HomeNewsThe Best Anime of 2020

The Best Anime of 2020

There's arguably never been a far better time than now to be an admirer of anime. As a multi-billion dollar industry, the once-niche cultural export has morphed into a worldwide phenomenon, its impact, and reach seen and felt in nearly every facet of up to date animation. With as many options as are afforded to viewers nowadays -- not mention the decades-worth of content accessible through streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and Crunchyroll -- it is also never been trickier to stay up with all the new releases within one year. 2019 had most to supply within the way of anime, from remakes of venerated contemporary and cult classics like Boogiepop et al. and Dororo, to hotly anticipated follow-up seasons to shows like Mob Psycho 100 and One Punch Man, to brand-new shows that blew us away. rather than wasting some time sussing out some crappy new series, read this highly curated, obsessive list of the simplest new anime of 2019.

Looking for more anime? Head over to our lists of the most effective anime from 2020 and therefore the best anime of the 2010s. For even more recommendations, try our picks for the most effective Movies of 2019 and therefore the Best TV Shows of 2019.

23. One-Punch Man (Season 2)

Director: Chikara Sakurai
Release date: April 9
Animation production: J.C. Staff

The comic-heroic saga of Saitama, a self-proclaimed "hero for fun" who possesses the absurd superhuman ability to defeat any adversary with one punch, was a near-instant hit among anime aficionados for its outlandish animation, breathtaking fight scenes, and unflappable deadpan humor. Ever since the primary season of One-Punch Man premiered and blew everyone's bully-off in 2015, fans are eagerly anticipating the subsequent, and after a four-year wait, it's finally here. Fans and critics of the primary season were curious about how the switch between production studios and staff from Madhouse, who chose instead to provide this year's Boogiepop et al, and J.C. Staff would affect the general quality of the show's animation. To be sure, the absence of director Shingo Natsume and also the deft talents of animators as Sejoon Kim and also the legendary Yutaka Nakamura are certainly missed here, but considering the season's tortured production and limitations, J.C. Staff still manages to deliver a serviceable follow-up that strives for the over-the-top bombast and comedy of the primary season and misses by just a hair. Still, more One-Punch Man continues to be more One-Punch Man, and if you are a fan of the series, it's certainly worth riding out this season if only to wash in its flashes of awesome spectacle.

Available on: VIZ, Hulu

22. Midnight Occult Civil Servants

Release date: April 7
Director: Tetsuya Watanabe
Animation production: Liden Films

Miyako Arata could be a young official newly transferred to a seemingly inconspicuous department within the Shinjuku Ward Office. Though led to believe his job are going to be a secular and bureaucratic one, the unsuspecting Arata soon realizes that the responsibilities of his new role are anything but. Assigned to the Nocturnal Community Relations Division, Arata and his coworkers Sakaki Kyouchi and Himezuka Seo are tasked with acting as liaisons between the globe of humans and therefore the world of the "Anothers," otherworldly beings imperceptible to those that lack an intuitive aptitude for the supernatural. With a likable cast, engrossing moment-to-moment drama, and an aura of mystery complete with a couple of peculiar twists and revelations, Midnight Occult Civil Servants is an entertaining urban fantasy-meets-workplace drama well worth carving out the time to look at.

Available on: Crunchyroll

21. MIX: Meisei Story

Release date: April 6
Director: Odahiro Watanabe
Animation production: OLM

Adapted from Mitsuru Adachi's 2012 ongoing shonen baseball series, itself a semi-sequel to Adachi's 1981 series Touch (which received its own critically-acclaimed anime adaptation in 1985), MIX: Messi Story centers on the journey of two step-brothers, Touma "Tou" and Souichirou "Sou" Tachibana, who, following within the footsteps of Touch's Tatsuya Uesugi, aspire to steer their middle-school team to win the national Kōshien baseball tournament. Though not entirely except what one would expect from a run-of-the-mill shonen sports series, MIX shines among its contemporaries on the merit of its charming cast, beautiful animation, and inventive implementation of fourth-wall-breaking transitions and tongue-in-cheek narration. Tou and Sou's dogged determination to determine their thanks to victory is earnest and galvanizing in a very way not unlike that of a season of Pokémon -- not surprising, given the very fact that MIX's main writer, Atsuhiro Tomioka, is thought for his past and ongoing contributions to many seasons, films, and specials of the Pokémon series. If you are looking for a wide-eyed fun, inspiring, and visually impressive sports anime this year, and are not necessarily game to undertake and catch au courant over 100 episodes of Ace of the Diamond, MIX: Messi Story may be a perfect choice.

