Yeah, yeah, it’s late, but at least it’s still 2010.

After looking up and down gg’s list of 2010 Anime, rubbing my chin thoughtfully, gazing wistfully into the sunset, meditating upon my learnings for 10 days and nights, and shoveling snow in my driveway, I concluded two things.

Of eligible shows in 2010, I had started 28.

I had finished 7.

As I don’t feel qualified to review anything I haven’t completed, this clearly presents a problem. So, instead of reading Wikipedia and /a about random shows and pretending like I knew what I was talking about, I instead decided to review the 7 I actually watched, and add some filler top-picks at the bottom. Note that while this will be a “worst-to-best” list ala Grant, the fact that any show appears on this list at all means it was in the 25% I felt was worth watching, so it’s more like a “worst-of-the-best to best-of-the-best.” Or maybe, since I didn’t like 2010 that much, it’s a “worst-of-the-best-of-the-worst to best-of-the-best-of-the-worst.”

The I-Can’t-Believe-I-Finished-This Tier

7. K-On!!

• Studio: Kyoto Animation
• Length: 26 episodes

Season 2 to a show you have all undoubtedly heard of. It was one of the top-selling anime when the first season aired in 2009, and produced an insert album that topped the Oricon weekly CD charts. It inspired millions to attempt to learn music, and continues to be used as an advert to sell guitars to hopeful fans.

Perhaps I should address a question that’s likely on your mind.

“Chris, why is this on your list?”

K-On! is the epitome of the moe slice-of-life genre, something I’ve been complaining about all year. I really don’t like the moe-centric fanservice-filled direction anime has taken recently. I think it’s a shallow substitute for real character development and story-telling, designed to get from the audience an oxytocin-induced HNNNNNNGGGG strong enough to gloss over the lack of substance. And yet, I finished this show. All 40 episodes and 7 specials of it. I have no doubt I’ll watch the movie when it comes out. And you know what? I can safely say that I have absolutely no idea why. Maybe it’s because I actually followed it as it aired, and once-a-week was bearable enough that I somehow enjoyed myself. Maybe it’s because it was so ridiculously popular, I felt obligated as an anime fan to see what all the fuss was about. Maybe it’s because of the music-theme bait-and-switch (though admittedly, the second season did a better job of keeping it around music). But whatever black-voodoo-magic KyoAni pulled on me, I guess I have to admit it worked.

Having already stated in a nutshell what I didn’t like about this show, let’s go over what I did like. The animation was good enough (to be expected from KyoAni). Despite the waves of moe-cancer that flowed like milk and honey, there were certainly parts where I lol’d. The 5 main characters were diverse enough to allow for some good back-and-forth, and I’m glad they chose to let the characters just bounce off each other instead of relying on old gags and panty shots to keep us entertained. I’m also glad they dedicated more time to the side-cast (particularly the Ui-Jun-Azusa circle), since Ui is probably the best little sister ever. There was more emphasis in the 2nd season on actual music, which is always a good thing. In general, I felt the second season was more focused than the first.

Still, however, there’s something K-On! did that I resent as a musician, and that’s trivializing music. It basically told everyone that they can be a rock star if they want to, and that you can do it in 30 days. Don’t get me wrong, I think music is absolutely universal, and that it’s something everyone should enjoy, and perhaps even learn. However, I take learning music seriously, and it is certainly not something you master by practicing 30 minutes a day for a month. I’ve played the piano for 13 years, and I can say there were many, many points I wanted to just scream and quit. Scales, arpeggios, thirds, and cadenzas I would grind for hours at a time until I literally had blisters on my fingers. Playing two measures of one song over 300 times in a row and seeing no notable improvement. Learning 600 hymns in 3 months to prepare for a church pianist position. And yet, everything I can do now is built off all that blood and sweat. Therefore, I resent characters like Yui who treat music like a side hobby and get good anyway, because it sends the wrong message to prospective musicians. There’s such thing as talent, sure, but getting good at anything takes dedication, something I can’t really say Yui had.

