Best of 2010 – Kyokai Edition

Some special treat for the Metanorn Readers on the New Year’s Eve.

Highlights of 2010; what you hit and missed!

Time for some personalization because well, the year is ending and some special awards are due. This would be quite personal, think of it as an extended version of anime status that I used to do previously. Today I’m here to post a roundup of the entire year, my style. I’m somehow amazed at how I am chugging out these lists one after the other but I guess, when everything’s on your fingertips and you are neck deep in the fandom, it doesn’t feel like an extraneous task. Now mind you, I know not everyone is going to agree with my choices because I can’t really speak for everyone but I respect your opinion and expect the same from you. ^^

2010 as a whole has been better than 2009 as more titles were released, Spring and Fall getting most of the shows. Though I can’t say that any season went uneventful. There were some very good shows and the usual average and bad ones. There were different themed season and Fall was definitely for imoutos and wincest, while Winter seems like of magical girls. Yaoi/BL really took a nose dive and except for some shounen-ai and sporadic OAVs, there wasn’t much of new material; SORRY fangirls. Now that the notorious bill has passed, implications are yet to be seen.

This was the first year that I watched almost EVERYTHING (leaving a very few), and for experimentation it wasn’t bad. This year, I might cut down but we will see. I was going to go for a usual post but as I write on, I see it getting from long to longer. That is the reason I have divided it into four parts; so, sit back and relax, while I take you to a long journey of 2010. Here we go~!

>> Navigation

>> The Real Deal: This section highlights the real people behind the fandom, who make anime-watching a treat.

>> Music Goodness: All music related nominations of this year along with some live performances thrown in.

>> The Genre Game: Favourite anime series on the basis of genres with some OAV/OAD/Movies thrown in.

>> Unique Cookies: The many anime moments of 2010 that made this year a very fitting one to watch the many series that released.

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About

The Boss lady of Metanorn, who makes it all happen. An animanga enthusiast, who watches/reads almost anything that strikes her fancy. Just beware of her Death Perception and always keep her happy. Regularly found at @KyokaiTM & #[email protected].
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44 Responses to “Best of 2010 – Kyokai Edition”

  1. Hoshi says:

    ~BY GOLLY I LOVED TO BE IN THAT BACKSTAGE PIC WITH THE CAST MEMBERS OF DURARARA *____* I’d be all up on Hiroshi Kamiya HAHAHA

    WOW I didn’t know the person who directed Durarara!! did Kuragehime as well! That’s so amazing~

    Loved the post Kyokai~ :3 We have similar tastes in Opening and Ending songs hahahaha, and I’ve been wanting to watch Tatami Galaxy since you started posting about it on the other year-ender posts. I need to check it out before my vacation is up~

    • Kyokai says:

      I KNOW RIGHT?! I would love to go and attend one of these!

      Omori is Brains base’s brain child, he needs to direct more. He also directed Natsume Yuujinchou, one of my all time favourite anime.

      Anyway, thanks and that means we should talk more about music over IM/skype! And Tatami Galaxy is so not your average anime but it is soooo worth watching. :3

      *first post cookie*

  2. Namika says:

    Wow O_O A really interesting post
    Don’t even know what to say!!! I agree with your decisions on most of the ‘categories’, especially Durarara-concerned ones xD And boy, am I glad that I didn’t watch Seikon no Qwaster(you spell it like this, right???)
    Once again, Happy New Year!!!

    • Kyokai says:

      Lol, thanks! It took a lot of time but I had fun writing it. That’s Seikon no Qwaser and stay the hell away from it. One of the most weirdest storylines ever!

      Hope you had fun on the New Year’s! ^^

  3. Overcooled says:

    I’m digging all the crazy categories. This is the way year-ender posts should be XD

  4. xochandaox says:

    haha, thank you for everything, Kyokai!
    Cant wait for another year of Anime rants.

