by After sorting through my Steam games, I found myself faced with another challenge: my backlog of movies and television. I still haven’t seen The Lion King or Rocky, for example. If you ever met me in person, I might refer to something I haven’t seen as “on The List” – a collection of every movie and television show I haven’t seen with cultural significance. I had been whittling down my List for some time, eventually realizing that, while a movie might produce its quantity of memes, it’s not necessarily good or worth watching. I’ve since deleted my List, having given up hope of ever being interested enough to finish it.
After finishing this project, though, I was inspired to give it another shot with a shorter List and more discerning taste. The trouble I ran in to was that I am intimately familiar with Western media tropes and finding new concepts that both intrigued me and had enough mass appeal to get millions of dollars in funding was difficult. There are certainly some successes, some good commercial failures, and some surprising gems; but by and large, I was getting bored (they’re good, but enough with the police procedurals, already). I like Star Wars and Marvel movies as much as the next guy, but the current state of Hollywood leaves much to be desired.
History
If you’ve read the title of this article, you’ll see where I went with this. Anime as a whole is a fascinating product of Japanese culture and American influence. By the time anime became mainstream culture in Japan and/or America (Japanimation!), the elements which distinguish it from most Western media were in place: quality animation meant to compete with live action movies and television while keeping costs low, and openness to new and unusual ideas (usually because the anime isn’t meant to run forever – I said usually! – but rather to promote manga or a light novel).
When this happened is a matter of opinion, though I would argue modern anime started with Attack No. 1 and Tiger Mask in 1969, Ashita no Joe in 1970, and Lupin Sansei in 1971. There are some notable “firsts” before these, like the first (extant) animated Japanese cartoon in 1907-ish, the first color anime movie in 1958, the first half hour anime series in 1963 (probably the earliest you could define “anime” per se), and the first magical girl anime in 1966, but the breaking point didn’t occur until the end of the ’60s. Under this definition, amusingly, Sazae-san has been running as long as modern anime has been around. Fast-forward to today, and anime makes up 60% of all animated television shows (and a surprising number include Gymnopedie No. 1 for some reason, though I couldn’t say why).
Fifty years of this style of media means that you end up with shows about everything:
- Crime? Check.
- Sports? Check.
- Romance? Check.
- Sci-fi/Fantasy? Quintuple Check.
- Giant Robots? Do you even have to ask?
- Baking? Check and check.
- Charlie’s Angels… in Space? Check.
- Slice of life, but there’s mecha? Check.
- Zombies forming a pop rock band? Check.
- Fighting aliens with the power of music? Check.
- Fighting aliens with the power of music, except they’re robots that come out of an extra-dimensional portal in a young boy’s head in a town where the robots are manufactured inside a giant clothing iron? Check.
- Man vs. Bear except it’s actually an allegory for homosexuality and oh by the way they’re all teenage girls? Check, with bonus points for the title translating literally to “Lesbian Bear Storm.”
This barely scratches the surface of the inventiveness of anime. Even the “remakes” of more established works often contain twists and remarkably fresh takes on the original idea. Where else can you talk about the giant robots and sequoia-sized crossbows of Seven Samurai, the space vampires on the moon and in mechs of The Count of Monte Cristo, or the Tower of Babel and Asimov-inspired mythology of Metropolis?
They say movies and television are reality turned up to 11. Continuing that metaphor, anime is when someone turns the amp up to 11, breaks off the dial, and screams POWAAAHH!!!. But in a pleasant way (usually). Perhaps that’s what attracts many Western otaku: sure, we have serious and ridiculous media – but though much of it is good, very little of it compares to the inventiveness of anime.
Anime Fans
There isn’t a good place to address this, so I’ve stuck it here. The western anime fan culture – often referred to derisively as “weeaboos” or “otaku” – can be pretty awful. Worse than Rick and Morty fanbase awful. Every so often, I would find myself wanting to find out opinions on something that happened in an anime (incidentally, anime is fantastic for avoiding spoilers, even on decades-old material – sometimes even plot summaries are just plain incorrect, and good luck finding English explanations of confusing plots). This would often result in rabbit holes of gatekeeping or diatribes that I legitimately thought were parodies. The darker side of this led to open bigotry, drama that would never air on daytime television, forums with the express purpose of ridiculing others, and combinations of all of this and more (including a worrying amount of Nazi imagery applied to “cute” anime girls). The one and only time I went to see an anime film in theaters, this culture was present even there (in a fairly liberal part of the United States). Among all this, finding yourself defending something as “German Empire” rather than (Third) “German Reich” becomes an unenviable position. While it’s not all bad, I’d definitely recommend avoiding it if you can.
What causes this? Well, anime has an interesting relationship with target audience. As I’ll mention later, a huge chunk of anime is targeted towards younger males/females. Honestly, if you’ve only heard snippets about anime before, you’ve probably only heard about anime from the same niche: coming-of-age male power fantasy (or, in the lingo, battle shōnen). Common themes include the power of friendship/heart, old enemies becoming new allies, and battles that take multiple episodes to reach a conclusion. This isn’t to say that these are bad themes or bad shows – in fact, some of the best stories and characters can come from them. Rather, it’s to point out that anime grew from children’s media. Unless you go seeking them out, romance, subtlety, and more “adult” themes in popular series are the exception, not the rule.
Neither is this, by itself, a bad thing in the slightest. I could definitely live without ever seeing another movie or television show where the grizzled male protagonist is introduced waking up next to a blonde with one of those special L-shaped sheets that cover the man’s legs but the woman’s chest, or one where the male protagonist ends up with the deuteragonist female because they both happen to share screen time. On the other hand, many anime (particularly those aimed at teenage boys) can be let down by a refusal to engage with love interests at all or by completely avoiding certain subjects while cheerfully splattering blood and nudity all over the screen.
In a weird way, the way Western viewers will engage with this is due to both Japanese cultural repression and Western sexual repression. If Western media frowns upon sex, Japanese media frowns upon passion (these are both terrific generalizations and oversimplifications and ignore vast swaths of media that either do not conform to this analogy or actively work against it). This contrast, as well as the allure of power fantasy, can attract young people who are already outsiders in their own culture and encourage an unhealthy desire to become part of the existing “outsider” culture while they are trying to find their own niche: not unlike the more traditional implications of being an otaku in Japan. But enough of that.
Personal Thoughts
My first introduction to anime was back in 2000, but I didn’t really follow up and watch more (other than an abridged version of Dragon Ball Z and something on Netflix while I was bedridden with a pretty terrible case of the flu) until I ran across a YouTube video with a compilation of moments from a hilariously dubbed show about ghosts. After binging that, I started compiling a few “top anime” lists to try. Finally, I ran across a video talking about how to recognize a great or terrible anime in one episode, which reminded me of my Steam games. The rest, as they say, is history.
It was surprising how you can acquire a knack for noticing when something will be good in such a short span of time, and how easily you can ignore signs that it won’t. Time and time again, I would watch a string of anime, finish some, drop the rest, and figure I might not actually like anime all that much after all. But every time, I would eventually start a show that – within 10 minutes of the first episode – would have me ready to binge the whole thing.
I wish I could explain it, but I’m not sure I can (though the same thing happened while sorting my Steam games). The times I’m thinking of are different from the highly efficient formula spearheaded by Disney that often leave me with the feeling of “well, that was good, I guess.” All I can say is that when it happens, you notice it immediately: fun easter eggs, attention to scene/plot details, or just a believable conversation between characters that doesn’t drag itself out or dump plot exposition on you. It’s always something, and once I notice it I’m ready to put myself in the hands of the animators and sink in to an adventure.
One curious thing that arose from this was the occasional desire to not watch an anime I enjoyed. If something seemed like it was really going to be good or if an episode ended with a particularly good cliffhanger, I’d sometimes just stop watching without meaning to. I can’t entirely explain it, but it was like the story was telling me to wait a week before continuing (a bit counter-culture in these days of Netflix and Amazon Prime).
This is separate and mostly distinct from one other “problem” I had: finding a story I didn’t want to watch because it was too good. I’m reminded of a story I heard … somewhere … Reddit? Digg? Slashdot? An IRC somewhere? Well, now I feel old. Anyway, someone mentioned that they had intentionally not watched all the episodes of Firefly – they knew it was only 14 episodes and wanted to save each new episode for a special occasion. I thought they were crazy, at the time (though the story stuck with me). Then I started a certain anime, and stopped 10 episodes in. I became acutely aware that there were only 39 more episodes to watch, and I just couldn’t continue. It was just too special. Amusingly, I later learned that something similar had happened to Chezni with the same anime. I’ve only watched one episode since then, during a particularly bad week.
Anime has many high points, but I have a warning (well, three actually) to anyone who has not experienced anime or has only seen a few episodes of Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, or One Piece: you’ll need to be prepared for culture shock, unresolved stories, and a much greater openness to crazy ideas. First, anime contains a lot more skin and flippancy towards sexual situations than Western media. Sometimes it is forgivable, sometimes it isn’t – sometimes it’s just there and no one cares. Next, since many (perhaps most) anime are adaptations of manga or light novels, stories may end abruptly or take a drastic turn when the anime producers run out of source material. Being okay with this (or at least willing to accept it) is practically necessary to enjoy some of the best shows.
My last caution is that strange things happen in anime. No, stranger than what you’re imagining. Far, far stranger. This is perhaps the most important point – to enjoy anime, you’ll need to accept all sorts of ridiculous premises, including ones that can put many surrealist artists to shame. If you can accept (or at least look past) all this, anime is chock-full of amazing ideas.
Nevertheless, a good premise (or an entirely surreal one) doesn’t make a good anime. If anything, my journey through anime has shown that the premise is practically the least important part. A show might have a fantastic premise but be so boring you can’t watch it, or have the seemingly least interesting premise but hook you from start to finish. I can’t stress this enough – I eventually stopped reading the premise of any shows on my list since it was absolutely no indicator of quality or interest. As long as you’re in the right mood for the genre, any premise can be just as fantastic or just as terrible as any other.
Partly because of that, and now that I’m a good 1,000 anime into this project, I thought I should write up a list of all the anime I thought were actually worth my time (Tier 1) and why. Since this is a gaming blog and not an anime one, I’m cramming them all into this one post. I’ll also try to keep them alphabetical by Romaji with notes regarding their primary genres. Obviously, this is going to be my longest post by far.
Terms
Before we begin, there are some terms to introduce for what comes next. I’ll be covering a few, but if I accidentally use one later that I didn’t cover, I recommend Wikipedia’s glossary of anime terms. First, there are four popular categories of anime and manga that have both strict and inferred definitions:
- Shōnen (young boy): target demographic is boys 10+
- Shōjo (young girl): target demographic is girls 10+
- Seinen (adult man): target demographic is men 18+
- Josei (adult woman): target demographic is women 18+
At least, that is the strict definitions of the words. But when it comes to anime and manga, those descriptors usually carry an implication as to the style of the show.
Shōnen anime often revolve around a young “chosen one” who grows during the show and becomes increasingly powerful (or famous, or skilled). If the focus of the show is on fights of any kind (martial arts, superpowers, cooking, Go, etc.), it’s often referred to as a battle shōnen. At its best, the archetypical battle shōnen is one about friendship, growth, and an almost irresistible earnestness. That being said, romance is usually only implied and almost never a focus even in the best of the genre, though fanservice can be common (Fanservice, in the context of anime, is either the main character or camerawork ending up in compromising positions with female characters – often at the beach, public bath, or hot spring).
By contrast, Shōjo anime typically have a much larger role for romance, typically in an idealized form, though the main character is still usually some sort of “chosen one.” The magical girl shōjo is the counterpoint to battle shōnen, depicting literally the changes associated with coming of age; transformation sequences will often include temporarily turning in to an older version of oneself (for the transformation of Mahou no Stage Fancy Lala, that’s actually all that happens). Seinen and Josei (particularly Josei) are less common in anime, though when they do show up they typically have “grown up” versions of similar plots. Events are usually messier (both in convoluted plots and love life) in those categories, and main characters don’t always match the target demographic’s sex. While these are all generalizations, they are ones you’ll likely notice as well if you watch a large quantity of anime.
Shōnen has a sub-genre which I usually very much dislike: the harem. A harem anime is one where there is a male main character with multiple female love interests (or a reverse harem if it contains one female main character with many male love interests, though those aren’t usually quite so terrible). They are almost exclusively terrible (amusingly, my first anime was a harem anime – one of the few that isn’t so terrible), though there are notable exceptions. Fanservice abounds, the female characters are paper thin, and nothing ever resolves because then 90% of your fan base would be angry at who the main character ended up with (one of many things which distinguished Love Hina). Or worse, they end up with all of them (not even Robert Jordan can pull that off). Even when the (non-romance) plot is interesting, the show ends up taking large breaks to show off plenty of moe (cute, essentially) and “cute girls doing cute things” (another sub-genre, a.k.a. CGDCT, though this one is pretty self-explanatory and often less problematic when not used in conjunction with the harem).
Distinct from all this are ecchi (meaning something like “sexy” or “sex-focused” depending on the context) and hentai (roughly translated to “pervert” in English). Hentai is just (animated) porn, so we’re going to be skipping that. Ecchi is sexual situations played for laughs or titillation. The name comes from an abbreviation of hentai, “H” (think of pronouncing it like e-i-tch). Ecchi-focused shows are usually either a straight comedy, using it as a form of social commentary, or making terrible shows for the subset of people who apparently want pseudo-pornographic, pseudo-entertainment for some reason.
When a shōnen does include romance (or at least character development resembling romance), there are various archetypes of female characters that will appear time and again. These depictions can vary from healthy to…incredibly unhealthy. The most common term you will come across is tsundere, which is a Japanese portmanteau describing the character who is most likely to blush while saying “it’s not like I like you or anything, idiot.” More seriously, a tsundere character in its healthiest form is a character who dislikes/criticizes (the “tsun tsun”) the negative aspects of the protagonist while still seeing their potential and liking them for it (the “dere dere”).
The josou or otoko no ko is a male crossdresser (typically discovered by another character for comedic effect), and many are … probably not transgender? Some definitely are – it’s a confusing area, and let me assure you that you do not want to touch internet arguments about it (or about the common English term used to describe the cisgender ones) with a 39 and a 1/2-foot pole. Next, there are loli characters, who appear as (very) young girls, and are often – but not always – thousand-year-old vampires or equivalent to avoid certain obvious problems. As a general rule, adding “-con” to these terms makes it refer instead to a person… let’s say “uniquely interested” in that archetype. Finally there is the yandere, a stalker who would likely “kill you to stop you from leaving.” I did mention there may be some culture shock, right?
These problems hint at a deeper issue with a lot of anime (though mostly shōnen). Traditional gender roles are deeply, deeply baked into Japanese culture; similarly, the stereotypical gay man (high voice, wears makeup, etc.) will also show up from time to time for comic relief. These assumptions can and do pop up even in situations where it just doesn’t make sense – for example, a female character with far more power than the shōnen protagonist will be relegated to the background. Even my favorite shōnen displays some of these elements (though it does get better later on). Not all anime do this (and there are equal numbers where it’s either played for laughs and positivity or not even worth mentioning instead), but it can easily pop up out of nowhere and ruin the mood.
Another incredibly popular genre (or perhaps just plot element) of anime is isekai, which just means that the main character is transported to a new world. This can happen in a variety of ways, but whether it is through reincarnation, being trapped in a virtual reality, a portal that opens up in a restaurant, or being summoned by a magician, this means that rules for the new world can be explained to the main character as a proxy for the audience. Many anime that use this trope can be painfully generic and transparently power fantasy, but it’s not an inherent issue – it’s just easier to be lazy with fantasy settings like this. In my list, I’ll be limiting my isekai genre label to just those with reincarnation aspects in fantasy worlds (which excludes Paripi Koumei and Isekai Shokudou, despite their obvious isekai aspects).
As many English majors can attest, the slice of life story can be one of the most compelling and relatable. I feel I might have to apologize to my English teachers because I always thought those stories were boring and always seemed to be tragedies (which only lowered my opinion further because I tend to think tragic endings are a lot harder to pull off successfully). Nevertheless, I have grown to appreciate the slice of life, and anime has just the sub-genre I like: iyashikei. The term means “healing,” and is used to describe peaceful depictions of everyday life. Of course, this being anime, “everyday life” might mean anything from a rural school to gondoliers on Mars to a yōkai investigator to two girls left at the end of the world.
Anime can be produced in a number of different formats, usually with their own characteristics. Movies, obviously, are feature films shown in theaters and usually feature a limited international release. Movies typically have far higher animation quality since there’s less pressure to get an episode out the door and more money to spend time on details. OVAs (original video animations) or ONAs (original net animations) are somewhere between movies and television. Before the internet, OVAs were the equivalent of straight-to-video releases. They still receive a higher budget than TV and have more time to work on details, but not to the same extent – and sometimes not at all. Specials are typically bonus features on DVDs or included with manga purchases, and are usually the same quality as the main television series or slightly worse. Specials are also far more likely to be fanservice episodes (alongside sequel OVAs), since they aren’t always part of the “canon” of the main show. Finally we have television shows, which are far and away the most common form. Television is broken into four seasons, called cours. A cour can be anywhere from 10-13 episodes, but is typically 12. A two-cour show would then have somewhere between 20 and 26 episodes, a three-cour show (a true rarity) would have somewhere around 36, four would have about 48, and so on.
One final note to round out our dictionary: Japanese language has thousands of onomatopoeia, which will often be used to depict everything from a person’s heart racing “doki doki” and their excitement “waku waku” to crying softly “shiku shiku” to a cat’s meow “nyan” to something rolling “guru guru” to something torn apart “bara bara” to the feeling of something fluffy “fuwa fuwa.” There’s no way to cover them all or to explain their meanings, so really it’s something for which you just need to keep an ear out (if you listen with subtitles or start trying to read the on-screen text). The biggest difference from onomatopoeia in English is that (like with “fuwa fuwa”) they can describe conditions, textures, or any number of things other than just sounds (including just someone staring: “jii“).