Would I recommend this show? I really don’t know. Your mileage definitely varies on this one. It’s also like triple-fudge oreo-cookie double-chocolate ice cream-nice to indulge in every once in a while, but sickening in even moderately large doses.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• It’s a KyoAni adaptation
• Some quality lol moments
• Ui and Sawako
• Has at least one song I honestly like
• Didn’t capitalize on fanservice

Cons:

• Moe-cancer
• Rice is a dish? Really?
• Didn’t take music seriously

6. So-Ra-No-Wo-To

• Studio: A-1 Pictures

• Length: 12 episodes (+2)

AKA K-On! goes to war, AKA the show I barely paid any attention to when it was shown last semester because I was too busy blabbing about something else.

I’ll be frank. I watched, and finished, this show for 3 reasons. First, it was loosely related to music, and I am a complete sucker for anything with a music theme, period. Second, I heard it got lolsrsbsnz later into the show. Third, by the time I realized the second point wasn’t completely valid, I had like 3 episodes left, and it would’ve been kinda idiotic not to finish at that point.

This show has been described as K-On! goes to war, and it’s basically true. 5 girls are stationed at a pretty backwater military post in a time period of I-don’t-know-when (spider-tank robots and WWII-era weaponry…ehh?). And despite the military backdrop, the show quickly immerses itself in the daily lives of the cast, which are considerably lighter and happier than their positions as soldiers would imply. There seems to be a light music theme along the way, though the show is more interested in moe antics than in Kanata’s instruction in not sucking at the trumpet. The show took an extremely serious turn about 2/3 of the way through, showing a much bleaker side to war, before waltzing back into happy-war-land.

Although I’m making the show sound pretty bad already, So-Ra-No-Wo-To is actually pretty good. Even though the show is pretty moe-centric, the characters themselves are interesting enough, and most of them are given a pretty detailed (if not somewhat vanilla) backstory. I liked the OP, which had this old-school hymn feel to it. There’s enough plot in the last few episodes to wrap things up, and despite all of the plot holes and that-wouldn’t-work-in-real-life things I could point out, ultimately, So-Ra-No-Wo-To isn’t about those things. It’s just trying to tell a good story about some girls who like to have fun, with something about music being a universal language in there, and the show does a respectable job of that.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• OP
• Reasonably dynamic cast
• Clear, simple story
• Amazing Grace is a good song
• 12 episodes – knows when to quit

Cons

• Moe-cancer
• Actual setting and plot is like swiss cheese
• Not much expansion on the music theme
• Rather sugar-coated view on war

5. Toaru Kagaku no Railgun

• Studio: J.C. Staff
• Length: 24 episodes

This is probably the most fanservice-infested franchise I have ever finished. Yes, I have watched all of Index I, Railgun, and am currently following Index II. That’s a grand total of 59 episodes and 1 OVA of

I’m usually pretty indifferent to fanservice. I don’t think it really adds anything to a show, but in moderation, it doesn’t really detract either. Index and Railgun…definitely enjoyed fanservice. I lost count of how many times Kuroko tried to ambush Mikoto in the showers, or how many times Saten flipped up Uiharu’s skirt to check the color of her panties, or how many PLOT-bodies rolled across the screen like so many jelly-filled balloons. There’s also a good bit (albeit less than Index) of that “I’m not going to let you hurt my friends! UWWOOOOOO” factor that’s been around since the beginning of anime, which can get a little tiring sometimes.