    • Kyokai says:

      Aww, thanks chanda! The love of fandom is what moves me. :3
      Also, expect more anime rants from here on forth. ^^

  5. Tofu says:

    I never actually though Hatsune Miku would get any mentions! xD GO KYOKAI~!! ahahaha And YES! Hikasa Yoko should totally win a Grammy award!!! x3

    Naruto has a very interesting art to it and same goes for Bleach but I’m not sure why so many people hate it… is it because it’s too long? Fillers in the most awesome situations that you just wanna kill someone? xD I’ll agree with the last part… I hate fillers but no matter what I’ll still enjoy Naruto and Bleach (I’m speaking otu for all you Naruto and Bleach fanatics here!)

    Ahh~ The girl band battle between HTT and Girl Dead Monster… Honestly I prefer HTT ^^ (of course…) but GirDeMo also had some strong points, I really loved the guitar and bass work going on and you can’t ignore the drums as well, but some of there songs aren’t to my liking… While on the other hand, HTT’s main vocalist is supposed to be Yui (but is more like Mio) has that happy uplifting feel to the songs they make, also some awesome bass guitar work, I’d love to play some of there songs. My favourite genre would be those uplifting happy songs with good guitar and bass work (stuff those sound effects shit…)

    Kyokai, you should watch K-ON (just saying) if you have time I’ll recommend it ^^ BUT! Concerning Black Rock Shooter… am I the only person who actually liked the OVA? Sure the storyline was drifting into different places but either way I understood what they were trying to say and I think they did an alright job at it, the art work is exceptionally great and the fighting scenes… awesome…

    Saeko: I AM WET!! LMAO!!! xD

    Kyokai… The video you put up for Naruto Shippuden known as “Best AMAZING QUALITY” were you serious? (Pardon my rudeness)

    I think I’ve just fallen in love with TK after seeing that video and.. omg, I’m actually tearing up from the last scene… nostalgic memories… T___T

    Overall nice list Kyokai ^^

    • Kyokai says:

      Oh, Hatsune definitely deserves more than a mention. That live concert was nothing short of amazing.

      I actually like Naruto and Bleach and catch up on manga whenever I get time, however I have stopped following the anime because well, I hate fillers and why watch something I have already seen? Also, for the best quality video, of course I had my sarcasm on. xD

      I will watch K-On! someday but of course some day. And I liked the character design of BRS a lot but not the story whatsoever.

      I had a lot of fun doing this list so glad you liked it. Dancing the shadows~ ^^

  6. Xiao says:

    Haha, this is like the ultimate sum-up of all your comments and tweets. That’s just AWESOME. xD

    I would never have enough patience to do one of these on my own so I applaud you for organizing all this. I especially liked the genre page cuz I thought everything that was best under their certain categories fit. *very satisfied, nodnod* x)

    Totally cracked up at the last page, too. And just to lovingly annoying you…HARAHETA! *smacked* xDDD;;;

    Here’s to another good year ahead of ya, me hopes. *toasts* ;Db

    • Kyokai says:

      Hahahaa! You can call it the ultimate 2010 post for sure. xD

      Actually the planning of this post took 2 days and same for actually writing it. Of course, I took a lot of breaks to rethink some title nominations and addition of a lot of silliness in the last page.

      Thanks for the buck-up as always. <333 Hope you had an awesome New Year's and same for the coming days. *toasts back* ^^

  7. Amutofan123 says:

    Oh Brains Base~ Brains Base makes me happy. But right now, Production I.G. is making me happier because they actually gave us a socond season! D:< Oh, I love both Takahiro Omori and Akiyuki Shinbou. Hehe, Shinbout gives us so much odd, SHAFTY goodness.

    KYAAA!!! *-* Hiroshi Kamiya! Izaya, Ric, Araragi, Itoshiki-sensei, Otonashi! Oh, I adore him. I love Ono Daisuke too; his voice makes me melt. <3 Sakamoto Maaya's voice really is amazing and she's an amazing singer as well. Kana Hanazawa is so talented and she has such a sweet voice.