Now that we’ve gotten the terminology out of the way, we can finally move on to The List.
The List
All these entries are good enough that I think they are worth watching and rewatching – Tier One, in other words. Within that framework, I’m going to use a star system to supplement the overall recommendation with how strongly I feel the show deserves your time, as long as you keep in mind that I’m already recommending that you watch all of them.
☆☆☆: Tentative recommendation. This means I believe they are Tier One, but need to rewatch first. Also for Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?.
★☆☆: Standard recommendation.
★★☆: Strong recommendation.
★★★: Must-try.
✓: Made me cry while watching it.
Each section will contain three subsections:
The Pitch will be a quick plot summary.
The Notes are my reasons for recommendation or other commentary.
The Entries will contain what exactly I’m recommending (sometimes sequels or side stories aren’t worthwhile), as well as watch order when necessary.
16bit Sensation: ANOTHER LAYER (Comedy, Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Konoha is an entry-level illustrator for a game studio which cranks out title after title of bishoujo games (more commonly known as dating sims). She yearns for the days when true creativity and passion was part of the industry. This being anime, she soon finds herself thrown backwards in time to 1992, with a chance to work for a game studio and bring her vision to the PC-98.
Notes: Anime-original stories often go off the rails quickly. This one is no exception. And yet, the elements it plays with – from a nostalgic look at the PC-98 to the evolution of artistic expression to a truly madcap time travel story – has a certain charm I can’t shake. Much like Samurai Flamenco, you’ll have to be okay with complete tonal shifts to handle this one.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
4-nin wa Sorezore Uso wo Tsuku (Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Four girls live their peaceful high school life. Except one is a ninja on the run, one is a psychic trying to keep a low profile, one is a boy, and one is an alien keeping everyone under mind control. As you might expect, hilarity ensues.
Notes: An enjoyable short comedy series. A little bit like SPY×FAMILY crossed with Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan (and, admittedly, Saiki is probably better), but definitely worth a shot as it doesn’t outstay its welcome.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Aa! Megami-sama! (Romance, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Keiichi calls for a pizza, but gets a “goddess hotline” instead, granting him one wish. Thinking it’s a joke, he wishes that the goddess would become his girlfriend for life. Hilarity ensues.
Notes: A very ’90s plot, but one that’s forgivable because of the enjoyable characters and weirdly deep lore (which, admittedly, doesn’t really show up until the later TV show).
Entries: 1993 5-episode OVA and 2000 movie. There’s a 2005 two-cour TV series (and many sequels), but it’s slower-paced and feels a tad more generic. It has a lot more content, so it’s probably still worth a shot if you enjoy the OVA.
Ace wo Nerae! (Sports, Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Hiromi joins the tennis club and is taken under the wing of the club’s new coach. He trains Hiromi to become a tennis ace. Existing club members are not amused.
Notes: One of the very first “modern” anime (in my opinion), with an enjoyable story that clearly prototypes many of the sports anime to come. Does pace itself slowly (and animation is occasionally minimal), but good nonetheless.
Entries: A 1973 two-cour TV series that ends without resolution. A remake started in 1978 as Shin Ace wo Nerae!, with OVA sequels (2 and Final Stage) that round out the story. All three of these later entries are almost impossible to find with an English translation (in fact, Ace wo Nerae! 2 was in the process of being fan translated while I was watching the 1973 entry), but they do exist – just not officially.
Ai Mai Mi! Strawberry Egg (Comedy, Ecchi elements…kinda? Depends on your interpretation.) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Amawa wants to become a teacher, but it turns out the school he lives near is run by a principal who will only hire females. Naturally, his next step is to disguise himself as a woman to get the job anyway and to prove that men can teach just as well as women.
Notes: There are two possibilities here: one, that this is attempting to make a statement of some sort. Or two: they legitimately didn’t think about any of that and were just trying to make a light comedy. Admittedly, the storyline has so many moments of dramatic irony it’s hard not to think that it’s trying to make a point. On the other, I could imagine someone was just using the standard tropes in a light comedy with a twist. Needless to say, my thoughts on this series are confused – but it’s worth it just to experience that confusion. Fair warning, though: the pacing is a bit rough and several episodes end almost before they begin.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Akagami no Shirayuki-hime (Drama, Romance) ★★☆
The Pitch: A girl with strikingly red hair flees town after the prince tries to take her for his own – forcefully. She is saved by Zen, who turns out to be the prince of a neighboring kingdom. She takes up residence in that kingdom and continues her pharmaceutical training while falling in love with the prince.
Notes: Despite the implication (Shirayuki translates as Snow White), the parallels to the fairy tail are all but nonexistent after the first episode. The cast is fantastic, and the plot is an enjoyable ride.
Entries: Two one-cour TV series, with a side-story OVA.
Akatsuki no Yona (Drama, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A girl with strikingly red hair flees town after…wait. No, I promise this is different than the previous entry. Anyway, Yona is the princess of a kingdom until her cousin murders the king and she must go on the run with a bodyguard to retake her kingdom.
Notes: I only dropped this recommendation compared to Shirayuki-hime because the series ends with practically nothing resolved and there’s a bit more of a hint of harem (though the primary love interest is well-established).
Entries: Two-cour TV series with one three-episode OVA.
AKB0048 (Idol, Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: In the distant future, music is banned by the evil organization DES (a Japanese pun, desu is something similar to “is” in English). To combat this, a group of singers holding hereditary titles perform guerilla concerts while fighting off mechs with mic sabers.
Notes: I may be underselling quite how ridiculous this anime is. The evil organization has torpedoes stamped with “NO IDOL!” on them. There’s a secret cabal that maintains a shrine to determine the successions of the singers using magical floaty creatures that glow in the presence of greatness (or something). The song-writer is, as far as I can tell, some sort of artificial intelligence named Sensei Sensei (Teacher Teacher). There’s a family that has dedicated themselves to producing heirs that look and act exactly like their predecessor.
You should probably watch other anime first to get a sense for Japanese idol culture, and to prepare yourself for the non-stop madness presented here. The plot does get a tad generic and melodramatic at times, but I simply can’t not recommend the trip.
Entries: Two one-cour TV series. Unusually for idol anime, there aren’t a dozen different spinoffs and sequels, which is part of why I can recommend this.
Akiba Meido Sensou (Drama, Comedy) ★★☆
The Pitch: In an alternate Tokyo of the ’90s, themed maid cafés vie for dominance in Akihabara by any and all means necessary.
Notes: All you need to decide if you will like this show is to watch the opening – as a YouTube comment said: “the animators of the OP understood the assignment.” This show combines otaku culture with every single Yakuza movie trope, to delightful result. The short run means it doesn’t get quite as much time exploring certain parts of the mashup as it could and has to rush a bit to get to an ending, but the madness (and strangely touching story) is very much worth it. This only fails to earn a “must watch” recommendation because appreciation of both otaku culture (watch Genshiken and a couple dozen 1990s anime) and Yakuza tropes is necessary to truly enjoy.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Akikan! (Comedy, Romance, Ecchi) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A guy buys a drink from a vending machine, which turns into a girl when he tries to drink it. The girl, Melon, is part of an experiment to battle soda cans to determine which is best: steel or aluminum.
Notes: Okay, there’s not actually much to this series. But it gets recommended for the simple madness of it.
Entries: One-cour TV series with a side-story OVA. Don’t watch the OVA.
Amagi Brilliant Park (Comedy, Romance) ★★★
The Pitch: Seiya, a narcissistic high schooler once famous for their child acting, gets approached by a classmate who asks him out on a date at gunpoint. They visit Amagi Brilliant Park, a theme park with waning popularity and terrible service. The residents of the park – from mascots to the princess – are from Magic Kingdom, which is sustained by the energy generated by humans having fun. The princess asks him to help keep the park open, for which they need to attract 250,000 visitors in three months.
Notes: A fun little fantasy adventure that avoids most of the pitfalls of power fantasy. I might recommend watching Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu first so you get one of the jokes, but it’s not necessary.
Entries: One-cour TV series, a side-story OVA, and seven 4-minute “Backstage” shorts.
Anyamal Tantei Kiruminzoo (Comedy, Mahou Shojou) ★★☆
The Pitch: Two sisters find a device created by their grandfather that allows them to transform into animals (and human-animal hybrids). Along with two of their friends and their big sister, they use these powers to help those around them, while avoiding the constant threat of Animalians – a group of people who can freely transform into animals, and see themselves as the next step for mankind.
Notes: This has all of the elements of a standard Mahou Shojou, shaken up with a few interesting takes on typical conventions. The charm kept me coming back, and the occasional weirdness keeps things engaging. It also has the distinction of having a fun Thai language opening theme about finding love by seeing crabs. The ending is a bit rocky as it works to tie everything up, but overall it’s just loads of good fun.
Entries: A four-cour TV series.
ARIA The ANIMATION (Slice of Life) ★★★✓
The Pitch: In the distant future, much of humanity lives among the stars and wondrous technologies have been invented (including, debatably, time travel and travel between parallel universes). Mars has been colonized, and a variety of animals are in the process of being uplifted (well, mostly cats). This anime is not about that. Well, not really. See, Mars is now a water world and Venice has been mostly transplanted/recreated there. This anime is about a trio of gondoliers in Neo Venezia and their daily lives. It is also possibly one of the most relaxing anime you can watch.
Notes: ARIA is the sliciest of lifes. The world is incredibly well-detailed and realized, the characters are fun to watch, and the animation is relaxing (minus the times where facial expressions get overdone). Each time the opening theme plays you get a gentle tour of Neo Venezia or locations that will be visited in the episode. Also, I believe almost every character’s name starts with A.
Entries: Each series starts with “ARIA the…” – so it goes ANIMATION, NATURAL episode 0, NATURAL, OVA ~ARIETTA~, ORIGINATION, ORIGINATION side story That Little Secret Place, AVVENIRE, CREPUSCOLO, BENEDIZIONE. All the entries are enjoyable, though stopping after the ORIGINATION side story is an option since the last three are part of a “curtain call” trilogy which skips forward in time – while they aren’t bad, they don’t add much to the main story and I do somewhat prefer the definitive ending of ORIGINATION.
Azumanga Daioh (Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A group of high school girls (and a genius 10-year old) experience high school.
Notes: At first, I dropped this series. While the opening theme is legendary among early internet users, I found the first few episodes not to be terribly funny or interesting. But around episode 10, everything seemed to click for animation, characterization, and comedy; the rest of the ride was fantastic. And, fun tidbit: this anime is the source of the anglicized term “waifu” (though I’m not sure if that’s a point in favor or against it).
Entries: The two-cour TV series.
Baby Steps (Sports, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Eiichiro, a top student, decides to join a tennis club to improve his health and get out of a rut. His classmate Natsu encourages him as they both work towards becoming professional athletes.
Notes: A sports anime where the main character starts out by constantly losing and only slowly improving themselves through hard work. This is fairly unusual, as main characters often win through sheer determination or heart or something. When Eiichiro does succeed, this means the victories have a lot more weight to them. In my mind, this is the spiritual successor to Ace wo Nerae!: taking the improved animation quality and better storytelling techniques of the last 30 years and making a pretty great story out of it. Sadly, ends before things really get resolved (a common refrain in anime).
Entries: Two two-cour TV series.
Bamboo Blade (Comedy, Sports) ★★☆
The Pitch: Kojirō, a kendo teacher at high school, is out drinking with his college friend (who is also a kendo club advisor) when he is offered a bet: their kendo clubs will fight next year and the loser will pay for the winner’s meals for a year. Since Kojirō is broke, he happily accepts.
Notes: A weirdly enjoyable story with fun characters and decent plot. Just solid all around.
Entries: A two-cour TV series.
Binbougami ga! (Comedy, Ecchi) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Sakura has absorbed so much good luck that it has become practically a superpower for her. The god of poverty sends one of her sub-goddesses to take back the preternatural luck. Hilarity ensues.
Notes: Have you ever thought that the best superpower would be luck? Well, here you go: one of the best setups for a high school comedy yet. Admittedly, you might want to watch some other high school comedies first to get a feel for the tropes – of which there are many.
Entries: A one-cour TV series. Nothing else, which is very sad.
BIRDIE WING: Golf Girls’ Story (Comedy, Drama) ★★★
The Pitch: Eve is a young woman living with her adopted family in the back of a run-down bar. She helps provide the money to keep food on the table with her dangerous, high-stakes skill: golfing.
Notes: I picked this up, being mildly interested in seeing the Japanese take on a golfing sports anime, expecting something mildly entertaining. What I was not expecting was a Romeo and Juliet story with the golf mafia, an underground randomly-generated golf course, VR, and cyborgs. The show pivots to a more soap-opera-level drama (in a good way) towards the end of the first cour and the latter half of the second season is somewhat rushed, but it at least rushes to a conclusion.
Entries: Two one-cour TV series.
BLEND-S (Slice of Life, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: The daily lives of the employees of a “character” maid café, where each server takes on a character trope (it’s a Japanese thing) – a tsundere, the little sister, the big sister, the idol, and our main character the sadist (because she looks evil when she smiles).
Notes: Really, this is most notable for the memes spawned by its OP, but the show as a whole is actually fairly enjoyable. I recommend this over Gochuumon wa Usagi desu ka?, as that one is a bit too generically cutesy. Nothing amazing here, but good mindless entertainment.
Entries: The one-cour TV series.
BLOOD+ (Action, Drama, Horror elements) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: Saya awakens to her power to hunt vampires and her friends and family are scattered across the globe as a result.
Notes: Twists, turns, adventure, and a dash of romance make for an interesting trek. Nothing staggeringly impressive, but a solid story nonetheless.
Entries: Just the three-cour TV series.
Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou (Romance, Comedy, Slice of Life) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Usa moves into a dorm and falls in love with Ritsu, a bookish girl related to the dorm’s owner.
Notes: A nice little romance anime, which of course has no resolution. You’ll have to read the manga to get an ending.
Entries: A one-cour TV series and a side-story Special, First Time.
Brigadoon: Marin to Melan (Adventure, Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: An orphaned girl living with her adoptive family in poverty has her life turned upside-down (heh) when a city appears in the sky above Earth and she finds a robot/mech/thing which begins to protect her from the aliens coming from Brigadoon.
Notes: So, there’s a movie called Brigadoon (well, adapted from a 1947 musical). This is an adaptation of the musical about as much as Shirayuki-hime is of Snow White or Samurai 7 is of Seven Samurai – which is to say that this one has a lot more aliens and mechs. Admittedly, I hated the Gene Kelly Brigadoon, so this is actually a point in favor of the anime version, I suppose. While the ending is a bit rushed and requires some serious reconsideration of the whole plot for anything to make sense, the dramatic moments are a lot more visceral and serious than I was expecting, without being overdone (most of the time).
Entries: A two-cour TV series.
Cardcaptor Sakura (Mahou Shoujo, Comedy) ★★☆
The Pitch: Quite possibly the most classic Mahou Shoujo of them all. Good characters, a formula that weirdly doesn’t get old even across many episodes, and an actual resolution.
Notes: This is the most famous of the CLAMP megaverse. It’s also probably tied for best (alongside xxxHOLiC), and requires none of the truly arcane knowledge necessary to interpret some of the others (just try to explain Tsubasa). I just want to say, though: Tomoyo was robbed and Syaoran is a whiny crybaby.
Entries: The original 6 cours of TV (often split into 3 seasons in English releases), alongside The Movie and The Sealed Card movie. If you hate Syaoran like I do, don’t watch The Sealed Card. Avoid the Clear Card reboot/sequel.
Choujikuu Yousai Macross (Mecha, Action) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Humanity repairs an enormous crashed alien ship called the Macross and escapes from an attack by the alien Zentradi who wish to capture it.
Notes: Second only to Mobile Suit Gundam, Macross has an influence that spans many, many entries. The only worthwhile one is the original, and even that is only just barely worth it (though it does have a character named Maximillian Jenius, which is amazing). If I were to trim this list further, this would be one of the first to go, sadly. That being said, it has enough interesting ideas to keep it on and avoids the loss of ’80s mech fantasy that plagues later entries.
Sidenote: in English, Macross was originally chopped up and blended with two other, unrelated, shows to create Robotech.
Entries: Three-cour TV series.
Chuu Bra!! (Comedy) ★★☆
The Pitch: Nayu starts middle school with a bang and attempts to start an underwear appreciation club.
Notes: Now, I know this sounds like it would be complete and utter trash, but it’s not. I wouldn’t even consider this ecchi. Instead, this is a look at coming of age from the perspective of a young girl – but without the usual trappings of transformations and magic that typically accompany such stories. The realism and matter-of-fact nature of the presentation simply override the hesitations you’re probably feeling right now if you’re male. This is what I was looking for before B Gata H Kei strayed too far into the will-they/won’t-they (without a resolution) and Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo. drowned in melodrama.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Claymore (Action, Drama, Horror elements) ★★☆
The Pitch: An elite fighting force holds back the demons that plague towns and villages. These are the Claymore, silver-eyed young women trained to fight until they die or are consumed by their own power. The weakest of these 47 warriors is Clare, who swore to avenge her mentor Teresa.
Notes: It’s difficult to recommend this series since it ends before anything really happens. In truth, the series simply sets up the main story – though you don’t know that until about 3/4 of the way through. Still, once you do know that, the setup really is quite good. In many ways, this parallels Berserk – including ending right when something terrible is happening.
Entries: A two-cour TV show, which I wish would get a second season to actually follow through on all the pretty fantastic worldbuilding (but I know it won’t).
Comic Girls (Comedy, Slice of Life) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Kaos (pen name) moves to a female dorm with other manga authors in her quest to improve her writing and drawing ability – and to eventually get her work serialized.
Notes: The manga equivalent of SHIROBAKO, while being more lighthearted than Bakuman.. The story of Bakuman. dragged a bit too much for my liking (and was a bit too serious for its own good), so this is my recommendation. That being said, not much happens in this series either. It’s mostly Cute Girls Doing Cute Things, but it’s still enjoyable.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Cutey Honey (Mahou Shoujo, Ecchi) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Honey Kisaragi’s surrogate father, Professor Kisaragi, is killed by the evil Panther Claw. On his deathbed, he reveals that Honey is actually an android capable of transforming into various superheroines, including the titular Cutey Honey.