Railgun was the first series I saw in this franchise, and despite its liberal sprinkling of PLOT, I kinda looked forward to its release each week. And although it’s largely a spinoff of Index, I think it’s the superior show. Index boils down to a lot of religious/political conflict, Touma not giving a shit and punching some chick in the face, Index being relegated to a side character in her own show, and spinmaid. Railgun focused more on its characters, and didn’t try to delude itself into thinking it was some complex, deep show about shady politics-the plot was simpler, and I think that was for the better. I think they also did a pretty good job of mixing filler episodes with arc-related episodes, and watching the characters do something completely plot-unrelated never really got old. It was nice to see a show give its side cast their time in the limelight-it would have been easy for Mikoto to dominate the show, seeing as her power is leaps and bounds above everyone else’s, but even Level 0 Saten (“Bat”-en) got to save the day a few times. The psuedoscience was good enough that I could ignore the fact it would have failed Physics I and II, and it was a lot of fun to speculate on powers and how they could evolve from Level 1-5. Overall, Railgun stuck to its roots, and told simple stories with simple themes. Nothing revolutionary, but nothing too terrible either.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Didn’t pretend to be deep
• Good balance of characters and story
• Relevant side cast
• Catchy OP is catchy
• Clear and simple

Cons:

• Nothing new
• Questionable physics
• Faaanseerviiiccceee
• Tricked me into thinking Index was good

The Good Tier

4. Angel Beats!

• Studio: P.A. Works
• Length: 13 episodes

Way back when I heard this was in production, and that it was written by Maeda Jun, I was pretty excited. As many of you are aware, I am a pretty avid fan of Key Visual Arts and their respective KyoAni adaptations (AIR, Kanon, Clannad), not to mention I really liked their soundtracks. Then I heard it would only be 13 episodes. Then I saw how large the character cast was going to be.

This show ranks 4th on my list, and it should probably get “Most Frustrating Anime of 2010″ as well. Of everything that came out this year, this was literally the only show that I was actually interested in before it aired. The idea was great-a cast of characters who experienced terrible hardship and a unfulfilling death gather together in another world where they can learn to accept life for what it is. It was a perfect chance to combine what I loved about Key’s earlier works-wacky comedy, awesome visuals and music, and heartbreaking tragedy-with darker, more mature themes. But for some reason, the show was shafted to 13 episodes, and to this day, I cannot understand why. It was clearly not for lack of money-the amazing animation and soundtrack is proof of that. It can’t have been for fear of obscurity-it’s Maeda Jun, and everyone knew it, and everyone was going to watch it. More episodes would have allowed for more DVDs and GirlsDeMo insert albums to release, which would mean more money, and probably a better audience reception, which would mean a brighter prospect of milking the franchise with another season. Sure, 74 episodes would probably be kind of pushing it, but making AB a full 26-episode series would have been a very reasonable and profitable compromise. If it had been, this show could easily have ranked 1st or 2nd on this list.

I think I largely had an opposite approach to AB than Gene. After like 4 episodes, I concluded that the story was shot to hell and beyond redemption, and focused entirely on the characters and what they were like. As for episode 10, I felt like that was what the rest of the show should have been like-in a sea of confusion and rushed development, I saw the writing struggling to shine, and the end of episode 10 hit home for me. It was the second time the show gave me that bowl-of-onions feeling (the first being the end of episode 3, Iwasawa’s final song), and despite the fact it still felt rushed, I enjoyed it. Then the ending came, and it was, as I expected, a complete trainwreck (no pun intended) of an attempt to explain everything. I had all but given up on the story, so it didn’t make me fffffuuuuuu as much as it may have for others. Some clear attempts to pass me the onion bowl at the end, but by then, they were stale.

The characters themselves were what gave this show life. Otonashi was an awesome male lead-a leader, a team member, and a total bro (Brotonashi amirite). Kanade was practically the definition of cute, but she wasn’t stupid to the point of headdesk (moe done right). Yurippe was a surprisingly likeable character, and despite the oft-made comparison to Haruhi (with purple hair), I don’t think it’s quite so fair. Sure, like Haruhi, she’s an unbelievably energetic genki-girl and she’s bossy. Unlike Haruhi, however, she has real respect for her subordinates, and knows what it means to lead (at one point, she remarks that she’s a terrible leader, something Haruhi would never, ever admit). TK is pretty much self-explanatory. The only character I didn’t really like is Naoi, as I feel his transition into “one of the crew” was far too quick and drastic.

