era for both anime and manga.

Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou

People are probably going to hate me for this but yes I really enjoyed Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou. Forget about the obviously trope ecchi harem setting or the sometimes questionable animation quality. Forget about the fact that they tried to cover way too much material then they should have in only 12 episodes. The fact is, Artland managed to tie things up quite nicely, despite a somewhat rushed ending. And to be honest, this show did make a lot of missteps but it still made me laugh on a consistent basis. And in the end, that's what matters the most to me. Also Akuto's GARness and Junko's tsundereness (?) cannot be discounted.

Kaichou wa Maid Sama

On the surface, the premise of the show seems to be rather random. A high school student council president being a maid at a maid cafe? And indeed anyone looking for any serious romantic drama should definitely go elsewhere. But as far a shoujo romantic comedies go, Maid-sama fairs better than most, and that's thanks not only to the large cast of silly but endearing side characters, but also to the strength of the main characters themselves. I compared this to Special A in my preview of the series due to some of the premises of the show and of course the whole Takumi/Misaki dynamic, and while the two shows don't really thematically resonate (Special A is actually somewhat more of a romantic series than Maid-sama), the comparison does hold up in terms of the dynamic between the rich, all-capable Takumi and the poor but almost as capable Misaki. I was somewhat disappointed with the series during the second half as they episodes weren't as funny or as endearing as they were in the first half of the series, but the show ended well nevertheless, despite some odd departures from the manga (more in terms of the chronology than anything else).

K-ON!!

The one thing I need to say before anything else is that K-ON!! is not as good as K-ON!. The original series was better in almost every way. However, despite the slower pace, and the often lack of HTT performances, K-ON!! is still enjoyable because of KyoAni's attention to detail and because, well I knew what I was getting myself into. Slow moving slice of life comedies usually don't work because well, the audience generally gets bored. And unfortunately, I did find myself getting bored more than once watching K-ON!!. However, unlike some other series, I also couldn't stop watching the show despite it's sometimes drudgingly slow pacing. Sure you could say I'm biased toward KyoAni produced shows (and you would be correct) or that I'm partial toward moe (you would also be correct), but the greatness of HTT's final performance or the light-heartedness of high school life that the show portrays can't be denied (and neither can be the phenomenal production values). In the end, K-ON!! ended up being more of the first series, for better and for worse. And honestly, who would have expected anything else really?

Nodame Cantabile Finale

A fitting conclusion to one my favorite shoujo series of all time. I've talked in the past about Nodame Cantabile being the epitome of shoujo storytelling, and nothing has changed since then. Few other shows combine serious real-life issues and lighthearted slice of life comedy as well as Nodame Cantabile and the fact that it's set in the world of classical music just makes it even better. Admittedly J.C. Staff's handling of the animation is less than superb and the ending of the series is less than satisfying (mostly due to the fact that Ninomiya-san had to end the manga prematurely due to her pregnancy) but thematically, the series has never been better. It's always a treat to see characters develop and mature throughout a series and Nodame Cantabile is one of the finest examples of character development in any anime. This is a series that I wish would have gone on longer but also one that I'm glad came to a less-than-satisfying but also fitting resolution.

Occult Academy

Admittedly, I'm not really a big fan of anime no chikara. However, Occult Academy is beginning to change my opinions. One of the big selling points of anime no chikara is original storytelling, rather than adaptive storytelling (which nowadays is the most common form of story telling in anime) and with Occult Academy, the results were finally what I had wanted out of previous projects like So Ra No Wo To and Senkou no Night Raid. Occult Academy has not only an intriguing premise but also a great overarching storyline and a satisfying conclusion which ties together everything in a very neat way. It's not necessarily a series I looked forward to every week but a series that I, nevertheless, could never let go of. This is no doubt the best series yet in the anime no chikara project and it goes show that original storytelling can definitely go a long way as long as you have the plot, characters, and premise to back it up (which was what I felt the previous two series lacked).

Seitokai Yakuindomo

Another series that has had a somewhat mixed reactions amongst the various sectors of anime fandom is Seitokai Yakuindomo. In that sense I suppose, it's in the same category as B Gata H Kei, as both of them are based on 4-koma mangas that liked to make use of raunchy humor. Of course, the difference is that B Gata H Kei is more slapstick and Seitokai Yakuindomo is almost all puns and oral gags. Not all of it is funny, but almost all of it is awkward in a broken way. The words that come of the mouths of Shino and Aria are jarring (but also hilarious since it's clear that they aren't saying those things in jest), and Takatoshi's deadpanned reactions are amusing (but also makes us feel sorry for him). There are also some elements of romance here and there, but a lot of the characters are really too broken for this series to have any semblance of actual romance or drama. Then again, that's why I loved the show.

