The first half of the 2020’s has been an interesting time for anime. On one hand, it feels like the medium’s never been more popular worldwide, particularly among younger demographics, such as Gen Z. Musicians like Megan Thee Stallion cosplay as Jojo characters, football players reference Naruto, anime openings rack up millions of views in days, and perhaps most shocking of all, my dad watched Vinland Saga. The times are changing.
But despite this, it seems like most of this boom hasn’t impacted the anime industry as much as you would expect. Sure, there are more shows being released than ever before, but it seems like very little of this windfall is reaching the animation studios or people who create them. By all accounts, animators are still paid poorly and work grueling hours, studios are usually teetering on the brink, and most shows are still made via the old production committee system that’s been in place for a very long time. It’s all culminated in an increasing number of series with serious production issues that result in delays, which almost always means animator crunch and the shows themselves not reaching their full potential.
But still, despite these rough conditions, people keep drawing. The 2020s have delivered quite a few all-timers, so much so that I difficult time limiting this list to only 25 picks. To be eligible, some part of the series had to air between the start of 2020 and now. Without further ado, here are the 25 best anime of the 2020s.
Honorable Mentions: Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Ranking of Kings, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Chainsaw Man, Oshi No Ko
25. Spy x Family
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Spy x Family is an action-comedy that has quickly taken the anime world by storm, largely thanks to the adorable antics of one Anya Forger. We follow Loid Forger, an undercover agent in the Cold War-esque city of Berlint, who is forced to form a “fake” family and infiltrate an enemy country’s political circles to avert war. He ends up adopting Anya, an orphan with telekinetic mind-reading abilities, and—at least on paper—marrying Yor, an assassin working for a rival government. While its premise may sound similar to self-serious prestige TV like The Americans, Spy x Family is mostly a light-hearted spoof of the nuclear family that is deeply hilarious, often cool, and sometimes touching.
So far, Wit Studio and Cloverworks have gone above and beyond to bring this adaptation to life, which has sold its gags so hard that I still find myself randomly chuckling over them months later. While Loid is technically the protagonist, Anya is the star of the show, as she oscillates between being a little goblin and a precious bean doing her best to help her dad. While its overarching narrative has stalled out a bit as of late, few shows are this skilled at balancing humor, action antics, and feel-good moments. —Elijah Gonzalez
24. The Dangers in My Heart
The Dangers in My Heart got off to a somewhat rocky start due to its main character’s edgelordian inner monologues, but quickly blossomed into an unexpectedly heartwarming tale. It follows two junior high students, Kyoutarou Ichikawa, a seemingly gloomy kid who scares others away with Hot Topic-fashion sense and an apparent love of gory true crime, and Anna Yamada, a tall model who’s the most popular girl in class. Although this setup initially reeks of wish-fulfillment due to its “dreary boy” and “bubbly girl” pairing, it transcends this thanks to how specific both characters come across. We find that Ichikawa’s awkward chuunibyou tendencies are a shield meant to deflect disappointment, while Yamada is a messy, non-idealized dork. Through cute vignettes, it conveys the burgeoning relationship between these two with fluffy delight, and, mercifully, its leading pair are capable of actually communicating with one another instead of letting misunderstandings linger for the sake of dramatic convenience. Small incidental moments slowly accumulate until you’re ready to ugly cry along with its cast, who have already come a long way in being increasingly honest with themselves and others. Through its second season, The Dangers in My Heart remains as engaging and adorkable as ever. —Elijah Gonzalez
23. Non Non Biyori
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Through its genuine depictions of growing up Non Non Biyori is a soothing ode to a specific time and place that delights in patient portraits of nature. It follows the shenanigans of a group of kids living in a countryside village, and while it’s certainly not the first anime to tackle adolescence, one of its greatest accomplishments is how accurately it conveys that children can be deeply weird. The precocious Renge is a perfect example of this, whose bizarre comments, paired with voice actress Kotori Koiwai’s spontaneous performance, are a constant source of hilarity. She and her friends, who span a large age range due to the lack of non-adults left in this increasingly depopulated town, get up to a variety of low-stakes adventures that lead to the types of wildly incorrect or oddly piercing assumptions that kids tend to make. A highlight is the wholesome pseudo-big sister relationship between Renge, a strange gremlin child, and the prickly Kaede, a 20-year-old who heads up her family’s struggling business.