    😮 The Miku preformance! It looks so real! *sigh* If only Miku and the other Vocaloids were real…

    OHMYGOD!!! Yes, someone please be kind and sub the Durarara Seiyuu Cast Live. My most favorite seiyuu ever are RIGHT THERE and all I can do is listen to them speak a language that I can't completely understand, and smile stupidly.

    Ah, GirlsDeMo. Love them to death! A

    rakawa is totally the craziest (right after Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei) and most hilarious anime I've seen. Angel beats was my second favorite anime of the year. My favorite definitely goes to Durarara!

    Shiki is certainly on my plan-to-watch list after hearing so many good things about it.

    Awww, I liked BRS. I do agree that the story could have been much better though. I was expecting more action, more BRS, and more of the BRS world. O

    h! I still need to watch the last episode of Kuragehime! D: But Kuragehime definitely comes in third as the best series of the year for me. Haha, and Kuranosuke is such an amazing trap! <3

    Hehe, Izaya. I love him, but I hate him too. I mean, he's such a douche, but he's still totally awesome at the same time! Oh, and the Dollars totally rock! Man, TK is hilarious. xD

    You have quite a nice list there and I agree with most of what is on it. I certainly hope that 2011 is as awesome as 2010 was.

    • Kyokai says:

      I loved reading your comment! XD

      It’s like my excitement was complimented with another excited reader. Awesome! <3

      2010 was so better than 2009 anime-wise, now I have high hopes of 2011, which I still need to get used to writing. ^^

  8. Trusx says:

    That clip from Shizuo makes me laugh ever time. Miku… I don’t hate her but I don’t like her either, though that hologram thing is amazing! Kuragehime sure exceeded our expectations, that is why I love it so much. The Tatami Galaxy, in my opinion, was overwhelming, that’s why I only watched the first two episodes, but I did won a prize so it’s worth mentioning. And Ajikan sang the OP and they are my favorite group, so they need to be recognized a little bit more.

    • Kyokai says:

      Oh Shizuo! How I miss him sooo…. There was a time when I was not so ON with the whole Vocaloid thing but then I got introduced to Supercell’s nagi and I just love her voice. I don’t specially like all Miku songs but this live performance was more than amazing and thus had to be mentioned.

      Tatami Galaxy is brilliant and Ajikan (I love, love them) should be the catalyst for you to give this another chance! xD

  9. amado says:

    well at least you have yosuga no sora there. they’re your choices anyway and they’re still great.
    special mentions:

    in index/railgun, the only redeeming character there for me would be biribiri mikoto.

    seikon no qwaser: my first anime where I saw characters nude. im still stuck at ep 22, dont know when il ever pick it up again…

    • Kyokai says:

      Thanks! And Yosuga no Sora had to be there because I at least completed it and I loved its ED. I totally agree with the biribiri part and the reason for her nomination in the main lead. She is sooooo better than Index, who has been completely useless this season.

      Props to you for actually going through that anime, I stopped after I saw the first episode. >.>

  10. anaaga says:

    WHAT DAISUKE ONO IS NOT THE FIRST!!!??? *cry*

    agree about everything in anime, except imuto because world god only knows. ugh, just…ugh.

    i lol’ed when i read SnQ part, because i actually watched it until the end. no, it’s not for the ecchi. the ecchi is just fuckin gross. and the last three episode are just EEEWWWW. i watched ot for the sake of chemistry which i love SOO MUUCCCHHH

    and male Sailor Moon should be the first. he can even change his hair color I WANT THAT ABILITY TOO.

    and you should put yosuga no sora as the most dramatic incest porn of the year. HEHE.

    and yay there’s another fan of izayaXshizuo!!! let yaoi conquer your mind! muhuahahaha!

