2023 was a fantastic year for anime, and that largely holds true for most genres. Unsurprisingly, action, isekai, and romance garnered most of the attention in terms of quantity, but most seasons also contained a few slice of life, sci-fi, horror, and sports shows. Fall even had two car racing anime.2023 comedy animewere also not in short supply.
While a smoothly animated fight sequence is always appreciated, sometimes nothing hits the spot like a well-timed punchline or a creative gag. Thefunniest anime of 2023are packed with these types of moments, and they are the ideal medicine after a long day at the office or school.
Here are a few criteria:
Honorable Mentions
The following2023 comedy animecame very close to making the grade, and they are certainly worth watching for anyone looking for a good laugh:
Horimiyais way more than just a romance story, but the 2021 anime excelled in that department. 2023’sThe Missing Piecesis the perfect companion to its predecessor, and it not only strengthens a few of the original show’s weaker relationships but also emphasizes two of the manga’s other strengths: itsslice of life toneand humor.
While both of these aspects are presented inHorimiya, they shine even brighter due toThe Missing Pieces' skit-based structure, a natural consequence of the 2023 series adapting an array of manga chapters that are not directly connected.Horimiya: The Missing Piecesplays out like an ensemble comedy rather than a traditional romcom, with most characters being granted an episode or two to shine.
Spy x Familywas one of2022’s most enjoyable anime, and the series proved to be successful enough to spawn a fairly quick sequel along with a movie. Season 2 did not quite have the same spark as its predecessor, and part of that has to do with the story settling into a routine. Even though the basic premise has some urgency, the show is largely happy to chronicle the Forgers' daily misadventures without much forward momentum or significant developments; consequently, the episodes can feel inconsequential at times.
That said,Spy x Family’s second season is still consistently entertaining and funny. At this point, Anya, Yor, and Loid’s personalities are not only firmly established, but the same can also be said for their dynamic. They are essentially a comedy trio act that complement each other beautifully, and they are backed by a slew of memorable characters such as Becky (the driving force behind arguably the season’s funniest segment) and Yuri.
Isekai and reincarnation stories had a surprisingly funny year.Tearmoon Empireoffers an inspired take on the latter concept, whileHandyman Saitou in Another World,The Great Cleric,Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill, andI’m in Love with the Villainessall have their share of hilarious moments. While arguably more of an acquired taste than any of those shows,KamiKatsu’s aggressive and creative humor is the stuff that cult classics are made of.
Killed as part of a cult’s ritual, Yukito hopes to be reborn in a world without spirituality. He gets his monkey paw wish when he finds himself in a society without religion or fear of death, to the point of public executions being routine. When on the verge of his demise, Yukito prays to his cult’s deity for salvation, prompting the arrival of Mitama. From this point,KamiKatsutransforms from a dark fantasy to a full-blown irreverent black comedy that cares little about good taste. And, the show is all the better for that.
Studio Palette made ingenious use of (presumably) a low budget to create visual gags by implementing horrible CG monsters that, after a few episodes, start to seem natural to this world. Mitama is an overpowered god who is regularly manipulated by Yukito, and both of their antics are comedy gold.KamiKatsualso makes stellar use of background humor; for instance, some of the funniest moments in the show involve Mitama goofing off in the backdrop while a serious conversation happens in the foreground.
The Eminence in Shadowtends to reuse the same joke; fortunately, it happens to be a good one. Ever since reincarnating in a world of magic, the overpowered Cid has been living his best edge-lord life, which generally involves faux-deep musings, walking across buildings, andfighting vampires with a red moon as the backdrop. Cid has a group of girls known as Shadow Garden who attempt to carry out his bidding, although he usually has no idea what they are doing since they operate at wildly different wavelengths.
Misunderstandings (and the occasional clumsy stumble) drive nearly every punchline inThe Eminence in Shadow, a routine that would have gotten old by now if it were not for Cid’s unapologetic ridiculousness. In a world that takes itself deadly seriously, the jester is king, and this anime’s protagonist fills this role while trying to portray the coolest person imaginable.
Season 2 is, overall, funnier than its predecessor for a few reasons. Firstly, the sequel expands the support cast’s personalities, allowing them to shine when outside of Cid’s shadow. Secondly and more importantly, the Fall 2023 cour’s arcs are more ambitious and do a better job of balancing humor and world-building.
A wholesome fever dream fueled by blushing cheeks, declarations of love, and harem tropes,The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love Youis fully dedicated to actualizing its absurd concept. Thanks to a distracted deity, Rentarou is set to meet 100 soulmates during high school, and he must strike a relationship with all of them.
While things start silly enough with two girls falling in love with Rentarou at the same time, most subsequent episodes raise the stakes by introducing new pieces to the puzzle, be it an experimental scientist, a girl who only speaks through her phone, or a mother of an existing girlfriend.100 Girlfriendsis a harem parody, but familiarity with the genre is not required to appreciate the show’s slapstick, energetic characters, and visual gags. Bibury deserves praise for successfully translating the source material’s explosive humor, and the second cour is confirmed, so the adaptation has only begun to scratch the surface of the manga’s hilarity.