Working!!

Last, but certainly not least, we have Working!!, yet another slice of life comedy based on a 4-koma manga. Unlike some of the other similar titles already discussed however, Working!! is absolutely hilarious and incredibly entertaining. Each of the characters in the series are broken in one way or another, and how their combined quirkiness doesn't result in the restaurant imploding is beyond my comprehension. Things like Teneshima's unending sensitivity about her height, Yamada's unhealthy love for Kyouko, or Inami's illogical fear of the opposite sex never gets old. The only thing bad I have to say about the series is that I wish the animation was better, and that I wish it would have been 24 episodes instead of 13.

And that just about does it for the shows that have finished airing/I have finished. There are plenty of shows that I really enjoy that are still airing or haven't finished watching, but like I said, it's only fair for me to talk about shows that I have finished or have finished airing. However, here are the other shows that I have enjoyed this year which don't fall into the previous two categories I mentioned (this includes shows that have just started airing this fall):

Amagami SS (still airing)
Black Lagoon Roberta's Blood Trail (all OVA's not yet released)
Broken Blade (all OVA's not yet released)
Giant Killing (haven't finished watching)
Legend of Legendary Heroes (still airing)
Motto To Love-ru ~Trouble~ (still airing)
Bakuman (still airing)
Oreimo (still airing)
Rainbow (haven't finished watching)
Shinryaku! Ika Musume (still airing)
Star Driver (still airing)
Strike Witches 2 (haven't finished watching)
The World God Only Knows (still airing)
Toaru Majutsu no Index II (still airing)

Well that just about does it for this edition of I was bored so I felt like writing a blog about anime. Now back to studying I suppose.

Edit: updated with pics as original post was sorely lacking them.
Edit 2: sigh, I really hate how the images are handled in the editor. <_<

13 years ago

FancySoapsMan

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#2 Edited By FancySoapsMan

Wow, that's a ton of anime.

Is Angel Beats in Japanese only? I was interested in watching it but I usually prefer to watch dubs over subs.

13 years ago

spazmaster666

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#3 Edited By spazmaster666

@FancySoapsMan said:

" Wow, that's a ton of anime. Is Angel Beats in Japanese only? I was interested in watching it but I usually prefer to watch dubs over subs. "

Well according to an Otakon Q&A, it has been licensed in North America, but we don't know who has licensed it yet. So for now, it's sub only.

13 years ago

Icemael

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#4 Edited By Icemael

Do they still make anime that isn't either 1) wank material for pedophiles or 2) long-running, ultra-clichéd shonen series? Because that's literally all I can find whenever I see an article or discussion about recent anime.

13 years ago

crusader8463

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#5 Edited By crusader8463

I stopped watching anime a while back as it's gotten really bad. I was never a fan of the Moe crap that gets shoveled out now a days, and it seems to just be getting worse. I was really excited hearing about that zombie anime that was put out this year, until I remembered how it was just another fan service show with some zombies thrown in.

13 years ago

SethPhotopoulos

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#6 Edited By SethPhotopoulos

Are there any recent animes like Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, or Samurai Champloo?

13 years ago

spazmaster666

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#7 Edited By spazmaster666

@Icemael said:

" Do they still make anime that isn't either 1) wank material for pedophiles or 2) long-running, ultra-clichéd shonen series? Because that's literally all I can find whenever I see an article or discussion about recent anime. "

Actually the only show I listed that would fall into the category of "wank material" would be Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou (since that's the only show with any real fanservice) but even then, the fanservice is secondary. As for the second category, I hope you're not referring to Brotherhood.

@crusader8463

said:

" I stopped watching anime a while back as it's gotten really bad. I was never a fan of the Moe crap that gets shoveled out now a days, and it seems to just be getting worse. I was really excited hearing about that zombie anime that was put out this year, until I remembered how it was just another fan service show with some zombies thrown in. "

The only moe show I mentioned was K-ON!!. The other really aren't "moe shows."

@SethPhotopoulos

said:

" Are there any recent animes like Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, or Samurai Champloo? "

Anime like Code Geass? Sorry, Sunrise hasn't really produced many good shows recently. Gurren Lagann? I can't really think of an anime that could ever be like Gurren Lagann (and if there could be only Gainax could pull it off). Samurai Champloo? Not really. There have been good samurai anime but not really anything with the same sort of style as Samurai Champloo.

