It is undeniable that 2023 has been an excellent year for anime. There has been a great variety of productions, with something for everyone, and making a selection of the best has been basically impossible. That doesn’t mean we haven’t tried. That’s why we have chosen the anime series that we think you must watch, if you haven’t already, because in a year of great series, these are the best of the best.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
If there was something we didn’t expect, it was that one of the great anime of the year would be an adaptation of a comic. And by this we mean that we are talking about a Western work, not a manga. Because besides being extremely unusual, it rarely turns out well. Even if one of the great anime of last year was Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is not only one of the great animes of the year, but it is also the definitive adaptation of Scott Pilgrim. With the actors from the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World movie dubbing the characters and Anamanaguchi returning to do the soundtrack after doing it for the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game video game, the most surprising thing is the direction of Abel Góngora. And it is surprising because he proves to be one of the most promising authors of current animation. And that’s saying a lot coming from a Science Saru production.
Tengoku Daimakyo
Also known as Heavenly Delusion, this is the series that has caused the most commotion, probably by surprise. Although the manga is known and loved, it doesn’t have the following that the anime has achieved. A well-deserved following.
Telling a science fiction story, survival and with certain touches of romance, Tengoku Daimakyo has shown that people are eager for more complex and nuanced post-apocalyptic stories. Thanks to its mature character, the charisma of its characters and the mystery of its world, Tengoku Daimakyo has become one of the most popular animes of 2023. And the one we are most looking forward to a second season.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury
If there is a series that we intimately associate with anime, it is Mobile Suit Gundam. It was born in anime, has grown in anime, and its greatest developments have been in the medium. And it is wonderful to see how its latest iteration so far, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, is not only one of the best series in the franchise, but one that has managed to open it up to a wider audience. Much younger and predominantly female. Exactly the same audience that fell in love with the original series.
In addition to having the first female and LGBTQ+ protagonist, the series remains Gundam. It still has an anti-militarist, anti-capitalist message and an evident Shakespearean tone. Something that makes it an excellent series for anyone who wants to not only see excellently written characters trying to navigate impossible situations, but also incredible giant robots.
Pluto
Naoki Urasawa is one of the great mangakas of our time. Pluto is, probably, his masterpiece along with 20th Century Boys. That’s why it’s not surprising that the anime adaptation of his work brought to us by Netflix has been crowned as one of the great animes of the year. It was simply inevitable. And with good reasons.
With a dark, deep, and mature story that questions what it means to be human, what are the limits of individual rights, and where someone becomes human, the series explores profound moral questions while developing a thrilling detective story. All of this is linked to one of Osamu Tezuka’s most mythical stories, Astro Boy. This adds an extra impact due to all the mythological richness it entails.
Skip and Loafer
Sometimes all we need is a nice romantic anime to heal our souls. But Skip and Loafer is much more than that. Its protagonist, Mitsumi Iwakura, is a small-town girl who moves to Tokyo with her aunt to attend a prestigious institute. Her problem is that she has a very naïve personality and also has absolutely crazy ambitions. This will lead her to charming, but constant, conflicts and misunderstandings with her surroundings. Especially when she meets a boy who seems to be the opposite of her: Sosuke Shima.
Although it may sound like a typical romantic comedy, it is not. The problems of the characters in Skip and Loafer are very real and, at times, can really hit hard. Both protagonists are very deep characters, with complex internal conflicts, which develop over time. All this without ceasing to be two charming goofballs that are easy to develop an extraordinary affection for. An easy series to recommend.
Trigun Stampede
Classics are classics for a reason, but sometimes they need a facelift. In the case of Trigun Stampede, this is because the original manga and anime of Trigun by Yasuhiro Nightow took so many twists and turns that, although he considers it an excellent work, the mangaka does not consider it the definitive work. This is something that is being addressed with this new anime, which aims to be a more complete and rounded work.
With an excellent use of 3D animation, a completely amazing new character design, and radical changes in the plot, it feels fresh and different from the original series. Even if you have already seen Trigun, this is not the Trigun you know. There are so many changes that it is its own story.
Better narrated, more coherent, more direct. Something to be grateful for, considering that these were the problems of the already outstanding original series. In addition, promising that they are working “on the final phase”, we will still have more Trigun Stampede in the future, which is excellent news.
