NKDS

Truth be told, this year can be considered a bit of a cop-out, at least where anime is concerned. No one title really stood out from the competition and there was nothing that was really big or started any sort of funny trend. This is unlike the glory days of K-ON, Clannad and Haruhi, when people can look at a title and say “Yeah, this is the best shit of 20XX. Can’t beat this shit.”

That’s not to say that this year was all bad. The way I see it, instead of one awe-inspiring and breathtaking masterpiece that would dominate the anime industry for this year, there were more of the smaller bite-sized works that were competent and entertaining in their own right. I think that’s ok; a dozen average but entertaining anime series is preferable to one masterpiece and eleven pieces of incoherent nonsense.

Opinions are like assholes. Everybody’s got one and everyone thinks everyone else’s stinks. Well, here is my list of good anime in 2010, in my opinion. This list is probably going to stink to high heaven, so take it with a pinch of salt.

Other NKDS writers might pitch in with their own lists later on, so stay tuned to this post.

Top 10 anime of 2010, in alphabetical order.

1) Angel Beats

Angel Beats would have been epic if it had been allowed to go on for another 12 episodes, for more character development. As it is, it feels rushed and leaves you unsatisfied and wanting more, yet it is good enough to retain its prominence amongst the anime released this year.

2) Baka to Test to Shokanjuu

My personal feelings for BakaTest should already be quite well-known. I can’t wait for the 2nd season.

3) Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls

Let me be clear about this. Episodes 1 to 11 were awesome. Character designs were excellent, animation quality was consistently above average, seiyuu performance is damn near perfect and the series had a plausible storyline. BUT… the last episode totally blew it for this title as a whole. It’s a pity, I tell you. If only they had made the last episode better, this could have been a textbook example of a fanservice action show done right.

4) K-ON!!

It’s the second season of K-On. What else needs to be said?

5) MM!

Perverted entertainment for the masochists and the sadists out there, which is good. Jun Fukuyama shows off his voice-acting powers while being abused and pleasured at the same time. To think this guy voiced the avatar of all that is fabulous, the mighty Lelouch himself. Hayami Saori is fast becoming the Ayako Kawasumi of her generation, thanks to her role as Arashiko Yuuno in MM!.

6) Mayoi Neko Overrun!

This is just pure entertainment for the masses. Not much to be said about this, except that it was good while it lasted, and I would love a 2nd season of this.

7) Shinryaku! Ika Musume

This belongs in the same category as Mayoi Neko Overrun, as light-hearted entertainment. I personally thought Ika Musume was funnier than Mayoi Neko, but its a tough choice between a moe human-squid hybrid and 3 catgirls.

Sora no Otoshimono Forte

Nymph and Chaos. Enough said.

9) Tantei Opera Milky Holmes

What I thought was a normal mystery-of-the-week anime turned out to be a roller coaster ride of bad nipple jokes and implausible stupidity. To be honest, I don’t know what to make of this. It’s almost as though the script writers are trying as hard as they can to cause their audience to facepalm at every opportunity. But hey, guess what. I love every moment of it. So hail to Milky Holmes, and hail to Lady Arsene!

10) Working!!

Working, along with Ika Musume and Mayoi Neko Overrun, are the three shows this year that anyone can get into and like with minimal effort required. I can assure you there can be no higher praise for anime comedies, a genre which if done badly can mutate into something akin to a cold joke that lasts for 12 episodes. Working wins because of the sheer chemistry between the cast members, and the extremely catchy opening song that even now rings in my mind. Also, who can resist a whole army of mini Poplars marching around?

Honorable mentions

- Yosuga no Sora

I was damn tempted to put this into the top 10, or even top 5 of my list. But ultimately it lost out due to the lack of entertainment factor, when compared to any of the above 10 shows that I have already mentioned. Make no mistake though, Yosuga no Sora is very impressive in its own right, and has the potential to set the trend of eroge adaptations within the next few years.

The use of dedicated arcs for each girl within a story is not a new technique, as Amagami has been noted to be using this method for itself, before Yosuga no Sora was broadcasted. What is new is the inclusion

Sora. Delicious twincest. Beautiful OST. For the record, all the other arcs were crap. End of story.

So there you have it, my pick for the 10 best anime of 2010. There were some rather questionable titles that I would like to talk about, such as Seikon no Qwaser, and some titles that I never picked up for some reason, such as Amagami. But that is perhaps another story for another day, if I ever bothered to actually finish these series.

In the meantime, have a good holiday and enjoy yourselves. I’ve looked through the upcoming releases for the next season, and it looks promising. Madoka Magica already has the potential to be the best anime of 2011, if the production staff lives up to its full potential.

This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.