16. One-Punch Man (Season 2)
Release date: April 9
Director: Chikara Sakurai
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 an near-instant hit among anime aficionados for its outlandish animation, breathtaking fight scenes, and unflappable deadpan humor. Ever since the first season of One-Punch Man premiered and blew everyone's face off in 2015, fans have been eagerly anticipating the next, and after a four year wait, it's finally here. Fans and critics of the first season were curious as to how the switch between production studios and staff from Madhouse, who chose instead to produce this year's Boogiepop and Others, and J.C. Staff would affect the overall quality of the show's animation. To be sure, the absence of director Shingo Natsume and the deft talents of animators as Sejoon Kim and the legendary Yutaka Nakamura are certainly missed here, but considering the season's tortured production and limitations, J.C. Staff still manage to deliver a serviceable follow-up that strives for the over-the-top bombast and comedy of the first season and misses by just a hair. Still, more One-Punch Man is still more One-Punch Man, and if you're a fan of the series, it's certainly worth riding out this season if only to bathe in its flashes of awesome spectacle.
15. Midnight Occult Civil Servants
Release date: April 7
Director: Tetsuya Watanabe
Animation production: Liden Films
Miyako Arata is a young civil servant newly transferred to a seemingly inconspicuous department in the Shinjuku Ward Office. Though led to believe his job will be a mundane 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 world of humans and the world of the "Anothers," otherworldly beings imperceptible to those who lack an intuitive aptitude for the supernatural. With a likeable cast, engrossing moment-to-moment drama, and an aura of mystery complete with a handful of surprising twists and revelations, Midnight Occult Civil Servants is an entertaining urban fantasy-meets-workplace drama well worth carving out the time to watch.
Available on: Crunchyroll
14. 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: Meisi Story centers on the journey of two step-brothers, Touma "Tou" and Souichirou "Sou" Tachibana, who, following in the footsteps of Touch's Tatsuya Uesugi, aspire to lead their middle-school baseball team to win the national Kōshien baseball tournament. Though not entirely apart from what one would expect from a run-of-the-mill shonen sports series, MIXshines 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 see their way to victory is earnest and inspiring in a way not unlike that of a season of Pokémon -- not surprising, given the fact that MIX's main writer, Atsuhiro Tomioka, is known for his past and ongoing contributions to several seasons, films, and specials of the Pokémon series. If you're looking for a wide-eyed fun, inspiring, and visually impressive sports anime this year, and aren't necessarily game to try and catch up on over a hundred episodes of Ace of the Diamond, MIX: Meisi Story is a perfect choice.
Available on: Crunchyroll
13. 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 find 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 perhaps best known for their 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 might not be as thematically-nuanced or poignant as, say, Dororo, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is an impressive shonen adventure series in its own right and is sure to appeal to any fan of Naruto or Black Clover and stands as one of the most well-animated fantasy chanbara series to come out this year.
Available on: Crunchyroll
12. Kaguya-sama: Love is War
Release date: January 12
Director: Mamoru Hatakeyama
Animation production: A-1 Pictures
In the "contest" of romance, the person who falls in love first -- or "catches feelings" as the kids say nowadays -- is the loser. Or at least, that's the premise of A-1 Pictures' Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War. Adapted from the popular ongoing manga of the same 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 one another. So far, so boring. But there’s a twist: Due to an ill-fated combination of entrenched class consciousness, emotional immaturity, and toxic adolescent pride, neither Shirogane or Shinomiya will acknowledge their feelings for the other. Rather than 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 other to confess their feelings first in a bid to save face. The result is a romantic comedy infused with the intensity of a psychological thriller that’s equal parts hilarious and infuriating for all the right reasons.
Available on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, FunimationNow
11. Fruits Basket
Release date: April 6
Director: Yoshihide Ibata
Animation production: TMS/8PAN
Natsuki Takaya's Fruits Basket is 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 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), is a meticulous and loving take on the source material that champions its dedication to telling the original manga's story in full. 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 demands of school and her new role as a surrogate member of the Soma clan, Tohru grows as a young woman while inadvertently facilitating the growth of each of the members of the family, tightening bonds that vacillate between the familial and romantic. 2019's Fruits Basket is a disarmingly endearing romantic comedy with just enough twists on the formula of the genre to pull in newcomers while satisfying longtime fans of the original.
Available on: Crunchyroll, FunimationNow
10. 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 in the fight against a cadre of otherworldly creatures with ties to a shadowy entity known only as the Towa organization. As a series, Boogiepop and Others could 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 first novel in Kadono's series, but several of the series' other celebrated entries such asBoogiepop at Dawn, Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator, and Boogiepop Overdrive: The King of Distortion, the series is a must-watch for longtime fans of the Boogiepop and an ideal point of entry for anyone new to and curious about the franchise. If that's not enough to move the needle, the series is being produced and animated by the same director and team responsible for 2015’s satirical superhero smash-hit One Punch Man.
Available on: Crunchyroll, FunimationNow
9. Rilakkuma and Kaoru
Release date: April 6
Director: Nobuyuki Takeuchi, Kunihiko Ikuhara
Animation production: MAPPA, Lapin Track
Rilakkuma and Kaoru follows 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, as well as 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 of the most recent and prominent examples of stop-motion animation in anime, a technique too often marginalized to a niche within the anime industry, but no less expressive and impressive. A charming slice-of-life comedy with coming-of-age elements, both the series’ writing and animation are excellent. It's hardly surprising given that the former is credited to Naoko Ogigami, an award-winning Japanese comedy writer-director, and the latter to key animators such as Katsushi Bouda and Shigeru Okada, lauded stop-motion artists. At its heart, Rilakkuma and Kaoru is much like Netflix’s 2018 series Aggretsuko: taking the beloved mascot of a commercial brand and centering them at the heart of a sincere and affecting exploration of the inherent loneliness of young adulthood and the value of genuine, persistent friendships. For this alone, Rilakkuma and Kaoru shines as one of the best anime of 2019.