Notes: Okay, admittedly, I got into this one based on the opening song. There are various incarnations of Cutey Honey, all of which have a weird, irreverent, slightly raunchy look at the Mahou Shoujo genre. If it were just that, don’t know if I would have included it. Two of the entries, though, are just so different that I think the whole package is worth trying. Uh, also, don’t watch with family unless you’re really sure.
Entries: I’d recommend watching at least a few episodes of either the original 1973 Cutey Honey or the reboot from 1997, Cutey Honey F (slightly better, I think). Once you’ve done that, you can watch Shin Cutey Honey (my personal favorite, but you need to be familiar with the characters) and Re: Cutie Honey. Re is very, very out there animation-wise, and takes a certain mindset to get in to. After that, if you haven’t already (and you’re still interested), go back to the original or F.
Dantalian no Shoka (Adventure, Mystery) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A former RAF pilot inherits a mansion from his grandfather and discovers a young girl living among the thousands of books his grandfather collected during his lifetime. The two of them set off to recover forbidden grimoires which grant fabulous power to the readers at costly prices.
Notes: If Tatakau Shisho is a little too action-oriented for your librarian-centered tastes, Dantalian no Shoka is an excellent alternative. A series of short stories à la the classic Christie novels (though less mystery and more action), each with their own twist and expanding the lore of a fascinating world.
Entries: One-cour TV series and OVA Ibarahime.
Dennou Coil (Adventure, Mystery) ★★★
The Pitch: MMBN the anime. Not that one. In the near future, almost everyone wears augmented reality glasses. This is a story about what that means when the augmented world starts influencing the real one. Similar in concept to Snow Crash.
Notes: This entry has the unusual distinction of being almost entirely unheard of, while also being quite brilliant. A realistic, engaging look at a small science fiction story of a possible near future.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Do It Yourself!! (Slice of Life) ★★☆
The Pitch: Simply a relaxing school club anime about home crafts, set in a next Sunday A.D. Japan.
Notes: I’m not sure how the main character’s name would translate into English, but for the sake of appreciating the pun I’ll just ask you to pronounce “Yua Serufu” out loud. This anime doesn’t really do anything extraordinary, but it’s a solid, enjoyable, and heartwarming (or in the lingo, iyashikei) Cute Girls Do Cute Things show for a relaxing Saturday.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
DRIFTERS (Action, Adventure) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Just before death, famous warriors of history are brought into a fantasy world to fight each other to gain control of the world.
Notes: Written by the same author as Hellsing, DRIFTERS is a slower-paced show that feels much like the original incarnation of Hellsing (without the weird ending). It’s difficult to recommend for that reason, but it’s an enjoyable ride if you want to see famous Japanese historical figures battling alongside Hannibal, Scipio, Rasputin, Joan of Arc, and possibly Jesus Christ. Also Hitler. There’s significant irreverence to all these characters which helps ignore the real-world connections, but it can still be off-putting.
Entries: One-cour TV series from 2016 with a follow-up 3-episode OVA in 2017.
Durarara!! (Action, Mystery) ★★☆
The Pitch: In the downtown of Ikebukuro (an area of Tokyo), there are gangs, myths, legends, Russian sushi restaurants, and high schoolers. Durarara!! is the story of where those characters intersect.
Notes: The intro episodes to Durarara!! set up the world in a way that keeps you constantly thinking “That person knows that person? Oooh.” From there, three stories are told during the first season that create a convincing and magical relationship graph. It falters a bit (both believability and plot-wise) as the focus shifts to the high school students, but remains entertaining throughout.
Entries: The first two-cour TV series (and its two specials) are all I’ve seen so far, but the story is continued in three additional one-cour series under the x2 label, each with their own single specials.
Escha & Logy no Atelier: Tasogare no Sora no Renkinjutsushi (Adventure, Slice of Life) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Escha is an alchemist who lives in a town near the edge of the habitable world. An endless desert is encroaching on all the remaining bastions of civilization, while the alchemists work towards exploring the ruins of the fallen civilization, helping the townfolk, and pushing back the desert.
Notes: This show is definitely missing some middle bits, but is still an enjoyable slice of life (though it’s pretty obvious that it was adapted from a video game).
Entries: One-cour TV series.
FLCL (Comedy, Drama) ★★☆
The Pitch: Naota is growing up in a backwater town, jealous of his brother. He spends his days complaining that nothing happens while hanging out with his brother’s ex-girlfriend, when an alien in the form of a pink-haired girl on a Vespa runs him over, hits him in the head with her guitar, and fights the giant robot that climbs out of his forehead. And that’s the first episode.
Notes: Explaining or understanding the plot of FLCL (I believe pronounced fooley-cooley) is practically impossible. It can only be experienced. The animation is unusual, to say the least. The soundtrack is pretty great (it is now part of my collection).
Entries: Just the 6-episode OVA. There are no sequels. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Flip Flappers (Action, Mahou Shoujo) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Cocona is unsure what to do in life until Papika appears, standing on top a bus stop, and they travel to a different world – that of Pure Illusion. There, they gather crystal shards for Flip Flap while Cocona learns how to step out of her comfort zone.
Notes: A psychedelic mahou shoujo clearly influenced by the darkness made famous by Madoka Magica, but staying more upbeat in message. The ending gets a bit convoluted (as often happens with anime), but it does have an end.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Flying Witch (Slice of Life, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A relaxing, (literally) magical adventure in the Japanese countryside. Just pleasant all around.
Notes: It’s been quite some time since I watched this, but I remember quite liking it.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Full Metal Panic! (Action, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Kaname may have “Whispered” knowledge, which is sought after by every military organization on the planet. Sousuke, raised as a child soldier before escaping and joining MITHRIL (a mercenary peacekeeping organization), is sent to protect her. He has no knowledge of a “normal” high school life, so this proves challenging for him. All the while, mysterious figures are moving to either capture or kill Kaname.
Notes: An enjoyable story with compelling characters, though as with many anime it is unfinished. The show is unabashedly pro-MITHRIL, so you may need to be okay with the thought of a private military company having the most advanced equipment in the world and free license to do practically anything they want. It is based on a series of twelve novels, of which the first 10 have been adapted as of now. Since the most recent season came out 13 years after the previous, there’s still hope for the story to be completed…someday.
Entries: A two-cour TV series, followed by a side story one-cour TV show Fumoffu, then The Second Raid (starting with the special Scene 00), then Invisible Victory. The Second Raid wasn’t as good as the first two seasons (for a variety of reasons), and had a truly terrible special I’m excluding from this list.
Fune wo Amu (Drama, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: The story follows the characters of the dictionary department of a publishing company as they compile a new dictionary, with all the troubles and time that takes.
Notes: A slow-paced series, telling the story of the daily lives of an unseen part of the world. A lot of heart, and one of the few from the josei demographic.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Futari wa Precure (Mahou Shoujo) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Lacrosse player Nagisa and bookworm Honoka cross paths after a falling star brings both of them strange alien companions which allow them to transform into Cure Black and Cure White to fight the forces of the Dark Five and recover the Prism Stones.
Notes: Okay, I might have a weakness for good opening themes (and ending themes here, too!). As shows go, this is a very standard Mahou Shoujo – but the characters are charming enough that its hard to put down and enjoyable to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon (and don’t worry, Pisard disappears after the first five episodes).
Entries: Four-cour TV series with Max Heart four-cour TV series sequel, followed by two movie sequels Max Heart and Max Heart 2. I would recommend against watching any of the many, many spinoffs (which are all far more 3D-centric and uninteresting in my opinion).
Gakkou Gurashi! (Slice of Life, Psychological) ★★★✓
The Pitch: Yuki is part of the “School living” club, where members live at school and can’t remain members if they leave.
Notes: Honestly? That’s all I should say. Just watch the first episode – the whole first episode – and you’ll see why this is a must-watch. Also, their teacher has a MINI – which I appreciate.
Entries: One-cour TV series. Ah, if only there were more.
Gaikotsu Kishi-sama, Tadaima Isekai e Odekakechuu (Comedy, Isekai) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: Our hero, self-named Arc, finds himself reincarnated into another world in his video game avatar – that of a skeleton knight!
Notes: This is mostly a trash power-fantasy isekai. But it also has a tremendous opening (apparently sung by a famous YouTuber who covers anime themes), with a reference to what some might call the first superhero, Ougon Bat. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t even have included it except for that. I didn’t want to include any anime which weren’t worth your time here, so that should give you an idea of just how good that opening is; if any show were a tenth as good, it would automatically be included here. That being said, Arc is still a fairly entertaining main character (even if I would normally slot this just below Slime isekai, which is supposed to be my baseline for including an isekai show).
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Gakuen Alice (Comedy, Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Sakura’s best friend Hotaru left without letting anyone know. Her destination was even more concerning: Alice Academy, a prestigious school for gifted students where it is rumored the students are prisoners. Sakura heads there to free her friend, but eventually gets herself enrolled instead – alongside a cast of characters with abilities strange and fabulous.
Notes: The main love interest in this show is terrible, and I almost didn’t finish this show because of him. But other than that, it’s a fascinating look at friendships, power, and morality. Once again, it ends without real resolution so I have to recommend the manga.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Gakuen Mokushiroku: HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD (Action, Drama, Ecchi elements) ★★☆
The Pitch: The world is ending and zombies are killing everyone. A group of high school students attempts to survive between humans grasping for power and zombies grasping for brains.
Notes: Even worse than normal: the author died before finishing the manga so there is truly no resolution to this story. The plot teeters on the brink of harem for fanservice reasons, but usually avoids it. There’s plenty of action, twists, and turns to keep you interested. The ecchi can be distracting as I undertand it (After recommending this show to a friend, I was told that I must be immune to fanservice – which is entirely possible).
Entries: One-cour TV series and an OVA you probably shouldn’t watch.
Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! (Slice of Life, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Birth rates have dropped to the point that most schools are being shut down. In one of the last high schools, students live their lives just waiting for it all to be over. Manami, on the other hand, wants her high school life to be the most fun it can be. This is the story of a positive outlook in a difficult world.
Notes: A solid coming-of-age story in a unique setting. Quite a bit of fun.
Entries: One-cour TV series (though I’ve just noticed there’s a special I’d missed watching).
Galaxy Angel (Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Milfeulle is a girl with incredible luck. Such incredible luck, in fact, that she doesn’t even recognize it. She joins a team of elite treasure hunters called the Angel Brigade, in search of Lost Technology. They fly from planet to planet, seeking items which were created in a time before such knowledge was lost. Her companions are a costume-obsessed genius rich girl, a boy-obsessed martial arts fighter, a cleric of an unknown religion, and a gun-obsessed tomboy.
Notes: One of those stories that leans into the madness of the situations they can create, without relying solely on the situation to carry the show. Mostly episodic in nature, and just quite a bit of fun in general. Has a couple episodes which come out of nowhere, break from the comedy to tell a serious story, and then are never seen again.
Entries: Two-cour TV shorts series with special episode, one-cour sequel Z, two-cour sequel A with special episodes AA, two-story/one-episode special S, and one-cour sequel X.
GAMERS! (Romance, Comedy) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: Amano likes Karen. Karen likes Amano. Aguri likes Tasuku, and Tasuku is growing to like Aguri. Chiaki is entirely hung out to dry. Most of them are obsessed with gaming. But because this anime, they all think the others like someone else. This is the anime that revolves around creating as many misunderstandings as possible.
Notes: It’s not bad. I appreciated that the classic “school club” plot is dumped almost immediately (though it does come back later), and the characters are all charming in their own ways. The main character has a strangely young-sounding voice actor and nothing really resolves (as is common in manga adaptations), but it’s not a bad distraction for an afternoon and the misunderstandings are quite often hilarious. It is sad that it didn’t wrap up entirely: I think it would have been the perfect length for what it was doing.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Gankutsuou (Drama, Mystery) ★★☆
The Pitch: A retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo told from the perspective of Albert de Morcerf, only it’s space in the future, the Count is a vampire, and there are demons and mecha. So pretty faithful, by anime standards.
Notes: Animation style is unique, and The Count of Monte Cristo is a good story. The anime does not disappoint.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (Comedy, Romance) ★★★
The Pitch: Chiyo’s favorite mangaka is Sakiko Yumeno, which she discovers is actually the pen-name of her high-school crush, Nozaki. She attempts to ask him out, but Nozaki turns out to be impossibly thick.
Notes: The joke is somewhat reliant on meta-knowledge of Shoujo romance manga and anime tropes, but it is hilarious nonetheless.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Genshiken (Slice of Life, Comedy) ★★★
The Pitch: Kanji is definitely not an otaku. He is definitely not going to join the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture at college (the manga and anime club names were already taken). And yet, here we are.
Notes: This is the story of nerd culture in Japan, and it’s an important one for all. The relationships are believable, the characters show the strange collection of folks that come together for common interest, and it’s just plain fun.
Entries: One-cour TV series, 3-episode OVA, one-cour sequel 2, Nidaime OVA, Nidaime, then Nidaime Specials. I didn’t like Nidaime as much, but it has an important place in the story.
Ghost Hunt (Mystery, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Kazuya hunts ghosts for a living. Alongside Mai and several exorcists of various denomination, they determine the cause and solution for each paranormal case.
Notes: This is Ghost Hunters if ghosts were real (so, you know, actually good). It takes its time with the stories which is good for detail but bad for length – you only get a few “stories” across the 25-episode run.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Ghost Stories (Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Gakkou no Kaidan was a fairly unremarkable series. When it was licensed for English audiences, though, the dubbing cast decided to have fun with it. So instead, we get all the character attributes amped up to 11, a Bible-obsessed friend in a world of ghosts, and some of the most hilarious dialogue to grace the screen.
Notes: The only time I will recommend the dub over the sub, but for obvious reasons. While you can probably get 80% of the hilarity out of YouTube compilations, there is something to be said for watching the whole, glorious mess. And of all things, there’s a conclusive ending.
Entries: Two-cour TV series and a side-story OVA SP. Only watch the English dub.
GOSICK (Drama, Romance, Mystery) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Kazuya, shunned by his classmates due to his black hair, stumbles across a young girl who lives alone in the library tower at his school. She is incredibly intelligent, but mystery surrounds her.
Notes: Admittedly, I started this expecting a mystery show. This is not a mystery show, and you will be disappointed if that’s all you’re looking for. Sure, there are mysteries which are solved, but the plot is primarily concerned with the relationships of the main characters and those attempting to manipulate them. The ending is a bit weird, and some of the implications of key plot points are concerning if you think about them too much. Still, enjoyable.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST (Action, Adventure) ★★★
The Pitch: Edward Elric and his brother, Alphonse, attempted forbidden alchemy and paid for it with their bodies. Edward lost his leg and arm, while his brother lost his whole body – condemned to live within a metal suit of armor. Since then, they have searched for the philosopher’s stone to restore their bodies.
Notes: This is sometimes referred to as the anime to get people into anime. Admittedly, the storytelling is quite palatable for a western audience, and it slowly introduces the elements which are often hallmarks of more esoteric anime. This is no disparagement of the anime: it’s well-produced, has an interesting story and cast, and really is everything a good story should be. The ending is a bit haphazard, but definitely wraps things up.
Entries: Six-cour TV series from 2009 (also known as Brotherhood), 4-episode OVA collection, and the movie Milos no Seinaru Hoshi. The movie is…okay…and eminently skippable.
Haibane Renmei (Drama, Slice of Life) ★★★✓
The Pitch: Rakka awakens in Old Home, alongside a cast of characters with wings and haloes. This is the story of their daily life and their journey to find purpose.
Notes: It’s difficult to explain why I recommend this so highly without speaking of the themes rather than the text itself. Beyond beautiful environments and incredibly detailed world-building (which you get to hear none of, but that’s part of the charm in a way), it’s not much of a stretch to say that this is a story about Purgatory and what might happen there.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san (Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Lovecraft as only anime can do it, where Cthulhu is a sexy teacher and Nyarlathotep is a high school girl with a crush on the main character.
Notes: There are three requirements to enjoy this show: a love of anime, Lovecraft, and the Call of Cthulhu RPG (this last one is more important than you might think, as there are countless references to the RPG, including in the OP), and possibly an in-depth knowledge of Gundam. Assuming you cover all three of those, there’s a charming story here – though one that is more Lovecraft-themed than truly Lovecraftian; there’s a reason I didn’t include Horror as a genre.
Entries: One-cour TV series, side OVA Yasashii Teki no Shitome-kata, second one-cour season W with OVA, and sequel OVA F.
Hakumei to Mikochi (Slice of Life) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Hakumei and Mikochi are small girls who live in a forest with other small creatures. Essentially The Borrowers without humans.
Notes: A pleasant ride with nothing but pleasant times.
Entries: One-cour TV series and side-story OVA.
Hataraki Man (Drama, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Following the life of a woman working at a magazine company, Hataraki Man is a window into and critique of Japan’s work culture.
Notes: My understanding is that this representation is painfully accurate to the problems facing Japan as a working culture. It’s enjoyable without that, but the critique it presents is both amusing and chilling.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Hellsing (Action, Horror elements) ★★☆
The Pitch: Dracula is real and terrifying, but at least he’s on our side. The English Hellsing organization hunts down supernatural threats with the help of Alucard and his newest convert, Seras Victoria.
Notes: Much like DRIFTERS, the characters are turned up to 11 and the drama and action falls in line. While I would have preferred less of a “big battle” ending (in Ultimate) and more focus on Seras’ story, what we got is still a fairly great time.
Entries: The 2001 one-cour Hellsing TV series and a 2006 10-episode OVA Hellsing Ultimate. The mood is better in the first few episodes of Hellsing, but quickly derails as they ran out of manga to adapt. Ultimate is quite pretty and completes the story, but starts to slog a bit as the final battle begins. There’s a prequel special, The Dawn, which is skippable.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Horror, Mystery, Slice of Life) ★★★
The Pitch: In the Japanese countryside, Keiichi makes friends with his new classmates. Soon, paranoia begins to creep in as more and more things begin to go awry.
