2010 Best and Worst Anime Lists (not R1)

[pianocello]

The year is coming to an end and I think it's time to make some lists of some of the best and worst.(you can also add other lists or omit lists if you don’t have any to fill up the list). Before posting, please read first:

This list is refering to anime that was shown/released in Japan in 2010 not US (so if you're listing R1 anime, it must fulfil the criteria below):
TV series shown in 2009 and concluding in 2010 may be included. For ongoing TV shows that have gone on for years (like the Shounen Jump stuff), please only refer to the more recent episodes shown in 2010.
For OAVs, you may include earlier ones as long as the last episode was released after Xmas 2009.
For movies, you may include 2009 movies where the R2 was released in 2010.You may also make more lists than what is listed below

(As I have not finished watching the Fall 2010 anime, this is a tentative list as of 28 December 2010. I'll probably update again when I finished watching the Fall anime)

My Top 10 favorite anime of 2010
1. Strike Witches 2
2. Mitsudomoe
3. B Gata H Kei
4. Sekirei~Pure Engagement
5. Kiddy Girl~And
6. Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke Wo
7. Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Tairan
8. Angel Beats!
9. To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
10. MM (still watching - final position to be decided later)

My 10 least favorite anime of 2010 (some of these are not necessarily awful since I've been careful to avoid what I generally don't like but these are the ones that least satisfied me)
1. Baka to Test to Shoujkanjyuu
2. Shukufuku no Campanella
3. Arakawa Under the Bridge
4. Working!!
5. Kobato
6. Seitokai Yakuindomo
7. Hanamaru Kindergarten
8. Tatami Galaxy
9. Mayoi Neko Overrun!
10. Hetalia Axis Powers

Best ending of 2010
1. Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke Wo
2. Angel Beats!
3. B Gata H Kei


Biggest downturn of 2010 in the end after such a promising buildup
1. Hanamaru Kindergarten
2. Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou
3. Ladies vs Butlers!

Best ecchi of 2010
1. Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou
2. Ladies vs Butlers!
3. Ikkitousen Xtreme Xecutor

Most shocking ending of 2010
1. Angel Beats!

Funniest anime of 2010
1. Mitsudomoe
2. B Gata H Kei
3. Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Tairan

Best feel-good anime of 2010
None (undecided at this point)

2010 anime that made you cry the most
1. Angel Beats!
2. Strike Witches 2

Best yuri anime of 2010
1. Strike Witches 2
2. Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke wo
3. Kiddy Girl~And
4. Shin Koihime Musou~Otome Tairan
5. To Aru Kagaku no Railgun

Best yuri couple of 2010
1. Ascouer and Q-Feuille (Kiddy Girl~And)
2. Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke and Mio Sakamoto (Strike Witches 2)
3. Yoshika Miyafuji and Lynette Bishop (Strike Witches 2)
4. Eila and Sanya (Strike Witches 2)
5. Miu and Reo (Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke wo)

Best heterosexual couple of 2010
1. Kosuda and Yamada (B Gata H Kei)

Best hentai of 2010
1. Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke wo
2. Princess Lover OAVs

Anime that had most gripping plot twists of 2010
1. Angel Beats!
2. Isekai no Sekishi Monogatari
3. Durarara!!

Best animation of 2010
1. Angel Beats!
2. Macross Frontier movie: The False Songstress
3. Cat Shit One

Best character designs of 2010
Undecided yet

Outstanding male character of 2010
1. Kyousuke Kousaka (Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawai Wake ga nai)
2. Kosuda (B Gata H Kei)
3. Otonashi (Angel Beats!)

Outstanding female character of 2010
1. Tsukiumi (Sekirei~Pure Engagement)
2. Togame (Katanagatari)
3. Kuroko Shirai (To aru kagaku no railgun)
4. Ruiko Saten (To aru kagaku no railgun)
4. Lynette Bishop (Strike Witches 2)

Worst male lead of 2010
1. Yuuki Rito (Motto To-Love-Ru)

Worst female lead of 2010
1. Mahiru Inami (Working!!)

Best villain of 2010
1. Telestina (To aru kagaku no railgun)

Best first episode of 2010
1. Mitsudomoe

Biggest upturn from a dreadful start
None

Most unnecessary character in a 2010 show
1.The entire cast of Arakawa under the Bridge except the 2 leads
2. Koichi Shido (Highschool of the Dead)
3. Mahiru Inami (Working!!)

Best comedic moment of 2010
1. Any misunderstanding involving Nipples the hamster (Mitsudomoe)

Best action sequences of 2010
None

Biggest shocker
1. Last episode of Asobi ni Ikuyo: She always punches him when he walks in on her naked and now she has no problems undressing in front of him?
2. The true identity of a female villain (Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari)
3. The true identity of an important female character (Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin)

Biggest tearjerker
1. Episode 6 (Strike Witches 2)
2. Episode 10 (Angel Beats!)
3. Episode 13 (Angel Beats!)

Favorite OP(OP music and animation) of 2010
1. Sora no Woto
2. Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari
3. Ladies vs Butlers!

Favorite ED(ED music and animation) of 2010
1. K-On!! 2nd ED
2. K-On!! 1st ED
3. Mitsudomoe

Biggest tease of the year
1. Kirino Kousaka (Ore no Imouto)

Best character growth (characters that start off with many negative attributes but changed to become a better person)
1. Mitsuba Marui (Mitsudomoe)
2. Arashiko Yuno (MM!)
3. Kanade Tachibana (Angel Beats!)

