Bubbleblabber’s Top 10 Adult Animated TV Series For 2023 (International Drama)

Posted on December 31, 2023 by The Bubbleblabber Team

International Comedy is accounted for, but what are some of the best anime dramas of the year? Our list is below, and a surprising newcomer to first run English dubs has taken the crown, but even more surprising is how much Crunchyroll was dominated this year whence compared to its competition. They may have the most anime content, but the other guys are winning on quality.

10) Kaiji(English Dub)

Network: HiDive

Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor is a certified underrated classic that has managed to stay under the radar of many anime fans for nearly twenty years, likely in part because of it lacking an official release or dub. Despite its age, it’s held up surprisingly well, with no real signs of its original release date glaringly apparent. It is a story of struggling to stay above water in a world controlled by those who play with the lower class like toys, which is probably something that has only grown more relevant in recent years through other shows such as Squid Game and just…you know, the state of the world. I feel like a lot of that speaks for itself, haha. With the dub for the first season now complete, and hopefully one for the second season on the way, perhaps there will be renewed interest in adapting more of the manga, which is still coming out with new installments to this day! Also, if you see the E-Card game and think “hey, this would be fun but I don’t want to gamble a body part”, there’s actually a working online version. In the meantime, I’m headed to Vegas. Don’t worry, I have a system.

9) My Happy Marriage (English Dub)

Network: Netflix

Overall, My Happy Marriage offers a ray of emotions, including happiness, to provide a highly diverting and sentimental take on the romance and fantasy genres. While far from perfect, the series is a fulfilling journey that delivers a huge amount of emotion in its direction, themes, and characters to overcome some of its formulaic standards. Based on the first few episodes regarding the provocative nature of Miyo’s abuse by the Saimoris, I was initially concerned about how the series would turn out. However, once we see Miyo with Kiyoka, it immediately finds its footing with its storytelling and never lets up until its final frame. From its strong direction for its themes to the stellar animation, My Happy Marriage is one of the best surprises of 2023 that shouldn’t go unnoticed in the anime category. If you have a Netflix account and enjoy watching romance anime, this show is worth checking out.

8) Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury (English Dub)

Network: Crunchyroll

Look, we usually watch these shows for giant robot fights and those were solid. The characters were enjoyable and the story was just fascinating enough to keep me interested. This was a really fun series I just wish it was longer. With this being the first full Gundam series since Mobile Suite Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans I expected more but it was still a lot of fun and you better believe I am going to buy the model kits.

7) Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (English Dub)

Network: Crunchyroll

This series has been so enjoyable in fact that I didn’t realize we were already at the part one finale. Unfortunately, we have quite a bit to wait to get to part two, with a current air date of April 2024. But I can promise you that you won’t want to miss it because if this series could make an arc about erectile dysfunction this good then just imagine what happens when things start to go crazy.

6) Vinland Saga (English Dub)

Network: Crunchyroll

The scale of Vinland’s promise is immense in how many people it’s touched, whether directly or not, and a beautiful final note as their voyage begins.

5) Bluelock (English Dub)

Network: Crunchyroll

Now that Haikyu!! has finished airing I think we are in need of the next big sports anime. Something tells me we have found it in Bluelock. What makes a great sports anime to me is that it can manage to make you love and care about a sport you used to have no interest in. Prior to this, I had next to no interest in soccer but because of this, I found myself watching the World Cup. This anime almost brought its story to life because the Japanese team wore similar outfits and got close to winning it all. Make sure you do yourself a favor and watch one of the best anime of 2022 and hopefully beyond.

4) Good Night World (English Dub)

Network: Netflix

Good Night World is another surprising addition to the anime catalogue, especially one from Netflix. At first, I thought I would get another basic gaming isekai series involving characters exploring the VR video game. However, it turned out to be more than just what was given, which I really enjoyed. The series is a deep, disturbing, refreshing, and emotional representation of a family torn apart by hatred, which can be solved with peace and forgiveness. From its well-handled themes to the superb animation, the ONA series gains a high score in its storytelling, resulting in it being another diamond in the Netflix anime sea.

3) Pluto (English Dub)

Network: Netflix

Format-wise, it’s eight episodes long, but unusually for an anime, each episode is close to our over an hour long, so it’s best to space it out to one or two episodes a day, both to not take too much of your time AND because the heaviness of the subject matter and plot will really need to breathe over the week as you watch. The Neo-Noir futuristic mystery of it all can easily pull you in on its own, but for fans of mecha anime like Gundam or simply cyberpunk like Ghost in the Shell, the added fantastical sci-fi adds a dash of flavoring to what is otherwise a bitter story, along with some pretty adept fantastical racism with how the story approaches bigotry towards robots in its world, all naturally tying into the central theme about hatred. And of course, those familiar with the Astro Boy mythos have already gotten quite a lot out of these gritty reinterpretations of characters from that story, though how well they’re adapted will be up to each viewer. This is most certainly one of, if not the best anime release Netflix has had all year, and a fitting tribute to one of the greatest artists in the medium. Please, I beg you, give it a watch. And then go watch Monster.

2) Osho No Ko (English Dub)

Network: HiDive

I cannot recommend this series to people enough, it is one of the funniest series running right now in both anime and manga form. If you can get over the initial odd start (If you’ve watched much anime at all it isn’t even that weird) you are going to be in for a fantastic time. The first season is done airing and you can binge it all now on HiDive and I highly recommend that you do.

1) Summer Time Rendering (English Dub)

Network: Hulu

Ultimately, this is an anime that shouldn’t be missed by anyone, especially any anime fan. There were some episodes near the end that kind of dragged on a little bit but this had everything I want. Good characters, unique powers and skill sets, some romance, and a satisfying ending. I know 2023 seems like an odd time to finally get to experience one of the best anime of 2022 but better late than never. If you don’t watch this you are really missing out, some technical issues bring down the English dub specifically but I have seen way worse dubs.