Summary
Kyoto Animation, also known as KyoAni, is a beloved and iconic anime studio that has produced some of the best anime of the past 20 years, including many outstanding romance anime. Some of Kyoto Animation’s most famous works are based on visual novels, while others are adaptations of manga or light novels. These anime series have been praised for their visuals, direction, and compelling storytelling, and have left a lasting impact on the anime community even years after their initial release.
Kyoto Animationcolloquially known as KyoAni, easily one of the most iconic and beloved anime studios of the past 20 years. With a penchant for telling touching and humorous stories through impressive visuals and overall direction, nearly every anime they produce has received critical acclaim and has managed to leave an impact on the world. anime community years after its initial release.
Some of the best anime of the past 20 years have been made by Kyoto Animationand among their various projects, a few stand out as their best. Some are especially notable for how far they take Kyoto Animation’s penchant for writing comedy or drama, sometimes both, and all do a great job showcasing great visuals and direction. has long been a staple of the studio.
10 Lucky Stars is the perfect time capsule for 2000s anime
Based on the manga Lucky Star by Kagami Yoshimizu.
Year of release
2007
Episodes
24
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Funimation
The first great Kyoto Animation anime to be discussed is 2007 Lucky Star. While Lucky Star was already a humorous manga, Kyoto Animation tried to take the comedy even further with the brilliant direction of the late Yasuhiro Takemoto and by expanding on elements of fandom culture to make it overflow. flooded with anime references. Considering the time period Lucky Star premiered, those references have definitely aged the movie a lot, but it’s still funny through the way the characters are written, so even if someone doesn’t understanding all the references, it’s still worth watching many years later and remains one of Kyoto Animation’s best works.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
9 Nichijou is a surreal comedy that must be seen to be understood
Based on the manga Nichijou by Keiichi Arawi.
Year of release
2011
Episodes
26
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Funimation
Another great comedy anime from Kyoto Animation is year 2011 Nichijou. Nichijou has always been a manga that thrives on surreal and absurd storytelling, and thanks to Tatsuya Ishihara’s incredible visuals and overall direction, every joke has even greater impact than in the manga. , making it have some of the funniest situations. writing not only for Kyoto Animation but also for anime in general. Nichijou may not be one of Kyoto Animation’s more popular anime, but the way the animation adds humor is a perfect encapsulation of what has made Kyoto Animation so highly regarded over the years.
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8 Kanon is a true classic among romance anime
Based on the visual novel Kanon by studio Key.
Year of release
2006
Episodes
24
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Funimation
One of Kyoto Animation’s signature trademarks has always been its skill in producing romantic anime, and one of the best examples is 2006’s Kanon. Adapted from Key’s visual novel of the same name, Kyoto Animation made does a great job of bringing every emotional moment of the game to life, and they even find a way to combine the various routes into a single, almost coherent story. Kyoto Animation has produced a lot of different romance anime since Kanon, but at the end of the day, their work on Kanon is still one of the best thanks to the incredible charm they put into the production. export.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
7 Clannad has achieved its status as a top romance anime
Based on the visual novel Clannad by studio Key.
Year of release
2007
Episodes
forty six
See where it is
HIDIVE, Funimation
Another great visual novel adaptation by Kyoto Animation is 2007’s Clannad. Another visual novel adaptation by Key, Clannad builds on everything Kanon established, and that allows it to create an emotional romance story with more depth than Kanon. Not only that, like Kanon before it, Tatsuya Ishihara’s excellent direction was able to push every emotional beat to the maximum limit to create a film that is both touching and heartbreaking. Clannad is an anime that is often considered one of the best romance anime to watch, and thanks to the work of Kyoto Animation, it’s easy to see why that is.
Watch now on HIDIVE
6 K-On! One of the featured anime about “Cute girls doing cute things”
Based on the manga K-On! by Kakifly.
