Our J-List writers search far and wide for the best anime news and features. So, we cornered them and asked them for their top anime-related picks of 2023.
Top Battle Scene: Dead Mount Death Play — Fire vs. Zombie
What if Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist fought a zombie assassin girl? To find out, look no further than Dead Mount Death Play. I’ve seen several quality battle scenes this year and missed others, I’m sure (controversy has sadly kept me away from Jujutsu Kaisen this year). But Misaki’s fight against a fire-throwing Roy-alike wins my top battle scene. It’s an exciting scenario involving actual combat objectives. And it showcases power sets I didn’t know I needed to see as they go head-to-head.
Top Music: the Euro Beats of MF Ghost
Initial D’s music was a joy back in the day, downloaded during the days of dial-up and burned onto CDs. It introduced me to one new music genre, Eurobeat, when I just started to listen to J-Pop and J-Rock. Inevitably, my pick for the year’s top music goes to MF Ghost, whose tracks are excellent successors to Initial D’s music. They bring the races to life in a head-bopping and foot-tapping way that brings this sports anime to a “just one more episode” level because I want to hear whichever track is coming next. For a taste, you can listen to its OP on YouTube, courtesy of Crunchyroll.
Best Girl: My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999
I don’t watch that much romance anime in a year — mostly because I’m wary of unsatisfying or incomplete endings — but this year, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999. My pick for best girl is the titular Yamada Akito, the nerdy pro-gamer bishounen who has never had a girlfriend. Along with Yamada, however, I raise myself one Kinoshita Akane, the older woman who gets into gaming for an ex-boyfriend who dumps her and ends up meeting Yamada at an in-person event for the game they both happen to play. The story of how these two realize their feelings wouldn’t work if either wasn’t the good, wholesome person they are, so I must reward the couple a joint win.
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