Even though it mostly focuses on light-hearted fun meant to transport the audience back to when their lives were less burdened by responsibility, the series also empathetically captures the pains of getting older. It portrays the passage of time with bittersweet melancholy, the changing seasons accentuating how its characters are getting increasingly close to the day when they’ll have to decide if they want to leave their dying community or stay and nurture it for the next generation. Non Non Biyori not only works as a relaxing detour from everyday stress but also as a hilarious and affecting snapshot of childhood. —Elijah Gonzalez
22. Dorohedoro
Over the years, MAPPA has established itself as one of anime’s best animation studios. Since their inception in the early 2010s, they’ve put out some of the most sumptuously animated shows in recent memory, like Shinichiro Watanabe’s Kids on the Slope and Terror in Resonance as well as cult favorites Kakegurui and Yuri on Ice. What makes their work truly shine is the evocative style of movement they manage, giving each of their shows their own visual language that feels sensitive and bodily. Somehow, their romantic stylings work perfectly for Dorohedoro, which is based on Q Hayashida’s popular manga of the same name. Dorohedoro follows Caiman, an amnesiac cursed with a reptile head living in a nightmarish brutalist cityscape haunted by interdimensional sorcerers. The show is a surreal mixture of high fantasy and grungy sci-fi, reveling in gritty hyperviolence and oafish humor. MAPPA manages to craft something that could easily slide into the low-brow feel beautiful and enchanting. Despite its grotesque bombast, Dorohedoro tells a compelling story of poverty, community, and exploitation. —Austin Jones
21. Akudama Drive
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By its final episode, Akudama Drive had completely subverted my expectations. Not because it ever deviated from the punk sensibilities of its first episode, but because of how convincingly it managed to communicate its ideas while staying true to its over-the-top neon-drenched presentation. The story follows Swindler, a girl sucked into the criminal justice system for a minor misdemeanor that she didn’t actually commit, as she falls in with a crew of hardened convicts following the orders of a mysterious third party. Dreamed up by Danganronpa creator Kazutaka Kodaka, this cyberpunk series has more constructive things to say about its dystopian backdrop than it has any right to, considering its characters don’t even have names and are instead adorned with monikers like Hoodlum or Cutthroat as if they were playable characters in a particularly degenerate videogame. But despite its intensely exaggerated presentation, the show delivers one of the most scathing indictments of the criminal justice system and policing that I’ve seen on television, its repudiations of fascist cops and uncaring authoritarian systems ringing out like a belting chorus you’d hear surrounded by studded leather in a seedy dive. It doesn’t convince through lengthy monologues on political theory but by a visceral feeling, specifically of a jackboot pressing down on a neck. Akudama Drive is deeply angry, but it processes that rage towards a deep-seated belief in the possibility of change and the construction of something new. In short, it’s proof that style and substance don’t need to be mutually exclusive. —Elijah Gonzalez
20. Kaguya-sama Love Is War
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From the start, Kaguya-sama Love Is War quickly proved to be one of the most visually inventive and gut-busting anime around, its non-stop gags conveying the lengths that its two protagonists were willing to go to avoid confessing their true feelings. Here Kaguya and Shirogane, the heads of the student council at an elite high school, come up with increasingly intricate schemes to make the other slip. Their heavily calculated ploys are brought to life with frenetic, art-style-switching fervor that accomplishes the difficult task of keeping a single gag fresh through dozens of episodes. However, although it’s carried by the strength of its animation and comedy up front, later seasons give its cast depth by establishing their previous hardships and current struggles. Most pointedly, these trials and flashbacks clarify the deeper reasons why many of its characters are in love in the first place, with past moments of kindness and inspiration bubbling to the forefront. It turns out that there are more interesting reasons why Kaguya and Shirogane engage in psychological skirmishes than just being prideful, boneheaded teens. While its maelstrom of aesthetically expressive gags hasn’t let up, this series’ ambitions have grown with its protagonists, ensuring that this humorous romp doubles as an affecting romance story.—Elijah Gonzalez
19. Sound! Euphonium
