1. One-Punch Man (2015 – 2019)
Image credit: IMDb
Saitama is One-Punch Man – he wins all of his fights with literally just one punch. He’s finally achieved his dream of being a superhero, but there’s a problem with that – he’s far too strong, and he no longer gets a thrill from fights. Unsatisfied and bored, this hero-for-fun’s search for a formidable opponent leads him to unknowingly save lives on multiple occasions.
This satirical webcomic-turned-anime has been a hit because of its premise that ‘the good guy always wins’ gets boring, even for the protagonist himself.
Image credit: IMDb
One-Punch Man is also blessed with great animation and soundtrack music, and action scenes that pack just as much punch as the comedy.
It also pokes fun at several other well-known animes, so look out for those easter eggs. After all, One-Punch Man (wanpanman in Japanese) began as a play on the Japanese children’s superhero Anpanman.
Genre: Action, comedy, shonen
Length: 2 seasons, 12 episodes each
Available on: Netflix
2. Tokyo Ghoul (2014 – 2018)
Image credit: IMDb
In an alternate reality, humans coexist with ghouls – beings that can only survive by consuming human flesh but look exactly like human beings. These ghouls live hidden amongst society, evading the public eye while forming their own society of sorts.
Ken Kaneki was a quiet and lonely student, only having one real friend and often sticking to himself. All of this changed after an encounter with Rize Kamishiro, a seemingly innocent and seductive lady, who turned out to be a binge-eating ghoul – and he was going to be her next meal. A freak accident saves Kaneki, who is then taken to the hospital.
He wakes up to realise that he underwent a surgery that implanted parts of Rize in him, turning him into a hungry ghoul. Plunged against his will into a scary world of flesh-eating creatures, Kaneki struggles to cling on to the remnants of his humanity whilst trying to stay alive.
This anime spent a lot of its budget on amazing fight scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat, with a banging soundtrack to boot. Kaneki’s teetering psychological state will have you questioning how you’d react if you’d met a similar fate.
Genre: Horror, action, thriller, shonen
Length: 3 seasons
Available on: Netflix
3. Attack on Titan (2013 – present)
Image credit: IMDb
For a century, humanity has been terrorised by Titans – mindless giants that feast on human flesh. These Titans don’t seem to consume humans for any reason other than for pleasure. To protect themselves, humanity has constructed 3 gigantic walls to keep the Titans out. Their civilisation flourishes on the inside of the walls, but little is known about the outside.
Everything changed the day when the Colossal Titan, who even towers above the walls the humans have built, breaches a hole in the outermost wall, allowing the Titans in to carry out a bloody rampage.
Image credit: IMDb
The story’s protagonist is 10-year old Eren Jaeger. After witnessing the death of his mother in the hands (and jaws) of a grinning Titan, he swore to take revenge by killing all of the Titans. Together with his closest friends, Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlet, Eren enlists in the military to join the fight to recapture humanity’s lost territories – and to win the freedom that it desires.
Alternatively called Shingeki no Kyojin (進撃の巨人), Attack on Titan is a multi-award winning manga-turned-anime. It has been praised for its thrilling storyline, grandiose music, and beautifully-drawn action.
Genre: Action, thriller, dystopian, shonen
Length: 3 seasons; 25 episodes, 12 episodes, 22 episodes respectively
Available on: Netflix
4. My Hero Academia (2016 – present)
Image credit: IMDb
In a world where almost everyone has Quirks, or superpowers, of their own, it’s a real bummer to be born without one yourself. Izuku Midoriya was not born without a Quirk of his own, but he still dreams to be a superhero.
Things change for Midoriya when he is scouted by All Might, the greatest superhero in Japan. He is enrolled in U.A. High School, a prestigious training academy for heroes-to-be. There, he embarks on a journey to become the hero of his dreams.
My Hero Academia, also a very popular manga in Japan, is also known as Boku no Hiro Akademia (僕のヒーローアカデミア). The series also features characters that seem to be inspired by the superheroes of western culture, and show an interesting parallel between them.
Genre: Adventure, fantasy, shonen
Length: 4 seasons
Available on: Netflix
5. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012-2019)
Image credit: IMDb
The series follows Jonathan Joestar and his descendants – Joseph and Jotaro Kujo – all of whom have names that can be shortened to the titular JoJo. Each arc of the series follows one of the JoJos as he battles vampires with his outlandish powers.
The appeal of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure doesn’t only come from the storyline. Instead, it comes from the gaudy colours, fiendishly funny jokes and unique character designs that make you wonder how anyone could’ve thought of that.
Hirohiko Araki, the writer and artist of the series, has such iconic work that he was invited to display his work at the Louvre. His constant references to American pop music and garish high fashion-like costume designs allude to his obsession with Western pop culture. The series has, in turn, spawned countless memes on the internet.
