5 - Revue Starlight Movie - Sakugabooru
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OP’s comment: Too bad their SFX is ass.
4 - Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc - Sakugabooru
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OP’s comment: No one does 3D graphics better in anime than Ufotable and KyoAni to an extent. If you want to find better 3D animation, you have to go west and look for the likes of Disney/Pixar.
3 - Violet Evergarden - Sakugabooru
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2 - Akebi’s Sailor Uniform - Sakugabooru
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OP’s comment: Violet has the higher highs, but Akebi has better and more consistent average quality
1 - Tsurune S2 - Sakugabooru
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Honorable mentions:
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Demon Slayer Infinity Castle - Haven’t seen it, but it seems to improve on the Entertainment District Arc based on the trailer
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The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity - It’s not in my top five simply because I haven’t finished it yet. But as it stands, at its best, it would be at #3 or #2. I mean, look at this. It (and the recent Episode 12 post) inspired me to make this post. It will come down to how consistent its animation quality would be.
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I used to think that an interesting story was important for an anime to be a 10/10 masterpiece, and then I saw Redline.
The animation is so crazy, it even bankrupted Madhouse at the time.
The Trans Am is an allegory of the state of Madhouse. Prove me wrong.
A recent example that comes to mind is Frieren. It has some really amazing background/landscape shots and just all around high quality animation
Mastery of ordinary
offensive magicanimation techniques at work there…
CITY: The Animation
My jaw hit the floor on the first trailer, and again on episode 5.
and again on episode 5
Never in my life has my ADHD felt so overwhelmed.
If it’s based on visuals alone, Umamusume: Beginning of a New Era would definitely be among the top.
And as usual, Shinkai Makoto’s movies deserve a mention.
I would have put Shinkai’s works at the top if the current year is 2016-2018. The other studios learned a lot from him, in my opinion. His art styles are some of my favorites to this day, though.
One punch man season one is a masterpiece. Attack on titan looks fantastic too
Look Back is just stunning to watch!
First episode of Dandadan was a visual masterpiece in animation. You could literally feel every frame.
Subsequent episodes dial back the effort a little, but that first episode re-awakened my love for anime again, after a decade of what seemed like endless low-effort fluff.
We are in a resurgence. I kind of skipped watching anime for like a decade, and then started picking it back up during the pandemic. Frieren, Chainsawman, Demon Slayer – it’s a great time to be a fan again.
Same, those exact three too
It’s crazy how good some of these studios have gotten at compositing 3d CGI models and effects with otherwise 2d-animated scenes. I don’t think something like Chainsaw Man or Demon Slayer would look nearly as good without these techniques.
No one does 3D graphics better in anime than Ufotable and KyoAni to an extent. If you want to find better 3D animation, you have to go west and look for the likes of Disney/Pixar.
I mostly agree, but I think studio Orange is missing from that list. They’re the only studio that has made great-looking full 3D anime.
Which brings me to one of my favourites visually: Land of the Lustrous. Gorgeous 3D animation and great action scenes. The reflective “hair” of the characters is only possible due to the 3D.
Other favourites are:
- Violet Evergarden and Liz and the Blue Bird: KyoAni at their absolute best.
- Monogatari Series: it’s not up there for animation (though it’s not bad at all by any means), but it is for its style.
- Fate/Stay Night Heaven’s Feel: absolutely gorgeous and crisp animation. Ufotable at their best (I haven’t seen Demon Slayer past 9 eps in of S1, so can’t comment on that).
- Garden of Words: the atmospherics and the rain are just gorgeous
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika
The monster realms/fight scenes were so damn trippy and cool looking.
Lycoris Recoil
My favorites visually are Wonderful Days and Ergo Proxy. I guess I have a type.
I wouldn’t presume to say they’re the “best,” but some of my favorites:
Casshern Sins - post-post-apocalyptic world in which the robots who displaced humanity are themselves falling into ruin. Mostly ruins, twisted rock formations and drifts of rust, all done in shades of gray.and against which the few remaining bits of power, light and unblemished form stand in sharp contrast.
Heike Monogatari - a Japanese epic tale with backgrounds that look like tapestries and foregrounds that look like woodblock prints. If anime had been made in the 13th century, this is what it would’ve looked like.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - deceptively simple 1998 hand-drawn anime with exquisite attention to detail.
Serial Experiments Lain - a primer on how to depict loneliness and alienation in an anime.
Non Non Biyori - lush green countryside has never been done better.
5 Centimeters per Second - Just a succession of absolutely stunning backgrounds, and this is, IMO, quite possibly the most beautiful anime background ever:
Blue Eye Samurai!
I don’t have a one-fits-all pick for visuals so I’ll break it down into different sub-categories. (I also get to cheat this way and pick several)
Line art: Violet Evergarden
Composition: Hyouka
Cinematography: Wonder Egg Priority (early on at least)
Artistic style: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
Atmosphere: Haibane Renmei
Choreography: Cowboy Bebop: Heaven’s Door
Compositing (not to be confused with “composition” above): Sound! Euphonium
Background art: Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash (RIP Hidetoshi Kaneko)
Character animation: K-On!
ps.: OP gets an updood for Akebi’s Sailor Uniform. It’s one of my 10/10 and is criminally underrated.
I didn’t see Akira mentioned, so I’ll name drop it. The amount of movement, even for the lip syncing which is honestly kind of unheard of for anime, and the dynamic flowing camera all without the use of CGI. It’s really bonkers how good it is.