There are plenty of anime about high school (probably too many, in fact!), but there’s something different when Kyoto Animation is at the helm, a phenomenon embodied by the music-based drama of Sound! Euphonium. Simply put, the series excels at wringing out over-the-top emotion from everyday circumstances, and its brand of carefully realized dream-chasing was sorely missed during its hiatus from the small screen. The story follows Kumiko and her friends as their club goes from out of sync to a contender aiming for gold at Nationals, each high and low delivered via painstakingly rendered character animation that keys us into subtle emotional turns. These impressive aesthetics help sell us on the stakes, pulling us into the headspace of its sometimes delightful, often chaotic characters. In particular, the final season dials up the mess, and after spending years with these characters, their last desperate march toward realizing their dreams is filled with triumphs, heartbreak, and callbacks. It’s hard to part ways, and these closing few episodes convey this sentiment with percussive force, memorializing every passing moment in stunning displays of visual craft. —Elijah Gonzalez
18. Girls Band Cry
Finally available for streaming outside of Japan, Girls Band Cry is defined by delightful animation and lovable disaster characters which make this another banger in the increasingly crowded “girls start a band” sub-genre. The story centers on Nina, a teen who drops out of school to move to Tokyo and quickly crosses paths with her favorite musician, Momoka. Before long, Nina finds herself not just admiring from afar but making music for herself as she comes together with a group of fellow misfits to form a band.
The most immediately noticeable element here is the intensely expressive 3D animation, as characters stretch and bounce to sell physical comedy and genuine emotion. While a lot of anime’s 3D CGI looks stiff or awkward, there is a fluidity here that lends itself perfectly to both big musical performance sequences and playful banter between these bandmates. And as for the main cast, they’re an absolute mess in the best way possible, crashing through the streets of Tokyo as they flip people off, struggle against each other, and find purpose in music. Nina makes for a compelling protagonist who alternates between being painfully sincere and a chaotic gremlin, ripping true feelings out of her compatriots as their music helps them address old hurts. Not to be upstaged, the other band members all have their own well-defined concerns that lead to authentic drama, such as Momoka’s fears of repeating the past or Subaru’s family issues. While our central cast may be a bit of a trainwreck, between this series’ affecting turns, striking look, and somewhat open-ended conclusion, I’m hoping we get more of this performance.
17. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury has a lot going on. Not only does it borrow heavily from Revolutionary Girl Utena, Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and other Gundam series, but it also has its own complex political machinations and a massive cast. However, despite all these spinning plates, the show brings together its pastiche, worldbuilding, and references in a way that almost always feels additive instead of convoluted. Season 2 continues to follow Suletta Mercury, an ace mobile suit pilot and student at an elite academy, who finds herself caught up in a web of schemes surrounding a powerful interplanetary corporation, as her romantic relationship with Miorine, the heiress of said corporation, is tested. While the last season was primarily dedicated to school drama and relationships, intrigue bubbles to the forefront of this run, resulting in these sympathetically portrayed characters being placed in increasingly fraught circumstances. The days of ceremonial duels between giant robots are gone, replaced by life-or-death skirmishes fought by desperate factions.
Although these many groups and their plots are introduced in a somewhat dizzying fashion, these events are reiterated enough to make them parsable, establishing a sci-fi world where people are motivated by believable socioeconomic realities and personal beef. Along the way, it sets up plenty of crushing moments as these students face cruel twists that threaten to unmake their core beliefs. And seemingly unlike everyone else, I mostly enjoyed the rapid-fire series finale. While I admit the show could have used at least another episode or two to fully flesh out its characters’ fates or its larger thematic conflicts (particularly its political circumstances), the conclusion wrapped up this journey in a way that I emotionally bought into. Through battles that are equally exciting and devastating, corporate thriller machinations, and its central queer romance, The Witch from Mercury delivered on a considerable chunk of its sizable ambitions. —Elijah Gonzalez
