I’ve never been a huge anime person, but over the years, I’ve watched some here and there and have ventured in and out of it. I keep a running list on my phone of ones that I’ve seen and ones that I want to watch sometime in the future. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll always have a special place in my heart for anime. There’s a seemingly infinite variety of creative storylines that you’d never see in modern American television. If you’re new to watching anime or are not sure what to watch, these are some of my favorites that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend if they pique your interest.
- “Attack on Titan”
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“Attack on Titan” is really popular from what I’ve seen, as almost everyone I talk to who watches anime has seen it or knows of it. The anime is currently on its fourth and final season, which I’ve been keeping up with and watching as new episodes come out. The story centers on the last location where humans still live after humanity was driven to the brink of extinction over 100 years ago by human-eating giants called Titans. It’s a dark fantasy series full of action, and this was one of the first-ever animes I watched, and I still love it just as much, if not more, than when I first started it.
- “Death Note”
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“Death Note” is on the darker side in terms of the plot and storyline, but it’ll still go down as one of my favorites. It’s a supernatural thriller that revolves around a high school student who finds the “Death Note,” a notebook that can kill anyone when their name is written in it as long as the user knows the target’s name and face. I definitely liked the first half of the series better than the second half, but as a whole, it was great all the way through, and I’ll recommend it to anyone.
- “Ao Haru Ride”
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Unlike the first two, I talked about, “Ao Haru Ride,” or known in English as “Blue Spring Ride,” is a romance and coming-of-age story following a 16-year-old high school student who reunites with her first love from middle school who had moved away. It’s really just a feel-good anime that’s wholesome and will put a smile on your face. If you’re in the mood for something lighter, you should give this one a try because I found it adorable, and it had me reminiscing on my youth.
- “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime”
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“That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime” is a light novel and fantasy series, and the general gist of what it’s about is exactly what it sounds like. A corporate worker is murdered and then reincarnated as a slime with unique powers into a world of sorcery, and then starts a journey to gain allies and build his own community of monsters. When this was first recommended to me, I was skeptical, but the title was intriguing enough, so I decided to give it a try. You can probably guess how much I liked it based on the context of this article. Overall, I found it to be really wholesome and fun, and the plot itself is unique enough to keep things interesting.
The first thing I tell anyone who starts watching anime, although most people don’t need to be told, is to never watch the dubbed version and always watch it in its original form with subtitles. There’s a ton more on my to-watch list, which only keeps growing that I’m trying to get through. I’ve even branched out and started reading some manga to entertain myself while I wait for new episodes to come out.