Rotten Tomatoes is easily the review aggregator most people default to when evaluating movies and TV shows. While people should, ideally, form their own opinions, getting a professional review is the easiest way to know if something is worth watching, and with how easy it is for Rotten Tomatoes to gather up reviews, it’s almost always the site people will turn to if they’re looking to evaluate something.

While it’s not without its issues, Rotten Tomatoes is a great site for judging the quality of something, and anime is no exception. With how niche anime is compared to more mainstream media, most anime lack professional reviews, and many don’t have any reviews at all, but amidst all of that, there’s a wide range of anime that are so great that they’ve garnered perfect scores on Rotten Tomatoes. A few of those anime are especially worth highlighting, and if anyone had any doubts about their quality, their Rotten Tomatoes scores will hopefully be the deciding factor.

10 Solo Leveling

Anime Series By A-1 Pictures; Based On The Novel By Chugong

Solo Leveling TV Series Poster

Your Rating

Solo Leveling
Release Date
2024 - 2025-00-00
Directors
Shunsuke Nakashige

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Writers
Noboru Kimura
Main Genre
Animation
Creator(s)
Chugong
Seasons
1

A-1 Pictures’ Solo Leveling takes place in a world where people can awaken to supernatural abilities and become Hunters to challenge mystical Gates for profit and to protect the innocent, and among those Hunters is Sung Jinwoo, regarded as the world’s weakest Hunter for his E-Rank status. When a near-death experience gives Jinwoo a video game-esque power, however, he’ll use it to slowly become stronger than everyone and find the means to his family and gain a sense of self-worth.

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With a combination of gorgeous artwork and incredibly animated action scenes, Solo Leveling’s revolutionary production values have allowed it to quickly skyrocket to being one of the biggest anime in the world, a reputation that’s nothing but well-earned at this point. There are few anime that are better to watch right now than Solo Leveling, and its strong Rotten Tomatoes score is a perfect testament to that.

9 Paranoia Agent

Anime Series By Madhouse; Directed By Satoshi Kon

Paranoia Agent (2004)

Your Rating

Paranoia Agent
Release Date
2011 - 2005-00-00
Directors
Satoshi Kon

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Cast
Liam O'Brien, Michelle Ruff, Michael McConnohie, William Frederick Knight, Doug Stone, Carrie Savage, Erica Shaffer, Sam Riegel
Writers
Seishi Minakami
Franchise(s)
Paranoia Agent
Main Genre
Thriller
Creator(s)
Satoshi Kon
Streaming Service(s)
Crunchyroll

In Madhouse’s Paranoia Agent, an overworked character designer is suddenly assaulted while struggling to come up with a new character, and she tells the police that a rollerblading boy with a baseball bat attacked her. While the police initially assume she’s lying, more victims of the same boy, now dubbed “Li’l Slugger”, start cropping up, and what follows is an increasingly surreal exploration into the mystery behind Li’l Slugger’s actions.

Paranoia Agent was the only TV series produced by legendary anime director Satoshi Kon, and sure enough, Paranoia Agent is a wonderfully surreal and thoughtful story with plenty of gorgeous animation to go along with it at every turn. Satoshi Kon’s work was unlike anything else in anime, and Paranoia Agent is easily one of the best examples of just how talented an artist he was.

8 Dragon Ball Daima

Anime Series By Toei Animation; Based On The Manga By Akira Toriyama

Dragon Ball Daima temp TV logo poster
Dragon Ball DAIMA
Writers
Akira Toriyama
Franchise(s)
Dragon Ball

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Seasons
1
Story By
Akira Toriyama

Toei Animation’s Dragon Ball Daima is the latest installment in the iconic Dragon Ball franchise. A year after Goku defeated Majin Buu, Goku and his friends find themselves turned into children by Gomah, the king of the Demon Realm, and now Goku must travel through the Demon Realm to gather up a new set of Dragon Balls to turn everyone back to normal.

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Dragon Ball Daima Was Akira Toriyama's Last Gift to Us, But Sadly, That's Why Fans Don't Understand the Anime

Dragon Ball Daima was Akira Toriyama's final project, and though it created a fair number of continuity issues, the series was one last gift to fans.

