A lot of my anime interests have changed since I last wrote on the topic, but I still have love and appreciation for all animated masterpieces being created every year. So now, I’m bringing you my list for great, newly released anime.
Many anime adaptations of manga drop(ped) the ball in terms of character design or by drifting from the original storyline. The Promised Neverland, so far, is not one of those anime. The story follows Emma, Norman and Ray as the eldest orphans at Gracefield House. At age 11, they use their individual strengths to plan an escape from the, once seemly safe, home they all grew to love. The story is VERY hard to explain without giving anything away, but since watching episode one, I’ve been obsessed.
Episodes are released on Hulu, Crunchyroll and other platforms every Thursday.
Sometimes new anime is a recreation of an older anime, such as with my next favorite, Dororo. This story is one of perseverance and strength. In ancient japan, a lord made a deal with demons to receive power and good fortune, for the life of his first born son. When the son was born, his full life was not taken, but all of his organs (including skin) and limbs were. Believing he would die anyways, the father forced the midwife to dispose of the baby. 16 years later, the now teenager, travels and fights evil spirits to regain his lost body parts.
Dororo caught my attention after seeing the many tweets surrounding the heartfelt plot. The main character is tender, curious, and resolved. It’s as addicting as any other show on this list. I’ve only found Dororo on Amazon Prime, but new episodes are released every Monday.
Boogiepop and Others is one show I rarely saw on my timeline, but I gravitated to it by chance. It’s main plot, from what I can tell, is about a normal school girl with some form of split personality. Her esper-like personality is named Boogiepop, and comes alive when other people in her area need help. The show is very bloody, and to me the plot is difficult to grasp. I’ve laughed at little comments or actions made by Boogiepop, because she is such a difficult character to read, but this anime is far from a comedy.
If you’re looking for a intellectually riveting anime, with small bits of dry humor and some gory scenes, this is probably for you.
Out of all of the anime on this list, I was most excited to watch season two of Mob Psycho 100. This show is about a shy middle schooler named Mob who has psychic abilities. Mob begins working for a fake psychic, Reigen, who uses Mob for exorcist jobs. They end up developing a great friendship as they take larger and larger jobs, in the meantime, Mob learns how to control his power and make friends at school.
This show, as well as my all-time favorite One Punch Man, were originally developed by the mangaka, One. Though I would consider both (and most of his) works to be comedy, Mob Psycho 100 is going in a different direction during season two. There are more characters being introduced, we get to peer more into the life of Reigen and we see more action and character development than we did in season one.
Not to say the bright colors, and crazy reactions are no longer a part of the show, but they are almost set aside for the good of the plot. The new episodes air every Monday, on most streaming platforms including Crunchyroll.
I’m looking forward to seeing these shows to the end, and I hope you’re able to watch along with me!