I've been watching anime for quite a while now. Started out 3 years ago, as an anime enthusiast. Or maybe earlier than that, if watching dubbed Mojacko and Cardcaptor Sakura as a child on local TV stations after school counts.
It first started out with manga. I started reading Detective Conan chapters for a school assignment. Yes, you read that right. "For an assignment". While reading it, I got hooked on the storyline and eventually caught up with the recent chapters. After catching up, I decided to watch a few of its movies. And it was awesome. I guess that was the time when I began to be curious about anime.
Although I haven't watched a lot of anime, I've seen enough and ones which I think are honorable mentions when suggesting animes to watch.
And here are my picks, in no particular order.
NOTE: Japanese names mentioned in this list are in the "Given name-Last name" order. However, I will refer to the characters using their last name by default, unless the anime character is usually addressed in some other way.
EXTRA NOTE: Even though I've mentioned Mojacko, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Detective Conan, they won't be in the list anymore. And just so you guys know, Pokemon isn't in this list either.
Naruto
Starting out with something pretty mainstream: the famous blonde-haired orange ninja of the manga/anime world. Naruto is a well-known ninja battle manga/anime around the world. Hell, you've probably AT LEAST heard of it.
For those of you who do not know the setting: Main character, Naruto Uzumaki, was treated as an outcast by his own village because of a powerful entity sealed inside him: the Nine-tailed Demon Fox. In spite of everyone's cold treatment towards him, Naruto found teachers and friends that are willing to help him. As he gained a little more sense to living, Naruto now dreamed and vowed to become the Hokage (the village's prime leader), to make everyone pay no attention to the beast inside him and acknowledge him as a fellow ninja, as a part of the Hidden Village of the Leaf.
Being a battle genre, it has those antagonists that introduces even stronger ones when they are defeated. Also one of those battle anime where saying the secret technique's name is required for the actual technique to work. But I guess that's a given for most battle anime. If you're the type of person who likes ninjas and wants to see fighting, explosions, grunting, and shouting, you could give this a look. Got your attention? Then get out there and stock up on your food supply and drinks, because this will be a LONG anime marathon, if you're ever planning on one.
Being a battle genre, it has those antagonists that introduces even stronger ones when they are defeated. Also one of those battle anime where saying the secret technique's name is required for the actual technique to work. But I guess that's a given for most battle anime. If you're the type of person who likes ninjas and wants to see fighting, explosions, grunting, and shouting, you could give this a look. Got your attention? Then get out there and stock up on your food supply and drinks, because this will be a LONG anime marathon, if you're ever planning on one.
Ranma 1/2
Probably the oldest anime in this list of mine, we have Ranma 1/2 as a veteran in the list. Ranma 1/2 is a martial arts, fantasy, and romantic comedy anime. Ranma Saotome is a steadfast martial artist to the bone, and is engaged against his will to Akane Tendo (thanks to their fathers) in order to inherit the Tendo Dojo. Ranma and Akane doesn't take this arranged marriage too lightly and initially refuses, but to no avail. To make things worse for Ranma, thanks to a training accident in China, he transforms into a girl when he is splashed with cold water! He (or rather, she) can only be a man again if he is doused with hot water. With all of this problems on him, see how Ranma and everyone else in the Tendo household handle their problems with his martial arts.
The martial art aspect is pretty much the most dominant in the series, being settled in the Tendo household and with pretty much everyone training or kicking ass most of the time. The comedy aspect uses mostly physical comedy and slapstick, you know, being mainly a martial art genre. You could also see here people with the weirdest fighting styles and the most ridiculous tournaments ever. Like rhythmic gymnastics with a twist of martial arts or a cooking contest still with a twist of martial arts. Ranma ends up in a lot of predicaments, challenges, both due to his martial arts prowess and his turning-into-a-girl curse.
Artwise, it immediately gives the feeling of being an old anime. The art style is immensely similar to the animes of the 90's. Nonetheless, it presents its concept and story fairly well. It's an anime most people of my generation knows and have watched. To tell the truth, I'm still in the middle of re-watching this. I haven't really finished this the first time I watched it so I still don't know how everything ends. Thankfully, the complete series with English subtitles is uploaded on YouTube so just search for it there. So, there you have it for the list veteran's Ranma 1/2.
