Best CloverWorks Anime

Since its inception in 2018, CloverWorks has released a wide range of original hit anime movies and series, along with taking on popular existing titles and continuing their legacy. The studio has earned a reputation for detail and polish when it comes to style and aesthetics, with a library of fantasy, occult, and action anime with well-developed characters and engaging storylines.

The Promised Neverland, Darling in the Franxx, Fairy Tail Final Series, and Spy x Family are among the few that one shouldn’t miss. For both seasoned anime fans and new ones, there is a wide range of anime from CloverWorks to watch, and here’s a selection of the best from their extensive collection.

12 Darling In The Franxx

MyAnimeList Score: 7.2

• Genre: Mecha
• Licensed By: Funimation
• Number Of Episodes: 24
• Release Date: Jan 13th, 2018

This series is set in a world where the only living beings are giant threatening monsters called Klaxosaurs. Humanity has to use newly made robots termed Franxxm that are paired with young pilots known as “parasites” in order to fight them. The main characters of Darling in Franxx are a boy named Hiro, his supporting heroine Zero Two, and several other so-called parasites that fight the Klaxosaurs.

This is one of the loved anime series for friendly unforgettable characters, despite the fact that Mecha might be an overused genre since exploding in the 1990s. Darling in Franxx has been incorporated with Studio Trigger, another Japanese studio popular for mecha action anime.

11 Dakaichi

MyAnimeList Score: 7.4

• Genre: Romance, Drama, Comedy
• Licensed By: Aniplex of America
• Number Of Episodes: 13
• Release Date: Oct 6th, 2018

Dakaichi is a 13-episode yaoi series filled with attractive characters. For the last five years, actor Takato has been dubbed “Sexiest Man of the Year” by fans and popular media. As a veteran actor with more than 20 years of experience, he’s well aware of his stunning appearance. He is overwhelmed by his achievements and believes that such a label is a perfect fit.

When rival actor Dakaichi Junta defeats Takato for the first time in the yearly hottest actor poll, he takes it personally and drowns his defeat in alcohol. However, this leads to him going off on a rant to fellow actor Junta on camera, which damages his image. Junta has a solution to this problem, however, and it is an intriguing one indeed.

10 Her Blue Sky

MyAnimeList Score: 7.5

• Genre: Supernatural, Romance, Drama
• Licensed By: n/a
• Number Of Episodes: n/a
• Release Date: Oct 11th, 2019

Tatsuyuki Nagai and three members from Super Peace Busters, well-known for making the Anohana anime series, are the creators of this masterpiece. Her Blue Sky is a standalone movie that is famous for its authentic and haunting portrayal of friendship, love, and music.

The storyline is set in the Japanese countryside near Tokyo called Chichibu. Its main characters are Akane and Aoi, two orphaned sisters, and Shinnosuke, Akane’s former boyfriend. The drama that erupts between the three of them in this verdant Tokyo suburb is nothing short of magical when younger and older versions of Shonnisuke both visit the sisters, which is especially strange because he left several years ago to pursue a career in Tokyo and all but disappeared.

9 Fairy Tail: Final Series

MyAnimeList Score: 7.6

• Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
• Licensed By: Funimation
• Number Of Episodes: 51
• Release Date: Oct 7th, 2018

Fairy Tail is a series that centers on a powerful and popular adventurer’s guild of the same name in the magical land of Fiore. Members of this guild include a Dragon Slayer wizard Natsu, a pet named Happy, and the wizard Lucy. After the dissolution of the Fairy Tail guild at the end of the previous series, the three began looking for their fellow guild members, and their adventures make up the final season of this popular series.

It’s an emotional journey watching each member reunite before proving their might for the last time, especially after such a long-running show that’s been on television for ten years now. It originally premiered in Japan in 2014 and ended with season three in 2018.

8 Wonder Egg Priority

MyAnimeList Score: 7.6

• Genre: Fantasy, Drama
• Licensed By: Funimation
• Number Of Episodes: 12
• Release Date: Jan 13th, 2021

The 12-episode series is more of a miniseries in the classic sense of the word. Despite the whimsical title, this is a psychological thriller and contemporary fantasy anime. It was written by Shinji Nojima and features serious social challenges faced by teenagers.

The anime centers on a young girl Ai Ohto, who dropped out of school because of the death of her close friend. When she agrees with the instructions of the mysterious egg-like creature who transports her to the Wonder Egg world, it might be a hallucination or it might be real. Either way, the protagonist sees it as a way to save her lost friend and proceeds to try and save humanity from their worst fears.

7 Black Butler: Public School Arc

MyAnimeList Score: 7.9

• Genre: Dark Fantasy, Drama, Mystery
• Licensed By: Funimation
• Number Of Episodes: 11
• Release Date: Apr 13th, 2024

Black Butler has been on television since 2008 when the first season aired, and originally it was the work of Square Enix, Aniplex, and other anime studios. The fourth and so far final season was a product of CloverWorks, and the mix of action and fantasy fits with the rest of their library. The show is often dark, includes elements of the occult, and this season has some of the best animation of the series.

