A new decade begins...

So it's been a while since I've updated this little project; not that anyone reads it, but still!

My trip to Japan was a great success; we managed to get lost in Shinjuku and Kyoto Station, and hilarity ensued. I can't wait to go back! Also, I was able to see Maaya play Eponine in the Japanese production of Les Miserables in Tokyo at the Imperial Theatre which was absolutely amazing.

In Kyoto, we saw some cool castles and the Imperial Palace, and in Tokyo we went to most of the burrows. Akihabara, Ikebukuro, and Shinjuku were definitely the coolest areas. Let me know if you want to see the pictures but I haven't sent them to you.

So now, 2009 has come to an end and along with it, the 2000-2009 decade. Seems like a popular trend is to post what your favorite shows of the last 10 years were, so I'll give it a go, here's my top 20:

20. Fate/Stay Night
19. Welcome to the NHK!
18. Noir
17. Witch Hunter Robin
16. .hack//sign
15. Black Lagoon
14. Macross Frontier
13. Claymore
12. Darker than Black
11. Cross Game
10. Code Geass R2
9. Samurai Champloo
8. RahXephon
7. Code Geass
6. Canaan
5. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
4. The Twelve Kingdoms
3. Guin Saga
2. Gundam SEED
1. Kara no Kyoukai

So, these anime on are here for various reasons, either because they made a lasting impression on me, or because they opened the way for other anime that I really enjoyed. For example; despite Fate/Stay Night's amazing CG dragon, it really got me in to TypeMoon's projects, and gave me an appreciation for their novels and writing style.

Welcome to the NHK! was, while ridiculous, hit very close to home. The show was definitely good, and perhaps I could relate to it a little too well.

Noir really opened the door to the 'girls with guns' genre for me; Madlax, El Cazedor, etc. I watched it because I was interested in guns for whatever reason, and it had some. I enjoyed the show, despite how far-fetched it was.

Witch Hunter Robin left an impression I because I really enjoyed the art-style, and although the CG backgrounds looked CG, they somehow fit in with the style of the show.

.hack//sign left a lasting impression thanks to Yuki Kajiura's amazing soundtrack, and MMORPG related storyline. This show is still one of my first recommendations for anyone looking to get into anime.

Black Lagoon I just flat out enjoyed. Pirates? Do want.

Macross Frontier: the latest installment of the franchise that really got me into anime. This show had a lot going for it in my book: beautiful animation, amazing music, veritech fighters... oh man!

Claymore: Berserk with girls? Sure!

Darker than Black was definitely the coolest super-hero type shows of the decade. Electric Chinese Batman never failed to deliver entertainment. Gemini of the Meteor wasn't as good, but I'm glad to see the franchise is still alive and continuing.

Cross Game: There's something about this show that just makes it appealing. I generally have little interest in sports anime, but I think because this show focuses more on the character's relationships, rather than the sports theme I find it more enjoyable.

Code Geass R2 is the result of something amazing (Code Geass R1), and despite the creator's understanding of where the show is headed, proceed to create an awesome show despite the trainwreck that is undoubtedly approaching. This is a second season done right. Take note, Fukuda.

Samurai Champloo is without a doubt the best period piece of the decade. I enjoyed it far more than the retelling of 7 Samurai; and its animation was some of the best I've seen for a TV series this decade.

RahXephon was everything I wanted, but didn't get out of Neon Genesis Evangelion. It also allowed me to discover the amazing singer/voice actress Maaya Sakamoto, who remains one of my favorite singers ever.

Code Geass: Death Note meets Gundam SEED. The politics I couldn't care less about, however, it made for a wild ride of a show. This is certainly one of the most entertaining shows I've seen in a very long time.

Canaan: Story by Kinoko Nasu? Voice by Maaya Sakamoto? Lots of action? Crazy bad-guys? Bad-ass good-guys? Crazy-awesome taxi driver?! DO WANT.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood; a reboot of the previous series, and off to a much better start it seems. While I haven't read any of the manga, I found that the second series was far more interesting than the original, although I did also enjoy the original. This series has yet to let me down in either versions.

The Twelve Kingdoms: The Japanese answer to A Song of Ice and Fire? Or perhaps The Twelve Kingdoms came first? When I think about this show, my only regret is that I didn't watch it sooner. I hope they pick up the story at some point as well. This is everything I've ever wanted and more from a fantasy anime. Berserk did it, but this did it even better I think.

Guin Saga; the adaptation of a massive fantasy novel series, is once again proof that the Japanese are capable of creating awesome fantasy anime. The soundtrack was composed by Nobou Uematsu as well. Awesome story? Check. Awesome characters? Check. Awesome Music? Check. Awesome Animation? You bet.

Gundam SEED. Where to begin? Oddly enough, I started watching Gundam SEED Destiny before Gundam SEED, so the show was slightly spoiled when I started watching it. GSD was currently airing, and Maaya Sakamoto was playing a major character in the show, so I figured I'd give it a watch. When I had caught up to the current episode, which I think was Ep 28 or so, I realized that I had no idea what the hell was going on. So I watched Gundam SEED, and I and very glad I did.

Gundam SEED was able to reach a group of anime fans that the franchise was never able to do in the past. They created a space-drama, which kept the show exciting and interesting when there wasn't mecha fighting going on. It served its purpose well, and made for an enjoyable story with interesting characters. In addition, the show has an amazing soundtrack and one of the best insert songs ever ("Akatsuki no Kuruma" by FictionJunction YUUKA). Gundam SEED Destiny failed to deliver the depth and exciting drama that SEED had, but it also had an awesome soundtrack.

Kara no Kyoukai. I'm fairly certain the producers that created this read my mind and decided to make an anime just for me, and this is the result. They were like, "Hey! We should make an anime written by Kinoko Nasu. We'll get Maaya Sakamoto to play the main character, and have Yuki Kajiura do the soundtrack. Oh, and to make it even more awesome, we'll have Yuki create this new group of her other awesome artists and call them Kalafina, and then we'll do a second-to-none animation job on the seven movies we're making." Yep, sounds good. In my opinion, this is without a doubt the best thing to come out of 00-09.

And that's my conclusion of 2000 to 2009. I'm feeling lazy so I'm not going to bother proof reading this, sorry!