Due to my complete hatred for the Crunchyroll and Anime Trending AOTY 2023 edition, I made my own. Cause my taste is the best taste and everyone who disagrees with my opinion is wrong. Criteria include 1) must have aired in 2023 2) TV/web anime only (so no movies or music videos) and 3) no sequels. I will also be counting consecutive cour shows from fall 2023 that continue onto winter 2024 because yes. These write-ups/rankings are not summaries (go to MAL for that lol) and moreso what I enjoyed about each show from a production/broad plot perspective. Also very little spoilers cause ain’t no way you guys are watching seasonals.
Please don’t expect the writing to be good I’m literally just yapping.
5. Skip and Loafer directed by Kotomi Deai
Spring 2023 was a season that was beyond stacked with quality shows and Skip and Loafer was no exception. This slice-of-life comedy/drama was a perfect fit for someone like Kotomi Deai, who has had big roles on similar-ish shows like Natsume Yujin-Cho, Silver Spoon, and The World God Only Knows. High points of the show production wise include the quality character designs which are “fluffy” and malleable for the light-hearted wholesome moments this show has to offer while also being able to convey emotion really well when the drama picks up. This show in general is just pleasing to look at in general, the softer color palette and overall art direction is just 👌. In terms of writing, something I’ve appreciated time and time again is just how emotionally mature most of the characters are. I’ve grown used to dealing with high schoolers in animanga being the stupidest shits alive (too much romcom syndrome) but seeing characters that are actually perceptive of others emotions and talking out their problems immediately is such a breath of fresh air. The OP is also stupid cute. Would recommend to any slice of life or romance fan.
4. Tengoku Daimakyou directed by Hirotaka Mori
I’ve long preached that the equation to create a good anime (visually) is talent + time. And in this anime economy, let’s just say that many shows tend to only load up on the talent, hoping that pure talent will make up for the lack of time given (Otsuka I’m looking at you). But there are rare shows like Tengoku that have both in spades. With big industry names like Kensuke Ushio (composing), Weilin Zhang (standout sequences in FGO, OP, JJK), Haruka Fujita of Kyoani fame, Kai Ikarashi of Trigger fame, etc. Easily the greatest assembly of talent on one project in recent memory. All of this talent and time led to one of the most consistently excellent visual spectacles of the year, with highlight episodes being Fujita’s episode 8 and Ikarashi’s episode 10. For most of its run, Tengoku was filled with a fun MC dynamic and an interesting dual-mystery. Watching plot points and backstories slowly get revealed was really cool. What probably drags the show down a bit is its ending episodes. I feel like the show never found a good stopping point in the manga to end off at and thus was unsatisfying. Maybe it would have benefited with another cour but then again, I don’t trust the current anime economy with another cour of anime that looks this good. Would recommend to any sakuga meat-head.
3. Overtake directed by Ei Aoki
What’s better than a coming of age character drama? A coming of age character drama WITH SPORTS directed by EI motherfucking AOKI (Fate/zero, Wandering son, Kara no Kyoukai) along with an opening by NIJISANJI KANAE. Perhaps the best word to describe this show from a visual perspective is consistency. It’s got great character designs that are clean and distinctive along with great compositing/lighting that just suck you into the world of the characters. Episode 9 in particular was a standout, with storyboards that block out characters with environmental objects to convey character dynamics and a shit ton of neat camera effects to reflect the point in the plot where the photographer mc finally comes to terms with his past. With this being an original anime that first started production in 2017, everything just makes sense. All the characters are shown to be more than what they seem at first glance and all their personal arcs develop with and against each other, culminating in a very satisfying conclusion. This would probably be one of the shows I would recommend the most to non-anime watchers, as it’s extremely polished and doesn’t really have any of the “anime-isms” that make anime hard to recommend to most. Would recommend to anyone who wants a good character drama.
2. Sousou no Frieren directed by Keiichiro Saito
Saito’s rise to anime stardom was rapid, with his most notable work pre-2022 being episodes 3 and 8 of Sonny Boy. But suddenly, he comes into 2022 with the mega-hit Bocchi the Rock, a CGDCT comedy filled with endless ambition, creativity and passion. The man then returns in 2023 with Sousou no Frieren, a slower, more contemplative fantasy adventure. What stands out most about this show is its overall aesthetic. This show is simply gorgeous. Its got beautiful background art, simple but distinct designs, and some crazy detailed animation. These visuals tie in with the music, composed by the legendary Evan Call, perfectly to create gut-wrenching emotional moments, but also hype fight scenes. The first 4 episodes (shown together as a theatrical release in Japan) are absolute highs from a story-telling perspective, with vibes that sorta remind me of Violet Evergarden at its best. Meanwhile episodes 6 and 9 are action-packed with sequences that rival the best battle shounen. It’s a show that’s got a little bit of something for everyone, an absolute masterclass on almost all fronts. If there was anything to nitpick about this show, it would be a “lack of focus”. It swings between trying to be a slow emotional type show and a battle adventure show too often for my taste. Despite the anime executing on the battle aspects of the manga excellently, I think more focus on the more emotional aspects would make this already great show into a modern classic. Would still recommend this show to literally everyone.
1. Onimai directed by Shingo Fujii
Onimai is an uncommon sighting on AOTY lists, often replaced by more the more popular Frieren and Oshi no Ko. But Onimai is fucking special. An absolute explosion of passion, love and sheer talent for 12 straight episodes. The character animation is easily the best of the year, with absolutely crazy and exaggerated acting mixed with more detailed and subtle shots. There are so many impressive cuts of animation to speak of. Do you want anime girl cooks fried rice? Maybe you want anime girl puts on makeup? Or maybe you want anime girl participates in snowball fight. Onimai truly has it all. But the visuals aren’t the only aspect where care and love are shown. You don’t expect an absurd slice-of-life comedy to be a coming-of-age story with themes of familial love and friendship but that’s exactly what you get. Watching the slow and subtle development of the main character Mahiru as she slowly becomes more comfortable and confident in herself really just warms the ol’ kokoro. While the subject matter doesn’t make it the easiest show to recommend, anyone who can look past it are rewarded with some good old wholesome fucking anime.
Honorable mentions: Oshi no Ko, Uma Musume: Road to the Top, 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You
Dishonorable mentions: Butareba, The Girl I like Forgot Her Glasses, Ameiro Protocol, Inukai’s Dog, Jigokuraku
Overall Rankings (sequels included):
- Uma Musume Season 3
- Link Click Season 2
- Onimai
- Frieren
- Overtake
Special mention to Vinland Saga S2, Tsurune S2, and Trigun Stampede for being shows that could’ve potentially made it here if I finished watching them : ]