A-to-J Connections' Favorite Visual Media of 2023!

We've been slowly expanding our end of year traditions here at A-to-J, and it's time to do one that we talked about doing last year but ultimately didn't because of time. This article will be our favorite picks of anime, movies, TV, or other visual media from 2023. We originally wanted to just do anime, but realized that it made sense if we opened it up a bit more. Since this our first go at this kind of thing, it's not quite as developed an article as our other end of year things. We all have to start somewhere though, right? Our picks are all over the place, so you just might find something new to watch here. If not, then let us know what we might have missed. We're slowly getting back to doing our full-on awards thing we did back in 2016... Maybe that will come next next year! Anyhow, check these out and maybe tell us about some of your favorite media picks from the past year too!

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Ivan: Photographer / Correspondent

For my favorite anime of 2023 I chose Attack on Titan Season 4. It’s been a long ride (10 years!) that finally ended this year. I watched this show from the beginning, through all its ups and downs. I was shocked when I attended family parties and all my cousins were talking about the show, and I never knew that they ever watched anime. It was really interesting to see Attack on Titan enter the public domain (figuratively), and become mainstream. From seeing T-shirts at Target, to cosplays at every comic book convention I've attended, it was quite the ride.  

The series finally ended, and while some people might be angry or unsatisfied, I was happy with the conclusion. I recommend Attack on Titan even though it began airing ten years ago. The visuals and storytelling are really good and have held up really well.

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J.D.: Moderator / Contributor

If you read my entry in A-to-J’s favorite songs of 2023, you heard me say that 2023 was a year of romance anime for me. Each season, one of if not my absolute favorite anime of the season was a romance anime: Tomo-chan is a Girl! at the start of the year, My Happy Marriage in Summer, and Girlfriend Girlfriend season 2 to close the year out but my absolute favorite was My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv 999.

Quick Synopsis: After being dumped by her boyfriend who had fallen for another girl, Akane Kinoshita decides to attend an in-person event for the MMO Forest of Saviour where she runs into her ex and his new girlfriend. She then bribes her guildmate Akito Yamada to pretend to be her boyfriend and from there, hijinks ensue as Akane grows closer with Yamada and her other guildmates.

The closest anime I can think to compare it to is Recovery of an MMO Junkie from 2017 which also involved two people, though in that series about a decade older, who fall in love through MMO-related hijinks. Where MMO Junkie has a closer setup of “People who are close online realizing they know each other in real life and falling in love” to the film You’ve Got Mail, Yamada-kun draws just as much from the classic fluffy romances that You’ve Got Mail drew from. From the title and that description alone, you can probably see where the series is going but I think the characters, their interactions and especially the beautiful art by my favorite anime studio Madhouse all make this show really shine.  

There’s no real antagonist, just people trying to work through their feelings as they grow through their interactions with the others. That includes negative emotions like jealousy and anger, but they are things to be resolved through communication and understanding. The closest thing we have to a truly bad person is Akane’s ex who at least seemed to have dumped her before things with the other girl had gone on for too far. It’s just a cast of people that you want to see be happy and, after they’ve been through their emotional troubles, you’re relieved to see that they are.  

That’s the best way I can describe it. It might not be to everyone’s taste but it’s my favorite of the year. I look forward to seeing you all again next year.

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Nestor: Staff Writer / Correspondent

2023 was a huge year for the wrestling landscape. From multiple feuds like Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns vs Jimmy Uso, CM Punk vs The Elite, to Bryan Danielson vs Kazuchika Okada, there were certainly a lot of fantastic matches that entertained from start to finish! But there was one match for me that stood above all. That being the match between Will Osprey vs Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 17, which was my match of the year! [Editor's Note: Bet you didn't see this coming!]

Spot after spot, this match was full of heart pounding moments that would make any new and old wrestling fans stand in wonder. Both wrestlers put their absolute best to make the battle for the IWGP United States Championship. This match had it all for a five-star banger! We had table spots, high rope avalanche slams, knee strikes after knee strikes, Osprey hitting a Styles Clash, and finally Omegas One Winged Angel. From the very beginning this battle hits all cylinders and does not stop until the very end.

I highly recommend you guys go back and watch this match for the sheer joy it will put on your face. It also shows how good and how much better Will Osprey will get as his career continues. One of my all-time favorite moments was when he just looks up at Omega and gives him a nice “fuck you.” This match shows what wrestling at the very top should be. With two Wrestlers who are often compared to each other, it shows that the future of wrestling will be an amazing one.

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Teepu: Project Leader / Staff Writer

My list of movies, anime and TV shows I saw that were released in 2023 (that are relevant to this site, at least), is slim. That being said, I can’t imagine my choice would shift much. Godzilla Minus One was a much-needed return to form for a franchise that has been struggling to keep attention, quality, and meaningful content. The fact that Hollywood was able to produce a more enticing franchise out of Japan’s own monster than the motherland must have been frustrating for Toho. Even Shin Godzilla, while a fun and refreshing modernization of the kinds of themes that the original film tried expressing, was still a bit too technical and self-absorbed to properly stand the test of time.

Then along comes Takashi Yamazaki, who approached this new film very smartly. Instead of trying to just do a mindless reboot, he pulled elements from Legendary’s Monsterverse, from classic Godzilla and more recent Godzilla films and meshed them all together in a way that better fit his brand of storytelling. As a result, we got a film that shows the true terror of the monster, while telling a very real and heartfelt tale of love, survival, family, and forgiveness. It is quite an emotionally charged tale that is the rare instance of it not being just a good Godzilla film, but a good film in general.

I had the pleasure of watching it in Japan and at home a couple times, and I find myself constantly returning to this fantastic film. I fully expect sequels to go the route of Monsterverse, becoming less serious and sillier, but at least for now, I am incredibly happy that Takashi and Toho went the route they did.

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Winfield: Staff Writer

My favorite anime that I watched this year is a movie called The First Slam Dunk. The anime is based on the popular manga/anime series, Slam Dunk, by Takehiko Inoue. The movie was written and directed by the original creator, with the animation produced by Toei Animation and DandeLion Animation Studio. The movie roughly covers the last story arc from the manga, which was when Shohoku High School played against the defending champion, Sannoh Kogyo High School, at the Inter-High School National Championship. 

I did not hear about this movie until the trailer was released showing that they were releasing internationally. I was really excited to finally get to watch the story arc that I re-read over and over again from the manga. I was a bit concerned when the story was being adapted to focus on Ryota Miyagi’s perspective while the original manga was mainly focused on another character, Hanamichi Sakuragi. For the most part, it was a great movie and I think it could be accessible for both existing and new fans. It does a good enough job to introduce each character, though I have to admit it could be a little bit overwhelming or confusing as some context is lost if someone doesn’t know what happened prior to the last story arc. I could understand why they focused on one character who may not have as much focus from the manga (i.e. Ryota). The only disappointment was not seeing some of Hanamichi’s growth or other characters’ interactions that didn’t directly involve Ryota as much. The movie uses the 3D animation style which surprisingly the action scenes were done really well and fluid in terms of energy. When it comes to anime, 3D animation doesn’t always look right as 2D animation is usually the better style. It was definitely a dream come true to finally see the movie, and I can imagine myself watching this every year to relive it as I have done re-reading the manga before this year. 

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We hope you enjoyed our picks from 2023, and we hope that we have an even more robust selection next year! Happy watching, and let's all have an amazing 2024 and beyond!

Manuel and the rest of the A-to-J Team!