16. BanG Dream!! It’s My Go!!!!!
One of my favorite aspects of watching seasonal anime is that no matter how much knowledge you have going into a batch of shows—whether that’s having tabs on the next big adaptations or knowing which originals have an exciting staff—there will always be unexpected hits that come out of nowhere and steal the show. Despite its seemingly silly title (which somehow becomes thematically relevant later on), BanG Dream!! It’s My Go!!!!! was an unexpected star from last year. It’s a spinoff of a multimedia music franchise I had never heard of, but considering the involvement of Flip Flappers’ lead writer Yuniko Ayana, I probably should have been paying attention. Many elements make this one special, but most immediately apparent is its ability to spin affecting drama out of its cast. The members of this act are a hot mess, each defined by complexes that make it difficult for their group to fully congeal, leading to misfires, breakdowns, and general dysfunction. But in the fleeting moments when they’re in sync, we not only see their potential as musicians but also how their performances give them something they’ve all been searching for.
Although the threat of an impending band breakup hangs over the entire season, this dynamic never gets old because these characters’ many hang-ups are thoughtfully explored along the way. For instance, we learn that Tomori, the lyricist and heart of this group, has always struggled to fit in, but she’s finally able to communicate her feelings through songwriting. Soyo works as a more ominous parallel as fleeting memories of her old band make her desperate to recreate what they had. Director Koudai Kakimoto uses recurring mannerisms and evocative framing in concert with expressive animation to clue us into what these people are going through, which like many of the best freshman albums, feels tactile and raw. This craft culminates in musical performances that burn the house down as dynamic camera work, thematically resonant songs, and character growth come together in perfect harmony. Don’t let BanG Dream!! It’s My Go!!!!! slip past your radar; it’s one of the best acts of the last few years. —Elijah Gonzalez
15. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean achieves the near-impossible: it’s just as, if not more, unhinged than the previous installments in this influential action saga. This time we follow Jolyne, a young woman imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit, as she works towards saving her father. In many ways, it delivers what we’ve come to expect from this series, realizing intricate fights between dramatically posing supermodels who wield convoluted powers and are basically all named after well-known musical acts. Its head-scratching heroics are as colorful as ever, and even if there were some occasional dips in animation quality compared to previous seasons, its complicated puzzle battles were still absurd and deeply entertaining. Where else will you see spectral beings engage in duels with zombie alligators, meteorite-wielding prison guards, and optic illusion-manipulating babies? JoJo is one of the most frequently referenced works in all of anime and manga for a reason: its ostentatious style and idiosyncrasies are iconic.
However, this season’s greatest strength, and what makes it one of the best entries in the series, is its badass heroine Jolyne. Her tactical genius, determination to save her father despite overwhelming obstacles, and ability to punch people in the face very well make her impossible not to root for. And on top of all the ridiculous fun, it’s weirdly effective at conveying that there are few things scarier than the American carceral system (and also the state of Florida). —Elijah Gonzalez
14. 86
Tragic, moving, and surprisingly thoughtful, 86 is an anti-fascist war epic that makes good on its grandiose aims. The story follows Lena and her squad of conscripted teenage soldiers, the 86, who are forced to fight on behalf of a genocidal regime. While I went into the series skeptical that it could handle its hefty premise, it ended up blowing past my expectations, in large part because this narrative never fails to castigate the rotten society at its core. For instance, while Lena, who’s part of San Magnolia’s privileged ethnic group, is an 86 sympathizer from the start, this doesn’t mean her subordinate soldiers particularly like her, and the series interrogates the white savior trope as it focuses on the characters being oppressed. Toshimasa Ishii’s excellent direction and storyboarding convey the horrors of this death march by capturing the empty space left by each casualty, and while all this could have come across as maudlin and overly emotionally manipulative, there are enough fleeting moments of hope and defiance in the face of this exploitation to help balance things out. If all that wasn’t enough, the second season tactfully deals with the aftermath and survivor’s guilt of this carnage as these characters are taken in by a neoliberal democracy that prides itself on its morality, but that has its own more subtle forms of prejudice, which are similarly critiqued by the story. If I have one issue, it’s that the inclusion of tropey anime elements, like the camera’s obsession with Lena’s thighs, feels wildly out of place, given the show’s otherwise grave tone. Overall, though, between its surprisingly sharp writing and powerful imagery, 86 is difficult to forget. —Elijah Gonzalez