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While not the strongest Dragon Ball story when it comes to the overarching narrative, Dragon Ball Daima has the best combination of creative martial arts action and goofy comedy since the original Dragon Ball anime, and the fact that it’s probably the best-looking Dragon Ball anime of all time makes that especially fun to watch play out. Akira Toriyama sadly ed away before Dragon Ball Daima could come out, but fortunately, there was no better way to cap off his legacy.

7 Pluto

Anime Series By Studio M2; Based On The Manga By Naoki Urasawa

Pluto 2023 Movie Poster

Your Rating

Pluto
Release Date
2023 - 2023-00-00
Directors
Toshio Kawaguchi

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Cast
Laura Megan Stahl, Mike Pollock, Jason Vande Brake, Keythe Farley, Romi Park, Kirk Thornton, Erica Shroeder, Rachel Slotky
Writers
Tatsuro Inamoto, Heisuke Yamashita
Main Genre
Sci-Fi
Creator(s)
Naoki Urasawa
Seasons
1
Streaming Service(s)
Netflix

Pluto is a modern reimagining of the classic “Greatest Robot on Earth” story arc from the legendary anime Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka. In this take on the series, robot detective Gesicht begins investigating the mysterious murders of the world’s strongest robots by a mysterious figure named Pluto, and in doing so, he uncovers a massive conspiracy that threatens to put the entire world at risk.

While Pluto spent almost a decade in development, it was well worth the wait, as Pluto does a phenomenal job of modernizing the iconic Astro Boy anime with its gorgeous art and animation and its mature storytelling filled with human drama and unflinching commentary on the Iraq War. Manga author Naoki Urasawa is one of the most iconic names in seinen manga, and the incredible quality of Pluto’s anime shows he deserves all the recognition he’s received, and then some.

6 Delicious In Dungeon

Anime Series By Studio Trigger; Based On The Manga By Ryoko Kui

Delicious in Dungeon TV Series Poster

Your Rating

Delicious in Dungeon
Release Date
January 4, 2024
Directors
Yoshihiro Miyajima

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Cast
Sayaka Senbongi, Kentarou Kumagai, Hiroshi Naka, Asuna Tomari
Writers
Ryoko Kui, Kimiko Ueno
Franchise(s)
Delicious in Dungeon
Main Genre
Animation
Seasons
1
Story By
Ryoko Kui
Streaming Service(s)
Netflix

In Studio Trigger’s Delicious in Dungeon, Laios Touden’s adventure party is wiped out by a dragon, with Laios’ sister, Falin, even being eaten alive. Laios and what remains of his party need to hurry back through the dungeon to revive Falin, and to deal with a lack of funds, they resort to eating the monsters they encounter in the dungeon, something Laios is all but stated to have just been looking for an excuse to do.

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Fantasy Anime Is In the Midst of a Renaissance, And I’m 100% On Board For the Shift

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Not only does Delicious in Dungeon have some of the best animation of any Studio Trigger production, but between the strong worldbuilding and incredible character writing, Delicious in Dungeon is an anime that always strikes a perfect balance between thoughtful drama and heartfelt comedy. It’s one of Studio Trigger’s best anime in years, and with Delicious in Dungeon season 2 in development, there’s plenty more in store for fans old and new.

5 Neon Genesis Evangelion

Anime Series By Studio Khara; Directed By Hideaki Anno

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Your Rating

Neon Genesis Evangelion
Release Date
1995 - 1996

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Cast
Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Kotono Mitsuishi, Spike Spencer, Allison Keith-Shipp, Sue Ulu, Amanda Winn Lee, Tristan MacAvery
Main Genre
Animation
Creator(s)
Hideaki Anno
Seasons
1

Studio Khara’s Neon Genesis Evangelion stars Shinji Ikari, a reserved young boy who goes to the futuristic Tokyo-3 to see his father for the first time in a decade. There, Shinji is told that he has to pilot a giant robot called an Evangelion and protect the world from monstrous beings called Angels, all of which gradually take a toll on Shinji’s fragile psyche as each battle pushes his inability to relate to others to its limit.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most iconic anime of all time for its incredible visuals and direction and thoughtfully dark storytelling, and after 30 years, it still holds up incredibly well. There’s never been an anime quite like Neon Genesis Evangelion, and anyone who hasn’t already watched it would be remiss not to give it a try.