13 years ago

___pocalypse

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#8 Edited By ___pocalypse

Thanks for making such a huge list! I haven't seen any of these, so I'm going to check some of them out. It's been awhile since I've watched any anime.

13 years ago

Grissefar

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#9 Edited By Grissefar

For me it's probably Ginga Nagareboshi Gin. I haven't watched a whole lot of anime. Nothing besides GNG. And it is anime, I think.

13 years ago

crusader8463

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#10 Edited By crusader8463

@spazmaster666: None of it looks even remotely interesting to me ether way. I hate to say it like this, as it sounds insulting to those that still like it, but I think I just grew out of Anime. As I grew up I started to notice the simplicity in most of the story telling that makes up most new anime, and it just can't keep me interested anymore. While the few shows that might be different and be something that I may enjoy get drowned out by the dozen other shows full of nonsense that I couldn't care less about.

I have very specific tastes, and anime seems to be going in the opposite direction.

13 years ago

MushroomSamba

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#11 Edited By MushroomSamba

Personally, this year of anime sucked big time for me. FMA: Brotherhood was pretty good, but redundant since I've already read the manga. Durarara!! has its moments of epic batshittery (as expected from the creator of Baccano!), but the arcs were mostly hit or miss. Gotta admit, K-ON!! was actually a pretty enjoyable slice-of-lifer, and I'm not even much of a moe fan. So far, my anime of the year would probably be Katanagatari (a still-airing, year long OVA) by default.

Hopefully next year's lineup will appeal to me more.

EDIT: And I just realized, FMA: B actually came out last year, so it probably doesn't even count towards 2010. =\

13 years ago

spazmaster666

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#12 Edited By spazmaster666

@MushroomSamba said:

" Personally, this year of anime sucked big time for me. FMA: Brotherhood was pretty good, but redundant since I've already read the manga. Durarara!! has its moments of epic batshittery (as expected from the creator of Baccano!), but the arcs were mostly hit or miss. Gotta admit, K-ON!! was actually a pretty enjoyable slice-of-lifer, and I'm not even much of a moe fan. So far, my anime of the year would probably be Katanagatari (a still-airing, year long OVA) by default. Hopefully next year's lineup will appeal to me more. EDIT: And I just realized, FMA: B actually came out last year, so it probably doesn't even count towards 2010. =\ "

Yeah, Durarara!! definitely had some hit and miss, but the good guys at least kicked a whole lot of ass at the end. I would more or less agree that 2009 was a better year overall (with the like of Bakemonogatari and Eden of the East) at least in terms of shows that really stood out from the rest of the pack. In terms of number of good shows in 2009 vs 2010 (not to mention that there's no big series like Geass or Gundam this year ), I would say that so far, it's pretty even IMO. The thing is, there are LOT of good shows this fall, which I think will make up for the somewhat lackluster year we've have in 2010 so far.

@crusader8463 said:

" @spazmaster666: None of it looks even remotely interesting to me ether way. I hate to say it like this, as it sounds insulting to those that still like it, but I think I just grew out of Anime. As I grew up I started to notice the simplicity in most of the story telling that makes up most new anime, and it just can't keep me interested anymore. While the few shows that might be different and be something that I may enjoy get drowned out by the dozen other shows full of nonsense that I couldn't care less about. I have very specific tastes, and anime seems to be going in the opposite direction. "

I don't understand why people complain so much about bad shows. If a show is bad, don't watch it. Only watch the good shows. In any medium, there will always be many more bad titles than good ones. Also if you don't even remotely have any interest in any of the titles that I listed, then you probably just don't like anime, which is fine.

13 years ago

corgorav

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#13 Edited By corgorav

FMA: Brotherhood was good, House of Five Leaves was great. Also I'm going to cheat and say Fairy Tail (I guess it's almost 2010 anime...), which I think is ok, kinda clichéd but meh... Very One Piece-like in some ways (character design, look and general feel) which is good.

13 years ago

BraveToaster

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#14 Edited By BraveToaster

Occult Academy is interesting. I've only watched the first two episodes.

What's the name of that weird anime that came out this year about the boy who gets powered up from sucking milk out of women's nipples? Whatever it's called, it's random as hell.

13 years ago

MushroomSamba

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#15 Edited By MushroomSamba

@corgorav said:

" FMA: Brotherhood was good, House of Five Leaves was great. Also I'm going to cheat and say Fairy Tail (I guess it's almost 2010 anime...), which I think is ok, kinda clichéd but meh... Very One Piece-like in some ways (character design, look and general feel) which is good. "

Good call on House of Five Leaves...I completely forgot about that one.

