Let’s have a look at the best anime on HBO Max! The streaming service has over 75 million subscribers signed up as of today. HBO Max has a variety of television series and movies, including anime, that compete with Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and Disney Plus.
It has become increasingly popular for streaming services not dedicated to anime, such as HBO Max and Netflix, to include a library of Japanese animation as they continue to grow. In addition to great movies, HBO Max offers several great Japanese shows. But what are the best anime shows on HBO Max?
Despite HBO Max’s lack of specific anime titles, the streaming service is not lacking when it comes to anime. Between watching Euphoria and West Side Story, HBO Max is for people interested in dipping their toes into Japanese animation between crunching through Crunchyroll or maybe HIDIVE for their anime fix.
The list of the best anime shows from the entire bunch on HBO Max has been mentioned below.
30. Earwig and the Witch
- Director: Gorô Miyazaki
- Writer: Diana Wynne Jones, Keiko Niwa, Emi Gunji
- Cast: Jazmín Abuín, JB Blanc, Tom Bromhead
- IMDb Ratings: 4.8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 29%
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
Earwig and the Witch on HBO Max are among the worst anime you can watch. This isn’t to say that anime is wrong; rather, it merely means that there are a few things in the series that many fans have criticized, primarily the plot and graphics.
Fans have discovered something lacking in the movie, although this new anime’s entire graphic has been upgraded.
Other elements, such as the narrative, were also brought up as areas where they didn’t think the idea through completely.
The film’s plot centers on an orphan girl named Earwih, who was adopted by a witch and moved in with her in her supernaturally charged home.
29. Berserk
- Director: Shin Itagaki
- Writer: Makoto Fukami
- Cast: Hiroaki Iwanaga, Takahiro Sakurai
- IMDb Ratings: 6.8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
It revolves around Guts, a talented swordsman who was raised by mercenaries. Berserk is based on Kentaro Miura’s manga of the same name. And Also! Beserk centers on Guts, also known as The Black Swordsman, a former mercenary.
Then, he’s forced to flee after a mishap, and years later, he joins a group of fighters who gain their victory due to winning a 100-year-old battle.
28. Housing Complex C
- Director: Yuji Nara
- Writer: Amphibian
- Cast: Ayahi Takagaki, Haruka Tomatsu, Sayaka Ôhara, Kazuhiro Yamaji
- IMDb Ratings: 6.0
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
One well-known anime series you should consider viewing right now is Yuji Nara’s Housing Complex C.
The plot of this brand-new film revolves around the character named Kimi, who comes from a modest and affordable housing complex in the seaside city of Kurosaki. Her everyday life suddenly turns tragic after she experiences terrible events that have negatively impacted her.
27. Your Lie In April
- Director: Takehiko Shinjō
- Writer: Yukari Tatsui
- Cast: Suzu Hirose, Anna Ishii
- IMDb Ratings: 6.9
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
Kousei Arima and Kaori Miyazono tell a heartbreaking love story in this anime. Kaori, a violist, shows Kousei the way to music again after he loses his sound in piano playing when his mother dies.
It takes place within the walls of his high school, with his friends Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryouta Watari accompanying him. Those needing a good cry should watch Your Lie In April, an anime on HBO that is melodrama done right.
26. Promare
- Director: Hiroyuki Imaishi
- Writer: Kazuki Nakashima, Michael Allan Schneider (English)
- Cast: John Eric Bentley, Steve Blum, Johnny Yong Bosch, Melissa Fahn
- IMDb Ratings: 7.0
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
One well-known anime series is Hiroyuki Imaishi’s Primary, which features some incredible voice work from John Eric Bentley, Steve Blum, Johny Yong Bosch, and Melissa Fahn.
The entire story of this film which concentrates on what happens after Burnish, a race of fire-wielding mutant monsters that are to blame for the destruction of the earth, first appears.
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25. The Cat Returns
- Director: Hiroyuki Morita
- Writer: Aoi Hiiragi, Reiko Yoshida, Cindy Davis
- Cast: Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Aki Maeda
- IMDb Ratings: 7.1
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
.The Cat Returns is a fantastic movie you can watch right now, but it is not a wonderful anime movie.
The young girl genuinely saves the cat from traffic, and she later learns that the cat she saved is the son of the Cat King named Lune. The entire movie is focused on the story of a teenage girl and a strange cat’s friendship.
