Ah, more inconsistency on my blog. But also, kind of not. Anime is a central interest of mine, or has become one in the past few years, so I was going to write something about it eventually. I love doing recommendation posts, whether it’s music, books or TV. There’s nothing better than sharing what you love with someone else, and always satisfying when someone tells you they love something you love, too.

In regards to anime, I’m still somewhat a rookie. According to My Anime List, I have only completed 65 anime shows, with 8 more to be added to that list in the next few weeks. Whilst that may sound like a pretty reasonable amount of shows, you only have to go into any community to realise that still makes me kind of a newbie. Still, I believe I’ve seen enough to be able to recommend shows to others. By not being, ‘in too deep’, shall we say, I also haven’t reached the point where shows that are maybe too unique are considered ‘casual’ viewing (No thank you, Monster Musume). I’m steering away from including the long running shounens i.e. Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, as well as shows such as Pokemon/Sailor Moon. Chances are you saw the latter as a kid, and want to leave it there. As for the shounens, you’ve probably seen or heard bits and pieces. If you weren’t intrigued already, I doubt you would be now. Also, whilst I never watched Naruto, and have One Piece on hold…the lack of investment in Bleach is possibly for the best.

Similar to my K-Pop post, I’ll do the recommendations based on a somewhat spectrum of genres. If you know what you like in a show, hop on over to that specific heading. Where available, I’ll try and include the English dub version, as I get that it’s more accessible for newbies.

YOU’RE A MARVEL/SUPERHERO FAN.

If you like your heroes bad ass, but not taken too seriously: One Punch Man

One Punch Man is exactly what it says on the tin. He’s a superhero that can defeat his enemies with one punch. No asspulls, no tricks. One punch and they’re dead. OPM plays on all the tropes of both Western superhero movies, as well as over-used anime tropes, and yet it never gets tired nor boring. The action is in equal with the deadpan humour of the main character, Saitama (who is constantly serving memes), making it a great start for anyone who enjoys the action-come-humour served by say, Iron Man. Plus, as the trailer shows, it’s in English too, if subtitles aren’t your thing.

If you like your heroes to have humble beginnings, and see where it all began: My Hero Academia (Boku No Hero Academia)

This is one of my favourite anime shows, both on this list, and in general. It just makes you feel SO GOOD. Whether you’re hyped watching all these different super powers (and believe me, there are TONS. Hardened skin, anyone? Frog powers?), or if you want to root for a specific character to do well, this provides you with eternal smiles. If you ever liked the movie ‘Sky High’, or wondered why ‘Teen Titans’ was never done with a more famous superhero roster, this is the show for you. See if you can watch it without binging in one sitting (I failed).

YOU’RE INTO MYSTERY, AND A SENSE OF ‘WHODUNNIT’

ERASED (Boku dake ga Inai Machi)

ERASED is another show I found myself unable to stop watching once I started, desperate to know how all the pieces of the puzzle would fit together. The story follows Satoru, who finds he has the ability to travel back in time, to his childhood. With this ability, he plans to undo (or ERASE, haha) the events leading up to a childhood friend’s murder, and thus everything that follows. But how can he do this when he’s not even sure how she died in the first place? Erased incorporates aspects of romance with thrills, keeping you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

Danganronpa: The Animation

Before recommending Danganronpa, I would like to say that if you get the opportunity to play the video games beforehand, do it. They are far superior. However, as someone who watched Danganronpa before playing the games, I don’t think it works too badly as a stand alone. Probably the best example of ‘whodunnit’, Danganronpa follows a group of high school students who wake up in a twisted version of their school, to the news that they can only escape if they kill one another. Your favourite character will die, no one is safe. Put your Professor Layton skills to the test, and try and find the killer before it’s too late.

BLOOD, GUTS, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.

Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin)

Ah, Attack on Titan. Chances are that you’ve heard of it. It was my very first anime, and the one that threw anime back into the interest of the Western world. There is literally not a dull moment. In the trailer alone, about 7 people die. AoT is set in a post apocalyptic world, where beasts called Titan’s roam, and human’s live in fear of being eaten by one of these giants. Because of this, rise the soldiers that fight against the Titan’s. Who are humanity’s last hope. Attack on Titan is gory, it’s angry, it breaks your heart, and even manages to fit some humour in such a dark story. It has a great english cast, and as a bonus, a really great opening song.

Parasyte -The Maxim- (Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu)

Parasyte was disgusting. If you want to see bodies mutilated in ways you didn’t even think possible, and you’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of our alien overlords…this is your show. Our main character, Shinichi, wakes up one day with an alien life form attached to his body. He’s not the only one, they’re everywhere, and their intention is to eat brains and take over humans. Besides the gory, horror aspect of Parasyte, the show is particularly great at exploring humanity’s moral compass. Ever find yourself siding with the bad guys in movies? Parasyte is with you on that one. Don’t watch this too late at night, and keep your hands to yourself.