Available on: Crunchyroll

20. Kaguya-sama: Love is War

Release date: January 12
Director: Mamoru Hatakeyama
Animation production: A-1 Pictures

In the "contest" of romance, the one that falls infatuated first -- or "catches feelings" because the kids say nowadays -- is that the loser. Or a minimum of, that is the premise of A-1 Pictures' Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War. Adapted from the favored ongoing manga of the identical name, Love Is War follows the story of Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya, two genius-level students attending the illustrious Shuch’in Academy, who quietly harbor feelings for each other. So far, so boring. But there’s a twist: thanks to an ill-fated combination of entrenched class consciousness, emotional immaturity, and toxic adolescent pride, neither Shirogane nor Shinomiya will acknowledge their feelings for the opposite. instead of healthily process these emotions and talk things out like, y’ know, adults, Shirogane and Shinomiya instead elect to orchestrate an elaborate series of public situations to force the opposite to confess their feelings first in a very bid to avoid wasting face. The result's a romantic comedy infused with the intensity of a psychological thriller that’s equal parts hilarious and infuriating for all the correct reasons.

Available on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, FunimationNow

19. Boogiepop and Others

Release date: January 4
Director: Shingo Natsume
Animation production: Madhouse

The latest anime adaptation of Kouhei Kadono's influential early aughts light novel series, Boogiepop, and Others, is an anthology swirling around Boogiepop, a vigilante alter-ego of high schooler Touka Miyashita that possesses her body in moments of mortal crisis within the fight against a cadre of otherworldly creatures with ties to a shadowy entity known only as of the Towa organization. As a series, Boogiepop et al. may be best described as a slow-burn supernatural mystery thriller dotted with adrenaline-spiking sequences of horror, action, and suspense set against a backdrop of stunning metropolitan vistas. As an adaptation of not only the primary novel in Kadono's series, but several of the series' other celebrated entries like Boogiepop at Dawn, Boogiepop Returns VS Imaginator, and Boogiepop Overdrive: The King of Distortion, the series could be a must-watch for longtime fans of the Boogiepop and a perfect point of entry for anyone new and interested in the franchise. If that's not enough to maneuver the needle, the series is being produced and animated by the identical director and team to blame for 2015’s satirical superhero smash-hit One Punch Man.

Available on: Crunchyroll, FunimationNow

18. Fruits Basket

Release date: April 6
Director: Yoshihide Ibata
Animation production: TMS/8PAN

Natsuki Takaya's Fruits Basket may be a perennial favorite among fans of shojo (i.e. 'young woman') manga for its charming slice-of-life storyline, empathetically rendered characters, engrossing relational dynamics, and earnest, offbeat humor, and also the series' early '00s television adaptation even more so. This year's reboot, produced by TMS Entertainment and directed by Yoshihide Ibata (Kill La Kill, FLCL Progressive), could be a meticulous and loving tackle the source material that champions its dedication to telling the first manga's story fully. Fruits Basket follows the story of Tohru Honda, a hardworking and optimistic high schooler who is taken in by the Soma clan, a reclusive family whose members each carry the reincarnated spirit of an animal from the Chinese Zodiac. While balancing the strain of college and her new role as a surrogate member of the Soma clan, Tohru grows as a fille while inadvertently facilitating the expansion of each of the members of the family, tightening bonds that vacillate between the familial and romantic. 2019's Fruits Basket could be a disarmingly endearing romantic comedy with simply enough twists on the formula of the genre to tug in newcomers while satisfying longtime fans of the initial.

Available on: Crunchyroll, FunimationNow

17. Rilakkuma and Kaoru

Release date: April 6
Director: Nobuyuki Takeuchi, Kunihiko Ikuhara
Animation production: MAPPA, Lapin Track

Rilakkuma and Kaoru follow Kaoru, the show's titular 20-something office worker, as she navigates the challenges of her job, home life, the expectations of her family and peers, likewise because the vague but palpable experience of depression and ennui that accompanies young adulthood, all while taking care of Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, and Kiiroitori, two anthropomorphic bears that beginning living with Kaoru and her pet bird, respectively. The show is notable for being one in every of the foremost recent and prominent samples of stop-motion animation in anime, away too often marginalized to a distinct segment within the anime industry, but no less expressive and impressive. a captivating slice-of-life comedy with coming-of-age elements, both the series’ writing and animation are excellent. It's hardly surprising only if the previous is credited to Naoko Ogigami, an award-winning Japanese comedy writer-director, and therefore the latter to key animators like Katsushi Bouda and Shigeru Okada lauded stop-motion artists. At its heart, Rilakkuma and Kaoru are very like Netflix’s 2018 series Aggretsuko: taking the beloved mascot of an advert brand and centering them at the guts of a sincere and affecting exploration of the inherent loneliness of young adulthood and therefore the value of genuine, persistent friendships. For this alone, Rilakkuma and Kaoru shine together as the simplest anime of 2019.

