Every season, plenty ofanimeshows and films are met with hype to incredible degrees. Whether it’s because of the popularity of the source material, the pedigree of the staff and studio, or some combination of the two, some anime will stand out more than others, and those that do are often the ones that are the best to watch in their respective seasons.
Hype tends to be a good way of judging how good an anime will be, but that isn’t always the case. As often as anime are given hype, they’re just as often ignored either before their premieres or during because of their premises or a general lack of interest, but even with that,there are many cases when an anime will find major success with fans and critics alike after initially garnering little to no interest. A few anime, in particular, are especially noteworthy for being better than anyone could have expected, and each one is plenty worth highlighting.
Odd Taxi
Cast
Odd Taxi follows a reserved walrus working as a taxi driver in Tokyo, who becomes entangled in a mystery surrounding the disappearance of a teenage girl. Released in 2021, the series intertwines various characters' lives and unravels intricate narratives linked to the city’s bustling environs.
OLM, Inc.’sOdd Taxistars Hiroshi Odokawa, a walrus who drives a taxi and is generally antisocial. When the mysterious disappearance of a high school girl finds its way back to Odokawa and the people he’s driven around, though, Odokawa has to connect with his customers to help solve a mystery that only gets bigger with each new reveal.
No one expected a random new IP from the relatively unknown director Baku Kinoshita to take off, but surprisingly,Odd Taxi’s clever mystery writing and thoughtful character work made it a breakout success and one of the biggest anime of 2021. It perfectly shows how great original properties can be, even if no one comes in expecting much out of them.
Yuri on Ice
Yuri on Ice is a Japanese anime series focused on the competitive world of figure skating. The storyline follows Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki, who grapples with his career and personal challenges while being mentored by his idol, Russian champion Viktor Nikiforov. The series delves into the intricate dynamics of competition, mentorship, and personal growth within the context of a high-stakes sport.
In MAPPA’sYuri!!! on Ice, Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki has lost all confidence after a crushing defeat in the Grand Prix Final, but everything changes thanks to a chance encounter with his idol, Viktor Nikiforov. Viktor, encaptivated by Yuri’s performance, decides to become Yuri’s coach, and as the two grow closer, their bond evolves in a way no one could have expected.
Yuri!!! on Icedidn’t initially draw much attention, but in addition to its gorgeous animation and direction,Yuri!!! on Icebecame a worldwide success thanks to its openly queer themes at a time when that was still rare in animation.TheYuri!!! on Icemovie was unfortunately canceled, but that doesn’t change how big a hit the series had become.
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is a Japanese anime series based on the manga by Cool-kyou Shinja. The story centers on the life of a office worker named Kobayashi, whose world is turned upside down when she saves a dragon named Tohru. Tohru, in gratitude, transforms into a human maid and begins living with Kobayashi, blending extraordinary elements into her otherwise mundane life.
Kyoto Animation’sMiss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maidstars Kobayashi, an overworked office worker who saves the life of a dragon stabbed with a sword. The dragon, Tohru, is so thankful that she takes on a human form and becomes Kobayashi’s live-in maid, and their developing relationship leads to Kobayashi constantly learning more about Tohru’s world and the complexities of the people who inhabit it.
Kyoto Animation adapting a manga with questionable fanservice turned a lot of heads, butMiss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maidbecame an instant hit thanks to its great animation coupled with a surprisingly heartfelt story. There are few anime quite likeMiss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, and it’s now largely considered one of thebest Kyoto Animation anime of all time.
Anime Series By MAPPA; Directed By Munehisa Sakai
MAPPA’sZombie Land Sagaopens with Sakura Minamoto getting run over by a truck, and 10 years later, she awakes as one of seven girls turned into zombies. Sakura and the other girls were revived to become an idol group popular enough to revitalize the floundering Saga Prefecture, the reasoning being a constant mystery that only gets bigger with every passing episode.
Zombie Land Saga’s story was deliberately kept under wraps, but sure enough,Zombie Land Saga’s hilarious and often heartfelt writing, combined with its great music, made it an instant hit, worldwide.Zombie Land Sagais often considered one of thebest Studio MAPPA anime of all time, and with a sequel film in development, there’s plenty more to be excited about.
BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense
Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense follows Kaede Honjou as she navigates a virtual reality MMO game. Seeking to avoid pain, she invests heavily in her character’s defense, surprisingly unlocking powerful abilities that enable her to embark on various in-game adventures with unique challenges.
In Silver Link’sBofuri, when Kaede Honjo joined the new VRMMO gameNew World Online, she maximized defense for her character Maple to avoid taking damage as much as possible.New World Onlinewasn’t designed for something like that, and because of that, Maple’s unconventional play style slowly helped her become one of the top players of the game.
