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It’s not an easy accomplishment for any kind of show to even approach perfection. But if there’s any one medium of television that allows creatives to come up with all sorts of fresh, ambitious, boundary-pushing ways to deliver a truly flawless show, it’s animation. It’s a medium that’s virtually limitless—at least visually—, and as such, it should be no surprise that several of the most perfect new shows are animated.
“New” meaning any show from the last five years here, this leaves us with ten particularly amazing animated series which demonstrate how praise-worthy animation is. This is a category of television that’s looked down on by many fans of the medium, but these ten exceptional new series show why in this fresh golden era of small-screen animation, things are starting to change.
10
‘Common Side Effects’ (2024–Present)
Adult Swim has been producing some of the greatest adult animated series in history since the early 2000s, and if it continues heading in the direction that it’s currently heading in, Common Side Effects has the potential to join that elite club. It’s one of the most delectably odd, trippy, and surreal animated shows of the last five years, perfect for those who prefer animation at its most mind-bending.
Masterfully balancing a hilarious sense of deadpan stoner humor with elements worthy of the most gripping, high-stakes thriller imaginable, it’s one of those animated shows whose every episode is a masterpiece. Brilliantly genre-bending and thematically multi-layered, it’s one of the best animated satires that the 2020s have thus far gifted us with.
9
‘Pantheon’ (2022–2023)
Based on a series of short stories by Ken Liu, the cyberpunk conspiracy thriller Pantheon is one of the most near-perfect hard sci-fi shows on Netflix. Bolstered by its excellent voice cast, its copious amounts of philosophical and thematic depth, and its fascinating portrayal of the singularity (a hypothetical in which technological growth accelerates beyond human control), it quickly became one of the most acclaimed animated sci-fi shows of the last decade.
Mind-bending and emotionally weighty, Pantheon approaches themes of transhumanism and artificial intelligence in ways that feel far more chillingly timely and relevant today than they did back in 2022. It’s perfectly paced and thoroughly engaging, proof of just how intelligent and compelling sci-fi stories can be in the limitless field of animation.
8
‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ (2023–Present)
Based on the manga series written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is already one of the highest-rated shows of the 2020s thus far on IMDb. It has a well-deserved perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, all reviews coming from critics who were inevitably charmed by its cozy, refreshingly calm atmosphere.
Subverting the traditional fantasy formula of the epic quest to defeat a powerful enemy, Beyond Journey’s End kicks things off after the Hero’s Journey has concluded, focusing on the poignant aftermath and passage of time. This is more than enough to make it one of the best fantasy anime of all time, a deeply moving comfort watch imbued with bittersweet nostalgia.
7
‘Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord’ (2026–Present)
The iconic television side of the Star Wars franchise has been making plenty of ventures into the live-action format since 2019, but animation is where the galaxy far, far away lived on the small screen for several decades; and animation is still the medium that’s producing some of the best Star Wars content out there. Case in point: the incredible Maul — Shadow Lord.
Maul is a character that has been greatly expanded on and enriched over the history of animated televisual Star Wars, but Shadow Lord is, unsurprisingly, the most fascinating that the villain has ever been. With some of the most stunning animation, memorable music, and exceptional voice performances of any animated show from the last five years, Shadow Lord can already be counted among not just the best Star Wars shows, but also the best new sci-fi shows currently on television.
6
‘X-Men ’97’ (2024–Present)
Back in 1992, X-Men: The Animated Series completely revolutionized superhero television, kicking off the Golden Age of animated superhero television alongside Batman: The Animated Series. Its cancellation in 1997 due to financial issues was a deep tragedy, but in 2024, Disney’s Marvel revived the show with X-Men ’97, which has managed to live up to the stratospherically-high bar set by its predecessor.
