Dyah (pronounced Dee-yah) is a Senior Author at Collider, responsible for both writing and transcription duties. She joined the website in 2022 as a Resource Writer before stepping into her current role in April 2023. As a Senior Author, she writes Features and Lists covering TV, music, and movies, making her a true Jill of all trades. In addition to her writing, Dyah also serves as an interview transcriber, primarily for events such as **San Diego Comic-Con, **the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival.
Dyah graduated from Satya Wacana Christian University in October 2019 with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, concentrating on Creative Writing. She is currently completing her Master’s degree in English Literature Studies, with a thesis on intersectionality in postcolonial-feminist studies in Asian literary works, and is expected to graduate in 2026.
Born and raised between Indonesia and Singapore, Dyah is no stranger to different cultures. She now resides in the small town of Kendal with her husband and four cats, where she spends her free time cooking or cycling.
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Anime is much more than just cartoons. It has given birth to timeless series like One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, and ***Naruto ***— shows that have become not only staples of Japanese animation but also global phenomena. While these legacy titles continue to define the medium, the past two decades have brought in a new generation of anime that pushes storytelling and artistry even further.
Whether it’s a lighthearted opposites-attract romance, a pair of children embarking on an unforgettable fantasy adventure, or a tale of revenge gone wrong, anime commits fully to its ideas and executes them with confidence. In the spirit of these modern additions, here are the most perfect anime of the last 20 years, ranked.
Violet Evergarden finds humanity in the aftermath of war. After surviving the devastating Great War, former child soldier Violet Evergarden (Yui Ishikawa) struggles to understand the final words spoken to her by the person she cherished most. Taking a job as an Auto Memory Doll at CH Postal Services, she writes heartfelt letters that give voice to the emotions others struggle to express.
Violet Evergarden is a masterpiece in exploring the power of human emotion. At the beginning of the series, the detached Violet cannot understand even the simplest expressions of love. But through the tender art of letter writing, the former “killing machine” gradually learns that being human is not defined by her past actions, but by her capacity to empathize with others.
Made in Abyss is an anime homage to eldritch horror. Orphaned cave raider Riko (Miyu Tomita) dreams of following in the footsteps of her legendary mother, the White Whistle Lyza, who vanished deep within the mysterious Abyss. After discovering Reg (Mariya Ise), an amnesiac robot boy seemingly born from the chasm’s depths, the two pack their bags for a descent of a lifetime.
Reminiscent of fantasy adventures like His Dark Materials, *Made in Abyss *isn’t fooled by its cutesy, lighthearted visuals. The anime introduces a merciless realm with creatures waiting to kill Riko and Reg. In an abyss that generations of seasoned explorers have failed to conquer, it may be the courage and curiosity of two children that finally uncover its deepest secrets.
Never put your heart on your sleeve in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War. At the prestigious Shuciin Academy, brilliant student council president Miyuki Shirogane (Makoto Furukawa) and wealthy vice president Kaguya Shinomiya (Aoi Koga) are secretly in love with each other. The problem is that** they’re too proud to admit their feelings** — the first to do so loses.
In this romantic battlefield, Miyuki and Kaguya engage in Sherlockian psychological mind games, each trying to force the other into making the first romantic confession. It’s a delightfully cheesy opposites-attract affair. But beneath all the ridiculous schemes, the two genuinely understand each other in ways no one else can, leading to some of the anime’s most heartfelt moments amid its nonstop running gags.
Hunter x Hunter is the essential coming-of-age anime. After learning that his father, Ging, is not dead but a legendary Hunter, 12-year-old Gon Freecss leaves Whale Island to follow in his footsteps. To become a licensed Hunter. Gon must survive the notoriously deadly Hunter Examination, where he faces dangerous trials and finds the father who abandoned him.
Hunter × Hunterstarts like a goofy, kid-friendly adventure, but that’s just a facade. As Gon and his friends grow closer throughout their journey, their friendship is tested by brutal psychological and emotional trials. Its battle system is one of anime’s most creative, rewarding strategies and clever use of abilities over raw power. You never know which character—especially the seemingly weaker ones—will outsmart even the deadliest monsters.
The race that claimed the most of your answers is your true kin. If two tied, both are shown — you walk between worlds.
You are, at your core, a creature of comfort, community, and quiet joy — and there is nothing small about that. Hobbits are proof that heroism does not require ambition, that the bravest heart can beat inside the most unassuming chest. You value good food, warm hearths, close friends, and a world that stays largely untroubled by dark lords and quests. When adventure does find you — and it will — you rise to it not because you sought it, but because the people you love needed you to. That is not ordinary. That is the rarest kind of courage in all of Middle-earth.
Ancient, graceful, and carrying a weight of memory most mortals cannot fathom, you are one of the Elves. You see the world in its fullness — its beauty, its impermanence, the unbearable ache of watching everything you love eventually fade. You pursue perfection not from pride, but because excellence is how you honour the time you have been given. Others may see you as remote or melancholy. They are not wrong, exactly. But they mistake depth for distance. You feel everything — which is precisely why you have learned to carry it so quietly.
Stubborn, proud, fiercely loyal, and possessed of a work ethic that would exhaust most other races before breakfast — you are Dwarf-kind through and through. You do not ask for approval and you do not offer it cheaply. Your loyalty, once given, is given for life. Your grudges last longer. You love deeply and defend ferociously, and the things you build — with your hands, with your sweat, with generations of accumulated craft — are made to last. Not for glory. Because anything worth doing is worth doing properly, and you have never once done anything by half measures.