The Cat King thanked her and suggested that Lune and Haru marry. At that point, things began to change.
24. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
- Director: Tetsurō Araki
- Writer: Ichirō Ōkouchi
- Cast: Roger Craig Smith, Robbie Daymond, Colleen O’Shaughnessey
- IMDb Ratings: 7.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
A monster known as Kabane ravaged mankind during the Industrial Revolution by turning them into ants with his bite. Ikoma lives in a turbulent time.
A thin layer of iron protects and guards his sincerely protected heart, which can only be broken if an iron plate penetrates through it. It is one of the best anime on HBO.
23. From Up on Poppy Hill
- Director: Gorô Miyazaki
- Writer: Tetsurô Sayama, Hayao Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa
- Cast: Sarah Bolger, Chris Noth, Anton Yelchin
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
The story of this new anime film centers on a group of students from Yokohama who have been trying to save their school’s clubhouse while competing in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Umi and Shun, the two central protagonists, first cross paths while on their mission to save the kids.
Umi and Shun progressively become attracted to one another while working there, but a surprising obstacle arises. They continue without trying to escape reality’s challenges.
22. Weathering with You
- Director: Makoto Shinkai
- Writer: Makoto Shinkai
- Cast: Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Tsubasa Honda
- IMDb Ratings: 7.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
Weathering with You, a film by Makoto Shinkai has an incredible plot that will leave you speechless. Hodaka Morishima, who seems to be in high school and has been plotting to leave his rural home and travel to Tokyo, is the main subject of the anime.
However, his efforts were thwarted when he met the orphan girl who claimed to be able to control the weather because it was raining at the time.
21. Ponyo
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Writer: Hayao Miyazaki, Melissa Mathison
- Cast: Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson
- IMDb Ratings: 7.6
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
This series’ narrative is distinctive since it centers on a male character named Sosuke who encounters a princess goldfish named Ponyo in the surface world.
When Ponyo meets Sosuke, their relationship progresses as they both desire to become human. When Sosuke’s father discovers him eating the fish, he reconnects Ponyo with the outside world.
She departs the location, though, as she does with her wish to live on the surface.
20. The Secret World of Arrietty
- Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
- Writer: Mary Norton, Hayao Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa
- Cast: Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Mirai Shida
- IMDb Ratings: 7.6
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
The main character of this film, 14-year-old Arrietty (played by Bridgit Mendler, Saoirse Ronan, and Mirai Shida), is the focal point of an incredible tale.
The tale’s protagonist is a young child named Arrietty, who has been living with her parents in a basement apartment inside a suburban home.
19. Bungo Stray Dogs
- Director: Takuya Igarashi
- Writer: Yōji Enokido
- Cast: Mamoru Miyano, Max Mittelman
- IMDb Ratings: 7.8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
People with supernatural powers have stepped in to act like a detective agency to solve cases that the police or military cannot solve for their own reasons, giving them a distinct advantage.
18. Erased
- Director: Tomohiko Itō
- Writer: Taku Kishimoto
- Cast: Tomoka Kurotani, Brenda Joan
- IMDb Ratings: 7.8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
The premise of Erased is immediately captivating. When Satoru Fujinuma suffers a personal tragedy, he is transported back to when he is a child, when he has the unique ability to change his destiny.
As it uses time travel as a gimmick, Erased explores themes of abuse while telling a deeply human story. It takes some time to sit through, and the ending has been polarizing, but Erased is a great movie for about 95% of its run.
17. Whisper Of The Heart
- Director: Yoshifumi Kondô
- Writer: Hayao Miyazaki, Aoi Hiiragi, Cindy Davis
- Cast: Yoko Honna, Issey Takahashi, Takashi Tachibana
- IMDb Ratings: 7.8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
The entire scenario of this anime is extremely intriguing; it centers on Shizuku, a middle school student from Japan, who discovers that the precise books she has previously read have been chosen and scrutinized by a youngster named Seiji Amasawa.
Shizuku anticipates seeing Seiji and considers whether they might make a wonderful soul partner.
16. KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!
- Director: Kanyasaki Takaomi
- Writer: Natsume Akatsuki
- Cast: Sora Amamiya, Rie Takahashi
- IMDb Ratings: 7.9
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
Kazuma Sat, a reclusive Japanese teenager, dies of shock in KonoSuba, a 2016 film. She believes that a truck ran over her.
