Happy New Year, and welcome to Anime Rants! Late in 2022, on my Wix blog, I wrote a post that reviewed the anime series I watched that year. You can view the post here if interested. I also gave out unofficial “awards” to certain anime series to express my opinions in a fun way. This year, I decided to do a similar post and create a tradition. I’m day off schedule, but it’s not too late to do a “2023 In Review” type of post.
This article is divided into three parts, as you will see. The first part goes over what new series I watched in 2023, while the second part is the awards section. Finally, the brief third part is a list of anime series I watched that were not from 2023. Without further ado, I present 7Mononoke’s New Year’s post!
Part 1: New Anime Series Watched
To start us off, here is a list of all 25 new anime series I watched this year. They are all from 2023. (I did watch a few of shows from older years, but they’ll be mentioned in a different section.) Each entry contains a few notes of mine.
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The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 (Both parts)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 8/10
The first half was released in Spring 2023, with the second half being added in the Fall season. Although it was very different from the first season, The Ancient Magus’ Bride season two still kept me entertained and excited for more. It’s not for everyone, but it’s been a favorite of mine since it started back in 2017. Main character Chise is one of my top ten favorite female anime protagonists. As for Elias – the mysterious and non-human Ancient Mage – he’s psychologically fascinating.
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The Apothecary Diaries (First half)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 8/10
As of the time of writing this post, only 12 episodes of this anime have been released. There will be 12 more, which will be released throughout Winter 2024. So far, it’s been a highly enjoyable anime with great characters and beautiful visuals with high color saturation. I absolutely love Maomao, the protagonist. Her unique personality is extremely entertaining. The Chinese aesthetic of the series is also nice.
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Attack on Titan: The Final Season – Kanketsu-hen (2 episodes)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 9/10
These two hour-long episodes finally complete the story of Attack on Titan. The first episode was released in March and the second was released in November. Despite the visuals not looking too great, the story, characters, and music were all terrific. I’ve been following Attack on Titan for ten years, so watching the end of it was very emotional for me. It took a long time, but seeing this epic story completed was worth it.
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Bungo Stray Dogs 4th season
Personal Enjoyment Level: 8/10
This series appeared on my Crunchyroll recommended list in 2016 when it was first released. I liked it for the humor, the unique character designs, and many referencs to real-world literature authors. I watched BSD casually, appreciating the ongoing seasons but not caring much at the end of the day. Then, in January 2023, season 4 took me by storm. Suddenly, the stakes rose immensely, plunging the characters deep into a disastrous and violent conspiracy. Season 4 made me more interested than ever.
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Bungo Stray Dogs 5th season
Personal Enjoyment Level: 8/10
Seasons of BSD are typically only 12 episodes long, and there was no way for season 4 to wrap up its story in that tiny amount of time. It took another season to finish the long arc of the Angel’s Decay. Although it still felt a little rushed at the end, I absolutely loved this season and found it very satisfying. The action was amazing, and to my surprise, some of the character psychology and philosophy was quite profound. I look forward to even more BSD in the future!
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The Devil is a Part-Timer! Season 2 (Part 2)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 7/10
The second season started in 2022, and I didn’t know at the time that it was only the first half. So when I was informed of Season 2 Part 2 in 2023, I was surprised. Regardless of the strange release gap, I thoroughly enjoyed these 13 episodes. I’ve loved The Devil is a Part-timer for several years now. The art style and colors appeal to me a lot, and the characters, while not really “deep,” are funny and entertaining. ~ Mao x Emi forever ~
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Dr. Stone – New World (Both halves)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 8/10
I’m a big fan of Dr. Stone for its positive views on humanity, educational value, and goofy character interactions. I also love the art style, colors, and most of the music and songs. Dr. Stone: New World is the third season, taking place after Stone Wars and the Ryusui OVA special. The first 11 episodes of New World aired in Spring 2023, with the next 11 episodes added in Fall. It was a suspenseful season in all the best ways!
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The Gene of AI
Personal Enjoyment Level: 8/10
This summer 2023 anime shows us a world where post-singularty AI brains are installed in biotic bodies to make androids nearly indistinguishable from humans. These beings are called Humanoids. In this world, an underground “doctor” by the name of Hikaru Sudo helps resolve problems for both humans and Humanoids. Although this anime had vague world-building and poor exposition, it was still enjoyable for its hypothetical, thought-provoking nature, full of ethical issues related to AI.