The animation was, as noted, stellar. The scenery and fight scenes were impeccably done. The OP and ED were also absolutely amazing, and the rest of the soundtrack was nothing to sneeze at. Even the fictional band, Girls Dead Monster (what the hell does that mean anyway), was enjoyable-despite issues I’ve heard others have concerning their vocalists, I liked a couple of their songs, and I’m usually not much for the generic J-rock genre in the first place. (Fun fact: the singer of Brave Song, the ED, was the voice actor of Ed in Cowboy Bebop. Imaging her singing it made the song an entirely new level of amusing)

I’m interested in seeing the OVA, and perhaps a second season further down the line, though I don’t think it will be able to completely redeem the show. It’s basically over as it is, and anything new will be an entirely different story. Hopefully, they do better on the pacing in the future.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Awesome animation
• Awesome soundtrack
• That Key humor I love
• Interesting characters

Cons:

• Too short
• Too short
• Pacing issues, because it’s too short
• Plot has more holes than the French defense

3. Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai

• Studio: AIC Build
• Length: 12 episodes

I’ll try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, since it’s being featured next semester.

Going into this show, I didn’t really expect anything. Episode 1 made be lol a bit, and the premise was somewhat interesting, but it just reeked of standard cliche, high school, tsundere-bitch, fanservice-y, harem moestorm that I don’t usually like. I planned to give it the routine 2-3 episodes-to-confirm-it-sucks, and spend my time watching something else.

Well, I was right. And somehow, I was so, so, wrong.

I don’t know how they did it, but this show kept me watching for its entire duration, and I didn’t regret any of the 5 hours I put into watching it. As Gene put it, every episode managed to outdo the last, somehow packing in more lolgags, more lolreferences, and more Jesus-that-was-awesome. The characters were great, and their interaction was what this show was all about. Each character felt like an exaggeration of a different aspect of what constitutes an anime fan; everytime they did something, I’d laugh and ridicule their actions and words, and at the same time I would inwardly relate to them, and I think this somewhat uncomfortable juxtaposition was what made everything so funny. All of the characters clash, and yet it’s hard to take sides with any of them-they’re all right in their own way. If there’s any kind of theme to be pulled from this, it’s that perspectives cooperate better than they fight, and balance is important.

There’s more I’d like to say about this show, particularly into what I didn’t like, but alas there are no spoiler tags I can find, and so I will reserve further judgment until after next semester.

The Great Tier

2. Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu

• Studio: Silver Link
• Length: 13 episodes

BakaTest is one of the most over-the-top comedies I’ve seen. From it’s sarcastically serious pencil-sketch scenes, to Hideyoshi’s eternally ambiguous gender, to Mizuki’s and Minami’s rivalry over the obviously oblivious Akihisa, to Shouko’s overbearingly Yandere treatment of Yuji, to some completely shameless references (particularly to Evangelion; interestingly enough, episode 8 was shown right after we saw the first Rebuild last semester), it’s clear BakaTest chooses to make its terribly cliche, super-Japanese wackiness a strong point. It’s one of those shows that by all means you should hate, and you know it, but you can’t help but fall in love with it anyway. There’s nothing of any real substance-no deep themes, no danger to save the world from, and hardly any real drama. There’s nothing revolutionary about its characters-the oblivious male lead, the headstrong sidekick, the shy girl, the tsundere, the yandere, the trap, and the pervert. The premise is new, but the high school setting and antics are not.

Too many shows try to pull off comedy by jamming in tried-and-true gags (head between the legs, clumsy girl tripping for a panty shot, love letter switch, tsukkomi-boke) everywhere they can, forgetting the most important thing to comedy: timing. BakaTest takes this into consideration, spacing apart its good jokes so they feel fresh and consistent. On top of that, BakaTest manages to pull off some kind of plot, chronicling Class F’s struggle to prove they’re not the lazy idiots they are. And somewhere along the way, maybe there’s some kind of theme, too…that grades aren’t everything, after all, and we should enjoy life. Or that men don’t need women. Yeah, that sounds better.

