Hello folks, and welcome to the end of another dang year. 2018 has been a pretty terrifying and seemingly endless year out in the real world, as empires crumble and we draw ever closer to climate-prompted apocalypse. Fortunately, the world of anime seems largely unperturbed by our coming oblivion, and offered plenty of delights in all sorts of genres throughout this year. As a contributor to Anime News Network’s preview guide, I watched almost every single full-length premiere this year, and did my best to keep up with everything that seemed worth watching. Even then, a few shows managed to slip through the cracks – Bloom Into You will likely earn a spot on this list once I’ve caught up with it, and I still haven’t found the time to watch Hisone and Maso-tan, among other things. In spite of that, I watched a hell of a lot of anime this year, and am eager to share my favorites with you.

The anime this year was so good, in fact, that I actually have a few honorable mentions. First off, the third season of My Hero Academia was a generally excellent time, though it unfortunately peaked hard at the end of its first half. There’s also Megalo Box, which was a thrilling action spectacle that felt just a tad too archetypal for me to truly love. And finally, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure‘s fifth arc has been a wild and creative adventure so far, and would easily make this list in a year with fewer standouts. I’m also not including anime films, both because I feel they don’t really make for a meaningful direct comparison with shows, and also because nobody wants to read a list that’s just Liz and the Blue Bird repeated ten times. With that covered, let’s get to the reason we’re all here. It’s time to run down my top ten anime of 2018!

#10: Revue Starlight

It was basically just a matter of time for director Tomohiro Furukawa. Having assisted Kunihiko Ikuhara on both Mawaru Penguindrum and Yuri Kuma Arashi, he has as strong a claim as any to the position of Ikuhara Successor – and Revue Starlight is his stunning directorial manifest. Falling somewhere between Revolutionary Girl Utena and Love Live, Revue Starlight tasks a class of girls with fighting desperately for the honor of being the “Top Star.” Largely conceived as a critique of the real life Takarazuka Review’s cutthroat philosophy, Starlight is full of stunning visual compositions and imaginative battles, offering some of the most beautiful and creative spectacles of the year. Though the show ultimately felt a little emotionally distant for me, even that seems appropriate for a production so indebted to Ikuhara’s style. Revue Starlight is a vivid drama about passion, potential, and the ones left behind, and it absolutely deserves your attention.

You can watch Revue Starlight on HIDIVE.

#9: SSSS.Gridman

SSSS.Gridman ultimately feels more like two shows sharing screen time than one cohesive whole; fortunately, it is very good at being both of those shows. On the one hand, Gridman is a moody and richly illustrated character drama about adolescent malaise, depression, and the natural alienation of youth. Each episode’s early scenes are full of evocative compositions transposing suburban ennui against vast monsters in the background, their stillness only seeming to emphasize the mundanity of everyday life. Then, at some point, our heroes yell “Access Flash,” and those monsters come alive. The gallant Gridman squares off against impossibly large kaiju, their teetering movements and rubbery bodies belying the vast catastrophe of their every thunderous step. Whether you’re here for the well-observed adolescent drama or the bombastic fight scenes, Gridman offers a strange array of riches from first episode to last, and could well be Trigger’s best show to date.

You can watch SSSS.Gridman on Crunchyroll.

#8: Run with the Wind

Though it’s only half over, Run with the Wind’s first half has been so consistently stellar that I’m not really worried about it un-earning this placement. Handled by much of the same team that worked on Haikyuu!! and Welcome to the Ballroom, Run with the Wind applies their utter mastery of sports drama to an ensemble drama based on an actual novel. The results are spectacular; Run with the Wind’s ability to naturally evoke the tenor and lived experience of college dorm life is a wonder, and its steady, effortless characterization of its broad cast has built them all into a team worth rooting for. Run with the Wind is funny and insightful and tangibly atmospheric, and when it goes for broke, the results are friggin’ ridiculous. This first half has already featured a track meet that managed to convincingly animate an entire stadium full of runners, while even the show’s lighter moments are elevated through expressive character acting and incidental animation. Neatly articulating the joy of running while building up a lovable ensemble cast all the while, Run with the Wind is a tremendously impressive show all around.

You can watch Run with the Wind on Crunchyroll.

#7: Tsurune

Some shows are designed as vehicles for a specific kind of spectacle, while others are intended to convey some clear thematic point. Still others are most keenly interested in conveying a very specific tone or atmosphere – and so it is for Tsurune, Kyoto Animation’s evocative ode to the beauty of archery. Though its characters are sympathetic and narrative compelling, it’s Tsurune’s beautiful compositions and perpetual sense of place that most grab my attention. The show leans on clean, wide-open compositions to create a sense of open space, and maintains a generally quiet tone that echoes the hush of the range itself. Many of its characters have great difficulty expressing their feelings, and so the show itself does it for them, painting its world in angry oranges or somber blues or beautiful, dreamlike magentas. Gorgeous and thoughtful and tangibly felt, Tsurune is a testament to anime’s ability to transport us somewhere else entirely. I never get tired of visiting its lovely world.

You can watch Tsurune on Crunchyroll.