Artwise, it immediately gives the feeling of being an old anime. The art style is immensely similar to the animes of the 90's. Nonetheless, it presents its concept and story fairly well. It's an anime most people of my generation knows and have watched. To tell the truth, I'm still in the middle of re-watching this. I haven't really finished this the first time I watched it so I still don't know how everything ends. Thankfully, the complete series with English subtitles is uploaded on YouTube so just search for it there. So, there you have it for the list veteran's Ranma 1/2.
This is one of the most recent animes I've watched. No, wait...actually, this really is the last anime I watched. I found it recommended on a website and just felt like I should watch this. I haven't really caught up to it yet. Detroit Metal City falls under the comedy genre, although the comedy here isn't suitable for children. It tells the story of Souichi Negishi, a shy and good kid with an affinity for French movies and pop songs, and his musical career. He have always loved music and dreamed to be in a trendy pop band since his college years. After graduation, he did become a singer and guitarist of a band. However, he became the frontman of a band the complete opposite of his dream: a death metal band. From the acoustic guitar to electric guitar. From lyrics of love and happiness to lyrics of taboo and brutality. From the mild-mannered Souichi Negishi to the indie death metal emperor Johannes Krauser II. This is Detroit Metal City.
This one really got me by the first minute of the first episode. It already showed the two contrasting lives Negishi leads every day. What impresses me the most is that he can actually write songs on a genre he apparently doesn't like. Because of its references to metal culture, some jokes here can get pretty vulgar and shocking. This anime can AND will definitely throw subtlety out the window and laugh at the mess. The parody of the death metal subculture is a main gag of the show, such as how incredibly loyal fans can be, and that for me, is hilarious enough. The anime episodes itself are pretty short compared to usual anime episodes, with a running time of approximately 13 minutes (including the next episode previews at the end). Because of that, the anime's pacing can be pretty fast. Sometimes, it seems that the dialogues don't even have pauses between them. Nevertheless, it's a good anime to see if you want to have a laugh and rock out at the same time.
Sket Dance
And here we have Sket Dance, the academy support group of Kaimei High. Officially called the Sket dan, the club is composed of only three members. First is Yuusuke "Bossun" Fujisaki, the club's smart, reliable but childish leader. Next is Hime "Himeko" Onihime, the club's only flower and at the same time, their unstoppable brute force. Lastly, Kazuyoshi "Switch" Usui, the group's specialist in information gathering and technology. These three unique individuals form the support of Kaimei's students when it comes to problems, whether small or big.
Sket Dance is a parody comedy anime. Being a parody anime, it occasionally includes references from popular culture such as movies, famous people, and other animes. Aside from their main comedic stories, Sket Dance also have a few serious episodes, like the episodes exploring the main three's pasts. In the comedic aspect, they are masters of tsukkomi and breaks the fourth wall so often, it's useless to even try and count how many times they do it. Main characters aside, the recurring characters also have their own distinct personality. Even superpowers, for goodness sake (Look out for Roman Saotome in this anime. You'll see what I mean.). Due to the character's diversity in personalities, this makes Sket Dance a fruit basket with a funny but tasty mix of characters.
Lovely Complex
I was searching for a good love story in a school setting and this caught my attention among the suggestions. Lovely Complex (or Love Com) is a romantic comedy which focuses on Risa Koizumi, a girl taller than the average, and her relationship with Atsushi Otani, a guy shorter than the average. Famous as their school's comedy duo, All Hanshin-Kyojin, Koizumi and Otani started out as friends and their relationship was built on height-based insults they throw to each other. As their friends had their own love life going good for them, The two of them becomes more and more conscious of their single status. Despite their constant bickering and insulting, Otani is the only person who shares the same interests as Koizumi, and the only person she could relate to. The two begin to gradually get know each other more and become closer than ever. Perhaps, close enough go beyond their comedy duo relationship of theirs and towards a romantic relationship.
I think this is the first shoujo manga/anime that I read/watched all the way through. Being a shoujo manga/anime, it focuses more on the emphatic side of things. It makes you want to feel what the main characters feel. The author really made things and situations easy to understand, and therefore, easy to empathize with. With that said, it really blends well with the romantic comedy shenanigans of the two. This is a light anime with a typical setting which makes it easy to get into. I'd even call it a slice-of-life anime, since it's not entirely impossible for this to happen in reality. Overall, a good anime to spend the weekends with.
