It’s December 31st 2009 and so it’s time to talk about the anime of the last decade. I decided to leave this until the last minute just in case an anime or two were to turn up in the last few days or something. I wasn’t catching up on doujinshi from Comiket or anything, honest.
Here are the recs of the decade from fans, in chronological order.
Yu-Gi-Oh! (1998-ongoing)
Anime based on a manga based around a trading card game with lessons learned about friendship and communication along the way. [Wiki]
“If you ask me what my favorite anime was of the decade, it’s got to be Yugioh. Not sure many people would really list it as a “best of”, as it’s not one of the most sophisticated animes ever released.
The stories were interesting, the games were fun to watch, the Egypt theme was lovely, and most of all, there was a great cast of characters, voiced by very talented people. I think the show had a lot of heart, which is why it captured me so much. I’ve certainly seen other “better” animes, but none of them drew me in quite like this one.”
Spiral (2002-2003)
A boy’s older brother disappears and the last words he said to him were ‘blade children’. Now he solves mysteries related to them while trying to find out who they really are. [Wiki]
“The animation was very pretty, the story was mysterious and twisty and I wound up liking all the main characters – especially super-diffident cooking show addict Ayumu Narumi, his hungover sister-in-law Madoka and the sometime villain Eyes Rutherford, who wandered around feeding stray cats in the park because that’s what Kanon used to do and he really missed him.”
Gilgamesh (2003-2004)
Two children are taken in by a mysterious countess. One has the power to use Dynamis and is trained to use it against Gilgamesh, a supernatural group that wants to wipe out humanity. [Wiki]
“The art is dark and stylised and the musical score fantastic, but that wasn’t the main draw of the anime for me. Every episode answered a few questions, raised more questions about the nature of the world in the anime, then screwed with your mind a bit more. Had some amazing revelations about characters’ backstory that left my jaw hanging, but were never overly forced.”
Fullmetal Alchemist / Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (2003-2004)
Two brothers go on a journey to restore their bodies after an attempt at using alchemy to bring their mother back from the dead goes wrong. [Wiki]
“Fullmetal Alchemist. Can there be any other? I know they’re doing the new series now, and I love that too, but the original had me hooked. I was desperate for new episodes each week and cared so damn much about the characters. And ok, it went a bit skewed at the end when they just decided to hell with the manga, they were gonna make it up, but it was still special, because the characters were there.”
Paranoia Agent / Mousou Dairinin (2004)
People are being attacked by a boy on inline skates whose face they can never recall. In each case, the attacks cause some improvement in the lives of the victims. [Wiki]
“Paranoia Agent is pretty awesome (yay ‘Happy Family Planning’ episode!) – Satoshi Kon is excellent at the head-messin’ stuff – but I want to have his anime babies anyway.”
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (2004-2005)
A sci-fi retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo which famously used static textures to depict clothing. [Wiki]
“Obvious or not, Gankutsuou should be on a best-of list; it’s a pretty faithful and surprisingly decent adaptation of Something That’s Actually Good For You, done from an innovative angle (Albert de Morcerf’s viewpoint) and with usually successful animation. The clothing thing even works (after the first episode or so). Someone actually thought this out before making it. What’s not to love?”
Noein: To Your Other Self / Noein: Mou Hitori no Kimi e (2005-2006)
A sci-fi anime which starts when a young girl named Haruka and her friend meet a man from a world that could be their future. He believes that Haruka is the ‘Dragon Torque’ and the key to stopping an otherworldly invasion. [Wiki]
“Noein. Totally amazing in everyway. Amazing look, fantastic story really well told, and very original. Also best recap episode ever.”
–ThomasVye
Shigurui (2007)
An extremely violent historical anime set in Shizuoka. The daimyo stages a tournament where participants fight with real swords. [Wiki]
“There is also Shigurui, which was just so well realised from the manga and used atmosphere so brilliantly.”
–ThomasVye
Vampire Knight (2008)
A girl is rescued from a vampire by another vampire and now lives at an academy dedicated to peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires. [Wiki]
“Apart from a rather silly heroine, this anime kept me glued to both series [Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty].”
Kuroshitsuji (2008-ongoing)
In Victorian England, a young boy named Ciel summons a demon called Sebastian, who appears in the guise of the perfect butler. [Wiki]
“I think Kuroshitsuji speaks for itself. I loved the dark humour.”
Happy new year everyone!
Minor detail, Ayumu in Spiral is a boy (unless something’s been revealed in the manga I haven’t got to yet…!).
I’ve never seen it, so I was working from the Wiki entry. Thanks for the correction. :)
Agree with some (Gankutsuou and Paranoia Agent especially were sublime), but some of those choices… :x
People were asked to name favourites rather than best. You can have all kinds of reasons for loving something!
I’m pretty pleased with the way these recs worked out, actually. There’s a real range of interests on display. While some of them I don’t personally agree with (there’s one title here that I actively dislike, in fact), all of them represent a series that at least one person found memorable and enjoyable in the last decade.
[...] Top 10 Anime of the Last Decade (Spam From Japan) [...]
Interesting! No Naruto or Bleach… Really interesting. :)
I asked a group of friends, and this was their response. While I don’t agree with every choice, all of them are loved by at least one person I know.
It’s great to have friends that are anime fans. All my friends consider them as simple cartoons for kids. :)) Well anywayz, my top choice would definetly be Bleach. No doubt about that. :)