Promising future (I haven't seen but they look like they might appeal to me)
Sora no Otoshimono: Forte

Best sequel of 2010
1. Strike Witches 2

Outstanding voice-acting of 2010
1. Strike Witches 2

Sexiest anime character of 2010
1. Q-Feuille (Kiddy Girl~And)
2. Manami Kinjou (Asobi ni Ikuyo!)
3. Yuki Saegusa (Dance in the Vampire Bund)
4. Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke (Strike Witches 2)
5. Ayaka Yukihiro (Negima: Mou Hitotsu no Sekai)

So what are your lists like?

[pianocello]

To add - you don't have to fill up for every category if you haven't seen enough anime this year. Conversely if you've seen a lot of anime and would like to add more categories, feel free to do so.

[Sly05]

I'll keep my list to series that ended in 2010 so it excludes ongoing shows as they may potentially go down hill in later episodes despite promising starts.

Best anime of 2010
1) Durarara!!
2) The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
3) K-on!!
4) Sora no Woto
5) Toaru Kagaku no Railgun
6) Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai
7) Hidimari Sketch x Hoshimittsu
8) Working!!
9) Katanagatari
10) Ika Musume

Shiki and Kuragehime probably deserve spots on the list though I haven't seen their last episodes yet so I've left them off for now.

Biggest Disappointments
Rather than the worst series, these are series that started off strong but fell apart towards the end or took some other odd direction which left me disappointed.
1) Occult Academy
2) Baka to Test to Shokanju
3) Kaicho wa Maid-sama!

Best OP
1) Only My Railgun - Toaru Kagaku no Railgun
2) Utauyo!! Miracle - K-on!!
3) Go! Go! Maniac - K-on!!: Wins mostly for the animation. I still think Yui's singing was sped up too much.

Best ED
1) No, Thank You - K-on!!
2) Brave Song - Angel Beats
3) Metamerism - Ika Musume

Best Female Character
1) Celty Sturluson - Durarara!!
2) Nagato Yuki - The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
3) Nakano Azusa - K-on!!
4) Kuroneko - Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai
5) Saten Ruiko - Toaru Kagaku no Railgun

Best Male Character
1) Kosaka Kyosuke - Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai
2) Kyon - The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
3) Katsuragi Keima - The World God Only Knows

[einhorn303]

Most lists I make would be ridiculously unbalanced, so I'll be creative and make this:

Top 10 anime I wanted to watch, but weren't licensed
1. Angel Beats
2. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
3. K-On!!
4. Qwaser of Stigmata
5. A Certain Magical Index S2
6. Hen Zemi (OVA)
7. Ookamikakushi
8. Gurren Lagann Parallel Works 2
9. Yutori-chan
10. Soredemo Machi Wa Mawatteiru

Here's to 2011 and the new era of Internationalized Anime.

[mrsparklenoodle]

Top 10 First Episodes (unranked):

Durarara!!
Hanamaru Kindergarten
Heroman
Katanagatari
Kuragehime
Shiki
So-ra-no-wo-to
Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto
The Tatami Galaxy
The World God Only Knows

I haven't actually watched more than 3 episodes (if that, mostly just 1) for any 2010 show, so that's the only list I can make.

Note: Having seen the first episodes of Asobi ni Ikuyo! and House of Five Leaves, they both seem like excellent shows, House of Five Leaves would certainly tie with the other shows I listed (It'd take So-ra-no-wo-to off the list) and Asobi ni Ikuyo! probably would, the other show I was considering for this list is Angel Beats!, but while I remember enjoying the first episode a lot, it was edged out by the others due to a lack of memorable moments, .

[Vegard Aune]

Ah, I was waiting for a thread like this. Now, time to list my top random numbers of whatever I feel like counting down!

Top 8 best anime of 2010:
Self-explationary. The reason why it's top eight rather than 10, is that I could only think of eight shows worth mentioning.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
So Ra No Wo To
Angel Beats!
The World God Only Knows
Digimon Xros Wars
Bakuman
Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai
Shinryaku! Ika Musume

Top 3 most pleasant surprises of 2010:
Basically, shows that turned out far better than I had expected. Ironically, their ratings on this list just so happen to be directly inverse to their actual quality...
B-Gata H-Kei (I expected it to be flat-out horrible. Upon giving it a chance, I found it to be quite decent.)
So Ra No Wo To (I wasn't expecting much in particular. It ended up being the best new anime of the year for me.)
Evangelion 2.22 (Yes, I actually expected this one to be awesome. But it still surpassed my expectations so much that I couldn't not have it on here.)(4. The official English release of the Da Capo II visual novel. (Amakase Minatsu, how I've missed you! And Shirakawa Nanaka, you're being one hell of a lot more lovable and awesome than I remember you being in the anime...))



Top 3 anime-movies of 2010:
Evangelion 2.22 (Best anime-movie ever.)
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (Second best anime movie ever.)
Summer Wars (Not third best anime movie ever, but still pretty awesome.)

Top 3 opening-themes of 2010:
So Ra No Wo To - Hikari no Senritsu (Just lovely... Actually, why haven't I bought the single yet?!)
Angel Beats! - My Soul, Your Beats! (It's Jun Maeda. Find me one song written by him that isn't awesome.)
The World God Only Knows - God Only Knows (Just plain epic.)

