Anime Status: 2009 Special
2009 is coming to a close and this calls for a special Anime Status for my Top 20 shows of the year, starting from Winter 2009 shows to Fall 2009. Welcome to METANORN’s Year-End Anime Status Special~!
Before anything else, I would like to have an apology to everyone because there won’t be any more year-ender posts for supporting characters. Time is really limited now before a new year starts and I’m busy as well in real life because of several family and friend gatherings here and there, plus when I get home I’m always tired and sleepy so it’s near impossible for me to complete all Year-Ender posts until this year ends. Sorry :(( Ok, moving on now~
Anime this year is really not that great. So much ‘meh’ titles and the amount of pointless, poorly animated fanservice shows are increasing it’s like a total waste of space. There are only quite a few number of very memorable shows that could be remembered like, on the next few years. Weak year overall. There were a number of stand-outs, but it was still weaker compared to the previous years of anime. I’m actually looking forward more on 2010 anime, but keeping my expectations low at the same time.
I did not put in ToraDora and CLANNAD ~After Story~ on the list because they are Fall 2008 shows, even though they aired on early 2009 as well. Anyway, they would easily had been on top if I had made a list for last year. On another note, I included movies and OVA series in the list I watched, as long as they aired this year.
Before we go on with my Top 20, let’s go on first with the honorable mentions. This year was full of moe shows, funny because the world is in recession and moe shows might save the industry a bit because it’s undeniable that they sell xD. K-ON! was an example of it. Pure moeblobbery (is that even a word? xD), it was one of the most socially successful anime this year. It also made an Oricon record for being the first-ever anime to put up a top spot record in the weekly charts. There are also remakes, and continuations of quite the most recognizable anime before on this year. InuYasha is back with its Final Arc getting animated, and FMA: Brotherhood is also remaking the epicness the original had. I don’t know if both shows were as successful as it had been first, since I did not bother fully going back at them anymore because I kept my attention to more fresh and newer titles.
Let’s now head on with my TOP 20 anime of 2009!!! As much as I would love to extend the list to a hundred, I need to rest and sleep too xD lol. And I guess the fewer, the more special it looks. So here’s the 20 anime I find the most relevant this year:
20: Saki
This is real entertainment at best. It’s just something I could watch where I just sit back and enjoy without worrying about anything. Saki delivers well this year. Sad that this is GONZO’s final goodbye anime as well.
19: Ristorante Paradiso
I really underestimated this show and its smexy grandpas xDD. I laughed on it at first being the Ouran High School Host Club after 50 years, but hey~ it wasn as bad as I thought it would be. It was overall one very mature, gorgeous, and classy anime.
18: Valkyria Chronicles
I don’t know how others might think of it as an ‘adaptation’ from a game, but when I tried looking at Valkyria Chronicles without thinking about the game, I thought that the anime was really, really good.
17: RideBack
RideBack is a show that definitely rests its fate upon one single character, Rin Ogata. So if you like Rin, you’ll like the show (and I like her on my case, so it’s no surprise I enjoyed it. RIN = WIN). The only problem about this show is that it becomes too forgettable. Really, I almost forgot about this one until I checked back 2009 anime lists.
16: Darker Than Black 2: Comet of Gemini
Hmmm… I can’t really say that this had been such an awesome comeback for DtB at all, but it was still nice seeing that this would be continued in an OVA series. I am definitely looking forward to that. HeixYin ftw <3
15: Hetalia Axis Powers
Awesome guilty pleasure of the year. Brilliant show tackling bishiepersonified countries and cultural differences. I love Hetalia. Definitely the biggest I got into a fandom. Not to mention a lot of internet memes, awesome MADs and parodies, and lots lots more. Hetalia is definitely one of the most popular shows this year for fangirls.
14: Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou
Very enjoyable, light-hearted, fluffy and relaxing slife-of-life with a twist of supernatural. It doesn’t have any major flaws at all IMO. Great art, production values, and charismatic characters makes this show as well. Overall, this yet again puts me in a calm, day-dreamy mood. Let’s see if there’s gonna be a third season around~
13: Denpa Teki no Kanojo
Nothing really much to say about this OVA series apart from they are really making a great job with the mystery and keeping it very intriguing and interesting. I always love psychological horror mystery stuff so this one’s definitely so much win.
