YEAR-END REVIEW: THE TOP 40 ANIME OF 2019

Ever wonder which anime that aired this 2019 is the best? Obviously, we are all craving to see which anime series did a good job and brought so much fun and masterpiece to the anime community throughout the year which I believe to be a competitive one. We have been treated to an all-out fantastic adventure with great shounen anime this year with some of these shows became a breakthrough series.

In this post, I will share the TOP 40 ANIME OF THE YEAR 2019from Yu Alexius Anime Portal. There are different criteria where we based the respective final ranks of these anime shows and it is actually a bloodbath. It was seriously hard to choose which one should rise to the top at the peak of the list, that one special anime that stood out among the rest. We consider the animation quality, the visuals & graphics, the character development as well as the popularity. However, the plot and story played the biggest part in determining our final choices here.

Our list will be divided into four (4) sections; with each section having 10 anime titles that correspond to their respective rankings in our list. I will deliver the ranking in descending order, thus we will start our list of top 40 best anime of 2019 from the 40^th place down to the 1^stplace with every section consisting of the following segments:

Alright, let’s start our list with the Section I as follows:

Studio: J.C. Staff

This has been an immensely fun ride with an amazing backstory about Garou and where he came from. We have seen different faces of fighters and heroes this season, and a new face for the monsters. While Saitama had always been low-profile, there’s no doubt that he owned this show despite his minimal appearance this season, and Garou simply stole the heart the fans which I think is wonderful. That finale episode where Saitama finished Centichoro was splendidly animated.

Studio: Silver Link

Naka no Hito Genome [Jikkyōchū] – A personal favorite of mine, I love almost every character in this anime and it’s marvelous how each of them is carrying scars they hide so well. Every back-story gave me heartache but the thrill and fun are always satisfying. I love Iride but I have to give the MVP title to Kai Onigasaki here. Plus the ships in The Ones Within are all evenly interesting which I really enjoyed every time I saw them just like Kai and Zakuro, Iride and Yuru, and the others too.

Studio: Tezuka Productions

Go-Tōbun no Hanayome – While I am not a big fan of a harem, this anime is a pure ride of comedy and romance which will melt your heart through its core. This is both fun, dramatic, and hilarious is so many ways like no other. If you’re a big fan of romance anime series of the recent year, The Quintessential Quintuples is a must in your watchlist.

Studio: J.C. Staff

Shokugeki no Sōma: Shin no Sara – I have to share the sentiments of the other fans here, we felt like the entire series was rushed but the finale was a good wrapped to the Team Shokugeki, and what could we even ask for than having a visual aesthetic moment with so much foodgasm from our favorite anime chefs.

Studio: Revoroot

All hail to one of the creepiest anime girls we had seen so far this 2019 and it’s no other than Ai Magase. We’ve been treated to a hell of a crime-thriller story this year which is seriously nerve-wracking and make you ask the question – WHAT IS EVIL? Babylon is truly an astounding psychological anime ride which will make every nerve in your system felt its wrath and aura.

Studio: Studio Silver & Arvo Animation

Bokutachi wa Benkyō ga Dekinai – We have another harem anime here, while it’s almost the same as the Quintessential Quintuplets – I have to choose Bokuben due to several reasons. It has a deeper impact on me with characters that I could easily relate with. The comedy is always on the point that I’ll never get tired of its cliche no matter how ordinary it may be. In the end, Bokuben is a fantastic anime that thrives in its series of coincidences.

Studio: Ajia-do Animation Works

Honzuki no Gekokujō: Shisho ni Naru Tame niwa Shudan o Erandeiraremasen – I felt like Ascendance of a Bookworm could do even better if it has an even better animation quality. Nonetheless, the characters were fun and have so much positivity in them. The story is a great one which makes it quite different from the rest of the generic isekai that we have out there. Main is such a monster and a cinnamon roll at the same time. She’s a good protagonist who has been supported with amazing secondary characters especially my favorites – Otto, Lutz, Benno, and her parents. In the end, I believed that the Ascendance of a Bookworm simply stood out among the isekai anime series that aired this year.

• Related Post: Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 2 to air on April 2020

Studio: Liden Films

Mugen no Jūnin – Oh my gosh! The animation is truly gory but beautiful. Not much of character development here but the story is incredible which I truly enjoyed and made us realized how bloody and demonic the world of the samurai was. The characters are interesting, and I love them so much especially Manji, and some of the swordsmen from Ittu-ryo.