Year of release
2009
Episodes
39
See where it is
HIDIVE, Funimation
Slice-of-life is one of the highlights of Kyoto Animation, and one of the anime that best represents that idea is K-On! K-On!’s simple story, focusing on humor and character interactions, perfectly captures the spirit of the “cute girls doing cute things” subsection of slice- of-life, and given its age and popularity, it can be considered one of the anime that helped popularize this idea. Naoko Yamada’s direction also added a lot to the show, as each episode became a visual spectacle, especially the musical scenes, and overall, it’s easy to see why it is an iconic part of Kyoto Animation’s library.
Watch now on HIDIVE
5 Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions popularized a major anime series in the West
Based on the Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions light novel series by Torako and Nozomi Ōsaka.
Year of release
2012
Episodes
24
See where it is
HIDE
Another great slice-of-life anime produced by Kyoto Animation was 2012’s Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions. The series used slice-of-life elements to tell a charming romance story with coming-of-age elements. and its premise allows for action sequences with incredible animation courtesy of Tatsuya Ishihara, thus adding a lot of originality to an otherwise mundane premise. The series is also notable for helping popularize the chunibyo archetype. – an anime character who pretends to live in some fantasy world – or Western anime fans, and as such, this can be considered one of the most important anime that Kyoto Animation has ever produced .
Watch now on HIDIVE
4 free! Shows that Kyoto animation can even make sports anime great
Based on the Light Novel High Speed! by Koji Oji.
Year of release
two thousand and thirteen
Episodes
37
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Funimation
Sports anime is another classic spin-off of slice-of-life anime, and a great Kyoto Animation anime to cover that genre is year 2013 Free of charge! Iwatobi Swimming Club. Under the direction of Hiroko Utsumi, Free! Iwatobi Swimming Club consistently boasts excellent animation in both the swimming scenes and those of the characters simply going about their daily lives, and it still stands out as one of Kyoto’s best. Animation. More than that, however, the character drama is always handled with top-notch writing. always sold character moments with ease and did a lot to sell it as one of Kyoto Animation’s most iconic shows of the 2010s.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
Miss Kobayashi’s 3 Dragon Maids is LGBTQ+ content at its healthiest
Based on the manga Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid by Coolkyousinnjya.
Year of release
2017
Episodes
25
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Funimation
Kyoto Animation works just like K-On! and sound! Euphonium has finally attracted a large LGBTQ+ fan base and a great series based on that idea is year 2017 Kobayashi’s dragon maid. Seeing a studio like Kyoto Animation take on a yuri series on its own is great, but with the direction of Tatsuya Ishihara and the late Yasuhiro Takemoto, the series’ animation and composition always stands out as one of the best. Best product so far. More than that, however, the script perfectly captures both the comedic and heartfelt moments to truly convey the elements of love and family, and it all comes together into one of Kyoto Animation’s best work.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
2 Violet Evergarden established itself as an instant classic
Based on the light novel series Violet Evergarden by Kana Akatsuki and Akiko Takase.
Year of release
2018
Episodes
13
See where it is
Netflix
Purple Garden 2018 is one of Kyoto Animation’s most recent anime but easily one of their best. Reiko Yoshida, a frequent contributor to Kyoto Animation, wrote an emotional story of love and humanity that never fails to resonate emotionally, and the impeccable direction of Taichi Ishidate and Haruka Fujita allowed the visuals and shot composition to perfectly complement every shot. Add to that Evan Call’s gorgeous soundtrack that never fails to emphasize the tone of each scene, and it all comes together to make Violet Evergarden one of Kyoto Animation’s most beautiful works for now.
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1 The Sadness of Haruhi Suzumiya remains Kyoto Animation’s greatest work
Based on the light novel series The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa and Noizi Ito.
Year of release
2006
Episodes
28
See where it is
Crunchyroll, Funimation
The last Kyoto Animation work discussed, and also their most prominent work, is 2006’s The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. With the direction of Tatsuya Ishihara and Yutaka Yamamoto, Haruhi could have become an anime series features clever shot composition that perfectly complements a story that is equal parts humorous, contemplative, and overall creative with its plot and execution. Even as time has passed since its debut, the animation, script, and especially the voice acting still hold their own and even surpass some of Kyoto Animation’s more modern works, and it’s easy. to understand why this film earned its place as one of the works Kyoto Animationbest cartoons.
Watch now on Crunchyroll