Available on: Netflix

16. Aggretsuko (Season 2)

Release date: Flag Day
Director: Rancho
Animation production: Fanworks

Rancho and Fanworks' Aggretsuko was a breakout hit when it premiered on Netflix early last year. most in order that we're now treated to yet one more new season, now crammed with even more delightful surprises and twists than the primary. once we last left Retsuko, our plucky metal karaoke procyonid protagonist, it seemed as if she was in an exceedingly pretty great spot between her work-life and actual life. Sure, her job as an accounting clerk still sucks and her sex activity -- or lack thereof -- may leave something to be desired, but Retsuko came out of the challenges of that first season a stronger, wiser, and more confident fille willing to claim her worth, speak up for herself, and more willing to act on her own needs and desires. Season 2 finds Retsuko tackling new, albeit familiar challenges within the variety of Anai, an aggressively hypersensitive intern under her tutelage, the intrusive helicopter parenting of her own mother who insists on her finding a partner and settling down, and a brand new love interest with a surprising background. An immensely satisfying continuation of the primary, Aggretsuko Season 2 is one amongst 2019's must-watch series.

Available on: Netflix

15. Dr. Stone

Release date: July 5
Director: Shinya Lino
Animation production: TMS Entertainment

Concurrently running alongside Riichiro Inagaki's popular sci-fi adventure manga, the Dr. Stone anime follows the story of Senku Ishigami, a genius, leek-haired high school student with a passion for astronomy and space exploration, and his oafish, lovable childhood friend Taiju Ōki as they try to rebuild civilization within the wake of a mysterious event that transforms every individual on the earth into stone. A sci-fi action comedy that plays out sort of a post-apocalyptic mash-up of Andy Weir's The Martian crossed with Rick and Morty, Senku and Taiju start-up research to revive every person on the world and crack what caused their sudden affliction using nothing quite wits, brawn, guile, and pure ingenuity to science the shit out of this problem. From constructing shelter to distilling alcohol, building fires to forging gunpowder, every new discovery is as thrilling to witness in action because it is hilarious to listen to explained to Taiju in Senku's dry, matter-of-fact wit. If you are looking for an anime that'll cause you to feel just a tad bit smarter for having watched it, Dr. Stone is that the anime for you.

Available on: Crunchyroll, FunimationNow

14. Babylon

Release date: October 7
Director: Kiyotaka Suzuki
Animation production: Revoroot

Through and thru crime procedurals desire a rarity in anime, often mashed-up with either some supernatural horror or science-fiction element that asserts primacy over the comparatively mundane, but no less fascinating appeal of a simple mystery. Babylon arguably follows during this vein, albeit while being principally focused on the drama of actual police investigation. Adapted from Mado Nozaki’s original novel series, the show centers around Zen Seizaki, a no-nonsense lawyer during a newly founded district west of Tokyo, ensnared in an exceedingly sinister conspiracy involving an unscrupulous drug company and a confederacy of political power brokers. What looks as if a routine case explodes into a race against the clock to wrest control of this new district from its corrupt leadership and stop the deaths of untold counts of individuals. Babylon may be a suspenseful, surprising, and utterly enthralling crime thriller that’ll have you ever gripped at the sting of your seat by each episode’s end.

