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Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Anime Chronology 2010-2019:

(shows in bold denote the series' debut)


2010 Anime in Review:

What were 2010's best series and how do they compare to each other?


1.  Angel Beats
2.  Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii wake ga nai S1 (beginning)
3.  Katanagatari
4.  Fairy Tail - moon drip arc + R-system arc + Battle of Fairy Tail arc + Oracien Seis beginning 
5.  Dragon Ball Kai - Frieza saga ending + Cell saga beginning
6.  K-On! ova + K-On! S2
7.  Sora no Woto 
8.  Highschool of the Dead
9.  Shukufuku no Campanella + specials
10.   Bakuman S1 1st half
11.   Strike Witches S2
12.   The World God Only Knows S1
13.   Cross Game ending 
14.   Inuyasha Final Act 2nd half
15.  Working! S1
16.  Index II 1st half + Railgun ovas + Railgun S1 2nd half 
17.  Bleach - war with Aizen arc
18.  Fresh Precure ending + Heartcatch Precure + Fresh Precure movies
19.  Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu
20.  Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu S1  
21.  Amagami SS 
22.  Motto To Love-ru
23.  One Piece - Impel Down ending + War of the Best arc beginning
24.  Touch S1-S2 (finally subtitled)
25.  Love Live! song and dance single ovas
26.  Sora no Otoshimono ova + Forte
27.  Major S6
28.  Kimi ni Todoke S1 2nd half
29.  Tales of Symphonia ovas 
30.  Bakemonogatari ending
31.  Broken Blade movies
32.  Tamayura Ovas
33.  Durarara S1

2010 is an amazing year for anime.  33 might seem small.  But these are almost entirely tv series, not ovas or specials, which means the overall mass of content is actually higher than average.  The first relatively weak entry on this list is #19.  Not because the Haruhi movie was bad, it was fantastic, it's just a little short to compare a single movie to entire tv series. Everything before then is an exciting long-running series with tons of episodes or the beginning or ending of one of the best anime franchises of all time.

2011 Anime in Review:

What were 2011's best series and how do they compare to each other?


1.  Fairy Tail ovas + Oracien Seis arc ending + Edolas arc + Tenroujima arc beginning
2.  Suite Precure + Heartcatch Precure ending + Heartcatch movies 
3.  One Piece - War of the Best arc to Sabo flashback arc to Saobody Return arc to Fishman island arc 
4.  The Idolm@ster 
5.  Bakuman S1 2nd half + Bakuman S2 1st half 
6.  Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica 
7.  Haganai (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai) S1
8.  Hanasaku Iroha
9.  Anohana
10.  Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! 
11.  Bleach - Ichigo vs. Aizen arc
12.  Fate/Zero 1st half
13.  Dragon Ball Kai - Cell saga ending
14.  Index II 2nd half
15.  Baka to Test ovas + Baka to Test S2 
16.  Steins;Gate
17.  Hunter x Hunter (beginning)
18.  Shakugan no Shana III 1st half
19.  K-On! ova + K-On! movie
20.  The World God Only Knows S2 + ova
21.  Chihayafuru S1 1st half
22.  Working! S2 
23.  Ro-Kyu-Bu! s1 
24.  Gosick
25.  Yuru Yuri s1 
26.  Oreimo S1 ending 
27.  Touch s3-s4 (finally subtitled) 
28.  Kimi ni Todoke 2nd season + ova 
29.  Tamayura Hitotose
30.  Broken Blade movies 
31.  Tales of Symphonia ovas 
32.  Higurashi kira ovas
33.  Valkyria Chronicles III ovas
34.  Amagami SS ovas
35.  Hayate no Gotoku movie
36.  Toradora ova
37.  T.P. Sakura ova
38.  Highschool of the Dead ova 

2011 had lots of new great shows like Madoka Magica, Hanasaku Iroha, Anohana, Majikoi, Haganai, and Idolm@ster.  Combined with a total of 38 shows that's a stellar year in anime.

2012 Anime in Review:

What were 2012's best series and how do they compare to each other?


