6 anime · avg brightness 0.444 · bright opening

2009 is Darker than Black, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Eden of the East — a year that refuses easy categorization. The arc-up pattern suggests midpoint revelation: shows that withhold their best colors for the moment when the true story becomes visible. FMA:B's warm-to-dark-to-warm structure is the year's defining arc in miniature.