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Top 3 anime of 2023?

Madflavor

Member
Don't know about a Top 3, but I feel like Vinland Saga Season 2 was definitely the best anime of the year. It was different. Boldly different. Beautiful and poignant, and I daresay Thorfinn is one of the best anime protagonists we've gotten in years.
 

ÆMNE22A!C

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Sorry OP. My mistake, read the title wrong. I haven't liked the style of modern anime but I'll take a look a those mentioned.
 
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Big Baller

Al Pachinko, Konami President
Barely watched anime this year... really liked Cyberpunk Edgerunners but thats from '22.

1. AoT
2. Baki
3. Castlevania lol

Want to catch up on JJK, Demon Slayer and VS.
 
Sorry OP. My mistake, read the title wrong. I haven't liked the style of modern anime but I'll take a look a those mentioned.
I can see why you dont but there are still some quality anime nowadays. I would highly reccomend Ragna Crimson out of the series mentioned above. The pacing I find is more similar to that of older anime and it has very enjoyable character interactions. There's only 12 episodes of it out so far.
 
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ÆMNE22A!C

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
I can see why you dont but there are still some quality anime nowadays. I would highly reccomend Ragna Crimson out of the series mentioned above. The pacing I find is more similar to that of older anime and it has very enjoyable character interactions. There's only 12 episodes of it out so far.

Thanks! I'll check it out.
Again apologies for misreading and posting older anime.
 
A lot of people mention JJK. I would say JJK ranks fourth. If the entire season was the hidden inventory arc it would probably be number 1 or 2 on the list. But the Shibuya arc was a complete letdown, just dumb fights the entire arc with nothing much of substance.
Had stakes unlike most current year Shounen shit. People die if they get caught lacking.
 

Spyxos

Member
One Piece ;D
Bleach
Jujutsu Kaisen

Actually, I've hardly watched any anime.
 
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Had stakes unlike most current year Shounen shit. People die if they get caught lacking.
The stakes didnt start to be felt until about halfway through the arc when Sukuna comes out and actual major protagonists start dying. It took way too long for the arc to pick up, especially considering it was 18 episodes long as well.
 
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The stakes didnt start to be felt until about halfway through the arc when Sukuna comes out and actual major protagonists start dying. It took way too long for the arc to pick up, especially considering it was 18 episodes long as well.
You didn't like that once Gojo AKA the safety net character was removed it was open season on them all? I remember reading it when Maki, Naobito and Nanami go into Dagon's domain and get DESTROYED and just when they think they're safe after Toji blew Dagon the fuck away Jogo just burns them all up with ease. The power scale difference is expertly shown and while Gojo is a popular character he is incredibly boring and over powered. JJK is sloppy in other areas though, Kusakabe first appears in this arc out no where as does Naobito and some of the aftermath like what happened to Toge just felt like he didn't know what to do with the character.

It felt like a real tense situation and the characters were in WAAAAAAAY deeper than they expected, of all the Shounen series I've dipped into after the Big 3 folded only JJK has done anything impressive because Akutami worships Togashi.

Besides... Real JJK fans know Phantom Parade is the best arc...

 
You didn't like that once Gojo AKA the safety net character was removed it was open season on them all? I remember reading it when Maki, Naobito and Nanami go into Dagon's domain and get DESTROYED and just when they think they're safe after Toji blew Dagon the fuck away Jogo just burns them all up with ease. The power scaleIt difference is expertly shown and while Gojo is a popular character he is incredibly boring and over powered. JJK is sloppy in other areas though, Kusakabe first appears in this arc out no where as does Naobito and some of the aftermath like what happened to Toge just felt like he didn't know what to do with the character.

It felt like a real tense situation and the characters were in WAAAAAAAY deeper than they expected, of all the Shounen series I've dipped into after the Big 3 folded only JJK has done anything impressive because Akutami worships Togashi.

Besides... Real JJK fans know Phantom Parade is the best arc...


>You didn't like that once Gojo AKA the safety net character was removed it was open season on them all?

But it took like 6 episodes after Gojo got sealed up until we saw major injuries inflicted on a major protagonist(Jogo torching the sorcerors who fought Dagon) and another few episodes until we see a major protagonist die. The first half as a whole is just generic filler fights with little to no consequences.

>Gojo is a popular character he is incredibly boring and over powered.

I agree there. He is a Gary Stu version of All Might.