13. Sonny Boy
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Sometimes, when you’re bombarded with the fifth derivative fantasy RPG world of the season, it can feel like the anime industry is sorely lacking in novelty. But then a show like Sonny Boy comes along, crackling with such experimental, oddball energy that you remember why you started watching these cartoons in the first place. Helmed by director Shingo Natsume (One Punch Man, Space Dandy, Tatami Time Machine Blues) and animated by Madhouse, it follows a crew of teenagers trapped in a dimension that’s unbound by the rules of our reality. While at first, it bears a resemblance to The Drifting Classroom or Lord of the Flies, it quickly carves out its own psychedelic space, stringing together a unique collage of tone pieces and philosophical diatribes that make it impossible to know where it will go next. Admittedly, the density of its imagery and the way it largely abandons traditional plot structure will be off-putting to some, but underneath this cold exterior is a deeply sincere coming-of-age tale that builds out affecting relationships between this group of outcast teens. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything else quite like Sonny Boy, and I mean that as the highest praise. —Elijah Gonzalez
12. Bocchi the Rock!
While there were quite a few interesting shows that came out of nowhere in 2022, few of these dark horses had as much impact as Bocchi the Rock!, a music-themed coming-of-age comedy that was one of the most visually creative projects of the year. It focuses on Hitori Gotoh, an introverted guitar player who grapples with social anxiety as she becomes the newest member of a fledgling band. From the jump, Gotoh is convincingly written, as voice actress Yoshino Aoyama plays her constant stream of invasive thoughts to perfection. The rest of the band is similarly well-portrayed, and from the kind-hearted Nijika to the ray of positivity Kita, this group complements each other on and off the stage.
However, the most striking element of this production are its aesthetics, as the series bounces between different visual styles and mediums to wonderfully overdeliver every gag. The mixed media approach uses claymation, live action, 3D rigging, and just about every other trick imaginable to portray what it’s like to have a messy anxiety-addled brain. While these jokes could have come across as mean-spirited, most of them feel like they come from a place of personal experience rather than ridicule, making it feel like we’re laughing with our protagonist and not at her.
And beyond its escalating humor, the direction also conveys the overwhelming power of music, transforming humble gigs into musical battlegrounds that capture the beauty of live performance. At one point, the camera morphs a flickering lamp into stage lighting, turning a street corner into a venue as Hitori shreds an impressive lick and steps towards overcoming her apprehensions. These sequences maintain the creativity of the comedic cuts while using fluid character animation to demonstrate the weight and physicality of playing an instrument, these musicians’ self-doubts and worries melting away as they’re lost in song. Altogether, it’s a visual tour-de-force, that’s equal parts funny, poignant, and painfully relatable. —Elijah Gonzalez
11. Skip and Loafer
Although there is no shortage of anime about high school, Skip and Loafer differentiates itself through its boundless warmth and thoughtful treatment of its protagonists. We follow Mitsumi, a student who moves to Tokyo to attend an elite academy so she can eventually make her dream of revitalizing her rural home come true. While she’s initially overwhelmed by life in the bustling city, she is taken under the wing of Sousuke, a helpful first-year boy whose outwardly pleasant demeanor seems to hide traces of lingering pain. One of the series’ standout elements is how virtually every character is afforded an inner life—their charms, struggles, and flaws making each feel like fully rendered people instead of archetypes. For instance, although our heroine is hard-working and effortlessly kind, she also tends to stress herself out with self-imposed expectations, resulting in many sleepless nights.