Bofurireceived little attention before its premiere, the show coming off as just another “cute girls doing cute things” anime, butthe fun, comedic writing ofBofuri, combined with surprisingly well-animated fight scenes, made it one of the most popular anime of the winter 2020 anime season. Season 2 failed to capture the same amount of hype, but season 1’s breakout success was still great to see.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Set in Japan’s Taisho Period, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba follows Tanjiro, a young boy whose family is killed by demons. With his sister Nezuko transformed into a demon, Tanjiro embarks on a quest to become a demon slayer, seeking vengeance and a cure for his sister’s condition.
Ufotable’sDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaibatakes place in a world where Japan is plagued by man-eating demons. When Tanjiro Kamado’s family is slaughtered by a demon and his sister Nezuko is turned into one, he makes it his mission to become a Demon Slayer so he can cure Nezuko and help rid the world of demons once and for all.
TheDemon Slayermanga didn’t start big, and even having an anime by Ufotable didn’t do much at first. However,the viral nature of the Hinokami Kagura madeDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaibaexplode in popularity seemingly overnight, and years later,Demon Slayeris one of thebest-selling manga of all timeand one of the biggest anime franchises of the past decade.
Bocchi the Rock!
Bocchi the Rock! follows Hitori “Bocchi” Gotou, a shy high school student with social anxiety who dreams of becoming a rock musician. Despite her introverted nature, Bocchi joins a band called Kessoku Band and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and friendship. Set against the backdrop of a lively music scene, the series explores themes of personal growth, teamwork, and the power of music to connect people.
CloverWorks’Bocchi the Rock!stars Hitori Gotoh, a girl with crippling social anxiety who’s suddenly recruited to be the new guitarist in the band Kessoku Band. Now, as Hitori—now with the nickname Bocchi—commits herself to the band, she’ll find herself slowly but surely gaining the exact life she hoped for.
While the anime initially seemed like another run-of-the-mill slice-of-life anime,Bocchi the Rock!’s incredible animation, combined with its surprisingly thoughtful look into social anxiety, helped it become one of the biggest anime of 2022. Few anime have had the same level of breakout success asBocchi the Rock!, and hopefully, there will be more of it to come later down the line.
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
TMS Entertainment’sAkiratakes place in the dystopian Neo-Tokyo and revolves around two bikers named Kaneda and Tetsuo. An encounter with the JSDF leads to Tetsuo awakening psychic powers that he’s quick to lose control of, and it soon falls onto Kaneda to stop his friend’s rampage, all while unraveling the mystery of the legendary esper Akira.
Akirawas originally just a modest success at the box office, but thanks to home media and rereleases in other countries,Akirahas long since been reevaluated as an incredible piece of cyberpunk fiction and one of the best anime films of all time. Few anime are as iconic asAkira, and considering where it was when it first premiered, its popularity is even more noteworthy.
Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-
Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- follows the story of Natsuki Subaru, a young man suddenly transported to a fantasy world. Struggling to understand his new environment, he discovers he has the ability to return from death, allowing him to change past events. With each resurrection, Subaru forges alliances and confronts the challenges of this alternate realm, endeavoring to protect those he grows to care for while unraveling the mysteries surrounding his predicament.
White Fox’sRe:Zerostars Subaru Natsuki, an ordinary boy who finds himself transported to a fantasy world. There, Subaru finds himself with the power to return to specific points in time whenever he dies, with him dying in increasingly horrific ways as he slowly gets involved in the darker elements of his new reality.
Re:Zerocame out whenisekaianime started becoming contentious, and the first episode didn’t do much to convince people that it was anything new. However,Re:Zerowas quick to win fans and critics over with its dark and subversive writing and poignant character drama, and it’s now seen as one of the bestisekaianime of all time.
Your Name
Your Name is a 2016 animated film directed by Makoto Shinkai. The story centers around two high school students, Taki and Mitsuha, who inexplicably begin to swap bodies. Set in both Tokyo and a rural town, the film explores themes of identity and connection as the characters navigate their intertwined lives. Through its rich animation and poignant narrative, Your Name captivates audiences with its exploration of fate and self-discovery.
CoMix Wave Films’Your Namestars Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu, two strangers who suddenly discover that they swap bodies whenever they fall asleep. Taki and Mitsuha must learn to balance each other’s lives amidst their bizarre circumstances, and as their relationship becomes romantic, the distance between them becomes far from the biggest obstacle they have to overcome.
Makoto Shinkai’s films have always been cult films at best, so there weren’t a lot of expectations forYour Nameto be big. However,Your Name’s gorgeous art and animation and touching romance drama helped it become one of the biggest anime films of all time, and because of that, Makoto Shinkai is now seen as one of the greatest directors in modern anime.