Besides your only point seems to be that casualties automatically make an arc good. The willingness to (eventually 2/3 of the arc in...) kill off a few major protagonists and the way Sukuna's appearance was utilised for Yuji's character development are the only interesting things about the arc. As a whole, the overall pacing is extremely slow with minimal plot progression up until the last two episodes,most of the fights feel emotionally weightless with very little strategy, hardly any character development besides Yuji, has lots of dumb shock value moments and completely wastes opportunities like the original Geto only being relevant for one scene in the entire arc, making Mei Mei vs Geto offscreen and Toji being brought back to fight Megumi, but as a zombie who can't speak to him. Then the very moment he does and says like two lines he dies in the most anti-climactic manner imaginable. It's a 7/10 for sure but i'm baffled how so many people call it "peak fiction" or even "peak shonen".
 
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My favorite:

1. JJK Season 2
2. Psycho Pass: Providence
3. Trigun Stampede

(Honorable Mention Bleach TYBW S2)
----------------------
Number 1 letdown(to warn people here):

1. Goblin Slayer Season 2

Much like Shield Hero Season 2, it felt like a rug was pulled from under me and suddenly the show became more about good times with the ladies surrounding the main character. The saddest part of this letdown is the fandom coping through the very large drop in writing quality from S1 to S2 and thinking this stuff is amazing content when what's present in season 2 has been done to death.

I'm starting to dislike fantasy manga writers using a harem of hot women as an easy cheat code to try and make sales go up from lonely anime fans. This has been a recurring issue when it comes to anime taking place in a D&D-esque fantasy worlds and Shield Hero(another show with a stellar season 1) was the previous victim of this. I feel like this somehow all leads back to Sword Art Online, because it was a trendsetter anime and did the exact same thing.
 

Kurimao

Member
It's one heck of anime season ender. Here's my favorite 10 (In no particular order).

Attack on Titan End
Edomae Elf
Hell's Paradise
Kimetsu No Yaiba - Swordsmith Village Arc
Mushoku Tensei S2
Undead Girl Murder Farce
Oshi no Ko
Sousou no Frieren
The Apothecary Diaries
Vinland Saga 2

and no special mention to
Ragna Crimson - stupidly over powered edgy characters, wasted my time.
 
It's one heck of anime season ender. Here's my favorite 10 (In no particular order).

Attack on Titan End
Edomae Elf
Hell's Paradise
Kimetsu No Yaiba - Swordsmith Village Arc
Mushoku Tensei S2
Undead Girl Murder Farce
Oshi no Ko
Sousou no Frieren
The Apothecary Diaries
Vinland Saga 2

and no special mention to
Ragna Crimson - stupidly over powered edgy characters, wasted my time.
>Hell's Paradise

Based
 

Pejo

Gold Member
  1. Mushoku Tensei S2 - Didn't have the highs of S1, but great for showcasing character growth and worldbuilding. Even though it was a much slower season, the episodes felt like 5 mins a piece. The payoff to the "Fitz" storyline was very rewarding and left Cour 1 on a super high note.
  2. Dark Gathering - Surprisingly dark with moments of levity. The kid character is kinda a Mary Sue but it's enjoyable regardless. Excited to see how it goes.
  3. Tengoku Daimakyou - Really unique story that doesn't fit any sort of mold for what an anime should be. Touches on a lot of mature topics while maintaining an interesting dual story format. Definitely not a "feel good" show.
Hell's Paradise was fun got bogged down a bit towards the end of the season. I sincerely hope it doesn't turn into a 1v1 tournament fighter type show, I have no interest in those anymore.

Also, not a 2023 anime, but I watched it for the first time this year, I can't get over how good Prison School was. Lewd as hell and hilarious, like actually making me laugh not just like "ha that's a clever joke". I regret not watching it while it was still airing.
 
2. Psycho Pass: Providence
Fucking hell they still going? I finished S3 and felt so burnt out when they tried to turn it into True Detective.

Also for what it's worth I didn't like Hell's Paradise that much I think it killed characters too quickly and the power system in that series comes out of no where. Also Gabimaru is pretty fucking OP. Despite that though I did like the conclusion to S1 and the opening banged.

Also I don't care for Demon Slayer but the buzz REALLY fell off and it's a shame because that particular arc is the only one worthy of praise in the series.
 