Available on: Amazon Prime

13. No Guns Life

Release date: October 10
Director: Naoyuki Itō
Animation production: Madhouse

No Guns Life may be a proud addition within the canon of action anime with ridiculous premises, answering the age-old question: "What if a cyborg had, I do not know, an enormous gun for ahead and was able to, like, punch things so hard they explode?" Adapted from Tasuku Karasuma's manga series of the identical name, No Guns Life follows Juzo Inui, an amnesiac military cyborg-turned-resident private detective during a futuristic city governed by Berühren, a megalomaniacal weapons manufacturer, and populated by mechanically augmented humans called "Extended." After being enlisted to shield the life of a mysterious young boy named Tetsuro, Juzo takes the young ward under his care and mounts a one-man war against Berühren forces in their bid to ensnare the young Tetsurō for his or her own nefarious ends. Directed by Naoyuki Itō of the Overlord series and scored by Kenji Kawaii of Ghost within the Shell fame, No Guns Life could also be known best for its combination of traditionally animated action set against CG backgrounds animated courtesy, of all things, Epic Games' Unreal Engine. If you are looking for a gritty sci-fi action brawler with eccentric characters and thrilling action, No Guns Life could be a pushover.

Available on: Hulu

12. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K: Reawakened

Release date: December 30
Director: Hiroaki Sakurai

Animation production: EGG FIRM and J.C. Staff

Dropping at the last possible second of 2019, The Disastrous lifetime of Saiki K: Reawakened added a hilarious finale to the tip of the year with its self-aware madcap antics. discovering after its two-episode special that almost destroyed the globe, pink-haired former psychokinetic Saiki Kusuo learns that life isn't all that great without his powers, which, within the show's breakneck fashion (that includes its extremely brief intro theme), are quickly restored so he can return to his life among his idiot band of misfit peers and fogeys, fellow clairvoyants, and rival brother. this is often a gag show in its tightest form; this one-off additional season doesn't miss a beat and stands out joined of the funniest modern additions to the medium in an exceedingly while.

Available on: Netflix

11. Vinland Saga

Release date: July 7
Director: Shūhei Yabuta
Animation production: Wit Studio

Adapted from Makoto Yukimura's popular historical fiction manga series, Vinland Saga tells the journey of Thorfinn Karlsefni, a legendary Icelandic explorer as he embarks on a deadly quest to avenge the death of his father. Initially set within the year 1002 A.D., the series follows Thorfinn's story from childhood to adulthood, maturing from a lighthearted boy into a harsh, relentless warrior until finally leaving to colonize North America alongside Leif Erikson. Drawing elements from real-life historical accounts, Vinland Saga is an intense and captivating fictionalized depiction of a desirable, albeit under-discussed, a chapter of European history: the Vikings. Beneath the heart-pounding action and impressive animation pulses a resolutely humanist theme of anti-violence and pro-human decency, with Thorfinn’s father Thors imparting him with the life lesson that each person is fighting a tough battle which nobody is really his enemy. Still early in its season, Vinland Saga has already secured its place collectively of the year's best.

Available on: Amazon Prime

10. Fire Force

Release date: July 5
Director: Yuuki Yase
Animation production: David Production

In an alternate steampunk universe of our own, the globe is besieged by a mysterious epidemic of spontaneous human combustion, transforming otherwise mild-mannered humans into ghoulish supernatural creatures called "Infernals." Shinra Kusakabe, a third-generation pyrokinetic with aspirations of becoming a firefighting hero, enlists as a rookie firefighter of the Special Fire Force, a semi-religious order of pyromancers dedicated to exorcising Infernals and defending Tokyo from their persistent threat. With an all-star production team of talent of the likes of chief animation director Hideyuki Morioka (Kizumonogatari), Hiroyuki Ookaji, Riki Matsuura, and Kazuhiro Miwa -- many of whom previously worked together at Studio SHAFT -- Fire Force is one among the foremost visually impressive and distinctive shonen series of the year. With starkly rendered background layouts, exciting fight sequences, and a mischievous sense of fourth wall-prodding humor, Fire Force is that this year's hottest (pun absolutely intended) new action anime.

Available on: Crunchyroll, FunimationNow

9. My Hero Academia (Season 4)

Release date: national holiday
Director: Kenji Nagasaki
Animation production: Bones

Studio Bones' flagship shōnen anime triumphantly returns for an additional season of super-heroics and high action With the retirement of his mentor and also the relocation of his peers within the wake of the League of Villains' latest attack, Season 4 of My Hero Academia finds young Izuku "Deku" Midoriya at an important turning point in his quest to become All Might's successor. Featuring nefarious new villains, startling revelations, and even more super-powered action, My Hero Academia yet again asserts its claim collectively of the simplest anime airing right away.