1.   SAO
2.   PapaKiki (Papa no Iukoto o Kikinasai!) + ova
3.   Shinsekai Yori 1st half
4.   Little Busters! 1st half
5.   Smile Precure + Suite Precure ending + Suite Precure movies
6.   Fairy Tail - tenroujima arc 2nd half + Dai Matou Enbu arc beginning + Fairy Tail movie 1
7.   Saki: Achiga-hen
8.   Nisemonogatari
9.   Bleach - Substitute Shinigami arc 
10.  Girls und Panzer + specials 
11.  One Piece - Fishman Island arc
12.  Tari Tari 
13.  Bakuman S2 2nd half  + Bakuman S3 first half
14.  AKB0048 First Stage
15.  Hunter x Hunter - Hunter Exam arc all the way to the Greed Island arc
16.  Natsuiro Kiseki + ova
17.  Strike Witches movie 
18.  Hyouka 
19.   Fate/Zero 2nd Season 
20.   Yuru Yuri s2 
21.  To Love-ru Darkness ovas + To Love-ru Darkness s1
22.  Shakugan no Shana III 2nd half
23.  Idolm@ster ova + Shiny Festa ovas
24.  Chihayafuru S1 2nd half
25.  Btooom! 
26.  Shin Prince of Tennis tv
27.  Hayate no Gotoku! Can't Take my Eyes off You
28.  The World God Only Knows Tenri-hen
29.  Code Geass akito ova
30.  To Heart 2 Dungeon Travelers
31.  Tamayura ova 
32.  Zero no Tsukaima Final 
33.  Tales of Symphonia ovas 
34.  Major - World Series ovas
35.  Kenichi ovas
36.  Haganai (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai) ova
37.  Higurashi kira ova 4

2012's flagship #1 is the first season of SAO, which is unparalleled in quality.  No 24 contiguous eps from any other series can compare to the 24 eps of SAO's original run.  Other high scorers include luminaries like PapaKiki, Precure,  Fairy Tail, Little Busters, and Shinsekai Yori.

2013 Anime in Review:

What were 2013's best series and how do they compare to each other?


1.  Dokidoki! Precure + Smile Precure Ending + Smile Precure movies
2.  Little Busters! 2nd half + Little Busters ova + Refrain
3.  Monogatari Series: Second Season
4.  Oreimo (Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii wake ga nai) S2
5.  Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Sisters + Index movie
6.  Fate/Kaleid Liner S1 + specials
7.  Shinsekai Yori 2nd half
8.  Haganai (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai) Next 
8.  Fairy Tail ovas + Dai Matou Enbu arc (continued) 
9.  The World God Only Knows Megami-hen 
10.  Love Live! S1
11.  Vividred Operation
12.  Bakuman S3 2nd half 
13.  Ro-Kyu-Bu! ova + Ro-Kyu-Bu! SS 
14.  Shingeki no Kyojin S1
15.  Outbreak Company
16.  Da Capo III 
17.  Non non Biyori s1 
18.  Valvrave
19.  Kiniro Mosaic S1
20.  Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku 
21.  Hunter x Hunter Greed Island + Chimera Ant arc (beginning) 
22.  One Piece - Punk Hazard arc 
23.  AKB0048 Next stage
24.  Hayate no Gotoku! Cuties
25.  Chihayafuru 2 + ova
26.  Hataraku Maou-sama! 
27.  Oreshura
28.  Zettai Bouei Leviathan
29.  Higurashi outbreak ova
30.  Anohana movie
31.  Tamayura: More Aggressive
32.  Hanasaku Iroha movie
33.  Yama no Susume S1 + Yama no Susume ova
34.  PapaKiki (Papa no Iukoto o Kikinasai) ova
35.  Steins;Gate movie
36.  Madoka Magica movie
37.  Code Geass Akito ova
38.  To Love-ru Darkness ovas
39.  Kenichi ovas
40.  Hyouka ova

Fate/Kaleid Liner, Oreimo, Shinsekai Yori, Dokidoki Precure, Monogatari 2nd Series, Railgun Sisters, Little Busters. . . These are all gods of the anime world.  40 series is a banner year.

2014 Anime in Review:

What were 2014's best series and how do they compare to each other?