Fucking hell they still going? I finished S3 and felt so burnt out when they tried to turn it into True Detective.

Also for what it's worth I didn't like Hell's Paradise that much I think it killed characters too quickly and the power system in that series comes out of no where. Also Gabimaru is pretty fucking OP. Despite that though I did like the conclusion to S1 and the opening banged.

Also I don't care for Demon Slayer but the buzz REALLY fell off and it's a shame because that particular arc is the only one worthy of praise in the series.
You see multiple characters utilise the power system up until Ep 11 or so when it gets fully revealed in different forms(Ninpo, Qi, etc). It's just that the characters and the audience didn't realise what exactly "Tao" was until then.
 
  1. Mushoku Tensei S2 - Didn't have the highs of S1, but great for showcasing character growth and worldbuilding. Even though it was a much slower season, the episodes felt like 5 mins a piece. The payoff to the "Fitz" storyline was very rewarding and left Cour 1 on a super high note.
  2. Dark Gathering - Surprisingly dark with moments of levity. The kid character is kinda a Mary Sue but it's enjoyable regardless. Excited to see how it goes.
  3. Tengoku Daimakyou - Really unique story that doesn't fit any sort of mold for what an anime should be. Touches on a lot of mature topics while maintaining an interesting dual story format. Definitely not a "feel good" show.
Hell's Paradise was fun got bogged down a bit towards the end of the season. I sincerely hope it doesn't turn into a 1v1 tournament fighter type show, I have no interest in those anymore.

Also, not a 2023 anime, but I watched it for the first time this year, I can't get over how good Prison School was. Lewd as hell and hilarious, like actually making me laugh not just like "ha that's a clever joke". I regret not watching it while it was still airing.
I agree that the final two episodes were relatively weak. Mu Dan was an awful antagonist, the show gives you zero reason to care about him. The power system also became much more generic then.
 

Pejo

Gold Member
I agree that the final two episodes were relatively weak. Mu Dan was an awful antagonist, the show gives you zero reason to care about him. The power system also became much more generic then.
Yea I don't like the whole bit of revealing a universal power system to begin with. I saw that arc once in Hunter X Hunter and I don't need to keep seeing it in every action anime forever. Again, it just seems like they're setting it up to be a 1v1 tournament fighter (not official tournament of course, but that type of format). Same reason I gave up on Bleach.
 
Also I don't care for Demon Slayer but the buzz REALLY fell off and it's a shame because that particular arc is the only one worthy of praise in the series.
This season of Demon Slayer felt like a buildup for the next season, much like the season of My Hero Academia that took place before the most recent one, which was pretty amazing in terms of payoff. Because of that I'm hoping that Demon Slayer picks up again next season, because this one just felt like an extended training arc all for a sword upgrade.
 

Valonquar

Member
This season of Demon Slayer felt like a buildup for the next season, much like the season of My Hero Academia that took place before the most recent one, which was pretty amazing in terms of payoff. Because of that I'm hoping that Demon Slayer picks up again next season, because this one just felt like an extended training arc all for a sword upgrade.
Seriously how many episodes in a row was that one dude trapped in a water bubble ffs lol
 

Sakura

Member
There wasn't much this year that interested me, so:

Oniichan ha Oshimai
Idolmaster U149
16bit sensation

Not saying those shows are good, but they did appeal to me. 16bit sensation in particular isn't very good, but I am a sucker for retro stuff.

>Hell's Paradise

Based
Some guy at work keeps telling me to watch this.
 
There wasn't much this year that interested me, so:

Oniichan ha Oshimai
Idolmaster U149
16bit sensation

Not saying those shows are good, but they did appeal to me. 16bit sensation in particular isn't very good, but I am a sucker for retro stuff.


Some guy at work keeps telling me to watch this.
He's right, you should.
 

Mistake

Member
Kimetsu no yaiba
Mashle
Jigokuraku

Mushoku Tensei and Dark Gathering are also up there
 
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2. Hells Paradise Season 1
Hell's Paradise
Some guy at work keeps telling me to watch Hell's Paradise.
Hell's Paradise
I decided to give this show a shot since the dub is finished, and I have to say I get the appeal. The best way I can describe it is the three things it reminded me of:

Pitch Black(The Riddick movie) + Mushi-shi + a hint of Ninja Scroll

I really like the concept of being stuck in an unknown/otherworldly environment with a mixture of untrustworthy prisoners and guards while they discover it's intricacies and try to survive. Even if the second season of this might fall off of a cliff in writing quality, I have to say that this was a really well done season 1, that could have also made for a really good 2-part movie.
 

