My Anime of the Year 2023

If there's one thing I can say about the previous year in regards to anime or the industry as a whole, is that I am continuously amazed that amazing teams can regularly come together and produce phenomenal works week after week in the face of an industry that wants to actively destroy them all in the face of saving capital. There were so many fantastic anime from this year, some I couldn't even make time for cause I was watching many other, equally great things. These are just some of my select favorites from the year of 2023. Please note: as much as I want to, I am not including ongoing series that have not ended in 2023.

Fern puffing her cheeks in frustration I'm so sorry, Fern.

With that out of the way, let's go through

My Top Ten Anime of the Year 2023!

10. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

If you were to have any extensive conversation with anyone fancies themself a fan of Scott Pilgrim, more often than not you'd find them at one point in the conversation say "Man, can you imagine what a Scott Pilgrim anime would look like, though?" And when the powers that be finally heard the pleas and teased that a full length anime was indeed in early production, later revealed to be produced by Science SARU no less, it's safe to say expectations were high. And in my opinion, they delivered and then some. Fantastic animation, absolutely gorgeous art and character designs perfectly fitting the source material, top notch voice cast (not just in the returning English cast, but also in the Japanese dub that more than fits each character flawlessly), and a great plot that perfectly plays on both the original comic and the highly-acclaimed 2010 Edgar Wright film. While it is easy (and somewhat fair) to be a bit let down that it felt more like a rug pull and an alternate telling of Scott Pilgrim (e.g. Rebuild of Evangelion) rather than a straight adaptation of the comic like many had been hoping for, it is still a fantastic watch that does an amazing job building off of its parent works while feeling wholly unique and worthwhile in the Scott Pilgrim mythos.

9. Trigun Stampede

When it was revealed that Studio Orange, the studio behind Land of the Lustrous and Beastars, would be producing a new series based on Trigun, there was a lot of speculation and high expectations off the bat given the natural comparisons that would arise to its predecessor from 1998. Expectations that would only heighten exponentially when they stated it would not be a retelling of the original manga, nor the 1998 anime, nor even a much-wanted adaptation of the sequel manga Trigun Maximum; but instead would be something of a re-contexualization and modernization of the world and its characters, much like the aforementioned Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. And while that combined with the fact it would be a fully CG TV anime (kryptonite to the casual anime fan) may be an immediate deterrent to many a fan of the series, I am a strong proponent of Studio Orange and their body of work, so I had more than enough faith that they would do wonders on this, and my god did they deliver and then some. There is more than enough familiar material here where any Trigun fan can feel right at home in this universe, while also providing tons of unique story elements, characters, and variation on the original story to feel fresh and not at all like a retread. Combine that with some stellar designs and choreography that you'd come to expect from Studio Orange, and you get a series that is well worth a watch, regardless of your familiarity with Trigun or lack thereof.

8. Uma Musume - Pretty Derby: Road to the Top

It almost seems crazy to state that an anime about girls that are literally 50% horse is one of the best ongoing sports anime this past decade. But as outlandish as that statement may sound, I guarantee you it is actually true. Uma Musume has consistently provided great moments of horse girl racing action, complete with fantastic characters and comedy, and amazing catharsis by way of its various races where it's never guaranteed if the designated main character will actually pull through. And the web-exclusive mini-series Race to the Top is far and away the best this series has to offer on all fronts. The newly introduced characters are phenomenal and play off each other very well, the comedy is still great, the drama and moments of catharsis are fantastic and the animation, direction and art design are easily Uma Musume at its near peak. The team behind this are also working on a recently announced film entry, and if RTTP is anyone indication of the level of quality we can expect from it, I am sufficiently hyped for it. But the best part, it's absolutely free! It's all up on YouTube right now, go watch it, even if you know nothing about this series. Go, NOW.

7. Kaguya-sama Love Is War: The First Kiss That Never Ends

Kaguya-sama has quickly become one of my favorite modern romcoms of the past decade. On top of its hilarious cast and amazing fast-paced style of humor, the development and chemistry between Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya is top-notch, feeling less like your more typical "will they, won't they?" and more like "When wil they". And this OVA (technically a movie but shut up) perfectly and naturally progressed them even further. Giving us an even deeper look into Shinomiya's state of mind in realizing that relationships, especially GOOD relationships, require a lot of effort and work beyond the first kiss and confession. At the same time, it offers some great moments for Shirogane as he struggles to realize just how to properly understand and communicate with Shinomiya as their relationship progresses past "perpetual pining". Top it off with an amazingly cathartic final act and this serves as some of the greatest stuff this series has offered us thus far.

6. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2

Anyone in the know in the anime sphere has undoubtedly heard of Jujutsu Kaisen. It is without a doubt one of the most popular new action series of the past few years, and for good reason; and its popularity only skyrocketed with a fantastic first season. And while season one did well in getting people established to its characters and world, with spurts of great animation and direction (with some sacrifices in quite subpar art design and compositing), season two kicks it up by twelve notches. There is practically no breathing room here, from the moment episode one starts nearly every episode will have you hanging by a thread wondering where the story will lead and what hardships will come next for these characters. The change in chief director for this season did wonders for this run of JJK; we are given some more than stellar animation, direction and pacing that easily knocks season one out of the water, particularly in the first five episodes. And it only gets crazier and more bombastic in the main chunk of this season covering the Shibya Incident arc, reaching its peak(s) in episodes 13, 16 and 17 and providing some insanely well-animated and well-directed sequences. The creative team here did a fantastic job on this and they more than deserve their roses.