This complexity is also reflected in Mitsumi’s eclectic friend group, made up of popular folks who have had to deal with unwanted advances or assumptions about their personality due to their looks, as well as those who have built up walls due to past judgment. In particular, it does a beautiful job representing the friendships that form between its young women, deftly avoiding tired tropes that would pit them against one another over a love interest. And though this work is buoyed by a general sense of levity, as reflected in its warm color palette, charming art style, and bounty of affecting moments, it isn’t afraid to add tension by introducing conflicts that threaten to spoil the burgeoning romance between its central pair. In a spring stacked with heavy hitters, Skip and Loafer was the show that never failed to brighten my day, its kindness and multifaceted cast making it one of the most brilliant high school dramas in some time. —Elijah Gonzalez
10. Odd Taxi
The simple veneer of Odd Taxi belies a complex inner core; each of the show’s 13 episodes follows the beat of taxi driver Hiroshi Odokawa, an eccentric and terminally single walrus numb to his monotonous daily routine. Unbeknownst to him, a missing girl slowly invades his life as his taxi becomes the epicenter of the case. Part Taxi Cab Confessions and part Durarara!!, Odd Taxi eschews bombast for a slower story about relationships, societal expectations, and modern life. Yes, it’s a scintillating examination of life in the newly minted Reiwa era, but it’s also an exercise in the practiced building of tension, with each episode feeling like it’s about to reach a boiling point before it returns to a calm simmer.
The show precariously oscillates between mundane, often humorous conversations with Odokawa’s passengers and the dangerous conspiracies brewing just outside the safety of his cab. Where the show truly shines is in the former, though—the quippy banter between the cast’s characters reveals a deeply human view of modern life, tackling pervasive but often undersold conversations about online gambling, dating apps, and the urge to make it big in a world full of thousands of microcelebrities. Unlike many of its peers, though, Odd Taxi isn’t just some flash in the pan viral star—it’s one of the best anime of recent years, and unlike anything else out there right now. —Austin Jones
9. Delicious in Dungeon
Considering the abundance of fantasy anime these days, it’s always nice when one has a novel angle, and Delicious in Dungeon’s obsession with cuisine fits the bill. We follow Laois, Marcille, and Chilchuck, three adventurers who resort to cooking dungeon monsters so they can quickly return to the depths and save their companion Falin, who is in danger of being digested by a dragon that swallowed her whole. But despite this seemingly grave premise, the series has a chill vibe, mostly focusing on delicious meals and the hijinks that ensue from their preparation. Studio Trigger’s mouth-watering animation and sharp visual comedy help make each of these dishes appropriately tasty (or alarming), turning this quest into a food travelogue that savors the small details.
And when our crew meets Senshi, a dwarf who’s dedicated his existence to tasting subterranean delicacies, it fully clicks how this fantasy milieu overlaps with cooking: both often rely on an avalanche of factoids about flora and fauna, and the series revels in its tantalizing food lore without feeling over-indulgent. But perhaps what surprised me the most is how these many methodically concocted dinners slowly endear us to this group of adventurers, using the time spent preparing and eating these entrées to fill more than just bellies. It all makes for a story that provides a nice spread of varying genres and tones, offering a fresh spin on stale fantasy tropes in the process. —Elijah Gonzalez
8. Pluto
Despite a widely celebrated body of work, only a handful of Naoki Urasawa’s beloved manga have made the jump to the small screen. One of these few adaptations is Pluto, a murder-mystery reimagining of the seminal Astro Boy, and the results are dazzling. It follows a detective named Gesicht as he unravels a case that invites questions about the personhood of androids and ties into the scars of an unjustified war. On its face, many of this story’s ideas have been interrogated ad nauseam, stretching as far back as when Asimov first penned the laws of robotics, but where it differs is in its execution. While science fiction can often feel as cold as these machine lifeforms’ chrome exteriors, this tale focuses on the warmth found in the buzzing circuity beneath. In half an episode or less, we’re endeared to the trials and tribulations of seven robots in the crosshairs of a rogue killer as flashbacks reveal a horrible conflict etched into their unchanging digital memories. The winding mystery at the center of the story smartly connects anti-war sentiment and ruminations on artificial consciousness, and while there is a lot to keep track of, the propulsive pacing of Gesicht’s investigation keeps everything focused. It all makes for a beautifully constructed work of sci-fi that, much like the robots at the center of this story, is full of humanity. —Elijah Gonzalez
7. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
What does it mean to live forever? Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End tackles this question both literally and figuratively as it wrings melancholy out of this high fantasy backdrop. We follow Frieren, a several thousand-year-old elven mage who previously helped defeat the Demon Lord, who struggles with the weight of leaving her companions behind. As she heads off on a new quest with her apprentice, she faces new challenges and reflects on how those closest to her have lived on in those they’ve helped.
