Last night, I sat down and started rewatching Kimagure Orange Road for the first time in seven years. It’s been so long, really, that I remember very little about the show. It’s hard to believe I’ve been watching anime for as long as I have; I’ve lost count of the number of shows I’ve watched over the years. And as yet another year comes to an end, I think about how lucky I am for still being an anime fan. I’ve never been monomaniacal with my hobbies or interests, so to stick with something for so long and with such consistent, if not increasing, fervor is kind of remarkable. Sometimes, I don’t get it, but the fact remains: I love this stuff.

Anyway, it’s been a good year for anime. There weren’t as many blockbusters this year compared to the last, but enjoyable shows were plentiful. And, as always, trying to pick the best of the bunch was no easy task. I’m really not all that good at ranking or reviewing shows: I like most of what I watch. So, it feels a little out of character to spend time doing a Year in Review. But, I think it’s a valuable exercise nonetheless, if simply because it gives me the opportunity to reminisce about the year’s offerings before they’re lost to the next. And it gives me yet another opportunity to write about the shows I enjoyed most with a better realization of why they touched me the way they did, which is something only the passage of time can really provide.

Those of you who have been reading for awhile might notice that I’m starting early this year. I feel it’s best that I take my time working through this list of my ten favorite shows of the past year. They may be ranked in some fashion, but the distance between each ranking is not necessarily so great. Each and every show deserves some level of recognition, I think, and it’s for that reason that I’ll be posting new entires every other day. Of course, that necessitates starting early, so here I am.

And, because people will no doubt ask, I should answer a few questions. Obviously, many anime series air on television in Japan in more than one year. A few of the shows I’m watching right now will continue airing into next year, for example. When considering shows for the Year in Review, I look at a snapshot of the year itself; in other words, if a show aired at any point during the year, it’s open for consideration. Start dates and end dates are irrelevant. I feel this is the fairest and most workable approach, as I’m not always entirely sure how I feel about a show that spans multiple years until the final episode has aired. That’s why you won’t be seeing currently airing gems like Clannad or Shugo Chara in this year’s list. You might see something else, though.

Also, the absence of a show from the list doesn’t necessarily mean much in itself. There are more shows I would like to recognize than there is time to do so. If I thought I could manage writing something about each and every one of the nearly thirty shows I watched and enjoyed from start to finish this year, I would. I have to draw the line somewhere, though.

So, stick around for awhile. It’s been a good year.