JoJo’s is a real bizarre treat to watch that will leave you cracking up.
Genre: Adventure, fantasy, shonen
Length: 5 seasons
Available on: Crunchyroll, Netflix
6. Haikyu!! (2014-present)
Image credit: IMDb
Although Shoyo Hinata is short, he dreams of becoming a top volleyball player like the “Little Giant”, his favourite player.
After a defeat at the junior high school championships, Hinata strengthens his resolve to beat Tobio Kageyama, the star player of the team that had defeated his previously.
Much to Hinata’s disappointment, he discovers that he and Kageyama are on the same team in their new high school, and the two very quickly begin bickering. However, the Karasuno High School volleyball team needs both of their skills, and the two are forced to learn to work together as teammates to enter the Nationals.
The series has many fans for its sensational dramatisation of volleyball and has spawned a renewed interest in the sport.
Genre: Comedy, sports
Length: 4 seasons
Available on: Crunchyroll, Netflix
7. Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996)
Image credit: IMDb
It’s been 15 years since Earth was ravaged the Angels – powerful, giant alien beings with destructive powers. High school student Shinji lives in the futuristic and heavily fortified Tokyo-3.
He is enlisted by his father to join his organisation, NERV, to pilot the Evangelion – a massive semi-sentient bio-mecha that’s capable of fighting the Angels. However, piloting the Evangelion puts a huge strain on the psychological and physical state of the pilot. Shinji’s fragile psychological state quickly deteriorates.
Image credit: IMDb
Neon Genesis Evangelion is a deeply psychological anime as much as it is a mecha-fighting show. It has become a cultural icon, and continues to have a large fan community despite the show being released 25 years ago.
If you want to find out where Hollywood’s Pacific Rim got its inspiration, check out this anime – its more hardcore older brother.
![Neon Genesis Evangelion | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/13nSISwxrY4/sddefault.jpg)
Genre: Mecha, science fiction, psychological thriller
Length: 26 episodes and 2 movies
Available on: Netflix
8. Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma (2015-present)
Image credit: IMDb
Soma Yukihira hopes to take over the family restaurant from his father, Joichiro Yukihira, and surpass his skills. However, his father surprises him by closing down the restaurant and encourages Soma to enrol in Totsuki Culinary Academy.
Soma soon realises that Totsuki is an elite culinary school, where the graduation rate is less than 1%. Students engage in shokugeki, or food wars, to challenge each other and settle disputes. Soma isn’t one to back down from a challenge, and pits his cooking skills and ingenuity against his fellow students.
Food Wars! is known for the mouthwatering illustrations and dramatic, over-the-top food battle scenes and tasting reactions.
Genre: Comedy, cooking, slice of life
Length: 5 seasons
Available on: Crunchyroll, Netflix
9. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009-2010)
Image credit: Jppcouto
Edward and Alphonse Elric are an unlikely duo – a short blonde teen with a prosthetic arm and leg accompanied by a man towering over him in a full suit of armour. However, they hide a dark secret – they’d lost their bodies as a result of attempting to transmute their dead mother, a forbidden practice in alchemy.
Image credit: IMDb
The failed human transmutation cost Edward an arm and a leg, while Alphonse lost his entire body and had to have his soul alchemically bound to a suit of armour.
The Elric Brothers are on a quest to search for the mythical Philosopher’s Stone – a powerful alchemy tool that’s said to be able to create something from nothing – to restore their bodies. To fund their travels, Edward joined the military and became a renowned State Alchemist, christened as the Fullmetal Alchemist for his metal prosthetic parts.
Image credit: IMDb
The duo unknowingly gets themselves caught up into a conspiracy – one that may concern the entire country of Amestris.
The anime series is a reboot of the 2003 series called Fullmetal Alchemist. The 2009 version is a more faithful adaptation of the manga. Set in a late 19th-century industrial-era England, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood unites both steampunk fans and fans of the ‘magic’ genre alike.
Genre: Adventure, science fiction
Length: 64 episodes
Available on: Netflix
10. Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014-2015)
Image credit: IMDb
Every couple of years, seven magi are chosen as Masters to fight in a war for the Holy Grail, a wish-granting device. To aid them in the War, these Masters summon a powerful “Servant” each. These Servants are heroic spirits of lore, and are summoned into different classes – Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Berserker, and Assassin – based on their feats in their legends.
Image credit: IMDb
Emiya Shirou, a high school student, finds himself dragged into the Holy Grail War when he accidentally summons Saber. (Spoiler alert: It’s King Arthur.)
The series originated as a Japanese visual novel with multiple endings, based on the player’s choice. Similarly, there are three main storylines for the anime. We recommend watching Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works for the awesome fight scenes and hair-raising soundtrack, followed by the prequel, Fate/Zero.
Genre: Fantasy, action
Length: 26 episodes
Available on: Netflix
Comments
Post a Comment