Notes: One of the most enjoyable horror anime in my opinion (for spoiler reasons), though I think the sneak previews of horror at the beginning of each arc detract from the experience. More consistent than I initially expected (though I still have a few questions), and does a fantastic job of both making you care about the characters and exploring their motivations. The <spoiler> character gets a frustratingly long set of episodes near the end of Kai, even if they make sense in context. And once you’re done with all the death and murder, you get Kira – at which point even the first fanservice episode (which is skippable) is a welcome respite, and the last episode is almost mandatory.
Entries: A two-cour TV series with special Nekogoroshi-hen, two-cour TV sequel Kai, 5-episode OVA Rei, then 4-episode OVA Kira (which is definitely probably not canon, but a welcome “reward” anyway. Not often you get this upbeat of an opening in a horror anime). Don’t watch the Outbreak movie. There’s a remake/sequel in two series (Rei and GOU), but it is not as good.
Hikaru no Go (Sports) ★★☆
The Pitch: Hikaru finds his grandfather’s Go board which transfers the spirit of the world’s best Go player to him, who desires only to play the “perfect” game of Go. He learns to play Go and gradually finds his footing in the world.
Notes: One of the best sports anime while simultaneously making fun of the propensity of shōnen protagonists to inexplicably win all the time with no experience.
Entries: A 7-cour TV series, followed by the movie sequel Hokuto Hai e no Michi.
HINAMATSURI (Comedy) ★★☆
The Pitch: Hina, possibly from the future but definitely with supernatural powers, appears in a cocoon in the apartment of a yakuza member. Hilarity ensues.
Notes: Consistently hilarious and contains some remarkable continuity. Though I wish it had continued, it’s a good compact story nonetheless. Plus, it has perhaps the best-delivered line in anime in the first minute.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Honzuki no Gekokujou: Shisho ni Naru Tame ni wa Shudan wo Erandeiraremasen (Adventure elements, Slice of Life, Isekai) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A bookworm dies and is reincarnated as a sickly girl in a world…without books! Her mission is clear: create a library.
Notes: Possibly the first straightforward isekai on this list, this is a fun story to immerse yourself in. Also contains some existential questions as the story progresses. Hopefully future seasons can maintain the quality.
Entries: Three one-cour TV series with an OVA side story for each of the first two seasons.
Howl no Ugoku Shiro (Adventure) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Sophie is cursed to be a 90-year-old woman, and goes looking for a way to break the curse. She comes upon Howl’s moving castle where she takes up residence as a cleaning lady.
Notes: A fairly standard Ghibli adventure, and one of the ones I found most enjoyable. The story is solid and the animation is, well, by Ghibli.
Entries: Movie.
HUNTER×HUNTER (Action, Adventure) ★★★
The Pitch: Gon wants to find his father who disappeared when he was a baby. His father was one of the legendary Hunters, so Gon attempts to join the organization to get clues about his father’s whereabouts. He meets a truly legendary (both quantity and quality-wise) cast of characters in the attempt.
Notes: Like Baby Steps, Gon doesn’t automatically succeed; much of the time success is only due to others helping him. As mentioned, there are inconceivable numbers of characters. Most have skill sets and basic personality that are fleshed out even if they are destined to die (sometimes within the episode). The worldbuilding is fascinating and the stories get better and more complex even when you think they can’t (though that one arc certainly takes its time).
Entries: The 2011 148-episode TV series with a much lighter recommendation for the side story movies Phantom Rouge and The Last Mission (which are more alternate side story than canon). The 1999 TV series is slower and doesn’t cover nearly as much material, but has some anime filler that’s actually fairly enjoyable if you find yourself just wanting more. Some characterization is better fleshed out there as well.
Entries: Two one-cour TV series with one OVA side story each.
Hyakko (Comedy, Slice of Life) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: Ayumi begins her high school life at Kamizono by getting lost among the twisting turns and enormous campus, before running in to a high-spirited girl who leaps out of a second-story window.
Notes: There’s little at first to distinguish this from many other shows in the same genre, and the aforementioned high-spirited girl is quite frequently a legitimately terrible person. Still, you grow to like the unusual cast of characters over the series’ too-short run, and the show walks a mostly-successful line between the comedy baseline and the dramatic moments.
Entries: One-cour TV series with a side story OVA.
Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou (Comedy, Action, Ecchi) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Akuto is the next demon king, and his journey through high school will be fraught with peril (and women) because of it.
Notes: This is not a good show. It is, however, an fairly entertaining show. Quite a bit of plot is packed into the season (though perhaps a bit too much at the end), and the constant concepts being introduced keep it fresh.
Entries: One-cour TV series. Do not watch the specials. DO NOT watch the specials. This is your only warning.
Ikoku Meiro no Croisée (Slice of Life) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Yune is a young girl from Japan who asks to accompany an elderly gentleman from Paris back to his son’s metalworking shop in order to become their housekeeper. Both Yune and the son must learn about each other’s culture.
Notes: A relaxing, ARIA-adjacent show about a turn-of-the-century Paris. Not much happens, but that’s okay. Very much a comfort show.
Entries: One-cour TV series, as well as a side story OVA.
Isekai Nonbiri Nouka (Slice of Life, Isekai) ★☆☆
The Pitch: After dying of an unspecified illness, Hiraku is reincarnated by a god with an impeccably healthy body as way of apology for having his life cut too short. Blessed with a peaceful life and a universal farming tool, he begins to start his farming life in the middle of the Forest of Death.
Notes: Yet another isekai, but this one has a certain charm which is hard to shake – despite the harem-y feeling. The main character actually has a relationship and gets married, which is honestly far more rare than you’d think in these sorts of shows (well, maybe not). The power fantasy aspects are treated as comedy material and usually take second seat to the slow growth of Hiraku’s village, which is about the right balance. His superpowers feel more natural than most, and explanations/extensions of them don’t feel contrived – which is also quite rare.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Isekai Shokudou (Slice of Life) ★★☆
The Pitch: Each week, on the Day of Satur, a mysterious door appears throughout the land. Beastmen, devils, dragons, and humans all enter the door and put aside their differences. Inside, a restaurant from another world serves affordable cuisine that no one has ever heard of. This is Western Restaurant Nekoya from somewhere in Japan.
Notes: As close to a literal slice of life as you can get. Combining food, fantasy, and a sprig of romance, you get a series of tales that are hilarious, occasionally touching, and enjoyable.
Entries: Two one-cour TV series.
[Title Redacted] (Comedy, [Redacted]) ★★☆
The Pitch: [Redacted]
Notes: [Redacted]. It was actually taken off air after it started releasing. I can’t actually recommend this, despite the important place I believe it has in explaining and justifying certain aspects of Japanese culture, nor for the lessons it has embedded in its humor.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita (Slice of Life, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Recently, a new race of creatures has begun taking over the Earth. These fairies have unimaginable power, but desire sweets above all else – something they can’t make themselves. Though human populations are dwindling, the few that are left must deal with these strange creatures and their whimsical thought process.
Notes: This show leans on “weirdness” above all else. It works for the majority of the runtime, but by the end I still desired slightly more explanation or plot advancement. Still, it was entertaining.
Entries: One-cour TV series. There are 6 short specials that are mildly entertaining.
Joshiraku (Comedy) ★★☆
The Pitch: Five girls who practice the art of rakugo spend time together after finishing their stories and talk about a variety of things in their dressing room. Or, as the show says: This anime is full of ordinary dialogue so that viewers can fully enjoy how cute the girls are.
Notes: This is one of the best comedies out there, made more impressive given the typically bottled nature of the episodes. While I should mention you might want to give Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu a watch first to understand rakugo better, it isn’t strictly necessary. That being said, there are many, many references (even the ending song is a rakugo reference) to Japanese culture which may be difficult to catch if this is the first thing you watch – so I’d recommend holding off a bit on this one. This has the distinction of having a pretty fantastic opening as well as the meme-level ending theme – they’re both just infectiously upbeat.
Entries: One-cour TV series and side story OVA.
Juuni Kokuki (Adventure) ★★★
The Pitch: Youko, ridiculed in Japan for her red hair, is pulled into another world alongside two of her friends by a mysterious man named Keiki. There, she discovers she is destined to be queen of a failing nation.
Notes: One of the best (and only) successful interwoven narratives, with a rich world and fleshed-out characters. The novel it was based on has been slowly releasing since 1992 – and this anime is only from 2002 – so once again we are left with cliffhangers.
Entries: Four-cour TV series. Includes three recap episodes. Skip 14-21 if you absolutely despise unresolved plot threads.
K-ON! (Slice of Life) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Yui is a listless girl who signs up for the Light Music Club (K-ON) on a whim, despite not playing an instrument. She begins to learn how to play the guitar as her friendships with the other club members deepen.
Notes: A surprisingly in-depth and complete look at high school life for these characters, which we get to see mature and change over the course of the series. Certainly one of the better Cute Girls Do Cute Things entries.
Entries: One-cour TV series followed by a two-cour TV series, the special Plan!, and The Movie.
Kaiba (Adventure, Mystery elements) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Kaiba appears with a massive hole in his chest and a pendant with the picture of a woman on it. In this world, society is a cyberpunk dystopia. Death is no longer the end as your memories can be stored in a crystal that can be transferred to a new body. But where do you get the bodies, and how can you be sure your memories are your own?
Notes: Animated in an almost Seussian fashion, this is a tale of transhumanist existential horror. That’s really all you need to know.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Kaiko sareta Ankoku Heishi (30-dai) no Slow na Second Life (Slice of Life, Drama) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: After getting kicked out of the Demon Army, Dariel visits the human’s lands to spend his retirement.
Notes: Not quite an isekai, but certainly feels it from time to time. This one barely makes it on the list, staying mostly because it actually tells a fairly complete story and shows aspects of life which aren’t usually covered by anime. The character relationships are solid enough that it’s worth a watch, even if the power fantasy creeping in at the edges ruins some moments.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Kageki Shoujo!! (Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Sarasa is entering the Kouka School of Musical and Theatrical Arts. She dreams of one day playing Lady Oscar as the lead otokoyaku (woman who plays male roles) of the troupe. She, and her classmates, must all learn from each other and deal with the demons of their past.
Notes: I would rate this higher if it continued (and perhaps it still will), but this is still an entertaining Glass no Kamen-style drama about the cutthroat world of acting. It almost goes overboard with the melodrama a couple times, but it quickly rights itself each time.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Kaleido Star (Drama, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Sora joins Kaleido Star, a circus she once saw as a child. There, she meets Layla Hamilton and discovers she may be the one to complete the “legendary maneuver.”
Notes: Though it is occasionally melodramatic and has a fairly high quantity of “terrible people, but they teach the main character something so everyone tolerates them for some reason,” Kaleido Star is one of those fundamentally enjoyable shows which combine a solid story, likeable characters, and good direction. The first half is probably better, but the second half still has quite a few great moments, has stronger theming, and is overall a worthy continuation.
Entries: Four-cour TV series and two sequel OVAs, Extra Stage and Legend of Phoenix.
Kamisama Hajimemashita (Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Recently homeless Nanami is saved by a mysterious man who offers her his home, since he is leaving it. She accepts, only to find that she is now the local goddess. Her time as a goddess is filled with unusual problems and a romance with the familiar of the shrine, Tomoe.
Notes: A wonderfully sappy romance. Just an all-around good time.
Entries: One-cour TV series. The two-episode OVA and second season, ◎, didn’t seem as good but I’m going to be giving them another try soon since I enjoyed the first season so much.
Kanata no Astra (Adventure, Mystery) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A group of high schoolers are on their scheduled vacation to another planet, where they have to survive a week on their own. When they get there, though, they are thrown across the galaxy into space where they have to work their way back.
Notes: Almost truly great. A few moments, plot holes, and hard-to-swallow twists take it down from near perfection to just good. But good is still good.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä (Action, Adventure) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Princess Nausicaä protects the valley against the ohmu, insect creatures from the jungle. She searches for answers and a way to stop the war.
Notes: Another Studio Ghibli Miyazaki film, and probably his best (I know what I said). There’s a lot to this story – probably too much for just one movie – but it gets the point across.
Entries: Movie.
Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran (Adventure, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Ran is a wandering samurai who occasionally runs into her sometimes-friend Meow, a Chinese martial artist. Their adventures range from madcap to poetic.
Notes: I almost included Slice of Life in the genres here, as this is just a relaxing story about justice, sake, and sword fights. Doesn’t really do much plot-wise, but it’s quite enjoyable just the same.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Keijo!!!!!!!! (Ecchi, Comedy, Sports) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Nozomi enters the world of Keijo, a sport where they must use their feminine…assets…to knock their opponent into the water.
Notes: I think this may be the reason I am immune to fanservice (alongside SHIMONETA, perhaps). This is truly the most over-the-top, ridiculous, incomprehensible, and hilarious sports anime imaginable. I guarantee you will spend your time in disbelief about what is transpiring.
Entries: One-cour TV series. Don’t watch the specials.
Kemono Friends (Adventure) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A human awakens in the middle of Japari Park, where most animals have undergone transformations into human-like creatures due to a substance found in the park. Serval has never seen a human before, but decides to help Kaban (“bag” in Japanese) find their way out.
Notes: Part of the interest in Kemono Friends comes from the story behind production. The budget for the show was so low that they couldn’t even afford to animate the wheels on a bus in one episode (I really tried to come up with a joke about the wheels on the bus not going ’round, here). Despite this, the cast of characters puts their full charm on display, and the friendships developed are really quite engaging. The opening theme even adds each new “friend” as they are discovered throughout the series, which I’ve never seen done elsewhere. That sort of attention is payed everywhere (albeit with next to no budget), including a remarkably interesting twist to the worldbuilding.
Entries: One-cour TV series. Ignore the sequel.
Kemono no Souja Erin (Adventure, Drama) ★★☆
The Pitch: Erin is the daughter of the village beastkeeper. For reasons encroaching on spoiler territory, Erin is forced out of the village and must grow up in the wide world while nurturing her love of the beasts found across the land.
Notes: A story almost epic in scope, spanning both times and locations. Though animation does get reused and some metaphors get a little too mixed up with the storytelling, the plot and characters are some of the best around.
Entries: One four-cour TV series.
Kenpuu Denki Berserk (Action) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Guts is the black swordsman: he carries the largest sword around and will give up no ground. He is hunted by demons – both real and imaginary.
Notes: I can’t recommend this if you aren’t going to read the manga. The show ends at quite possibly the worst possible point. Before that, however, you get incredibly-detailed story and animation masterfully crafted. Even if you do read the manga, however, the mangaka died before completing the story. There’s a slim chance his assistants will finish off the story, but otherwise you are left with cliffhangers on both fronts.
Entries: The 1997 two-cour TV series. Read the manga if you want more.
Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor (Drama, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: In the near future, labor is almost entirely handled by giant robots named Labors. Because of this, Labor crime has risen and Tokyo needs a solution. This is the story of “Patrol Labor” section 2 and Izumi, a female police officer who is recruited into their ranks.
Notes: This is a classic mech series. While the original OVA and movie are better paced than the TV show, both are worth a shot.
Entries: 1988 7-episode OVA, The Movie, WXIII movie, Patlabor 2: The Movie, four-cour TV series ON TELEVISION, then 16-episode OVA The New Files.
Kill la Kill (Action, Ecchi elements) ★★☆
The Pitch: Ryuuki is searching for her father’s killer. The only clue she has to go on is half a pair of oversized scissor-swords. She heads to Honnouji Academy, where students are ranked and granted the privilege of wearing special uniforms which give them superpowers. One of Ryuuki’s teachers is a member of the terrorist organization Nudist Beach, who are fighting against an evil clothing monopoly.
Notes: A series which leans in to the madness of anime and tells a pretty amusing story while doing so, all while beautifully animated.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Kimi no Koto ga Dai Dai Dai Dai Daisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo (Comedy, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Due to a mistake the god of love made while watching Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa, Rentarou is slated to have 100 soul-mates, and if he rejects any of them they are doomed to die.
Notes: You know how I have harped on how much I dislike harems starting in anime, especially when the main character ends up with all of them? This is a rare exception, since it is so unbelievable it wraps around to being enjoyable again. It helps that’s its also quite funny.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Kino no Tabi: the Beautiful World (Slice of Life, Adventure) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Kino and their semi-sentient motorcycle Hermes travel through the countryside from city-state to city-state (termed “countries”), meeting people and learning about the world, all while following Kino’s rule of staying in one place no more than three days.
Notes: A relaxing, if occasionally unsettling, slice of life.
Entries: One-cour TV series from 2003, Movie Byouki no Kuni: For You, OVA Tou no Kuni: Free Lance, and movie Nanika wo Suru Tame ni -life goes on.-.
Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu (Action, Drama, Horror elements) ★★☆
The Pitch: Shinichi’s right hand is eaten and replaced by a mysterious parasite. He learns that his is not the only one, and that most other parasites have taken over their host’s brains and are singularly focused on their one motivation: to consume more humans.
Notes: An engaging and grisly story. Only two complaints – one is a message about environmentalism that appears in one episode (though referenced briefly earlier) and disappears in the next for very little reason, while the other involves the main character’s stagnated growth during the middle third of the series which drags on a bit too long. Beyond that, though, this is an inventive and mildly philosophical ride that is most enjoyable.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Knight’s & Magic (Action, Isekai) ★★☆
The Pitch: A Japanese software engineer with a love of mecha dies in a car accident. He is reincarnated in a world with mecha and does his best to play with them as much as possible.
Notes: This is a wild ride. It could probably have stood to be twice as long, but what we got was a pure rush of mecha isekai. Though characterization and downtime suffers due to the length, you still get all the fun bits while the development is (mostly) implied. If this had continued or had been longer, I would upgrade it to a must-watch.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Kobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon (Comedy, Slice of Life, Ecchi elements) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A drunk salaryman in modern-day Japan, Kobayashi, makes a promise with a dragon. Tohru, the dragon in question, comes to live with her.
