It is a great time to be an animation fan. 2023 was a strong reminder that animated shows aren’t strictly for kids, as they branched out into more mature storytelling.
From blood-soaked revenge sagas to family-friendly children’s programming, there was truly something for everyone, with various Western animated series premiering or releasing new episodes in 2023. More than just a variety in genres and target audiences, a growing number of platforms began boasting their own impressive lineup of original animated series. Here are the best animated television shows of 2023.
Scavengers Reign
In an era when science fiction animation leans into how loud and flashy they can take the visuals and action, the Max original series Scavengers Reign goes in the opposite direction, and largely to its benefit. After a spaceship crashes onto the remote planet of Vesta, several of its survivors are scattered across the alien landscape and try to return to the wreckage. Along the way, they encounter Vesta’s native wildlife and treacherous terrain, containing both natural wonders and lethal dangers beyond their imagination.
Even with the constant sense of peril throughout Scavengers Reign, there is also a beautiful juxtaposition of serenity and beauty. These are highly detailed ecosystems made for the show, each with its own food chains and ways that fauna interact with their environments. Combine these elements with a tale of survival in an extraterrestrial wilderness, and Scavengers Reign is one of the best original series to premiere on Max this year.
Castlevania: Nocturne
Netflix’s bold and bloody animated adaptation of Castlevania should go down as one of the best video game adaptations ever, and that trend of high quality has only continued with its continuation series Castlevania: Nocturne. Set during the widespread chaos of the French Revolution, Nocturne is centered on Richter Belmont, the vampire-hunting descendant of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades from the original series. As Richter and his allies target the vampires manipulating and orchestrating the horrors of the Reign of Terror, Richter faces the vampire directly responsible for his traumatic childhood.
With its lush settings and elegant character designs, Castlevania: Nocturne goes even more operatic and gothic than its predecessor, without compromising on the vicious violence, of course. Richter is a much more complicated and nuanced protagonist than his ancestors, paired with the fiery Maria Renard and a whole host of memorable villains. And with that surprise cliffhanger ending to the season, Castlevania fans should be waiting at the edge of their seats for what’s coming next.
Frog and Toad
Though it is heartening to see the animation medium being embraced by older audiences and expanding into telling more serious stories, there is a universal appeal to it being geared toward children’s programming. One new show that felt like the animated equivalent of comfort food was Apple TV+’s adaptation of Frog and Toad. Based on the ‘70s children’s book series written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel, the show follows best friends Frog and Toad navigating life together in the countryside.
Lobel’s children are involved with the animated series as executive producers, underscoring Frog and Toad’s fidelity to the source material as it is reimagined for new audiences. With its warm and colorful animation style and engagingly friendly voice cast, Frog and Toad is a quieter, more serene alternative to most contemporary children’s programming. The series was followed by a Christmas special this December, giving the amphibians yuletide fun for the whole family.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
Over a decade after adapting the hit Scott Pilgrim comic book series, created by Bryan Lee O’Malley, in the live-action film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the story received a new life in animation. Lovingly brought to life by the Japanese animation studio, with O’Malley and co-developer BenDavid Grabinski at the helm, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off presents the classic premise and characters in a fresh light. As Canadian indie rocker Scott Pilgrim begins dating Ramona Flowers, he learns he must battle her seven evil exes, but in ways he could have never imagined.
Reassembling the original cast from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was a miracle in itself, but Scott Pilgrim Takes Off uses that to build the expectation that the animated series is going to follow in the film’s footsteps. Without going into spoilery specifics, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off instead quickly diverts into its own bold direction while staying true to the spirit and characters of the original story in interesting ways. With its all-star ensemble cast, loads of pop culture references and an impressive number of plot twists, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off subverts expectations and reinvents a classic.
Blue Eye Samurai
It takes a gentle hand for Western productions to craft stories set in Japan without falling into broad generalizations and tired tropes, but the Netflix original series Blue Eye Samurai is a stunning achievement. Created by Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, the series is set in feudal Japan and follows a mixed-heritage samurai seeking to avenge her family’s honor. This incurs the wrath of several powerful figures across Japan, expanding into an entire conspiracy involving the Land of the Rising Sun.
From its warm animation style, fluid and genuinely thrilling action set pieces, and love for classic Japanese culture, Blue Eye Samurai is Netflix’s best new series this year in any medium. The fifth episode, chronicling the tragic backstory of the series protagonist Mizu, is enough to put Blue Eye Samurai on this list, with the other seven episodes also maintaining a high bar of excellence. Bloody, gripping, and masterfully constructed from its first frame to its last, Blue Eye Samurai is the best animated show of 2023.
For more of our Best of lists for 2023, check out the following:
