4. Medaka Box - Gainax

Although it took a while to grow on me, I slowly fell in love with the monster known as Medaka Kurokami. The show's initial gags and whit were bit lost on me, and the character designs just didn't feel right. The show really started to blossom later though, as the characters' flaws came to the surface, and their dark sides came to light. The show remained funny, but began to grow a dark side in the second season. Silly fun, memorable characters, and a whole lot of conflict. 

3. Guilty Crown - Production I.G.

Guilty Crown actually premiered in 2011, however it wasn't until the second half of the show that things really get crazy. In fact, it seemed like a totally different show. Things got bleak, cruel, and epic. Many people criticized the show's embracing of standard anime tropes, but most of that stuff was thrown aside for the second half. It was though the team had a huge budget, and were yelled at for squandering it for the first few episodes. There were still a few duds here or there, but few shows dared deliver on the scale of Guilty Crown. There was also the always adorable Inori.

2. Psycho-Pass - Production I.G.

Psycho-Pass didn't quite develop the way I initially wanted it to, but it was still a really satisfying show. The season came at us with some gritty sci-fi, heavily influenced by modern western movies, but maintained an anime sensibility. What the show did best for me waas paint a solid view of this technology controlled future. The technology and world were nicely realized, and all the flaws of the system were made apparent from the get go. If anything, the show pulled back on these things towards the end, but still kept very entertaining. The characters were well thought out, and the animation was superb. We also got another visit from Egoist!

1. Another - P.A. Works

Whew, I just adored this show. From the first screen shots of the character designs of the show, I knew I was going to fall in love. The show started out jaw droppingly cruel, and had some of the most memorabel death scenes out of anything I've seen in the last decade. Mei Misasaki was the perfect foil. Mysterious, deadpan, and adorable. Her origins didn't quite live up to the build up, but the show's ending didn't pull any punches. If I had to recommend any show this year, Another left me satisfied every episode.