Azumanga Daioh
There are those animes where in you just wanna witness the everyday life of the characters. Fortunately for us, Azumanga Daioh is one of those. Azumanga Daioh focuses on Chiyo Minahama, a 10-year old genius that got accelerated all the way to high school from grade school, and her struggles to fit in school along with the slightly older age bracket. Along with Chiyo are her friends Tomo, Osaka, Yomi, Sakaki, and Kagura. Watch as how they go about their everyday lives in school, at home, and well, anywhere.
This right here is a comedy anime that is praised by many in the manga/anime world. Each episode contain sub-episodes, which may or may not have connection to the next one. While this anime probably has the simplest setting, there's just something about it that's really addicting. I mean, the settings used here are probably the same school settings in real life: talking during breaks, doing/copying homework, spending the summer at a summer house...it's pretty realistic. For some reason, the realistic settings makes the jokes really funny. The humor plays a big role in the success as it ranges from simple physical humor to making use of the different character's cuteness to their advantage (such as Chiyo's smallness, Sakaki's love for cute things, etc.). Even to the point of obscure humor. As simple as it is, Azumanga Daioh is a good anime to relax with. Invite your family and friends, too.
Another
Unlike the previous entries, this anime is a serious one. Not just serious, but also a good suspense-thriller. Yes, this anime has characters dying in it. Complete with violence and gore, too. If you like your anime filled with rainbows, smiles and laughing, this is NOT for you.
Another is based on a novel of the same name. This story centers on Kouichi Sakakibara, a late transfer student to Yomiyama North Middle School. His late transfer was due to a lung ailment that left him hospitalized. As he starts attending Yomiyama North as a member of class 3-3, things seem to go well at first. However, upon meeting his classmate Mei Misaki, he begun to have this strange feeling. That there were things everybody in class knew and was hiding from him. Strange things concerning the whole class. While trying to find out about it, he heard the words "cursed class 3-3" slip out from a conversation. With his suspicions confirmed, the mysterious and ominous events unfold one by one.
This is a pretty short anime, with only 12 episodes. The first part of the first episode gives the history about the school's dark curse, so it's pretty obvious what to expect from it. The suspense of this anime comes from the who-dies-next thrill, kind of like Final Destination, except the order of deaths doesn't have a pattern. It makes you want to guess who's the next unlucky character that death picks and how they meet their end. And, let me tell you now, most of the way they die is pretty scary. Maybe even frightening. All in all, a must-see for aficionados of both anime and the suspense genre.
Unlike the previous entries, this anime is a serious one. Not just serious, but also a good suspense-thriller. Yes, this anime has characters dying in it. Complete with violence and gore, too. If you like your anime filled with rainbows, smiles and laughing, this is NOT for you.
Another is based on a novel of the same name. This story centers on Kouichi Sakakibara, a late transfer student to Yomiyama North Middle School. His late transfer was due to a lung ailment that left him hospitalized. As he starts attending Yomiyama North as a member of class 3-3, things seem to go well at first. However, upon meeting his classmate Mei Misaki, he begun to have this strange feeling. That there were things everybody in class knew and was hiding from him. Strange things concerning the whole class. While trying to find out about it, he heard the words "cursed class 3-3" slip out from a conversation. With his suspicions confirmed, the mysterious and ominous events unfold one by one.
This is a pretty short anime, with only 12 episodes. The first part of the first episode gives the history about the school's dark curse, so it's pretty obvious what to expect from it. The suspense of this anime comes from the who-dies-next thrill, kind of like Final Destination, except the order of deaths doesn't have a pattern. It makes you want to guess who's the next unlucky character that death picks and how they meet their end. And, let me tell you now, most of the way they die is pretty scary. Maybe even frightening. All in all, a must-see for aficionados of both anime and the suspense genre.
Papa no Iukoto o Kikinasai!/Listen to me, girls! I am your father!