Available on: Netflix
8. Aggretsuko (Season 2)
Release date: June 14
Director: Rarecho
Animation production: Fanworks
Rarecho and Fanworks' Aggretsuko was a breakout hit when it premiered on Netflix early last year. So much so that we're now treated to yet another new season, this time filled with even more delightful surprises and twists than the first. When we last left Retsuko, our plucky metal karaoking red panda protagonist, it seemed as though she was in a pretty good spot between her work-life and actual life. Sure, her job as an accounting clerk still sucks and her love life -- 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 young woman willing to assert 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 in the form 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 new love interest with a surprising background. An immensely satisfying continuation of the first, Aggretsuko Season 2 is one of 2019's must-watch series.
Available on: Netflix
7. 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 perilous quest to avenge the death of his father. Initially set in 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 fascinating, albeit under-discussed, 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 every human being is fighting a hard battle and that no one is truly his enemy. Still early in its season, Vinland Saga has already secured its place as one of the year's best.
Available on: Amazon Prime
6. Fire Force
Release date: July 5
Director: Yuuki Yase
Animation production: David Production
In an alternate steampunk universe of our own, the world is besieged by a mysterious epidemic of spontaneous human combustion, transforming otherwise mild-mannered humans into ghoulish supernatural creatures known as "Infernals." Shinra Kusakabe, a third-generation pyrokinetic with aspirations of becoming a fire-fighting 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 of the most visually impressive and distinctive shonen series of the year. With starkly rendered background layouts, exciting fight sequences, and mischievous sense of fourth wall-prodding humor, Fire Force is this year's hottest (pun absolutely intended) new action anime.
Available on: Crunchyroll, FunimationNow
5. Dororo
Release date: January 7
Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi
Animation production: MAPPA, Tezuka Productions
In the midst of a terrible plague at the height of Japan’s Warring States period, Lord Daigo Kagemitsu of the Ishikawa province makes a pact with 12 demons in order to save his region and secure a path towards a future of wealth and power for his region. In exchange, each of the demons collect 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 get rid of him out of shame, grows up to become an itinerant swordsman named Hyakkimaru with a prosthetic body, sheathed swords for arms, and the extrasensory ability to "see" demons. Adapted from Ozamu 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 other people in a time of immense cruelty with the help 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 as it is heartbreaking, and a series that should not be missed.
Available on: Amazon Prime
4. 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 attempt to rebuild civilization in the wake of a mysterious event that transforms every human being on the planet into stone. A sci-fi action comedy that plays out like a post-apocalyptic mash-up of Andy Weir's The Martian crossed with Rick and Morty, Senku and Taiju embark on a quest to revive every human being on the planet and crack what caused their sudden affliction using nothing more than 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 as it is hilarious to hear explained to Taiju in Senku's dry, matter-of-fact wit. If you're looking for an anime that'll make you feel just a tad bit smarter for having watched it, Dr. Stone is the anime for you.
Available on: Crunchyroll, FunimationNow
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 live on a mysterious walled estate called the Grace Field House. Under the watchful eye of their caretaker known simply as Mom, the children are afforded the best that life can offer. Gourmet meals, plush beds, immaculate white outfits, and ample play time while they wait to one day be adopted by a loving family. However, the quiet idyllicism of Grace Field is swiftly shattered when Emma and Co. stumble upon a dark secret which underlies the House’s very existence. Horrified by their discovery, the three conspire to escape with the rest of children into the outside world, as the machinations of both their caretaker and Grace Field’s mysterious benefactors move steadily to completion. With a premise that sounds 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 of, if not the most 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 as it would be to describe 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 are transformed into kappa, amphibious beak-faced demons, after releasing Keppi, the guardian spirit 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 liminal dimension to steal the zombies’ shirikodama, magical spheres representing human desire, by forcibly removing them from their anuses. That is the tamest, most perfunctory description of what Sarazanmai is about, and it only gets stranger from here on out. Ikuhara is known for writing shows with socially-conscious premises powered by avant-garde visuals laden with labyrinthine levels of subtextual depth, and Sarazanmai is no different. Even knowing that, nothing can quite prepare you for the surprises this show has to offer. If nothing else, know this: It is one of the most daring, earnest, and empathetic series to air this year, and save for having watched one of Ikuhara's works in the past, you won’t see anything else quite like 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 IIcarries the torch of its predecessor's pedigree as one of the most 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 original staff from the first season returning for this outing, including animator Miya Sato, whose masterful "oil on glass" animation has distinguished so many of the previous season's stand-out sequences, the adventures of layabout con artist Reigen Arataka, his formidably powerful protege, Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama, and their poltergeist sidekick, Dimple, continue to ramp up as Mob journeys through adolescence in the face of ever-more perilous stakes. Aside from its adventurous animation, whip-sharp comedic timing, and impressive action sequences, Mob Psycho 100 II is a touching coming-of-age story of the relationship between a mentor and his pupil, and how the two help each to grow into more mature, earnest, and better-adjusted individuals. Come from the pyrotechnics, stay for the waterworks.