Top 3 ending-themes of 2010:
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya - Yasashii Boukyaku (Though to be honest, I didn't care much for the a capella version used in the actual film. But the version with instruments was so gorgeous it just had to be on here.)
Angel Beats! - Ichiban no Takaramono (original version) (Again, Jun Maeda.)
K-On!! - No, Thank You! (I'm actually not all that fond of the music in this show, for the most part... But this particular song is freaking badass.)
Top 3 disappointments of 2010:
Ookamikakushi (It's basically a cheap knock-off of Higurashi lacking almost everything that made Higurashi good. Great theme-songs, though.)
Fortune Arterial - Akai Yakusoku (Just completely failed to hold my interest. Great theme-songs here too, though.)
Star Driver - Kagayaki no Takuto (Admittedly not as bad, as I still watch and enjoy this one every week, but... it's just so formularic. And Tauburn is so ludicrously overpowered that it takes all the tension out of the battle-scenes.)

[sickVisionz]

My Top 10 favorite anime of 2010
1. Katanagatari
2. Time of Eve
3. Eva 2.22
4. White Album
5. Panty & Stocking
6. Mitsudomoe
7. Book of Bantorra
8. Shiki
9. Angel Beats
10. House of 5 Leaves

Top 3 Endings of 2010
1. Katanagatari
2. Angel Beats
3. Time of Eve

Top 3 Funniest anime of 2010
1. Mitsudomoe
2. Panty & Stocking
3. Tatami Galaxy

Top 3 Feel-good anime of 2010
1. Working
2. Mitsudomoe
3. Asobi ni Ikuyo

Top 3 2010 anime that made you cry the most
1. Angel Beats, didn't make me cry but did take me to a place where I felt like my eyes would water.
2. Book of Bantorra, see Angel Beats
3. Katanagatari, see Angel Beats

Top 3 Anime that had most gripping plot twists or story reveals of 2010
1. Katanagatari
2. White Album
3. Naruto Shippuden (I was never aware that Iruka actively hated Naruto and was legitimately a terrible adult figure in his life)

Top 3 Best animation of 2010
1. Shakugan no Shana S
2. Angel Beats!
3. Katanagatari

Top 3 Best character designs of 2010
1. Tatami Galaxy
2. Panty & Stocking
3. Katanagatari

Worst male lead of 2010
1. The guy from Sora no Otoshimono Forte. He's hardcore perv to the point that he commits sexual assault on women... but when a hot girl wants to jump his bones in a bath tub he gays up all of the sudden and physical fights her off because sexual contact between men and women disgusts him if it's consensual and/or real.

Worst female lead of 2010
Aoi Futaba (Asobi ni Ikuyo). Her being a ruthless mercenary should make her my favorite but god her personality annoyed me to no end.

Top 3 Best villains of 2010
Aizen (Bleach)
Scanty & Kneesocks (Panty & Stocking)
Nanami Yasuri (Katanagatari)

Top 3 Best first episodes of 2010
1. Asobi ni Ikuyo (best based off of what I expected going in and what the episode presented)
2. Angel Beats
3. Mitsudomoe

Most unnecessary character in a 2010 show
Mahiru Inami (Working!!). They should have kept her as a side character who punched people at random.

Top 3 Best comedic moment of 2010
1. Anytime Johnny the Cowboy is onscreen (Tatami Galaxy)
2. "You're no longer a bitchy angel, now you're just a bitch" (Panty & Stocking)
3. Any mix up involving the Gacchi Rangers (Mitsudomoe)

Best action sequences of 2010
Naruto vs Pain (Naruto Shippuden, 167)
Aizen slaughtering Vaizards, Yamamoto, Yoruichi, Hitsugaiya, Kyouraku, Shinji, Issen, Urahara, Hinamori & Soi Fon (Bleach)
Panty & Stocking vs Scanty & Kneesocks (Panty & Stocking, 6 & 12)
Tosen vs Komamura and Hisagi (Bleach, 289 & 290)
Hollow Ichigo vs Ulqiorra (Bleach, 271)
Tachibana vs the Angel Beats squad (Angel Beats, 1)

Top 3 Favorite OP(OP music and animation) of 2010
1. Working
2. Naruto Shippuden (183)
3. Tatami Galaxy (11)

Top 3 Favorite ED(ED music and animation) of 2010
1. Tatami Galaxy (1-10)
2. Naruto Shippuuden (167)
3. Naruto Shippuden (192)

Best sequel of 2010
Shakugan no Shana S

My favorites that I never list as favorites but I eagerly anticipated throughout the year and feel bad if I can't bring them up somehow
1. Bleach
2. Naruto Shippuden

Top 3 non-2010 Shows that I caught up on in 2010
1. Erin the Beast Player
2. Captain Harlock: Endless Odyssey
3. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

[Johnny]

My top 10 for the year would be (not bothering with any specific order):

Durarara!!
Giant Killing
Rainbow
Angel Beats
Working!!
Shiki
Star Driver
Occult Academy
Sora no Woto
OreImo

[Buckeye]

Considering that I didn't watch a lot of stuff coming out of Japan (as in mostly R1 stuff) that my list is pretty short, so I couldn't comment on many of the categories laid out, so here it goes.

Favorite anime of 2010: Angel Beats
Least favorite anime of 2010: Omamori Himari
Sleeper of 2010: Fortune Arterial
Best ending: Angel Beats
Feel good anime: Hanamaru Kindergarten
Best male character: Otonashi, Angel Beats
Best female character: Yui Hirasawa, K-On!!

Since there isn't much to choose from for me that I will leave it at that.

[FUNiOP]

It was hard enough to come up with a top 10 anime list, so I probably won't get to any of the others.

1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
2. Durarara!!
3. Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
4. Giant Killing
5. One Piece
6. Hanamaru Kindergarten
7. The Tatami Galaxy
8. House of Five Leaves
9. Shiki
10. Sora no Woto

Yeah, it's the top 10 simulcast list I posted in those other 2 threads already, but I'm pretty sure the only 2010 anime I've watched have been simulcasts.