As an adaptation, Studio Madhouse, director Keiichirō Saitō, and composer Evan Call come together to realize one of the most aesthetically consistent anime in ages, delivering gorgeous animation and background art that puts as much emphasis on tiny moments of connection as its big battles. It works wonderfully in both modes, delighting in the greens of rolling countryside and pastoral melodies of its score while also delivering duels of earth-shaking magical power. Compared to many modern fantasy anime worlds that feel plucked from undercooked RPGs, this one fleshes out the details to create a living, changing space sculpted by the march of time. And although it’s a story defined by the weight of the past, it still provides levity and charm thanks to its cast of loveable doofuses who I’ll very much miss until we get a new season. Until next time, Frieren. —Elijah Gonzalez
6. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
It’s crazy to think that until a few years ago, Masaaki Yuasa was anime’s best kept secret. Long popular among fans of experimental animation, he finally crossed over into mainstream success with his Netflix adaptation of Devilman Crybaby. But where Devilman Crybaby is an indulgent work of hedonism and destruction, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is one of his chillest works to date and a fine entry in Yuasa’s expansive oeuvre.
Yuasa is an expert in making the mundane seem magical, and that’s exactly what makes Eizouken so infinitely relatable. The story’s a simple one—Midori, an incoming high school freshman, dreams of creating her own anime. She soon meets her classmate, Tsubame, a popular young model frustrated with her expectant parents who similarly yearns to work in animation. Together with Midori’s best friend, the hilarious miser Sayaka, they form an animation team masqueraded as a film production club at their school to avoid suspicion from Tsubame’s family (and to siphon the school’s generous budget offering).
Eizouken’s all about the power of collaboration and dreams. It’s an optimistic show nestled perfectly in an otherwise dismal year, earnestly hopeful and just a little naive. In 2020, we could all use a little wide-eyed idealism, which made Eizouken irrefutably the best anime of the year. —Austin Jones
5. The Apothecary Diaries
Combining court politics with medical-themed whodunits, The Apothecary Diaries is a tantalizing concoction elevated by its immensely charming lead. Week to week, we watch as our genius apothecary, Maomao, uses her deep knowledge of science and remedies to piece together mysteries within this fictionalized spin on Ming Dynasty China’s imperial court. These one-offs are deeply entertaining in their own right, offering ample room for our medicinal detective to flex her sharp wit. However, where they gain even more impact is in how they connect to implicit critiques of the power imbalances and misogyny that define this historical setting. For Maomao, cracking these cases is frequently the easy part, and the true difficulty comes from navigating an invisible web of royal court procedure and faux pas that could lead to her getting expelled (or much worse) if she makes even a minor misstep.
But while this setting can be oppressive, the series also highlights how those trapped in this walled garden carve out little spaces for themselves. Maomao is a lovable medicine goblin who’s quickly become one of my favorite anime protagonists, and this story is so good at capturing her over-the-top glee at gathering herbs and crafting potions (especially poison). We see other people’s passions, wants, and loves in equal turn—the things that persevere despite these stifling circumstances. Toho and OLM’s consistently beautiful backdrops put us in this historical moment as the show deftly balances its many tones and political circumstances. Altogether, it makes for a potent mixture. —Elijah Gonzalez
4. Chihayafuru
Despite focusing on a card game that is relatively obscure outside of Japan, Chihayafuru conveys the soaring feelings of its cast so convincingly that it’s difficult not to get pulled into the intricacies of this sport. The story follows Chihaya, a girl who finds purpose and camaraderie in competitive karuta, a card game that combines memorization, technique, and strategy. Out of the gate, the series successfully captures the complicated reasons why its central characters are pulled into this hobby. We see the euphoria and fulfillment that Chihaya receives from finding something to strive for, as well as how her friends Arata and Taichi grapple with familial expectations and toxic forms of motivation. However, one of the show’s most ingenious strokes is how it affords the broader cast the same degree of care and interiority as its main trio, endearing us to their foes, and making nearly every showdown into a devastating affair. Madhouse’s adaptation of this best-selling manga further elevates these duels with striking visual language that uses gorgeous background art and abstract imagery to place us in the headspace of its competitors, making each battle feel climatic. And since the rules and details of these bouts are well-explained, even its longer tournament arcs feel engaging. Between its ability to endear us to its characters and its beautiful production value, Chihayafuru is a sports anime that you don’t want to miss. —Elijah Gonzalez
3. Fruits Basket (2019)
Both the 2001 and 2019 anime adaptations of Natsuki Takaya’s classic Fruits Basket shojo manga are available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The first anime was cut short early in the manga’s run (Takaya didn’t like the changes made and didn’t allow a second season despite fan demand), so it’s the more faithful, more recent adaptation you’ll want to watch to get the full story.