Studio: Connect

Senryuu Shojo – Definitely one of the mostromantic anime of 2019 (if not the best) – Senryuu Girl is a beautiful series despite its simplicity. It’s the anime that made spring season even more vibrant and brought butterflies in our stomach on various occasions.

Studio: Zero-G

Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue. – A heart-warming story is what this anime had given us during the cold ambiance of the winter seasonal run. I could see myself in the persona of the main character Subaru – as an antisocial, he is a character that resonates big time with me. I love how simple yet sincere this anime is. The life lessons it give us are quite beautiful too.

Studio: OLM

Tagged as not your ordinary sports anime, yes that is true. MIX is a great combination of romance, high school drama, sports cliché with informative and very unique narration which I believed as its strongest feat. The main characters were really an amazing pair to follow, added with their sister – the Tachibana brothers were good sports protagonists.

Studio: Passione

Joshikousei no Mudazukai – I never get any dull moments with this anime. The Wasteful Days of High School Girls is a great comedy anime of 2019 which I always dare to enjoy any time of the day. It’s crazy, hilarious and wild. I’m not as brutal as these girls when I am in my high school days but I do acknowledge that it sure is fun to have them as your friends. It was simply my best comedy anime of the year in my own opinion.

Studio: Pierrot+

Fukigen na Mononokean Season 2 – A great leaped from its previous season, we finally have seen some character development and real plot going on in the story. As a huge fan of Natsume’s Book of Friendsand Mushishi, The Morose Mononokean is a big turn on for me. There are always some interesting life lessons that we could get in every episode and I think that’s a golden treasure that I could have from this anime.

Studio: CloverWorks

Startling animation, gorgeous beautiful designs, a perfect combination of 2D and 3D visuals and graphics – Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front – Babylonia feels like a real dream to me. Gilgamesh will always be a great benefactor to this anime, while the rest of the characters including Merlin, Quetzalcoatl, Enkidu, Ishtar/Erishkigal were enjoyable to be around. I couldn’t see that much of magic yet from Mash and Ritsuki but the anime isn’t over yet so I think, a more fascinating side of them might be shown in the 2^nd cour of the anime which will air on 2020.

Studio: Orange

From the recently concluded Fall 2019 lineup, Beastars had been a huge surprise for me giving us an astonishing drama and psychological ride. It was amazing to follow every step of the story with the perspective of Legosi, while Haru and Louis had been a huge help in making the story even more effective.

Studio: Diomedéa

If this anime had been finished already, I believe Ahiru no Sora could even do better in this year-end ranking for the best anime of 2019. However, it is not finished yet and still an ongoing show which means that we didn’t see its entirety yet, we didn’t see how much potential it has to grow and how amazing it could be when it finally reaches the story’s climax. Nonetheless, Ahiru no Sora is an astounding sports anime with enormous emphasis on drama and inspiring its viewers like those other giant titles in the shounen genre.

Studio: Madhouse

I don’t really understand the game of Karuta that well, but I am seriously fascinated by how this anime always take my breath away in every episode it aired. The character designs in this anime are actually beautiful and Taichi is such an interesting character to follow. He caught my attention more than anyone else.

Studio: 8bit

Hoshiai no Sora. A real treat of drama and sports all put together in one story. Stars Align did give us plenty of incredible moments that made us laugh, get excited and cried. I personally enjoy how it was able to raise awareness towards certain social issues such as bullying, family struggles, homosexuality, parental conflicts, and being excluded. For me, the effort of putting this message in the limelight and making the viewers acknowledged it is such a huge victory already for this anime.

Studio: David Production

Enen no Shouboutai – Animation-wise, Fire Force is one of the most beautifully animated with breath-taking fight scenes of 2019. The characters are also fun but didn’t really give that much of a development. I believe the story could be improved but it was already able to serve good storytelling despite having a bare shounen cliché plot. One thing I love about Fire Force is that every character caught my attention, and the whole show, in general, is pretty lit.

• Read: The Action Continues at Fire Force Season 2 on Summer of 2020

Studio: Bones

Flashback everywhere but what’s amazing about it is we had learned so much about some of the huge characters in the story. Dazai and Chuuya were such an adorable duo during their early days in the Port Mafia, who would expect that? Ougai Mori will always be a special character for me with how ambiguous he was, and it’s awesome that he was somehow connected to the Agency’s president. Furthermore, the team-up of Atsushi and Akutagawa really brought a new life to the story of Bungou Stray Dogs and how we perceive them.

