Best Anime Movies And Shows Of 2023 So Far
Loved by a loyal audience for bringing memorable stories and distinctive animation to film and television, it seems that every year, anime becomes more popular with audiences around the globe.
While that's owed in part to ever-increasing new technologies that have made anime more easily accessible, growing demand is also the result of new, groundbreaking titles that seem to pop up nearly every day. It's hard to argue that 2023 is a particularly strong one for the medium.
In a sea of new movies and fresh series, with new seasons taking their place alongside existing classics, it can be tricky to find new anime to check out, or even to keep up with the well-established titles. Some titles even surpass the 100 episode mark, making it a bit daunting to think about wading into such waters. So, whether you're a total expert, or simply looking to give the genre a try for the very first time, here are the best anime movies and shows of 2023 so far.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles
A surprising comedy and wildly entertaining spoof of everything from "Harry Potter" to traditional shonen anime, ""Mashie" is set in a magical world where a person's worth is measured by their fantastical abilities. Residing in this reality is Mashle, a young man who possesses no magic whatsoever. While those like him are normally put to death, Mash has been raised in secret by his father Regro, who taught his son to be a physical force rather than a magical one.
After sneaking off to the city, though, Mashle is discovered and nearly executed, until he defeats a magic wielder with sheer muscle. Setting out to beat the odds and survive in a world where he should never exist, Mashle accepts a deal from a local police officer: Graduate the Divine Easton Academy of Magic and prove he belongs.
His time at the Academy is no picnic, however; Mashle finds himself neck deep in a number of comical hijinks. A fast, fun, and breezy laugh riot, "Mashle: Magic and Muscles" gives fans a classic bumbling underdog story that's impossible not to love.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 3
Debuting in the spring of 2019 and adapted from a bestselling manga, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" quickly rose through the ranks, becoming one of the most popular anime series of all time.
Set in Taisho era Japan, in a world plagued by murderous demons, the series follows a boy named Tanjiro, whose entire family is slaughtered with the exception of his little sister Nezuko. She doesn't emerge from the attack unscathed, however, and quickly turns into a demon as a result, leaving Tanjiro to begin training as a defender of humanity while seeking a cure.
In 2023, "Demon Slayer" released its third season in April. After departing from the entertainment district at the end of Season 2, Tanjiro's travels take him to the secretive Swordsmith Village, both to heal from his last battle and acquire a new sword to replace the one he lost. There, he meets both new and old Hashira, while the growing threat of an attack by upper rank demons looms in the background.
Although the series is wrapping up its third season in June of 2023, there's still plenty more source material from the manga left to adapt. Considering how great the acclaimed anime has been thus far, it's safe to assume it'll be reappearing in future "best of" lists for as long as it is airing.
Trigun Stampede
Originally published as a manga in the mid 1990s, "Trigun" came to television screens in Japan not long after. Debuting in 1998 in what is considered by some today to be among the greatest anime ever, "Trigun" told the story of Vash the Stampede, a legendary futuristic gunslinger with a price on his head. After 25 years, Vash returns in "Trigun Stampede," a reimagining of the original series from Studio Orange, and it doesn't disappoint, pushing the limits of the genre with a stunning mix of traditional and CGI animation called 3DCG.
A classic swaggering outlaw, Vash the Stampede is back and better than ever, a lethal but reluctant killer who always seems able to escape one close call after another. All the action takes place in a post apocalyptic Earth, a fascinating wasteland full of complex heroes and villains that is almost a character unto itself.
As a reboot of the original "Trigun," this new version could have faced enormous backlash for being so bold as to remake a classic. But with brisk storytelling and jaw-dropping animation, it not only lives up to its predecessor, it actually adds to it; it has already been hailed as one of the best anime of the year, with the episode "Wolfwood" being praised by Anime Corner as "the best episode we've received across the entire Winter 2023 anime lineup."
Vinland Saga: Season 2
"Vinland Saga" didn't have to wait two-and-a-half decades like "Trigun," but it did take four years to see a second season, debuting its first season in 2019 before making a triumphant return in 2023 for its sophomore effort.
A historical adventure, "Vinland Saga" follows a Viking warrior named Thorfinn, who sets out to get revenge for the murder of his father. Season 1 chronicled Thorfinn's young life, from childhood to adulthood, and was packed with violent action and adventure as he sought to settle an old score.
Season 2, however, takes a new tack, with Thorfinn looking inward; the story is much more focused on Thorfinn's personal struggle to come to terms with a life lost to bloodlust. Hiroshi Seko, who has written episodes of "Attack on Titan" and "Jujutsu Kaisen," pens the entire season, and puts his experience on some of the best anime of the last decade to good use. A fantastical journey full of heartfelt emotion, the second season of "Vinland Saga" sees a notable departure in tone from Season 1, but this just makes it all the better.
Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine
One of the best anime films of the year so far, "Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine" continues the adventures of the long-running series (known domestically as "Case Closed") which began its 15-season run back in 1996.