4 Cowboy Bebop

Anime Series By Sunrise; Directed By Shinichiro Watanabe

Cowboy Bebop 1998 Anime Poster-1

Your Rating

Cowboy Bebop
Release Date
1998 - 1999
Network
Adult Swim

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Cast
Koichi Yamadera, Steve Blum, Megumi Hayashibara, Wendee Lee, Unshô Ishizuka, Beau Billingslea, Aoi Tada, Melissa Fahn
Showrunner
Shinichirô Watanabe
Directors
Shinichirô Watanabe
Writers
Keiko Nobumoto, Shinichirô Watanabe
Franchise(s)
Cowboy Bebop
Streaming Service(s)
Hulu

Sunrise’s Cowboy Bebop takes place in a futuristic setting where humanity has begun to live out in space, and going right along with that has been a new wave of crime that necessitates bounty hunters called Cowboys. Among those Cowboys are series protagonist Spike Spiegel and the rest of the crew of the Bebop, and the series follows their episodic adventures chasing after bounties to make a living while occasionally confronting the demons of their pasts.

Cowboy Bebop’s stellar writing, animation, and utilization of Western themes in its writing and overall aesthetic have made for one of the most unique stories in all of anime, and the largely episodic format makes it easy for someone to digest it at their own pace. It’s somewhat rare for an anime to leave such a lasting impression without hundreds of episodes behind it, but Cowboy Bebop more than succeeds in that regard.

3 Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Anime Series By Madhouse; Based On The Manga By Kanehito Yamada And Tsukasa Abe

Frieren Beyond Journeys End TV Poster

Your Rating

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
Release Date
September 29, 2023
Directors
Keiichirô Saitô

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Cast
Mallorie Rodak, Jason Douglas, Clifford Chapin, Chris Guerrero, Jill Harris, Jordan Dash Cruz
Writers
Tomohiro Suzuki
Creator(s)
Tsukasa Abe, Kanehito Yamada
Seasons
1
Streaming Service(s)
Crunchyroll

Madhouse’s Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End stars Frieren, the virtually unaging elf mage of the adventurer party that defeated the demon lord. While Frieren initially didn’t think much of her time with everyone, the death of the Hero, Himmel, made her realize how much she cared about them, and her regret over letting Himmel die without seeing that pushes Frieren to go on a new journey to learn how to better understand people.

Between its gorgeous art and animation and a narrative that never fails at selling its emotional beats, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is easily the best fantasy anime to come out of modern anime for how effortlessly it balances impeccable visual and narrative storytelling. Few anime of the past few years are as iconic as Frieren, and with Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End season 2 officially in development, there’s no telling how far it will go.

2 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Anime Series By Bones Film; Based On The Manga By Hiromu Arakawa

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Your Rating

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Release Date
2009 - 2010

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Main Genre
Fantasy
Seasons
1

Bones Film’s Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the second adaptation of the legendary manga of the same name. Unlike the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime, which wildly diverged from the source material, Brotherhood is a more straightforward adaptation of the manga that fully chronicles the Elric Brothers’ search for the Philosopher’s Stone and how it intersects with a massive conspiracy set to destroy all of Amestris.

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a lot better than I thought before watching, except for one detail that is usually touted as one of its strengths.

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Not only is Brotherhood’s art and animation just as great as the original anime, if not greater, but by finally following the original manga’s story, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood does a perfect job of telling a thrilling action story that’s easily accessible while still challenging viewers in the best of ways. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is often said to be one of the greatest anime of all time, and overall, it’s easy to see why.

1 Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Anime Series By Studio Trigger; Directed By Hiroyuki Imaishi

Gurren Lagann

Your Rating

Gurren Lagann
Release Date
2007 - 2007

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Gurren Lagann is an anime series set in a future where humans live in underground villages. The story follows Simon and Kamina, who break free to the surface and pilot the titular mecha to fight against oppressive forces.

Main Genre
Animation
Seasons
1

In Studio Trigger’s Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, humanity has been forced to live underground for centuries by the Spiral King and his army of Beastmen, something most people aren’t even aware of. When Simon discovers a mysterious robot called a Gunmen, he and his blood brother Kamina end up ing humanity’s fight against the Spiral King, and Simon’s part in it all has him grow into a man that can take on not only the world, but the entire universe.

Gurren Lagann is the most iconic anime from the team behind Studio Trigger, and even after almost 20 years, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is one of the best anime a person can watch, thanks to its great writing and over-the-top action and animation. There’s never been an anime quite like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and it easily stands as the best anime with a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.