My biggest complaint is that they didn’t go as in-depth into the battle system as they could have. It’s honestly an intriguing idea, one’s battle strength being determind by test scores, that unfortunately didn’t see too much action (thanks to the whole one-challenge-every-3-months rule). As for music, the OP and ED are both very upbeat and silly, and while I didn’t really like them, I suppose they fit the genre. The rest of the soundtrack is largely forgettable-there’s a standard track for each general situation. A good comedy shouldn’t really have to rely on its soundtrack, though, so it’s forgivable.

Basically, BakaTest was quality fluff entertainment, something to watch in between episodes of heavier shows. Like unhealthy ice cream in the middle of brussel sprouts. Or StumbleUpon in the middle of studying. Or something.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Funniest show I saw this year
• Surprisingly not completely mindless
• Episode 8
• Hideyoshi

Cons:

• Pretty average technical execution
• Didn’t expand on battles much

1. The Tatami Galaxy

• Studio: Madhouse
• Length: 11 episodes

Yes, The Tatami Galaxy takes 1st. Were you really expecting anything else to be here? Thank you, Gene, for digging up this gem for us, and thank you, Grant, for inspiring me to finish it. This show would probably be on my personal Top 10 of all time.

Now, where to begin?

The characters are wonderfully diverse and charming, and are the primary driving force behind the show. None of them feel old or cliche, and as a result, they’re actually a bit hard to classify. It’s particularly easy to relate to the nameless protagonist, as we’re all college students ourselves, searching in vain for that perfect, rose-colored campus life. From his solitary I-don’t-care-what lifestyle and room, to his oh-god-it’s-a-girl tongue-tied attempts to speak to Akashi, to his frustrated “friendship” with the lively deviant Ozu, each aspect of his character is comically exaggerated but oh-so-familiar (like the characters in OreImo). Ozu is initially hard to like, given his repulsive appearance and sly nature, but with every appearance, one can’t help but pick up a strange fondness to his character. Despite his propensity towards unproductivity and shady dealings, of all the characters in the show, he appears as one of the happiest. Akashi makes her quiet appearance in each episode, always representing the subtle, stable, reachable happiness the protagonist consistently overlooks. Master Higuchi, despite all his rather unusual and even shabby lifestyle, seems to have attained a wisdom that reaches beyond formal education. And who can forget Johnny, the cooped-up, frustrated sexual drive of our poor protagonist? And so on, each character adding a new palette to the painting.

Along with the endearing cast, I love the theme this show tries to convey-peace comes from accepting who we are, friendship from the normal people we associate with, and happiness from seeing the extraordinary in our daily lives. Ambition drives us forward, but ultimately doesn’t change who we are, and doesn’t lead to happiness. And, of course, time we enjoy wasting is never time truly wasted. This kind of thinking is a major part of my philosophy, and I think it’s a great lesson for all of us.

To top it all off, the technical execution was very nicely done. The art style is decidely unique, and for a minute, I thought I was watching something by Shaft. It’s nice to see more shows deviate from the standard animation style, and I think the art in TTG fit its purpose very well. The OP and ED were also done well, including their actual animation (something I rarely look at). I should also applaud the voice cast, who did a wonderful job of bringing their respective characters to life. It’s also interesting to note that this is the shortest show on this list; Madhouse really did a nice job with pacing and efficiency. Unlike its characters, TTG didn’t really waste much time.

The Tatami Galaxy reminds me why I really watch anime, sloughing through mudflows and tar pits of terrible shows every season to find these little gems, clear and simple stories told for their own sake and not for money.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Fresh, strangely loveable character cast
• Simple, clear, powerful theme
• Unique art and soundtrack
• Awesome ending

Cons:

• Hi-speed narration occasionally difficult to keep up with
• Not enough people have seen this

Bonus Picks

Best Movie/OVA: The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi

There is simply no contest on this one. KyoAni is still one of the best when it comes to adaptations.