Notes: A working comedy where half the cast are fantastical beasts. Quite entertaining, and the chemistry of the characters is infectious.
Entries: A one-cour TV series, an OVA Valentine, Soshite Onsen! (Amari Kitai Shinaide Kudasai), and a one-cour TV sequel S with a side-story/sequel OVA Nippon no Omotenashi (Attend wa Dragon Desu).
Koe no Katachi (Drama, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Shouko is bullied by Shoya for being deaf. Eventually, Shoya’s class begins to realize that he’s being a jerk and stops putting up with it, but not before Shouko leaves. Years later, he goes to find Shouko to apologize and make amends.
Notes: A touching story with life lessons.
Entries: Movie.
Kokoro Connect (Drama, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: The members of the Cultural Research Club begin switching bodies at random. Each member hides a side of themselves that will now be obvious the rest, and they will have to begin to trust each other because of it.
Notes: The most melodramatic show possible, but they make it work. As long as that is exactly what you go in looking for, you won’t be disappointed.
Entries: One-cour TV series and 4-episode OVA Michi Random.
Kono Oto Tomare! (Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: The introverted Takezou is the last member of the Koto club, which will get shut down unless he finds new members. The school delinquent, Chika, wants to sign up.
Notes: A tad generic and melodramatic (especially in the second season), but it lets the music breathe – for the most part – during performances, and it has plenty of cathartic moments.
Entries: Two one-cour TV series.
Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (Comedy, Isekai) ★★☆
The Pitch: Kazuma dies while trying to save a girl from being run over, and is given the opportunity to reincarnate in a new world with all his memories and a single god-granted item. Except that the girl was in no danger of being run over by the slow-moving tractor, he actually died of shock, and when he chooses the goddess herself to be his companion in the new world she turns out to be almost entirely useless.
Notes: This is a parody of every isekai anime in existence, so it’s probably a good idea to watch a few first. Even so, the tropes and parodies are nigh-universal. Other than a couple occasions of annoying fanservice, this show is a hilarious and well-animated show about the four least useful party members of all, and the friendship they develop. Plus it has one of my favorite ending themes.
Entries: One-cour TV series, a side-story OVA Kono Subarashii Choker ni Shufuku wo!, a one-cour sequel TV series, a second side-story OVA Kono Subarashii Geijutsu ni Shukufuku wo!, and a movie Legend of Crimson.
Koukaku Kidoutai (Action, Drama) ★★☆
The Pitch: In the future, people are ever more connected with the net. Cybernetics mean that losing limbs – or even your entire body – isn’t necessarily a disabling injury. There are those who bring crime to a new level in this world, and Section 9 is there to combat that crime.
Notes: The first movie and Stand Alone Complex ask questions about humanity, the soul, and our relationship with technology. There’s a whole episode in SAC where it’s just computers talking to each other about whether they have a soul. Good stuff.
Entries: Movie, 2-cour series Stand Alone Complex, 2-cour series Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, and movie Koukaku Kidoutai: INNOCENCE. 2nd GIG isn’t nearly as good as the first season, so that may be skippable.
Koukyuu no Karasu (Drama) ★★★
The Pitch: In an alternate world’s China (post-warring states period), a consort of the inner palace uses her magic to help those who ask things of her.
Notes: A well-animated and melodramatic story – but in the best ways possible. The stories told in the short run are captivating, and the characters are all their shoujo best.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Kumo desu ga, Nani ka? (Action, Adventure, Isekai) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: A high school girl is reincarnated in a fantasy world as a spider in one of the most dangerous dungeons in the world. She fights her way up the food chain, as similarly-reincarnated humans are working their way through life on the surface.
Notes: I have given this a 0-star rating – not a tentative recommendation. It is the only 0-star rating on this list. This series is half fantastic (mostly due to the source material and the voice actress for Kumoko) and half utterly terrible (mostly due to the adaptation, and typically when humans are on the screen), but it is still one I plan on rewatching – so on the list it stays. The budget and time for the show ran so low at the end that the animation becomes truly awful. And yet, there’s a kernel of truly fascinating worldbuilding and story here that kept me watching. The poster child for poor adaptation (at least on this list).
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Kuragehime (Comedy, Romance) ★★☆
The Pitch: A girl who loves jellyfish lives in an apartment building with a group of very nerdy girls. One day, she meets a beautiful woman – who turns out to be a crossdressing man. She must hide this fact while slowly falling in love with this unusual person. Also Mercedes Benz.
Notes: Another casualty to incomplete manga adaptations – this one in particular hurts, since the story was from such a different perspective than normal and was targeted at the ever-elusive josei demographic. The ending feels a bit rushed, which is doubly sad since it was an 11-episode season so it could have had an extra episode or two.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (Drama, Mystery) ★★★
The Pitch: Maomao is kidnapped and sold to the inner court of the imperial palace as a servant girl. Between her knowledge of medicine, human nature, and ability to take everything in stride, she begins to solve mysteries and entrench herself (quite unintentionally) into the court’s politics.
Notes: The characters are great, the mysteries are great, the plot is great. Everything is great. You should watch this.
Entries: Two-cour TV series, and upcoming sequel season.
Level E (Comedy) ★★☆
The Pitch: The smartest man in the universe comes to Earth to mess with people.
Notes: Between writing two of the most successful and best shōnen (Yuu Yuu Hakusho and HUNTER×HUNTER), Yoshihiro Togashi wrote a short manga which can be accurately described as anime Men in Black. Across its short run, it covers several genres while introducing themes and characters as fast and hard as the Chimera Ant arc of HUNTER×HUNTER.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Log Horizon (Adventure, Action) ★★★✓
The Pitch: Elder Tales (which is definitely not just copyright-safe World of Warcraft) releases its next expansion, The Novasphere Pioneers. For some reason, everyone who was logged in on patch day finds themselves within the world of Elder Tales.
Notes: If I were to pick my “favorite” anime, this would be it. Partly due to the extensive worldbuilding, partly because of the focus on economics and politics, and partly for the wonderfully-believable characters. It’s such a fantastic premise for an isekai: you’ve got a bunch of nerds (because who else would be playing an old MMO at midnight on patch day) suddenly finding themselves in a world where they are the characters they’ve spent hundreds of hours playing. How would they deal with their problems? What would they do to relieve their existential horror when they realize they can’t die? How would they find their way out?
If you’ve ever found yourself addicted to game with a friendly community or if you have a hankering for a science fiction story with just the right balance of escapism, political discourse, and actually thinking through the consequences of saying “but what if video games were real life?”, this is the one for you.
Entries: Two two-cour TV series and an additional one-cour series sequel Entaku Houkai. The second season had some production issues and isn’t quite as good, though it’s definitely still worthwhile.
Love Hina (Comedy, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Keitaro remembers a promise to meet a girl at Tokyo U from when he was a child. Unfortunately, he can’t remember the girl’s name. He moves to Tokyo to study for an entrance exam retake, where he takes over his grandmother’s inn – an all-girls inn. Could one of the residents be the girl of his memories?
Notes: Okay, I’m old, I know. But I can’t leave off my first anime from this list. I actually do enjoy this show (though not the OVA…shudder), though perhaps in part due to sentimentality. It’s an entertaining harem with an actual implied conclusion (somewhat resolved in the Christmas Movie, I suppose), instead of the cop-outs most harems end with.
Entries: A two-cour TV series, a Christmas Movie, a Spring Movie, and a special Motoko no Sentaku, Koi ka Ken… Naku na. Burn the 3-episode OVA Again in a fire, as that way lies terrible, terrible fanservice.
Lucky☆Star (Slice of Life, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Four girls talk about an incredible variety of things, with a child actress prodigy who didn’t realize she signed up for the bit part.
Notes: I can’t really say that there’s a hook for this one (other than Lucky Channel and the ending themes). It’s not generic, but it also doesn’t have any aspect which really caught me (other than the fantastic first episode which introduces the characters and tells us everything about them in a conversation about a pastry). It’s certainly worth watching – if for no other reason than its encapsulation of the anime zeitgeist of 2007 – from Haruhi to Mazinger Z. And a very smooth OP.
Entries: A two-cour TV series with a one-episode OVA side story.
Made in Abyss (Adventure) ★★★✓
The Pitch: An enormous hole in the Earth is surrounded by a town of Cave Raiders: those who venture into the depths to retrieve relics. Riko, a young girl whose mother delved deep and never returned, finds Reg: a humanoid robot with amnesia and a gun built into his arm. Together, they decide to head down into the Abyss to find Riko’s mother.
Notes: The first season of Made in Abyss is an incredible piece of art (and can reliably make me cry, which I can’t say for any other series except perhaps Haibane Renmei). The visuals are stunning. The music is perhaps the best of anything on this list. The story is immediately enticing and pulls on every thread that makes you desire adventure, later actually fulfilling those promises – all in 13 episodes.
The follow-up movie isn’t quite as good, sadly. They repeat an emotional climax from the first season which felt a bit cheap to me, even if it makes sense story-wise and is in keeping with the themes of the story. Regardless, it is quite pretty and advances the story in understandable and interesting ways. I feel confident in still recommending both the movie and the second season.
Entries: One-cour TV series, Movie Fukaki Tamashii no Reimei, and second season Retsujitsu no Ougonkyou.
Mahou Senshi Louie (Comedy, Adventure) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Louie is a mage that prefers to hit things over actually casting spells, which is a fantastic character concept. He joins three women to begin adventuring, who accept him because they need a wizard.
Notes: A solid adventure series with an unusual cast, which grow on you as they grow closer to each other. Remarkably not a harem, which makes it interesting for that reason alone.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica (Mahou Shoujo, Action, Drama) ★★☆✓
The Pitch: Madoka becomes a magical girl and is asked to fight witches – strange creatures which spread despair to the world – and is promised that any one wish she has will be granted in return. But can the wish-granting Kyubey really be trusted?
Notes: Though Cardcaptor Sakura may be the prototypical and “classic” mahou shoujo (for good reason), magical girl anime are typically seen through the lens of pre- or post- Madoka. The single most impressive thing to me about this show was the internal consistency it sets up. The story arc feels earned and competently explained, leaving you with a remarkably satisfying ending. And of course the ride there has some stunning visuals and enjoyable characters.
Entries: A one-cour TV series. I hesitate to recommend the movie, Hangyaku no Monogatari, as it messes with the fairly definitive ending of the TV series. However, a new movie – Walpurgis no Kaiten – will be released in the near future which may make the first movie a better companion piece. For now, watch the TV series and wait for reviews of the new movie.
[Title Redacted] (Comedy, [Redacted]) ★☆☆
The Pitch: [Redacted].
Notes: [Redacted]. I did not expect to need to do this twice, but much like the other entry it has a place in telling a story not often touched on by media. This one isn’t quite as good as the other, but it also fills a different niche.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Mahoutsukai no Yome (Drama, Slice of Life, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Chise gives up on life and finds herself on sale at a slave auction. The winner of the auction is a mysterious man with a skull for a head and magical powers. He declares her his apprentice – and his bride.
Notes: This is a weird show. From a moral standpoint, I’m just not sure how I feel about it. On the other hand, it is attempting to teach a lesson of self-worth in the context of a beautifully-animated magical world. I think it’s worth your time, but be forewarned that this – even more than most other entries – really feels like it lacks an ending.
Entries: Two-cour TV series, sequel OVA Nishi no Shounen to Seiran no Kishi, and two-cour second season.
Mai-HiME (Action, Drama, Comedy, Mahou Shoujo?) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Mai finds herself fighting strange creatures alongside 12 other students at her new school.
Notes: I’ll be honest, I don’t actually remember much about this other than quite enjoying it. Part of that is due to the next entry, which is an alternate-universe version of this anime. Watching these as part of a set is recommended (though perhaps with a slight break between to let the details haze out a bit).
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Mai-Otome (Action, Drama, Comedy, Mahou Shoujo?) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Arika enrolls at Garderobe Academy, a prestigious school that trains Otome: women who battle with magical powers to protect the land.
Notes: A slightly lighter-hearted and weirder version of Mai-HiME. Instead of modern Japan, Mai-Otome is set in a fantasy world with significant technological aspects (heavily implying that it takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, if I’m remembering correctly). I’ve not seen this sort of alternate universe adaptation done outside of Tsubasa Chronicle, but here it is done without even the slightest hint of being part of a multiverse. Characters and overarching plot beats cross over, but almost nothing else does – it’s truly a fascinating instance of two pitches of the same plot both being produced.
Entries: Two-cour TV series and 4-episode OVA sequel Zwei, with a prequel 3-episode OVA S.ifr (no, not that one).
Mairimashita! Iruma-kun (Comedy, Romance, Action, Isekai-ish) ★★★
The Pitch: Iruma is sold to a demon by his parents. This demon, however, was actually looking for an adoptive grandson. Soon, Iruma is enrolled at the demon school run by his grandfather – one where everyone believes humans are a myth. Can the kindest-hearted human survive in a world of cold-blooded demons?
Notes: When you start, you may notice not insignificant Harry Potter parallels. Once past that, however, Iruma-kun is the quintessence of Saturday morning cartoons – and I didn’t even watch Saturday morning cartoons. The comedy, budding romance, and infectious positivity of Iruma all combine to make a highly enjoyable fusion of both western fantasy and high school superpowered anime. What elevates this above the rest is the impeccably constructed and cohesive world. Characters have surprising depth (even when the anime doesn’t always have quite enough time to show it); the protagonists and antagonists learn from each other. Throwaway jokes become plot-relevant. That thing you see for half a second is actually really important 20 episodes later, and that was right after the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it visual gag. And, I mean, where else will you see Severus Snape being serenaded by the Weasleys?
Entries: Three two-cour TV series.
Maoyuu Maou Yuusha (Adventure, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: The hero finally reaches the demon king. Only the demon king is a girl who just wants to introduce democratic reforms to the feudal society.
Notes: If there were any doubt that the author of Log Horizon just wanted to write stories about politics, this should dispel that. It’s a short, unfinished story, but has enough good moments to make for an enjoyable and amusing watch (as long as you’re okay with capitalism and democracy, I suppose).
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Mawaru Penguindrum (Drama, Mystery, Mahou Shoujo technically) ★★★
The Pitch: At first, a somewhat touching tale of two brothers losing their sister to cancer. Then, miraculously and mysteriously, she is granted life by a hat her brother bought her at an aquarium (it’s at this point you might be guessing things get weird). And then … AND THEN – eighteen and a half minutes into the first episode – it happens.
Notes: How do you even begin to explain the madness that lies within Penguindrum? It starts out a bit melancholy. Then the penguins show up. How do you explain the radical and pervasive symbology about penguins? The constant references to a Japanese doomsday cult’s terrorist attack? The sly bashing on certain famous anime? I’m not sure you can. If you’re anything like me, your first watch will end in good time spent on YouTube trying to figure out exactly what just happened. This is the ultimate in style as substance (even surpassing Utena in that respect).
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Metropolis (Adventure, Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A Japanese interpretation of the 1927 movie with the same name, we follow Kenichi, the nephew of a detective trying to uncover human rights violations in the future megacity, and Tima: an android trying to understand humanity and the cold automation of the future.
Notes: A weird conglomeration of Biblical storytelling, inspiration from the 1927 film, and the manga (written by the godfather of anime and creator of Astro Boy).
Entries: Movie.
Midori no Hibi (Comedy, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Seiji wakes up one day to find that his right hand has turned into a girl, who wants to become his girlfriend.
Notes: Much like Akikan!, this is mostly on here because it’s the most ridiculous premise turned into a season of hilarity. It doesn’t really outstay its welcome (though I can’t stand the main character’s sister), and tells a complete romance story while at it. Seeing the premise explored (and then concluded) is the main draw, though.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Mieruko-chan (Comedy, Horror) ★★★
The Pitch: Mieruko wakes one day to find that she can see them. But if she acknowledges their existence, she will almost certainly die.
Notes: I wasn’t actually sure whether to put Comedy or Horror first in the tags. But really, the horror is more for the main character rather than for the viewer. This is an effective and engrossing story, and surprising life lessons that come up on several occasions. I truly hope for a second season.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Mnemosyne: Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi (Action, Horror elements) ★★☆
The Pitch: Rin is an immortal private detective. We follow her as she investigates the paranormal, the familiar, and the future.
Notes: The series does a great job at showing the reality of being the only immortals in a mortal world, with a very noir setting. It’s a great set of mysteries in a well-realized world that we follow through over several time periods. It gets a bit too gratuitous at times and the ending is a bit too anime-esque, but it’s an excellent short story nevertheless.
Entries: 6-episode TV series.
Mo Dao Zu Shi (Action, Drama, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Several years ago, the great and terrible Wei Wuxian, founder of demonic cultivation, was defeated. An abused illegitimate child performs a blood ritual to resurrect him to visit vengeance on his family. It succeeds, and Wei Wuxian returns to the world, keen on restoring his legacy.
Notes: The only Chinese entry on this list for now, Mo Dao Zu Shi starts off with a bang and follows it up with an intense drama. As long as you can keep the plot and characters straight in your head (it’s a doozy), you’ll get an exciting introduction to wuxia adventure with a dash of comedy and a romance designed to make a fujoshi blush.
Entries: Three one-cour TV series.
Mononoke (Mystery, Horror elements) ★★☆
The Pitch: A medicine seller plies his trade, exorcising demons created by human tragedies.
Notes: Another unique art style, paired with a set of short stories exploring the horrors of man. When the worst thing is that there isn’t enough, you know you have a great story on your ends.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Mononoke-hime (Action, Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A young boy is injured while fighting a demon boar, and goes on a journey to heal the demon’s curse before it consumes him.
Notes: The most straightforward Ghibli film, and the one I think most completely encapsulates Miyazaki’s philosophy. A fun adventure with archetypically beautiful animation.
Entries: Movie.
