The Best Anime Series On HBO Max (March 2023) (2023)

HBO Max launched as a streaming service in May 2020, and it has grown steadily since then. Although Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and Disney Plus have much to offer as competing platforms, HBO Max contains many kinds of television series and movies, such as anime.

With each passing year, anime grows more popular around the world. Consequently, non-anime streaming services such as HBO Max and Netflix have taken it upon themselves to expand their library of Japanese animation. Along with a solid selection of movies, the streaming service has a number of great Japanese shows, but which are the best anime on HBO Max?

Updated March 18, 2023 by Mark Sammut: HBO Max has had a turbulent year; consequently, the subscription service has slightly streamlined its library. Anime is one area of the platform that has gone through significant cuts over the last few months; currently, there are only six anime shows on HBO Max. Now, in all fairness, the app does have a respectable selection of anime movies, including a plethora of Studio Ghibli outings along with (relatively) modern releases like Weathering With You and Belle. That said, if a subscriber is looking to dip their toes into the world of Japanese animated series, they only have a few options.

6 Housing Complex C

Housing Complex C aired during the Fall 2022 anime season, lasting for four episodes. The series attracted attention due to the fact horror anime are exceptionally rare. If one were to rank the genre's best offerings of 2022, Housing Complex C would crack the top three since its only competitors would be the forgettable Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai 10 and Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Memorial Edition, the latter of which barely counts as horror. Despite running almost unopposed, Housing Complex C is not even the best horror anime of the year.

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Part of this has to do with the show debuting with an English dub that, while not awful, is just lackluster enough to strip most scenes of any tension. In a seaside town, a housing complex is subjected to unexplainable phenomena following the arrival of a group of foreigners who clash with the locals. These events center around a young girl named Kimi, and they also tie into this location's supernatural-themed history. Housing Complex C's premise has potential, but the anime's rushed pacing causes most of its reveals to fall flat. The show also has way too big of a cast to properly cover in just four episodes, resulting in almost exclusively shallow characters. Although not classified as horror, Summer Time Rendering covers somewhat similar ground as Housing Complex C, and the former is one of 2022's best anime.

5 Noblesse

Based on a Webtoon, Noblesse garnered criticism for its pacing and uneven animation. The story follows a vampire, Cadis Etrama Di Raizel, who awakens after spending more than 800 years asleep and, naturally, starts to attend high school. Rai quickly finds himself having to protect his classmates from an organization that is after the vampire.

Noblesse has its share of problems, but the anime does succeed in delivering a fun roster of characters. Rai's fish-out-of-water shtick proves to be charming and frequently hilarious, and the protagonist is side-lined by secondary characters who more than hold their own.

4 Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy

Isekai anime are inescapable, but that's not really the case when it comes to HBO Max's library. Nonetheless, the service does have a couple of gems that involve ordinary humans teleporting to extraordinary worlds, and Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy is a pleasant surprise. Makoto is sent plummeting to a fantasy realm to pay off a debt, and while the journey is anything but smooth, the ill-prepared protagonist receives a significant power boost to aid him during his travels.

Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy follows an overpowered protagonist who forms a party consisting primarily of women, a premise that could be copied and pasted to describe countless mediocre isekai anime. Despite its uninspired origins, Tsukimichi elevates itself through strong writing, likable characters, and enjoyable humor. As powerful as Makoto is, he is still a flawed person who has to constantly learn and adapt to survive his surroundings. He is also supported by competent companions who consistently justify their existence.

3 Tokyo Revengers

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Tokyo Revengers is one of the biggest anime on HBO Max, with the series garnering a lot of attention during its 2021 run. Over the span of 24 episodes, the anime takes audiences on a journey that involves time travel, gang warfare, a love story, and multiple life-or-death situations. In his mid-20s, Takemichi Hanagaki's life has not gone to plan. Nowadays, he spends his time working an unsatisfying job while reminiscing about the good old days when he was part of a crew with his friends and dating his childhood sweetheart, Hinata. Out of nowhere, Takemichi learns that his old girlfriend has been murdered; soon after, the protagonist is shoved in front of an oncoming train, which sends him back in time by 12 years.

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After realizing that he can travel between the past and present, Takemichi uses this ability to try and change the course of history in order to save Hinata's life. However, this is easier said than done since Takemichi needs to not only join the Tokyo Manji Gang but also become one of its most important members. And, while he has a lot of heart, the protagonist is not a fighter or all that intelligent. He is also entering a world that chews up and spits out the helpless without hesitation.

Tokyo Revengers can be polarizing due to its main character. Takemichi is the polar opposite of a typical action shonen lead; he is vulnerable, occasionally ineffectual, and arguably the least "cool" character in the show. At the same time, Takemichi helps separate Tokyo Revengers from other similar anime.

2 Dr. Stone

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Both seasons of Dr. Stone are available on HBO Max, making this one of the best modern shonen anime on the streaming service. An unprecedented phenomenon turns most of humanity into stone, including Senku Ishigami, a teenage genius who can science his way out of anything. While it takes a few thousand years, Senku eventually manages to escape his stone prison, and he instantly sets out to rebuild humanity from the ground up.

Dr. Stone flows like a typical battle shonen anime, albeit one that prioritizes intelligence over brute strength. Senku and his ragtag group of helpers make for a lovable bunch, and the anime knows how to write a memorable villain.

1 To Your Eternity

Debuting in 2021, To Your Eternity instantly garnered attention thanks to a fantastic opening episode that could almost be treated as a short film. The anime follows a magical orb that can morph into different objects and people, although it has to form some sort of connection to make the transformation possible. Usually, this involves the original's death.

To Your Eternity uses this being's immortality to explore themes like grief, individuality, tragedy, and optimism. The anime has a reputation for relying on heartbreak and sadness; however, these moments make sense within the story and generally feel earned. Ultimately, To Your Eternity is about life, and the series is interested in exploring both its dizzying highs and crushing lows.

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