I’m not a huge fan of the Haruhi franchise as a whole. That’s not to say I don’t like it-I think it’s a good anime/LN series, with a likeable cast, interesting premise, and good character dynamic. What I don’t like is that it doesn’t ever seem to get anywhere-it’s like watching a sitcom where everything is restored to the status quo as each episode ends. As a result, we don’t really see a lot of significant character development. Kyon is snarky as ever, Koizumi is sexually questionable as ever, Mikuru is PLOTty as ever, Yuki is short (pun intended) as ever, Haruhi is genki as ever, and Kyon and Haruhi’s relationship is on-and-off as ever.

The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi was therefore my favorite novel of the LN series. It was the first (perhaps still only) one that took a real twist on a character, and showed a side of Yuki I thought I’d never see. And even though “everything went back to normal,” I think Kyon kept that newly found appreciation of Yuki, and it’s pretty hard for us to forget moe-Yuki as well. I’m glad KyoAni chose to animate this novel, and even gladder it was a movie (unbroken by their weird achronological broadcast order).

The animation was, of course, top-notch. The soundtrack for the movie was also very well done, and I appreciated the presence of so many orchestrated tracks. And while the ending theme is probably not for everyone, I thought the a cappella really added to the effect (as well as the absence of any animation-the minimalist approach really worked this time).

Just in case that you haven’t yet seen it in 1080p, for some unthinkable reason, see it now.

Best OP: My Soul, Your Beats ( Angel Beats!)

I’m a sucker for piano, I’m a sucker for Lia. Deal with it. This song is awesome.

Runner-up: God Only Knows ( The World God Only Knows)

Best ED: Kami-sama no Iu Tori ( The Tatami Galaxy)

This was actually a pretty difficult pick, as strangely there were a lot of good ED songs this year (even from otherwise lackluster shows, like Ookamikakushi and Soredemo). The ED to TTG eventually won it for me, as besides the fact that I thought this show was awesome, this song seems to fit the anime so well. It’s weird, it’s different, and I love the beat.

Runner-up: Kimi to Taiyou ga Shida hi ( High School of the Dead)

Just For Fun

Best Little Sister: Hirasawa Ui

Worst Little Sister: Kousaka Kirino

Song I resent the most for being addicting: i Love ( Amagami SS)

Most Questionable “PG-13″ Scene: FLY AWAY NOW

Achievement in Homosexuality: Shirai Kuroko ( Runner-up: Viewers of BakaTest)

Achievement in High School Bullshit: K-On!!

Achievement in Awesome: Nun-punch ( Runner-up: Tit-sniping)

Worst Anime of 2010: Seikon no Qwaser ( Runner-up: Seikon no Qwaser)

Parting Words

Since Gene reminded me, here’s that grimdark theory of Shinryaku! Ika Musume. If you’ve forgotten, it was the show about squid girl.

Take a look at Squid Girl. According to her, she’s a creature from the sea. If you think about it, however, she is an evolutionary enigma. The humanoid form is extremely unsuited towards marine life-it’s slow, it’s clunky, and it’s heavy. The only real logical conclusion? Squid Girl was originally a regular girl, who for whatever reason, fell into the sea and drowned (off a cruise ship, maybe, or killed by a poisonous animal while swimming). Her body was then picked up a curious tentacled parasite, who burrowed in through the top of her head. Her memories are gone (no recollection of human culture, language, or past life), but the parasite did have access to her brain’s pure computational power. As a result, the parasite becomes self-aware, and realizes the damage being done to its kind by humans. Determined to save its own kind, it takes its newfound body ashore (which, lo and behold, can breathe air). This explains why she never takes off her “hat” (it’s the parasite), and why she expresses such joy at the kid’s make-shift squid hat (it’s lonely). Unfortunately, the parasite fails completely to stop humanity’s invasion of the sea, and instead ends up serving drinks at a beach bar.

Enjoy your winter break, everyone, and hope to see you all next semester. Keep up the unproductivity! (Now let me crawl back to my attempts at a Touhou 8 hard 1cc, go die in a fire Kaguya)

As usual, put complaints in the box below.