Top 10 Anime of the Decade! (2010-2019)

Well would you look at that, we're in the middle of January 2020. The 10's were filled with lots of good shows, so of course I'll have to make a list detailing all my favourite shows from this wonderful decade. As for shows which franchises started before this decade, I'll include later seasons that did in fact come out this decade, only if that actual season stood out. So for example, if season one aired in 2007, but season two aired in 2012, and I think season two in particular is stand out, then I'll specifically include season two. But before I get into the list, here are some honorable mentions. Shows that, while not on the level of these, are still really good and that I'd also reccomend you watch.

Fruits Basket

Shirobako

Akatsuki no Yona

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

Momokuri

JoJo

Now, let's get onto the list!

10: Kidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans (Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans)

Gundam is probably one of the most prolific franchises there is in anime, and since the first TV series started back in 79', it hasn't shown any signs of stopping. This particular installment is a spinoff set in a alternate universe, meaning you don't need to have watched any previous Gundam shows to understand this one. 'Iron Blooded Orphans', was my first introduction to the series, and while I regrettably haven't watched a lot more (apart from 79), Iron Blooded Orphans is most definetely a really well written and beautifully animated show, and for a 50 episode TV series, that isn't exactly easy. 50 episode adventure/drama shows are something I haven't watched a lot of, but always seem to enjoy a lot. Heck, Part 3 is my favourite JoJo part. The show has gotten a lot of criticism for being fairly edgy, and while I can't exactly refute that statement, I think it's at least done well. Plus, the drama and sense of community you see the characters have is done so well, the few parts that get really edgy don't really amount to much. Oh, and did I mention how awesome the animation is?

9: Natsume Yuujinchou Go (Natsume's Book of Friends Season Five)

Natsume Yuujincho is a fairly popular franchise, and while it may not be on the same level as Gundam when it comes to popularity, it's still amassed a really large following, to the point where it's gotten six whole thirteen episode TV series, an OVA, four specials, and a movie to boot. So why exactly did I specifically choose the fifth season? Well, it's not exactly complicated. While the second season may have the best OP (and also came out in 09), the fifth season features my favourite seiyuu, Yurika Kubo, so there's that. Does it have better episodic stories than the other seasons? It varies, but in comparison to the weaker seasons (season six in particular), it's really good. In short, it took an already good show and added my favourite voice actor into the mix! It's not really more difficult than that.

8: Mushishi Zoku Shou (MUSHI-SHI The Next Passage)

While similar to Natsume Yuujincho in many ways, Mushishi is an entirely different franchise. While Natsume focuses a lot more on the individual characters in its story and their growth over the course of the series, Mushishi is an episodic series, like Kino no Tabi. And while the quality of each individual episodic story varies greatly, one thing that most definetely stays consistent is the background and monster designs, not to mention just how calming the soundtrack is. While the later seasons never managed to reach the same heights as season one did, it was able to stay good, and never fall into mediocrity (bar a few episodes in particular). The show may be episodic, but don't let that deter you, it's also a great experience to binge.

6: Durarara!!

You know what I really like? High school delinquents and gang wars. And while nothing may be cooler than GunBuster, I do have to admit, high school delinquents, gang wars and supernatural powers do come really close, and that's exactly what Durarara!! is about. It's been a long time since I actually watched Durarara!!, but I still remember all the characters, their motivations, and most important of all, their relations to others. Because seeing the controlled chaos of it all, and experiencing all these characters and how they affect each other is just so darn cool. The first twentytwo episode season which aired back in winter 2010 is completely standalone and has a satisfying conclusion of its own, so while there are a lot of sequels, there's no need to watch it all. I mean, I haven't. But season one is really freakin' good.

5: Aria the Avvenire

Aria is a beautiful series, and I'm currently in the process of reading the manga. Aria is an iyashikei, or healing series, meaning it's supposed to be low stakes, calming and most of all, relaxing. While the last season of the anime to air on TV finished back in 2008, we got a three episode special in 2015, which serves as a sort of epilouge to the series. It perfectly encapsulates everything I love about Aria. The great background art, fantastic music and voice acting, a sense of community, and weird supernatural things, they're all here and it's glorious. When I first watched the TV series, I was really afraid as to how the series would look with a more upscaled look, because the rustic feel of the show is extremely important. However, the TV special managed to do it perfectly, and looks even better than the TV series! Aria truly is something you should watch.

4: Psycho-Pass

To be honest, I don't have that much to say about Psycho-Pass. I despise the later installments, but season 1 is just barely short of being a masterpiece. The top tier world design and characters, the cool guns, the fact that it's a dystopian cyberpunk show set from the perspective of police, there really is much to love about Psycho-Pass. In terms of specifics I have a hard time coming up with examples, but I suspect that may be just because it's been so long since I first watched it. The visual aesthethic is a fairly large part of why I love it though, for while I may not have consumed many cyberpunk works, it most certainly is an aesthethic I like. I mean, it just looks really darn cool. The dialouge is also expertly written. In other words: it's fuckin' great.

3: Kill la Kill

What do you get if you mix anti-prudishness, high school delinquents, the Sengoku-Jidai, and awesome visuals? Well, fear no more, because series director Hiroyuki Imaishi answered just that exact question back in 2013 with Kill la Kill. This show is freakin' awesome. It's also got some banger OP's, the soundtrack in general is just really cool and fits the scenes well. Plus, they're great to listen to standalone as well! It also features some very striking character designs, personally I always love when protagonists dress in black outfits and antagonists in white (Berserk, Fire Force). The visuals are also a treat to look at, this is definetely one of the best looking TV-anime I've ever watched.

2: Love Live! School Idol Project (S1 and S2)

I wrote a really long post about why I love this series, (which you can read here https://starmanofatmora.wixsite.com/embarrasingremarks/post/why-i-love-love-live-part-1) so I'm not going to bother to explain much here. Basically, I relate to two of the characters a ton, and I've rewatched it five times. I love it.

1: Kaguya-hime no Monogatari (The Tale of the Princess Kaguya)

This is a movie which I really need to write large post about. Out of the over three hundred anime I've completed as of writing, this movie, by legendary (and my personal favourite) director Isao Takahata, is one of the four shows that I've rated a 10/10. It's filled to the brim with emotion, breathtaking visuals, tons of love and soul, and so much... everything. What a piece of art to have as your final work. Damn I love Takahata so much. RIP.

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Well, those were my personal favourites of the decade that passed! What were yours? While I did watch a lot that came out this year, I didn't watch all of it (with so much coming out each season, how can you) so there's a lot I missed out on. As always, I'm @tes_star on Twitter, and I'll see ya next time :)