[something]

I'm going to hold off on a Top 10 Best Series list until I do my traditional full year in review wrap-up in the Currently Watching thread. I also try to avoid "worst/least favorite" lists as I'd rather focus on things I like, though worst male character has at least two clear "winners" so I'll do that.

I'm including TV series only. I only saw a few non-TV anime worth mentioning in 2010:
• Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu - most artistically perfect film ever created and the most beautiful art and animation there is.
• Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Ha (Evangelion 2.22) - I forgot about this when posting initially, because it hit theaters back in 2009, however with movies it's the home video date that matters for those of us overseas, May 2010 in this case. This movie was mindblowingly good, and a significantly more substantial contribution to the franchise than the prior movie, although that was well done too.
• Black★Rock Shooter - best one-shot ever, though I don't consider it fully stand-alone because I was a big BRS fan previously.
• Shakugan no Shana S - episodes 3-4 are the absolute pinnacle of the Shana franchise.
• Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha The Movie 1st - mediocre first half saved by an brilliant second half.
• Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke wo - only one episode, but one of the only hentai I've actually sat down and watched, and certainly the only true, canon, explicit yuri I saw this year.

Note that I count short OVAs/specials/DVD bonus episodes explicitly attached to an established TV series as part of the TV series. For example, Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆ Specials count as Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆ for me. Katanagatari is also a TV series, despite not being of the usual 24min/week variety.

Numbering is ranked, '•' is alphabetical-unranked.

__________________________________________________ _______________________________________


Favorite characters
The most important category, or at least tied with best series. It's interesting to see what doesn't make it... sometimes casts are godly awesome without a single character standing head and shoulders above. For example, I couldn't think of one from Sora no Woto despite it being one of the best casts of the year. Sometimes characters just work best with others. ...And why yes, this list is ridiculously dominated by K-ON!!, but it's not my fault they're goddesses. Oh, and twins count as one!
1. Kotobuki Tsumugi | K-ON!! - apparently Mugi finally edged out Yuno. I'm not sure when this happened, but nobody informed me before now. Congrats, Mugi!
2. Yuno | Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆ - but you're still damn near the most moe-inducing girl ever, Yuno!
3. Suzuki Jun | K-ON!! - I think this is the most severe case of "side-character adoration" I've ever come down with.
4. Hirasawa Yui | K-ON!!
5. Nakano Azusa | K-ON!!
6. Hirasawa Ui | K-ON!!
7. Shirai Kuroko | To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
8. Yuri | Angel Beats!
9. Kousaka Kirino | Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai
10. Tenshi | Angel Beats!
---------------------------
• Akiyama Mio | K-ON!!
• Celty Sturluson | Durarara!!
• Francesca Lucchini | Strike Witches 2
• Heiwajima Shizuo | Durarara!!
• Hoozuki & Bonbori | Otome Youkai Zakuro
• Ikamusume | Shinryaku! Ikamusume
• Nymph | Sora no Otoshimono Forte
• Sonohara Anri | Durarara!!
• Taneshima Popura | Working!!
• Tainaka Ritsu | K-ON!!
• Togame | Katanagatari
• Yamanaka Sawako | K-ON!!
• Yasuri Shichika | Katanagatari
• Yui | Angel Beats!


Favorite male character
Gets its own because as seen above, it's almost entirely female-dominated... this way more than two guys get mentioned. Though this was a terrible year for male characters if you take Durarara!! out of the picture. I'd be left with a grand total of 4 guys worth mentioning in a "best" list.
1. Yasuri Shichika | Katanagatari
2. Heiwajima Shizuo | Durarara!!
3. Kadota "Dotachin" Kyouhei | Durarara!!
4. Chiaki Shinichi | Nodame Cantabile Finale
5. Kousaka Kyousuke | Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai
6. Otonashi | Angel Beats!
7. Orihaya Izaya | Durarara!! - because, not despite, his epic asshattery.
8. Yumasaki Walker | Durarara!!


Best overall cast
I said I wasn't doing a top 10 in this post, but given my focus on characters in anime, I suppose the below provides a pretty fair approximation. Definitely not exact though.
1. K-ON!!
2. Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆
3. Strike Witches 2
4. Durarara!!
5. Otome Youkai Zakuro
6. To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
7. Sora no Woto
8. Working!!
9. Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai
10. Angel Beats!


