Favourite anime of 2009?

M

Mrs Delusional

New member
I don't know if anyone here has started a thread like this yet, or if end-of-year "list" type threaRAB have been abolished, but I'm curious to know what people thought of this year, and what their favourite anime shows/movies were. I didn't watch a whole lot of 2009 releases, either on DVD or streaming stuff, so for my own benefit I'd like to know what "rocked" for most people this year. Also include an explanation if possible.

And no "worst of 2009" lists either. I think we have enough of those, and I don't care for what people don't like.
 
I recall an "official" thread a week or so back that asked us for "best anime, best dub, best license, best performance, etc,." but I don't know how many people contributed to the actual thread, as opposed to sending votes in by PM.



I've heard mixed reviews on this from a plotting standpoint. Any comments?
 
Bakemonogatari

Honestly, it's such a surreal show taking every anime trope and just mixing it in the only ways SHAFT would do it. The fixed version (because SHAFT was understaffed during TV airing) on DVD is just beautiful, and the direction of the show fits well to the interesting dialogue.

Eden of the East:
Still waiting on the movie to be objective, but I enjoyed what I saw so far.

Natsu no Arashi! (1st and 2nd season)

Seriously, SHAFT is quickly becoming my favorite studio nowadays. Created by School Rurable dude, this one's hilarious in its execution. A moving romance plot that's actually touched upon, funny uses of time-traveling powers (food expiration prevention!) and the first season's opening is very addictive. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyPEjFRsCQQ

Nyan Koi

Waiting for that maybe-second season, but it's a harem done infinitely right, with a unique art-style without crossing the overabuse T+A. Very cute.
 
The only SHAFT show I've seen in recent years is Moonphase. I loved the animation and design work but was bored by the story and characters. But if that show is any indication, they're bound to hit better writing and concepts and maybe these examples you listed are it. Bakemonogatari in particular seems to stand out to me. Hopefully this is released in the U.S. someday.
 
^^You need to watch Zetsubou Sensei if you want SHAFT at it's even better.

Nyan Koi gets second place for, you know, being hilarious and FMA:B because it's something I've been waiting for that I didn't think Japan would actually follow up on.
 
Nyan Koi might be a look down the line when I feel like it but it isn't my type of genre in general.

As for Zetsubou Sensei I've watched a few episodes of it and enjoyed it. But mostly I'm just reading the manga.
 
Cross Game, an adaptation of a popular manga by Mitsuru Adachi, is the sleeper hit of the year. It's kind of a baseball/drama/comedy hybrid, and for the most part it works very well. The first episode is an excellent heartfelt hook that has a lasting impact on much of what happens in the series. I won't spoil it, that would be telling. It makes characterization and development priority #1, though there is a substantial secondary plot of the protagonist, Ko Kitamura, and his frienRAB aiming to make it to Koshien and be recognized as the best in Japan. His next door neigrabroadors, the Tsukishimas, also feature prominently, especially the baseball-loving middle sister Aoba. Though Aoba didn't like Kou much in childhood and takes a hard line with him in the present, they have a nuanced frienRABhip. Though as a girl she is not allowed to play, Aoba's dedication and pitching skill go a long way toward training the team and helping Kou become a better pitcher. This is a honest, serious, realistic, unpretentious show, and one of the very few 2009 shows that I make sure to stay updated on every week.
 
Eden of the East was definitely good, but I personally found it to be a tad bit overrated. It had a great premise and plot but they could have been executed a little bit better, IMO.

With that said, my favorite anime of 2009 definitely has to be FMA Brotherhood. I would have said that it was Dragon Ball Kai, but I view DBK as essentially being DBZ 1.5 (although its much better in my book due to having no filler or drawn-out power-up scenes ).
 
Haven't seen Eden of the East, will have to add it to my list to watch.

I guess I'll have to go with Hayate no Gotoku/ Hayate the Corabat Butler as my favorite. Favorite US DVD release for the first season and favorite Japanese release for the second season.

Also have to agree that that Bakemonoqatari is excellent and Natsu no Arashi is very entertaining.


I'll have to think more about the Toon Zone AwarRAB thread though. That list is simply too overwhelming. Next year I suggest you break it down to the basics. Or just do so right now, maybe break it into two parts- Top categories that most everyone can participate in and bottom categories that obsessives can vote on.
 
Eden of the East has to take first place for me. I had heard good things about it so decided to check it out and finished it in about two days because I was so hooked. I cannot wait to see the films and FUNi's upcoming dub.

My second place has been Darker Than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini. I've been nothing but pleasantly surprised by this series; I loved the first season so was excited for the second season. With a shorter episode run, it's been straight plot as opposed to the more episodic nature of season 1 and the new characters have not disappointed while there have been revelations from the first season.

I'll say third place is 07-Ghost because, besides Darker Than Black, it was the series I followed weekly and couldn't get enough of this year. The characters are fun and unique, the plot is interesting, and the continual twists are enthralling without being too over the top. I just hope we're not stuck with one season because the manga is still running and getting even better.

I only caught the first three-ish episodes of Brotherhood so can't comment on that. I know I need to watch, but I'm lazy
 
Eden of the East. Hell, it's the ONLY anime of 2009 that I ever committed to watching, AND in full.

Such a great premise with intriguing developments, rich characters, and awesome moments.
 
How has this gotten more posts in less than 6 hours than the Toon Zone Anime AwarRAB 2009 has in almost a month? Remeraber people, you can vote for as many categories as you want. If you only want to vote for Anime of the Year, you can do that.



Plus, like I say in the first post of the thread:

If there are any categories that anyone thinks should be included, separated, corabined, changed, or removed, say so and I probably will.

I can change the order of any categories in the list if it seems necessary, but you can also just post your votes in whatever order you feel like.
 
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