MONSTER (Drama, Mystery, Horror elements) ★★★
The Pitch: All life is equal: that is Tenma’s belief. A brilliant neurosurgeon, he works to save the life of a young boy who was shot in the head. Later, a series of murders that seem to directly benefit him begin to take place. Has Tenma saved a Monster?
Notes: A satisfying and complex story, detailing the lives of a dozen different characters and a dozen tragedies. Though there are some plot contrivances regarding the main antagonist, they can be overlooked in favor of the themes being communicated.
Entries: A 74-episode TV series.
Mouretsu Pirates (Action, Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A high school girl discovers that her father was a space pirate and his privateer license is now hers as long as she captains his ship, the Bentenmaru.
Notes: Just good, silly fun (with another fantastic opening song, apparently performed with the talents of a Megadeth guitarist). Fun characters, a weirdly well-detailed sci-fi setting, and most importantly: space pirates!
Entries: Two-cour TV series and sequel movie Abyss of Hyperspace.
Moyashimon (Comedy, Slice of Life) ★★☆
The Pitch: Tadayasu can see (and communicate with) microbes. He enters an agricultural university in Tokyo, where he learns about the different microbes and how they affect our life while developing relationships with his peers and instructors.
Notes: One of the most unusual things about anime is the combination of educational programming with, well, anime. You can end up with shows that have quite a bit of educational content on a variety of subjects (in this case, microbiology and its effect on the Japanese diet), while at the same time hosting an enjoyable – and often unusual – narrative. For instance: in this show, the main character can see microbes. Also, one of the main characters disappears for about half the first season before reappearing while trying to find their identity in a remarkably poignant way. Which… I have to say… I was not expecting. Anime is certainly not a medium where you can afford to care about tonal shift. And I love it.
Entries: Two one-cour TV series. Can’t we get one more to resolve the romance? They even tease it at the end!
MUSHI-SHI (Adventure, Mystery) ★★★
The Pitch: Ginko is a mushi-shi who solves the problems caused by mushi: primeval forms of life that neither know nor understand humans.
Notes: I haven’t finished MUSHI-SHI and I don’t want to. Never have I run across a series that is so good that I don’t want to watch it – I want to preserve the episodes that remain so I can enjoy them over the course of my life, knowing that whenever I have a bad day there could be a new episode of MUSHI-SHI to watch. I once heard this line of reasoning from someone watching Firefly, and I thought they were mad. But after watching the first 10 episodes of MUSHI-SHI, I perfectly understand. I have only watched one episode since then, on a particularly bad day. I look forward to slowly watching the rest of this charming, beautiful, and meditative series.
Entries: Two-cour TV show, OVA Hihamukage, two-cour TV sequel Zoku Shou, special Odoro no Michi, one-cour TV sequel Zoku Shou 2, and final movie Suzu no Shizuku.
Mushibugyou (Action, Drama) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: Giant insects are invading feudal Japan, and a special organization has been created to fight them: the Mushibugyou.
Notes: Watching anime characters fight giant insects is fairly entertaining. About halfway through the show takes a turn for the dramatic and has trouble keeping it all comprehensible, but it remains an enjoyable ride despite the hiccups.
Entries: Two-cour TV series and 3-episode OVA side story.
NANA (Drama, Romance) ★★☆
The Pitch: Two strangers on a train discover they share the same name: Nana. Later, they also begin sharing an apartment and slowly learn about each other’s lives and troubles.
Notes: Admittedly, I haven’t finished this one – but I’m fairly confident in its quality. A melodramatic story of two girls with equal but opposite attachment problems and their challenges finding purpose in life. Sadly, the manga has been on hiatus since 2009 so resolution is just a pipe dream (then again, at least it’s not as bad as Glass no Kamen, which started in 1976 and is still on “hiatus”).
Entries: Four-cour TV series.
Natsume Yuujinchou (Slice of Life, Drama) ★★★
The Pitch: Natsume can see yokai, which has caused him problems all his life. After moving to the countryside, he receives his grandmother’s “Book of Friends” – a collection of the true names of yokai, freely given. This would allow him to control the yokai and have them do his bidding. He decides to return the names to any yokai who ask, while trying to avoid those who would steal the book for the power it contains.
Notes: Admittedly, starting this felt a bit like a knock-off MUSHI-SHI. And while that is true to an extent, this is still a superb adventure cataloguing a huge cast of strange yokai and Natsume’s slow journey towards accepting himself and building friendships. Also one of the few series where every entry is entirely worthwhile.
Entries: Six one-cour TV series with a side story OVA Itsuka Yuki no Hi ni after season 4, two specials with season 5, two specials with season 6, a movie Utsusemi ni Musubu, and the movie Ishi Okoshi to Ayashiki Raihousha.
Nazo no Kanojo X (Romance) ★★★
The Pitch: Tsubaki falls in love with Urabe, a shy girl who does little but sleep on her desk. One day, after class, Tsubaki notices drool on her desk and tastes it, instantly becoming addicted. So begins his relationship with his mysterious girlfriend.
Notes: This is an unusual anime, to say the least. Even stranger would be to comment that I believe this to be the pinnacle of the representation of eros in modern media, which for a series where I don’t think the main characters even kiss is quite impressive to say the least. The relationships that develop between the primary two couples of the show is fascinating to watch and has poignant lessons intermingled with the truly unusual nature of the anime.
Entries: One-cour TV series and side story OVA Nazo no Natsu Matsuri.
Net-juu no Susume (Romance, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: After seeing herself heading for burnout, 30-something Moriko Morioka quits her job to play MMO games (a NEET: Not in Education, Employment, or Training). There, she meets a cute girl named Lily and the two begin a friendship.
Notes: I didn’t expect to enjoy this one as much as I did, but the romance and the accurate representation of a person burnt out on life were quite enjoyable. The writer, sadly, stopped writing the manga so there will likely never be a conclusion (though you get pretty close in the anime).
Entries: One-cour TV series and side story OVA.
Nichijou (Comedy, Slice of Life) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A young genius designs a humanoid robot and a scarf that gives a cat human speech while three high schoolers go about their daily lives.
Notes: There’s a lot of zaniness here, and some incredible animation. On the other hand, it never truly goes off the rails like Paniponi would. It’s certainly amusing and has many moments worth the time you spend, but doesn’t quite reach the heights of other slice of life comedies.
Entries: Two-cour TV series and side-story OVA no 0-wa.
No Game No Life (Adventure, Comedy, Isekai) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A neon-infused world of games and gambling. Two Japanese siblings, known to be the best gamers in Japan, are brought to a new world by Tet, the god of games. Here, every conflict is settled through games. Between the two of them, they will rule the world.
Notes: A “high stakes” power fantasy based on winning games. Entertaining, but not deep. As long as that’s what you expect, it’s a fun time.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Nodame Cantabile (Comedy, Romance, Drama) ★★★✓
The Pitch: Chiaki is a prodigy musician who wants to become a composer. His attitude and perfectionism annoy those around him, leaving him mostly friendless and alone. One day, he hears a girl playing the piano at his music university, and is struck by her talent. It turns out she is moving in to the apartment next to him, and has developed an enormous crush on him. Nodame and Chiaki’s musical adventures begin.
Notes: I previously tried the anime that must not be named, and found it to be one of the worst pieces of media imaginable. I later tried Nodame Cantabile and it floored me. While I could point to a hundred different similarities between these two anime, everything that went horribly awry in the one was fantastically executed in Nodame Cantabile. The offbeat humor (probably from Kunihiko Ikuhara of Utena fame) which lightened the mood at just the right times, the clear love of classical music, and the believable relationships and character flaws all contribute to one of my favorite anime. This is opposed to the other show, where characters are flat and angsty, the classical music is only there as a plot device and is often butchered, and the tone wanders before taking a nosedive. It refuses to relish the performances, often talking over the music – because the music wasn’t actually important. In Nodame Cantabile, the performances are often the point: from an engaging and well-orchestrated performance of Rhapsody in Blue on melodica performed by a mongoose in one episode to a beautifully rendered Rachmaninoff piano concerto in the next. That Rachmaninoff episode spends 10 minutes – half the episode – just on the performance, with almost no dialogue.
Both the budding romance and the journey through the world of music are captivating and well-executed. If you have any appreciation for classical music or romance, I highly recommend giving this a try. While probably not quite as rewatchable on a lazy Saturday as Log Horizon, this is certainly a contender for my “favorite” anime.
Entries: One two-cour TV series, OVA Nodame to Chiaki no Umi Monogatari, one-cour TV series Paris-hen, sequel OVA, special Finale Special, one-cour Finale, and OVA 2.
Noein: Mou Hitori no Kimi e (Adventure, Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Haruka and Yuu are thinking of running away from it all when a man from another timeline appears, saying that Haruka has the Dragon’s Torque – the key to saving the dimension of La’cryma from Shangri-La. Haruka’s adventures will take her from past to future, from dystopian wasteland to extradimensional singularity.
Notes: This is a confusing, complicated story. At times, the narrative almost goes off the rails. But for the time it stays, it’s a weird and esoteric look at growing up, finding oneself, and defeating the evil version of yourself from the mirror dimension.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Non Non Biyori (Slice of Life, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A quintessential rural slice of life. Hotaru moves to the deep countryside from Tokyo. The town has only one classroom with a total of five students, one candy store, and very little else.
Notes: Relaxing and refreshing stories about a rural village and the friendships made there. Unusually, the second season takes place during the same time period as the first season – just focusing on other character moments. Similarly, the first OVA and the movie cover much the same ground.
Entries: One-cour TV series, OVA Okinawa e Ikukoto ni Natta, movie Vacation, one-cour TV series Repeat, OVA Hotaru ga Tanoshinda, and one-cour TV series Nonstop. The first two seasons and the first OVA are the best, while the others are a bit forgettable.
Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha (Drama) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: Rentt has spent 20 years working towards becoming a mithril-class adventurer – but never really advancing, seen by some as the reliable newbie trainer at the guild. One day, he stumbles across a previously-undiscovered secret passage – only to get immediately killed and woken up as a skeleton!
Notes: This might just be the better version of Gaikotsu Kishi-sama. Certainly less power fantasy-forward and more about a smaller-scale story of struggling to improve in a fantasy realm, though it’s possible future seasons might change my mind on that. The first season, however, ends at a natural (if marginally cliffhanger-y) point, and the ride it takes you on is a pleasant one.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Ojamajo Doremi (Mahou Shoujo, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: After successfully deducing that the local magic shop owner is a witch, Doremi finds the shopkeeper has turned into a frog. The only way to turn her back is if Doremi becomes a witch herself.
Notes: This is a lengthy, classic Mahou Shoujo. I’m only partway through the first season, but it is so far an amusing and charming simple story. It may be children’s television, but sometimes the simple lessons are all you need.
Entries: A four-cour TV series, a four-cour TV sequel Sharp, a movie Sharp Movie, a four-cour TV sequel Motto!, a three-episode OVA, movie Kaeru Seki no Himitsu, a 13-episode OVA Na-i-sho, and a final four-cour TV sequel Dokkaan!.
One Pace (Adventure, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Gol D. Roger, the legendary pirate captain, owned the treasure One Piece. Monkey D. Luffy has set out in search of that treasure, amassing a wild set of companions and running afoul of both pirate and law alike.
Notes: One Piece is a badly-animated, badly-paced, badly-adapted version of the manga of the same name. One Pace attempts to fix this by cutting out the ridiculous dramatic pauses, the filler, and the deviations from the manga. At this, it succeeds admirably – to the point that I can only recommend One Piece if you watch the recut version (significantly less than half as many episodes).
Entries: Many.
Ookami to Koushinryou (Adventure, Romance) ★★☆
The Pitch: Kraft Lawrence, a trader, discovers a wolf god in his cart after leaving a village. They go on adventures as Kraft teaches Holo about the merchant trade and slowly the pair fall in love.
Notes: Okay, I just like economics-focused series. I admit it. But this one has a relaxing and fun adventure and a budding romance to go along with it.
Entries: Two one-cour TV series, and an upcoming reboot which I’ll report back on.
[Oshi no Ko] (Drama, Idol) ★★☆
The Pitch: A doctor and a patient at his clinic both die, only to find themselves reincarnated as the secret children of their favorite idol. Yes, really. The impact of Japan’s idol culture (and star-worship in general) drives a dramatic story of the meanings of love and fame. Also, avoid spoilers (should be none here) and watch the first episode.
Notes: Much of the hype surrounding this series during the time it aired came from the creator having also done Kaguya-sama. And since that show was so well-received, this one has a budget to rival Nichijou. The first episode alone shows that the budget did not go to waste. An hour-long introduction to the series, it is quite possibly the best opening episode I can recall. The rest of the show is good, though prone to over-dramatic moments (and the main character is a bit too angsty and self-important for my taste, which cost it a star in my recommendation despite being intentional). These faults, however, are only truly bothersome because the show looks so good (with an equally-stunning OP which has its own stunning music video) – it is still definitely worth a watch and I truly hope they wrap the story up with another series, which would also likely bring this up to a three-star recommendation.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta… (Comedy, Romance, Isekai) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: A girl realizes she has been reincarnated into the world of her favorite dating game…as the primary villain. Every ending of the game she can recall results in her death or exile, and she is determined to prevent those fates from befalling her. So instead of becoming the antagonist of the cast, she resolves to befriend the protagonist and all the love interests.
Notes: Another in the category of a single concept explored thoroughly. A great short story with amusing relationships and the slow destruction of the game’s internal logic. Plus a protagonist who is as dense as concrete. One of the earlier villainess anime I’m aware of (and I enjoyed it at the time), but many have aired since this one so I will have to revisit it to see how it holds up.
Entries: One-cour TV series. Do not watch any sequels – it is a complete story on its own, and the sequels are terrible.
Paniponi Dash! (Comedy) ★★★
The Pitch: Rebecca Miyamoto is a half-Japanese genius, having graduated from MIT at the age of 11. She becomes the teacher of a Japanese high school filled with unusual characters.
Notes: This is what happens if you give animators a box set of Azumanga Daioh and a kilo before locking them in a room for a year. Or if the whole show was just set entirely within Osaka’s mind. I recommend watching the fan translation, as the translation notes are better laid out on screen compared to the official release which seems to just want to block as much as possible. And you will need the translation notes. The references come fast and thick with absolutely no end in sight.
Has one of my favorite opening themes for the first half (as well as a pretty great ending theme), only for it to be replaced by an equally great (and weird) second opening. In fact, the whole soundtrack is addictive and mostly inexplicable.
Entries: Two-cour TV series and the special Danjite Okonaeba Kishin mo Kore wo Saku.
Paprika (Mystery, Thriller) ★★★
The Pitch: In the future, people’s psychological issues can be handled through dream therapy. Unfortunately, an evil organization could use such power to destroy a person’s psyche. This is the story of the pioneer of the technology in her quest to find who stole a prototype dream machine.
Notes: Satoshi Kon is a legendary director, and this is one of his best entries (though you should watch all of them, even if they aren’t on this list). Here, we get the weirdness of anime combined with Kon’s beautifully directed animation and a plot reminiscent of Inception (four years before Inception came out).
Entries: Movie.
Paripi Koumei (Music, Drama, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Grand strategist of the Han empire during the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang, courtesy name Kongming, is on his deathbed. His final wish is to be reincarnated into a world without bloodshed. So, of course, he wakes up in the Shibuya district of modern-day Japan and embarks on a journey to help a struggling musical artist succeed.
Notes: The classic anime setup of taking an absolutely ridiculous concept and just running with it. Had the show relied on nothing but comedy, I think it would have been relegated to the bin of shows that were enjoyable at the time but left me with no particular interest afterwards (in the grand scheme of things, the pitch can’t rival Akikan or Midori no Hibi). However, while the situational comedy brings the show strong out of the gate, the characters themselves and their interactions with the world keep things interesting through to the end. I’d love to see a continuation.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Princess Tutu (Drama, Mahou Shoujo) ★★★✓
The Pitch: The writer wrote that a duck would turn into girl to heal the prince’s heart. She uses the power of ballet to collect the shards of his heart and prevent the evil raven from bringing a sad ending to this story.
Notes: A metatextual and literal look at the fairy tail and fate. Solid characters, a thoughtful and touching story, and a magical world to explore.
Entries: Three-cour TV series.
R.O.D (Action, Drama) ★★☆
The Pitch: Yomiko Readman, an incorrigible bookworm, has the power to control paper. She works for the British Library in an effort to prevent a mysterious figure from taking over the world using reincarnated historical figures.
Notes: The OVA is the far more famous of the two entries here, and is well-worth the watch. The television show adapts a sequel manga in equal style, showing you more of the lovable characters and action from the OVA.
Entries: Three-episode OVA and two-cour TV sequel.
RahXephon (Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Aliens encapsulate Tokyo in an enormous time rift, sealing it off from the rest of the world. Inside, the residents believe they are the last people on earth as they are unknowingly shepherded by the Mu. Ayato is rescued from this world and must uncover the truth behind the world as he battles enormous mecha called Dolems.
Notes: There’s no getting around this: for most, this will appear to be a knockoff Shin Seiki Evangelion. In some ways, this is true – the parallels and initial plot elements are impossible to ignore. At the same time, it becomes clear that this is done to show that RahXephon is a rejection of the philosophy of Evangelion: championing faith in humanity and the betterment we can find together. The style and ending of RahXephon is almost as inexplicable as Evangelion’s, however, so I can’t recommend this to everyone.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Ranma ½ (Comedy, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Saotome Ranma is cursed: when he is splashed with cold water, he turns into a girl (and his father turns into a Panda). After they start to live with his father’s old training partner, Ranma finds himself engaged to Akane, the partner’s daughter. A large cast of characters join this comedy and budding romance.
Notes: This is another incredibly-long series, which I also haven’t finished. I am provisionally including it here, since the episodes I have seen are quite good.
Entries: A 161-episode TV series, movie Chuugoku Nekonron Daikessen! Okite Yaburi no Gekitou-hen!!, movie Kessen Tougenkyou! Hanayomewo Torimodose!, 6-episode OVA, , 2-episode OVA Special, movie Chou Musabetsu Kessen! Ranma Team VS Densetsu no Houou, OVA Akumu! Shunmin Kou, and 3-episode OVA Super.
