With each passing year, anime grows more popular around the world. Consequently, non-anime streaming services such as HBO Max and Netflix have taken it upon themselves to expand their library of Japanese animation. Along with a solid selection of movies, the streaming service has a number of great Japanese shows, but which are the best anime on HBO Max?
6 Housing Complex C
Housing Complex C aired during the Fall 2022 anime season, lasting for four episodes. The series attracted attention due to the fact horror anime are exceptionally rare. If one were to rank the genre’s best offerings of 2022, Housing Complex C would crack the top three since its only competitors would be the forgettable Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai 10 and Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Memorial Edition, the latter of which barely counts as horror. Despite running almost unopposed, Housing Complex C is not even the best horror anime of the year.
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Part of this has to do with the show debuting with an English dub that, while not awful, is just lackluster enough to strip most scenes of any tension. In a seaside town, a housing complex is subjected to unexplainable phenomena following the arrival of a group of foreigners who clash with the locals. These events center around a young girl named Kimi, and they also tie into this location’s supernatural-themed history. Housing Complex C’s premise has potential, but the anime’s rushed pacing causes most of its reveals to fall flat. The show also has way too big of a cast to properly cover in just four episodes, resulting in almost exclusively shallow characters. Although not classified as horror, Summer Time Rendering covers somewhat similar ground as Housing Complex C, and the former is one of 2022’s best anime.
5 Noblesse
Based on a Webtoon, Noblesse garnered criticism for its pacing and uneven animation. The story follows a vampire, Cadis Etrama Di Raizel, who awakens after spending more than 800 years asleep and, naturally, starts to attend high school. Rai quickly finds himself having to protect his classmates from an organization that is after the vampire.
Noblesse has its share of problems, but the anime does succeed in delivering a fun roster of characters. Rai’s fish-out-of-water shtick proves to be charming and frequently hilarious, and the protagonist is side-lined by secondary characters who more than hold their own.
4 Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy
Isekai anime are inescapable, but that’s not really the case when it comes to HBO Max’s library. Nonetheless, the service does have a couple of gems that involve ordinary humans teleporting to extraordinary worlds, and Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy is a pleasant surprise. Makoto is sent plummeting to a fantasy realm to pay off a debt, and while the journey is anything but smooth, the ill-prepared protagonist receives a significant power boost to aid him during his travels.
Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy follows an overpowered protagonist who forms a party consisting primarily of women, a premise that could be copied and pasted to describe countless mediocre isekai anime. Despite its uninspired origins, Tsukimichi elevates itself through strong writing, likable characters, and enjoyable humor. As powerful as Makoto is, he is still a flawed person who has to constantly learn and adapt to survive his surroundings. He is also supported by competent companions who consistently justify their existence.
3 Tokyo Revengers
Tokyo Revengers is a shonen anime with a time travel twist. As a directionless adult, Takemichi Hanagaki spends his days working a thankless job while regretting the decisions that led him to this point. One day, he learns about the murder of his middle school girlfriend, Hinata; later on, Takemichi is pushed in front of a train to his apparent death. However, somehow, the protagonist travels back in time to when he was part of a gang in middle school. With the knowledge of future events, he sets out to change fate and, hopefully, save Hinata.
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Compared to most popular shonen shows, Tokyo Revengers sets itself apart by featuring a significantly underpowered protagonist and a contemporary setting. Except for the whole time travel angle, the anime is relatively grounded by battle shonen standards. The story balances action, melodrama, and suspense quite well, with even the occasional dash of humor. Takemichi can be a polarizing figure, but characters like Mikey and Draken are great.
2 Dr. Stone
Both seasons of Dr. Stone are available on HBO Max, making this one of the best modern shonen anime on the streaming service. An unprecedented phenomenon turns most of humanity into stone, including Senku Ishigami, a teenage genius who can science his way out of anything. While it takes a few thousand years, Senku eventually manages to escape his stone prison, and he instantly sets out to rebuild humanity from the ground up.
Dr. Stone flows like a typical battle shonen anime, albeit one that prioritizes intelligence over brute strength. Senku and his ragtag group of helpers make for a lovable bunch, and the anime knows how to write a memorable villain.
1 To Your Eternity
Debuting in 2021, To Your Eternity instantly garnered attention thanks to a fantastic opening episode that could almost be treated as a short film. The anime follows a magical orb that can morph into different objects and people, although it has to form some sort of connection to make the transformation possible. Usually, this involves the original’s death.
To Your Eternity uses this being’s immortality to explore themes like grief, individuality, tragedy, and optimism. The anime has a reputation for relying on heartbreak and sadness; however, these moments make sense within the story and generally feel earned. Ultimately, To Your Eternity is about life, and the series is interested in exploring both its dizzying highs and crushing lows.
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