Ok, back to un-serious animes. I guess this one's pretty obvious due to all the smiles in the picture. This one is "Papa no Iukoto o Kikinasai!" (abbreviated in Japan as PapaKiki), or known as "Listen to me, girls! I am your father!" in the English title. Like Another, this is also based on a novel. This tells about the story of college freshman Yuuta Segawa, and his daily life living and taking care of his sister's three daughters, Sora (14 years old), Miu (10 years old), and Hina (3 years old). In college-related matter, Yuuta is a part of the "Street Observation Research Society" club. I have absolutely no idea what this club's objective really is, or how they plan to achieve it. And from the look of the members, I'd say they don't know either. Within the club are only three members: Shuntaro Sako, the very leader of the club with a preference for young girls. Kouichi Nimura, Yuuta's closest friend in the club and pretty much a master of picking up chicks. Seriously, if picking up chicks was a job, this guy would be a freaking billionaire. And lastly, Raika Oda, hailed as one of the school's most beautiful, despite her well-known trait of the lack of display of her emotions. She is also Yuuta's love interest.
If the main character knows what he's doing already, it won't be make a good episode (or series, for that matter) wouldn't it? With all the stress and pressure in Yuuta's life, Yuuta's pretty much lacks here and there. Because he's taking care of the kids, he's got part-time jobs everywhere and anytime. And because of that, he can barely stay awake in class. Thankfully, his friends from the SORS club admire his determination, and helps him out occasionally (mainly Nimura and Raika). Bottom line, it's a lightweight, feel-good anime with a realistic concept that makes it easy to empathize with.
Death Note
A pretty awesome anime in its own right, Death Note makes it into this list, no questions asked. This piece made by the Tsugumi Ohba/Takeshi Obata writer/artist tag team ushered into the limelight at around 6 to 7 years ago and its popularity is still around today. Might be increasing, even. This is also the anime that first got me listening to Japanese bands (like Nightmare and Maximum the Hormone). And if I remember correctly, there have been controversies with references to Death Note. Well, I guess the concept itself is pretty controversy-prone.
Death Note focuses on high-school genius Light Yagami, who found a suspicious notebook on the campus grounds one day. Seeing the notebook with the words "Death Note" written on the cover, as well as reading the guide in using it, he eventually becomes curious to whether it is real or just a well-thought out prank. As Light tests the notebook, he realizes that it is indeed the real thing and recognizes its power: a notebook with the power to kill people with the use of just their name and face. A little while later, a Death God named Ryuk appears before Light and introduces himself to be the original owner of the notebook. With this new-found power in hand, Light now sees himself as the sole savior of the people from the scum of society and the creator of his ideal, new world he wishes to create through the powerful notebook. Aware and intrigued of his divine-like method of killing, the great detective known solely as "L" is now investigating him. The battle of principles and for survival between these two incredible minds now starts.
Death Note was published in a manga magazine along with stories filled with battles. The main difference of this from the others is that the battle here is all in the psychological and mental aspects. A battle full of logical deductions, devising plans, and avoiding one another's mentally-laid out traps. Basically, it's an anime with a lot of thinking involved. If you fancy detective stories and don't mind having a supernatural twist to it, this is a great anime for you. You'll definitely like it.
If the main character knows what he's doing already, it won't be make a good episode (or series, for that matter) wouldn't it? With all the stress and pressure in Yuuta's life, Yuuta's pretty much lacks here and there. Because he's taking care of the kids, he's got part-time jobs everywhere and anytime. And because of that, he can barely stay awake in class. Thankfully, his friends from the SORS club admire his determination, and helps him out occasionally (mainly Nimura and Raika). Bottom line, it's a lightweight, feel-good anime with a realistic concept that makes it easy to empathize with.
Death Note
A pretty awesome anime in its own right, Death Note makes it into this list, no questions asked. This piece made by the Tsugumi Ohba/Takeshi Obata writer/artist tag team ushered into the limelight at around 6 to 7 years ago and its popularity is still around today. Might be increasing, even. This is also the anime that first got me listening to Japanese bands (like Nightmare and Maximum the Hormone). And if I remember correctly, there have been controversies with references to Death Note. Well, I guess the concept itself is pretty controversy-prone.