Mortal, ambitious, flawed, and magnificent — you belong to the most complicated race in Middle-earth, and that complexity is your greatest strength. Men are capable of cowardice and extraordinary bravery, of cruelty and breathtaking sacrifice, sometimes within the same breath. You feel the urgency of your finite years, and it drives you. You want to matter. You want to leave something behind. You fall, and you rise, and the rising is what defines you. Tolkien called mortality the Gift of Men — not a curse, but a fire that burns bright precisely because it does not burn forever. That fire is you.
Brutal, survivalist, and contemptuous of anything that can’t defend itself — you answered with the instincts of an Orc, and there is a certain savage honesty in that. You do not dress up your desires in polite language or pretend you want things you don’t. You want power, survival, and to never be at the bottom of any hierarchy ever again. Orcs are not evil by nature — they were made from something that was once good, and broken into this shape by forces they did not choose. What remains is fierce, territorial, and deeply aware that the world is not kind. You’ve made your peace with that. The question is what you do with it.
Vinland Saga sets off with a story of revenge. After witnessing the murder of his legendary father, Thorfinn (Yūto Uemura) dedicates his life to avenging him by killing the cunning Viking mercenary Askeladd (Naoya Uchida). Forced to fight alongside the very man he despises, Thorfinn earns the right to challenge him through honorable duels, all while becoming consumed by the brutal realities of war.
Despite being a Japanese anime, Vinland Saga surprises audiences with its accuracy to 11th-century Viking culture, as well as the politics surrounding the Danish invasion of England. Historical accuracy, from naval warfare to battle tactics aside, Vinland Saga is a testament to what it means to be a Viking warrior, arguing that true strength has more to do with restraining your power than unleashing it mercilessly.
You don’t want to mess with Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama (Shigeo Kageyama) in Mob Psycho 100. Mob may be one of the world’s most powerful psychics, but all the awkward middle schooler really wants is a normal life. When he’s not attending classes, he’s busy exorcising spirits and battling dangerous espers. But first, he needs to get his powers and emotions in check.
With so much anime centered on the pursuit of becoming stronger, *Mob Psycho 100 *is refreshing for going in the opposite direction. All Mob wants is to live like an ordinary middle schooler — a surprisingly relatable goal. With the guidance of his eccentric spiritual mentor, Reigen (Ryōma Baba), Mob gradually learns to accept both his extraordinary powers and himself, turning the series into a heartfelt story about self-acceptance.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End believes the story doesn’t end when the Demon King is defeated. After a ten-year quest comes to an end, the legendary mage Frieren (Atsumi Tanezaki) parts ways with her companions and resumes her solitary life. But as the centuries pass and her human friends grow old, she ruminates on a past life long gone.
Most fantasy stories end once the ultimate evil has been defeated. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s Endinstead asks what comes after. What does a hero do when there’s no great enemy left to overcome? For someone with a lifespan as long as Frieren’s, the answer can be surprisingly painful. Through her journey with her apprentice Fern (Kana Ichinose), the anime becomes a heartfelt reflection on living in the present and cherishing the people around you before they’re gone.
Steins;Gate introduces one of the most unconventional time machines in sci-fi: a modified microwave. It’s all thanks to self-proclaimed mad scientist Rintarou Okabe (Mamoru Miyano) and his friends. But when a seemingly harmless experiment accidentally alters the timeline, the group finds themselves facing deadly consequences and attracting the attention of the powerful organization SERN.
Despite its cartoonish aesthetic, Steins;Gate takes time travel seriously.** The story draws on real scientific concepts like the butterfly effect, the many-worlds interpretation, and black hole theory**, while weaving in internet culture and urban legends that make its world feel surprisingly grounded. Beyond the science, the anime delivers a deeply human story about grief, regret, and the realization that the past cannot be rewritten without consequences.
In*** Attack on Titan***, ten-year-old Eren Jaeger (Yuki Kaji) watches helplessly as Titans devour his mother after the Colossal Titan breaches Wall Maria. Consumed by grief and rage, he vows to exterminate every last Titan. Alongside his childhood friends, Eren joins the elite Survey Corps to fight for humanity’s survival and reclaim the freedom that lies beyond the walls.
It’s nearly impossible to determine who the true heroes and villains are in Attack on Titan, and that’s exactly what makes the series so rousing. Every side believes it’s fighting for justice, but whether that justice is righteous or misguided is left for the audience to decide. As the story evolves, it becomes clear that the greatest monsters aren’t always the Titans — they can be humans, too.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood begins after a forbidden alchemy experiment goes horribly wrong. In a desperate attempt to bring their late mother back to life, brothers Edward (Romi Park) and Alphonse Elric (Vic Mignogna) pay a devastating price: Edward loses an arm and a leg, while Alphonse loses his entire body. Determined to reclaim what they lost, the brothers set out in search of the legendary Philosopher’s Stone.
As their journey unfolds, viewers witness just how far Edward and Alphonse are willing to go to get their bodies back. While the brothers seek the Philosopher’s Stone for personal reasons, others pursue it for immortality or limitless power. That moral conflict makes every step of their journey more gripping, ultimately testing their moral compass.