1.  SAO extra edition + 2nd season
2.  Fairy Tail - Dai Matou Enbu conclusion plus various side stories
3.  Doki Doki Precure ending + Happiness Charge Precure + Doki Doki movies 
4.  Fate/Kaleid Liner ova + 2wei + Specials + UBW 1st cour
5.  Hanamonogatari + Tsukimonogatari
6.  Dragon Ball Kai Buu + Battle of Gods movie
7.  Shirobako 1st half 
8.  Grisaia no Kajitsu + specials
9.  Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru
10.   Akame ga Kill!
11.   Sakura Trick   
12.   Little Busters! EX
13.   Saki - Zenkoku-hen
14.   Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun + specials
15.   Mikakunin de Shinkoukei
16.   No Game no Life
17.   Akatsuki no Yona 1st half 
18.   Hanayamata
19.   Soul Eater Not! 
20.   One Piece - Dressrosa arc (beginning)
21.   Locodol tv + ova
22.   Miyuki (finally translated)
23.   Yama no Susume 2 + ova 
24.   Love Live! 2nd Season
25.   Wake Up, Girls! movie + tv series
26.   Sailor Moon Crystal arc 1
27.   Amagi Brilliant Park
28.   Atelier Escha & Logy
29.   Ao Haru Ride tv + ova
30.   Hunter x Hunter - chimera ant arc ending + election arc (conclusion)
31.  The Idolm@ster movie
32.  Girls und Panzer Anzio ova
33.  Hayate no Gotoku anniversary ovas
34.  Kenichi ovas final four eps
35.  To Love-ru Darkness ovas
36.  Shingeki no Kyojin ovas
37.  Broken Blade tv episode
38.  Tamayura 8.5 more aggressive ova
39.  Non Non Biyori ova
40.  Sora no Otoshimono Final:  Eternal my Master

The return of Dragon Ball, Fairy Tail and SAO to 2014 were the highlights of the year.  But 17 great new series debuting is also incredible.

2015 Anime in Review:

What were 2015's best series and how do they compare to each other?


1.    Fairy Tail - tartaros arc 
2.    Pretty Cure - Princess Precure + Happiness Charge Precure movies/end of tv series 
3.    Fate/Stay night: UBW 2nd season + Fate/Kaleid Liner ovas, specials, herz 
4.    Shirobako 2nd half + two ova's. 
5.    Owarimonogatari 
6.    Grisaia no Meikyuu + Rakuen
7.    Hibike! Euphonium + ova
8.    Working! s3
9.    Non Non Biyori Repeat  
10.  Dragon Ball movie Fukkatsu no F + Dragon Ball Super ep 1 + Dragon Ball Kai ending 
11.  To Love-ru Darkness 2nd + ovas
12.  Utawaremono s2 1st cour
13.  Sailor Moon Crystal 2nd arc
14.  One Piece - dressrosa arc (continued) 
15.  Nanoha Vivid
16.  Kyoukai no Rinne S1
17.  The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls
18.  Gate s1
19.  Sore ga Seiyuu
20.  Strike Witches operation victory arrow
21.  The Last: Naruto the Movie
22.  Assassination Classroom S1
23.  Akatsuki no Yona 2nd half + ovas
24.  Hello! Kiniro Mosaic
25.  Love Live! The School Idol Movie
26.  Juuou Mujin no Fafnir 
27.  Rokka no Yuusha
28.  PapaKiki (Papa no Iukoto o Kikinasai!) ova
29.  Angel Beats ova 2
30.  Yuru Yuri s3 + ovas 
31.  Prince of Tennis ovas
32.  Durara shou + ten + shou 4.5 ova
33.  DanMachi S1 
34.  Tamayura Sotsugyou Shashin ova 1-2
35.  Code Geass Akito ova 3-4
36.  Shingeki no Kyojin ovas
37.  Amagi Brilliant Park ova
38.  Locodol xmas ova
39.  Yama no Susume ova


The major contributors are old, well known epic franchises like Fairy Tail, Precure, Fate, and Dragon Ball.  It helps to have 50 episodes per year to work with to work your magic.  Hibike! Euphonium was the only new franchise that made a major impact in 2015, ranking #7 of the year in quality.  Special attention should also be paid to Owarimonogatari, Grisaia and Shirobako, who performed stupendously considering how short the length of their contributions were during this year.

2016 Anime in Review:


How did 2016's great franchises stack up against each other, and what were they?