Favorite seiyuu performances
Just grouped alphabetically by seiyuu because ranking is too hard. Also, I really feel like Hayami Saori should be in here, but no single role quite did it. Instead it was more a consistent offering of quality that won me over to her. I feel like Itou Kanae and Kanemoto Hisako deserve a mention too. Hikasa Youko had great roles as well.
• Arai Satomi | Narrator | Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi - the best character we never see.
• Arai Satomi | Shirai Kuroko | To Aru Kagaku no Railgun - Onee-samaaa~~~ <3! Honorable mention nod to her deadpan Hata in Yakuindomo too.
• Asumi Kana | Yuno | Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆
• Fukuen Misato | Miyafuji Yoshika | Strike Witches 2 - I really really love Fukuen Misato, and this role probably gave her the most opportunities to display it out of this, Yami, Yumina and Natsume.
• Hanazawa Kana | Kuroneko | Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai - my favorite of the OreImo performances; Taketatsu's Kirino is great but god I could listen to Hanazawa talk in a slightly deep voice about pretentious things allll day.
• Hanazawa Kana | Shiomiya Shiori | Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai - because sometimes simply breathing and sighing and making frustrated sounds is enough - Noto Mamiko works wonders with it.
• Kotobuki Minako | Kotobuki Tsumugi | K-ON!!
• Nakahara Mai | Zakuro | Otome Youkai Zakuro - one of the top performances of the year for any seiyuu.
• Noto Mamiko | Kuronuma Sawako | Kimi ni Todoke - while I had some issues with the show, I'd never try to deny Sawako was perfect for Noto.
• Ono Daisuke | Heiwajima Shizuo | Durarara!! - hey it's a guy! I... have trouble finding male performances memorable I guess.
• Saitou Chiwa | Francesca Lucchini | Strike Witches 2 - some people probably find Francesca annoying, but oh god every time she squealed in joy while burrowing herself in Shirley's tits, I felt like squealing along with her. God damn I love Francesca and Saitou is a huge part of why.
• Sawashiro Miyuki | Celty Sturluson | Durarara!! - I am so, so damn glad they decided to give her a voice.
• Sawashiro Miyuki | Maria | Arakawa Under the Bridge (x Bridge) - okay so she's had very few lines, but it carries over from her slightly less infrequent first season role. And the lines she did get were glorious.
• Sawashiro Miyuki | Perrine H. Clostermann | Strike Witches 2 - ::that rolling-growling noise::
• Taketatsu Ayana | Nakano Azusa | K-ON!! - as Azusa, she sort of has that quality to her voice that made me like Fukuen so much.
• Tomatsu Haruka | Hitei-hime | Katanagatari - honorable mention for Megumi in Shiki and Noloty in Bantorra I guess. Seems like there should have been another really super stand-out Tomatsu role this year though. She didn't get a chance to go all-out apart from Katagata.
• Toyosaki Aki | Chaos | Sora no Otoshimono Forte - and now we know that she can do hyper-dojikko-cute and murderously deranged equally well! Yay Aki-chan!
• Toyosaki Aki | Hirasawa Yui | K-ON!!
• Yuuki Aoi | Mina Tepes | Dance in the Vampire Bund - I loved Yuuki before this, but her commanding presence as Mina was breathtaking.
• Yuuki Aoi | Amano Ichigo | Yumeiro Patissiere - ultimate shoujo heroine voice.
• Yuuki Aoi | Kirishiki Sunako | Shiki - completely stole every scene in which she's said a word.


Best ending
1. K-ON!! - hell I feel like I've already gotten four virtually perfect opportunities to say goodbye (one on a CD!), so pick any one!
2. Sora no Woto - episode 13 is the single best DVD bonus episode ever, and capped the series off even more beautifully than episode 12 did.
3. Angel Beats! - a gorgeous and emotional ending overcomes myriad storytelling flaws to deliver raw emotion.
4. Katanagatari - all I'll say is that I'm shocked how much I loved the ending.
5. Otome Youkai Zakuro
6. Strike Witches 2


Best character art/animation/designs
1. K-ON!! - seeming simplicity in design can't hide the most expressive and well-done character art/animation of the year.
2. Otome Youkai Zakuro - every close-up of those beautifully drawn and wonderfully unique female faces made me shiver with delight.
3. Motto To Love-ru - massive flaws aside, some of the hottest girls in anime, ever.
4. Katanagatari - yeah, they really grew on me, especially Togame, Nanami and Hitei-hime. The sheer variety in designs was great to..
5. Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆ - wideface forever, bitches! Cute SD stuff aside, there was some seriously great character art when they did more detailed scenes..
6. Strike Witches 2 - such a large cast, and all so distinct looking and lovable. Shame on them for the awful 3DCG flight scenes though.


Best overall art/animation
1. K-ON!! - KyoAni. They do it again, as usual. Even more than the first season, this is just a gorgeous, eminently living show.
2. Katanagatari - White Fox. one of the best looking shows I've seen in a long time, one episode aside.
3. Sora no Woto - A1 Pictures. There were imperfections here and there, but the real set-piece scenes were every bit as breathtaking as they were intended to be. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.
4. Otome Youkai Zakuro - JC Staff. How the fuck is this only getting a DVD rele-- ah screw it, JC Staff just hates me.
5. To Aru Kagaku no Railgun - JC Staff. It looked good in general but the climactic action scenes just screamed quality. Especially the final battle.
6. Angel Beats! - PA Works. Character art was the weak link. It eventually improved (or I got used to it), which let the rest of the beautiful visual shine through.
7. Strike Witches 2 - AIC. Marked improvement over the first season except for increased reliance on bad bad CG; this would be 4th place without it.


Most satisfying anime from a yuri angle
Canon or otherwise. Mostly otherwise, because there was virtually no canon yuri this year. Not even the small token offering we got last year with Aoi Hana and Sasameki Koto. Kiddy Girl-and and Strike Witches 2 are as close as we got. I also renamed this "most satisfying" because while something like K-ON!! is not a yuri anime, it's got a whooooole lot of shippable pairings. And given how much I like the characters, that adds a lot to the enjoyment.
1. Strike Witches 2
2. K-ON!!
3. Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆
4. Shin Koihime Musou Otome Tairan
5. Sora no Woto
6. Kiddy Girl-and
7. Heartcatch Precure
8. To Aru Kagaku no Railgun