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Heavenly Delusion
Personal Enjoyment Level: 10/10
Looking for a post-apocalyptic sci-fi anime with cute characters, weird creatures, and a thrilling mystery at its core? Heavenly Delusion may just be the perfect fit for you. Since there’s only one season so far – released in Spring 2023 – there are many unanswered questions. I’m desperately hoping for a second season. Not only do I love the genre, story settings, and most of the characters – I also deeply appreciate the fact that this anime recognizes the difference between gender and biological sex.
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Hell’s Paradise
Personal Enjoyment Level: 9/10
“Gabimaru the Hollow” is a young but extremely deadly ninja assassin, now sentenced to die. Much to the surprise of his executioner, Sagiri, the ninja boy is determined to live and return to his beloved wife. He just won’t die. The Shogunate sends Gabimaru and a bunch of other criminals to a cursed island to retrieve the legendary Elixir of Life. Whoever brings it to the Shogun will be pardoned of all crimes. So begins the journey of Hell’s Paradise. It’s a visually striking anime and so far has really great characters, too.
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Horimiya: The Missing Pieces
Personal Enjoyment Level: 6/10
Early in 2021, a short series was released called Horimiya. It followed the romances and friendships of highschool students Kyoko Hori and Izumi Miyamura. It was a cute, emotional, and often funny anime that quickly became one of my top favorite anime rom-coms. In Summer 2023, an additional 13 episodes were added to the Horimiya portfolio under the the name Horimiya: The Missing Pieces. This isn’t a sequel season, but just some extra events and adventures that didn’t make it into the original.
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The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague
Personal Enjoyment Level: 7/10
This absolutely adorable anime from Winter 2023 has an adult cast in a workplace setting – but a large portion of the “human” population is descended from fantastical creatures. The male main character’s ancestor was a Yuki Ona (“Snow Woman”), a Japanese spirit that can control ice and snow. As he starts a new job, the young protagonist develops a crush on a cute, cool female coworker. Although it got a bit boring to have 12 episodes of it, this anime was very cute and sweet.
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Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
Personal Enjoyment Level: 9/10
Jujutsu Kaisen surprised audiences in 2020 with its awesome soundtrack, good visuals, and classic but dark shounen elements. There is a secret of society of sorcerers who fight monstrous manifestations of curses by using their own cursed energy against them. These curse users are called Jujutsu sorcerers. Running from Summer through Fall 2023, Jujutsu Kaisen‘s second season turned out significantly more grim than I had expected. Still, that made it more thrilling than ever.
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“TenTen Kakumei”
(Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 9/10
TenTen Kakumei is a fantasy tale about a young princess – Anisphia – who cannot use traditional magic. Instead, she designed a new system of magical engineering that allowed her to harness magic in creative ways. The odd princess’ life changes after she meets Euphie, a young lady with great magical power. Princess Anis takes Euphie in to help her with her unusual “Magicology” studies, and the two girls form a strong bond. This anime definitely qualifies as Shoujo Ai (Girl’s Love).
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Mononogatari (Malevolent Spirits) – Seasons 1 and 2
Personal Enjoyment Level: 6/10
Mononogatari is a lower-budget anime with a very simple story. Though it was nothing special, I enjoyed it just enough to watch both seasons. Clans of exorcists work to seal away or destroy problematic spirits called Tsukumogami. One such exorcist, a young man named Hyoma, is sent to live with a strange “family” of Tsukumogami and one human girl. Even though Hyoma has plenty of reasons to hate spirits, it’s his job to work alongside these special exceptions to protect the young lady.
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My Home Hero
Personal Enjoyment Level: 4/10
After discovering that his daughter is being terribly abused by her boyfriend, an “ordinary salaryman” by the name of Tetsuo takes a drastic step. He murders his daughter’s boyfriend. Unfortunately, this plunges him into a world of violence and intrigue at the hands of the yakuza, who had employed the boyfriend and are now searching for him. Despite the exciting premise and potential psychological brilliance, this anime disappointed me with very poor writing and character development.