Studio: Lerche

Now, down in our 20^th spot is the best boys-love anime of 2019. Given had truly given us not just a romantic ride but a real drama that melted our hearts. The music was good, the characters are all likable – I like Aki above everyone else though (my personal opinion). The character development was shown perfectly with good pacing, right timing, and a beautiful screenplay.

Studio: A-1 Pictures

Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen – Seriously a great romance comedy anime of the year, Kaguya Shinomiya is such a queen in various ways. While Chika Fujiwara is the gal you’ll always want to have beside you to bring sunshine in every gloomy situation. In general, Kaguya-sama: Love is War is an anime filled with love and humor, clothed in warfare among two teenagers who wouldn’t confess their affection towards each other.

Studio: TMS Entertainment

I can’t remember how many times I did cry with this anime and how it always hit our feels in every chance it could have to throw its dramatic scenes. Tohru is such a superb heroine and how powerful her words and ideas are. No matter how weak or fragile she may look, she had always been sturdy, a pillar that inspired almost every character in the story of this anime that revolves around the conflicted zodiac world of the Somas. Every character in Fruits Basket could stand on its own and could hit our emotional senses in one way or another without relying on its main characters.

• Read: Fruits Basket (2019) Reboot is Returning for its 2nd Season on April 2020

Studio: Bones

Boku no Hero Academia Season 4 – We have our previous champion here sitting at the 17^th place – My Hero Academia which returns for its 4^th season this year. I am actually expecting it to be higher in our list but I think it was caught in its unfortunate situation of being aired as part of the Fall 2019 lineup and having 24 episodes which mean that the half (including the climax) of the story will air on 2020. With that being said, the anime was still able to give us a decent run this year and introducing us new characters that truly loved from its story and that includes Red Riot (Eijiro Kirishima), and Lemillion (Mirio Togata).

Studio: Bones

Catchy and modern, this musical anime had been an amazing ride with an awesome combination of good music, humor, and contemporary feels in a futuristic setting. Imagine living on Mars instead with such high technological society. The story is actually good to my own surprise; it’s both inspiring and relaxing. Telling us to be genuine in this modern day where almost everything is calculated, manipulated and fake. Plus the music was really interesting, while some are meh, I truly enjoyed The Loneliest Girl, Give You The World, and the finale performance – Mother.

Studio: Lerche

Kanata no Astra – Space adventure, with teenage drama and family issues – Astra: Lost in Space had given us an exciting adventure that we’ll always be thankful for. The anime brought us to different planets, and a sci-fi world filled with much beauty and peculiarity. The character development was top-notched and the entire journey was intense, jolly, and inspiring. While the finale had been quite rushed, I am sincerely in awe with how well-written and pretty clean the story had been wrapped.

Studio: MAPPA

A real classic brought back to life. Dororo is a great historical drama equipped with beautiful and high-quality animation. I definitely had fun following the journey of Dororo and Hyakkimaru, their growth, and the challenges that they survived. On my end, Dororo had one of the most flashy fight scenes in anime this 2019.

Studio: Shin-E Animation

Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san 2 – Sitting at our 14^th place is definitely one of the most romantic anime of 2019 and it’s no other than Skilled Teaser Takagi-san Season 2 which gave us a beautiful glimpse at some more cute moments between Takagi and Nishikata. This time, we had witnessed how Takagi exerts further effort to show how she really felt towards Nishikata, all thanks to our kinda dense male protagonist, she always wins every bet they had. The story progresses a little bit closer to what it should be, with Takagi-san leaving so many mixed signals and hints for Nishikata to uncover how she really feels which makes the whole ride a worthwhile romantic experience.

Studio: Bones

The godlike animation quality and jaw-dropping fight scenes, Mob Psycho 100 have one of the best anime fights of the year. Those fight scenes were purely insane filled with so many emotions and intense psychic warfare. I could only wish for Tornado (from One Punch Man) to also join the fun here. Nonetheless, the story was written neatly with such an impressive main character that has a very strong outlook in life. Mob is not simply a psychic, but he’s a real hero.

Studio: Production I.G.