13 years ago

thegoldencat7

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#16 Edited By thegoldencat7

I'm up to around ep. 20 of FMA: Brotherhood. Its getting better and better and I'm really enjoying it. Loving how unpredicatable its getting, having started so simillarly to the original series.

13 years ago

spazmaster666

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#17 Edited By spazmaster666

@Axxol said:

" What's the name of that weird anime that came out this year about the boy who gets powered up from sucking milk out of women's nipples? Whatever it's called, it's random as hell. "

Seikon no Qwasar. The truth is though, it was like any other shounen series except that the powerup came from breastmilk instead of some other source.

13 years ago

crusader8463

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#18 Edited By crusader8463

@spazmaster666: As I said, I find it hard to find the few good shows because there is so much bad being made that it drowns out the good ones. I love anime and always will, but I'm just sick of all the copy cat shows that seem to get made.

13 years ago

spazmaster666

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#19 Edited By spazmaster666

@crusader8463 said:

" @spazmaster666: As I said, I find it hard to find the few good shows because there is so much bad being made that it drowns out the good ones. I love anime and always will, but I'm just sick of all the copy cat shows that seem to get made. "

That's understandable, but for me if a show is bad I just don't watch it. I only focus on stuff I like, and could care less about the stuff I don't. Maybe if I was some kind of critic who had to watch the bad stuff, then I would get somewhat disillusioned. But since I'm not, I can just ignore the bad stuff and just watch the good stuff.

13 years ago

crusader8463

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#21 Edited By crusader8463

@spazmaster666: That's my point. There is so much bad stuff to sift through that I can never seem to find anything worth watching to me. I google around and check out the first few sites I can find with best of lists for recent shows, they are all pretty much the same lists, and I just go down the list trying the first 2-3 episodes of each one and nothing looks good.

I'm sure there is something out there, but I just can't find em anymore.

13 years ago

linkov

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#22 Edited By linkov

Unfortunately after having finished Legend of Galactic Heroes(1988-1997) there hasn't been a single anime to live up to the expectations that show set.

Now when I see things like "legend of legendary hereos" my brain says "don't click it's another crappy anime" but my heart is still searching for an heir to the throne and I fall for it...

...and realizing my mistake

...I weep

13 years ago

Bigheart711

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#23 Edited By Bigheart711

Nice list you have there! I thought this year's releases were pretty half-and-half for me, though.

13 years ago

spazmaster666

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#24 Edited By spazmaster666

@linkov said:

Now when I see things like "legend of legendary hereos" my brain says "don't click it's another crappy anime" but my heart is still searching for an heir to the throne and I fall for it... ...and realizing my mistake ...I weep "

Legend of Legendary Heroes isn't bad actually. It's definitely flawed but I am enjoying it, especially since it's not exactly a conventional fantasy anime.

13 years ago

Daroki

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#25 Edited By Daroki

@OtakuGamer said:

" Angel Beats! I loved this one, but the last few episodes brought it down. The Characters and music is the main reason why I choose this as AOTY. Durarara!! and HOTD are runner ups. "

I'm shocked that no one mentioned HOTD before this. I really enjoyed it and as silly as it was, every once in a while there would be something that just rang too true to life. If you haven't seen it or season 2 of the Colony, try watching the first episodes of both. It's a strange thing. Also I doubt others will get into it, but the first episode of Togainu no Chi was shockingly brutal and I'm sad the Aniplex/ANN partnership broke down so fast (since they were the ones simulcasting it) because even with the Shounen-ai and Yaoi elements, it was giving me a Death Frenzy/Texhnolyze vibe which I was actually enjoying.

13 years ago

shirogane

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#26 Edited By shirogane

I fully approve of this list!
Though a lack of Ore no Imouto is disturbing...
Then again, that show just started.

Oh, you also forgot Shiki.

13 years ago

Shadow

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#27 Edited By Shadow

I'm gonna be the populist asshole here and say One Piece, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto, and Fairy Tale were the best so far this year. I only say Naruto because the show in 2010 has had a surprising lack of filler (not counting the past few weeks).

13 years ago

Seppli

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#28 Edited By Seppli

Heroman (2010)

Heroman (background left) and Joey Jones (yep - it's a Stan Lee creation)

I'm watching Heroman right now... fun and charming, somewhat childish and straightforward Robo-Action show. Somehow Stan Lee managed to get a writer's credit on this studio BONES animated show. Very enjoyable in small doses. One episode before bedtime does the trick.