FUCK MAPPA THO, ME AND MY HOMIES HATE MAPPA.

5. Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister!

Would you believe me if I told you most of the people responsible for a slice of life anime about a NEET, young adult boy being turned into a middle-school girl by his sister force feeding him a mysterious drug in his sleep and having to cope with his (her) newly found femininity and reacclimating to social life worked on Mushoku Tensei directly before this? It's not as farfetched as it may sound, really.

At first glance, this show may just seem like a typical show about cute girls doing cute things, with a pretty neat artstyle and plenty of quality animation. And while that is certainly the surface level appeal of this show, there is a lot to love about this when you get into it. The main central plot of Mahiro Oyama learning how to live with her new body and getting acquainted with interacting with others and in some ways herself after years of being a self-imposed shut in is really great, and gives a nice way of tying all the connecting plots of her going to school and making friends, reconnecting with her sister Mihari and really growing closer, and of course learning how to love herself and be self-confident. In some ways, it acts as a neat compliment to Studio Bind's previous work, Mushoku Tensei with its themes of acclimating to an unfamiliar world in an unfamiliar body and working past the expectations you previously held yourself to and healing from it (see, I told you it wasn't that farfetched).

4. Heavenly Delusion (Tengoku Daimakyou)

Honestly, I'm not even sure I have the proper words to do this show justice. We get a great main duo in the form of Maru and Kiruko, who manage to bounce off each other with ease, displaying terrific chemistry with one another. We get an amazing world in a post-apocalyptic Japan, where there's more vegetation and rubble filling the streets than there are humans. We get an intriguing side plot concerning a mysterious school placed in an unknown, sterile futuristic facility, walled off from the outside world where the inhabitants have no idea what lies beyond. There's also tons of great animation throughout the series, that perfectly convey what and get through to the viewer what each scene needs to convey, from a fast-paced, claustrophobic chase sequence where improvised planning is a must, to a simple car ride where they can let loose and goof off, to the absolute dread and downright visceral terror that comes with having first hand experience to some of the worst acts humanly possible. Cap it off with a beautiful score from Kensuke Ushio, and you have a show that promises to stick with you from the moment you start it.

3. The 100 Girlfriends Who Really Really Really Really REALLY Love You

Yes that is literal, yes they are serious, and yes it fucking rules.

The often number one topic of discussion that you'll see among any other fan of the harem niche is why does the (often male) MC not simply date every single possible suitor, or why do they actively act like they aren't at least somewhat interested in any of the them besides the very first one we meet. And yes, a few have come to that revelation or at least very close, but none have done it to the degree that this series has, and probably never will. When the title said 100 girlfriends, they meant 100 girlfriends. No infighting over who gets to be the "best girl", no misunderstandings or accusations of two-timing from the others, no will they won't they, no slow burn, no firework confessions, none of that. There will be 100 girls, he will date them all (and they each other let's go bisexuals), and they will be happy (they are don't worry). It's a nice pastiche of the more typical trappings one would come to expect from a harem series, and it plays them up to great effect while also being a sincere and loving romantic comedy anime (heavy on the comedy) with a lot of soul put into its premise and especially the characters. There is somebody for everybody here, regardless of your tastes; a perfect world where every girl is best girl, and Rentarou Aijou will make sure they're all loved.

2. Oshi no Ko

If I was simply taking into account personal investment and excitement when arranging this list, this would easily, without a doubt be number one. From the moment I picked up the manga, I was waiting for the moment we were given an adaptation of this story so more people could know just how phenomenal and engrossing this was. And boy did they ever. The instant we were graced with episode one, I knew this was going to be something talked about for a long while. Everything I loved about this series was captured greatly, even from the start of the show with its amazingly crafted feature length premiere. With some great directing, pacing, character designs and voice acting, this was bound to be a near instant classic. Even as a fan of the manga before the anime was even announced, I was enthralled and on the edge of my seat with nearly every episode, wondering how it was going to escalate. In particular, its focus on the Japanese entertainment industry (namely the film/television and the idol industry) feel very apt in today's climate, especially in the business of anime. I'm sure if you're reading this you have already heard about this series, mostly due to how insanely popular its opening theme by YOASOBI has gotten since its release (400 million views in 8 & 1/2 months is nothing to scoff at, truly), but if somehow you haven't, I HIGHLY recommend it especially its premiere episode.

1. Pluto

Pluto doesn't really have an opening or an ending so you're just gonna have to deal with this.

I have gone back and forth with myself while making this list (and checking it twice), and while I may not be as personally attached to this series as I am several of the ones before it, I felt it would be remiss of me to have this anywhere else but here. The amount of effort that went into this over six-year long production is astronomical, almost to the point of completely collapsing in on itself; at times it seemed like we would never get to see this actually come to fruition, but they somehow managed to pull through with a project whose quality is nearly unparalleled with anything else from this year. Top notch, frequently film-grade animation and direction, and fantastic cast who managed to all play their parts brilliantly, great pacing (especially taking into account their method of adapting a single volume per episode), and of course a marvelous story that will have you questioning everything they throw at you and won't let up on hitting you when you're down. This was an exceptional series, and the creative minds behind it at Studio M2 should be proud of what they've managed here.

And that's my list! Did you like it, did you hate it? What would you rate it? While I have you here I wanted to give some honorable mentions to some anime that I felt were more than noteworthy, but just didn't make my list in some form or fashion. Not that I don't like or love these series, I just had to think things through and some sacrifices had to be made. So without further ado, here are my honorable mentions for 2023: