Top Ten Anime of Fall 2023

This is VERY late due to the enjoyable December holiday break. Still, I have to do this list before I get to my 2023 best anime. And, this list is pretty strong. Let’s begin, shall we?

Goblin Slayer

At number ten, I have “Goblin Slayer”. The second season is very much anticipated, and it took years for it to come into fruition. Thankfully, we have more pure high fantasy, dungeon crawls, and organized violence as our favorite armored silver ranked slayer has to offer. I’m a HUGE fan of purely fantasy anime. And, this won’t be the last one on my list. Read on.

The Girlfriends

At number nine, I have “The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You”. That title is a mouthful, and Rentarou has his hands full trying to keep his upcoming 100 girlfriends alive. You heard that right he WANTS to keep them alive. Because of some fated mistake, instead of having one soulmate in life, Rentarou has 100. But, it gets more complicated than that. If he doesn’t make these soulmates his girlfriends, they end up dying. That’s a morbid premise, but the anime is quite over the top hilarious with that premise. This is the only anime on my list where I get to laugh out loud several times EVERY episode. The anime is so absurd that it is so funny.

Fuuko and Andy

At number eight, I have “Undead Unluck”. I have a soft spot for consecutive cour anime, and ‘Undead Unlock’ is one of a couple here on my list. Regardless of episode count, this is a pretty good anime to make my list. Undead or ‘Andy’ is out to find a way to end his immortal life. In comes Fuuko with her unluck power that could possibly allow Andy to die. The catch? The more Fuuko has an emotional attachement to the individual who touches her bare skin, the worse the unluck unleashed. I’m talking literal fire and brimstone from the sky disasters. So, Andy decides that in order to ensure that he dies in spite of his insane regenerative abilities, he will make Fuuko fall in love with him. He hopes this will truly end his immortal life. It’s another morbid premise that combines with excellent action, and comedy in it. I seem to have an affinity for this kind of anime. Hmm…

The Forgers

At number seven, I have “Spy Family”. The Forgers are back for their second season. This masterpiece by Wit Studio, and Cloverworks deserves all the attention it’s getting. Also, I love it when mama Yor gets to show off her ‘killer instinct’. There is a lot of it in this season. There’s a lot of super spy Loid in this season too. And yet, it all looks like a set-up to the movie that should be available in some areas by now. I’m already looking forward to the third season.

Senkuu

At number six, I have “Dr. Stone”. Senkuu and the Nation of Science are back to restore humanity to its technological present. This third season is as good as the second season. This is the second cour of the third season, and I’m fully satisfied that Ibara got what he had coming. He tried to outsmart Senkuu, but failed. This anime has a perfect mix of action, comedy, great animation, AND scientific knowledge that you can actually use as a sample in the classroom. Imagine a science class that uses “Dr. Stone” for its lessons. I can imagine it.

The Eminence in Shadow

At number five, I have “The Eminence in Shadow”. After a very entertaining first season, Cid/Shadow is back with Shadow Garden for the second season. The anime starts off strong at the gate, and provides everyone with more than enough isekai entertainment. By season’s end, Cid has a new challenge in a very familiar place. I suppose it was necessary considering the premise of existing alternate realities now revealed in the second season. What does this mean for Cid, and his hare—Shadow Garden moving forward? Let’s see what happens.

Maomao

At number four, I have “The Apothecary Diaries”. I gambled on this anime because it was from OLM studios. You know, the studio responsible for”‘Summertime Rende“‘? This was worth the gamble, and it has two consecutive cours. Maomao is the main character in this historical fiction anime that is set during the Chinese Imperial Era. Maomao is a potion maker/poison tester who gets sold into the Rear Palace of the emperor. This sets her on an adventure full of intrigue, and manipulation in the politics of the Rear Palace. This is a procedural anime with there being a mystery every episode. However, there is an even bigger mystery unravelling that might just lead to the core of succession to the throne. If anything, the biggest strenght of this anime is Maomao herself who is the perfect combination of brains, and beauty. Why do the brains come before the beauty? Watch the anime to find out.

Atom and Uran

At number three, I have “Plut”‘. If you’re an Astroboy fan, then you are in for a treat. This anime adapts “The Greatest Robot in the World” storyline from the original “Astroboy” run in the 1980s. It does so with hour long eight episodes. Unlike ‘Astroboy’, ‘Pluto’ takes a more serious tone, and creates a lot of emotional hooks to keep you interested. There is a lot of human interest in this science fiction anime that even makes the robots more human, AND humane than actual humans. You might want to watch the last two episodes of “Astrobo”‘ aka “The Greatest Robot in the World” to review the basic plot. You don’t need to though. ‘Pluto’ can stand on its own merits.

Jujutsu Kaizen

At number two, I have “Jujutsu Kaize”‘. For the second straight season, ‘Jujutsu Kaizen’ lands at number two. The previous cour came out during the summer season, and this continues into the fall. This is one of studio MAPPA’s babies, and it’s a hell of a show. Not only do we get some backstory on Gojou, but we also get the much anticipated Shibuya Arc. The Shibuya Arc was so influential that the Japanese Government shut down Shibuya for a while BECAUSE of what was being shown in this anime. Talk about pop culture having influence in real life, right? The third season has already been announced, and THAT promises to be better than this one. With all that is excellent with “Jujutsu Kaize”, Gojou and company still don’t have enough magic to overcome the number one anime of the season…

Frieren

At number one, I have “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End”. MADHOUSE. IS. BACK. What a way to be back on top playing with the anime big boys. This is high fantasy at its best. Would you believe me if I told you that it’s also slice of life? What if it’s also the chillest anime of the season? The animation is flawless, and very crisp from cell to cell. The storytelling is heartwarming, and heartwrenching at the same time. I knew that the anime would be good. But, I didn’t know it would be THIS GOOD. To add, it’s also a back-to-back two cour anime. That means this is spiliing over to the winter season of 2024. Is this a good thing? Well, duh? OF COURSE IT IS! ”Frieren Beyond: Journey’s End” is not just eye candy. There are deep themes here that include (but not limited to) immortality, the cycle of life, and mundane magic-using. Just like how people underestimate Frieren, you can choose to underestimate this anime at your peril. There is a lot of hidden magic in this anime still waiting to be unleashed.

So, that’s my list. Agree with me? Disagree? Let me know in the comments.

Binge-worthy Anime During COVID 19 Quarantine

So I had this idea and posted it on my Facebook Page. Since a lot of us are stuck at home during quarantine because of COVID-19, I decided to come up with a list of anime that I would never get tired of re-watching time and time again. But, the list didn’t give it justice. So, I’m providing here a better elaboration of why these are my choices. Here goes then.

I’ll start with the oldest one on the list, Voltes V. This is a Filipino phenomenon. Though there was Combattler V that came before it , Voltes V was the super robot that won the hearts of anime fans in the Philippines, including me. By my count, this anime has been shown three times. One in it’s incomplete English dubbed version when it came out in the late 70s. Another time with completed English dub in the 90s. And then there was a Tagalog dubbed version that came later. If that wasn’t enough, there will be a live action adaptation of Voltes V in the Philippines. I don’t think there was ever an anime well-revered by Filipinos than Voltes V. Sure, the anime is dated, but the themes are not. Think about it. Rebellion against tyranny is something that a lot of Filipinos can relate. There are other super robots that came before it, but this is the one that has embedded itself into the Filipino psyche for arguably generations to come. Let’s Volt in!!!!

The next oldest on the list is the 1980s version of Astroboy. There was a version of this anime in the 60s, but this later version is the one I like. Created by Osamu Tezuka, Astroboy is wish fulfillment Pinocchio style. His wisdom, power and charisma are what make Astro such an appealing character. As you watch the anime, you’ll appreciate Astro’s sense of wonder, and respect for the human race. There’s a bit of Asimov in this series as well as robots are not supposed to harm humans. The beauty and irony of the anime is that Astroboy, being a robot, is more human than a lot of human characters in the show. In fact, he often shows humans how to become more humane from his robot perspective.

Third oldest here is Macross. Actually, ALL the Macross anime except for Macross 7 (that is one part of Macross history I choose to ignore). Created by Shoji Kawamori, this anime presents jet planes that transform into mecha. Hell, the dimensional fortress itself transforms into one giant robot. My eyes feasted on this anime from the get-go. Gundam might have come first, but this is the mecha anime that caught my fancy. Oddly enough, the mecha is not the ultimate weapon in the series. It’s actually culture in the form of music. Aside from that, the fight scenes in those mecha were outstanding. The initial anime was so popular that the jet transformation was adapted into another popular show in the 80s, Transformers. Jetfire/Skyfire’s transformation is the exact copy of the Macross fighter planes. Also, while everybody was falling in love with either Lynn Minmay or Misa Hayase, I was more interested in Milia Fallyna, the better half of ace pilot Maximillian Jenius. That couple could easily take out a cadre of elite pilots on their own without breaking a sweat. Speaking of couples…

Next on the list is Ranma 1/2 created by Rumiko Takahashi. Ranma Saotome falls into the cursed spring of Jusenkyo which transforms him into a pig-tailed girl of equal age. His father, Genma, falls into a similar spring which transforms him into a panda. From then on, they can only transform into their original forms when they bathe in hot water. Later, Ranma finds out that he is set to marry Akane Tendo, daughter of Soun Tendo and best friend of Genma, when they come of age. This sets up a series of misadventures wherein Ranma seeks to cure himself from Jusenkyo’s curse, and avoid marrying tomboy Akane. I’ll be blunt. The premise of this anime is outrageous. It’s downright hilarious. And, it’s very, very entertaining. There is a slew of characters in this anime that follow the same theme as Ranma….victim of Jusenkyo’s springs. The characters themselves are layered and bring their own brand of hilarity to the show from the vain Kuno to the dangerously cute Shampoo. No matter how many times I watch this anime, I always end up laughing and sometimes laughing into tears. This is one of Rumiko Takahashi’s greatest works. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any funnier, Ranma 1/2 surprises you with more out of this world humor. Now, let’s move on to something a little bit more serious…

The next anime on my list is another mecha anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Yeah, I loved a lot of robot anime. It’s no surprise I have four on my list of ten, and Evangelion is the last robot anime you’ll find here. Whereas Ranma 1/2 was comedy, Evangelion was heavy on drama. This anime tackled serious existential themes,and by the time the series was done people still got to wonder if they got the gist right. The villains there were called angels, and that’s not the only biblical reference in Eva. The main character, Shinji Ikari, is a weak-willed emotional boy who holds the fate of humanity in his hands. Throughout the series, he learns to develop his skills in piloting the Eva to save the human race from these angels…or does he? Joining him are fellow Eva pilots, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu. Created by Hideaki Anno with designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Evangelion had psychological, philosophical, social and religious concepts that made the anime a total mindfu–warp. Providing multiple perspectives into intellectual thought, this anime had layers upon layers of hidden meanings. Unsurprisingly, some of them were sexual in nature. At the center of it all is the Freudian relationship between Shinji and his mentor/mother figure, Misato Katsuragi. I tell you this was heavy viewing for an anime. As it was coming out, I had to watch each episode at least twice to see if I got the concepts right. Did I? Not quite. As the many discussion boards will tell you, just when you think you have the series figured out some new information comes out of the wood works and screws up your initial theories. This was one anime that let me think deep in more than one occasion, and that’s why I keep coming back to it for more.

So here’s my first five of ten anime that I’d gladly watch over and over. Next time, I’ll discuss the next five. That’s all for now. Happy binge watching.