In keeping with the British Victorian aesthetic that distinguishes the show, protagonist Ciel Phantomhive is sent to a prestigious school by none other than Queen Victoria herself. He’s not there to get an education but to find her missing relative, and naturally, his butler Sebastian accompanies him, but cleverly disguised as a teacher.

6 The Elusive Samurai

MyAnimeList Score: 7.9

• Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Adventure
• Licensed By: n/a
• Number Of Episodes: 12
• Release Date: Jul 6th, 2024

One of the few anime produced by Cloverworks that doesn’t involve science fiction or the quirks of modern life, The Elusive Samurai takes place in Japan’s medieval era and is gorgeous to watch. It also has the usual cast of quirky, endearing characters that the studio also has a reputation for.

The protagonist Tokiyuki Houjou is an innocent young noble without a care in the world, and his biggest concern finding new ways to hide from his tutors and caregivers while enjoying a pampered life in Kamakura, waiting for his father to become the next shogun. However, a civil war breaks out and Tokiyaki’s clan is wiped out, with his skills at running and hiding making him the sole survivor. He contemplates committing suicide to join his family, but a chance encounter on a battlefield gives him a new purpose in life.

5 My Dress-Up Darling

MyAnimeList Score: 8.1

• Genre: Romance
• Licensed By: n/a
• Number Of Episodes: 12
• Release Date: Jan 9th, 2022

My Dress-Up Darling follows a high school student named Wakana Gojou. As a hardworking student who loves crafting dolls during his free time, he intends to surpass his grandfather’s professional skills. However, for fear of mockery, he ensures that his pastime remains hidden. Things change as he meets Marin Kitangawa, a lovely upcoming cosplayer who is unable to sew with as much talent, and she enlists his skilled hand.

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Despite the background of the two being completely different, they eventually collaborate in a single cosplay, and the budding romance between the two is also sweet, charming, and authentic. The series, made up of 12 episodes, can be found on either Crunchyroll or Funimation.

4 Horimiya

MyAnimeList Score: 8.2

• Genre: Romance
• Licensed By: Funimation
• Number Of Episodes: 13
• Release Date: Jan 10th, 2021

The idea of Izumi Miyamura and Kyouko Hori getting along seems impossible. While Hori is a reflection of brains and beauty, Miyamura is meek and detached from his colleagues, but a fateful encounter reveals their similar hidden nature.

Hori, who is well-known in school, has no time for friendship because of house chores. On the other hand, Miyamura’s hidden body cuttings and tattoos make him appear somewhat criminal among his classmates. Horimiya, which is more of a miniseries of 13 episodes, provides an authentic and friendly story of how two polar opposites eventually come to understand their hidden similarities.

3 Saekano the Movie: Finale

MyAnimeList Score: 8.4

• Genre: Romance, Comedy
• Licensed By: n/a
• Number Of Episodes: n/a
• Release Date: Oct 26th, 2019

Any fan of romantic anime can’t miss this movie. It’s based on Fumiaki Maruto’s light novel titled “How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend.” The story follows the characters from the series of the same name, Megumi and Tomoya, from when they created the second Blessing Software game.

Some notable film stars retaining their duties throughout the series are Saori, Matsuoka, Yasuno, Sayuri, Tetsuya, and Chinatsu. Those who confirmed their return following the finale’s announcement are Shibata, Maruto, Kamei, and Maruto. The film earned more than $6 million worldwide despite premiering only in Japan, which goes to show the popularity of not only the franchise but the dating sim games on which the TV shows and movies are based.

2 The Promised Neverland

MyAnimeList Score: 8.5

• Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror
• Licensed By: Aniplex of America
• Number Of Episodes: 12
• Release Date: Jan 10th, 2019

This is one intense and gloomy fantasy story. It was serialized on Weekly Shonen Jump from 2016 to 2020, and in 2019 and 2020, the animated adaptation was released. The Promised Neverland is set in 2045 and centers on three orphans, Ray, Emma, and Norman, who live in Grace Field House orphanage.

What starts as a dull series turns out gradually to be a more horrific narrative as the secrets of the Grace Field House are revealed. What makes this season stand out are its relatable characters and visceral storyline. The three main characters are Norman the group strategist, Ray the defender, and Emma the overall leader, and they are pitted against the loving but deceptive Mama.

1 Spy x Family

MyAnimeList Score: 8.5

• Genre: Action, Comedy
• Licensed By: Funimation
• Number Of Episodes: 12
• Release Date: Apr 9th, 2022

Spy x Family rose quickly through the anime ranks and is still one of CloverWorks most popular titles, second only to popular shows like The Promised Neverland and Dakaichi. The story takes place in the borderlands between two fictional states, Ostania and Westalis, which are constantly at either all-out war or secretive espionage.

The main character is a master of disguise and information gathering known only by the code name Twilight. He dons the persona of a psychiatrist named Loid Forger to get closer to his target, even going so far as to adopt a child and ask a city clerk to pose as his wife to complete the facade. His family, however, aren’t the simple people he believes they are and happen to be hiding dangerous and even exciting identities that are even more interesting than his.