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AT-X Reveals Anime Rankings for 2023

At the end of the year, the Japanese anime cable channel AT-X polls its viewers on their favorite series of the year, and 2023 was no different. However, there is one twist. In conjunction with AT-Xs 25th anniversary, the channel polled its viewers on several other categories for a total of seven different polls. AT-X announced the results on December 29.

The categories AT-X polled viewers on are divided into two broader groups: AT-X Anime Ranking 2023 and AT-X 25th Anniversary. For the 2023 polls the categories are: Anime Ranking 2023 and Anime Ranking 2023 Second-half. For the 25th Anniversary the categories are: Favorite Anime Series, Recommended Series, Anime that Changed Your Life, Series that Scream AT-X!, and Favorite Anisong.

Starting with the 2023 rankings, Oshi no Ko, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, and Otaku Elf take the top three for Anime Ranking 2023. In turn, the Second-half sees The Apothecary Diaries, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, and The Eminence in Shadow take the podium. The homepage has a more comprehensive list, and there is quite a bit of overlap. While this may be attributed to the poll being taken at the end of the fall season, Anime Ranking 2023 has series from earlier in the year as well. These include titles such as Lycoris Recoil, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, and Oshi no Ko.

In turn, the 25th Anniversary polls are a bit more bit more diverse with what viewers selected. Starting with Favorite Series, A Place Further Than the Universe, Aria the Animation, and Oshi no Ko clinched the top slots. Recommended Series saw little change between the top two slots, but The Apothecary Diaries edged out Oshi no Ko to take the number three spot. This, too, may be related to the timing of the poll, but looking at Anime that Changed Your Life, the list changes drastically. At the top lies Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and A Place Further Than the Universe. There is also the standout Space Battleship Yamato at number five and Tenchi Muyo! Ryo Ohki at number six.

The Series that Scream AT-X! category is also varied. This is to be expected considering AT-X has aired hundreds, if not thousands, of anime series. Taking the top three spots are Aria the Animation, Yosuga no Sora, and Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World. Some other notable anime are Elfen Lied at number eight and Azumanga Daioh at number nine.

The final category of the 25th Anniversary group of polls, Favorite Anisong, is filled with more recent songs, but there are some staples of the genre. Number one through three are "Idol" from Oshi no Ko, "On my Railgun" from A Certain Scientific Railgun, and "Shukufuku" from Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury. A little further down the rankings are "Connect" from Puella Magi Madoka Magica, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" from Neon Genesis Evangelion, and "Motteke! Sailor Fuku" from Lucky Star.

AT-X also has one more category that doesn't seem to fit into the two larger groups. This is the Favorite VA/Original AT-X Program. While not anime, the programs are tangentially related to it. Taking the top three slots are Tokyo Encounter, Tokyo Encounter Two, and Analog Banban Big Bang. Both Tokyo Encounter and its follow-up Tokyo Encounter Two are shows where the hosts play videogames with guest voice actors. Analog Banban Big Bang on the other hand is closer to a variety show with games. Unfortunately, none of the shows are available outside of Japan.

While AT-X isn't available outside of Japan, it's interesting to see what Japanese viewers find are the top anime series and anime songs. As stated above, the results of the AT-X Anime Ranking 2023 and AT-X Anime Ranking 2023 Second-half are available on the AT-X home page. AT-X also has a dedicated page for the AT-X 25th Anniversary polls as well. This page also has a link where you can see all the entries for the polls, of which there are quite a few.

Sources: AT-X (link 2) and AT-X's Twitter account (link 2, link 3, link 4, link 5, link 6)