Fruits Basket’s fantasy rom-com story follows Tohru Honda, an orphan high school girl living with the Sohma family, who are cursed to transform into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac when hugged by members of the opposite sex. It’s a silly setup, but one which affords each of its quirky characters significant depth and goes to some impressively heavy emotional places. Fruits Basket will make you laugh and cry, and maybe even inspire you to be a better person. —Reuben Baron
2. Vinland Saga
Watch on Crunchyroll
Watch on Netflix
Based on the long-running manga penned by Makoto Yukimura of Planetes fame, Vinland Saga is a Norse tale told through a humanist lens. It follows Thorfinn, an Icelandic boy living in the early 11th century, who—after enduring a personal tragedy—sets out on a tale of revenge. Or at least, that’s how things initially appear. Despite resembling traditional Scandinavian poems about bloody quests for comeuppance, Thorfinn’s journey is less vainglorious and more tragic. Here, warriors aren’t framed as valiant heroes battling for a place in Valhalla, but as sadists and butchers inoculated into a culture of pointless violence. Perhaps the greatest trick this story pulls is that even though it never shies away from human cruelty, it isn’t shot through with cynicism, instead suggesting a better way is just out of reach. Sure, there is some tonal weirdness in its first season, as it enacts a series of fights that feel less like indictments of bloodshed and more like battle shonen duels between borderline superheroes, but admittedly Wit Studio’s animation chops are on such display here that it’s easy to forgive some of the amped-up, meathead shenanigans. And by its second season, these inconsistencies are smoothed over as this story transforms into a full-throated condemnation of the inhumanity of this period, delving into the hardships these characters face due to cruel belief structures and political systems. Between its powerful articulation of its protagonist’s emotional journey and its ability to immerse us in this fraught depiction of Middle Ages Europe, Vinland Saga is a gripping treatise on violence, revenge, and the distant hope for a better world. —Elijah Gonzalez
1. Mob Psycho 100
Watch on Crunchyroll
Watch on Netflix
Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama is a psychic of unquestionable talent. Unfortunately, that’s about all he has going on in the skills department. Based on a web manga by One (One-Punch Man), Mob Psycho 100 is a psychedelic blend of coming-of-age tropes and Ghost Adventures, following Mob as he and his fraudulent mentor Reigen solve supernatural problems in Seasoning City. The show’s animation, courtesy of Bones (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, My Hero Academia), maintains film-quality action sequences and trippy, technicolor style throughout, but what really makes it a cut above the rest is its seemingly forgettable star. Mob starts off as an unremarkable boy who just wants to be normal. His dedication to living every day to the fullest is infectious, and by the end, he’s got a hearty cast of confidants and companions. Mob Psycho 100 might attract you with its wackiness, but its moments of emotional clarity will keep you coming back. —Austin Jones
Elijah Gonzalez is an assistant Games and TV Editor for Paste Magazine. In addition to playing and watching the latest on the small screen, he also loves film, creating large lists of media he’ll probably never actually get to, and dreaming of the day he finally gets through all the Like a Dragon games. You can follow him on Twitter @eli_gonzalez11.
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