KonoSuba falls into a rare third category, neither belonging to either mainstream or niche, but one that is brilliantly stupid and refreshingly irreverent.
A hysterical goddess named Aqua sends Kazuma to another fantasy world in comedic fashion. A decision that haunts Kazuma and his sister is to take with him the deity.
15. Kill La Kill
- Director: Hiroyuki Imaishi
- Writer: Kazuki Nakashima
- Cast: Erica Mendez, Carrie Keranen
- IMDb Ratings: 7.9
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
This 2013 album was produced by Trigger and released in Fall 2013. The story revolves around Ryuuko Matoi’s quest for the truth about who killed her father. Her investigation led her to Honnōji Academy, where she found half of the Scissor Blade.
Satsuki Kiryuuin, the student council president, and the Elite Four, wearing “Goku Uniforms,” rule the district.
Ryuuko, however, has her means of getting dressed, thanks to Senketsu, a sentient “Kamui”. She fights them with the Scissor Blade and Senketsu. Make sure to watch this anime.
14. The Tale of Princess Kaguya
- Director: Isao Takahata
- Writer: Isao Takahata, Riko Sakaguchi
- Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen
- IMDb Ratings: 8.0
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
The tale of the Kaguya princess and an elderly man is probably familiar to many. The Moon Princess, Kaguya, found in the bamboo tree stems, and the Old Man are the main characters in this new anime, The Tale of Princess Kaguya.
Many fans have applauded the movie’s premise for a very long time, and this particular tale is one of the most well-known ones, particularly in Japan.
13. Re: ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (Director’s Cut)
- Director: Naoko Takeichi
- Writer:
- Cast: Rie Takahashi, Sean Chiplock
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
In Re: ZERO -Starting Life in Another World of the best isekai anime of all time, the series quickly distinguishes itself from others.
While returning from a convenience store, he meets a girl almost immediately after teleports to another world, with whom he falls in love. Shortly afterward, he loses his life, although he later recovers.
Subaru’s initially offputting personality is shattered in this series, which is more of a character study than an action series.
12. Food Wars! The Fourth Plate & the Fifth Plate
- Director: Yoshitomo Yonetani.
- Cast: Takumi Aldini, Satoshi Isshiki
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
Food Wars! There’s nothing wrong with this recommendation, but there is a huge catch:
J.C. Staff’s show is only available through HBO Max for the last two seasons. Food Wars is generally regarded as one of the weaker anime series, so this entry would not be a great place to start for first-timers as it has some likable characters!
11. Rurouni Kenshin
- Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi
- Writer: Michiru Shimada
- Cast: Mayo Suzukaze, Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Richard Cansino
- IMDb Ratings: 8.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
As he wanders through different parts of Japan with the promise of protecting others no matter what, a former assassin transforms into a lost samurai after committing sins against others. In recent years, many franchise adaptations have been created in the Samurai anime genre.
Fans of Rurouni Kenshin have known the anime since its debut in 1996. Make sure to watch this anime
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10. The Promised Neverland
- Director: Mamoru Kanbe
- Writer:
- Cast: Sumire Morohoshi, Mariya Ise, Shinei Ueki
- IMDb Ratings: 8.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
A group of orphans living at the Grace Field House is the center of this anime about a messed-up world. The children of this orphanage aren’t allowed to leave because their “Mama” Isabella says they’re not allowed to leave the orphanage. But sometimes, a child will be adopted and never seen again.
As mentioned above, the three oldest orphans eventually suspect something is amiss and discover where the adopted kids are going and what the world outside the Grace Field House is like only though the show’s first season on this streaming platform is available.
09. Princess Mononoke
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast: Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yūko Tanaka
- IMDb Ratings: 8.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
Humans, animals, and gods began to live in harmony during the 14th century. A deer-like god named Shishigami promises a cure to Ashitaka after an animal has bitten him.
The wolf god Moro and the human Princess Mononoke are affected by humans’ ravages of the earth as they travel.
From the best titles to the best animation, a collection of movies and TV shows from the Studio Ghibli collection.
Based in Japan, Studio Ghibli was established by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, Yasuyoshi Tokuma, and others and has without a doubt some of the most memorable characters present in anime like- Kiki’s Delivery Service, Ponyo, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke.
