Summary
- CloverWorks consistently produces critically acclaimed anime in just a few years of establishment.
- Their best anime include Fate/Grand Order: Babylonia, Horimiya, and Spy x Family.
- The studio’s diverse range covers wholesome romance, engaging shonen, and unique concepts like Adolescence Syndrome.
CloverWorks might be a relatively new studio, branching off from A-1 Pictures only in 2018. However, in the relatively few years it’s been up and running, it’s consistently put out one good show after another. Its repertoire of critically acclaimed anime exceeds that of many studios that have been running for multiple decades.
From wholesome slice-of-life comedies like Spy x Family to enticing shonen shows like The Elusive Samurai, the studio has a knack for covering everything and anything, and always ending up with success on their hands. Among the many shows that have helped them increase in fame and respect rapidly, here are CloverWork’s best anime!
9
The Promised Neverland
Yakosoku No Neverland
Saying anything about The Promised Neverland without spoiling a good chunk of surprises is a very grandiose task. It follows a number of children living in an orphanage with more than what meets the eye, much like Heavenly Delusion. It was originally a psychological thriller about children learning to escape, but it quickly develops into much more.
As good as the first season was, the second one failed to give justice to the rest of the story. Arcs were rushed (or even skipped entirely), and the art, animation, and even music took a turn for the worse. If you plan on getting into Yakosoku no Neverland, we highly recommend giving the manga a read as well.
8
Fate/Grand Order – Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia
FGO Babylonia
When you hear of the Fate series, you might first think of Ufotable, the studio behind Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works and Fate/Zero, as well as the Heaven’s Feel movies. Even if those adaptations are the most popular ones, Fate/Babylon is a splendid watch in its own right.
The show follows Ritsuko Fujimura and Mash Kryelight, members of Chaldea sent back in time to save humanity from extinction. Instead of following a Holy Grail War, Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia follows the two as they work with other servants under the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, and fight away Gods that seek humanity’s end.
7
Darling In The Franxx
Darin In Za Furankisu
If you’re a fan of Studio Trigger, you’d adore all that Darling in The Franxx stands for. At its core, it’s a mecha anime with extremely fluid animation. Delving deeper, it’s about teens during adolescence, and a world where many things important to a growing child are taken away.
The show has the cast have conflicts about life, love, and resolve dramatic misunderstandings you’d only expect teens to come up with. It’s a very emotional show backed by expertly choreographed fight scenes and some of the most thoroughly-written characters seen in a shonen.
6
Horimiya
Hori-san To Miyamura-kun
If you like romance anime, Horimiya is one of the best shows you can choose to watch today. It breaks away from a lot of tropes established in traditional romance anime, opting instead to show what a natural, realistic progression of love between two people looks like.
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Instead of taking an entire season before the two leads hold hands for the first time, Hori and Miyamura get together in just the first few episodes, and the rest of the series follows them becoming closer as a couple. It’s a very wholesome show, and the comedy hits each time. If you’re a romance fan who dislikes how slow some shows can be, Horimiya is the perfect romance anime for you.
5
The Elusive Samurai
Nige Jouzu No Wakagimi / The Young Lord Who Is Skilled At Escaping
Running away is often thought to be an act of cowardice; an execution of one’s honor. This sentiment was at its strongest in Feudal Japan, ruled by Shoguns and dominated by Samurai. However, in these times, a young lord emerged to take revenge for betrayal. Instead of fighting opponents stronger than himself head-on, he instead does this by playing tag.
The Elusive Samurai can vary from episode to episode. At its best, it has some of the most beautifully choreographed animated sequences in recent dates. At its worst, it can be difficult to take the show seriously. It’s amusing either way and is an absolute treat for fans of the Shonen genre.
4
Wonder Egg Priority
WONDER EGG ✦ PRiORiTY / WEP
Wonder Egg Priority is an anime where you don’t exactly know what’s going on up until the very end. It follows Ai Ohto, a teenage girl who finds herself in another girl’s dream. Inside said dream, various nightmarish creatures attack them, until the girls emerge victorious, ending the first episode. This same sequence repeats for most of the upcoming episodes, with newer things being revealed in each new dream.
While the series may at first seem like a monster-of-the-week magical girl anime, it goes much deeper than that. Without going into spoilers, the show’s more of a study of femininity, puberty, adolescence, and coming to terms with your own identity.
3
My Dress-Up Darling
Sono Bisque Doll Wa Koi Wo Soru
Marin Kitagawa has become a sort of online sensation ever since the first season of My Dress Up Darling aired. This isn’t surprising, given how fulfilling it is to see her interactions with Gojo, the male lead. The show is a simple romcom that follows the ever-successful premise of a lonesome guy being helped out of his shell by an outgoing, popular girl. In My Dress Up Darling, specifically, the reason for this connection is Gojo’s talent for sewing and Marin’s hobby of cosplaying.
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The character designs are extremely pleasing to look at, and the art and animation are arguably CloverWorks’s best work yet. The romance (and the comedy) feels natural and organic, and the characters have enough depth to feel real. Another thing that separates My Dress Up Darling from other similar shows is that the characters are more honest with their feelings, something that can be frustrating with the leads from other shows.
2
Spy X Family
Spy Family
No show is made for everyone. If there are those who like an anime, there will also be those who hate it. Taste may be subjective, but Spy x Family is the closest we’ll ever get to a show without any hate. It’s a very wholesome family comedy about Anya, a telepathic girl, and her adoptive parents, Loid and Yor Forger.
The show is excellent at making you smile, and even burst out laughing. Anya’s childish innocence is contrasted with Loid being a super-agent that takes everything into account, and Yor being a secret assassin with superhuman abilities. These aren’t usually meant to be taken seriously and play into the humor of the show perfectly.
1
Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Senpai
Seishun Buta Yarou Wa Bunny Girl Senpai No Yume Wo Minai
We’ve seen our fair share of shows adapted from light novels with extremely long, weird names. Still, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai might be one of the most confusing ones. Contrary to the name’s absurdness, the show deals with concepts of science, philosophy, and much more.
Bunny Girl Senpai follows teens struggling with Adolescence Syndrome, a disease that manifests in people struggling with teen issues. The bunny girl senpai from the title, in this case, would be Mai Sakurajima, a teen celebrity who stopped being seen by others because she disliked being perceived. She now walks around wearing a bunny costume to increase the chance of someone seeing her, and that someone turns out to be Azusagawa. Apart from being just a good show about helping others, being an engaging romance show with lots of comedy, it also explains concepts of Quantum Physics such as Laplace’s Demon, Quantum Entanglement, and much more!
