What is the best anime of 2018? - Top anime series

• Director: Kazuya Nomura
• Series composition, Script: Kohei Kiyasu
• Character designer: Takahiro Chiba
• Animation production: Production I.G

Once a young athletic prodigy, first year Kakeru Kurahara finds himself in deep trouble until he’s saved by a fellow university student in charge of a dormitory. Little does he know that it was all a set-up to get him to participate in a renowned relay marathon alongside other, similarly clueless inhabitants of the dorm. We’re not just dealing with underdogs here: Most of the runners aren't prepared to compete in any way, or even willing to do so in the first place. So rather than thrilling competitions from the start, the hook here is in watching the characters slowly begin to appreciate the sport and believe in themselves. Run with the Wind possesses an inspirational voice that shines: More than anything else, it’s watching the evolution of its diverse, likable cast that makes this anime such a delight. Each of them may face different societal pressures and personal shortcomings, but Run with the Wind shows us how running can bring such an uneven group together. If you often find yourself wishing for anime with more mature casts, or if you simply fancy a solid non-standard sports series, Run with the Wind should be up your alley.

• Director: Soichi Masui
• Assistant director: Kazuya Iwata
• Series composition, Script: Masahiro Yokotani
• Character designer, Chief animation director: Satomi Tamura
• Animation production: CloverWorks

The most unfortunate, unfitting title of 2018 hides a bizarrely compelling series about adolescence that’s much more than the sum of its parts. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai had to work hard to earn the positive reception it’s gotten. It’s not just the off-putting title: The seemingly trite premise -- high school student Sakuta Azusagawa helping a series of beautiful girls get over the mysterious Puberty Syndrome condition -- and a rocky start led to quite a few people immediately writing it off. Those who persevered, however, were won over by what this show has to offer: an honest exploration of teenage (and more universal) anxieties, under the guise of a supernatural pseudo-scientific phenomena. Rascal is one of the dark horses of 2018, which also isn't particularly surprising. After all, dubious looking titles that turn out to be better than they have any right to be are very much an anime constant.

• Director: Kei Oikawa
• Series composition, script: Keiichiro Ochi
• Character designer: Kanetoshi Kamimoto
• Main animators: Tetsuya Takeuchi, Ryo Araki, Kuniaki Masuda, Kenrou Tokuda
• Animation production: feel.

The hedonistic life of a greedy member of the yakuza takes a turn for the bizarre when an esper girl named Hina quite literally crashes into his home. Their already ridiculous coexistence is made even funnier by the enchanting rhythm of the animation and especially because of director Oikawa’s restraint when it comes to portraying all the outrageous events, which somehow fits how weirdly easygoing the majority of the cast ends up being. And beyond how well it functions as an absurdist comedy, Hinamatsuri is elevated by how gracefully it combines that with genuinely heartfelt character moments; gags involving side characters in situations as precarious as homelessness don’t feel like punching down, because the show is as invested in making you laugh as it is in respectfully portraying their struggles and well-earned successes. So long as those subject matters don’t inherently put you off, this is an excellent quirky comedy with lots of heart.

• Director: Makoto Kato
• Series composition, Script: Jukki Hanada
• Character designer, Chief animation director: Hiroaki Goda
• Animation production: TROYCA

Bloom Into You follows Yuu Koito, a girl in her first year of high school who pines for the warm, fuzzy feelings portrayed in romantic media, and yet she can never feel them in her own life, even in situations where she feels she should. This creates an emotionally pressurized gulf between her and her peers, as Yuu's anxiety of being unable to live up to societal expectations torments her. Eventually, she comes across a seemingly perfect upperclassman who also claims she holds no one in a special place in her heart -- until Yuu explains her situation, causing her to immediately fall for our confused protagonist. Bloom Into You gradually builds into a flirty, dorky love story between these two girls, resonating with the push and pull of a restrained courtship. Its exceptional source material, in the hands of a capable production team, grasps the characters' mental landscapes, projecting them through evocative, beautiful direction.

