2023 was a year that was bursting at the seams with high-quality anime. With a healthy balance of new original series, adaptations from critically praised manga, and returning shows with rabid followings, there was a little something for everyone this year.
Of course, 2023 wasn’t a flawless year for the anime industry, mostly thanks to the high amount of crunch that arguably broke Studio MAPPA and presented us with numerous delayed projects like the NieR: Automata anime and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, and that’s without even considering that eventually the exponential growth of the anime industry will begin to decline and the medium will suffer a crash not dissimilar from what happened to the comics industry in the ’90s. But those are problems for future years. For now, let’s just look at the best anime that 2023 had to offer!
I’m limiting this list just to anime shows since putting a feature film on a list of shows that streamed weekly seems a bit unfair. I say this because while The Boy and the Heron is undeniably one of the best-animated films of the year, I wanted to give space to other titles that you most likely have not heard of before. With that being said, here are the best anime of 2023 in alphabetical order!
Buddy Daddies
It’s not often you have an anime comedy that is legitimately funny, but Buddy Daddies is exactly that. The series centers on two hitmen who have to raise a four-year-old girl after a mission goes sideways, and while at first, the two surrogate fathers try to do everything in their power to push away their responsibilities, they eventually learn to do whatever it takes to make sure their unofficially adopted daughter gets the best life possible. If this sounds like more of a sitcom premise than an anime, you’d be right to an extent, but there’s a solid emotional core present in the series, mostly thanks to how much you grow to care for this makeshift family. It’s not going to win any awards for its poignancy, but it’s still a show that is able to sell its conventional premise with style, heart, and humor.
Bungo Stray Dogs
Out of all of the long-running anime series that got new installments in 2023, Bungo Stray Dogs had two surprisingly energetic and action-packed seasons. These new seasons saw the Armed Detective Agency become outlaws, with everyone and everything turned against them, creating a new sense of panic and tension, unlike the conflicts the group experienced in the past. We still have plenty of good character moments, mostly centering on a lot of the supporting cast, and plenty of time to flesh out the overarching conspiracy and the new group of antagonists the Armed Detective Agency has to fight. If you’re not already hooked on this strange world of authors turned superpowered beings, then you may be at a loss, but if you’re already a fan or gave the show a chance back in 2016, this is the best Bungo Stray Dogs has ever been.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
What happens after the final boss is dead? This was the question that piqued my interest in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, a series that follows an elf decades after her party of adventurers saved the world as she learns about humanity and the joys of living in this now peaceful land. This is a relatively quiet show without too much flashy action, though what’s there is immensely satisfying to watch. What really makes Frieren stand out are the simple places that Frieren herself visits and the humble tasks she does for the people there just to get by. There’s a real sense of growth that each of Frieren’s new party of adventurers undertakes as the series progresses, but it’s all very understated in favor of letting the world and atmosphere tell the story for the viewer. It’s subtle, it’s contemplative, it’s a little goofy at times, and it’s great.
Oshi no Ko
So, did you see the first episode like I told you to? You did? Then you understand why this series should be on the list. While the rest of Oshi no Ko doesn’t exactly live up to the brilliance of its feature-length premiere, the show’s first season took a no-holds-barred examination of the acting and music industry in a way that you don’t really see, and that’s before we get to the uncomfortable yet sadly all too real harassment that people experience online and how it can destroy a person’s life. For all of its bubbly charm, Oshi no Ko is a dark series but one that is magnetic thanks to its smart pacing and its very well-written cast of characters.
Pluto
I know that, technically, there isn’t a traditional anime of the year due to the alphabetical format of this list, but if there was a Best Anime of 2023, it’s Pluto. Like, it’s not even close.
