Five of the best anime youtubers have gathered here to crown the year's best anime in over

20 categories.

Strap in for the hot takes and enjoy.

Music is often the heartbeat for any series or film and no work embodied this more than

Kyoto Animation's film Liz and the Bluebird.

Composed by Kensuke Ushio, Liz's OST was as tactically constructed as any score ever.

Everything is so deliberate from the performance pieces that illustrate restraint, flight and

love to the quieter melodies, that allows for the gravity of each scene feel as personal

as can be.

The music is soft it's almost as if it's woven into the fabric of the story.

Liz is a deeply personal tale that rummages into the innermost psyche of two girls struggling

with their love and futures.

Ushio said “a story like this should remain hidden from everyone else, so I wanted the

music to be like holding your breath, secretly watching.”

The performances however are where the crux of the themes are and Akito Matsuda returned

to the Hibike!

Euphonium franchise to once again compose the concert piece.

The third and fourth movement of Liz and the Bluebird is the most monumental performance

piece I have heard in anime.

Even in sound direction, Kyoto Animation is a cut above.

Is it really surprising that a show about a bunch of idols from different time periods

being raised from the dead and forming an idol supergroup to save a dying rural town

would have one of the most bold, quirky and energetic openings of the year?

The brass sections, drum fills and dark, roughly sketched visuals dominating the intro serve

as your cue to buckle up because it's a ride, reflecting the tonal dichotomy of its

premise while capturing everything that makes it so fun and endearing.

Visually balancing dark horror aesthetics, glamorous idol theatrics and campy comic book

flair while being accompanied by music that's every bit as well arranged in its tonal blends,

transitions and performances as the series itself, it's tight and engaging while also

being silly and excessive in all the best ways.

As tense symphonic instrumentation effortlessly transitions into a soaring pop chorus laden

with colorful, frenetic splashes of action choreography, it's thematic emphasis on

the value of team effort to overcome individual failure comes to the center, bowing out as

the girls take the stage.

It's everything that makes Zombieland Saga special wrapped up in a tightly constructed

ninety second package: it's dark, hilarious, thoughtful and uplifting, and as such the

opening is exciting, memorable, and unskippable.

This category was not won without a mighty fight.

From Kaos's iconic “ABABABABA”'s, to perhaps the most wild Mamoru Miyano performance

ever, an impressive feat indeed, to even my beloved Moyo, all these worthy comers fell

one by one, leaving Hisone Amakasu as the last one upright in the ring.

In a series that had Moyo in its cast, it was Misaki Kuno who still managed to be the

standout.

I recognized her as the voice of hyper-cute characters like Shio, Momo, and this season's

Mao, but in Hisone and Masotan she provides a much broader performance.

Amakasu is one of the most idiosyncratic characters in anime, and her captivating personality

helped carry the series.

This hilariously and relatably beleaguered millennial wants to be friendly with everyone,

but often has her efforts foiled by her tendency to start rambling her incredibly blunt thoughts

rapid fire without noticing it.

All of this is delivered with a unique-sounding voice that doesn't have a conventional “anime

girl” sound to it.

Misaki Kuno's voice, usually restricted to sickly-sweet hyper-moe tones, makes full

use of its range, and over the course of the series is put to use portraying every possible

emotional beat masterfully.

Add to all that her incredible licking sound effects, and I couldn't give the crown to

anybody else.

It's only natural for Koito Yuu to win best character given her series' intense focus

on every aspect of her person.

While partner Touko may be the chief driver of the plot, it's Yuu's internal feelings

that serve to ground the series, acting as a starting point for the viewer's investment.

It's not hard to feel sympathetic for her in her desire to fall in love but inability

to do so, and then her slow path of coming to discover, through fits and starts, that

really, her own heart is beating, simply can't be missed.

Of course, this is absolutely not an entirely happy process, and it's hard not to feel

a similar sympathy for Yuu's confusion as she does come to love Touko, plunging her

into deeply conflicted feelings.

As with the show she comes from, it's sad to say her story is not over, but I doubt

anyone would be disappointed by the course of development she goes through.

She truly is beginning to Bloom into herself.

Kase and Yamada are a perfect couple and the best 2018 romance anime has to offer.

They're adorable and brimming with chemistry, the dynamic between Yamada's bubbly, affectionate

personality and Kase's cool, confident demeanor never failing to bring a smile to my face.

Both are complex, independent people, coming from different social circles with their own

distinct quirks, passions and goals, and much of the story's conflict revolves around

their attempts to navigate those complexities in an effort to cultivate the emotional intimacy

needed to grow as a couple, especially when outside circumstances, nervous energy and

sexual tension inevitably threaten to create misunderstandings between them.

It's the kind of mature, down-to-earth relationship that defines the best romance stories; however,

what really sells them as a couple is how well the franchise balances those complexities

with the state of simply being in love.

Both are learning how to effectively communicate with each other and what it means to be a

couple, yes, but at the same time they're total dorks, endearingly awkward and helplessly

head over heels.

In the quiet, intimate moments they share with each other the extent of their feelings

is so strongly felt as to be tangible as they continue to fall for each other with every

word, interaction, touch and every passing moment.

This award felt wrapped up from the moment it's original CV came out in 2016.

Animation brings stories to life, giving movement and personality to the stories we love and

no television series embodied this more than Kyoto Animation's Violet Evergarden.

It isn't commonly referred to as the greatest TV production ever for no reason.

Evergarden has a mastery of movement and camera work that make it the true-est spectacles

of spectacles.

From subtle character acting to bombastic full body crying and action sequences the

animation is a cut above.

It's ultra detailed characters move so fluidly and realistically for every frame that you

can often get fooled that it's animated on ones.