Rec (Comedy, Romance) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: Fumihiko finds himself living with a girl he met on the street after her apartment burns down. She is working to become a voice actress as he works as a salaryman.
Notes: A short romance story, with all the complications that entails.
Entries: Nine-episode TV short and a special to be watched between episodes 7 and 8.
Renkin San-kyuu Magical? Pokaan (Comedy, Ecchi elements) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Four princesses of the netherworld live in a treehouse in Japan.
Notes: A light-hearted comedy about the interactions of the four girls and their complete lack of understanding of earth culture. Another single-idea show, explored well before ending.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
REVENGER (Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: In 19th century Japan, opium threatens to overwhelm the land. The Revengers, meanwhile, will take any job, provided they are paid their due: a gold mon bitten with all the hate driving your request for revenge.
Notes: Very much the blend of honor-driven samurai stories and anime’s unusual character design. Each member of the cast has their own moment to shine, and the story starts and ends in natural places. No longer than it needed to be, though you will likely be left wanting more.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Rokka no Yuusha (Mystery, Action, Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: The six chosen heroes set out to defeat the demon king. Except…there are seven who arrive. One must be a traitor, and when they find themselves trapped together they must determine which one of them is the odd one out.
Notes: A fantastic “bottled” mystery. The ending isn’t quite perfect (and some of the characters are just evil), so I can’t recommend this more highly, but it’s still definitely worth your time.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Rougo ni Sonaete Isekai de 8-manmai no Kinka wo Tamemasu (Drama, Comedy) ★★☆
The Pitch: Mitsuha, an orphaned young adult, finds herself empowered with the ability to hop between realities. One is modern day Japan – the other is your classic fantasy realm.
Notes: I’m having difficulty saying why I loved this show so much. Perhaps it is the Capitalism, Ho! mentality of Mitsuha (okay, it was probably that). Perhaps it’s the weird combination of realism, sci-fi, and, well, dragons. Either way, I found myself enjoying my time with it immensely (even if they apparently cut quite a bit out for the adaptation).
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan (Comedy) ★★★
The Pitch: Saiki Kusuo is an extremely powerful and brilliant psychic – able to control people’s minds, move things with his mind, teleport, and more. To him, though, this brings him nothing but annoyance as he just wants to live a normal life. The more he tries to keep a low profile, the more the world seems to conspire against it.
Notes: The quintessential high school comedy. Every trope is represented and every gag is exploited to its fullest. This is what it looks like to combine nothing but clichés into a weirdly relatable and enjoyable story.
Entries: 120 short episodes, a two-cour TV sequel, a 6-episode ONA Ψ-shidou-hen, and a special Kanketsu-hen which should be watched in between episodes episode 5 and 6 of the ONA.
Saint☆Onii-san (Comedy, Slice of Life) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Jesus and Buddha share an apartment in modern-day Japan.
Notes: It does what it says on the tin. I’m not sure what else you want.
Entries: Two-episode OVA and movie.
Sakigake!! Cromartie Koukou (Comedy) ★★☆
The Pitch: Kamiyama, a student on the straight and narrow, enrolls at Cromartie High School, only to discover that it is filled with delinquents. He quickly becomes the leader of his class as if “there’s one rabbit living happily in a pride of lions – don’t you think that must be one hell of a rabbit?” Also Freddie Mercury and a robotic student.
Notes: A nice, self-aware, high school gag comedy parodying delinquent tropes of anime.
Entries: Two-cour TV short series.
Samurai 7 (Action) ★★☆
The Pitch: A poor village is attacked by bandits in mechs. They send out their priestess to hire samurai to protect their village, returning with seven of them – all with their own reasons to work for naught but rice.
Notes: Seven Samurai is probably the better film, on the whole. But Samurai 7 takes the elements of the movie and adapts them in such a creative way that it is hard to fault it. Crossbows large enough to shoot entire trees as arrows. Flying mechs taken down by samurai. A story of war, poverty, and justice. Samurai 7 takes the spirit of the classic movie and adapts it exactly as an anime should. A slight warning, however: there are a couple of episodes where the animation is truly difficult to look at. There’s a reason for it from a metatextual perspective, but it’s still almost unbearable. If it were not for that, this would be a must-watch.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Samurai Flamenco (Action, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A famous young actor wants to become like the super sentai (think Power Rangers) heroes he grew up watching. He has no abilities of his own, but forges his own path anyway.
Notes: I can’t stress this enough: this show is pre-episode 7 and post-episode 7. As I understand it, people watching when this aired were thrown off by the shift in tone (and many stopped watching), and for good reason. That being said, if you’re prepared for anything, you’ll enjoy a tale of what it means to be a hero through the eyes of a fellow wielding office supplies. And, mild spoiler, the female sidekick doesn’t go completely evil – so don’t wait for it.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Sansha Sanyou (Comedy, Slice of Life) ★☆☆
The Pitch: A young girl from a wealthy family finds herself alone and down to eating breadcrusts after her father’s company goes bankrupt. She develops friendships at her high school as she adjusts to her new life.
Notes: A slice of life with enjoyable characters and relaxing situational comedy.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Sasaki to Pii-chan (Comedy, Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Sasaki is an office worker in his 40s (er, apparently, he’s 39 which is anime’s definition of “middle-aged” I guess). His life has one joy – cute animals. Deciding to use some of his very limited funds, he goes to a pet shop and adopts a Java sparrow. Then the magicians, psychics, and magical girls show up.
Notes: This show is too short for what it tries to cover – but Sasaki’s navigation through his different worlds hits all the right notes of a person keeping a secret in a television show without resorting to Clark Kent levels of suspension of disbelief and the frustrating “just missed him” moments (if you watch any secret identity show, you’ll know what I’m talking about).
Entries: One-cour TV series, with upcoming sequel series.
Sasameki Koto (Romance, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Sumika likes her best friend, Ushio. Ushio has been looking for a girl who likes other girls for a long time, but completely misses Sumika’s feelings.
Notes: A show I would happily rate higher if it were not for the complete lack of resolution. Still an enjoyable love story, even if it is frustrating at times.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Sazan Eyes (Action, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Yakumo is killed by a monster from an ancient world, only to be resurrected by an immortal three-eyed princess named Pai. Pai has been searching for a way to become mortal, and will now travel with Yakumo to find it.
Notes: This show attempts to cram an enormous story from a 40-volume manga into seven episodes. While it doesn’t completely succeed, it is an enjoyable action and romance story which inspired many, many parodies and similar plotlines.
Entries: Four-episode OVA with a 3-episode OVA sequel Seima Densetsu.
Scrapped Princess (Adventure, Drama) ★★☆
The Pitch: Pacifica is prophesized to be the poison that destroys the world on her 16th birthday. She is hunted by assassins and others, who believe that is the only way to avert catastrophe she portends. She hides and is guarded by two bodyguards, Shannon and Raquel – her adoptive siblings.
Notes: An enjoyable fantasy story that has just the right level of mystery and action to keep you engaged throughout the run of the series.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Seihou Bukyou Outlaw Star (Action, Adventure) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Gene Starwind and Jim Hawking run an odd-jobs business, hoping to one day make it big. They come across a mysterious android and end up on board the Outlaw Star, a ship designed to find the galactic leyline – a location which legend says will bring great wisdom and treasure.
Notes: A solid space opera series from the late ’90s, Outlaw Star does stumble a bit during its run but is an enjoyable experience overall with plenty of action and character moments.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi (Action, Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Kenichi is tired of losing. He finds himself at the dojo Ryouzanpaku, populated with the strongest fighters from almost every martial art. Each one takes a liking to Kenichi and as a group begin to train him to become the strongest disciple.
Notes: I mean, how could I not recommend a series where the protagonist is nicknamed “weak legs” (and has a pretty great rock anthem for its opening theme)? More seriously, though, the cast of characters is just so lovable and blend together well. My only real complaint are the hoops the story must jump through to make the love interest unable to fight for one reason or another (since she is far more powerful than Kenichi).
Entries: Four-cour TV series. There’s a sequel OVA, but it doesn’t really go anywhere so I can’t really recommend it.
Shiki (Horror, Mystery) ★★★
The Pitch: A new family has moved into a rural town of 1,300 people. Soon after, a mysterious illness begins sweeping through the village. The doctor and several others begin to investigate the possible cause of the rash of deaths, all while seemingly stalked from the shadows.
Notes: Shiki starts off with one of the most effective slowly building horror stories I’ve seen. The story only falters a couple times (the smarter the villain, the less sense their plans will make if you think about them), but the journey is far and away one of the best in anime. It’s difficult to say, but it may also have my absolute favorite opening theme.
Entries: Two-cour TV series and two special episodes (of which you should only watch the second, between episodes 21 and 22).
Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai (Comedy, Ecchi) ★★★
The Pitch: In a future where “adult” jokes and entertainment are entirely banned (enforced through zap collars), Ayame battles the system which is slowly causing teenagers to lose their understanding of adulthood.
Notes: The quintessential Japanese comedy in every way imaginable. SHIMONETA is a commentary on modern Japanese society and some of the trends leading to lower birthrates within their society: one made even more amusing if you accidentally end up watching the broadcast version of the show which censored significant parts of the dialogue. I wouldn’t actually recommend watching the broadcast version, but it’s an amusing tale nonetheless.
It certainly takes a specific mindset to enjoy SHIMONETA (and there are parts which are likely uncomfortable for quite anyone), but across its short run it shows the problems of both extremes regarding sex education and growing up.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
SHIROBAKO (Drama, Slice of Life) ★★★
The Pitch: Five girls graduate from high school and set out to join the anime industry. We primarily follow Aoi, who works as a production assistant for Musashino Animation as they work to release just two cours of anime.
Notes: Hilarious, just the right amount of self-referential, and touching. One of my absolute top picks, with a story which effectively shows the effort that goes into anime production all while keeping a breakneck pace.
Entries: Two-cour TV series and sequel movie. The movie was okay, but it’s not a necessary part of the story.
Shoujo Kakumei Utena (Drama, Mahou Shoujo?) ★★☆
The Pitch: Utena was comforted by a prince who gave her a rose-crested ring after her parents died. She was so impressed by him that she vowed to become a prince herself one day. We follow her as she enters Ohtori Academy, dressed in the boy’s uniform to make herself more like the prince she remembers from her childhood. After fighting in a duel to defend a student’s honor, she finds herself “engaged” to the Rose Bride and must constantly fight duels to keep her safe.
Notes: There are likely countless words dedicated to attempting to explain the plot and themes of Utena. It strides a line I did not think possible: so much of the story is practically entirely allegorical (why does Miki carry a stopwatch? What is the pattern? WHAT IS THE PATTERN?) with little explanation (Do cars represent sex? Adulthood? Freedom? And what could any of that possibly imply in the movie?), and yet the striking visuals and desire to see what happens next keeps you coming back, even when you couldn’t understand a single thing that just happened.
Entries: Three-cour TV series and a movie, Adolescence Mokushiroku, which is neither a sequel nor a true remake and contains the single weirdest magical girl transformation scene in anime.
Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou (Slice of Life, Adventure) ★☆☆
The Pitch: At the end of the world, two girls ride a half-track motorcycle on a journey through the vast empty ruins of civilization.
Notes: A melancholy and peaceful look at the end of the world.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (Drama) ★★☆
The Pitch: Rakugo, the Japanese art of storytelling, is dying. One of the last great masters of Rakugo takes an apprentice on a whim and begins to tell him the tale of his life, starting around the time of WWII. Later, we follow his apprentice as he looks for success in 1970s Japan.
Notes: While I think this is an important show to watch from the perspective of understanding Japanese culture (and the rakugo is definitely great), the first season is difficult to recommend since I found the main character unbearable (which is partly the point). The second season is quite good, but definitely requires that you watch the first.
Entries: One-cour TV series (watch episodes 2-12, the director’s cut of episode 1, then episode 13, then let me know if it makes it better), and a one-cour sequel Sukeroku Futatabi-hen.
Simoun (Drama) ★★☆
The Pitch: A great war is being fought. To defend the theocracy, children pilot Simoun: flying holy relics which are capable of powerful attacks. In this world, all children are born female and undergo a ceremony when they come of age to determine their sex for the rest of their life. To escape this, Aer joins the elite fighting force which pilots the Simoun.
Notes: This show is almost entirely different than any other media I have seen. The themes are unique, the setting lends an ethereal air to the serious subject matters, and all of it gives off the feeling like this fell through a rift in reality from an alternate dimension. It occasionally stumbles with its melodrama, but I guarantee you will find a unique and fascinating perspective on the world within.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Skip Beat! (Comedy, Drama, Romance) ★★☆
The Pitch: Kyouko followed her boyfriend to Tokyo, only for her to discover that he had no feelings for her and was only living with her so she would do his housework. Infuriated, she dumps him and vows to get revenge by becoming a more popular star than he ever was.
Notes: Perhaps the most painful of the unfinished series I’m listing here since I so desperately wanted to see the rest of this story. Kyouko is one of my favorite protagonists, and the plot is just consistently engaging as it tracks her efforts to become famous – or at least more famous than Shou.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Slayers (Comedy, Adventure) ★★☆
The Pitch: Lina Inverse, a powerful sorceress with a short temper, earns a living by defeating bandits. She finds herself teaming up with Gourry – a simple-minded fighter – and on the run after stealing from the wrong group. On her journies, she is joined by the chimeric spell sword Zelgadis, the justice-loving cleric Amelia, and the secret-keeping priest Xellos.
Notes: The most D&D campaign to ever anime (other than perhaps Lodoss), Slayers is a brilliant combination of comedy and adventure.
Entries: Two-cour TV series, then the 3-episode OVA Special, movies Motion Picture, Return, Great, and Gorgeous, two-cour TV sequel NEXT, movie Premium, then two-cour TV sequel TRY. Two additional sequels, REVOLUTION and REVOLUTION-R, I didn’t find entertaining enough to finish watching.
So Ra No Wo To (Slice of Life) ★★☆✓
The Pitch: There’s high tensions and rumors of war across the world, but in one small corner is the 1121st Platoon at a guard station in the middle of nowhere. Five girls man the outpost, finding joy in the small things and hoping for a happier tomorrow.
Notes: A leisurely look at war, peace, and bugles.
Entries: One-cour TV series and two special episodes.
Sousou no Frieren (Slice of Life, Drama) ★★★✓
The Pitch: Frieren is an ageless elven mage. Years ago, she joined the hero’s party to defeat the Demon King. Now, her friends from her short ten year quest are gone and yet her life continues on.
Notes: I once heard an argument that RPG players shouldn’t be allowed to play races other than humans since the perspective of an immortal elf should be alien, not familiar. I think this show shows that it can be both, and along the way we learn to deal with loss, the time that we have, and demons (of the literal kind).
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Space☆Dandy (Comedy, Adventure) ★★☆
The Pitch: Space Dandy is about a dandy guy in space. Joined by an alien cat and a robot, Dandy is a bounty hunter of alien species (the rarer the species catalogued, the higher the bounty). Little does he know that Dr. Gel, a gorilla scientist, is pursuing him for his own nefarious reasons.
Notes: Each episode of Space Dandy is directed by a different person and takes place in a different alternate universe. A constant barrage of new and unusual science fiction ideas are bandied about, giving them just enough time to breathe before moving on. The first season is pretty good, but the second season truly picks up steam and every episode is a classic.
Entries: Two one-cour TV series.
Stella no Mahou (Slice of Life) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Tamaki joins a video game club at school. They have the goal of completing their own video game to show off at the next convention.
Notes: A light-hearted look at the creative process. Has a nice through line to keep the slice of life bits interesting.
Entries: One-cour TV series and two half-length special episodes.
Stop!! Hibari-kun! (Comedy, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Kousaku moves in with a friend of his mother’s after her death. He quickly discovers two things: the “friend” is actually a yakuza boss, and the boss’ most beautiful daughter was actually born a boy – one who quickly develops a crush on Kousaku (Disclaimer: I’m just trying to pitch the show, not make any political statements here, and I couldn’t think of a better way of phrasing this).
Notes: A fascinating look at a transgender character from early ’80s Japan. Remember how I said that interpreting characters in anime could sometimes be confusing? Well, this is not one of those times, and its simply fascinating to watch a comedy/romance anime about that very subject.
Entries: Three-cour TV series.
Sukeban Deka (Action) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Saki, a delinquent, is asked to become an agent for the police (armed with a yo-yo) to delay her mother’s execution death-sentence. She begins to investigate the mysterious deaths at her high school and the sisters who filled the power vacuum after she had been previously expelled.
Notes: A fun action fix.
Entries: Two-episode OVA.
Taiho Shichauzo (Comedy, Slice of Life) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Natsumi and Miyuki are new traffic cops for Bokuto precinct. They are joined by a prototypical police chief, a motorcycle policemen head-over-heels in love with Miyuki, the station gossip Yoriko, and an officer who went undercover as a woman and never stopped.
Notes: Admittedly, I haven’t finished this one either. The two mains are just all sorts of enjoyable, though, and the ’90s aesthetic is just infectious. And I’m not just recommending this because of the ERA Mini Turbo, either. Not at all. Seriously, though, it’s just a solid, feel-good ’90s cop comedy/slice of life.
Entries: A four-episode OVA, a four-cour TV series, a special episode Nagisa no Koutsuu Yuudou, 20 short Specials, The Movie, a two-cour Second Season, a special episode No Mercy!!, a two-cour TV sequel Full Throttle, and a special episode Full Throttle Special.
Taishou Yakyuu Musume. (Slice of Life, Sports) ★☆☆
The Pitch: During the Taishō era (1912-1926), a group of girls decide to start a baseball team in Japan, but are faced with difficulties as most sports are considered boys-only.
Notes: A fun little look at gender discrimination in Japan (okay, that came out wrong).