Most attractive characters
Attractive in the "hot" sense. I'm trying to keep personality and quality of show out of this but for the most part, these are characters I really like. And yes, this list is huge. I saw a hell of a lot of female characters this year! Besides, it's easier to be hot than to be an amazing character, and anime characters are generally intended to be attractive.
1. Ritos & Salsa Tortilla | Shukufuku no Campanella - the hottest twins, period.
2. Lucy Heartfilia | Fairy Tail
3. Q-Feuille | Kiddy Girl-and
4. Konjiki no Yami | Motto To Love-ru
5. Sousou/Karin | Shin Koihime Musou Otome Tairan
6. Yamada | B Gata H Kei
7. Noloty | Tatakau Shisho - The Book of Bantorra
8. Kotobuki Tsumugi | K-ON!!
9. Togame | Katanagatari - panties are optional.
10. Lynette Bishop | Strike Witches 2
11. Ayuzawa Misaki | Kaichou wa Maid-sama!
12. Taneshima Popura | Working!! - does this make me a minicon?
13. Kousaka Kirino | Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai
14. Nymph | Sora no Otoshimono Forte
15. Hitei-hime | Katanagatari
16. Sendou Erika | Fortune Arterial ~Akai Yakusoku
17. Yuuki Haruna | Fortune Arterial ~Akai Yakusoku
18. Suzuki Jun | K-ON!!
19. Henriette Mystere | Tantei Opera Milky Holmes
20. Benitsubasa | Sekirei ~Pure Engagement~
---------------------------
• Ascoeur | Kiddy Girl-and
• Akiyama Mio | K-ON!!
• Astrea | Sora no Otoshimono Forte
• Agnes Boulange | Shukufuku no Campanella
• Celty Sturluson | Durarara!! - heads are optional too.
• Charlotte E. Yeager | Strike Witches 2
• Ferris Eris | Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu
• Garnet | Shukufuku no Campanella
• Hoozuki & Bonbori | Otome Youkai Zakuro
• Isurugi Mio | MM!
• Kinjou Manami | Asobi ni Iku yo!
• Kumashiro Maya | Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin
• Mitsuki Sohara |Sora no Otoshimono Forte
• Momo Velia Deviluke | Motto To Love-ru
• Musubi | Sekirei ~Pure Engagement~
• Nakagawa Kanon |Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai
• Nakata Sae | Amagami SS - although to be fair, that black outfit she wore at the end of the art is just *cheating*, holy shit
• Pina Sformkran Estor | Ladies Versus Butlers
• Ryuubi/Touka | Shin Koihime Musou Otome Tairan
• Saten Ruiko | To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
• Selnia Iori Flameheart | Ladies Versus Butlers
• Serizawa Fumino | Mayoi Neko Overrun!
• Shimizu Megumi | Shiki - it only makes you hotter, Megumi.
• Sonohara Anri | Durarara!!
• Yamamoto Nanako | Hanamaru Youchien
• Yuri | Angel Beats!

::looks:: Well that became a top 46. Decided to rank 20 and alphabetize the rest but it's arbitrary as fuck... I like some of the same-series contrasts in here though. Nymph and Astrea. Pina and Selnia. Ryuubi and Sousou, although there are definitely "smaller" characters than Sousou to choose from in Koihime. But it all just goes to show that beauty takes many forms. ::nods::


Cutest characters
This is much more reliant on personality and voice, no matter how hard I try to just focus on the visuals. I should be able to keep this below the other. I think. There will be some overlap with the above but not a huge amount, as this list's members in general will be, uh, shorter and less busty. I can't decide if "pretty" fits better here or in attractive, but I'm drawing the line at making a third grouping so I guess they're here. :sd:
1. Yuno | Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆ - basically the all time goddess of cute.
2. Ikamusume | Shinryaku! Ikamusume
3. Suzuki Jun | K-ON!! - I think she has the highest combined score of those on both lists.
4. Nakano Azusa | K-ON!!
5. Francesca Lucchini | Strike Witches 2
6. Amano Ichigo | Yumeiro Patissiere
7. Nymph | Sora no Otoshimono Forte
8. Taneshima Popura | Working!!
9. Tenshi | Angel Beats!
10. Shiomiya Shiori | Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai
11. Yuuki Mikan | Motto To Love-Ru
12. Elsea de Lute Irma | Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai
13. Hirasawa Ui | K-ON!!
14. Hirasawa Yui | K-ON!!
15. Yamada Aoi | Working!!
16. Kousaka Kirino | Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai
17. Koume | Hanamaru Youchien
18. Kuronuma Sawako | Kimi ni Todoke
19. Hanato Kobato | Kobato.
20. Kuroneko | Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai
---------------------------
• Akai Ringo | Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi
• Asagiri Kaname | Ookamikakushi
• Di-air | Kiddy Girl-and
• Edosaki Banri | To Aru Kagaku no Railgun - mini-Ricchan!
• Hanazono Sakura | Kaichou wa Maid-sama! - can I have a show about her instead?
• Hercule Barton | Tantei Opera Milky Holmes
• Isurugi Mio | MM!
• Kiriya Nozomi | Mayoi Neko Overrun!
• Konayuki | Katanagatari
• Kurumi Erika | Heartcatch Precure
• Kusano | Sekirei ~Pure Engagement~
• Maniwa Pengin | Katanagatari
• Miyafuji Yoshika | Strike Witches 2- it's all about that adorable hair.
• Natsume | Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆
• Nazuna | Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆
• Pina Sformkran Estor | Ladies Versus Butlers
• Sorami Kanata | Sora no Woto
• Susukihotaru | Otome Youkai Zakuro
• Sylvette Suede | Tegami Bachi
• Tsuchida Satsuki | Hanamaru Youchien
• Uiharu Kazari | To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
• Umenomori Chise | Mayoi Neko Overrun!
• Wendy | Fairy Tail

Yeah not much shorter, and I mostly just stopped because I've been at this too long (these are the last two I'm doing before I finish, even though they're in the middle). I wonder how many characters I've missed and will kick myself for in a day or so? The following made both lists: Suzuki Jun, Nymph, Taneshima Popura, Kousaka Kirino, Isurugi Mio, and Pina Sformkran Estor. So only 6 overlap out of ~45 each.