The crowds have a certain life tot hem, everyone and everything is moving and for a television

series to accomplish this feels paramount in its production.

Violet Evergarden does many things well, it's music is moving, it's storyboards amaze

and it's directing is world class, however it's animation is where it shines brightest.

It's no big surprise that two series with a focus on theater would take the spotlight

when it came to best cinematography.

Revue Starlight staged its twists and emotional beats brilliantly, but ultimately it's Bloom

Into You that claimed position zero.

As it is, the source manga already had incredible panelling, with a focus on subtle body language

that gets us into the heads of its characters, so the team adapting it had a strong base

to work from.

But they didn't slack either, bringing new visual concepts like the deep suffocating

water Yuu finds herself lost within to further enhance the experience.

The flower imagery indicative of the series' shoujo stylings help tell the story of this

blooming romance, and as complicated, traumatic feelings take center stage tenderness and

care is given to the portrayal of these hardships.

Runners' up like Revue Starlight and Gridman paired strong direction with fantastic animation

executions of that vision, but as far as pure excellence in cinematography goes Bloom Into

You is in a class of its own.

Perhaps the defining trait of anime is it's lavish designs.

Each show has a dedicated aesthetic identity that at times weighs more than the story itself.

And Revue Starlight handles in spades creating the most vibrant world of the year.

Quirky school slice of life by day and epic battle surrealism by night, the show balances

many forms but blends them into a masterpiece.

It's use of color is genius and it's attention to atmosphere might be better.

It's visual flair in revue's lend to how dire these auditions are and make them memorable

in a year that might be anime's finest.

From the stage designs in the auditions and the actual starlight play to the character

and costume designs drawing from Takarazuka inspirations the show leaves a visual impression

that is lasting.

The stages have all these moving parts, littered with symbolism and thematic purpose that bolsters

already rich writings into something special.

Starlight is about theatre and tragedy and it demands such excellence from it's one

of a kind design.

It was a close call between this fight and a few other legendary encounters like “Rin

vs Dog” and my personal favorite, “WATASHI NO SMARTPHONE, GAH!” but you can't spell

anime awards without...My Hero Academia.

All jokes aside, would you expect anything but greatness with Yutaka Nakamura on the

job?

This battle is beautiful to watch, and when you add Yuki Hayashi's hype soundtrack to

the mix, you've got yourself a spectacle that easily surpasses its manga counterpart.

Beyond the presentation, this fight marks a key turning point in the boys' relationship,

as it's here where they finally stand on equal footing and acknowledge each other as

true rivals.

Deku stops putting Bakugo on a pedestal like he once did All Might, Bakugo learns to respect

Deku as an actual obstacle on his path to the top and not just a mere pebble.

This fight embodies the shonen aesthetic at its core and acts as a symbol of how Hero

Aca continues to carry the torch passed on by its Jump predecessors.

After lowering the curtain on the narrative's main source of conflict, Violet Evergarden's

tenth episode recontextualized the show's thematic focus in light of that resolution,

being one of the most gorgeously constructed episodes of 2018.

As Violet begins her most emotionally taxing job yet her personal growth is framed through

the eyes of those around her and in the context of preceeding episodes.

While its dramatic conceit is evident early on, it's executed with such prowess and

sincerity so as to land every emotional target with resounding accuracy, showcasing some

of the show's most expressive character animation, vocal cinematography, effective

sound management and emotive voice acting.

As it unravels a moving vignette of devastating loss and parental love it slowly turns its

attention to Violet and her own experience of the episode's events.

When she finally gives voice to them after completing her work, everything the series

had been building up to clicks into place in the most heart rending way imaginable.

From the beginning, Violet Evergarden had always been about learning to understand and

express human emotion, and it's here that her understanding of that concept is fully

realized with an overwhelming sense of pathos, being among the most effectively resonant

of the year.

It's hard to argue that Bloom into You is the year's best romance.

Focusing on the complex interplay of people's feelings, it derives its drama not from absurd

happenstance but through the reasonable — but diametrically opposed — wishes of its characters.

A yuri anime, it serves as an important queer work altogether, focusing on topics such as

aromanticism and lesbianism, with its sapphic young women always taking center stage.

And that comment is quite literal, as it also highlights theater, with a central element

of the plot rotating around the upcoming school play which forces its leads to deal with their

emotional hang-ups.

While its lack of a conclusive ending may frustrate some viewers, it spends the time

before this conclusion on the most genuine romance that's come out in anime for a long

time.

If you're a viewer who's frustrated with how rarely anime has its couples kiss, or

often, get together at all, then this is a show for you.

Don't expect warm fluffy feelings, at least not consistently, but this romantic drama

is a seriously great show.

At face value, Comic Girls is an unassuming title about cute girls making manga...but

it's actually one of the most relatable depictions of artist anxiety I've seen.

The protagonist, Kaos, is both a nervous wreck and an adorable dork, which helps the tone

fluctuate seamlessly between her heavier insecurities and the lighthearted optimism the series puts

forth.

Improving to the point where one can consider their work “great” or even just okay can

be a huge struggle, but at the end of the day, making content is fun.

The source material displays a genuine appreciation for the creative process, and the anime enhances

that vision well beyond the confines of a 4-koma manga with audiovisual additions that

only increase the hilariousness of these exaggerated characters.

That's why the pain of progress depicted in Comic Girls is able to resonate so strongly

while still being a joy to watch.

Yuru Camp certainly offered some stiff competition for best Kirara-kei, but where that show was

comf, Comic Girls is honest, and that's inspiring.

Crafting an action series can be a bit of a tricky balance.

Contenders like Sirius the Yeager delivered strong sakuga setpieces, but were merely middling

in the storytelling department.

Planet With delivered captivating philosophical concepts, but many of its action scenes were