Shirobako: The most realistic portrayal of ordinary working life (at least, like mine) I've seen, in any fictional medium. Warm-hearted (perhaps to a fault), straightforward, very much writing what they know and love. I recommend it to anyone interested in animation, but especially to students or similar interested in seeing a day in the working life.

Hibike Euphonium. Teenage drama (not actually a romance show, but it felt like one) that again felt very true, and with KyoAni's usual high production values.

A Farewell to Arms (one of the Short Peace shorts). High production values applied to a setting that's pretty novel in animé - an Americanized military unit in a ruined city in the desert with a (less extreme) Three Kings-style overexposed look. A very fun battle sequence that deserves points for putting thought into what near-future combat might look like - I don't think it necessarily got it right, but it goes much further than most.

Psycho-Pass Movie. A return to form after the trashy second season. Continues to ask the awkward question: given a paternalistic dictatorship that manages to act in the best interests of most people most of the time, what do you actually do? (I'm told there's also a colonialism side but that largely passed me by).

Non-recommendations:

Gakkou Gurashi. Ok premise but not enough content to fill the time.

Expelled from Paradise. Actually quite fun: visually very pretty (very Male Gaze), and some good CG robot fights, including a very cool one on the way down from orbit. But the themes felt done-to-death; it's not really adding anything new to the conversation, and I never found myself caring about any of the characters.