An anime that I really hold so dear, I still have the first season of Psycho-Pass neatly embedded at the back of my head and how wonderful it was. Now, we have this stunning sequel of the story with a new set of main characters while our favorite characters from the first season were acting in the supporting role. This actually brings back so many good memories that every scene in Psycho-Pass 3 makes me want to connect the dots from different scenarios and characters that exist in the Psycho-Pass universe. The two new inspectors were quite good but didn’t really leave that much of a great impression compared to Akane, Mika, and the previous enforcers like Shinya, Ginoza, Yayoi, and the rest. I love how political the story had become though, and while it has so many loopholes, it’s an anime that I could enjoy any time of the day.

Studio: ufotable

Kimetsu no Yaiba – We have the most viral anime of 2019 sitting comfortably at the 10^thspot of our year-end list. Demon Slayer cemented ufotable’s reputation in having great animation quality among anime projects. The anime also gives way to the Kimetsu no Yaiba manga to increase in sales and even surpassed One Piece sold copies for the year of 2019. This has been a heart-pumping experience with astounding drama and the law of showing us that there is some light hidden inside the darkness and sometimes, we just have to set it free. And that is what Tanjirou is doing when facing demons; he freed them from the curse of living a life of a demon. Furthermore, Demon Slayer had introduced some of the most beloved anime characters of the year including Nezuko, Shinobu, Giyuu, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Kanao; as well as the other members of the Hashira. What’s even more exciting is that Demon Slayer is returning in 2020 for its upcoming movie adaptation of Infinite Demon Train arc from the manga.

Studio: MAPPA & Lapin Track

A peculiar experience like no other, Sarazanmai is the anime that will take you a few episodes before you’ll get yourself fall in love with it. I almost dropped it in the first episode to be honest because I felt like it’s nonsense. However, it ended up as one of the most genuine and unique anime of 2019 while delivering a fantastic story that will melt your heart over and over again as it focuses on issues like family, friendship, acceptance, self-identity, and being real. It is an inspiring story that will teach you so many lessons while also making the whole journey a fun-filled experience due to how hilarious and obnoxious plot which hides a few dark-themed backgrounds of the main characters.

Studio: Lay-duce

Curiosity about love and the matters that come after it was among the main highlights of O Maidens In Your Savage Season – a great coming of age anime which brings the realistic questions of many teenagers into the limelight. Tackling several issues including sex, affection towards someone, teenage romance, and many more – summer 2019 lineup had been a fun ride due to this anime. Paired with catchy music, beautiful visuals, and excellent story from Mari Okada, O Maidens In Your Savage Season definitely didn’t fail to bring forth the feels.

Studio: Kinema Citrus

All the betrayal had made us fall in love with Naofumi and treat him as our dear cinnamon roll. I personally believed that he is one of the best anime protagonists of 2019. Added with two cute ladies beside him which are Rapthalia, and Melty as well as a super adorable filolial – Filo; the whole journey of Naofumi had been a fun experience despite so many heartbreaking challenges that he needs to survive. So far, this has been an amazing isekai that I will always love no matter what and keep at the top of my list of best isekai anime of all time.

Studio: A-1 Pictures

The best installment of Sword Art Online franchise so far, Sword Art Online Alicization – War of the Underworld had given us a well-written story and bloodirific dive in the underworld with the war between the Human Empire, and the Dark Territory. While Kirito had been staying disabled during the whole run of the season, SAO did a good job in our weekly chart and eventually finishing at the 2^ndplace at our list of best anime from the Fall 2019 lineup. We had seen the Integrity Knights redeemed themselves this time as they received the limelight in their respective battles. Oh dear, Asuna as Goddess Stacia is perfect, and her clashed against Alice was pretty lit too.

• Related Post: Sword Art Online III War of the Underworld Part 2 to be release on April 2020

Studio: Platinum Vision

Kono Oto Tomare! – Who wouldn’t fall in love with the sound of koto after watching this anime? We had been treated to a full-course koto experience with this dramatic high school anime that never fail to give us the feels. The family drama silently standout in Kono Oto Tomare! The koto performances in the show were beautifully animated and the music alone is just so surreal that it always left me in awe. The characters were all interesting and though the romance part is small, we still ended up shipping Satowa and Chika, as well as Takezo and Hiro. I could even ship Takenami sensei and Ms. Akira too. I believed that Kono Oto Tomare! is the best shoujo anime of 2019.

