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 ^^.