So, there it is – another retrospective on another decade in anime.  This was a fun project, and really made me want to rewatch (HA!) some of these shows again.  Let’s start by getting some of the housekeeping issues sorted out.

Series by year of premiere:

• 2000 – 1
• 2001 – 1
• 2002 – 0
• 2003 – 0
• 2004 – 1
• 2005 – 0
• 2006 – 1
• 2007 – 4
• 2008 – 2
• 2009 – 0

Obviously, I’m absolutely unsurprised that 2007 dominated the list, as I consider it the greatest year (and Spring 2007 the greatest season – 3 of these series premiered in it) in anime history.  It’s also worth reiterating: I didn’t watch nearly as many anime in the 2000’s as I did in the 2010’s – especially the first half of the decade.  There are gaps here, and the simple law of averages dictates that the more series you watch, the more will crack your best of lists.

Series by studio:

• Production I.G. – 2.5
• Brain’s Base – 2
• Gainax – 1.5
• Artland – 1
• Pierrot – 1
• P.A. Works – 1
• Studio Hibari – 1

When I wrote the 2010’s wrap-up, I noted that Production I.G. would have “been all over a 2000’s list”, so I fully expected them to have a major presence here (and 1.5 of the top 2 spots certainly qualifies).  For a long time I considered Brain’s Base my favorite anime studio, so again I expected them to be a player here.  But looking at that list I reflect that not only is Brain’s Base a shadow of its former self, but Gainax (effectively) and Artland are gone altogether, and I don’t remember hearing anything from Hibari in years.  And then you have Pierrot, showing up as they seemingly always do, with a remarkably faithful manga adaptation.  No Bones is a bit of a surprise but as with the 2010’s list, they had a lot of near-misses.

Series by source material:

• Manga – 4
• Original – 4
• Novel – 1
• Light Novel – 1

Looking at those numbers, the obvious headline for me is there being as many original series as manga adaptations.  I could never imagine that happening today, frankly – the standard for original anime has declined a lot (along with “original” video animation).  There were 5 originals in the 2010’s Top 20, but 13 manga.  Also, Baccano! is the only LN on either list, which certainly counts for something, though LNs were a long way different fifteen years ago.

I’m not going to turn this into a top 20 list, but I thought I should at least list a few of the series that were in consideration for this list and didn’t make it.  And to reiterate yet again, I’m sure there are shows you’re assuming I’ve seen that I haven’t so if you don’t see them here, that could be why.  So, in no particular order: Monster, Eureka Seven, Fruits Basket, Last Exile, Gankutsuou, Beck, Zettai Shounen, Noein, Dennou Coil, Oh! Edo Rocket, Bokura ga Ita, Kanon (2006), Nodama Cantabile, RahXephon, Abenobashi, Pita Ten, Princess Tutu, Paranoia Agent, Capeta, Inuyasha.  I don’t know what my last cut from the top 10 would be – maybe Zettai Shounen or Last Exile.

And, finally, the elephant in the room.  Which is better, between the two decades?  A very difficult question indeed.  Not having seen as many shows in the one as the other, I consider myself wholly unqualified to say which decade was better for anime – all I could do is try and figure out which is the better list.  But even that’s not easy, given the specifics.  How do I even go about it?

If I compare the two lists like for like (#1 vs. #1 and so on) I get a breakdown of 5 wins for the 2010’s, 3 wins for the 2000’s, and two ties.  So easy – the 2010 list was better, right?  Not so fast  – because two of those three wins for the noughties were the top two spots.  How can I say it’s the weaker list if it has the two best series (indeed, best on any anime list I could make)?  I guess I have to hedge.  The 2010’s Top 10 is deeper – it has more true masterpieces.  But the cream of the crop is better on the 2000’s list.  So for me, it’s kind of a draw (or at least a split decision).  Looking at the shows above, if I were to go to twenty, I suspect that second ten would be pretty even.

As to the contest, Bel was the only one who guessed a full list – so I guess you win!  And 8 out of 10 is a pretty good guess, too.  I owe you a haiku on any of the top ten series, your call – just let me know.

So, there you go – I hope you found this a worthwhile exercise.  I had fun doing it, and once again I want to sincerely thank the supporters who made this project possible – you’re the absolute best, all of you.  I’m always open to suggestions for more crowdsourcing style projects like this one so if you have ideas, by all means please let me know.

Stay frosty,

Enzo