The best anime to watch this winter

You know that December is just around the corner. Aside from the avalanche of new series that pour onto television and streaming services every season — as well as the best anime the year has to offer — there’s a plethora of fantastic anime to watch that are appropriate for every month and mood, including winter. We’ve handpicked a couple of our favorite anime to watch when days grow darker and the weather starts to turn colder.

Below are some great anime for winter.

The Universe is a Place More Than Itself

Image: Madhouse/Crunchyroll

Atsuko Ichihikuza directs (Don Glees: Goodbye!,No Life, No GamesThis coming-of-age adventure comedy anime, “Mari Tamaki”, follows Mari Tamaki as she dreams of being bold and adventurous with her youth. If only she could get past her fear of failure and timidity. Mari, who has met Shirase, a young girl trying to save money for a trip to Antarctica with her mother lost, joins Shirase and the two girls to plan an expedition to Antarctica.

The Universe is a Place More Than ItselfIt’s many things. A moving story of achieving your goals and treating each challenge as an opportunity. An animated comedy. If you haven’t yet taken the leap and watched the series yet, now is absolutely the best time to do so. —Toussaint Egan

Unknown PlacesCrunchyroll allows you to watch it online.

Komi Can’t Communicate (Ep. 16)

Image: OLM/Netflix

Like most episodes, Komi Can’t CommunicateThe Christmas episode features Komi struggling to overcome her anxiety about social situations and moving beyond her comfort zone. This time around the stakes are a little higher: It’s not just a Christmas party, but AlsoHer birthday party. But like every episode of this soft slice-of-life anime, Komi’s anxiety is treated gently and with compassion. Komi’s friends understand and want to be there for her. Komi’s first birthday party with friends is complete thanks to their generosity. It’s just SO DANG CUTE! —Petrana Radulovic

Komi Can’t CommunicateIt is streaming on Netflix.

Camp Laid Back

Image: C-Station/Crunchyroll

Watch carefully Camp Laid Back will fill you with the warm feeling of drinking hot tea on a cold winter’s day. Rin Shima, a high-school girl from Japan is the protagonist of this series. She usually camps alone, but she meets Nadeshiko Kagamihara in class, and is encouraged to join the high-school camping club. We see them travel all over Japan, as they learn the logistical aspects of camping.

It’s a go-to watch for me, largely because it provides comfort, but also because we get to see these young women navigate the challenges of outdoor camping and the empowerment and friendship that can come from that process. It’s a truly nurturing show, and while it’s not exactly fully a winter show, it perfectly captures the cozy vibes of being out and in cold weather with friends. —Ana Diaz

Camp Laid BackIt is now available for streaming Crunchyroll.

Mushi-Shi

Image: Artland/Aniplex

The 2005 anime adaptation of Yuki Urushibara’s award-winning supernatural manga sits comfortably alongside Ryūtarō Nakamura’s 2003 adaption of Kino’s JourneyIt is one of my absolute favorite anime. Hiroshi Yamakamasa directed the series. It centers around Ginko (a mysterious white-haired person who acts as a spiritual intermediary between Edo-period Japan’s people and primitive supernatural lifeforms called the Mushi). Ginko moves from one village in Japan to another, investigating bizarre ailments and coming up with clever methods to get rid of corrupt Mushi.

While it lacks flashy fighting scenes and impressive martial arts action, the film more than compensates for its beautiful ambiance, rich storytelling and fascinating characters. Beautiful settings are created with beautiful color combinations, including soft, watercolor blues as well as deep, vibrant greens. Mushi-ShiIt is an anime that has an atmosphere that’s both cozy and cold. This makes it the perfect series to enjoy during winter. With it being an anthology, there’s a plethora of stories to choose from, but in terms of the best episodes to watch as a newcomer, I would recommend “Tender Horns,” “One-Eyed Fish,” and “Depths of Winter.” —TE

Mushi-ShiAll streams are available on Crunchyroll.

Wolf’s Rain

Image: Bones/Funimation

Written by Keiko Nobumoto, a great anime screenwriter (Cowboy BebopTensai Okamura directs the production.Black is darker than black), Wolf’s Rain This is the story about Kiba the wolf, who has the ability to appear as a human and lives in a postapocalyptic universe wherewolves were thought to be extinct for many hundreds of years. Crossing several others of his kind, the wolves form an impromptu pack in their dogged search for a fabled “paradise” on Earth, a search which eventually sees the group trading blows with a fanatical sect of technologically advanced aristocrats who wish to corrupt paradise for their own nefarious (and tragic) ends.

Contributions from many other sources Cowboy Bebop alumni, including character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto and composer Yoko Kanno, not to mention a belting theme song performed by Steve Conte (“Rain,” “Call Me Call Me”), Wolf’s RainThis anime is beautiful and melancholic about finding hope and family in the face of despair and hopelessness. It also doesn’t hurt that the anime is gorgeous to look at, with abstract brutalist cityscapes set against barren, snow-covered plains littered with the remnants of a dead civilization. In a word it’s a mood. Fair warning — the ending is very dour and open to interpretation, but as with most things in life, it’s more about the journey than it is the destination. —TE

Wolf’s RainOn stream Crunchyroll.

Yuri on Ice

Image: MAPPA/Crunchyroll

Ice skating is the best way to say winter. But ice skating is not the only way to say winter. Yuri on IceEven though it is wintertime, the concept of ice skating allows this show to easily slide on this list. Yuri Katzuki, a professional ice skating coach, feels like he lost his opportunity after choking in the Grand Prix final. But after a video of him skating to figure skating legend Viktor Nikiforov’s famous routine goes viral, Viktor shows up at Yuri’s hot spring resort and offers to be his coach. The ice skating begins! Yuri conquers all his fears and he eventually falls in love with Viktor. There’s also a wonderful supporting cast of colorful characters, all competing for a chance at the title of Grand Prix champion.Yuri on IceIt’s both a romantic and exciting anime. You might be tempted to order a pork cutlet dish. —PR

Yuri on IceYou can stream it on Crunchyroll.