1.  Dragon Ball Super (universe 6 vs. 7 tournament arc + Goku Black arc) + Dragon Ball Recut
2.  Hai to Gensou no Grimgar
3.  Love Live! Sunshine
4.  Hibike Euphonium S2
5.  Fairy Tail Zero + Fairy Tail Avatar arc beginning + ovas
6.  Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya 3rei + special + Grand Order First Order
7.  Vivid Strike
8.  Brave Witches
9.  Girls und Panzer movie + ova
10.  New Game S1
11.  Koutetsujou no Kabaneri

12.  Kyoukai no Rinne S2  
13.  Gate (2nd half)
14.  Sailor Moon Crystal III Death Busters-hen
15.  Macross Delta
16.  Utawarerumono S2 (2nd half)
17.  Naruto - Bolt movie + ova + Sasuke Shinden
18.  Tales of Zestiria the X (1st cour)
19.  Schwarzesmarken
20.  Kuromukuro

21.  Princess Pretty Cure ending and movie + DX movie + Mahoutsukai Precure 
22.  Boku dake ga Inai Machi
23.  Girlish Number
24.  Shuumatsu no Izetta

25.  High School Fleet
26.  Dimension W
27.  Koyomimonogatari + Kizumonogatari movies 1 + 2
28.  Wake Up, Girls! movies Seishun no Kage + Beyond the Bottom (finally translated) + Miyagi PR
29.  Assassination Classroom S2 
30.  One Piece (dressrosa arc concluded + Zou arc begins)

31.  Berserk (2016)

32.  Locodol ova 3
33.  Durarara x2 Ketsu + Ten Special + Ketsu special
34.  WWW.Working!! 
35.  KonoSuba S1
36.  'To Love-ru Darkness 2nd' ovas
37.  Code Geass Akito ova 5 (end) 
38.  Tamayura Graduation Photo ova 3  (finally translated) + ova 4

39.  Boku no Hero Academia S1
40.  Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls ova + 5th Year Anniversary short
41.  Non Non Biyori ova 
42.  Saki Biyori ova (finally translated)
43.  Sore ga Seiyuu ova
44.  Tari Tari ova (finally translated) 


Three stubbornly untranslated oav's and two stubbornly untranslated movies were translated.  Dragon Ball Super is no longer filler while Dragon Ball recut salvages the original Dragon Ball series from its filler hell.  Twelve new great series have joined my pantheon, Hai to Gensou no Grimgar being the headliner.  Love Live! Sunshine was a worthy successor to the original, as was the similarly spun-off Brave Witches and Vivid Strike.

2017 Anime in Review:


How did 2017's great franchises stack up against each other and what were they?

1.  Eromanga Sensei 
2.  Suka Suka  
3.  Youjo Senki 
4.  Princess Principal
5.  Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha s2 
6.  Dragon Ball Super - Greater Universe Tournament arc
7.  Love Live! Sunshine! s2
8.  Naruto - Sasuke Shinden + Shikamaru Hiden + Konoha Hiden + Scarlet Spring
9.  New Game ova + New Game s2
10.  Kizumonogatari movie 3 + Owarimonogatari ge
11.  Shingeki no Kyojin s2 + Ova
12.  Imouto Sae Ireba ii
13.  BanG Dream!  + Ova
14.  Fate/Kaleid Liner 3rei Specials + Snowflake Oath movie
15.  SAO: Ordinal Scale
16.  Berserk 2  
17.  Mahoutsukai Precure (end) and movie  + Dream Stars movie
18.  Akatsuki no Yona Zeno ovas (finally translated)  
19.  Yama no Susume ova
20.  Granblue Fantasy the Animation s1
21.  One Piece - Zou arc (end) + Big Mam arc (beginning)  
22.  Kyoukai no Rinne s3 
23.  KonoSuba S2
24.  Card Captor Sakura ova
25.  Tales of Zestiria the X (2nd cour)  
26.  Wake Up, Girls! Shin Sho
27.  Kin-iro Mosaic Pretty Days (finally translated)
28.  Brave Witches ova
29.  Fairy Tail ova 9 (finally translated) + Dragon Cry movie
30.  High School Fleet ovas
31.  Boku no Hero Academia S2
32.  Nanoha Vivid Strike ovas
33.  To Love ru Darkness ova 10
34.  Dimension W ova (finally translated)
35.  Nekopara ova 1

This was an ambivalent year.  On the one hand, 8 new great anime franchises is impressive.  On the other hand, the heavy hitters like Fairy Tail, SAO, Fate/Etc., Precure and Naruto only managed a few episodes or movies of content instead of the massive flurries we're used to.  They were sorely missed.

