Welcome to my third annual Top 10 Anime of the Year section here at IXI Studios! 2011 has come and gone, and now its time for me to list what I consider to be the best anime of the year. What shows have impressed me most over the course of the year? Artistic vision, writing, general entertainment value, I factor all of the above into my ranking for the year. I also realize that the year ended several days ago, so this list is a little late coming. I blame that on having to sit down and watch Tiger and Bunny, one of the most talked about shows of the year, that I had never actually found the time to sit down and watch… Which now feels like a waste of time because it didn’t actually make my top 10. Still an awesome show, but I cut it out somewhere in my top 15 because I didn’t think it was one of the best. Then again, I’m the guy who had issues with Star Driver until about halfway through, so take from that what you will. Anyways, let’s get started with the list, starting with something I know I’m going to catch some flak for…
10. Ben-To
In tenth place, is the show about a bunch of teenagers beating the crap out of each other for discounted lunch boxes. Yeah, that’s the general premise of this show, and despite that, this show is absolutely awesome. It’s hard to describe, but this show made itself plenty of fun to watch. It treated itself like a big name action film, and the atmosphere successfully made it feel serious, even with such a stupid premise. If you can take a retarded premise like that, and turn it into an action-packed, fun time, then you are amazing at your job. It seems like the kind of show that would be completely driven by fanservice too, but there was barely any at all. The majority of it actually seemed more targeted at a female audience than the male one with the main character getting himself into some rather insane situations. Anyways, bravo to the staff that worked on this series for managing something that completely blew away my expectations.
9. Dog Days
Yeah, I know this isn’t exactly the kind of thing you think of when you think of a good anime, but this one is the exception to that rule. The artistic direction was nothing new, the writing was about normal, but this show was just so much fun to watch that it had to make it onto this list. The characters were all so likable that it made up for a lot of the failings it had. Even the “villain” was an awesome character to watch in action. In fact, she was my favourite of all of them. Also, the premise may have been silly, but it was approached so well that it was actually kind of refreshing. It was a show about war, but because of the setup, it had none of the angst, or moral dilemma clichés usually associated with such shows. The battles taking place in the series were pure fun from beginning to end, and it made it a complete rush. It was a refreshing change of pace, especially with some of the shows this year being so dark and depressing.
8. Mawaru Penguindrum
When this show started, I wrote it off pretty quickly as just a quirky gag anime, especially with the random musical moments near the beginning. As the show progressed, however, I quickly had to change that opinion. About half way through, the show lost its light, almost joking tone, and got very serious. It wasn’t sudden at all though, it had been a slow, gradual progression that made sense as the characters uncovered more and more of the secrets about what was going on around them. By the end of the series, I was just sitting in my chair going “Whoa…”. The series was filled with all sorts of strange devices that felt like someone said “You know all those metaphors people use to comment on the horribleness of society? What all of those were literal?” The entire ending of the series was so well done, and so dramatic, that I couldn’t avoid putting it on this list. This is definitely one of those must see anime if you like philosophical, metaphorical series.
7. Kamisama no Memochou (Heaven's Memo Pad)
One of several detective anime that came out over the last year, but the best of them in my opinion. For those who are going to argue with me and cite UN-GO, I have three words for you. Aerial Demon Fight. Yeah, that kind of killed it for me. Anyways, this was a fun show with just enough of a serious tone to make it interesting. The interaction between characters was always well done, and the less than legal methods of investigation used at times managed to put a gritty edge on already serious situations. The writing was excellent, the art drew you in to the plot even further, and the characters made you stick around even during uncomfortable moments because some just seemed so relatable. An excellent series, very well done, and I wish they’d make a season 2 for it already.
6. Shakugan no Shana Final
Say what you will about this series as a whole, but it’s as popular as it is for a reason. In the majority of cases, a sequel usually ends up not being as good as the first, but this season of Shakugan no Shana has been going above and beyond. Unlike the short story arcs of the first two seasons, the third season has all been one major story arc. As the title suggests, it is the finale of the series, and the shit has hit the fan. The story telling has been amazing, and the beginning did a better job of drawing the audience in right from the start than season 2 ever did. Despite a slight change in the art direction, it still manages to maintain the epic feel of the original as well. On top of everything, I think the choice of ending theme has worked amazingly for the series as well. What can I say? I’m a sucker for shows that start the ending theme during the end of the episode, and cut flawlessly into the credits in the middle.
5. Guilty Crown
Though still not a completed series, much like the last series on the list, Guilty Crown has managed to be one of the most exciting anime of the year. Its storyline similarities to Code Geass aside, it has been getting by on its own merits. The main character spends a lot of his time as the usual, whiny protagonist who can’t seem to decide what he thinks is right in most situations, but considering the kind of situation he’s in, that’s almost understandable. He’s constantly surrounded by people who aren’t telling him the whole truth, and seem likely to turn on him at a moment’s notice. The action in this series is well done, and the main character’s ability is pretty cool as well. It has become one of those shows I look forward to every week, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
4. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
I’m sure a lot of people were expecting this to be a bit higher up on this list, but I have my reasons. I’ll just say first, that this show was amazing. As someone who watched it when it was first airing, and not having anything spoiled for me ahead of time, this show blew me away. It was unexpected, it was edgy, it was a re-imagining of a stale genre, and it shocked a lot of people with some of its twists. That said, the reason it is only at number four and not higher, is because I decided to go back and watch it a second time. I don’t think it holds up very well after the first time watching it. Don’t get me wrong, if it hasn’t been spoiled for you, the first time through is amazing, but once you’ve seen it, it just doesn’t have the same sort of kick anymore. The good points of the series lay mainly in its shock value, and once you knew what was going to happen, it just starts to seem plain. I love it, but it’s true. More so than most shows, once its been spoiled, its just not as good anymore.
3. Blue Exorcist
This one kind of surprised me. I mean, I was looking forward to this anime right from the first announcement, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. It was packed with action and a story that kept you watching. The protagonist was such an idiot, but how often does that not happen? Not only that, the finale was epic, and well done, bringing the series to a satisfying conclusion that you don’t often get due to the nature of anime. My only issue with the show wasn’t the series itself but with the opening themes. The first opening was amazing, but the second was kind of boring. I’m just nitpicking now though, so I’ll move on to number two.
2. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai
Quite a mouthful, eh? Unlike the rest on this list, I’ll actually go into some detail on the plot, as unlike the rest, I didn’t cover this show in my first impression reviews over the course of the year. The reason for that is because I didn’t actually get around to this one until Christmas day, and I couldn’t stop watching until it was over. This anime is about a group of childhood friends who sort of drifted apart over the years after the death of one of the members of their group. In high school, the ghost of their departed friend appears before one of them, and the group slowly comes back together in order to help her spirit move on. It’s a very touching series about old friends, secrets, regrets, and guilt that takes you for a ride from beginning to end. The storytelling is well done, and the pace of the series was excellent. I’m so glad I finally saw this series, and didn’t just skip over it for other things.
1. Usagi Drop
A heart-warming story about fatherhood and family, and having a heart for a girl who just lost the only family she’s ever known. This show tugs on the heartstrings way too well, earning it the top spot on my list. I think this is just a case of having all the right people working together on something. Based on a highly praised manga, produced by Production I.G., and put together by the same staff that made the Kimi ni Todoke anime, this couldn’t not be an amazing series. The storytelling was emotional and drew you in and the art was beautiful. Usagi Drop definitely tops the list of anime for 2011.
