Top Ten Anime Series of the Decade
By spazmaster666 116 Comments
Since I'm keen on stirring up controversy (either with the people who are wondering why I'm posting yet another anime-related blog or to the people who watch much more anime than I do complaining about why X, Y, or Z wasn't mentioned) and since this past decade (2000-2009) had some pretty outstanding series, I thought I might as well write a blog about it.
Picking a top ten list of anything is pretty difficult, especially when that list spans a period of ten years. There has been a LOT of anime in the past decade, including plenty of great titles, and plenty of bad ones. Now to simplify things, I won't be including movies or OVAs in this list , with only one exception (otherwise, it would be that much harder to narrower it down to ten). Also I've decided that the top ten list will consist of the top shows for each year (from 2000-2009). Note that these are now necessarily the top ten series from a critical point of view but rather my top ten favorite series.
Well, enough with the preamble, let's get down to business.
2000: FLCL
2000 was not exactly a shining year for anime series, and that made FLCL stand out even more than it would have otherwise. Not only was this a fine piece of animation from Production I.G. but also a story that was eccentric yet relatable (it's a coming of age story after all) with a chaotic and sometimes insane visual style that would be quite influential in later years (btw for those unaware, a lot of the people behind FLCL are also behind a later anime series about drills and spirals and such). While this is probably one of the most divisive series on the list, it's innovation and originality are hard to deny and was an easy pick for best anime of 2000.
Runner ups: Vandread, Gatekeepers, Love Hina
2001: X (TV)
X (TV) was one of the first anime that I watched to completion and as such I may be somewhat biased towards it but it is nevertheless an excellent series with impressive animation, attractive character designs, engrossing music, and an interesting, albeit convoluted story line. Though there were anime produced in 2001 with better storytelling and more accessible characters, X (TV) remains one of my most memorable anime series (I did not read the manga before watching the series for the first time). And hey, who wouldn't like a series about the pending apocalypse?
Runner ups: Vandread: Second Stage, Fruits Basket , Angelic Layer
2002: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
No surprises here. Some of you may chuckle at my selection of Gundam SEED for my favorite anime of 2002 but not only is SEED my favorite Gundam series, but also probably the longest series I've ever re-watched more than twice (being 50 episodes, that's no cakewalk). What made SEED so great? Well first off, it helped kick off the era of digital animation by being the first Gundam series to move beyond cel painting into digital paint. SEED also had one of my favorite storylines out of all the Gundam series (an actual cohesive storyline, not just a random jumbling of political ideologies mixed up with stock animation of fodder suits getting blown to pieces . . . okay so the latter happened in SEED as well), as well as better developed characters and a sense of emotional resonance that you usually don't find in your typical Gundam series. Okay, so maybe I'm looking a little too much into it, but SEED was the Gundam series that got me excited about Gundam for the second time. Also apologies to Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. as you most likely would have been my choice if I wasn't so horribly biased toward SEED.
Runner ups: Full Metal Panic!, RahXephon, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
2003: Fullmetal Alchemist
The toughest year yet, 2003 was jam packed with great shows but Fullmetal Alchemist was no doubt the best of the bunch. FMA was a rare accomplishment as it hit all the notes and hit them out of the park: superb production values, well developed and likeable characters, a great story, compelling drama, exciting action, an addictive soundtrack, and a seemless blend of light and dark tones. With FMA, BONES had all the makings of a classic, with the only flaw being the ending (in some sense its hard to blame them for it). FMA took shounen to a whole new level, and few series since it have been able to the capture my attention the same way that FMA did.
Runner ups: Gungrave, Scrapped Princess, Last Exile
2004: My-HiME
While some may cry heresy at me picking My-HiME over Samurai Champloo or Monster, I can't think of a show in 2004 that I enjoyed more than My-HiME. Sure everyone hated the ending, and I did as well to some extent, but you have to look at a show as whole, just just in parts. And as a whole, My-HiME was thoroughly entertaining: it combines the shoujo-esque motif of magical girls and fantasy with shounen-inspired sci-fi and mecha action (and fanservice), and manages to pull it off without becoming an incoherent mess or one giant cliche. Say what you want about the deus ex machina of an ending, but for the purposes of this list, entertainment value outstrips critical acclaim. Again, I would like to apologize to Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig as again it would have probably been my choice if I wasn't so blatanly biased towards My-HiME.