08. Grave of the Fireflies
- Director: Isao Takahata
- Writer: Isao Takahata
- Cast: Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
Setsuko and Seita are separated from their parents at the end of World War II in Japan, and their story is heartwarming.
To survive the most gruesome American invasion in history, they can only lean on each other and support each other through tough times. Fans go through different emotions while watching the show.
07. Mob Psycho 100
- Director: Yuzuru Tachikawa
- Writer: Hiroshi Seko
- Cast: Takahiro Sakurai, Akio Ôtsuka
- IMDb Ratings: 8.6
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
‘Mob Psycho 100′ was produced by Bones and released in Spring 2016. He struggles to control his psychic abilities, making him potentially dangerous. Shigeo Kageyama, also known as “Mob,” is an eighth-grader.
Initially, Mob uses the book to impress his crush, Tsubomi Takane but later aspires to become a con artist under Arataka Eigen.
He is now forced to exorcise evil spirits and remain vigilant to keep himself and those around him from unleashing a global cataclysm of demonic energy.
In addition to the fantastic animation, Mob Psycho 100 has a powerful story. Make sure to watch this anime.
06. Spirited Away
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette
- IMDb Ratings: 8.6
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
A cult favorite of all time, Spirited Away is one of the most popular anime on HBO Max. To save her parents, who have turned into fat pigs and will be slaughtered at any moment, Chihiro, a young girl, must try hard to work in the supernatural resort to free them from the supernatural resort.
However, it surely is one of the best anime on HBO Max.
05. To Your Eternity
- Director: Yoshitoki Ōima
- Writer: Yoshitoki Ōima
- Cast: Jacob Hopkins, Reiji Kawashima
- IMDb Ratings: 8.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
Featuring growth, friendship, and self-discovery, To Your Eternity premieres in the Spring 2021 anime season. Throughout the story, a mysterious Orb can take the form of anything that touches it, including rocks, wolves, and humans.
In morphing, the Orb develops its understanding of the world and discovers new emotional expressions and perspectives.
04. Jujutsu Kaisen
- Director: Gege Akutami
- Cast: Junya Enoki, Adam McArthur
- IMDb Ratings: 8.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
Yuuji Itadori, a high school student and member of the Occult Club, is the anime’s protagonist. The two of them stumble upon a cursed object that triggers the supernatural. The demons he meets from here on out are born from negative emotions.
Sukuna Ryoumen ends up consuming Itadori’s finger to become a Jujustu sorcerer at Tokyo Metropolitan Jujustsu Technical High School.
03. Hunter X Hunter
- Director: Yoshihiro Togashi
- Cast: Megumi Han, Cristina Valenzuela
- IMDb Ratings: 9.0
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
Hunters aim to find lost treasures and defeat criminals in this anime’s world. There is a Hunter in the group named Gon Freecss, who is instead looking for his father (also a Hunter). Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika become his great friends.
On their quest to become Hunters, they are attacked and/or obstructed by numerous monsters (and other characters) who appear out of nowhere, leading them on various adventures.
02. Death Note
- Director: Tetsurō Araki
- Writer: Toshiki Inoue
- Cast: Mamoru Miyano, Aya Hirano
- IMDb Ratings: 8.9
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
It was produced by Madhouse and released in Fall 2006. In particular, its first 25 episodes are regarded as one of the best intros in anime history.
A book, the Death Note, kills anyone with their name on it. Death gods, called shinigami, perform the actual act.
A high schooler, Ryuk, gets a death note from Light Yagami. While he uses Death Note to catch criminals, the seductive power of the book quickly tests his “noble” intentions.
As a result of Light’s murders, the mysterious L leads the investigation. Fans also believe it is the best introductory anime.
01. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- Director: Yasuhiro Irie
- Writer: Hiroshi Ōnogi
- Cast: Romi Park, Rie Kugimiya
- IMDb Ratings: 9.1
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100
- Streaming Platform: HBO max
After a failed attempt to bring their mother back to life, two Elric Brothers brothers set out to search for a philosopher’s stone that would restore them to their original forms.
Also! As well as many other anime series currently available on HBO Max, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the best anime series now available on the service. Make sure to watch this anime on HBO Max!