During and after the show's run, the series continued with a series of films, and "Black Iron Submarine" is the latest in the franchise. A veritable empire of anime, there's over 1000 episodes and now 25 films, and "Black Submarine" is another first-rate spy story, this time centered on a clandestine Interpol facility aboard a deep sea submarine.
In this new movie, detective Conan Edogawa — stuck in the body of a child — is back to help solve a kidnapping plot when an engineer behind a new, top-secret surveillance program is kidnapped by the shadowy Black Organization. They've also abducted Ai Haibara, who has been afflicted by the same experimental drug as Conan, also left shrunken to the size of a child.
A tense action thriller that's also light-hearted and fun, "Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine" features all the world-saving adventure you could want. That means death-defying escapes, nail-biting chases, and plenty of unexpected twists and turns.
Attack on Titan: Season 4, Part 3
Set in a dystopian world where humanity has been pushed to the brink of extinction by fearsome monsters known as titans, "Attack on Titan" follows the few remaining survivors as they hide within massive walled cities, isolated from the world around them. As the audience slowly discovers over four seasons, the true nature of the world is far more complicated, and more cruel, than it seems.
One of the shortest entries on this list, with just an hour of new content released in 2023 so far, its limited runtime serves as a testament to the enduring quality that "Attack on Titan" has delivered since its inception. Season 4, Part 3 picks up in the immediate aftermath of where the series last left off. Featuring some of the most extreme violence in the series so far, both old friends and foes cast aside their differences in a desperate bid to try and stop a genocidal plan before it reaches completion.
With little in the original manga left to adapt, the upcoming conclusion to Season 4 could very well be the last of the series. Looking at it as a whole, though, it's easy to see why the show has become so beloved among anime fans, in no small part thanks to its rollercoaster of a conclusion.
Oshi no Ko
"Oshi no Ko" made a splash when it was serialized in "Weekly Young Jump" in 2020, mixing elements of magic, music, adventure, and pop stardom into a powerful story of family. In 2022, a deal was struck to adapt it into an anime, and it arrived early the following year.
The series came with an opening episode that mostly serves as a prequel to the series proper. In it, we meet Dr. Gorou Amamiya, a diehard fan of the superstar singer Ai Hoshino. He's stunned, however, when Hoshino enters his hospital to reveal that she's pregnant with twins, and wants to keep them a secret from the public.
Idolizing Hoshino, Dr. Amamiya helps her through the pregnancy. But just when Hoshino is due to give birth, Amamiya dies in an accident, and by a twist of fate is reborn as Hoshino's son Aquamarine, with all of his memories intact. As it happens, his new twin sister Ruby is the reincarnation of a previous patient of Amamiya who he failed to save, and now, many years later, both become stars themselves and must deal with grief after the death of their mother.
With its premiere episode achieving the notable achievement of being the highest-rated anime premiere episode of all time,
"Oshi no Ko" blends genres and defies conventional description. Suffice it to say, the series examines everything from child exploitation to the twisted nature of obsessive fandom, crafting a poignant story of love and loss.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Season 2
In 2022, the mecha anime "Mobile Suit Gundam" returned with the series "The Witch From Mercury," and its first season stretched into the new year. Season 2 arrived not long after in April of 2023, and it's rightly ranked among the best in the genre so far. While Season 1 set the stage by re-introducing the world and setting up a new cast of characters — and was capped off with a shocking finale that saw a devastating surprise attack and one of the most grisly scenes in the franchise's long history — Season 2 builds on it.
The focus this time is on Suletta Mercury, a young girl and student at a prestigious academy who has her own Gundam named Aerial, crafted on Mercury. She uses it to defeat her opponent in a brutal mecha battle, and her prize is a hand in marriage to the daughter of the Academy chairman, Miorine. Don't let the romance fool you, though, because "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury" Season 2 never lets up on the action. It also explores serious themes including the cost of war, making it a dramatic tale that stands among the best the franchise has to offer.
Psycho-Pass Providence
A sci-fi film noir seemingly inspired by cyber-punk thrillers like "Blade Runner" and "Minority Report," the 2023 movie "Psycho-Pass Providence" is a feature film follow-up to "Psycho-Pass," the series that aired its third and final season in 2019.
Set almost 100 years into the future, the film centers on Akane Tsunemori, the Chief Inspector of the Public Security Bureau, who investigates the death of her colleague, Dr. Milicia Stronskaya. But her death is just the first in a series of attacks carried out by the "Peacebreakers," a sinister paramilitary unit with deadly goals.
Unfortunately, Akane's enemy is more than meets the eye; they somehow seem impossible to kill, and can escape even the most finely tuned scanners. Now, not only must Akane try to stop the next attack, but must solve the mystery of the Peacebreakers as well. Thankfully, Akane has help in the form of Shinya Kogami, an old friend who now works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has experience fighting this emerging threat. Expanding on the "Psycho-Pass" series in both story and visuals, "Providence" is a masterpiece of sci-fi mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Ranking of Kings: The Treasure Chest of Courage
A surprising new anime, "Ranking of Kings" aired 16 episodes between 2021 and 2022, and in 2023 airs its second season, titled "The Treasure Chest of Courage."