12: EVE no Jikan
Beautifully animated, it boasts camera usage to CGi. The intriguing concept mixed with interesting characters all in all makes this OVA shorts quite a gem and easily one of the bests last year, even on this year it was still great. It could have been longer since six episodes isn’t really that satisfying though.
11: Cencoroll
It was a fun and refreshing short ‘movie’ and it was awesome to find out that the story, art and animation is done by only a single person (Uki Atsuya) so that was great props. The only thing I didn’t like about it is that it was short and it left me wanting for more. Oh hey, that wasn’t a real bad thing at all >.>
10: Summer Wars
I loved this movie. As expected from the name behind “Sora wo Miageru Shoujo”. It is something definitely worth watching and showing with your family because it has great lessons. Definitely entertaining, and props for a happy ending, since I’m always a sucker for that~
9: Kimi ni Todoke
One of my favorite shoujos already in a long while. What I absolutely loved about it is that it is very sweet, entertaining and just easy-going. The character interactions are just amusing and it makes me smile. They could probably fix the drama parts (which I think fell flat a bit), and we are there to something completely stunning.
8: Eden of the East
I love how creative the cat-and-mouse premise of this anime. Definitely one of the most suspenseful shows I’ve watched all year round. It definitely made me think and observe. Some might find the pacing quite problematic, but I think it adds effectiveness for its sense of urgency and time limitation seems like we are also watching it on real-time. Overall, one really gorgeous show from this year.
7: Tetsuwan Birdy Decode: 02
I haven’t watched the original (original, meaning the one twelve years ago), but I watched the A-1 remake. It was pretty good. Then there comes a season two announcement, then I ignored it for a bit because of the slow subs and all. Then like, later on after a few months I finally thought of marathoning it again and thank God I just did. Birdy: 02 was just beyond awesomeness it left me speechless.
6: Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~
Oh my god… This show. Definitely one of the strongest anime I’ve seen this year. Ok, the ending was just ‘WTF’ but it can’t stop the series from being awesome as a whole. A very dark series with amazing execution, awesome soundtrack, and well-developed characters to the core. I generally dislike BEETRAIN but this one’s a rare exception.
5: Spice and Wolf II
Just like Birdy: 02, it’s really rare to see a sequel that’s an “improvement” from the original, Spice and Wolf II is an another example. S&W2 moves quite up a notch. They still kept the charm season one had, then added more intensity with the relationship of the two leads, especially the risky moves on Lawrence’s part. The two leads’ interactions are definitely the most enjoyable thing about the series.
4: Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
Anime lately always fails me with one thing, and TM8.0 is probably the only one show this year, or maybe in quite a time, that did it: it sparked an emotional connection with me. I seriously never had tears falling from my eyes IRL watching an anime. This show is just spectacular, with its sense of realism to its side, it’s definitely one of the shows this year worth watching the most.
3: Aoi Bungaku
This collection of different Japanese literature adapted into anime is just beyond stunning. Truly a diamond on a rough this year, this is just interesting. It is yet for this show to be finished, but it just keeps on getting better and better as it goes. This definitely got me into some classic Japanese literature, so I love this show for bringing a new interest for me.
2: Bakemonogatari
Anime series of the year. Its success on DVD sales speaks for itself. Bakemonogatari is the pure definition of “something else” relevantly awesome, doing whatever it does, whatever the haters/trolls (read: trying hard elitists) say. I adored the way the story is presented. We can have the word “unique” in here. This is supposed to be something made from cheap but SHAFT worked it out and they made it look fantastic, artsy, and expensive. The characters are really fun and likable. This show is such a breath of fresh air. Some people might not get the charm because it is dialogue heavy though.
And the number one goes to…
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1: Kara no Kyoukai
…And the top spot goes to the anime movie series, Kara no Kyoukai!! It just ended last August with its final installment, Satsujin Koutatsu (Part 2). Totally amazing and already a classic in the making. The last installment is hands down my favorite of all, it was an incredible ride. Ok, there is imperfection with the plot holes and confusing dialogues, but heck, who cares because I still enjoyed the whole Kara no Kyoukai series so freaking much!!! Amazing animation, awesome characters, well-choreographed scenes and music… Just pure awesome. I’m also a sucker for such happy endings~ I’m gonna miss this T___T. MikiyaxShiki ftw.