Studio: TMS Entertainment

 In Senku’s words – it has been an EXHILARATING adventure! Yes, Dr. Stone had made us happy and laughs so hard due to its meme-friendly characters and scenes, the effective blend of science and humor, while occasionally giving us a heart attack and goosebumps with how powerful the drama is. Senku is such an interesting main protagonist like no other and was 10 billion times more entertaining if he’s planning something wicked. This is not our typical shounen anime. Dr. Stone had been a phenomenal anime experience for me this 2019.

Studio: WIT Studio

While this anime may look like your standard shounen anime on the surface, it is one with a darker story where too much drama lingering on every corner of it. Vinland Saga had been an amazing adventure and tells a well-written story of vengeance, conquest, and politics. First, the retribution in Vinland Saga plays a vital role and how the main characters in the story live their life – Thorfinn seeks vengeance on Askeladd over the death of his father, while Askeladd revenge on the Vikings had been a dramatic ride filled with blood and politics. He shed so many bloods, destroyed families in order to achieve his goal of protecting Wales, and he did it in the most splendid way of sacrificing his own life in the process. In the end, he left with such a huge room for improvement and character development that Thorfinn and Canute must fulfill.

Studio: WIT Studio

Shingeki no Kyojin 3 Part 2 – This had been a dramatic ride and miraculous experience in general that made us wept our tears on so many occasions. More than the flashy and well-animated fight scenes are the heavy emotional parts of the story where we bid farewell to some of the characters that we’d been following since season 1 and that includes my personal favorite – Commander Erwin Smith. We had seen Levi give us a satisfying slashing scene too when he fought the Beast Titan, while Mikasa and Eren’s effort to save Armin had given us goosebumps and too many feels. In the end, Attack on Titan Season 3 Part which has finished as our best anime of spring 2019 season is just the beginning as the crew embark on a greater journey of discovering the secrets of the world behind the wall, behind the ocean.

Studio: CloverWorks

Yakusoku no Neverland – In our first spot, the best anime series of 2019 from Yu Alexius Anime Portal is no other than The Promised Neverland. Every episode of the series was done magnificently, and we could feel every single emotional conflict from the hearts of the characters. Emma, Norman, and Ray did gave us a satisfying escape plan, and an adventure that still leaves some shivering effect in my heart. The plot is quite generic but how the story is executed is a splendid one. Emma is such an amazing main character with Norman being a remarkable director behind the curtain even though he exited in the story earlier before its finale. Ray is such an awesome supporting character, making Emma shine even more as the one that brings light to the story. Who would ever expect that we could put so many twists in the story despite how common the plot is. The other children were spectacular too especially Phil who really caught my admiration. Above everything else, Isabella gave me a conflicted view of her character. Just like Askeladd from the Vinland Saga, I couldn’t hate her too despite being an antagonist in so many ways. The finale did give me intense heartache despite the fact that Emma and her group were able to escape. Nonetheless, The Promised Neverland is among those few anime of 2019 that we’re able to wrap its story brilliantly and give us a satisfying finale while also making us crave for more.

And this is how we end our year-end list of best anime series of 2019. I’ll make a separate post about the best anime movies of 2019 in the coming days or possibly months as I still have plenty of anime films to catch up with. Nonetheless, I have here our winners for Yu Alexius Anime Portal BEST OF 2019 anime appreciation awards as follows:

With this, we are wrapping up our 2019 anime lineup and conclude that it has been a fun and exciting year indeed. I personally have so many great memories to treasure from 2019 as part of Yu Alexius Anime Portal as we officially started our weekly chart of best anime of the season this year as well as our seasonal anime awards which started last spring. With so much gratitude to 2019, we are looking forward to 2020 with positivity and excitement as we set our eyes into a new year with a very promising anime lineup.

Have you guys prepared your watchlist for the winter 2020 anime chart already? If not, I have listed ours in my previous post here; I’ll be honored if I’ll be able to assist you with finding which anime series airing on winter suits your standard. Furthermore, not just on anime, but even for donghua, 2020 is a promising year as there are tons of giant Chinese anime titles coming next year. You may check our previous about the 2020 donghua list fromBilibili for your reference.

Once again, thank you and I hope you enjoyed our Top 40 anime of 2019. Please let us know what you think about our list, as well as your thoughts on what anime should be considered as the best of 2019? Leave us a comment below to share your opinion.