Favourite anime of 2009?

I'm aware that there are still 2 movies left before the story finishes (well, I think one of them already came out in Japan, but me and many other Western fans of the show have to wait before we can actually see it), but that doesn't mean that I can't critique what was shown in the actual show itself at all. I mean, you don't need a story to be fully over in order to be able to find some flaws or problems in it, or just things that you personally don't like.

That said, I still really like Eden of the East. I just don't find it to be the best anime of 2009, that's all.
 
I decided I wanted to do it right, so I put together a list of everything I watched, tried to consider things thoughtfully... and still ended up putting a couple BS answers, it took me over a half hour.

It's a lot easier just to say what one favorite series is.
 
I appreciate you doing it, but if you have to put in some BS answers, maybe "doing it right" for you isn't answering every category, just the ones you actually had answers to.

If for some reason, someone can't do anything but say what their favorite series was, like I said, they can do that. The reason I'm saying they should be posted in that thread is so they can be counted in the final vote to decide the winners.
 
Well, wait, do anime that have aired English dubbed on American TV this year count as 2009 anime, even if they aired a few years ago in Japan?

Because if they do count, then I would replace FMA Brotherhood with Monster in a heartbeat.
 
Overall, I thought this was a pretty crummy year for anime, but looking back, I found a few gems.

I will go with Eden of The East, because Basquash had a few 'meh' moments.

And Tytania came out in 2008, even though I watched in 2009.
 
well, BS answers to silly questions or questions I wouldn't have answered otherwise like "Hottest cat" or "Best Suspense" respectively. I took it seriously but had fun where I felt fun could be had.

interestingly,my "favorite anime" here and "anime of the year" there are different. Because there I thought to consider Ponyo.

So, really, There wasn't a place where I was able to list overall best series... I'll mention it there.
 
Like I said, I can change anything people want, and everyone can choose whichever categories they want, so if you put in BS answers, it was your own choice. "Hottest Cat" and a few others are a tribute to the last Anime Insider Best o' the Best awarRAB. Those are the ones I expect people to skip the most, and I could remove them if people wanted me to. "Best Suspense" is a completely legitimate category, so I don't know why you thought that was silly.

"Anime of the Year" can include series or movies, and most of the other categories are more geared towarRAB series anyway.
 
Best Suspense isn't a silly one, it's one I "wouldn't have answered otherwise" because I haven't really watched any real suspense series this year, so "Saki" is sort of a joke answer because I wouldn't expect it to really compete, but I wanted to mention it somewhere in the list anyways. Fun series.
 
My favorite anime of 2009 was Astro Boy, hanRAB down. Heck, it's my favorite movie of the year. The critics who dissed it are proof of how so-called professionals can lose perspective, and also how biased they are against anything that isn't Pixar. AB's animation was as good as Pixar, and the movie was even more fun and more emotional than Up. And it was respectful of the original manga and anime. It successfully updated Astro for the 21st century. If you haven't seen it, do so, or check it out when it's available on DVD.

My second -favorite is Naruto Shippuden. It's more enjoyable than the first Naruto anime. It's superb. It's about the only reason I watch Disney XD.
 
I admire the individuality of your tastes.

FTR, I haven't seen Astro Boy yet.


I was very impressed with the anime movies that came out this year in the U.S. though. I liked Ponyo a lot, my favourite Miyazaki since Porco Rosso. I thought Mamoru Oshii's Sky Crawlers had been seriously underrated in the anime community and I felt the sparse story only better showcased Oshii's absolute command of the medium and his very unique voice. You can't mistake an Oshii film for anyone else's, even when he's working with uncharacteristic material. Whether you think that uniqueness is "uniquely boring" or "uniquely refreshing" is personal taste of course. But love him or hate him, there's only one Oshii. And I felt Sword of the Stranger was a very solidly produced romp into film by Bones, one of the premier animation studios out there.

It's unfortunate that the TV shows that were released in the U.S. this year were rather sparse in selection. Many of the ones I've been watching, and liked, were from previous years. Shows like R.O.D. the TV, Gurren Lagann, One Piece, Petite Princess Yucie, Black Lagoon season 2 and School Rurable were ones I first watched on DVD this year and enjoyed.

I hope to catch Darker Than Black when the collected set is released. That's one show I've been ruminating over for the past 6 months.



To me, every post-1990 Mitsuru Adachi baseball/drama/comedy has to contend with the long shadow of Touch, one of the defining anime shows of the 80s, if not THE defining anime of the 80s in many Japanese fans' opinions.
 
Sword of the Stranger should be on every fan's shelf. Stunning animation, great choreography, a simple but arresting story. I really adore it.

I have heard tell of Touch. I'd like to give it a shot someday, especially since Cross Game has basically sold me on Adachi.
 
I have to get around watching Eureka Seven the TV series.

I'm not sure whether I like Ponyo better or Sky Crawlers better. So far I have Ponyo at nuraber 1, but I have SC on DVD so I can pick on that at my leisure. When I get Ponyo on DVD/BD, then I might be able to better judge the two. But I actually like SC a lot better than I thought I would.
 
The only anime that was new to US in 2009 that I saw was Ponyo. The rest of my year was made up of old Geneon releases and Funi box sets that I scarfed out of the bargain bin.

Ponyo was worth the two hour drive to see it in theaters (and of course my town got it a couple weeks after we went to Pgh). From my dvRAB, I'd say Samurai 7 and Moonphase were my favorites this year.
 
For me, as far as new stuff goes I would have to say Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger, Eden of the East, Ponyo, Dragon Ball Kai, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and my guilty pleasure is Fairy Tail are some of my favorite new anime of 2009. Ippo for introducing me into the series and enjoying it without me having to go back to the first series, Eden is my original pick, Ponyo the movie did wow me, DBK giving me the meat of the series by cutting the fat of it, FMAB for following the manga, and my guitly pleasure Fairy Tail, sure it's generic as hell, but I love it anyway.

As far as current series goes, I would say One Piece and Pokemon entertain me well this year as well. Pokemon as far as Japan went, had a lot of events that entertain me this year like Ash's 7th Gym Battle, The whole Snowpoint city arc, Ash and Paul's 6-on-6 fight, Dawn's contest at Akebi/Chocovine Town, Iron Island, Ash vs Palmer, Johto Festival, The Galactic Finale, and Gible! One Piece gave me the end of Thriller Bark, Amazon Lily, the Strawhat Separation Arc, Movie 10 build up, and Impel Down.
 
I have to agree with both of these.

Seeing an FMA anime close to the manga is almost jarring at times since I didn't think it would ever happen.
 
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