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So that wraps up my Top 20 Anime for 2009. I know you also have your own list as well on which anime you liked the most this year so feel free to share it! That’s all~ Looking forward to next year and I hope there will be an improvement in anime quality and substance ^^.
About kanzeon
POWUH: iLurker with 15 comments
Wow, quite an interesting list here 🙂 Perhaps what I find most interesting is the number of ova and films which are on the list, which alters my own comparisons to listed items.
I’ll be doing a preliminary ordering of series around New Years, then hopefully will finalize the list at the beginning of Spring 010… just to allow the extended 2009 series some time to finish up 🙂
Cheers.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 371 comments
No worries about the year-enders. I know only too well what it’s like to come home dead-tired and not wanting to do anything so you just take your rest and relax. ^^
I agree so sadly on a meh year due to increase in fanservice shows and lack of memorable ones (which is kind of ironic for me to say since I didn’t watch as many shows before 2008 like I do now, lol XD; ) but then again, even some good shows don’t always go up into the high rankings. Hm.
Well, let’s see how 2010 goes. Not going to say anymore than that in case I curse it or something. xD;
Ok, list, list…haha, I haven’t even watched more than half of these (cuz I’m so picky~) but even without watching them, from reading other reviews, I can agree on how they’re one of the better shows of the year. Especially Eden of the East. But yay, have some stuff to put on my marathon list now. ^^
Going on the ones I do know…yay for Valkyria Chronicles! <3
Cencoroll was indeed a very impressive one-shot. Haha, same feelings here about it being too short and wanting more but I actually liked that very much at the same time.
Kimi ni Todoke is the shoujo series of the year. No questions asked.
And finally (MAJOR SKIP), WOOT! I can’t get enough of always seeing Bakemonogatari in the top 2. There’s no 3rd spot for it. It’s either second or first. Lol
I hope that SHAFT will animate the other short novels in the future, too. Like the arcs dealing with Shinobu and Arararagi’s (oops, stuttered~ <P) sisters since I can’t find any information on those yet. But we’ll see.
…yea, whoa, that was short
THIS ISN’T LIKE ME!!! *spazzes*. Haa, wish I could make my own list but I’ll probably complain throughout most of it so it’s not actually a list at all. xD;Mmkay…I need new stuff to watch now. lol
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 78 comments
I haven’t watched Kara no Kyoukai yet, because I’m so unaware about anime movies 🙁 same also for lots of shows in the list as well. ‘orz I haven’t checked some of them but I’m so planning to put them all in my to-watch list. Here goes my top 5 of the year~
5 – Kimi ni Todoke – I really loved it to bits. Probably one show I would sit through and chill out because it’s simply heart-warming and fluffy~
4 – Spice and Wolf II – I agree. This is such a step-up from the first season. It’s darker, more intense, and the relationship of Lawrence and Horo gets more interesting to watch ^^.
3 – Hetalia – It was brilliant and super addicting. ‘Nuff said~
2 – Eden of the East – This was really awesome, etc. I basically agree with everything you said, kanzie. lawl~ Eden is one of the most memorable shows this year and I can’t wait to watch the movies after it gets subbed ><
1 – Bakemonogatari – :kyaa: I loved this one because it brought something new to the table. Even though it looks a little bit harem-y/moe show, the witty dialogue and entertaining character interactions make it a stand-out.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 119 comments
YESS KARA NO KYOUKAI!
Bakemonogatari was definitely great too. The number one is a movie so that technically makes Bakemonogatari #1 anime series, right? 😀
POWUH: Novice (36-50) and KoujiSeo Fanatic with 47 comments
I personally didn’t enjoy Birdy DECODE 2 as much as I did the first season, and where’s Canaan? hahaha just kiddin, good list although some differences to mine. Summer Wars is an epic movie ;D
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments
I pretty much have the same top 20 with you, in terms of which anime are indeed the “best”. Kara no Kyoukai is just impressive. TYPE-MOON rocks!
POWUH: Metanorn Regular and Infamous Nekomata with 91 comments
So so so… Let’s begin!