• Chief Director: Shinji Higuchi
• Director: Hiroshi Kobayashi
• Series composition: Mari Okada
• Animation character designer: Yoshiyuki Ito
• Animation Production: BONES

Both in a literal and figurative sense, DRAGON PILOT: Hisone and Masotan is an original anime. Not only is it not drawing from any source material, there simply is nothing else quite like it. Protagonist Hisone is in a constant struggle because of her outspokenness -- quite a problem for a young woman who recently joined Japan’s highly regimented Self-Defense Force. It’s precisely that awkwardness that leads to her meeting with the other titular character: Masotan, an adorable jet-fighter dragon hybrid. A more standard series would have the youngster who accidentally stumbled onto a powerful, heavily guarded military secret use her new powers to fight some sort of alien menace, but this show has no time to waste with trivial matters like that.

What does it focus on, then? A multitude of interconnected and surprisingly mature themes: the glass ceiling, the impossible balance of an emotional and professional life, how deeply rooted sexism is in institutions like the army, the role tradition plays in these matters, and so on. This is all wrapped in a quirky envelope that manages not to make light of the real problems it addresses directly, without losing its humor along the way. DRAGON PILOT: Hisone and Masotan is a melting pot of ideas where all the staff managed to make a difference without hijacking the entire dish; chief director Shinji Higuchi is equal parts attracted and critical of military systems, while writer Mari Okada is no stranger to feminist themes, hence this poignant combination. Even the animation and background art teams showed their personality through the delightfully expressive, stylized character art and the gorgeous traditionally painted sceneries. Do yourself a favor and give this unique show a try.

• Director: Youhei Suzuki
• Author, Series composition, Original drafts: Satoshi Mizukami
• Animation character designer: Kazunori Iwakura
• Animation production: J.C.STAFF

Manga artists tend to take more of a passive role when their work is made into animation. However, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer’s author Satoshi Mizukami is an exceptional figure. When he was asked to come up with a concept that would be simultaneously published in comic and anime form, he wrote screenplays and provided visual guidelines for the entire TV series. Planet With is very much his baby. It seems important to establish where the show comes from since Planet With is a mix of Mikuzami’s entire repertoire. It embodies everything the author stands for: heroism that should never be at odds with kindness, building familial bonds between people with no blood relation, an understanding of Japan’s mecha and sentai traditions, all wrapped up in a quirky sense of humor. What appears to be a standard sci-fi anime scenario -- the young Souya Kuroi is forced to face alien invaders -- quickly turns out to be a galactic conflict involving multiple factions. The thematic density of each episode makes them feel like you’ve gone through an entire arc within 20 minutes, and yet it’s never an overwhelming experience. Very few people can play with elements as standard as the ones Mizukami is fond of but put together something as unique and majestic as Planet With.

• Director, Series composition: Yusuke Yamamoto
• Script: Kazuyuki Fudeyasu
• Character designer, Chief animation director: Yusuke Matsuo
• Animation production: 8-Bit

Anime about a group of friendly girls enjoying outdoors activities are on a roll this year. After the broadcast of its third season, Encouragement of Climb maintains the dubious honor of being one of the favorite anime of the few people who've watched it. Many factors have contributed to this: a simple premise and saccharine exterior that put off a sizable chunk of viewers, spotty availability, even the fact that the entire first season was about as long as one standard anime episode. Ever since the series got expanded into dozens of half-length episodes from the second series onwards, however, Encouragement of Climb has become one of the greatest examples of slice of life anime. It’s got that pleasant, soul-healing quality to it that attracts fans to the genre in the first place, while at the same time offering more poignant, sometimes downright soul-crushing arcs that lead to truly cathartic resolutions. This third season, cute as it starts, is entirely constructed around the painful, conflicting feelings when a socially awkward companion you treasure drifts away from you after you’ve pushed them towards new friendships yourself. These nuanced feelings are delivered with the grace of one of the most impressive modern anime productions, with many episodes animated by single individuals and others attracting tons of talented artists instead.

As glowing of a recommendation as this is, it’s important to note that the availability issues are no joke: Due to licensing problems, it’s currently impossible to legally watch Season 2, meaning that getting into the series at the moment is a bit of a nightmare. If you do get the opportunity though, don’t hesitate, even if this kind of show isn't usually up your alley.

• Director: Taichi Ishidate, Haruka Fujita
• Series composer: Reiko Yoshida
• Character designer: Akiko Takase
• Animation production: Kyoto Animation

Having lost the parental figure that meant the world to her, and dwelling on her single role as a tool of war, Violet finds herself with no purpose. Pushed into accepting a job as an "Auto Memory Doll," essentially a writer for hire gussied up with Victorian flair, her almost robotic self gradually grows to understand the power of communication and the many forms affection can take. Although her development is slow and she’s not the most immediately compelling character, the show’s impact increases tenfold when it switches to episodic tales that sometimes have Violet as a mere spectator. Her job takes her to different settings with palpable, distinct identities, but it stays thematically consistent, with each episode pushing her closer to the answer she seeks. It’s a sentimental series to the point of being cheesy, but it earns that grandeur through the masterful direction and obscenely lavish production. If you want an anime to make you cry, Violet Evergarden will be delighted to provide just that.

