Best of Anime 2010, Part III: Genre and Overall Awards...
By spazmaster666 22 Comments
So here's the final part of my own best of anime, 2010 blog series. These are best-of-genre as well as overall awards. I don't intend to go into too much detail into each winner as to keep things short. Keep in mind that this is a combination of both what I feel where my personal favorites in each category as well which series I felt were of the highest quality. Again, any TV series that aired either completely in 2010 or aired the majority of its episodes in 2010 will qualify.
Refer to Part I, and Part II for the previous awards.
Best Action Series
Winner: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Runners up: Legend of Legendary Heroes, Strike Witches 2, Durarara!!This wasn't a tough category as there weren't really many action series this year, not to mention that FMA: Brotherhood just set such a high bar that I doubt any other series could have topped it anyway. Given that I had already seen most of the action scenes depicted in the manga, I'm even more impressed by how much I still enjoyed the action sequences in the anime. This isn't just quality, however, it's also quantity. If you haven't noticed Brotherhood has 64 episodes, the majority of which contain a significant amount of action. The fact that they were able to keep the action sequences consistently high quality and also consistently enjoyable is no easy feat.
Best Comedy Series
Winner: Shinryaku! Ika Musume
Runners up: Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru, Working!!, B Gata H Kei, Ore no ImoutoThe best comedy series category is a much tougher fight this year due to the shear number of comedies that came out, whether they be traditional or slice-of-life comedies. Out of all those though, the one series that had me laughing week in and week out consistently was Shinryaku Ika Musume. It's definitely does not have the most intelligent humor or necessarily even the most clever but its combination of slapstick, puns, and overall silliness/nonsensicalness edges out the competition. No doubt the comedy that I enjoyed the most this year.
Best Drama Series
Winner: Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
Runners up: Shiki, Yosuga no Sora, Giant KillingRainbow is far and away the best anime drama of 2010. For people who have been griping recently about how all anime has been reduced to moe nonsense and fanservice-fueled train-wrecks, Rainbow's here to punch them in the face, hard. This is a dark and gritty drama filled with ruthlessness and hatred and yet also with surprising camaraderie and hope within such a bleak and depressing atmosphere. And while comparisons to the likes of the Shawshank Redemption or Green Mile may be somewhat of a stretch, Rainbow arguably at least approaches that level of dramatic and emotional resonance. It's a shame that most people probably overlooked this series as it's no doubt one of the best I've seen in years.
Best Romance Series
Winner: Amagami SS
Runners up: B Gata H Kei, Kaichou wa Maid-sama, Kimi ni TodokeThough I'm not necessarily a big fan of romances, they can be enjoyable from time to time. Amagami SS, while definitely having some frustrating moments (as all romances typically do) turned out much better than I thought it would, especially in how it handled each arc (i.e. each one being one possible path). Also, unlike many other anime romances, there aren't really any gimmicks or major contrivances here: it's mainly an anime about romance within a normal high school setting. The focus was also clearly on the girls, and their different reactions in varying situations. The variety is probably one of the major reasons why the series managed continue to be interesting. It's definitely not the most emotionally-involved or romantically charged series but it has just enough realism and believability which many anime in this genre seem to lack these days.
Honorable Mentions
Just because a series doesn't make it into the best of genre categories doesn't mean they aren't worthy of mentioning. Aside from the winners and runner ups above, here are the anime that are definitely worth mentioning:Arakawa Under the Bridge is a silly, nonsensical, wacky, and very fun to watch comedy that isn't for everyone but definitely delivered for me.
Angel Beats! ultimately did not satisfy but it was enjoyable enough to be worthwhile.
Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls was surprisingly good, despite a questionable premise.
Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou proves that ecchi series can be fun to watch, though you have to be willing to put up with its gratuitous fan-service and harem tropes.
Katanagatari's unique art style and once-a-month long episode format may put some people off, but there's a lot to like in this above average shounen series.
K-ON!! is still the standard when it comes to slice of life anime, despite a weaker showing than its predecessor.
Kuragehime really spoke to the NEET within all of us in a way that is both scary and yet strangely comforting.
Nodame Cantabile Finale is a great conclusion to arguably one of the best shoujo anime series in recent history.
Occult Academy finally delivered for me on the promise that Anime no Chikara made in 2009 and showed that original stories can be just as good as adapted ones.
Seitokai Yakuindomo would be a runner up in best comedy series if I wanted to make the list even longer.
Sora no Otoshimono Forte somehow managed to be even more outlandish and nonsensical than the previous season, which is actually a big plus.
The World God Only Knows would have been given a nomination (do to no small part to Elsie's kawaiiness and Keima's epic speeches) if it only fit better into one of the above categories.
And finally . . .
Overall Best Anime of 2010
Winner:
Runners up: Durarara!!, Ore no Imouto, Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
This choice shouldn't come as a shock to anyone. While there have been some great anime series this year, none for me was as enjoyable, as remarkably consistent, as well crafted, or as well executed as Brotherhood. It's not easy to create a 64-episode anime that manages to carry its momentum from the start all the way to the finish with a payoff that was not only incredibly satisfying but also just plain awesome to watch. From the great storytelling, memorable characters, great action set pieces, awesome villains, and superb production values, Brotherhood is truly a complete package that is not only my favorite anime of 2010 but also the most worthy of being called the best anime of 2010.
That that about does it for the best anime of 2010. Like any other year 2010 definitely had it's ups and downs as well good trends and bad trends. But it was by no means a bad year for anime. Out of the 100 or titles that would have been eligible for these lists, I would say that at least a quarter of them are worthwhile watches, not bad for what's supposed to be a fledgling medium. Let's hope that 2011 will have more great shows for us to look forward to.
Fin.