Available on: Crunchyroll, FunimationNow

8. Blade of the Immortal

Release date: October 10
Director: Hiroshi Hamasaki
Animation production: Linden Films

2019’s Blade of the Immortal is that the second anime adaptation of Hiroaki Samura’s landmark chanabra revenge series, intended to adapt all of the initial manga as against the 2008 series’ truncated 13-episode run. Set within the feudal era of Japan’s Tokugawa period, the series centers on Rin, a miss who seeks to avenge her parents who were slain at the hands of a ruthless mercenary school of swordsmen referred to as the Ittō-ryū. Without the abilities to face them on her own, she enlists the help of Manji, a foul-tempered samurai stuck with immortality who must kill 1,000 evil men so as to earn his mortality -- and a peaceful death -- back. Directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki of Steins; gate fame, Linden Films’ Blade of the Immortal is an exquisite adaptation packed with scintillating blink-and-you’ll-miss-it swordplay, balletic gore, and artfully paced storytelling.

Available on: Amazon Prime

7. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Release date: April 9
Director: Haruo Sotozaki
Animation production: Ufotable

Adapted from Koyoharu Gotōge’s ongoing Shonen Jump manga series, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba follows Tanjiro Kamado, a young charcoal merchant turned demon slayer, as he sets out on a journey of discovery and revenge to not only avenge his family’s grisly murder, but to seek out a cure for his younger sister Nezuko, who survived their family’s attack only to be transformed into a feral half-demon with an aversion to sunlight. Ufotable is maybe best known for its work on the Fate franchise, a byzantine dark fantasy series renowned for its dazzling fight sequences and digital animation; fortunately, those qualities carry over to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. While the show won't be as thematically-nuanced or poignant as, say, Dororo, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a formidable shonen adventure series in its claim and is certain to appeal to any fan of Naruto or Black Clover and stands collectively of the foremost well-animated fantasy chanbara series to return out this year.

Available on: Crunchyroll

6. Dororo

Release date: January 7
Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi
Animation production: MAPPA, Tezuka Productions

In the midst of a terrible plague at the peak of Japan’s Warring States period, Lord Daigo Kagemitsu of the Ishikawa province makes a pact with 12 demons so as to avoid wasting his region and secure a path towards a way forward for wealth and power for his region. In exchange, each of the demons collects on Kagemitsu's debt by taking body parts from his newly born son -- his limbs, his eyes, his tongue, his skin -- until the baby is rendered into a horrifying testament to his father's sins, a newborn that's only exposed muscle and bones. Years later, the boy, having survived his father's attempts to induce eliminate him out of shame, grows up to become an itinerant swordsman named Hyakkimaru with a prosthetic body, sheathed swords for arms, and therefore the extrasensory ability to "see" demons. Adapted from Osamu Tezuka’s original manga and anime from the late ‘60s, Dororo tells the story of Hyakkimaru’s quest to slay demons, regain his humanity, and learn to open up to people during a time of immense cruelty with the assistance of his companion, an orphaned thief by the name of Dororo. Produced by Studio Mappa (Kids on the Slope, Yuri on Ice, Banana Fish) and directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Rurouni Kenshin, Hunter × Hunter '99, and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn), Dororo is an anime as viscerally violent because it is heartbreaking, and a series that ought to not be missed.

Available on: Amazon Prime

5. O Maidens in Your Savage Season

Release date: July 5
Director: Masahiro Ando, Takurō Tsukada
Animation production: Lay-Duce

What's the big cater to sex? No, seriously, like what the heck is it? it is a question that's undoubtedly crossed your mind at one point or another in your life, and one that involves dominate much of the protagonists' in O Maidens in Your Savage Season. As affecting as an emotional drama because it could be a coming-of-age comedy, O Maidens in Your Savage Season could be a disarmingly earnest and exquisite story of a gaggle of young girls embarking on their own personal and dangerous journey of adolescence into adulthood. The humor is clever without tripping over into egregious raunchiness, and therefore the respective arcs of protagonist Kazusa Onodera and her friends are well-written and relatable. O Maidens in Your Savage Season may slip under the radar in comparison to a number of the more prolific anime series to premiere this year, but it undoubtedly deserves mention among this year’s best.