Death Note focuses on high-school genius Light Yagami, who found a suspicious notebook on the campus grounds one day. Seeing the notebook with the words "Death Note" written on the cover, as well as reading the guide in using it, he eventually becomes curious to whether it is real or just a well-thought out prank. As Light tests the notebook, he realizes that it is indeed the real thing and recognizes its power: a notebook with the power to kill people with the use of just their name and face. A little while later, a Death God named Ryuk appears before Light and introduces himself to be the original owner of the notebook. With this new-found power in hand, Light now sees himself as the sole savior of the people from the scum of society and the creator of his ideal, new world he wishes to create through the powerful notebook. Aware and intrigued of his divine-like method of killing, the great detective known solely as "L" is now investigating him. The battle of principles and for survival between these two incredible minds now starts.
Death Note was published in a manga magazine along with stories filled with battles. The main difference of this from the others is that the battle here is all in the psychological and mental aspects. A battle full of logical deductions, devising plans, and avoiding one another's mentally-laid out traps. Basically, it's an anime with a lot of thinking involved. If you fancy detective stories and don't mind having a supernatural twist to it, this is a great anime for you. You'll definitely like it.
Nichijou
Hmm...Nichijou, huh?
I guess the best way I can describe it is through a comparative description. It's like Azumanga Daioh's exaggerated, hyperactive little sister. I've been seeing .gifs and video clips of this anime before I watched it and thought this may be a good one to watch. And what do you know? It really is...in its own way.
Nichijou, from its english translation, "regular life" or "regular days", tells the everyday story of five girls. The first three are the girls of the unnamed high school shown in the picture above in left-to-right order: Mai Minakami, Yuuko Aioi, and Mio Naganohara. These three are the show's main group of friends, focusing on their everyday struggles, no matter how nonsensical it can be. The last two girls are the girls of the Shinonome Laboratory: a robot girl named Nano Shinonome, and the one responsible for her creation, the 8-year-old genius Hakase (or Professor in English).
These characters may seem fitting to be an anime character. I mean, they do have to stand out. Nothing too ordinary, yet nothing too bizarre. Just when you thought it was okay, the show's surprising style of comedy comes into action while using just the simplest of problems like accidentally dropping the last piece of your lunch. Instead of just sighing "Aw, there goes the last bite", the situation figuratively screams "THAT PIECE OF FOOD SHALL NOT TOUCH THE GROUND BY ANY MEANS!" Nichijou uses exaggeration to make it a lot more funnier than it really is and has brought the comedic use of exaggeration into a level of its own. The show is also separated into sub-episodes (taking after her sister, Azumanga Daioh) as well as mini-segments, which most of them have very little or nothing to do with the actual episode. Either way, if you've already seen AzuDaioh, this make pique your interest as well. Or the other way around, if you have seen Nichijou already.
Now, I'd say this would be the end of the list. My OCD side says to limit the list to ten animes only. BUT I WON'T END IT HERE YET. I figured I haven't really posted in a while and that just makes me want to write something more to make up for it. And since you must be really interested in this list that you actually made it down here and reading this very text. Maybe I should give you a reward or something for reading this post. So here is one more for you. Screw you, OCD.
The World God Only Knows
The World God Only Knows is a manga/anime focused on Keima Katsuragi, a boy with a great love and addiction for conquering girls in video games. He is so dedicated and skilled at conquering that he is known in the internet as the "God of Conquest". In the midst of checking his email, he sees an unusual request. Being the "God of Conquest", he cannot possibly decline out of pride. He accepts and as soon as he does that, the sky grows darker all of a sudden, and in the middle of the dark clouds, falls a girl with a broom. She introduces herself as Elsie, who is a member of the Hell's Runaway Spirit Squad. Not knowing what he signed up for, Keima asks Elsie more about the request. It appears then that he is now fatally bound to his promise to help Elsie in her request. Elsie reveals that the request is to get rid of the runaway spirits living inside female hearts. And he is forced to do it the only way he knows how: Through video-game-style conquering.
Keima is addicted to playing games so much that he never lets go of his hand-held PFP (An obvious reference to Sony's handheld console). He also has his own contraption at home, which composes of multiple console controllers placed around it for playing multiple games all at the same time. Being so absorbed in the gaming world, he refuses to be part of reality most of the time, going so far as saying, "Reality is just a crappy game!" Those are some wise words, kids. Keep it in mind. Despite his refusal to live in the real world, Keima is a smart guy, using his intellect to formulate game-based plans to conquer a girl.