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Oooku (The Inner Chambers)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 7/10
This historical fiction shows what would happen if a devastating disease caused the eradication of most men in Japan. It is now the middle of the Edo Period, and men account for only 25% of the population, leading to a drastic cultural shift over the course of about a century. Men are now rare commodities, and positions of power in society are held by women. The Oooku – or the inner chambers of the Shogun’s palace – is populated by male concubines for the female Shogun. This is was fascinating to watch.
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Pluto
Personal Enjoyment Level: 9/10
The 8 long episodes of Pluto were all released on Netflix in October 2023. This fascinating sci-fi series was created by Naoki Urusawa, famous for making the psychological masterpiece, Monster. The story is loosely based on the lore of Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom). It starts with Gesicht, a remarkably human-like robot trying to find out who is murdering the world’s seven most advanced robots. Even Atom himself is being targeted. Pluto is a psychologically rich, emotional anime full of moral philosophy.
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Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts
Personal Enjoyment Level: 9/10
Running from Spring through Summer 2023, Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts is a beloved fantasy shoujo anime. The world is divided into humans and beasts. Sariphi is a young human girl unlucky enough to be chosen as the human’s mandatory sacrifice to the Beast King. Since she’s known of this duty from a young age, Sariphi is prepared to die, being fearless even when faced with the King himself. But there’s a surprise waiting for her on the night of the sacrifice. I thoroughly enjoyed this amazing, romantic anime.
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Spy X Family Season 2
Personal Enjoyment Level: 9/10
Anime fans fell in love with Spy X Family in 2022, so we were all happy for a second season in Fall 2023. It’s a cute, wholesome, and exciting anime with a spy-movie aesthetic. Agent Twilight is tasked with starting a family to infiltrate deep into an enemy country. Keeping his identity secret, he marries Yor, a lady who also has a secret. She’s “Thorn Princess,” a deadly assassin. Twilight and Yor adopt an adorable child named Anya who can read minds. Thus begins the crazy, fun adventures of Spy X Family.
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Stardust Telepath
Personal Enjoyment Level: 7/10
This Shoujo Ai (Girl’s Love) anime follows Umika, a highschool girl with a stutter and trouble speaking. She had no friends until she met Yu Akeuchi, a transfer student and self-proclaimed alien with telepathic powers. Yu helps Umika start a rocket research club and work on her speech. In the meantime, the two of them use “forehead telepathy,” to clearly communicate their feelings to each other. Stardust Telepath is adorable, fun, and emotionally poignant at times.
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The Tale of Outcasts
Personal Enjoyment Level: 7/10
The Tale of Outcasts is a bit lower budget and not always very well-written. Nevertheless, I liked the two lead characters and their adventures in early 1900s England. Also, I enjoy shows with humanoid beastly creatures. Marbas is a demon who has lived for centuries. To ease his boredom and rediscover an interest in life, he becomes the protector of a girl named Wisteria. Demons require compensation, so Wisteria gives up her eyesight. Marbas helps the blind girl, and they travel around England together.
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Undead Murder Farce
Personal Enjoyment Level: 8/10
The world in Undead Murder Farce is like ours, except that youkai, monsters, and mythical beasts are real. Aya Rindo is the an immortal girl. Someone stole her body, so now she’s just a head in a birdcage. Employing a goofy but skilled half-Oni named Tsugaru, Aya sets out to find her body. Along the way, she solves mysteries involving monsters. This anime had an unusual and intriguing concept, though it wasn’t the most well-structured or thrilling plot. I mostly enjoyed this show because Tsugaru and Aya have a great character dynamic.
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Vinland Saga Season 2
Personal Enjoyment Level: 9/10
Vinland Saga ‘s first season in 2019 and was made by Wit studios. But Wit dropped a lot of shows from its lineup, including Vinland Saga S2. As a result, the second season was produced by studio MAPPA with somewhat less impressive visuals. However, I liked the look of Vinland Saga S2. Even if I didn’t, the other aspects – music, story, and characters – were astoundingly good. Vinland Saga is a historical fiction that follows a young Viking named Thorfinn. It’s a great anime with several deeply emotional character journeys.
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Zom 100 (100 things I want to do before I become a Zombie)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 7/10
High-budget and widely acclaimed, Zom 100 was hyped up long before it started. Unfortunately, the production studio making it (Bug Films) ran into major issues. As a result, Zom 100 is on hiatus after only 9 episodes. We don’t know when it will continue.
