The “Best of the Decade” lists started to appear in 2010 as well, with a number of platforms covering everything from cinema to television to everything in between. A number of publications, including ANN, Japanator, and AnimeDiet, contributed lists of their own. If you’re new to anime and searching for a decent place to start or an experienced fan who feels like you’ve seen everything, here’s one more recommendation.
Eden of the East
Three months later, on her graduation trip to the United States, amiable college student Saki Morimi finds herself saved from unforeseen difficulty by Akira Takizawa, and her life is permanently transformed. Takizawa is upbeat but weird in many ways—he is completely nude, has amnesia, and thinks he is a terrorist. He also has an odd mobile phone that has 8.2 billion yen in digital currency on it. Takizawa has several unsettling characteristics, but Saki quickly befriends the mysterious young guy. Unbeknownst to her, this is the start of a suspenseful game of death involving cash, cell phones, and the world’s salvation. In Higashi no Eden, Takizawa fights against other people who have identical mobile phones as Saki struggles to understand the secrets around her rescuer.
Bakemonogatari
Focuses on the exploits of former vampire Koyomi Araragi. One day, Koyomi catches a student called Hitagi Senjougahara, a loner, as she tumbles down the stairs. Hitagi defies gravity by appearing to weigh virtually nothing. Koyomi offers his assistance and introduces her to Meme Oshino, a peculiar middle-aged guy living in an abandoned building who healed him of vampirism, despite being threatened by her to stay away. Koyomi steadily gets more involved in cases involving strange otherworldly beings, making new friends and learning things about individuals he thought he knew.
Mushishi
The only aspects that are shared across all the episodes of this episodic anthology series are Ginko and the Mushi. Ginko is a guy with one green eye who can both see and draw several kinds of mushi. He smokes to keep the mushi away and continually wanders because of this capacity. He gives off the impression of being usually relaxed back, but when it comes to defending people against mushi, he can be quite serious and concentrated. He emphasises that the mushi are just like everyone else striving to live and are not bad. The vast majority of the stories rely on Ginko as a plot device rather than as their main emphasis.
Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist is an adventure, fiction, and fantasy anime. The story revolves around two brothers, Ed and Al, both were Alchemist and had a tragic past. Both the brothers tried to bring their mother back to life. They failed and it resulted in Al losing his body and Ed to keep his brother’s soul on Earth, sacrificed his right arm along with the left leg he already lost. Their missing parts were replaced by steel prosthetics. They both set out on a journey to regain their original bodies and never looked back.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Gurren Lagann is set in a fictional future. The Spiral King, Lordgenome, rules the Earth and forces humanity to live in isolated subterranean villages. The story follows Simon and Kamina, two teenagers who live in a subterranean village and wish to travel to the surface.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist is an adventure, fiction, and fantasy anime. The story revolves around two brothers, Ed and Al, both were Alchemist and had a tragic past. Both the brothers tried to bring their mother back to life. They failed and it resulted in Al losing his body and Ed to keep his brother’s soul on Earth, sacrificed his right arm along with the left leg he already lost. Their missing parts were replaced by steel prosthetics. They both set out on a journey to regain their original bodies and never looked back.
Eureka Seven
Renton Thurston, a 14-year-old boy, is fed up with his boring life. He is only happy when he “lifts,” which is an extreme type of aerial hoverboarding. His dissatisfaction stems from his childhood of toiling in his Grandfather’s garage and being the son of an enigmatic yet renowned “hero.” A huge LFO (Light Finding Operation) vessel named Nirvash crashes from the sky one day, and a lovely young girl named Eureka emerges and requests repairs. When a smitten Renton jumps over himself to assist her, the two embark on an adventure that will change their lives forever.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Kyon and Haruhi meet many new people as the story progresses, including time traveler Mikuru Asahina, alien Yuki Nagato, and esper Itsuki Koizumi, all of whom attend North High. Mikuru, Yuki, and Itsuki are all assigned to monitor and observe Haruhi due to her unconscious ability to destroy and recreate the universe. Their mission is to keep her entertained, as Haruhi will create a new universe from scratch if the old one becomes dull. They must, however, conceal Haruhi’s abilities from her. These three join Haruhi and Kyon to form the SOS Brigade, a school club. The entire series revolves around the SOS Brigade’s efforts to keep Haruhi entertained while she is hiding and dealing with supernatural phenomena.
Welcome to the NHK
Tatsuhiro Sat, a university dropout who is beginning his fourth year jobless, is the primary character. He now lives alone as a hikikomori and believes that this occurred as a result of some type of plot. When Tatsuhiro’s life seems to be going nowhere at all, he meets Misaki Nakahara, a mystery girl who says she can help Tatsuhiro change his hikikomori habits. She gives him a contract that essentially states that they would meet once a day in the evening at a nearby park, where Misaki will lecture Tatsuhiro to change his lifestyle. Many topics are covered on these outings, but they nearly always have some connection to psychology or psychoanalysis.
Lovely Complex
LovelyComplex follows Koizumi and Ootani as they support each other in their search for love and become close friends. Aside from their ridiculous antics, they quickly discover a surprising similarity in their music and fashion tastes.
Fate/Stay Night
Shirou Emiya is a hardworking and honest teenager who reluctantly enters the fifth iteration of the Holy Grail War, a to-the-death battle royale in which combatants fight with magic and Heroes from throughout history for the chance to have their wishes granted. Shirou was orphaned as a child and the sole survivor of a massive fire in Fuyuki City. He was taken in by a retired magus named Kiritsugu Emiya, who died a few years later. Shirou’s sense of responsibility for those who died, as well as his salvation through his father, instilled in him a strong desire for justice and peace. As a result, he works hard to train his body and minuscule magical ability to help others, even if people frequently take advantage of his generosity.
The Full Metal Panic Franchise
The series centres on Sousuke Sagara, a member of the secretive private military group Mithril, which is entrusted with defending Kaname Chidori, a courageous Japanese high school student. With the help of his friends Kurz Weber and Melissa Mao, he relocates to Japan to attend Chidori’s school, Jindai High School. Because Sousuke has never engaged in social connection, his classmates view him as a military crazy because he sees everything through the lens of battle. He begins to relate to Chidori, who recognises that Sousuke is guarding her, but he withholds the details because of orders and the fact that he is unaware of the reasons why Chidori is the target of several groups.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
An anime that takes place in the future, to be precise in 2030. Motoko Kusanagi who’s busy locating a ghost hacker happens to be taking over the valuable tech-infused minds aka Puppet Master. The movie is beyond amazing cinematography which appeals to the viewers and it extends to a sequel.
Death Note
As L and the cops draw in, Light puts the Death Note’s abilities to the test. Fortunately, Light’s father is the director of the Japanese National Police Agency, and important material regarding the case is left lying around the home. Light can stay one step ahead of the authorities with access to his father’s files. But who is the odd guy pursuing him, and how can Light protect himself against adversaries whose names he doesn’t know?
Samurai Champloo
Fuu, a young woman working as a waitress in a tea shop, is harassed by a band of samurai. Mugen, a mysterious rogue, and Jin, a young ronin, save her. Mugen attacks Jin after he proves to be a worthy opponent, and they begin fighting, inadvertently killing Shibui Tomonoshina, the magistrate’s son. They will be executed for this crime. They escape with the help of Fuu, though Fuu insists on accompanying them to find “the samurai who smells of sunflowers.” They agree to accompany her, with Fuu stipulating that they do not duel each other until the journey is completed.
Ouran High School Host Club
Haruhi Fujioka, a student at the highly esteemed Ouran High School, is looking for a quiet spot to study when she enters an empty music room and unintentionally discovers the infamous Ouran High School Host Club, a group of lads that entertain the female students for money. When Haruhi accidentally damages a pricey vase owned by the eccentric Host Club, she is forced to work for them until her obligation is settled. Haruhi is quickly promoted to host, but to repay her debts, she must keep letting the patrons of the Host Club think she is a guy.
Hell Girl
Each episode is typically structured as a self-contained short story in which a person has been tormented by an acquaintance to the point where he or she visits the Hell Correspondence website and submits a request to get rid of the person. Ai Enma, the Hell Girl, appears and gives the named antagonist a doll with a red string around its neck that can send him to Hell. When the string is pulled, Ai and her companions torment the antagonist, giving them one last chance to repent (which is usually refused), and transporting them to Hell. The contract stipulates that the person making the request must also go to Hell after his or her life is over.
Koi Kaze
Koshiro Saeki, who is 27 years old and lives with his father Zenzo, gets rejected by his girlfriend of two years, Shoko, who says she found someone else because he was too cold. The next morning, he finds high school student Nanoka Kohinata weeping while staring at a button on a train. Later, she unintentionally drops her train pass as she is exiting the train, and Koshiro follows to give it back to her. As she discovers the cherry blossoms are in bloom, Koshiro finds himself observing her unexpected smile. Later, while Koshiro and a colleague are leaving their jobs at a marriage agency, he runs into the same girl once more. He offers her two complimentary tickets to a neighbouring theme park.
Monster
Dr. Kenzo Tenma is a young Japanese brain surgeon who works at Düsseldorf’s Eisler Memorial Hospital. Tenma is dissatisfied with the hospital’s political bias in treating patients and seizes the opportunity to change things when fraternal twins Johan and Anna Liebert are admitted after a massacre. Johan has a gunshot wound to the head, and Anna mutters about killing; Tenma performs surgery on Johan rather than the mayor, who arrives later. Johan is saved, but Mayor Roedecker dies, and Tenma’s social standing suffers. Director Heinemann and the other doctors in Tenma’s path are assassinated, and both children vanish from the hospital. Tenma is suspected by the police, but they have no evidence and can only question him.
Toradora!
Toradora! revolves around Ryuuji Takasu, who, despite his gentle demeanor, has the eyes of an intimidating delinquent. Class rescheduling during his sophomore year of high school paired him with his best friend, Yusaku Kitamura, and his hidden crush, Minori Kushieda.
That’s all folks! These were the Top 20 Must watch Anime from 2000s. If you know any more 2000s anime do mention them in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you!