    • Kyokai says:

      Aren’t you happy already that he got the best fan favourite award?! It’s not like I hate him but I love Kamiyaan~ more. <3

      Btw, what about imouto and TWGOK? They were good anime without any stupid incest unlike YnS, which was filled to the brim with it. >.>

      I didn’t even know, was there chemistry involved in SnQ except for that iron manipulation theory?

      And I CAN’T unsee all those Drrr! episode and thinking BL, even when I know Shizuo hates him so much that he would burn himself if he ever felt an inkling of attractions towards Izaya. I better read the light novels soon to clear my mind. xD

  11. TK Tenshi says:

    Naked lolis are fine alright!!!!

  12. Sebz says:

    underlying influence of Durarara on every page lol

  13. Foshizzel says:

    YAY! nice list here too love the crazy categories!

    Agreed with IndexII were did all the awesome go! grr

    Woooo Durarara!!

  14. Captain says:

    Aha! I was at the Durarara!! Live show <3 Hiroshi Kamiya was being so mean to Ono D after the show. The two of them were like.. Arguing. So cute right! She’s like.. Not even real. But I guess some of the songs are really nice.

    I know how to play all the Favourite OPs and EDs that’re up there on the piano, heehee! Uragiri no Yuuyake is a pain to, though.

    Nice stuff, though, Kyokai!

    • Kyokai says:

      You were THERE!!! Where are the pictures?! 0.0
      These two have a lot of history together so who knows, why they were arguing. Anyway, Miku’s performance was amazing.

      Also, wasn’t your instrument cello? How much more talented are you, loli?! xD

      And, thanks. :3

  15. BlackLagoon187 says:

    Nuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, you’re making my list grow Kyokai!!
    Anyways I liked the Love Machine – Yoko Hikasa Ver.
    Didn’t know about it cuz I haven’t followed Seikimatus yet but I’m dl’ing it atm.

    • Kyokai says:

      LOL! Mission accomplished! *strikes a pose*
      Isn’t it better to watch MOAR animu? And yeah, Love Machine was awesome! ^^

  16. baka_girl says:

    I *know* that you’re going to make Hiroshi Kamiya your Favorite Male Seiyuu! Aww, he’s just awesome in many ways. And love that pic you’re using for him xD
    And I love Sakamoto Maaya too! Her voice, it’s so coooll~ She’s my fave female seiyuu beside Chiwa Saito 😀

    And at least Break Blade win something! Rygart & Zess, they need more love! <3 <3

    So Katanagatari win in Favorite Action, maybe I should add it in my 'plan to watch' list.

    Overall, it's a pretty nice list, Kyokai-san! I had so much fun reading it ^^

    • Kyokai says:

      Hahaa! I know right. I fangirl over Kamiyaan and Maaya so much! And moar break blade for sure. When is the third movie getting subbed anyway? I wanted it last year! ;3;

      Katanagatari is really, really good. Definitely more than worth a watch. Thanks, baka_girl-chan~ <333

  17. Dan-go says:

    WHY ARE YOU SOOOO WISE, WOMAN *bows down in reverence for the metanorn goddess*

  18. Masu says:

    on a shit-no-one-cares-about note, i also think that PnS and KIRABOSHI are top two picks for best theme song.

  19. JohnDaCajun says:

    Kyokai, thank you so much for giving Tatami Galaxy some props. It really saddens me to see how low it scored on the popular vote; critics on the other hand LOVE IT.

    P.S. – Your earlier comment “Tatami Galaxy is so not your average anime but it is soooo worth watching.” The reason why it is worth watching, is because it isn’t average anime, it’s one of the greatest.

    • Kyokai says:

      Oh man, forget about props it needs a goddamn APPLAUSE for being so awesome. If you check out my year-ender posts, I have pushed it throughout the categories, still it sadly didn’t get a lot of votes… =3=

      It NEEDS MOAR LOVE, YEAH!

  20. […] haven’t I already done enough listing for 2010… From 10 categories to fan favourites and my personal version. Still, I wanted to get a varied opinion on that and what could be a better version that displaying […]

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