These anime really impressed me with both there story telling and overall enjoyment, its also a good oppertunity to wish for these a UK DVD release in the future, so lets begin:
5. High School Of The Dead
Release : Summer 2010Producers: Madhouse
High School Of The Dead is just straight up fun, even with all the fan service (which I have to admit is pretty damn lots of it) it manages to give us a lot of great zombie killing action set pieces and interesting characters. It also seems to reference western zombie movies such as "Shawn Of The Dead" and "Dawn Of The Dead" as well games like "Resident Evil".
With a thrilling 13 episode plot of five school teenagers and a nurse trying escape the zombie apocalypse, I was afraid that it wouldn't live up to the hype but in the end it delivered. I would look forward to a second season and I would even pick up the licensed manga when that comes out.
This is the only anime on the list that has been licensed in the UK, so I hope to pick this up in the near future!
4. Angels Beats
Release : Spring 2010Producers: Key
After the genius Clannad ~After Story~, Key Animation had to do something really special to follow it up, thankfully Angels Beats did just that.
The series takes place in a world after death, where students cannot die and form a group to stop an angel from taking them away from this place, this involves using firearms or tactics to fool her. Characterization is done great (not all are given back stories) and the characters are memorable with a large amount of them.
Its a series full of thrills and humor, not to mention how beautiful the art is. I got enough enjoyment out of the series to put it in the number 4 spot.
3. Arakawa Under The Bridge series (1st and 2nd Series)
Release : Spring 2010 (first season) and Autumn 2010 (second season)Producers: Shaft
Shaft surprised me with two seasons of Arakawa Under The Bridge so we got an extra 13 episodes this season with all these great characters. With some great Openings and Ending sequences the series didn't need a plot because of how nonsensical it was.
Its basically a story about a successful young businessman, finding strange personalities under a bridge and finds himself drawn to the place that he starts to live there, as the series progresses we get introduced to more unique characters and ridiculous situations.
The humor is great to, it avoids the typical fan service that I have come to from anime, I would of put it higher on the list if the series didn't lose its steam at the final episode of Season 2, still it being at number three is a great achievement.
2. Giant Killing
Release : Spring 2010Producers: Studio Deen
I did review on this for my college newsletter (here) and for good reason, I was in awe at how incredibly awesome Giant Killing is and it still has that effect on me today. The anime breathes football passion from the Opening theme song to the CGI crowds interacting with flags.
Plus Giant Killing should give it away to you, its about a series where the weak team defeats the strong, this means many intense matches and cheers from main team ETU whenever they score, I was always at the front of my seat and recently not alot of anime has made me feel that way.
Thanks to all the characters from all teams and Manager of ETU Takeshi Tatsumi unpredictability; I could name this the sleeper hit along with the best sports anime of the season and a place at number two. So what was my favourite anime of 2010 season:
1. Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru
Release : Autumn 2010Producers: Shaft
Another Shaft anime Reevo are you mad? I know but there are plenty of reasons why I loved this series so much.
It still has that Shaft style where there are random scenes every 10 seconds but it gives the series a lot of unpredictability that I love in anime and like Arakawa its comedy is very different and smartly timed.
Hotori the main character of the series works at a maid shop with an old lady in a small shopping district, with the mention of maid you would think that this would be fan service galore but her silly logic in solving mystery's and her childish attitude when solving math problems won me over, Along with other characters.
The Opening is also fantastic but i was surprised to find that there is a fictional band "Maids" in the series, unlike K-ON!! and the band in Angels Beats, Maid's have a unique instruments in there band with the violin and accordion. There performance in episode 8 and the Closing theme are not only catchy but amusing (in a good way).
The last episode sealed this position for not only being funny but very moving as well and so win the top spot for this list, hopefully Shaft's works for 2011 will be even better!
Have a great year everyone and remember "Live long and Maid-you!!"
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