Weekly Art – Renn’s 10 Favorite Anime of 2010
So, let’s reboot the Weekly Art after about a month-long hiatus. And what better way to do it with then a flashback to the past? The title is a bit self-explanatory, but in case you don’t get it: here it is, only seven months late, Renn’s ten favorite anime of 2010!
Before we get started, let me submit a disclaimer: I haven’t seen that many 2010 anime. I got started watching anime weekly this year, so 2010 means backtracking. I won’t give away the exact number, but I’ll admit I’ve watched more series from 2011 than from 2010, and we’re only halfway through the year. This is probably why I relegated the post to a picspam instead of making something proper and epic like Tofu did.
Additionally, this is definitely not a “best” anime list, just ones that I really enjoyed watching. Again, I still haven’t watched enough anime from 2010 to even try to make a “best” list. So take this with a grain of salt and enjoy the pretty pictures!
10: Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
I’ll always have a soft spot for GAINAX. They made the anime that got me into anime, after all (that’s Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann by the way, ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH). Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt isn’t consistent nor is it half as good as my gateway anime, but it is fun and unique with excellent “transformation” sequences. What more did it need to convince me this is top ten material? Well, an actual plot would be nice, but voila, it’s on the list anyway.
9: Angel Beats!
I don’t want to talk too much about industry, especially not on a list that’s really a picspam, but director Seiji Kishi is one to watch. I didn’t love the ending of Angel Beats!, but I was really impressed by the ability of Kishi to coax genuine chemistry out of the cast and manage intense mood-whiplash (bipolarity might be a better word, come to think of it). Angel Beats! wasn’t something I thought was my thing, but despite the many cliches and borrowing from other popular anime (cough, Haruhi), I really enjoyed its run and just wish it had the few extra episodes it was scheduled to have.
8: Kuragehime
It skirts the side of walking cliche (or shall I say sashaying cliche–oh, ahem, excuse me), but it’s funny and adorable and I guarantee you’ll fall in love with Kuranosuke no matter what your preferences are. The inconclusive ending bugs me and demands a season three, but even a crap ending can’t take away the fact that it’s one of the most well-written and charming shows of 2010.
7: Nodame Cantabile: Finale
Neither the second nor this installment ever managed to capture the magic of the first season. The director of seasons two and three, Chiaki Kon, navigates easily through romantic and dramatic material, but what makes Nodame’s first season so unique is that the drama is toned down and rightly overshadowed by music, Nodame and Chiaki’s real focus. And Nodame and Chiaki don’t need the extra drama to prove to the audience that they’re true love. The simply interact, and it’s understood. Still, it would be a crime not to celebrate the end of the 45-episode romance. Drama or no drama, Nodame and Chiaki remain two of the most enticing leads and one of the most root-able pairs. Mukya, mukya!
6: Durarara!!
Surprise, surprise, Durarara!! makes the list. To me, this is far and away the most entertaining series of 2010–the frenetic cast and fluid animation brings so much energy to the screen. This would be further up had it not bogged down with an inconclusive and (worse) anticlimactic ending, but my resentment, Brain’s Base, can be remedied with a third season. Also, as some of you fangirls may notice (and fanboys, I’m sure, to your chagrin), I put up some Shizaya art. I’d say I’m being a nice dude, but in truth, about 75% of Durarara!! fanart is Shizaya (this is a well-researched fact unfortunately).
5: Shiki
I haven’t quite finished Shiki yet (argh, yes, looking for pictures did spoil the experience), but it fits somewhere around here. It’s slow-paced, spooky, and really stylish–I know a lot of people don’t love the character designs, but I think they’re ridiculously fun, campy, and colorful. When I finish the series, I might have to modify the list, but it’d take a really awful ending to make this series move considerably down.
4: Arakawa Under the Bridge (x Bridge)
I rarely like anime comedies, not because they’re not good (and not because I don’t have a sense of humor, ahem!), but because jokes depend a lot on culture and language. But the cross-cultural scenario of taking the guy we all wish we were and turning his (and thus our) perception of life upside down had me in stitches and pulled on my heartstrings to boot. Also in its favor is Nino who is one of the loveliest female characters I’ve seen.
3: House of Five Leaves
Noitamina’s spring season may have been its second-worst showing ratings-wise, but each of the shows offered excellent bromances. In each series, the relationship between the two male leads’ development is a real treat to see. But The House of Five Leaves has the better bromance and the better character depiction over all (no small feat considering Noitamina’s other spring offering). It really fleshes out its cast, and it culminates all the development into a satisfying, if open-ended, finale. The art for House of Five Leaves is a little weird, but as you slowly adapt to it, the characters become, uh, surprisingly attractive. Excellent voice-casting helps. But the most wonderful thing about this anime is the score. Even in the year of Nodame Cantabile and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, House of Five Leaves reigns as my feast for ears.