Tokyo Ghoul

Note: If you decide you enjoy this show, for the love of God, do not look up the 2nd season. It doesn’t exist. Tokyo Ghoul, as well as being another show with an amazing opening, is one of the few anime that is actually listed as ‘horror’. And I guess it could be considered pretty freaky, as far as shows go. Tokyo is overrun with creatures called ‘ghouls’, who feast on human flesh, as our main character, Kaneki finds out. Lucky for him, instead of becoming a human happy meal, he simply becomes half a ghoul himself. The show explores themes of madness, traditional horror movie tropes, and of course, a HELL of a lot of blood and guts. If you like high paced fights and violence, this is your show. Definitely no second season, though.

If you love BIG ASS MACHINES AND EXPLOSIONS! And hype!

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

I hate big robots and dumb mechas but, hear me out. This show, it was so highly praised, by mecha fans and non-mecha fans alike. So I tried it. It’s now my second favourite show. Gurren Lagann is nothing but HYPE. Just watch that trailer. You want huge, over the top robots? You got it. Explosions for no damn reason? Sure. Eye candy? Yep, Kamina and Yoko are right there. And it’s full of feel good, inspirational quotes. Gurren Lagann turned 10 years old this year, but age is nothing when you’re still THAT GOOD. There’s not even that much to explain about the story without spoilers, except big robots fighting other big robots. FIGHT THE POWER.

If you’re looking for a sweet, pure romance.

Into The Forest of Fireflies Light (Hotarubi no Mori e)

The only movie inclusion on my list, but with good reason. Not only is it only 45 minutes, so a short but sweet offering, it is stunning. I watched this before an interview one day as some ‘light viewing’ and bawled like a baby. It’s the tale of a blossoming romance between Hotaru, a human child, and Gin, a spirit of the forest. However, the twist is, Gin can never touch a human, or else he’ll disappear forever. As well as the story being gorgeous, and keeping you hooked until the very last second, the animation is gorgeous. If you told me this was a Studio Ghibli film, I’d believe you. This is another favourite of mine, and it’s criminally underrated. Don’t miss out.

If you’re into sports..

Sports is a huge genre in anime, so I’ll leave only one, which I think is, personally, the best of the genre. Obviously there’s more, covering a wide variety of different sports, but that’s for another day.

Haikyuu!!

Coming from someone who had no interest in Volleyball, Haikyuu!! is the best. It manages to make a sport unfamiliar to most very approachable and exciting. The best part about Haikyuu!! is not the sport itself though, and rather the players. If you’re looking for awesome characters to go along with your hype, this is the show for you. I’ve been watching for 3 seasons now, and I still haven’t managed to pick a favourite character, they’re all too good. There isn’t much of a plot as much as it’s just rooting for the Karasuno volleyball team, but that doesn’t matter when it’s so much fun anyway. If you’re a fan of volleyball, even better!

If you liked The Hunger Games, but you’re also weak for Disney princesses:

Magical Girl Raising Project (Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku)

The trailer does this show no justice, it got DARK. Look how cute all those girls are. Adorable, right? Now imagine them having to kill each other in order to win a game. Similar to the concept of Danganronpa, this is a killing game, where all of your favourites are probably going to die. Unlike Danganronpa, there’s no ‘whodunnit’, these girls are shameless. Prepare yourself for heartbreak, tears and bloodshed as your favourite Magical Girl most likely dies.

If you’re just looking to laugh for a few minutes, and see something that doesn’t take itself too seriously:

The Devil is a Part Timer! (Hataraku Maou-Sama!)

This show is ridiculous. Which is what makes it so great. If you were Satan, and you landed on Earth, what would your goals be? If you said ‘To work in MgRonalds (no spelling mistake there) and become Assistant Manager’, then great. The Devil is a Part Timer is exactly that. Sure, there’s bits of action here and there, when people remember that, you know, he’s Satan. But really, this is just an amusing slice of Satan’s day to day life. If you want a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously (and has a great English cast), this really is the best for comedy.

Shows that I’m not sure how to recommend but they’re in a league of their own, whatever the medium:

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

There is absolutely nothing, no trailer, that can do FMA justice. Praised by anime fans and non-anime fans alike, it truly is a masterpiece in it’s own right. The story follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse, who meddled too far with the alchemy of human life, and are now facing the consequences. Which is a total understatement of what this show is. I wonder what this could be if it was made into a life action TV series, similar to Game of Thrones. No doubt a huge hit. It has everything: epic fights, magic, romance, despair, triumph, religion, monsters. If nothing else on this list, FMA:B is really not one to be missed.

Hunter x Hunter (2011)

So maybe this isn’t the best show for beginners, but what would my recommendations be if I didn’t include my absolute favourite? Unfinished greatness, and it has a slow start, but wow. Hunter x Hunter is everything. You think you have it all figured out, and then it throws something else at you. Whilst the synopsis is essentially ‘A boy becomes a Hunter in order to find his father, who is also a hunter’, it’s not wrong but…it’s also so much more than that. The world of Hunter x Hunter expands in so much more, meeting characters who are lovable, annoying, or downright terrifying along the way. Never ever have I laughed, held my breath in anticipation, or cried more than I have whilst I’ve watched Hunter x Hunter. If you start it after reading this, please let me know. I’ll hold your hand the entire way.

Well, that concludes my recommendations post. Whilst there’s definitely people who could show you more, as someone who is still somewhat a beginner in anime, I thought I could act as a good gateway into the medium. If you watch any of these shows, let me know what you thought! What other shows should I suggest?

Until next time!