There’s definitely a wonderful sense of nostalgia here, but even those who didn’t grow up with the 1992 original are bound to be delighted by X-Men ’97‘s crisp animation, top-tier voice acting, and exceptional writing. All of that and more makes this one of the best animated shows of the last five years. With its clear reverence for the source material being strongly balanced with a sharp, modern feel, X-Men ’97 is already finishing what its predecessor started back in the ’90s.
5
‘Invincible’ (2021–Present)
Created by Robert Kirkman and based on the Image Comics series of the same name that he co-created with Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, Invincible has proven just how capable adult-oriented superhero media is of ingraining itself into pop culture in precisely the same way that the more family-friendly MCU and DCU have done.
It’s the sort of Prime Video show that keeps you hooked throughout, and though some may point to its occasionally subpar animation as an argument against its perfection, that ends up feeling like nothing more than a nitpick when the writing and voice acting are so legendarily flawless. With its deep, emotionally grounded character development and its eye-popping bloody action, Invincible has already cemented its place in the pantheon of history’s best adult animated shows.
4
‘Scavengers Reign’ (2023)
The long history of both animation and science fiction often being looked down on, even by the studios that produce such shows, claimed a new victim in 2024: Scavengers Reign. It’s one of those new sci-fi shows that are perfect from start to finish, and though it was originally devised and pitched as a self-contained miniseries (which means that those worried about cliffhanger endings needn’t worry about getting into Scavengers Reign), it had tremendous potential to develop into a full-fledged series.
Even still, this should forever be remembered as one of the best sci-fi shows and best animated shows of the 2020s, as well as one of the best animated sci-fi shows of the first quarter of the 21st century as a whole. Full of wonderfully imaginative world-building, tremendous psychological depth, and absolutely breathtaking animation, Scavengers Reign is the sort of masterpiece that the small screen only gets once in a lifetime.
3
‘Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War’ (2022–Present)
There’s a good reason why Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War is the highest-rated anime series of the 2020s so far on IMDb: It really is that good. Based on Tite Kubo‘s manga series Bleach (one of the most underrated manga of the 21st century) and a direct sequel to the 2004 anime show of the same name, it’s a huge, massive-budget return to form for the franchise.
Whereas the original Bleach show ended on a pretty polarizing note, The Thousand-Year Blood War has thus far earned nothing but universal praise from fans and critics all across the board. The animation is nothing short of god-tier, delectably colorful and full of fluid choreography. Pair that with a thrilling, practically filler-free sense of pacing and a legendary soundtrack, and you get an anime series with the potential to be remembered as one of the best of all time if it sticks the landing in the end.
2
‘Blue Eye Samurai’ (2023–Present)
For people who love gritty revenge stories like Kill Bill and Lady Snowblood, Blue Eye Samurai is a must-see. With its second season in production, this is still one of those short TV shows you can finish in one night—and such a fast-paced binge session will surely be awfully tempting, seeing as this is one of the most enthralling adult animated series in Netflix’s catalog.
With its stunning animation and its emotionally resonant narrative, this character-driven gem subverts the traditional gender and racial tropes of stories set in Edo-era Japan. Its antihero protagonist is an absolutely fascinating lead character, its animation is wonderfully cinematic, and its thematic depth never feels forced or overly dense. In other words, it’s one of the greatest samurai masterpieces that the small screen has ever seen.
1
‘Arcane’ (2021–2024)
Arcane is far more than just one of the best Netflix shows of the last five years. For one, it may very well be the most visually impressive animated show in history, 18 episodes’ worth of pure eye candy full of vibrant colors, emotional expressiveness, and wonderful world-building. But visuals are definitely not the only thing that it has going for it, either.
Instead, this adaptation of League of Legends seemed to come out of nowhere and shock Netflix subscribers with its intricate plotting, emotionally stirring character work, and thematically profound narrative. It’s the most high-quality example of what animation has had to offer on the small screen over the course of the last five years, a breathtaking work of art that has no right being as entertaining and well-made as it is.
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https://collider.com/new-animated-shows-perfect-start-to-finish/
Diego Pineda Pacheco
Almontather Rassoul