I had doubts about Zom 100, and there are a few small issues with it. But overall, it’s a really fun and well-made anime so far. After the world plunged into a zombie apocalypse, young Akira was finally freed from his oppressive workplace. Thrilled, he vowed to live life to the fullest in the time he had left. That’s a great way to start a fun action anime.
Part 2: Anime Awards for 2023
Next, I present to you the unofficial “Anime Awards” I am giving out for series released in 2023. There were 6 awards in last year’s post, but this time, I added a few more. There are now a total of 10 awards to capture the diversity of anime I watched this year.
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1) Best General Production Award: Hell’s Paradise
This award is not necessarily for the best anime of the year, but for the anime that was highest quality and most impressive in its general production. That includes a balance of visual, audio, and plot elements, as well as character development. The three major contenders for this award were Zom 100, Jujutsu Kaisen S2, and Hell’s Paradise. I ruled out Zom 100 due its post-production issues and delays. Though Jujutsu Kaisen was amazing, I slightly preferred the more unusual style of production in Hell’s Paradise.
Hell’s Paradise wins this award due to creative and vibrant visuals, memorable character designs, excellent voice-acting and music, and its good balance of action and story. The characters are also extremely interesting, though not all of them are well-developed. Finally, the “plot twist” in the final episode was intriguing and well-written.
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2) Favorite Visuals Award: Heavenly Delusion
This award is for personal favorite style of art and animation rather than objectively best quality. For this one, without any major competition, my choice is Heavenly Delusion. I absolutely love the way the characters are drawn, with the slightly rounded noses, detailed eye highlights, and powerful face expressions. It also has body proportions that are slightly more realistic than what you see in the average anime.
The monstrous creatures that Haruki calls man-eaters have weird and creepy designs, which also contributed to this choice. In addition, I liked the natural colors, the diverse lighting, and the way shadows are done in this anime. As far as art style is concerned, Heavenly Delusion is definitely my favorite.
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3) Favorite Song Award: Dr. Stone – New World – ED 1
(Okamoto’s “Where Do We Go?”)
My favorite song of the year is Okamoto’s “Where Do We Go,” which was ending song for the first half of Dr. Stone: New World. There were a few others I seriously considered, including “Itterasshai” by Ai Higuchi, which appeared in Attack on Titan, and “Innocent Arrogance” by Bish, which was the opening for Heavenly Delusion. Additionally, “SpecialZ” by King Gnu was also considered. (That was the second opening for Jujutsu Kaisen S2.)
In the end, it came down to “Where Do We Go” by Okamoto, or “Kamihitoe” by Uru, the ending song for Hell’s Paradise. I love both of these songs equally. Since Hell’s Paradise already won an award, however, I chose to give this one to the Dr. Stone ED. The style is right up my alley and I love the mixed English and Japanese vocals.
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4) Best Story Concept Award: Oooku (The Inner Chambers)
This award came down to a choice between Oooku and Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts. Of course, I ultimately decided on the former. The best thing about Oooku is its imaginative premise, in which the Japanese population of men was drastically reduced. The resulting cultural change was fascinating.
Most of the episodes focus primarily on one generation of female Shogun, with a lot of romantic elements and character interactions. Regardless of its rather typical style of historical drama, the beginning story concept is extremely creative.
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5) LGBT+ Representation Award: TenTen Kakumei
TenTen Kakumei is a Girl’s Love anime. But it’s also a decent example of LGBT+ representation. The main princess, Anisphia, is a lesbian who “came out” to her parents when she was only 5, proclaiming that she would someday marry a woman. The love interest, Euphie, is also some flavor of queer, though it isn’t as clear as Anis’ case. She eventually returns the feelings of the strange princess, and the two become a couple.
I absolutely love this anime, because it’s a rare thing to see positive depictions of LGBT+ characters in Japanese anime; and because I am also in that community myself
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6) Best Shounen Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
The main contenders were Dr. Stone S3, Hell’s Paradise, and Jujutsu Kaisen S2, since those were the only classic-style shounen anime I watched this year. Hell’s Paradise is exciting and interesting, but in my opinion, it’s more fantasy/ psychological than true shounen. Although Dr. Stone has plenty of light-hearted charm, Jujutsu Kaisen takes the cake this time for its dark and thrilling second season. The fight scenes were amazing and the emotional devastation of Yuuji Itadori was visceral as the world plunged into chaos.