Runner ups: Monster, Samurai Champloo, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig
2005: Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid
The only Kyo-Ani title to grace the list is TSR? Well, you have to give credit where credit is due. Not only did TSR improve upon what was already a great franchise, but it did it without much of the trademark humor that made the first two series such a success. Indeed, TSR is a darker, more violent, and much more serious take on FMP! that manages to succeed due to it's fantastic production values and near-flawless execution. TSR blew me away when I first saw it and I'm still impressed every time I revist it. This is THE show, after all, that propelled Kyo-Ani from relative obscurity to unprecedented fame and popularity.
Runner ups: Basilisk, Honey and Clover , Eureka Seven
2006: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Code Geass was a viewing experience unlike anything before it. It's also a very difficult anime to approach from a critical level. On one hand, it's filled with so much brainless action, bombastic dialogue, and has such eye-catching visuals that it tops the charts in entertainment value. On the other hand, the characters, plot and premise are so stereotypical, over the top and ridiculous that it's hard to take seriously. Code Geass is a political soap opera infused with plenty of sci-fi mecha action: a show that thrives on melodramatic moments rather than on plot or characters. You could completely ignore the plot altogether and hardly notice the difference; it may even be more enjoyable since, to be honest, the story itself isn't particularly well narrated or well executed. Yet despite some bad writing, poor storytelling, and some unlikeable characters, there's something ingenious about a show that throws its nonsensical premises and overacted dialogue directly in the viewer's face and still stays incredibly fun to watch at the same time. In that sense, Code Geass is a rare accomplishment: it is the culmination of style over substance and yet it totally delivers on an almost transcendental level. Apologies to Haruhi and Ouran for picking a train wreck instead of an actual quality series.
Runner ups: Blood+, Ouran High School Host Club, Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
2007: Gurren Lagann
Once in a blue moon, an anime comes along that is so awesome that it, well deserves to be the best anime of the year. I'll be blunt: Gurren Lagann is f*cking awesome, straight up. It's an emotional, action-packed, thrilling, GAR-infused, galaxy-spanning masterpiece of epic proportions. It was also one of the biggest surprises of 2007: Gurren Lagann came out of left field, swatting aside galaxies like they were tennis balls. It has some of the most ridiculously over the top and outrageous action sequences I've seen yet, not to mention a ridiculously awesome end battle. This is a piece of epic storytelling that's not likely to be repeated anytime soon. Gainax, I must bow to you yet again. Who the f*ck do you think we are?
Runner ups: Nodame Cantabile, CLANNAD, Minami-ke
2008: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2
Two words come to mind: train wreck. Now to be fair, Code Geass was already more or less a train wreck, but R2 takes it to a whole new level. Sunrise pulls no punches here and the result is probably the most over the top, self-indulgent, nonsensical, convoluted, yet strangely emotionally resonant bromance in years. Unlike its predecessor, which started out with some sense of direction and then ended in a train wreck, R2 is headed off the rails from the very beginning. One the other hand, it's also possibly one of the most enjoyable and entertaining pieces of trash I've ever seen in a long time. Sunrise takes "so bad, its good" to a another level here and I can't help but wonder if the writers penned the series as one long practical joke or if they were all just smoking crack in a corner. In any case, I loved every minute of it. Also apologies to CLANNAD After Story, which despite being the actual best series of 2008, was relegated to second place due to my unhealthy love of all things GEASS. All hail Lelouch!
Runner ups: Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens, Soul Eater, CLANNAD After Story
2009: Bakemonogatari
Bakemonogatari can be described as either nothing short of brilliance or an incoherent mess. There really isn't much middle ground. I loved it because of the way that SHAFT made this mainly dialogue heavy show interesting despite the fact that most of the time you were just listening to the characters talk (and talk ALOT). Senjougahara may also be one of the best female characters of all time. And despite all the craziness that is often on screen and the sometimes esoteric dialogue, there's some sort of transcendental appeal here which is beyond my ability to explain in words.
Runner ups: Eden of the East , K-ON!, Mobile Suit Gundam 00 S2
Well, that about does it for my top ten anime series of the decade, and the end of yet another anime-related blog post. Man I'm tired.