Pejo

Gold Member
I decided to give this show a shot since the dub is finished, and I have to say I get the appeal. The best way I can describe it is the three things it reminded me of:

Pitch Black(The Riddick movie) + Mushi-shi + a hint of Ninja Scroll

I really like the concept of being stuck in an unknown/otherworldly environment with a mixture of untrustworthy prisoners and guards while they discover it's intricacies and try to survive. Even if the second season of this might fall off of a cliff in writing quality, I have to say that this was a really well done season 1, that could have also made for a really good 2-part movie.
Yea the distrust between the entire cast and the fact that the island itself was a 'main character' made for a pretty memorable and "anything goes" first season. Like I mentioned though, the end of the season starts to fall into predictable anime tropes and now we're mostly dealing with power levels, 1v1 duels, flashbacks during a battle to get character details right before they die, and the usual serialized garbage story. I think the manga is already finished with the main storyline (as it relates to Gabimaru at least), so I'll probably watch a season 2 if it comes out, but I don't expect it to hit the highs of S1.
 
Yea the distrust between the entire cast and the fact that the island itself was a 'main character' made for a pretty memorable and "anything goes" first season. Like I mentioned though, the end of the season starts to fall into predictable anime tropes and now we're mostly dealing with power levels, 1v1 duels, flashbacks during a battle to get character details right before they die, and the usual serialized garbage story. I think the manga is already finished with the main storyline (as it relates to Gabimaru at least), so I'll probably watch a season 2 if it comes out, but I don't expect it to hit the highs of S1.
This is why I would have made it a simple 2-part movie and...

1) Remove the 'super beings/tenzen' and maybe just have there be one of them, as a leader to the creatures.
2) Literally everyone dies except for maybe Gabimaru or his ward or both of them.
3) The very, very few survivors manage to leave the island somehow but without the elixir and we're left with most of the island's mysteries unsolved
4) Whoever survives leaves a warning to everyone not to go there, and leaves the village/area to a different city/country completely because they're fully done with it all.
5) If it's Gabimaru, he could have his own sequel where he is living elsewhere with his wife and has a bounty on his head.

I guess basically I'd want a similar ending to Pitch Black but with a few added parts here or there at the end. IMO there should be no version of this story where they are 'conquering' or 'winning' on this island, but a lot of anime don't go for 'bad end' so I'd understand why they wouldn't do this.
 
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Paltheos

Member
I didn't watch as much this year but my impression is that there were fewer peaks this year compared to 2021 and 2022.

2021 had Odd Taxi and 86 (season 1 only, god only season 1). Ranking of Kings was good for a while and allot of people liked that Eizouken show. I enjoyed Fruits Basket too although I wouldn't call it great.
2022 had Lycoris Recoil, Bocchi zaaaaa Rock, Dress-Up Darling. Attack on Titan ran through this period and was a very mixed bag but at its best the final season was crazy exciting. Anya x Anya's been fun when Anya's on-screen.

2023's been a year of sequels for me. The standout is JJK season 2 but I can't think of any other slam dunks this year. My brother actually asked me a few weeks ago at Christmas and I was like, "Uh, Lycoris Recoil? Oh wait that was last year."

I wonder when Danjin will show up and go ape for only two people name dropping Frieren (it's ok). I watched Oshi no Ko - It's good for a meme watch and Baking Soda is a legit fun character but that's all it has going for it (Aqua is horrible). I didn't bother keeping up with Demon Slayer as the first season massively underwhelmed me. I dropped the new Gundam show too (Witch of Mercury) - Maybe I'll give it another shot.

Edit: I just realized I was referring to 2023 as the current year implicitly. ... Never mind that.
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
No love for the Atelier Ryza anime? I thought it was really well done, a fun slice of life. My only real complaint is that it followed the plot of the first part of the first game pretty closely, and since I already played the game I knew what was going to happen.
 

Sakura

Member
I heard that Juju was incredible and epic and stuff like that....I saw it and I didn't feel shit 😔
Yeah, the animation is great but personally I felt like they just resort to killing off people and stuff too much for the shock value, so I kind of ended up not caring.
 
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