Saki: LOL! I haven’t watched Saki :haha:
Ristorante Paradiso: OMFG! What is so good about smexy grandpas :red: It left me indifferent…
Valkyria Chronicles: Well, I can’t say I was so “WOW” about the series but it was a really worth watching animation of the game which was worth playing :thumb:
RideBack: I haven’t watched this either :XD:
Darker Than Black 2: Comet Of Gemini: I think that everyone agrees that DTB2 wasn’t the best continuation for the series but I think it was enough to fill the suspense-gap between the first series and the OVA. The ending; it wasn’t really WTF as most people say, it was just too fast, like the director was in a rush which made it a little… :huhu:
14-10: 😳
Kimi Ni Todoke: It hasn’t come to an end so I’m looking forward to something better! It’s not bad, but there is something missing… :ehh:
Eden Of The East: I don’t know why everyone got so excited over this show… I watched every episode to the end but it was mediocre for me 🙁
Tetsuwan Birdy Decode: 02: :freeze2: Are you kidding me???
Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~: Fail ending is FAIL! But the series as an overall was worth my time 😆
Spice and Wolf II: Another great series but… Where is the improvement??? ❓
4-2: Three series; One category: OMGTHISISFUCKINGAWESOMEMYAWESOMENESSISIMPRESSED
Kara No Kyoukai: PLZ SPARE MY LIFE KANZIE-SAMA! I HAVEN’T WATCHED THIS :doomed:
Now for my Wish-List: My only complaint is… Where is Umineko No Naku Koro Ni :baww2: I really liked the series to the fullest although it was screwed by Studio DEEN! The Gore and the Mindf*cking of the series was entertaining to the bits!!! Beato And Batto was probably the greatest couple of the season!!! Oh, well…
POWUH: Metanorn Lover and NPC #1 with 164 comments
I like this list. Birdy Decode 2 and Spice and Wolf 2 really are notable compared to their first seasons.
Haven’t checked out Aoi Bungaku though. Bakemonogatari is kind of expected already — But I don’t think I can say the same for Cencoroll.
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
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POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 77 comments
YES! Bakemonogatari deserves that award! also, yeah i enjoy Kimi ni Todoke very much, the series are just relaxing and “light”, i also LOVE Hetalia Axis Powers, it’s just very entertaining! and Cencoroll? i haven’t watched it, the character graphics seem cool, but TYPE-MOON always rocks the year, i suppose?
POWUH: iLurker with 8 comments
A very nice list, most I haven’t watched yet but some are already on my list. Definitely will check out the movies.
Zoku Natsume – a very calming continuation to the first season. Love Natsume’s character along with continuous aho!ness from Madara. :XD:
KnT – I simply love this anime, been following the manga and I just wish the animators leave the less mundane pointers from manga and go ahead with the main pairings already! :aww:
Eden of the East – I really enjoyed the whole mysterious of this short anime. Much looking forward to the movie!
Aoi Bungaku – Simply a masterpiece. Looking forward to the subbing of last two epis. Can’t wait!
On list:
Darker than Black 2 – Will marathon coming weekend
Eve no jikan – have to download
Spice and Wolf, 1 and 2 – have to download 2 and then will marathon the whole thing
Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ – will research plot and see if I can get over the wtf ending 😉
Bakemonogatari – Queued on download
Kara no Kyoukai movie series – Downloading
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 96 comments
I’m not really in the mood of thouroughly commenting today, so I’ll just try and be quick.
I really like(d) Kimi ni Todoke and DTB2. I started watching Bakemonogatari just now and I keep asking myself why didn’t I do that from the very beginning. The series I haven’t watched but I definately will are Eden of the East, Aoi Bungaku, Spice & Wolf, Phantom – Reqviem of the Phantom and maybe some movies.
That it from me on this. See ya!
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 126 comments
I loved Tetsuwan Birdy Decode: 02 it was so sad in the end tho 🙁 … everything else I didn’t watch yet 😛 but its a interesting list :>
POWUH: iLurker with 4 comments
hey where can i watch the movie SUMMER WARS??
I’ve been looking for it!!! 😥
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 99 comments
Effin’ yes! I’m totally lovin’ Cencoroll, Summer Wars, Kimi ni Todoke, and Bakemonogatari. Those are the best shows I’ve watched this year (since there’s a few good shows this year, IMO. I feel lazy)
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments
[…] before in which you voted for your favorite stuff, then we had a very special Anime Status for the Top 20 shows of 2009. This time, we will have special awards for anime, characters, seiyuu, and moments that had been […]
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
[..] A bit unrelated, but I really liked this site post [..]