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7) Best Shoujo Anime: Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts
There was no competition for this award, at least among the 25 anime series that I watched from 2023. Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts is a wonderful anime that can be appreciated by any demographic. (It’s especially appealing to furries due to all the humanoid beasts.) But strictly speaking, the target demographic was shoujo, so here we are. Romantic shoujo anime can be very cringe, but this one was genuinely sweet, cute, and exciting at times.
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8) Best New Female Character Award: Sagiri Asaemon
(Hell’s Paradise)
My favorite new female character from 2023 is Sagiri Asaemon, the samurai and executioner from Hell’s Paradise. I love her personality, as well as her impressive strength and sword skills. Sagiri is a more forgiving person than me, so we aren’t necessarily alike. On the other hand, we do have a few things in common, such as the desire to protect others and a deeply emotional nature. The best thing about Sagiri is that she’s tough and reliable, balancing out her sweetness and kindness when necessary. That’s why she’s a warrior.
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9) Best New Male Character Award: Haruki Takehaya
(Heavenly Delusion)
Giving this award was hard because I had many choices in mind. First of all, I really love Gabimaru and Shion from Hell’s Paradise, but I just picked that anime for the previous award. Twice in a row is a little much when there are other contenders. There were a few good male characters in The Ancient Magus Bride S2, including Zoe Ivy. Also, Dr. Stone S3 introduced Soyuz and Moz, both of whom were cool in their own ways.
Another potential choice was Tsugaru Shinuchi from Undead Murder Farce. He’s awesome, so I almost went with him. Then I changed my mind at the last minute. As far as what character I identify with the most, I think the best choice would be Haruki from Heavenly Delusion. This young boy nearly died fighting a monster to protect and impress his loved ones. While he was unconscious, he was the victim of an unethical surgery. When he woke up, his body was not his own. His brain had moved into his dead sister’s body.
I’ve not been through anything that wild, of course, but I do have a certain degree of gender dysphoria – especially when I was younger. Haruki is now transgender by some definitions, as his gender identity – his mental state – doesn’t match the biological sex of his body. I’m nonbinary, rather than a young man, so it’s not exactly the same. But it’s similar enough to give me a lot of empathy for Haruki.
Besides that, I have a lot of the same reactions and tendencies as him throughout the series. We have similar personalities. We are both sensitive, loyal, and curious. For these reasons, Haruki is my favorite new male character of 2023.
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10) Year’s Overall Best Anime Award: Vinland Saga Season 2
This award was also hard to give out because I had to figure out the difference between the anime with the highest personal enjoyment level versus the one that is best overall. You can tell which ones I enjoyed the most by looking at the personal enjoyment scores I listed under each title. But as for this award, it goes to an anime that scores highly in all categories. It should also be an anime that has strong story themes and important message to impart.
The anime that matches the best, in my opinion, is Vinland Saga S2. It has stunningly good music, excellent visuals, extremely well-developed characters, and a richly emotional story with unending importance. To put it in a grossly oversimplified nutshell, violence is not something turn to in a hurry. It may be necessary at times, but it should never be celebrated or glorified. Other themes include existentialism, vengeance, personal redemption, openness to change, and grief.
In 2023, a war started in the Middle East. Another one (the invasion of Ukraine) is ongoing. Beyond that, violent conflicts happen every day in many different countries. Crime statistics vary, but violent crime will probably always be an issue in society. I think an anime that explores morality, human nature, conflict, and violence is extremely important. That’s why Vinland Saga S2 is the best anime of 2023.
Part 3: Anime not from 2023
For the final part of this post, I made a list of other anime series I watched for the first time this year. These, however, are not from 2023. I won’t include as much detail in these notes, but I felt like they were still worth mentioning. Notes are not included because I ran out of mental energy and wanted to get this post done. 😛
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Darwin’s Game (2020)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 6/10
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Demon Slayer: Infinite Train Arc (2021)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 7/10
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Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc (2022)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 8/10
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Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (2 Seasons – 2018 and 2019)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 7/10
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Heaven Official’s Blessing (2020)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 7/10
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Japan Sinks (2020)
Personal Enjoyment Level: 6/10
With that, we have completed 7Mono’s 2023 Anime Awards post.
Thank you for reading!
Happy New Year!!!
PATREON
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