Ever since its creation in 1986,J.C.Staffhas been one of anime’s leading studios. While the company doesn’t always get the acclaim of some of its competitors, such as Madhouse or Studio Ghibli, J.C.Staff’s resume speaks for itself and covers a wide spectrum of genres.
Along with influential series, the studio has also produced plenty of great films, OVAs, and animation sequences for games. J.C.Staff is also constantly active, releasing new series every season. Let’s go through thebest J.C.Staff anime.
Updated on August 04, 2025 by Mark Sammut:J.C.Staff is handlingWinter 2025’s Honey Lemon Soda, a shojo romance that has been decent so far. Ultimately, the anime will probably not rank among the studio’s greatest efforts, but that is a reflection of the latter’s quality rather than the former’s.
Food Wars!makes the act of cooking and eating seem like the greatest thing in the world. Souma Yukihira takes his background in diner cooking to the Tootsuki Culinary Academy, a school that has no time for failures and an appreciation for fierce contests.Food Wars!is hilarious, unapologetically over-the-top, and constantly exciting.
This anime is kind of difficult to rank since the sequel seasons become so absurd that they end up diminishing the premise’s original strength, resulting in a decline in returns that is quite substantial. Still, the first two seasons are delightful.
Similar toFood Wars!,DanMachiis anotherJ.C.Staff animethat is all over the place in terms of quality. However, unlike the former, the latter gets better as it goes along, peaking in Season 4 and, to a lesser extent, 5. Set in a fascinating society where adventurers pledge allegiances to different gods, Bell is Hestia’s only supporter, and he is extremely weak. However, he picks up the ability to speed-run his growth, allowing him to chase after a female warrior he greatly respects.
DanMachifocuses quite a bit on action, and the show is at its best when Bell (and other characters) find themselves exploringthe eponymous dungeon. Unfortunately, quite a few arcs move away from this premise, but the exceptions are good enough to make the lull moments worth sitting through. Despite being a bit too precious at times, Bell is very likable, and he becomes powerful without being overpowered.
Toradora!’s brilliance can be harder to appreciate nowadays since the anime’s ideas have become staples of the slice of life and romance genres. Permitting someone has a tolerance for tsundere characters,Toradora!delivers an emotionally satisfying story that starts hilarious before gradually adopting a more serious tone, and the shift works and (arguably) improves the main characters.
The heart of the anime is the relationship between Ryuuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka, two characters who are opposites in more ways than one. Taiga’s character development is particularly fantastic.
The first season ofLittle Busters!is a perfectly watchable slice of life anime with plenty of comedy, but it is slightly forgettable and disjointed. However, its sequel,Refrain, is an entirely different beast from its predecessor, taking far more risks both in terms of plot presentation and progression.
Refrainstill has moments of levity, but the likable characters are backed by some genuinely interesting ideas and themes. The second half of the season is especially strong, building on the foundation that was set by the previous 30+ episodes.
As a spin-off to the polarizingA Certain Magical Index, which might be among J.C.Staff’s most disappointing anime,A Certain Scientific Railguncan seem a touch inaccessible at first. While the former’s opening season should ideally be watched before the latter,Railgunis so brilliant that it can be enjoyed as a standalone experience. Now, fair warning, the first season is decent but not great, although its decision to incorporate slice of life episodes helps endear the main girls to the audience.
The sequels,A Certain Scientific Railgun SandTare mostly phenomenal. The former’s Sister Arc is a pure masterclass that firmly establishesMikoto Misakaas one of the greatest heroines in anime, although the season is slightly let down by the fact it ends with an underwhelming filler arc. In comparison,A Certain Scientific Railgun Tis consistently fantastic.
Honey and Cloveris a beautiful anime, the type that rarely comes along. It can produce tears, laughter, and anger, all of which feel completely earned. Great and charming from the start, the show creates a warm and fuzzy feeling while still being firmly grounded in authenticity.
Although hinted at in the first season,Honey and Clover IIdives headfirst into its characters' psyches as the five leads deal with an inescapable part of life: change. It makes for a rather different experience, one defined by direct and pressing drama rather than melancholy timelessness.
Perhaps J.C.Staff’s most influential anime,Azumanga Daiohis a genre-defining comedy that arguably set the stage for subsequent masterpieces likeLucky Star,Nichijou, andThe Daily Lives of High School Boys. The anime just follows a group of girls as they go through high school, culminating in their graduation. Such a simple concept could risk coming across as tired nowadays, butAzumanga Daioh’s writing is so on-point that it achieves timelessness instead. The exception is a male teacher who has aged like milk.
The show has this strange talent for incorporating surreal humor in a way that never threatens to break the storytelling’s otherwise pretty realistic tone. The girls are all three-dimensional figures who transcend archetypes, and there are even a few memorable adult characters.
Romance anime are a dime-a-dozen, butNodame Cantabilemanages to stand out from the crowd for two main reasons. Firstly, it expertly weaves music into the story as a way to bring the main couple closer together and further explore their relationship. The music is generally brilliant.
Secondly, the two leads, Megumi Noda and Shinichi Chiaki, are flawed in ways that are realistic rather than artificially charming. Particularly in the first season of the show, Chiaki expresses genuine issues with Megumi’s behavior; in turn, this allows the latter to grow as a person. Megumi also influences Chiaki in similar ways.
Revolutionary Girl Utenais not only one of J.C.Staff’s most beloved anime but also one of its most influential. A significant entry in the Magical Girl genre,Utenaplays around with gender tropes and conventions as it follows the titular teenager as she seeks to be with the enigmatic Anthy Himemiya. Naturally, that involves a lot of fighting.
Revolutionary Girl Utenahas aged well, both in terms of animation and story content. While the movie,Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena, is not quite as good as the series, it is still worth watching.
A contender for one of the funniest anime of all time,The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.follows an extremely powerful psychic and his attempts to keep a low profile. Unfortunately for Kusuo, he tends to attract some rather weird people.
Split into sketches,The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.boasts an extremely strong roster of secondary characters, all of which bring something unique to the table. Kusuo’s deadpan delivery serves as the perfect counter to Shun Kaidaou’s delusions of grandeur, Riki Nendou’s confident stupidity, and Kokomi Teruhashi’s two-faced majesty.