"Kings" tells the story of a young prince named Bojji who is deaf and cannot speak, but must ascend to the throne after the death of his father. With the help of a friendly former assassin named Kage, Bojji sets out to prove himself to those around him who feel he is unworthy to be King.
Overcoming a mountain of challenges, and beating the odds, Bojji eventually defeats his enemies who have plotted against him. He also manages to defeat the prejudice he's long faced due to his disability, and earns his title. Now, in Season 2, fans return to Bojji's adventures, with new tales of courage as he faces down giants, witches, and all manner of monsters that inhabit his realm.
A delightful romp that's fun for the whole family, "Ranking of Kings: The Treasure Chest of Courage" is a fantastical adventure filled with strong-willed heroes on bold quests that see them up against every danger imaginable. It's also gloriously funny, and the animation is impressive, with some of the most fanciful imagery this side of Hayao Miyazaki.
Dr. Stone: New World
Another shonen favorite, "Dr. Stone" has been delivering stories to fans since 2017 when the manga debuted in "Weekly Shonen Jump." Within a year it was announced as an anime, and in 2019, its first season arrived, followed by a second in 2021. The next year saw a TV movie, "Dr. Stone: Ryusui," and in 2023, the series returned with a full third season. Premiering in Japan in April of 2023, it will complete its U.S. airing later in the year, but was met with rave reviews in its native country and is already earning praise domestically.
Officially titled "Dr. Stone: New World," it's based on the arc of the same name from the original manga. For those unfamiliar, the series takes place in a far-off future nearly 4,000 years hence, where mankind has been somehow turned to stone. But when two friends — Senku and Taiju — are somehow turned back into their human selves, they set out to restore mankind. After two seasons, Senku, Taiju, and their allies build an airship to travel across the sea, on a mission to shut down the source of the petrification, and to find Senku's long-lost father.
Tokyo Revengers Season 2
After a two year hiatus, "Tokyo Revengers" returned for a second season in early 2023, adapting the Black Dragon arc entitled "Christmas Showdown." Part gangland crime story, part sci-fi time twister, the series opens on Takemichi Hanagaki, whose ex-girlfriend Hinata Tachibana is assassinated by an inner city gang called the Tokyo Manji. But when he is thrown in front of a moving subway car, Takemichi finds himself suddenly back in time to when he was just 14 years old, and still involved with Hinata. Knowing the terrible fate that is to come, Takemichi promises to stop her murder.
Flipping back and forth in time, Takemichi realizes he is creating alternate timelines. Season 2 picks up from the eye-popping Season 1 cliffhanger. But after making a hair-raising escape, Takemichi realizes his actions haven't been able to prevent the rise of the Tokyo Manji, and for all his attempts at changing the future, it seems there may be no stopping Hinata's death. Now, his only hope may be allying himself with Kisaki, the leader of Tokyo Manji itself. It all adds up to a taut sci-fi crime thriller, and easily one of the best anime of 2023.
Blue Lock
While some of the most beloved anime series out there explore imaginative fantasy settings or far-flung futuristic worlds, there are just as many to choose from that are less far-fetched. Shows like "Haikyuu!" and "Yuri on Ice" have helped establish the subgenre as a fan favorite in recent years, and joining them in late 2022 into 2023 was "Blue Lock," the latest sports anime sensation on the scene.
Adapted from a manga series of the same name, the newly released series is centered around Yoichi Isagi, a struggling soccer player with a chip on his shoulder. After another crushing loss on the field, he becomes the unlikely member of an experimental program designed to create the greatest players in Japan and catapult the nation to victory in the World Cup. Such lofty goals can't come without a price, however, and the punishment for a player's failure to pass the program means being permanently barred from playing on any Japanese team for life.
"Blue Lock" takes everything you might expect to see from a sports anime and flips it on its head, deconstructing the more positive and uplifting themes seen throughout the genre for a far less heartwarming message. With a unique premise and some truly killer animation to boot, it's easy to see why the series so frequently enters the discussion of the best ongoing anime.
Pretty Sailor Moon Cosmos: The Movie
In the mid 1990s, "Sailor Moon" was among the most celebrated children's anime adventures thanks to its arrival in America. After five seasons and three movies, "Sailor Moon" ended its original run in 1997, but the legacy lived on, with its fanbase only growing around the world. In 2014, the franchise returned with a re-launch that was even more faithful to the original manga, delivering three seasons before shifting to two-part films with "Pretty Sailor Moon Eternal" in 2021.
In 2023, fans got "Pretty Sailor Moon Cosmos," a pair of movies that formed a single story, serving as the fifth and final "season" of the series that began in 2014. In this final two-part chapter, Sailor Galaxia is nearing her goal of galactic takeover, which forces the Sailor Senshi and Sailor Starlights to work together to thwart their enemy's plans.
Part 1 of the series has already been met with rave reviews, with IGN calling the newest entry "a feel good adventure that boasts stunning animation, vibrant storytelling ... in a dynamic double bill that will inspire and entertain."