Penguindrum is Kunihiko Ikuhara’s successor to Revolutionary Girl Utena, which means it has pink hair, it’s messed up, and it’s gay. JL Penguindrum Brain’s Base/Sentai Filmworks Anohana has turned the toughest people into crying puddles on the floor, not only because the entire premise is built around a tragedy, but because it’s a reminder that friends grow apart and people change. This is the anime everyone used to tell their friends to watch, with no warning of the fact that it’ll make them sob like a baby. She haunts Jintan in hopes of reuniting their friend group and moving on. Menma died many years ago, but her friends still haven’t had closure regarding her death. Jenna Stoeber Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day A-1 Pictures/Aniplex of America The show promises a lot, but entirely lives up to the horror of its concept (especially Homura’s backstory, which haunts me to this day). Madoka couldn’t exist without an earlier generation of magical girl stories, but it’s more than just “what if Cardcaptor Sakura were dark?” The depth of the animation when the magical girls battle with witches is beautiful and unique, deploying mixed-media textures to underscore the surreality of these fights. If you’ve never seen Madoka Magica, I highly recommend you watch it before reading any blurbs like this one it definitely benefits from not knowing what lies ahead, especially considering how earnest and lighthearted the show seems from the outside.
JL Puella Magi Madoka Magica Shaft/Aniplex of America Everyone is beautiful and interesting and it should be a crime to not see yourself that way. Princess Jellyfish taught me that anyone can be a princess, whether you’re a dude or a stocky girl obsessed with jellyfish. Kuranosuke Koibuchi, a stylish crossdresser, takes it upon himself to help Tsukimi upon up and also save her apartment building from being demolished. Tsukimi Kurashita is a reclusive girl who loves jellyfish. JL Princess Jellyfish Brain’s Base/Funimation Gainax, we’re still waiting on our sequel. Panty & Stocking delivered raunchy, stupid humor in a great animation style. Yep.Īnime doesn’t have to look like anime. The angels, Panty and Stocking, are two sisters who use their underwear - which transforms into weapons - to fight. Said coins are rewarded by hunting demons. Two angels who fell from heaven have to buy their way back in by earning coins. Julia Lee Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt Gainax/Funimation Watch The Tatami Galaxy, but beware of the possible existential crisis that sometimes comes with it. It’s wordy, it’s fun, and it has this great, over exaggerated art style. He is the determining factor in how his future unfolds. Then time rewinds and he gets to pick a new club. Watashi joins a new college club in each episode, only to realize that it doesn’t bring him the happy life he wanted. The Tatami Galaxy follows the story of Watashi, a normal college freshman who’s just trying to make friends. Austen Goslin The Tatami Galaxy Madhouse/Funimation Where this style truly shines are the shows fights, which thanks to one combatant being swordless, are some of the strangest and most unique in anime. White Fox, the studio behind Katanagatari, uses an understated, almost flattened out style to animate the show that places it somewhere in a gorgeous middle ground between traditional anime and a slightly more western style. The premise is simple, but it’s the perfect set up for the show’s incredible action scenes and world. Because he doesn’t use swords, he’s immune to the temptations of the 12 magical blades he’s tasked with hunting down. The main character of Katanagatari is a swordsman who doesn’t use swords.
The list you can see below is in order of release, starting from 2010. While not all of our personal favorites made the final list - we have to be picky! - it’s still a solid list of shows you should definitely give a watch.
Not only did we list out every anime we’ve watched and liked from this past decade, we also listed all the anime we didn’t watch, and then went back to watch them before finally voting. This list does not include anime that debuted before 2010, which means you won’t find some serious greats like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Bakemonogatari, and One Piece. Let’s get to the point: the last decade has been great for anime, and below you’ll find the proof.