I haven't really played much dating sim games but I play enough games to understand Keima's references and analogies. Being the only main male character in the series, it's no wonder it's placed in the harem genre. Although in Keima's harem, he is required to capture the hearts of multiple women instead of aiming for just one. Fellow fans of the harem genre, this is a diamond out of the rough. Definitely recommendable.
Well, that's it for this list. Found some anime that sparked your curiosity?
I guess the best way I can describe it is through a comparative description. It's like Azumanga Daioh's exaggerated, hyperactive little sister. I've been seeing .gifs and video clips of this anime before I watched it and thought this may be a good one to watch. And what do you know? It really is...in its own way.
Nichijou, from its english translation, "regular life" or "regular days", tells the everyday story of five girls. The first three are the girls of the unnamed high school shown in the picture above in left-to-right order: Mai Minakami, Yuuko Aioi, and Mio Naganohara. These three are the show's main group of friends, focusing on their everyday struggles, no matter how nonsensical it can be. The last two girls are the girls of the Shinonome Laboratory: a robot girl named Nano Shinonome, and the one responsible for her creation, the 8-year-old genius Hakase (or Professor in English).
These characters may seem fitting to be an anime character. I mean, they do have to stand out. Nothing too ordinary, yet nothing too bizarre. Just when you thought it was okay, the show's surprising style of comedy comes into action while using just the simplest of problems like accidentally dropping the last piece of your lunch. Instead of just sighing "Aw, there goes the last bite", the situation figuratively screams "THAT PIECE OF FOOD SHALL NOT TOUCH THE GROUND BY ANY MEANS!" Nichijou uses exaggeration to make it a lot more funnier than it really is and has brought the comedic use of exaggeration into a level of its own. The show is also separated into sub-episodes (taking after her sister, Azumanga Daioh) as well as mini-segments, which most of them have very little or nothing to do with the actual episode. Either way, if you've already seen AzuDaioh, this make pique your interest as well. Or the other way around, if you have seen Nichijou already.
Now, I'd say this would be the end of the list. My OCD side says to limit the list to ten animes only. BUT I WON'T END IT HERE YET. I figured I haven't really posted in a while and that just makes me want to write something more to make up for it. And since you must be really interested in this list that you actually made it down here and reading this very text. Maybe I should give you a reward or something for reading this post. So here is one more for you. Screw you, OCD.
The World God Only Knows
The World God Only Knows is a manga/anime focused on Keima Katsuragi, a boy with a great love and addiction for conquering girls in video games. He is so dedicated and skilled at conquering that he is known in the internet as the "God of Conquest". In the midst of checking his email, he sees an unusual request. Being the "God of Conquest", he cannot possibly decline out of pride. He accepts and as soon as he does that, the sky grows darker all of a sudden, and in the middle of the dark clouds, falls a girl with a broom. She introduces herself as Elsie, who is a member of the Hell's Runaway Spirit Squad. Not knowing what he signed up for, Keima asks Elsie more about the request. It appears then that he is now fatally bound to his promise to help Elsie in her request. Elsie reveals that the request is to get rid of the runaway spirits living inside female hearts. And he is forced to do it the only way he knows how: Through video-game-style conquering.
Keima is addicted to playing games so much that he never lets go of his hand-held PFP (An obvious reference to Sony's handheld console). He also has his own contraption at home, which composes of multiple console controllers placed around it for playing multiple games all at the same time. Being so absorbed in the gaming world, he refuses to be part of reality most of the time, going so far as saying, "Reality is just a crappy game!" Those are some wise words, kids. Keep it in mind. Despite his refusal to live in the real world, Keima is a smart guy, using his intellect to formulate game-based plans to conquer a girl.
I haven't really played much dating sim games but I play enough games to understand Keima's references and analogies. Being the only main male character in the series, it's no wonder it's placed in the harem genre. Although in Keima's harem, he is required to capture the hearts of multiple women instead of aiming for just one. Fellow fans of the harem genre, this is a diamond out of the rough. Definitely recommendable.
Well, that's it for this list. Found some anime that sparked your curiosity?
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