2018 Anime in Review:


How did 2018's great franchises stack up against each other and what were they?

1.  Naruto Kai
2.  SAO Alternative GGO + SAO Alicization (beginning)
3.  Fairy Tail (Avatar arc + Alvarez Arc beginning)
4.  Index S3 (1st half)
5.  Ryuuou no Oshigoto!
6.  Death March
7.  Nanoha Reflection (finally translated)
8.  No Game No Life Zero (finally translated)
9.  Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory
10.  Yama no Susume S3
11.  Major 2nd
12.  Uma Musume S1
13.  Goblin Slayer S1
14.  Shingeki no Kyojin S3 1st cour + Lost Girls ova 2
15.  Boku no Hero Academia S3
16.  Girls und Panzer das Finale ova 1 (finally translated)
17.  Dragon Ball Super (Greater Universe tournament end)
18.  FGO Moonlight + 3rei specials  + Snowflake Oath Special + Heaven's Feel movie 1 (finally translated)
19.  Card Captor Sakura: Clear Card hen
20.  One Piece (Big Mam arc continued)
21.  Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru S2 final episode.
22.  Precure Super Stars
23.  Liz to Aoi Tori
24.  Wake Up, Girls! Shin Sho final episode
25.  Utawarerumono kuon ova
26.  Yu Yu Hakusho ova
27.  Nekopara ova 2

Naruto Kai revolutionized the Naruto anime, getting rid of all the filler and streamlining the series to its proper manga-based length.  SAO, Fairy Tail and Index were brilliant.  Ryuuou and Death March were high-ranking new inclusions to my hall of fame.  Full Metal Panic! was nostalgic.  No Game No Life Zero and Nanoha Reflection were splendid despite being standalone movies.  Yama no Susume's maidens were as angelic as ever.  There were very few newly ranked series this year, and very few series overall, but I find myself strangely content with this year.

2019 Anime in Review:


How did 2019's great franchises stack up against each other and what were they?

1.  Fairy Tail (Alvarez arc conclusion)
2.  SAO Alicization (continued)
3.  Kimetsu no Yaiba
4.  Huggto + Futari wa Precure All Stars (finally translated) + Miracle Universe + Star Twinkle Precure
5.  Kanata no Astra
6.  Mix
7.  Choyoyu
8.  Honzuki no Gekokujou (1st cour)
9.  Vinland Saga
10.  Boku no Hero Academia S4 (1st cour)
11.  Fate/Grand Order Babylonia (1st cour) + Fate/Heaven's Feel Lost Butterfly
12.  Kotetsujou no Kabaneri Unato Kessen
13.  Shingeki no Kyojin S3 cour 2
14.  Zokuowarimonogatari (finally translated)
15.  One Piece (Big Mam arc concluded + Reverie Arc + Wano Kuni arc beginning)
16.  Non Non Biyori Vacation movie (finally translated)
17.  Granblue Fantasy the Animation S2
18.  Index S3 (2nd half) + Accelerator S1
19.  DanMachi S2 
20.  Chihayafuru S3 (beginning)
21.  Nanoha Detonation (finally translated)
22.  BanG Dream! S2
23.  Eromanga Sensei ovas 1 + 2
24.  Dragon Ball Super: Broly (finally translated)
25.  Love Live! Sunshine! Over the Rainbow
26.  Grisaia: Phantom Trigger ovas 1 + 2
27.  Youjo Senki movie
28.  KonoSuba Legend of Crimson
29.  Yuru Yuri Ten
30.  Code Geass: Fukkatsu no Lelouch
31.  Uma Musume ovas 1-3.

It was an excellent year featuring heavy hitters like Fairy Tail, SAO and Precure.  One Pace revitalized the #4 anime of all time, One Piece, into a watchable form, at just the moment when the regular anime became unwatchable.  This life-saving maneuver cannot be appreciated enough.

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