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Anime of the year 2023 is a title that only one series can have and the truth of the matter is that there are a lot of anime to choose from in 2023. The year was a very prolific and successful year for the industry, at least in terms of reception since a lot of series, both old and new, were able to make an impact on the fandom.
In that regard, the anime of the year 2023 should be evaluated based on general reception, animation, the quality of the story, and the consistency of the product in question. So here are ten candidates for the anime of the year 2023 title, especially based on the aforementioned metrics.
Disclaimer: This article contains a lot of spoilers for the series on this list.
Disclaimer: This list may contain opinions of the writer and are ranked in no particular order.
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10 candidates for anime of the year 2023
1) Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
Bleach made a triumphant return in 2022 when Studio Pierrot started to adapt the final arc of Tite Kubo's manga, Thousand-Year Blood War. While the first cour had a tremendous reaction last year, there is an argument to be made that the second cour was even better. The first one was bound to have a great reception because it was Bleach's return to the anime medium after so long but the second one brought in much-needed new material.
The second cour added some amazing extra scenes, particularly the flashback between Ichibei and Yhwach. It also adapted some fan-favorite moments such as Rukia's Bankai or Zaraki Kenpachi's Shikai. The anime also had the surprising inclusion of Senjumaru's Bankai (plus a much-improved Division 0 performance against Yhwach's elite guard). Considering the inclusion of new scenes and lore to the series, it is a strong candidate for anime of the year 2023.
2) Dr. Stone
Dr. Stone deserves to be a candidate for anime of the year 2023 simply because of how underrated it is and how consistent the series has been over the years. This season of the series has focused on the New World arc, and has added new layers to the story, which is always fun.
Perhaps a big reason Dr. Stone doesn't have a lot of mainstream recognition is that is not a typical shonen with a strong focus on battles. This is a series about science, the celebration of experimentation, and offering a lot of different approaches to the typical shonen.
3) Jujutsu Kaisen
Most fans of the medium likely believe that Jujutsu Kaisen is anime of the year 2023 and there is a very good argument for that. MAPPA, despite all the controversies surrounding its staff, has made it one of the best-animated series with this franchise. The success and positive reception it has had only speaks for itself.
While the first five episodes were focused on Satoru Gojo's past, the bulk of the second season was centered around the Shibuya Incident arc, widely regarded as the series' peak. Moments such as the deaths of Nanami and Nobara, Sukuan's fight with Jogo, Mahoraga's first appearance, and many other things cement Jujutsu Kaisen as perhaps the favorite candidate for anime of the year 2023.
4) Demon Slayer
It's hard to think there would be a time when the Demon Slayer anime didn't have a lot of hype. However, the third season had to deal with that, mainly because of the Swordsmith Village arc not being very exciting or groundbreaking for the plot. That being said, Ufotable created miracles with this series and has elevated a lot of battles to a much higher level, which is shown with this season yet again.
It might be an underrated candidate for anime of the year 2023 but Ufotable can deliver some truly outstanding moments, such as Tanjiro's Sun Breathing with the image of Yoriichi or Mitsuri's fight against the fourth Upper Moon. It's probably not going to get the first place in this discussion but it should be among the candidates, at the very least.
5) One Piece
If people are going to have a debate about the anime of the year 2023, One Piece is always bound to be a part of this discussion. Toei improved the animation of the series, something very criticized for years, for the Wano arc and 2023 was probably the peak for the anime in that department. This was particularly because of moments such as Luffy's Gear 5 debut.
Just for the element of the Gear 5 adaptation, One Piece should be in this discussion, but several moments elevated an uneven arc like Wano. Therefore, in terms of what an anime should do, this work made by Toei deserves a lot of praise.
6) Attack on Titan
There is no debate that Attack on Titan was going to be one of the strongest choices for anime of the year 2023. The series is not only extremely popular but it was also the end of the anime, so there was a lot of hype and excitement surrounding this release. While opinions on the ending are divisive even to this day, there is no denying that MAPPA did a great job when it came to adapting the source material.
The resolution of the Rumbling, the destiny of the Eldians, Eren's decisions, Mikasa's decision to kill Eren... all of that make it an anime that should be on this list. This is a series that is very likely to finish in the top spot on several lists about the anime of the year 2023.
7) Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
Madhouse was the dominating studio in the mid-2000s and produced some of the best anime of all time, so is always nice to see them back in the spotlight for doing good work. Frieren is perhaps the most unexpected candidate for anime of the year 2023 but every good award deserves an underdog and this one is an emotional journey about the value of time and growing older.
Frieren is the title character of the series and protagonist, who is an elven mage who saved the world along with her party of friends fifteen years ago. She promised to see them but since she is an elf, her lifespan is much longer, and to her, fifteen years is like a couple of weeks. Therefore, when she comes back, they have gotten older and one of them even dies of old age, which makes her feel regret for not getting to know him better.
The series is an emotional exploration of what means to have friends, and how time slips away from us, and has been a pleasant surprise for a lot of anime fans.
8) Shangri-La Frontier
As of this writing, Shangri-La Frontier only has 10 episodes out but has managed to make a very strong first impression. Truth be told, a lot of people have gotten tired of isekai series. However, this anime makes some twists with the classic formula and C2C Studio does a phenomenal job with the animation, the voice acting, the colors, and the visuals.
Rakuro Hizutome, most commonly known by his gamer name Sunraku, is an expert "trash game hunter", as the people in the series call it, which is centered around playing virtual reality games with a lot of glitches. Since Rakuro is looking for a challenge, he ends up trying the game known as Shangri-La Frontier, which is widely regarded as a masterpiece.
Sunraku makes use of the knowledge and experience he gained with other games to survive on this one, although that often comes with learning curves as well. The series is very fun, quite lighthearted at times, and also shows the human nature of wanting a challenge. It is most likely not going to win anime of the year 2023 but deserves a lot more recognition.
9) Pluto
Naoki Urasawa is widely regarded as one of the greatest manga authors of all time, mainly because of his two most seminal works, 20th Century Boys and Monster. However, Pluto is just as good as those two masterpieces, and Studio M2, along with Netflix, recently released an eight-episode anime that lives up to the amazing source material.
The story is a reinterpretation of The Greatest Robot on Earth story arc from the legendary Astro Boy series, with the anime and manga being named after that storyline's villain. It is a murder mystery that features a detective known as Gesicht who is trying to discover who is behind the deaths of several humans and robots.
This anime is suspenseful, filled with great moments, and a phenomenal example of what this medium can achieve when executed at its finest. One of the best anime of the year 2023.
10) Vinland Saga
A list of anime of the year 2023 wouldn't be completed without Vinland Saga's second season, which says a lot about the quality of this series. Thorfinn's journey from a vengeful and angry young man into a much more peaceful and calm individual is a joy to behold.
It is also worth pointing out that this second season was a lot more character-driven than action-focused, which was the source of some criticism for a lot of people. However, the general perception was that the second season of Vinland Saga is one of the best anime of the year 2023.
Final thoughts
The best anime of the year 2023 is going to be a divisive topic for a lot of people but there is no denying that this was a very productive year for the industry. There were a lot of amazing anime, even those that were not featured here, that deserve a lot of attention and recognition.
