Top 10 Anime of 2023

What better way to spend Christmas Eve than looking back on this year of anime? ... Well, probably many better ways. But this is the schedule I set for myself, and I'm going to stick to it. So, without any further ado... 


Top 10 (Non-Sequel) Anime:

10. Insomniacs After School

Nice, chill romance that had an interesting focus on photography and did a good job of developing the relationship. 

9. Shy

Might seem like just another gimmicky post-MHA superhero anime with said gimmick being that it's also just another post-Bocchi "she's just like me fr" anime, but has a surprisingly solid emotional and thematic core. The characters are more than just their archetypes and many of them receive quite a lot of development over the course of the series. Masaomi Ando's direction elevates the already good story. 

8. Tearmoon Empire

I didn't know pretty much anything about this one going in, so I was surprised by how funny it was. While the dramatic first scene might fool you, the moment the Sumire Uesaka opening starts you know you're in for a comedy. Watching princess Mia fake it til she makes it has been one of the most consistently entertaining anime experiences I've had this fall season, and I for one am eagerly awaiting to see more of the Wisdom of the Empire. Desuwa! 

7. The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You 

This one, on the other hand, I had already heard a lot about before it even started. The manga readers had been hyping Hyakkano through the roof, and for a good reason. It takes its already absurd premise and episode after episode keeps finding more ways to make it even more absurd. The early episodes are nothing special, but by the 5th girlfriend it has really found its footing and has full confidence in its own funniness. And it sure is a riot! Especially the Hahari arc. My god, that special ending. I would've included it in last week's OP&ED ranking if the episode didn't air right after I'd already posted it. If you have any fondness for absurd comedy in anime, you owe it to yourself to check out this EPIC tale of CHADtarou and his FAMILY. 

6. Skip and Loafer

Pleasant slice-of-life with hints of potential romance coming in the future, but in this season there wasn't much progress on that yet. It was more about laying the groundwork for it, and in the process introducing a charming cast of characters. Tomoyo Kurosawa was brilliant in the lead role. 

5. Undead Murder Farce

Another anime where Tomoyo got to shine this year was this "Farce". A snarky detective trio of an immortal severed head in a cage (Tomoyo), her short-tempered and not very straight maid, and a half-human-half-oni trickster travel around alternative-history 19th century Europe solving cases that are actually rather interesting as far as mystery anime go and tie into the worldbuilding. The main attraction, however, are the characters - both the delightful main trio and the colourful assortment of public domain side characters. Kaguya-sama director Mamoru Hatakeyama's direction also keeps things interesting visually. 

4. The Apothecary Diaries

Another historical-adjacent mystery with a delightful lead, this time voiced by Yuuki Aoi. Like with Murderfarce, the cases are interesting, but what really stands out are the characters and their interactions. Chinese court intrigue is something I haven't dipped my toes into much yet, but I've been thoroughly enjoying this anime. 

3. Oshi no Ko

I started reading the manga about a year before the anime aired, so I was already familiar with the sometimes dark, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking story written by Aka Akasaka of Kaguya-sama fame, but the anime did an outstanding job of adapting it. Everything from the pacing and direction to character designs and music just... works. Season 2 has already been announced and will cover possibly the best arc of the manga so far, so I'm beyond excited for it. 

2. Pluto 

Now here is what I call prestige television. (Although it was released on Netflix, so more of an ONA but whatever.) Pluto is a thought-provoking sci-fi thriller that easily stands among all-time greats of the genre. Covering a wide area of thematic ground, it weaves into its story AI, Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, discrimination, war crimes, international conspiracies and more. It was topical 20 years ago when the manga was released, and it continues to be topical today. 

1. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Last year my number one was Bocchi the Rock, so it feels fitting that this year the place goes to another series directed by Keiichiro Saito. Instead of rock and social anxiety, Frieren is a fantasy series that takes its standard, vaguely medieval sword&sorcery setting, and uses it as a backdrop for a beautiful story about a long-lived elf realizing just how short-lived humans are as her companions pass away at old age. Wanting to see them again, she sets out on a journey to what might be the afterlife. It is not all solemn, however - sometimes it's hilariously funny, sometimes breathtakingly beautiful. Every aspect of the production comes together to make the series and its world feel alive in a way that few fantasy anime have ever accomplished. If Pluto was not prestige television on a technicality, then Frieren is. 

Top 5 Sequels: 

5. Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 3 (Final Chapters) 

4. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 

3. Vinland Saga Season 2 

2. Tsurune: The Linking Shot 

1. Horimiya: The Missing Pieces 

Top 3 Anime Movies:

3. The Boy and the Heron  

2. Kaguya-sama: Love is War - The First Kiss That Never Ends 

1. Suzume


And that concludes this year of anime. Now, if you excuse me, I have a Christmas to celebrate. 

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