Top 25 Anime of the 2000s: #5-1
#5: Naruto
Simply put, Naruto was the DragonBall Z of the 2000s. Ever since DBZ ended, both Cartoon Network & anime fans were looking for the next big thing. It had to be awesome, full of action & adventure, & it needed to have a large amount of mass appeal. Because in order to be the next DBZ, the series needed to expand beyond just anime fans & captivate all young people in the country. & in 2005, Naruto filled those shoes. The anime premiered in Japan in 2002, & more hardcore anime fans were very aware of its presence & popularity years before it premiered in America. Naruto may never be AS big as DBZ was, but it certainly was the darling & star of Toonami during its final few years on TV. During most of the second half of the decade, Naruto was the definition of anime in the US. Now the goal was to be the next Naruto. But when CN canceled Toonami & wanted nothing more to do with anime, Naruto was left without a home. But perhaps because of this, Viz decided to do the unthinkable & simulcast the sequel series, Naruto Shippuden, free online. Shippuden wasn't the first simulcast, but it certainly is the most popular.
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#4: Cowboy Bebop
Blood, guns, sexuality, & swearing. It wasn't until Cowboy Bebop premiered on Adult Swim in 2001 that anime would finally be treated seriously on US television. Bebop was one of the launching titles on Adult Swim when it premiered, & for awhile it was the only anime on the block until they expanded it to their Saturday Night Action Block. But its success as the first truly mature anime on American mainstream television opened the door for all other titles to come out in a similar manner. Not just on Adult Swim, but other places as well (most notably SyFy's AniMonday block). AS may not be as big into anime as they once were, but things would be even worse if they never took the gamble on Bebop. & not to mention, the series just oozed coolness. More than any other series out there, Bebop is the series you could show to anyone no matter how they feel about anime & say "Here, you'll like this."
#3: Gundam Wing
In the Spring of the year 2000, the world of televised anime changed forever. Toonami had bought the rights to broadcast Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, the first ever Gundam series to officially make its way to the US. But what they did with it was completely revolutionary. They chose to give the series two separate broadcasts- their typical edited affair in the main afternoon block, & an uncut version on Toonami's Midnight Run late-night hour. This was the first time ever Cartoon Network aired an anime series completely unedited. While blood, mild language, & the word "kill" were removed from the afternoon broadcasts, viewers had only to tune in that night to watch the same episode with everything left intact. Never before had something like this happened, & fans appreciated that they were finally be treated with respect with they got. In short, it was amazing. It was because of this experiment that those at Williams Street wanted to start showing even more mature anime series in an uncut manner, which help lead to the birth of Adult Swim. In other words, you can thank Gundam Wing for having mature, uncut (or close to uncut) anime on American TV.
#2: Yu-Gi-Oh!
More than any other title since Pokemon in 1998, Yu-Gi-Oh is the lone anime of the decade that managed to ascend beyond the stigma of being just an anime. It is truly a worldwide phenomenon that kids all over love & recognize, even if they don't care for any other anime series. Yu-Gi-Oh was everywhere as soon as it premiered in the Fall of 2001. You simply couldn't escape it. & even though it's not as big a title as it once was, it's still pretty big & one of the most recognizable children's franchises everywhere go. Everyone knew what Yu-Gi-Oh was. It was 4Kids Entertainment's second series after Pokemon, & even though it was hacked to death, simplified, & made more appropriate for children, it still had a much darker tone than Pokemon had. The original was popular enough to launch two different spin-off series, a movie (with a second movie on the way), & an unstoppable trading card game that continues to sell more than any other card game out there. Yu-Gi-Oh also helped start one of the biggest fan-created internet phenomenons of the decade- Abridged Series. When LittleKuriboh turned the card game anime into a hilarious series of short series, it spawned a virtually infinite amount of users trying to recreate it with a different series. It also helped breath new life into the franchise. Even anime fans who don't like Yu-Gi-Oh love LK's infamous parody series. Yu-Gi-Oh's been running strong through most of the decade, & it looks like it'll still be going for awhile to come.
#1 Spirited Away
In 2002, the most famous & talented anime director of all time, Hayao Miyazaki, was finally recognized by his American peers. His magnificent film "Spirited Away" won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, beating out all the American animated films in the category. It is the first & so far only time such a thing has happened. Not only was Miyazaki finally recognized by Hollywood, but the result of his win resulted in many more Americans to check out Spirited Away, his films in general, & anime itself in general. More than anything, it gave Miyazaki the attention it deserved. There is no higher honor an anime can hope to achieve in America. But most importantly, the movie is amazing. I'd list it as Miyazaki's second greatest film, after last decade's Princess Mononoke. Miyazaki has come out with two films since then- Howl's Moving Castle & Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea, neither of which that matches the magic seen in Spirited Away. This is a movie that made all the headlines. & not just anime headlines, but in the real news industry. Non anime fans were wondering how a Japanese cartoon could be better than American ones, while anime fans celebrated their long-deserved victory. Congratulations to Spirited Away for being the top anime of the 2000s!
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