Top Anime of 2010

Yeah, I’m a bit behind schedule.

Isn’t it ironic, though, that on a day where I tell my readers to expect a continuance of my recent vintage low post output that I am now on my third post of the day?

2010 was a year where… I didn’t really finish much in the way of anime. While there was some truly captivating stuff out there (ok, more like one: Shiki), overall it felt pretty blah. Part of this may be due to a shift in my own viewing habits, admittedly; I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t really feel any need nor desire to screw around continuing to watch shows that bore me. So while I suffered through Dragonaut before, I dropped Shukufuku no Campanella after only two episodes. Life is short, and I don’t feel like wasting what little time I have on things like shitty anime. Shitty but entertaining? Absolutely! Shitty but boring? Time to move along.

So, for 2010, I only finished twelve shows.

…

Yes, twelve. Out of twenty-nine that I watched at all. Not a terribly high success rate. For me, the winter had the worst success rate, as I only finished one show from them, and an OVA at that (Aki Sora). Spring and summer did decently – five out of seven and three out of five respectively. I will note, though, that some of these shows I finished months later and did not actively follow.

Here’s my full list, ordered from autumn to winter:

Completed Shows

• Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt
• Yumeiro SP Professional
• Tantei Opera Milky Holmes
• Tamayura
• Shiki
• Kuroshitsuji II
• Aki Sora: Yume no Naka
• Angel Beats
• UraBoku
• The Tatami Galaxy
• Senkou no Night Raid
• Aki Sora

Shows Dropped or Stalled

• Kuragehime
• Togainu no Chi
• Yosuga no Sora
• Otome Youkai Zakuro*
• Squid Girl
• Star Driver
• Psychic Detective Yakumo
• Shukufuku no Campanella
• Highschool of the Dead
• House of Five Leaves*
• RAINBOW*
• Durarara!!
• Hanamaru Kindergarten*
• Ookami Kakushi
• Baka to Test
• Heartcatch Pretty Cure*

Starred shows are ones I intend to finish.

And, not on either list is Hetalia World Series, as I’m only stalled out because Funi hasn’t subbed from episode thirty-nine on yet, so I haven’t been able to finish it. SIGH. Yosuga no Sora is a weird case because I saw the first two episodes, dropped it, and then picked it up for the twincest arc. I have no intent to go back and watch all that happens in between.

UraBoku was a turning point for me – it’s when I really solidified my intent to not persist with shows I wasn’t enjoying. Kuroshitsuji II would’ve been about 100x better if they’d just stuck with the sadistic little fuck that was Alois; quality definitely died every time Ciel showed his face. Not to say any of it was, exactly, high quality – Alois was just a fun character to watch. Certainly much more entertaining than Ciel ever was.

So, now that I’ve made you aware of the pool from which I’m picking my favorites, here they are:

• Shiki
• Tantei Opera Milky Holmes
• Senkou no Night Raid
• The Tatami Galaxy
• Tamayura

Shiki is far and away my favorite of those five, but I really enjoyed the others as well. While I think Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt was the most ambitious out of all shows this year and visually highly fascinating, I simply found Milky Holmes funnier, especially as it eviscerated the tastes of the very audience at which its original property was directed.

…or, put more simply, Twenty’s nipples. In HD. I’d link to the originator of that one, but I have no earthly notion as to how to link to specific Tweets.

Senkou no Night Raid was a late bloomer for me, as I saw two episodes and promptly forgot about it for about eight months. But I absolutely loved it. Tamayura’s first episode was pretty boring, but the second kicked it up a notch and it all rounded out in pleasant fashion. Best feel-good show of the year. Guess that leaves The Tatami Galaxy as best quirky show of the year – also the last TV show from MADHOUSE that was good.

If forced, I would pick Shiki, Milky Holmes, and Senkou no Night Raid as my top three for the year. Shiki, as I said, is  my favorite. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve seen such a good horror show, or having been so thoroughly entranced by an anime, period. These kinds of things don’t come around very often, folks.