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra (Action) ★☆☆
The Pitch: The dead turn into books, and it is up to the Armed Librarians to protect them.
Notes: An inventive and entertaining story about a group of librarians with weird powers. It takes itself a bit seriously towards the end, but is otherwise great fun.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Tearmoon Teikoku Monogatari (Drama, Comedy) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: Princess Luna Tearmoon was ousted from her position by a revolution and beheaded by the people she was supposed to rule. She awakens, many years earlier, thinking it all a dream – until she finds the blood-stained diary she had kept during all those years right next to her. Her new goal? Avoid the guillotine at all costs!
Notes: This one just barely squeaks onto the list, since it falters a bit in the second half (and there’s no continuation). That leaves it with more potential than actual quality for the moment, but the hints of a good (and amusing) story are there. If the show continues, there’s a chance it will earn its place on this list – if not, it may instead disappear entirely once I have some distance.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Teekyuu (Comedy) ★★☆
The Pitch: Four high school girls in a tennis club have adventures.
Notes: Teekyuu is not something you watch – it is something you can only experience. You can watch all 9 seasons in a couple hours, though you must let the crazy flow over you to survive. The 2-3 minute episodes are packed from start to end with one-liners, references, a lightning-quick flow of plot, and multiple frames of animation per episode (no promises on inbetweening). If you can make it through Teekyuu, you will probably be able handle anything anime can throw at you.
Entries: Nine 12-episode TV shorts (three minutes each).
Tenkuu no Escaflowne (Adventure, Romance) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Hitomi is taken to the world of Gaea where Earth hangs in the sky as a second moon. She must help resist the Zaibach empire with the power of Escaflowne, an enormous mech, all themed with an addictive soundtrack.
Notes: Escaflowne remains a strange anime in my recollection, as I can remember none of it except the main themes and a guy fighting a robot with a giant sword, yet I recall quite enjoying it. I’m actually quite excited to go back and rewatch it now that I’m mostly through this project.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita (Comedy, some Drama, Isekai) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: The main character is reincarnated! As a sword! He is wielded by a young cat-girl determined to be the first of her kind to “evolve” into a more powerful form.
Notes: Another isekai which barely makes it on the list, but deserves its spot due to the unusual dynamic it develops (I can only hope the vending machine one turns out well). This may not keep its spot on the list (or may move up) depending on how the next season pans out, but has enough entertainment value for a lazy weekend.
Entries: Two one-cour TV series (one of which has not yet released).
Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (Action, Adventure, Isekai) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Satoru is killed while trying to save his friends from a knife attack and finds himself reincarnated in a fantasy world – as the lowest creature, a slime. He quickly amasses power and sets out to establish a peaceful monster kingdom while dealing with many threats, external and close by.
Notes: In some ways, Slime isekai (the common slang for the show) is as generic and power-fantasy as possible. On the other hand, it’s simply a well-done generic power fantasy. As long as that’s all you expect, it’s the perfect down-time experience. Plus it has one of my favorite jokes in anime near the beginning (then again, I found the simple pun near the start of R.O.D -THE TV- unbearably hilarious, so that might just be me).
Entries: Two-cour TV show, 5-episode OVA, one-cour TV side story Tensura Nikki, three episode OVA Coleus no Yume, two-cour 2nd Season, movie Guren no Kizuna-hen, and upcoming two-cour 3rd Season.
Thermae Romae (Comedy) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Lucius designs bath houses in ancient Rome. Each time he runs into a problem, he finds himself transported to modern-day Japan and finds the solution in Japan’s modern public bath houses, which he then implements in Rome.
Notes: It’s just a silly little short show that has one joke. But it’s a good joke.
Entries: Three-episode TV series.
Tokyo Godfathers (Drama) ★★☆
The Pitch: Near Christmas, three homeless people find an abandoned child and begin to search for the parents.
Notes: If nothing else, this proves the genius of Satoshi Kon to me. I went into this movie expecting to find it boring or uninteresting. Nevertheless, Kon’s directing and storytelling drew me in and kept me engaged for the whole runtime.
Entries: Movie.
Top wo Nerae! GunBuster (Action) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Noriko joins the space fleet to battle aliens bent on the destruction of life on earth.
Notes: A short story by studio Gainax. Each episode increases the scale of the story (and the sacrifices required of the protagonists), eventually bringing it to a conclusion worthy of the most epic of sci-fi.
Entries: Six-episode OVA.
Trigun (Comedy, Adventure) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Humanity now lives on an almost entirely desertified planet, and Vash the Stampede is a wandering gunfighter in this Wild West of the future. His legend is one of a man who destroys town after town he visits. Two insurance agents are sent to follow him and evaluate claims regarding the living legend.
Notes: A Western in the style only anime can conjure, Trigun is a comedy about pacifism, optimism, and past sins. The pacing suffers a bit at times, but the story and characters are worth the filler.
Entries: Two-cour TV series.
Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu (Adventure, Isekai) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Makoto is summoned to be a hero in standard isekai fashion, but the goddess found his face ugly and decided to throw him into the end of the world with the orcs and goblins instead. The moon god of our world spent the last of his power to intercede and grant Makoto his own abilities, knowing he might be treated poorly by the vain goddess.
Notes: Much like the slime isekai, this is a fantastic baseline for isekai. Ideas are well-developed, the power fantasy doesn’t overpower the plot, and the characters are quite solid. This is a story I’m happy to watch, and found myself looking forward to the upcoming season.
Entries: One-cour TV series, and two-cour sequel season.
Tsurezure Children (Comedy, Romance) ☆☆☆
The Pitch: The cast of characters are all in love with someone – it’s just a question of how those relationships will pan out.
Notes: Every romance anime trope is combined in our group of four couples and their attempts to make their relationships work. Comedy frosting on top of the shoujo romance batter.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Uchouten Kazoku (Comedy, Slice of Life, Drama) ★★☆
The Pitch: Yasaburou is a tanuki – with the ability to shapeshift into a human. He and his family lives their life in modern day Japan alongside tengu, wizards, and the mysterious Friday Fellows (who crave tanuki hot pot).
Notes: A fantastic dramedy about family, growing up, and Japanese mythology. Highly worth watching – both seasons have a great build up and dramatic conclusion.
Entries: Two one-cour TV series.
Uchuu Kyoudai (Drama, Romance elements) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Two brothers want to become astronauts. One is on his way to the moon while the other has been fired from his job as a car designer. Mutta, now jobless, decides to pursue his dream and become an astronaut.
Notes: An optimistic and dramatic look at the efforts of two brothers and their dream of reaching the stars. I wish I could rate this higher since the story is truly fantastic, but the pacing is quite slow and the show doesn’t truly resolve. Still, I found myself dozens of episodes in before even noticing.
Entries: A 99-episode TV series and a movie Itten no Hikari.
Uchuu no Stellvia (Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Shima leaves to join the Stellvia, an orbital station that is training pilots for the Great Mission: an operation to protect Earth from a wave of energy coming from a supernova with the potential to decimate life on Earth.
Notes: This series has some truly fantastic ideas, fun characters, and some great plot points, but is seriously let down by the comically terrible melodrama in the second half (starting particularly in episode 19). Still, it’s a fun, well thought out space opera with enough going on to justify overlooking the flaws (just barely).
Entries: A two-cour TV series.
Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 (Action, Drama) ★★★
The Pitch: Earth is bombarded by the alien Gamilos, turning into a dry rock with almost no ability to support life. In a last-ditch effort, a crew is assembled for earth’s last great hope: the space battleship Yamato. With life on earth likely lasting only another year, they set out for the planet Iscandar which they hope has technology which will allow them to defeat the Gamilos.
Notes: A classic space opera, this is actually a remake of the 1974 series more familiar to English viewers as Star Blazers. The remake is quite good (with another of my favorite themes) and without the pacing issues of the original version.
Entries: A 26-episode OVA and movie Hoshi-Meguru Hakobune. You could stop there, but there is a sequel 26-episode OVA 2202, and two follow-up films Aratanaru Tabidachi – Zenshou -TAKE OFF- and Aratanaru Tabidachi – Koushou -STASHA-. They didn’t quite capture me the way the core story in 2199 did, but they’re probably still worth a shot.
Undead Unluck (Action, Drama) ★★☆
The Pitch: Fuuko is cursed – everyone she touches suffers a stroke of bad luck. No longer wanting to endanger others, she finishes her favorite manga and prepares to jump from a bridge, only to be stopped by a man with a card sticking out of his forehead.
Notes: This is how superhero shows should work: both a cost to the power and a remarkably well-thought out cosmology. Each time you think the show can’t get more over-the-top, it somehow pulls it off. The characters are all unique, lovable, and somehow they all have depressing backstories that don’t feel overwrought. By the end, you truly root for the characters to accomplish their goals, since you understand what it meant for them to get there. And I haven’t even spoiled the best character that shows up only five episodes from the end and yet steals the show. The only demerit to the show is the two or three minutes of reused (though skippable) animation at the start of each episode – it’s as if they only had enough time and money for 90% of each episode.
Entries: A two-cour TV series. Future entries that continue the story may increase the rating I have here.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (Action, Horror elements) ★☆☆
The Pitch: D hunts the undead, and is asked to find Charlotte Elbourne who has been kidnapped by a mysterious force of vampires.
Notes: Plenty of action, plenty of vampire hunting.
Entries: Movie.
Versailles no Bara (Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Lady Oscar was raised as a man during the time before the French Revolution. She now commands the palace guards and is asked to ensure the safety of Marie Antoinette as tensions rise and the excesses of Versailles become more egregious to both the commoners and Oscar’s strong sense of justice.
Notes: A tragedy in slow motion – one you can see coming at every step of the way. You learn about the lives of Lady Oscar, her manservent André, and the lords and ladies of Versailles as the French Revolution becomes more and more inevitable.
Entries: Three-cour TV series.
Violet Evergarden (Drama, Slice of Life) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Violet was raised to be a weapon of war, unfeeling and efficiently deadly. After losing both her arms in an attempt to save her commanding officer at the end of the war, she sets out to become an Auto Memory Doll: a writer of letters for the illiterate and those unable to put their true feelings to words.
Notes: A show dead-set on trying to make you cry. Still, the worldbuilding and stories are occasionally touching and build a cohesive and enjoyable world.
Entries: One-cour TV series, OVA Kitto “Ai” wo Shiru Hi ga Kuru no Darou, and movie Eien to Jidou Shuki Ningyou (which is just barely worth watching). Don’t watch the sequel movie – it undermines the themes and emotional arcs established in the show and concludes the story in the worst way possible.
Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life) ★★☆
The Pitch: Narumi is an otaku and desperate to keep that fact a secret. She fails almost immediately, but discovers that the three who found out are all also otaku – including an old friend of hers from middle school. He asks if she’d like to try being his girlfriend, and so the working-life romance story begins.
Notes: Another in the extremely rare category of josei, this is a great little romance story.
Entries: One-cour TV series (still waiting for that second season) and three-episode side-story OVA.
xxxHOLiC (Comedy, Slice of Life, Horror elements) ★★☆
The Pitch: Watanuki can see youkai, which causes him nothing but problems. One day, he finds a strange house on his way home that he never noticed before. The mysterious woman Yuuko claims she can remove his ability to see youkai – for the price that he become her apprentice until he has done an equivalent amount of work to grant the wish.
Notes: A sort of hyakumonogatari iyashikei (100 ghost story and soothing slice of life), this is part of the CLAMP universe: yes, this takes place in the same world as Cardcaptor Sakura and is a collection of ghost story adventures. This entry made me want to give Tsubasa Chronicle a second try for no other reason than wanting to see more of both Watanuki and Sakura. If the mythology of that show wasn’t quite so arcane, I would probably have included it on this list as well.
Entries: Two-cour TV series, movie Manatsu no Yoru no Yume, one-cour sequel TV series Kei, two-episode OVA Shunmuki, and two-episode OVA Rou.
Yagate Kimi ni Naru (Romance, Drama) ★☆☆
The Pitch: Yuu has waited her entire life for her first love, but when a boy asks her out she feels nothing. Later, she meets Touko, the student council president, a confident and seemingly unflappable woman. Unflappable, it seems, until it turns out Touko is falling in love with her. This is a story where everyone thinks they are fooling everyone else.
Notes: A romance story that explores the confusion and desires of two maturing girls in a beautifully animated and touching way. Why do none of these anime have conclusions?
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Yakitate!! Japan (Comedy, Action) ★★★
The Pitch: Azuma Kazuma loves bread, and believes it can rival rice (a truly shocking belief). He has the legendary Hands of the Sun – slightly warmer hands than normal – and sets out to make the best bread which can truly represent Japan – a Ja-pan, if you will (pan is the Japanese word for bread).
Notes: You might think bread puns wouldn’t be able to keep you interested and on your toes for 69 episodes. You would be wrong…mostly – it does start feeling formulaic after episode 52, which has a natural – and epic – stopping point. The last few episodes are more a victory lap than anything else.
Entries: Six-cour (I think) TV series.
Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo (Comedy, Romance) ★★☆
The Pitch: One day, Yamada mysteriously swaps bodies with Urara after falling down the stairs and landing on top of her with his lips pressed against hers.
Notes: I love this. This is quintessential anime comedy and romance (and it even has a conclusion). It’s over-the-top, silly, sappy, fun.
Entries: One-cour TV series.
Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei (Comedy, Mystery, Romance) ★★★
The Pitch: A young man pursues his rose-colored high school life but sees it constantly thwarted by his self-proclaimed nemesis Ozu, a self-professed god of matchmaking, a girl by the name of Akashi, and a fortune teller.
Notes: If the mile-a-minute dialogue doesn’t intrigue you, the remarkably well tied-together plot should.
Entries: One-cour TV series, three specials which are probably not worth it, and a 6-episode ONA sequel Yojouhan Time Machine Blues which might just barely be worth it (but is also entirely skippable).
Youjo Senki (Action, Isekai) ★★☆
The Pitch: A person with no compassion and a strong atheistic streak is thrown in front of a train. God intervenes, reincarnating him in a fantasy world similar to pre-WWI Earth, in the body of a small girl. You might think such a thing would change a person’s mind. But it didn’t – now he is a captain in the military, commanding with all the ruthlessness of his previous life.
Notes: It’s difficult to say why this is such a compelling story. Perhaps it’s the contrast between the personality and body of the character, perhaps it’s the pure self-interest displayed by the main character. Or maybe I just really like the ending theme.
Entries: One-cour TV series, movie, side story Sabaku no Pasta Daisakusen, and upcoming TV sequel.
Yuru Camp△ (Slice of Life, Comedy) ★★★
The Pitch: Nadeshiko meets a girl on a moped, and together they form a friendship around camping in various places across Japan.
Notes: One of the most relaxing anime on this list. Learn about camping without leaving the comfort of your home – what could be better?
Entries: One-cour TV series, three-episode OVA, one-cour TV side story Heya Camp△ with its own side story OVA Sauna to Gohan to Sanrin Bike, one-cour TV sequel, Movie, and upcoming 3rd season.
Yuru Yuri (Comedy, Slice of Life) ★★☆
The Pitch: Akari joins the Amusement Club in high school, which has no purpose beyond being able to do whatever they want.
Notes: The purest definition of Cute Girls Doing Cute Things. It’s hard to overstate just how much like injecting sugar into your veins this show seems.
Entries: One-cour TV series, OVA Yuru Yuri,, one-cour TV sequel, and OVA Nachuyachumi!. There’s more, but stop there.
ZOMBIE LAND SAGA (Comedy, Idol, Drama) ★★★
The Pitch: Sakura wakes up one morning, excited to finally apply to become an idol. She runs out the door, and so the show beings – in one of the best subversions I’ve seen. That’s all I should really say. Just watch it.
Notes: All at once, this is a character drama, an idol anime, a zombie show, and a comedy. Not categories which typically go together, but it works and works well. From the fully-fleshed out backstories to the fact that Sailor Moon’s voice actress was hired just to do the classic zombie groans to the fantastic opening theme to the producer who seemingly succeeds at necromancy through sheer force of will, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA is both hilarious and touching.
Entries: Two one-cour TV series and an upcoming movie.
The Anti-list
There are also some shows which, though people may recommend them, I would actively recommend against for one reason or another.
- Ansatsu Kyoushitsu: The first season was actually quite good… the second, not so much. I wanted to recommend Great Teacher Onizuka instead, but GTO tries a little too hard to be funny – still, it’s probably worth a shot if you’re looking for “teacher redeems class of delinquents.”
- Kimi no Na wa.: More accurately, anything directed by Makoto Shinkai. They’re all very, very pretty but either have huge plot holes or incredibly weak characterization.
- Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso: The very definition of Manic Pixie Dream Girl (and my “anime which must not be named”), made worse by terribly-arranged classical music. Watch Nodame Cantabile instead.
- Shin Seiki Evangelion: Yes, the most influential anime in existence and I’m saying not to watch it (except for the opening theme). Why? Because it’s depressing, takes 20 episodes to do anything interesting, and prioritizes the subtext to the detriment of the text. They came out with a movie to fix the last two episodes, but turned it into the most fan-service-y thing imaginable (in the “hey, look, something fans will recognize/ask for” sense). Watch RahXephon instead, or Argento Soma if you really want something angsty.
Conclusion
Sadly, even after all this, there are still a few anime I don’t quite have an opinion on yet: Ashita no Joe, Candy Candy, InuYasha, and Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu. For the most part, this is due to their length – and hopefully I’ll be able to come back at some point and add them to this list (or remove them from this section). But I needed to get this done some day, and as a friend of mine is fond of saying: “Done is better than perfect.”
I am quite happy with the list I have here, and my adventure with anime was an incredibly enjoyable one. Such a vast array of clever, unusual, and poignant ideas is hard to find in any other medium. If nothing else, you should take from this that animation is not just for children and that even the most unusual premise has almost no bearing on how good the story within might be. For this first part, I’m reminded of a quote by C.S. Lewis – which is how I think I should end this very, very long article:
“Critics who treat ‘adult’ as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”
Now you’ll have to pardon me as I go watch all of these again.