• Director: Akira Amemiya
• Assistant director: Yoshiyuki Kaneko
• Script: Keiichi Hasegawa
• Character designer: Masaru Sakamoto
• Animation production: TRIGGER

In an age where uninspired reboots are the bread and butter of many creative industries, SSSS.GRIDMAN is an unexpected beacon of hope. For people who grew up with Gridman the Hyper Agent (or its American version, Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad), they’ll get to relive their childhood with a series that doesn’t just pay homage to its origins, but follows up on them in unexpected ways. It's a niche title forcefully brought back to life by a director who simply loved it -- along with other mecha-driven series, especially Evangelion, from which it takes plenty of directorial cues -- without an ounce of cynicism. The result of Amemiya's team’s efforts are a frankly intriguing narrative, countless charming throwbacks to the '90s, and engrossing direction that puts most anime this year (and any year) to shame. The short bursts of thrilling 3D action might convince you that the present and future might not be so bad after all. Don’t sleep on this one!

• Director: Ayumu Watanabe
• Series composer: Deko Akao
• Character designer: Yuka Shibata
• Animation production: WIT

Behind a dubious age-gap romance premise hides a beautiful, introspective tale about finding a new reason to live at two very different points in life. Akira Tachibana’s injury forces her to quit the track club to which she had dedicated her youth, clouding over her happiness. It’s only after meeting a dining place’s disillusioned middle-age manager that she can see what awaits after the rain, and perhaps begin moving on. Tying the weather to emotions is an old trick, but this show’s graceful direction is miles ahead of the competition, capable of nailing both juvenile femininity and painful sorrow. A masterful melanc

• Director: Tomohiro Furukawa
• Assistant director, Revue and weapon designer: Takushi Koide
• Series composition: Tatsuto Higuchi
• Character designer: Hiroyuki Saita
• Animation production: Kinema Citrus

Revue Starlight, a true multimedia franchise with beginnings as a musical, needs to be seen to be believed. The anime series taps into the history and grandeur of Japan's Takarazuka Revue, an all-female theater troupe that adapts mostly Westernized productions, but the unbelievable symbiosis between its themes and the anime’s creative team elevated the concept further than anticipated. On a surface level, Revue Starlight is the tale of a group of girls competing to secure a spot as the lead performer. It’s cute, cheerful, and there’s a real sense of musicality to the daily life events… until all the pleasantries are tossed out the window and the fight for the top becomes very literal: The characters face each other in fantastical staged matches.

Though this is his major directorial debut, Tomohiro Furukawa has proven he’s one of Japan’s most noteworthy up-and-coming creators. The theatrical anime concept he inherited from his mentor Kunihiko Ikuhara turned out to be the perfect toolset for this project, and his team of animators ambitiously capture the passion of the fighting duet songs. Revue Starlight is a stunning experience that deals with the sacrifices one makes for a career, challenging systems, the constant fear of having already peaked, and much more. It's a joyful series that knew how to get serious without following the modern trend of overly grim twists. And it does all that with serious style.

• Director: Atsuko Ishizuka
• Series composer: Jukki Hanada
• Character designer: Takahiro Yoshimatsu
• Animation production: Madhouse

If we’re talking about proudly sentimental anime, A Place Further Than the Universe is also an excellent example of loud delivery of emotions not necessarily erasing their nuance -- a trademark of director Atsuko Ishizuka. High-schooler Tamaki Mari wants to achieve something big while she’s still at an age where distractions are allowed, but she’s always hesitated when it comes to taking the last step. She’s quickly drawn to her schoolmate Shirase Kobuchizawa, who has a reputation of being a bit of a weirdo because of her dream to go to Antarctica. And that’s exactly where they’ll go, accompanied by two other very believable teenage characters with a bit of a tendency to get into amusing problems. Successful as a coming of age series, respectable as character vignettes, and simply hilarious when it’s goofing around -- this show does so many things well that you’re very likely to get something out of it.