#6: March comes in like a lion

Having appeared on both my 2016 and 2017 end-of lists, March comes in like a lion has become one of the consistent highlights of my years in anime. And in 2018, the show seemed determined to one-up its prior achievements, offering a season of alternately devastating and heartwarming reflections on bullying, growing old, professional anxiety, and much else besides. Having largely escaped the overwhelming depression that defined his early show experience, Rei Kiriyama was at last able to raise his head and consider the people he loves, doing his best to pay back the kindness that had been shared with him. The results felt like a payoff three years in the making, as arcs ranging from Hina’s painful school life to shogi pro Yanagihara’s fear of obsolescence all offering thrilling and compassionate reflections on the human experience. March is a beautiful, intelligent, and endlessly poignant drama, and I felt lucky to see it go out on such a high note.

You can watch March comes in like a lion on Crunchyroll.

#5: Laid-Back Camp

Speaking of shows that transport us somewhere else, Laid-Back Camp turned out to be an atmospheric treasure in its own right, perfectly capturing the magic of camping (even if, like me, you have basically zero interest in actually camping). Laid-Back Camp’s smartest trick was likely its division of labor; while its bubbly airhead heroine Nadeshiko handled after school club duties, co-heroine Rin journeyed off on solo camping trips, offering vignettes much more focused on aesthetics and atmosphere. The result is a show that felt both warm and bracing, a mixture of energetic comedy and somber, beautiful rides through the Japanese countryside. Elevated by Akiyuki Tateyama’s excellent soundtrack, Laid-Back Camp’s journeys into the wild are a rich array of tiny wonders.

You can watch Laid-Back Camp on Crunchyroll.

#4: A Place Further Than the Universe

Atsuko Ishizuka was another great director in search of the right property, and in Universe, she has absolutely found it. Ishizuka’s tale of four girls seeking something beyond the everyday is thrilling and gorgeous, sensitive and bombastic, universal and one-of-a-kind. Its cast contain all the hope and bitterness and sympathetic frailties of real human beings, and their journey to Antarctica is elevated through consistent visual highlights and moments of breathtaking individual achievement. Shows like NGNL and Pet Girl of Sakurasou demonstrated Ishizuka has an unabashed love of melodrama and an almost alarming fondness for rich colors; in Universe, these passions at last meet a story worthy of their embellishment. It’s a striking statement of purpose, and one of the best coming-of-age dramas we’ve seen in years.

You can watch A Place Further Than the Universe on Crunchyroll.

#3: Planet With

Satoshi Mizukami is a mangaka with shit to say. Through works like his absurd Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer and poignant Spirit Circle, he’s demonstrated a consistent obsession with the moral substance of human lives – what it is to be human, what we truly owe to each other, and what we should ultimately hope for in this life. In Planet With, Mizukami’s thoughtful and deeply human concerns are at last brought into motion, through a story that dances from planetary invasion to middle school drama to the fate of the universe without a missed step. I was genuinely stunned by how much actual story this show packed into twelve episodes, and even more impressed that every turn was somehow grounded in poignant character arcs and resounding thematic messages. Mizukami combines a clear understanding of our human weakness with an unerring belief in our ultimate potential, and his faith in humanity makes Planet With a joy from first episode to last.

You can watch Planet With on Crunchyroll.

#2: After the Rain

I knew from reading the manga that in spite of its premise, After the Rain was actually a thoughtful and deeply compassionate character drama. What I didn’t expect was for this adaptation to so gracefully elevate the original material, and bring all of Studio Wit’s formidable powers to bear on such a small and sensitive story. After the Rain’s adult protagonist Kondou is an incredibly sympathetic ball of regrets, compromises, and insecurities, whose feelings that life has passed him by ring out through careful character acting and a consistently convincing internal monologue. Its young heroine Akira is equally sympathetic, and the burning intensity of her feelings comes through clearly in After the Rain’s aggressive colors and generally thoughtful visual storytelling. Together, they tell a story of regret and renewal, each of their perspectives ultimately illustrating the roads they still have to travel. If you’ve ever felt like life is passing you by, you owe it to yourself to watch this delicate and emotionally generous production.

You can watch After the Rain on Amazon.

#1: Violet Evergarden

There are many shows that moved or dazzled me this year, but none so deeply or so consistently as Violet Evergarden. An unabashed melodrama centered on an orphan of war attempting to integrate into civilian life, Evergarden carries us through a diverse array of personal stories, as our heroine’s job as a typist forces her to engage with all the myriad ways people express themselves. Evergarden’s consistent beauty of composition and lushness of animation must be seen to be believed, but even then, it takes a long progression of cyclical episodes for its true power to take hold. One young woman simply wants her brother to know that it is enough he is still with her; another wants to leave her daughter an unerring symbol of her love. One man dreams of traveling the world and making his name in history; another only wishes he could see his absent child once more. Through the transcribing and embellishing of their tales, Violet herself finds joy and sorrow, and discovers the vast, crushing, and inspiring breadth of human emotion. In the end, Evergarden presents a firm and compassionate argument, insisting that if we can come to love others, we can also come to love ourselves. A sonorous ode to empathy and human connection, Violet Evergarden is absolutely my top anime of the year.

You can watch Violet Evergarden on Netflix.

That covers it for me, folks! I’ve greatly enjoyed revisiting all of these shows, and hope you’ve found something you might have previously overlooked. Of course, these are far from all of the great anime released this year, and please let me know what else I absolutely must catch up on in the comments. Our media can do more than entertain us – it can move us, unite us, even help us grow as people, all through the careful and compassionate work of dedicated creators. I’m happy to have shared this year and these shows with you, and look forward to seeing you all again in the new year!