Best yuri couples, real or desired
Mostly desired/teased pairings since the number of canon yuri couples this year is virtually zero. Screw you 2010. I've left out potential pairings where the feeling seems too one-sided. Unranked because they mostly come from the same few shows.
• Yuno & Miyako | Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆
• Hiro & Sae | Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆
• Nazuna & Nori | Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆
• Ascouer & Q-Feuille | Kiddy Girl-and
• Hirasawa Yui & Nakano Azusa | K-ON!!
• Hirasawa Yui & Hirasawa Ui | K-ON!!
• Akiyama Mio & Tainaka Ritsu | K-ON!!
• Kotobuki Tsumugi & Those Girls in the Audience Who Looked Totally Smitten in Ep 20 | K-ON!! - I'm still dying for Mugi x Jun.... the chronically neglected characters would form the ultimate yuri hotness!
• Filicia Heideman & Kazumiya Rio | Sora no Woto - it's interesting, it's a great show for yuri shipping but in more of a general "everyone loves everyone" sense than in the ease of shipping specific pairings, besides this.
• Charlotte E. Yeager & Francesca Lucchini | Strike Witches 2 - my favorite SW pairing, goddamn they are so much fun.
• Miyafuji Yoshika & Lynette Bishop & Perrine H. Clostermann | Strike Witches 2 - it's impossible to make this only a two way. Perrine is a vital element.
• Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen & Sanya V. Litvyak | Strike Witches 2
• Uiharu Kazari & Saten Ruiko | To Aru Kagaku no Railgun


Best heterosexual couples
Pretty strong year here, thanks to Zakuro. Some of the KamiNomi pairings would have been amazing too, but I wasn't sure if I should include them due to their temporary-by-design nature. Shiori & Keima would clearly be near the top if it were real.
1. Togame & Yasuri Shichika | Katanagatari
2. Susukihotaru & Yoshinokazura Riken | Otome Youkai Zakuro
3. HooBon & Hanakiri Ganryuu | Otome Youkai Zakuro
4. Zakuro & Agemaki Kei | Otome Youkai Zakuro
5. Noda Megumi & Chiaki Shinichi | Nodame Cantabile Finale
6. Celty Sturluson & Kishitani Shinra | Durarara!!
7. Inami Mahiru & Takanashi Souta | Working!!
8. Otonashi & Tenshi | Angel Beats!


Biggest upturn from a weak start
There are less of these, because I tend to drop weak shows early on, and the "eh" ones I stick with tend not to increase dramatically.
• Tatakau Shisho - The Book of Bantorra
• Tegami Bachi - in part for the upturn at the very end, but more for how it's carried into the solid first cour of season two


Good shows with a big downturn later on
These are actually decent to very good shows, but this is purely a measure of their late-series plotted against their superior earlier material. I'm not including shows that got so terrible that I dropped them.
• Kiddy Girl-and - some really weak writing at the end left me disappointed but I still appreciate the Ascoeur x Q-feuille.
• Kimi ni Todoke - it was generally downhill into mutual emotional retardation after Kurumi's arc.
• Kobato. - never could accept Fujimoto, which made the latter parts tough to enjoy fully.
• Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin - worst ending of 2010. Seriously tarnished the show in my eyes, bringing it down from great to "eh".


Worst characters
1. Yuuki Rito | Motto To Love-Ru
2. Twenty | Tantei Opera Milky Holmes
3. Uchida Fumiaki | Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin
4. Hitsujikai Shirou | Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi


Ha, ha, ha. I had planned to make this short.
Didn't happen!

[ilmaestro]

Ha, ha, ha. I had planned to make this short.
Didn't happen!
Could I ask roughly how long it took you to write? ^^;

[something]

Ha, ha, ha. I had planned to make this short.
Didn't happen!
Could I ask roughly how long it took you to write? ^^;
Uhhh...
...No. >_>

Okay, I got home from work before 2, and it's now almost 11... but I did some other stuff during that time. I think. Maybe?

[Fencedude]

• Mitsuki Sohara |Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls


One of these is wrong!

Anyway, amazing post. I probably agree with about 90% of it, so I feel less compelled to make one myself now.

[something]

Numbering is ranked, '•' is alphabetical-unranked.

Even though the numbers don't necessarily mean anything, I decided to see how many times I mentioned the most common shows (6+ positive mentions)...

K-ON!!: 27
Strike Witches 2: 16
Durarara!!: 13
Katanagatari: 12
Hidamari Sketch x ☆☆☆: 11
Otome Youkai Zakuro: 11
Angel Beats: 10
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun: 9
Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai: 7
Sora no Otoshimono Forte: 6
Sora no Woto: 6
Working!!: 6

I guess it's a good thing I didn't do music lists or K-ON!! would look even crazier.

I think Strike Witches 2 is overperforming here a little (still, it was the top Summer show), but that's what a cast full of hot lesbians can do for you. I recommend everyone take that approach to life. Hot lesbians all everywhere, every day. You will find success.

[something]

• Mitsuki Sohara |Hyakka Ryouran Samurai GirlsOne of these is wrong!
Hah, oops, that was Gutsugutsu before I swapped out. ::fixes::

[Fencedude]

• Mitsuki Sohara |Hyakka Ryouran Samurai GirlsOne of these is wrong!
Hah, oops, that was Gutsugutsu before I swapped out. ::fixes::

So you included Gutsugutsu then removed her?