Available on: VRV

4.Carola & Tuesday

Release date: April 10
Director: Shinichirō Watanabe, Motonobu Hori
Animation production: Bones

By now, if you're an anime fan, you already know who Shinichirō Watanabe is, and if you do not, it's my pleasure to catch you up. The director behind such medium-defining works like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Space Dandy, to not mention 2017's Blade Runner Black Out 2022, Watanabe is widely celebrated united of the anime industry's best directors working today, known for his love of music and penchant for anachronistic sci-fi premises. Carole & Tuesday, the most recent series directed by Watanabe and also the 20th-anniversary project from studio Bones (Fullmetal Alchemist, My Hero Academia, Eureka Seven), maybe a labor of affection about, well, the labor of love; a sci-fi folk fairy tale of two young women's dream to form it big as musicians in a very future where humans have long ago colonized Mars, a world that feels both uncanny and wholly lived in. Minor pacing issues and questionable representation aside, Carole & Tuesday could be a noble effort and ranks as, if not one in every of Watanabe's best, one in all the year's best anime so far.

Available on: Netflix

3. The Promised Neverland

Release date: January 11
Director: Mamoru Kanbe
Animation production: CloverWorks

The Promised Neverland follows 11-year-old Emma and her best friends, Norman and Ray, three of 37 orphaned children who go on a mysterious walled estate called the Grace Field House. Under the watchful eye of their caretaker known simply as Mom, the youngsters are afforded the simplest that life offers. Gourmet meals, plush beds, immaculate white outfits, and ample playtime while they wait to at least one day be adopted by a loving family. However, the quiet idyllic of Grace Field is swiftly shattered when Emma and Co. come upon a dark secret that underlies the House’s very existence. Horrified by their discovery, the three conspire to flee with the remainder of the youngsters into the skin world, because the machinations of both their caretaker and style Field’s mysterious benefactors move steadily to completion. With a premise that seems like a cross between From The New World and Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go, The Promised Neverland is an engrossing fantasy thriller with deft animation, savvy editing, and a taut atmosphere of mortal horror juxtaposed against a disquietingly cheerful exterior.

Available on: Crunchyroll, Hulu

2. Sarazanmai

Release date: April 6
Director: Nobuyuki Takeuchi, Kunihiko Ikuhara
Animation production: MAPPA, Lapin Track

Let's cut straight to the point: Sarazanmai is one in all, if not the foremost bizarre, idiosyncratic, visually audacious, and thematically evocative anime to air in 2019. Describing just exactly what the hell Saranzanmai is to someone who has never seen an anime directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara (Revolutionary Girl Utena, Pengiundrum, Yurikuma Arashi) is about as difficult because it would be to explain the concept of 'water' and what the hell it means for something to be 'wet' to an alien. But, put simply, the show follows three middle-schoolers -- Kazuki Yasaka, Kuji Toi, and Enta Jinnai -- as they're transformed into kappa, amphibious beak-faced demons, after releasing Kemppi, the guardian angel of Asakusa, from the statue containing him and accidentally insulting him. To return to human form, the three are tasked with exorcising "kappa-zombies," malicious poltergeists, by performing elaborate dance numbers in a very liminal dimension to steal the zombies’ shirikodama, magical spheres representing human desire, by forcibly removing them from their anuses. that's the tamest, most perfunctory description of what Sarazanmai is about, and it only gets stranger from here on out. Ikuhara is thought for writing shows with socially-conscious premises powered by avant-garde visuals laden with labyrinthine levels of subtextual depth, and Sarazanmai is not any different. Even knowing that nothing can quite prepare you for the surprises this show should offer. If nothing else, know this: it's one amongst the foremost daring, earnest, and empathetic series to air this year, and other than having watched one amongst Ikuhara's works within the past, you won’t see the rest quite prefer it.

Available on: Crunchyroll

1. Mob Psycho 100 II

Release date: January 7
Director: Yuzuru Tachikawa
Animation production: Bones

Coming hot on the tail of the series' breakout debut in 2016, Mob Psycho 100 II carries the torch of its predecessor's pedigree united of the foremost hilarious, kinetic, and aesthetically eclectic anime to air in recent memory, pushing that envelope even further in its second season. With most, if not all, of the first staff from the primary season returning for this outing, including animator Miya Sato, whose masterful "oil on glass" animation has distinguished numerous of the previous season's stand-out sequences, the adventures of layabout sharpy Reigen Arataka, his formidably powerful protege, Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama, and their poltergeist sidekick, Dimple, still work up as Mob journeys through adolescence within the face of ever-more perilous stakes. except for its adventurous animation, whip-sharp comedic timing, and impressive action sequences, Mob Psycho 100 II may be a touching coming-of-age story of the link between a mentor and his pupil, and the way the 2 help each to grow into more mature, earnest, and better-adjusted individuals. Come from the pyrotechnics, stay for the waterworks.