5 - Revue Starlight Movie - Sakugabooru
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OP’s comment: Too bad their SFX is ass.
4 - Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc - Sakugabooru
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OP's comment: No one does 3D graphics better in anime than Ufotable and KyoAni to an extent. If you want to find better 3D animation, you have to go west and look for the likes of Disney/Pixar.
3 - Violet Evergarden - Sakugabooru
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2 - Akebi's Sailor Uniform - Sakugabooru
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OP's comment: Violet has the higher highs, but Akebi has better and more consistent average quality
1 - Tsurune S2 - Sakugabooru
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Honorable mentions:
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Demon Slayer Infinity Castle - Haven't seen it, but it seems to improve on the Entertainment District Arc based on the trailer
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The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity - It's not in my top five simply because I haven't finished it yet. But as it stands, at its best, it would be at #3 or #2. I mean, look at this. It (and the recent Episode 12 post) inspired me to make this post. It will come down to how consistent its animation quality would be.
First episode of Dandadan was a visual masterpiece in animation. You could literally feel every frame.
Subsequent episodes dial back the effort a little, but that first episode re-awakened my love for anime again, after a decade of what seemed like endless low-effort fluff.
We are in a resurgence. I kind of skipped watching anime for like a decade, and then started picking it back up during the pandemic. Frieren, Chainsawman, Demon Slayer -- it's a great time to be a fan again.
It's crazy how good some of these studios have gotten at compositing 3d CGI models and effects with otherwise 2d-animated scenes. I don't think something like Chainsaw Man or Demon Slayer would look nearly as good without these techniques.
Same, those exact three too