2: The Tatami Galaxy
On a list my all-time favorite anime, The Tatami Galaxy is number six or so. I’m only at about eighty series, so this is probably not a permanent spot, but I will always remember The Tatami Galaxy for its excellence. It’s a well-told story with great characterization, and to me, the ultimate affirmation that more one-cour anime should adapt actual novels instead of pursuing lesser manga, light novels, visual novels, video games, and other sorts of junk food. Again, in its favor is Akashi, another lovely lady. Le sigh, anime girls.
1: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
And on a list of my all-time favorite anime, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is number one, but this time, it’d take a heck of a show to move it. I’m about to admit a really geeky thing (yep, even for an anime blog): this series brought back the feelings I got when I read Harry Potter as a pre-teen and teen. The anime perfectly captures the manga’s incredibly detailed and cohesive universe with all the mini-arcs and characters tying in to make a great story that appeals to both critics and casual fans alike. Like with Harry Potter, it’s this fusion of elements (and hours of research) that makes the journey all the more satisfying.
So, what were your top ten anime of 2010? Any recommendations for me? (I might even have to change this list up, haha!) Hopefully, for 2011, I’ll be a little more varied and original! I know for sure though that there won’t be as much Noitamina–Fractale and C have made sure of that.
Thanks for reading! See you around!
YESSSSS SHIKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think you'll find the ending to be pretty good.
Between the Arakawa art and the Shiki art and the FMA Brotherhood art and the Angel Beats art, I have to say this is one of my favorite weekly art posts yet *w*
My recent post Mawaru PenguinDrum 01 & No. 6 01 [First Impressions]
I've heard the ending is pretty good from multiple people at this point. Maybe it should be higher. ;)
I'm so glad you liked it! :D (Also, you have excellent taste. B) )
You pretty much got everything good from 2010. My favorite show has to be House of five leaves and Kuragehime. Both had simple plot but it was told splendidly. Heard a lot of great feedback about Panty and Stocking, Have to check that out.
Dont worry about Shiki, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
I loved it, but Panty & Stocking is definitely the worst show on the list. There are some really stellar episodes (like 6 if I remember correctly), but there are some really awful ones, too. It's not half as consistent as House of Five Leaves and Kuragehime nor are its characters and drama as engaging. =/
Re Shiki: Considering your tastes in shows, I believe you. :) Really looking forward to it!
Man, Tatami Galaxy fanart. That isn’t easy to find, and you’ve found quite the treasure trove! It’s one of my favorites as well, though I’m not sure exactly where I’d put it in my top 10. It just really had something to say even without all the craziness, and I enjoyed it immensely.
I can’t speak for you about Shiki, but I thought the ending was good. Nice fanart for it, too!
I'm glad you like the art–I also thought it was really spectacular! :D
I'd love to see your top ten sometime. I'm really meticulous about most lists though–I grade the shows really carefully, lol. This list was fun to make because I threw it together just based on how much I enjoyed it. :)
I've heard from many trustworthy people that it's good, so I'm really looking forward to the ending. Glad you liked the art! :)
What do you mean something proper and epic XD Making a top 10 as a weekly art is a very intriguing idea indeed Renn and the way it’s structured isn’t any different to the way I wrote mine up besides the ranking and scores.
Okay getting the pictures was a pain, but this was pretty easy to put together. Yours took effort, and it really showed. Yours was well-written, detailed, and it had great picspams, too. Plus, you had actually watched a decent amount of shows from last year and made judgements for yourself–I watched (at least) a few episodes of about thirty shows that had already gotten really good buzz, so this list is pretty cliche.
tl;dr version: Yours was one of SJ's best posts, and this picspam doesn't really compare to it even if it's the same topic. Thanks for the compliment though. ;)
WOOT!! WALLPAPER SAVING TIME!!!~
teehee
i really gotta ask this Renn,
how long does it take to find all these pictures? and where do you get all these images from??
soo amazing!~
My recent post Happy Birthday Shouko!~
Glad you like the pics! :D Also, a bit of a tl;dr answer:
This post took about 6 1/2 hours, but a lot of that was formatting. Picture searching took about 2 1/2. I use Pixiv where you have to type the Japanese name/characters into the search box (you can find the Japanese names for series on Wikipedia, MAL, and ANN).
The trick on Pixiv for finding quality fanart is search for a series, then look for a picture with a hundred (or a thousand) faves. Unless the series is old, you'll find a tag that says, "Series Name in Japanese 100users入り." Click it, and you'll find all the pictures of that series that got a hundred faves. Admittedly, you'll miss a few gems that didn't get their due, but almost all the pictures you'll look at will be high quality.
If you're just looking for HQ fanart though, Zerochan has it in spades. I just never use it for artposts because I want to give artists their due.
Hope this helps! Happy searching! :)