The world of anime in 2017 didn¡¯t give us any obvious breakout hits like last year¡¯s ¡°Your Name.,¡± but the past 12 months still had its share of winners:

¡®Night is Short, Walk on Girl¡¯ (¡¯Yoru wa Mijikashi Arukeyo Otome¡¯)

Director: Masaaki Yuasa

One of two films Masaaki Yuasa directed this year, ¡°Night Is Short, Walk on Girl¡± adapts a novel by Tomihiko Morimi about a group of university students partying their way through one impossibly long night on the magical backstreets of Kyoto. At its core is a love story between the two protagonists, but the film also serves as a love letter to all the strange and wonderful people you meet when you leave your house and open yourself up to the possibilities of the night.

¡®ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.¡¯ (¡¯ACCA: Jusan-ku Kansatsu-ka¡¯)

Director: Shingo Natsume

In this stylish adaptation of the manga by Natsume Ono, a vaguely European country is broken into 13 territories, each with its own distinct customs, economy and, most importantly, desserts. Main character Jean, a member of the titular inspection department, visits these territories one by one in an attempt to sniff out a coup d¡¯etat, and while ¡°ACCA¡± is full of political intrigue, half the fun is seeing what sweets Jean tracks down in what I¡¯m convinced is a parody of Japan¡¯s obsession with prefecture-specific omiyage (souvenirs).

¡®Land of the Lustrous¡¯ (¡¯Hoseki no Kuni¡¯)

Director: Takahiko Kyogoku

With its sleek production design and animation, ¡°Land of the Lustrous¡± proved to many skeptics that 3-D anime can be just as effective as traditional hand-drawn methods. Based on the manga by Haruko Ichikawa of the same name, it¡¯s the story of immortal, androgynous beings made of precious gems defending themselves from attacks by a mysterious force from the moon. ¡°Land of the Lustrous¡± wasn¡¯t just well-animated: a haunting soundtrack and quiet character moments helped crystallize it into one of the year¡¯s best.

¡®Kemono Friends¡¯ (¡¯Kemono Furenzu¡¯)

Director: Tatsuki

The word ¡°sleek¡± doesn¡¯t quite describe the 3-D animation of ¡°Kemono Friends¡± (¡°laughably bad¡± might be closer). However, the series became the year¡¯s most surprising hit regardless. Taking place in a safari park where the animals have been transformed into cute anime girls, ¡°Kemono Friends¡± made up for what it lacked in production value with pure heart, and reportedly sparked a boom in admissions to real-life zoos.