My favorite anime show of 2010 thus far.

13 years ago

Dark_Jon

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#29 Edited By Dark_Jon

@Shirogane said:

" I fully approve of this list! Though a lack of Ore no Imouto is disturbing... Then again, that show just started. Oh, you also forgot Shiki. "

I agree, I love anime that's about anime.

13 years ago

Afroman269

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#30 Edited By Afroman269

I'll have to go with Brotherhood since that's the only current anime I watched, I didn't finish the series because I'm only watching the dubs but so far the original is my favorite.

13 years ago

eroticfishcake

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#31 Edited By eroticfishcake

Not a bad list mate. Granted I haven't watched most of these but from the few that I know of I really enjoyed them so I'd wager the rest are as good as you say them to be.

13 years ago

jacksukeru

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#32 Edited By jacksukeru

Haven't really watched anything this season, not that I ever followed "seasons". No it's been pretty much just good ol' Kamen Rider (which is actually pretty enjoyable at the moment). Watched half a season of Heroman though, it was fun, until those island episodes where I just lost all interest.

13 years ago

dietmango

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#33 Edited By dietmango

Great list. Angel Beats! is definitely going to be in my top 10 before this year's over. I haven't watched most of what you have on your list, but I did enjoy Maid-sama and Ichiban quite a bit. The fanservice and the humor in Ichiban kind of reminded me of what Kampfer had last year (turned out to be one of my favorites). I haven't finished Durarara!! yet; I'm too lazy to go through it but I will eventually. High School of the Dead was pretty good, don't really plan on watching Brotherhood or K-ON!! at all, and I did watch the first ep of Setokai Yakuindomo but wasn't really into it. I guess the humor didn't really get to me. Right now, I'm into Bakuman, The World God Only Knows, and Ore no Imouto.

There are some more shows I probably should get around to finishing at this point, but I'm just too lazy to do it. I somehow find it hard to manage between anime and video games.

13 years ago

spazmaster666

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#34 Edited By spazmaster666

@Shirogane said:

Though a lack of Ore no Imouto is disturbing... Then again, that show just started. Oh, you also forgot Shiki. "

It's on there, but it's on the second list, where I listed the anime that I've enjoyed this year but either have not finished watching or have not finished airing.

@Daroki said:

I'm shocked that no one mentioned HOTD before this. I really enjoyed it and as silly as it was, every once in a while there would be something that just rang too true to life. If you haven't seen it or season 2 of the Colony, try watching the first episodes of both. It's a strange thing. Also I doubt others will get into it, but the first episode of Togainu no Chi was shockingly brutal and I'm sad the Aniplex/ANN partnership broke down so fast (since they were the ones simulcasting it) because even with the Shounen-ai and Yaoi elements, it was giving me a Death Frenzy/Texhnolyze vibe which I was actually enjoying. "

HOTD started out good (and by good I mean a good fanservice show ;)) but I lost interest as the series went on. The main problem with HOTD (and this is what happened to the manga as well) is that the whole purpose of the show is to show off some nice fanservice while the zombies as just kind of in the background. At a certain point, it all just gets kinda old.

@Seppli said:

I'm watching Heroman right now... fun and charming, somewhat childish and straightforward Robo-Action show. Somehow Stan Lee managed to get a writer's credit on this studio BONES animated show. Very enjoyable in small doses. One episode before bedtime does the trick. My favorite anime show of 2010 thus far. "

I tried to like Heroman but the whole just feels bland to me. I know that BONES animated it but even that wasn't enough to sway my overall disinterest in the show. That, and the overused red, white, and blue color scheme (hmm, I wonder where I've seen that before) get's really old really fast.

13 years ago

Ace829

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#35 Edited By Ace829

The World God Only Knows is a sleeper hit. Yes, it is a harem, but it's very good. I'm up to date on the manga and it's been superb.
Entertaining characters, simple but decent plot, art style is nice to look at, and best of all, it doesn't rely on excessive fanservice or other crappy gimmicks to entertain the viewer. The main character isn't some indecisive twat who can't choose between 10 girls. This guy is the nerdiest pimp ever. I'm also digging the parodies of the dating sim genre and anime tropes in general. This is an anime many people here may enjoy (except for those who have some irrational hatred for the medium that is).
I could only recall one fanservice scene in the first 4 episodes of the anime, and about 5 throughout the entire manga (119 chapters).

13 years ago

@crusader8463

@SethPhotopoulos

Heroman (2010)

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