#4 Eureka Seven
Eureka Seven combines many elements from previous anime on my list and combines them into a clean experience. It has the romance elements from Dragon Maid, the wonderful characterization from Steins;Gate, the beautiful world building from Log Horizon, and the very uneasy atmosphere that SSSS.GRIDMAN showcases. More than anything, this is a coming of age tale for a young boy who always wanted to go on an adventure. Until one day the adventure found him. Despite how cheesy and cliché that sounds, this anime is not to be taken lightly. It deals with the themes of what it means to be a parent, war crimes, obsession, loss, mortality, depression, and growing up just to name a few. It packs these heavy themes up and wraps all of them in a neat little sci-fi package. It would be an easy contender for my top 3 if it weren’t for my #1 but we’ll get to that soon.
Animation: Art in Motion 