I have a simple rule when it comes to…well any sort of media content; if I don’t think I’ll like it I won’t consume it. Admittedly this means I’ll miss out on stuff I probably would like, but it also keeps me from watching a lot of crap. What does this have to do with my Top Five Anime of 2010? Simply that the pool I drew this list from was nowhere near encyclopedic.
5) Occult Academy – Time travel meets the supernatural in this mystery tale. On the whole the show felt a little scattershot, and meandered in places. But the same can be said for an awful lot of anime, so we’ll grade on a curve.
4) K-on!! – The too cute by far show grew up in this sequel series. As I said before the second season of K-on worked because it was a mediation on life’s transitions sprinkled with a handful of really good pop songs.
3) Working! – A workplace comedy that both defied expectations and lived up to them. Working also gets bonus points for one of the catchiest, most exploitable, openings of the year.
2) Durarara – Not nearly as recursive as it’s older sibling Baccano! Durarara nevertheless was an engaging show filled with memorable characters from start to finish. For most of the year it was penciled in as my best, but then the actual winner debuted.
1) Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt – Gainax’s dirty love letter to the late Nineties Cartoon Network combines the sensibilities of Adult Swim and the visual zest of Cartoon Cartoons. Add in a top notch soundtrack and you have a recipe for an incredibly entertaining over-the-top romp. I will admit that a large part of the show’s appeal to me is due to how accessible it is for somebody who isn’t Japanese. But why should accessibility stand in the way of acknowledging a quality cartoon?