The best series of 2023

Q: Where should I start with the best series of 2023?

If you want something immediately fun and high-energy, *Quantum Heroes Dinoster* or *Rainbow Bubblegem* are great entry points. For something with more dramatic weight, *Youth in the Flames of War* offers a very different tone.

Q: Are any of the best 2023 series suitable for younger viewers?

Yes — *Vida the Vet*, *Rainbow Bubblegem*, *Quantum Heroes Dinoster*, and *Metal Cardbot* are all kids-oriented animation, mixing action, comedy, and light fantasy in ways that work for family viewing.

Q: Is there a short-form series among the best of 2023?

*Honkai Star Rail Animation* is the shortest-form entry — a series of animated shorts set aboard the Astral Express — so it's easy to sample without committing to a full episode run.

Ranked by rating across the catalog.

2023 was a strong year for animation — kids' series dominated the top-rated spots, from mermaid royalty hunting enchanted jewels to dinosaur-taming teens in parallel worlds. But the year also brought comedy talk formats, animated shorts, and a war drama about youth under fire. What unites the best of 2023 is ambition at every scale: Rainbow Bubblegem, Quantum Heroes Dinoster, and Metal Cardbot push genre craft in animation, while Youth in the Flames of War and Honkai Star Rail Animation aim at entirely different emotional registers.

Best series of 2023

Series Metal Cardbot Series · 2023 · ★ 10.0

Robots that transform into vehicles walk among us, and a boy named Jun accidentally gets the Metal Breath that pulls him into their world.

Series Quantum Heroes Dinoster Series · 2023 · ★ 10.0

Four kids in hi-tech suits protect real dinosaurs from a multiverse-hopping villain in a world where extinction never happened.

Series Rainbow Bubblegem Series · 2023 · ★ 10.0

Seven mermaid princesses go to school on land, hunting enchanted jewels to stop an evil witch from destroying their undersea kingdom.

Series Vida the Vet Series · 2023 · ★ 10.0

A ten-year-old vet tends to the comic ailments of the woodland creatures living just outside her door.

Series By the Way Series · 2023 · ★ 10.0

Three hosts joke through current events every Saturday evening and chat with guests of the show.

Series Joyful Grown-Ups Series · 2023 · ★ 10.0

Four friends plan and produce their own programmes, searching together for what a genuinely happy life looks like.

Series Honkai Star Rail Animation Series · 2023 · ★ 10.0

Short animated episodes set aboard the Astral Express, offering galaxy-spanning adventure in a sci-fi fantasy universe.

Series Youth in the Flames of War Series · 2023 · ★ 10.0

Students hold firm against bullets and hardship, determined to protect their country no matter the cost.

Frequently asked

Where should I start with the best series of 2023?

If you want something immediately fun and high-energy, Quantum Heroes Dinoster or Rainbow Bubblegem are great entry points. For something with more dramatic weight, Youth in the Flames of War offers a very different tone.

Are any of the best 2023 series suitable for younger viewers?

Yes — Vida the Vet, Rainbow Bubblegem, Quantum Heroes Dinoster, and Metal Cardbot are all kids-oriented animation, mixing action, comedy, and light fantasy in ways that work for family viewing.

Is there a short-form series among the best of 2023?

Honkai Star Rail Animation is the shortest-form entry — a series of animated shorts set aboard the Astral Express — so it's easy to sample without committing to a full episode run.