The Gutsugutsu abuse continues ;_;

[something]

So you included Gutsugutsu then removed her?
The Gutsugutsu abuse continues ;_;
It seemed fitting.

(I probably should have included her but tried to cut off around 45... still went over though.)

[ilmaestro]

Ha, ha, ha. I had planned to make this short.
Didn't happen!
Could I ask roughly how long it took you to write? ^^;
Uhhh...
...No. >_>

Okay, I got home from work before 2, and it's now almost 11... but I did some other stuff during that time. I think. Maybe?
Heh, fair enough. Was quite the epic read, anyway.

[pianocello]

There's a whole bunch of Fall stuff I'm checking now. Will update soon but at this point I can say that Sora no Otoshimono: Forte will be on the list.

[ilmaestro]

Just thinking about series for the moment, I think this would be my final top ten (shows that aired at least one cour in 2010):

K-ON!!
Durarara!!
Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
Angel Beats!
Shiki
Otome Youkai Zakuro
So.Ra.No.Wo.To.
Working!
Senkou no Night Raid

And just missing out:

Occult Academy
Seikon no Qwaser
To Aru Majutsu no Index II
Fairy Tail
Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru
Shinryaku! Ika-musume
Kimi ni Todoke

I imported everything in my top thirteen (oh-oh!) that had a BD release, Index II would likely have been top 10 if it had aired both cour this year. OreImo would likely have been top had they aired "true" eps 12-16 instead of "good" ep 12.

[Suwako Moriya]

I'm too tired and indecisive to do an elaborate list. So for now, I'll just do a favorites list. Note that I reserve the right to adjust it later. There are some titles like Blessing of the Campanella that I'm still deciding on whether to include or not.

Also the titles are in no particular order right now. Maybe an actual order will be done later.

Favorties
Seitokai Yakuindomo
Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru
The World Only God Knows
Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai
Shinryaku! Ika Musume
Sora no woto
Tamayura
Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Tairan
Angel Beats!
Working!!
K-ON!!
Hidamari Sketch X Hoshimittsu
Fortune Arterial
Mitsudomoe


In any case, I'm not sure which is harder. Remembering what some older titles are like or finalizing my feelings on some newer titles.

Ah, why not? Let's throw on some favorite characters. Again, this may be adjusted later.

Favorite Characters
Mitsuba (Mitsudomoe)
Kanade (Fortune Arterial)
Ika (Ika Musume)
Kanata (Sora no Woto)
Kureha (Sora no Woto)
Ritsu (K-ON!!)
Azusa (K-ON!!)
Yuno (Hidamari Sketch X Hoshimittsu)
Fuu (Tamayura)
Norie (Tamayura)
Kuroneko (Ore Imo)
Popura (Working!!)
Yui (Angel Beats!)
Hotori (Soredemo)
Futaba (Soredemo)
Suzu (Seitokai Yakuindomo
Shiho/Yuuri/Karuna aka Triple Bookin (Setiokai Yakuindomo/Idol no Akahon) Cameo? Fine by me! And yes, they must be grouped together.
Shuri (Koihime Musou)
Elsie (The World Only God Knows) Heck, the girls of each arc had their charm as well.

[JacksonHoltorp]

My Top 5 NEW DUBBED anime in 2010:
5. RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne
4. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
3. Golgo 13
2. Sekirei
1. Dragon Ball Z Kai


My Top 5 NEW SUBBED anime in 2010:
5. Ikki Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor
4. Iron Man
3. Lupin III: The Last Job
2. B Gata H Kei
1. Highschool of the Dead


My Top 5 "OLD" DUBBED anime that I watched for the FIRST TIME in 2010:
5. Yu Yu Hakusho
4. Fighting Spirit
3. Claymore
2. Case Closed
1. Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple


My Top 5 "OLD" SUBBED anime that I watched for the FIRST TIME in 2010:
5. Nyan Koi!
4. Lupin III: Operation Return the Treasure
3. Lupin III: Alcatraz Connection
2. Lupin III: Seven Days Rhapsody
1. Lupin III: Episode 0 - The First Contact

I don't watch "bad" anime so I have no lists for that. :P

[pianocello]

It's probably going to take another month before I finish the anime of the Fall season so I guess I'll update first for the time being:


My Top 10 favorite anime of 2010
1. Strike Witches 2
2. Mitsudomoe
3. B Gata H Kei
4. Sekirei~Pure Engagement
5. Sora no Otoshimono: Forte
6. Kiddy Girl~And
7. Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke Wo
8. Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Tairan
9. Angel Beats!
10. To Aru Kagaku no Railgun

My 10 least favorite anime of 2010 (some of these are not necessarily awful since I've been careful to avoid what I generally don't like but these are the ones that least satisfied me)
1. Baka to Test to Shoujkanjyuu
2. Kuragehime
3. Shukufuku no Campanella
4. Arakawa Under the Bridge
5. Working!!
6. Kobato
7. Seitokai Yakuindomo
8. Hanamaru Kindergarten
9. Tatami Galaxy
10. Mayoi Neko Overrun!

Best animation of 2010
1. Angel Beats!
2. Sora no Otoshimono: Forte
3. Macross Frontier movie: The False Songstress
4. Cat Shit One

Best character designs of 2010
1. Amagami SS


Best sequel of 2010
1. Strike Witches 2
2. Sekirei~Pure Engagement
3. Sora no Otoshimono: Forte