The closest anime has ever gotten to a prestige series, this eight-episode Netflix adaptation of a reinterpretation of Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy by famed writer Naoki Urasawa is absolutely filled to the brim with brilliance. It’s a murder mystery that strikes right at the heart of what it means to be human, the after-effects of war, and the endless cycle of hatred. Right from the first episode, you’re immediately hooked as we see the most powerful robots in the world destroyed by a monster known only as Pluto. It’s a slow burn of a series, with each episode lasting around an hour, but with all of the twists and turns the narrative takes, as well as the poignant moments of humanity laced throughout, you’ll be haunted by what you’ve seen. There’s so much to say about how Pluto is a success on virtually every level, so just take my word for it and give it a watch ASAP. This is easily the best anime that Netflix has produced in years.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
I don’t care if MyAnimeList doesn’t consider Scott Pilgrim Take Off an anime or not – with the pedigree that it has and the overall quality it exudes, it 1000% is. Serving as a reinterpretation of the original series, the series focuses more on the Evil Exes that Scott had to face in the original comics and actually fleshes them out as normal people. In fact, most of the supporting cast are given more room to breathe as the series is more interested in exploring adult relationships and how to establish healthy ones and explores ideas only teased by the original graphic novels and movie in more detail. For a series that’s very near and dear to my heart, it’s a welcome evolution, but it still retains the humor and charm that made me fall in love with the series way back in high school.
Summertime Rendering
Out of all of the titles released in 2023 that should have gotten more attention than they did, Summertime Rendering easily tops that list. Unceremoniously dropped on Hulu back in January, this supernatural horror/thriller presents a small island with a dark secret that can only be solved through the power of time loops. While the first half of the series is dripping with tension and psychological manipulations, the second half of the series becomes more action-oriented, though it still retains a clever sense of logic with how its characters utilize and exploit the rules established by the story. This isn’t really a character piece, which does harm it ever so slightly, but as far as well-crafted stories are concerned, Summertime Rendering consistently had me coming back for more and eager to see if a happy ending awaited its cast.
Undead Murder Farce
I love a good murder mystery, so throwing in mythological creatures, a Victorian setting, and folklore upon folklore into one is a surefire recipe to keep me entertained. Undead Murder Farce is a show that is probably going to be ignored by a lot of people this year, almost entirely due to its bizarre title. Still, it’s the one show that had Jack the Ripper fight against an Oni while Arsene Lupin and the Phantom of the Opera escape from a fortified mansion, so it has that going for it. The big swings the series takes mostly pay off, and while the mysteries can be a bit obtuse at times, it nails the classic set-up and payoff that a good mystery requires. Add in a likable cast of characters and one of the most stylish openings of the year, and you have a show I can recommend if you’re into something a bit unconventional and strange yet deeply fascinating.
Vinland Saga
If you were to tell me that I would become emotional this year over wheat, then I would probably assume you were talking about Settler of Catan. But no, Vinland Saga devotes all of its second season to stepping away from the war raging across Europe and the chaos of the last season and into a quiet and introspective journey of growth and forgiveness on a humble farm. The amount of maturity on display in this season of Vinland Saga is artistry at its finest, making this undeniably one of the most compelling anime to watch each week it was airing. It all but removes the violence and conflict that defined the first season, which is a shock when you watch the first few episodes, but once you understand that Vinland Saga isn’t just a series about Viking warfare, you’ll be left with the realization that this show can and will make you cry over wheat. And you won’t have it any other way.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
Despite the finale having yet to air at the time of this writing, there’s no series that was as relatable as Zom 100. The first episode dedicates itself to showing why the zombie apocalypse shouldn’t be seen with dread and terror but rather as this huge explosion of color and catharsis that allows the show’s cast to live their dreams. It’s a weirdly life-affirming show with bright and vibrant animation that allows each episode to stand out on its own. I admit, the series does sometimes lose its way in favor of trying to drive home some of its points, but for a show that just wants to have fun, I can’t think of any other show that gave me as much joy watching it as Zom 100.
And those were the Best Anime of 2023!
For more of our Best of lists for 2023, check out the following:
Best Animated TV Shows of 2023
Published: Dec 23, 2023 08:46 am