“Sword Art Online” (2012-2020):
If someone were to ask me what anime series should a beginner watch or read I would immediately say the famous Light Novel series “Sword Art Online” written by Reki Kawahara. The series has been going on since 2008 and has always been in the limelight of the 2nd-4th generation of anime. The series take place in a futuristic version of the world in 2022 where the release of a new, developed, VRMMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) called “Sword Art Online” where the players are put into an anethesia like coma wearing a digital helmet known as the “Nerve Gear” that stimulates the user’s five senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds. During the premiering day of SAO after millions of young players world wide have gone through the Nerve Gear process. The players realise that this VRMMORPG was none other than a brutal, genocidal survival game where the players are trapped in this virtual universe where the players are forced to ace all of the SAO floor levels in order to get freed from the game. The problem is if they get killed during the game, it will shut down all of their nerves and senses back in the real world. Will our main protagonist “Kirito Kirigaya”, a skilled and experienced player ace all of the deadly floors by himself or will he do it with the help of other fellow players?
“Neon Genesis Evangelion”(1995-1996):
If you are a fan of Star Wars or any Sci-Fi movie series you must check out Japan’s famous iconic Mecha series “Neon Genesis Evangelion. This long running series has been going on since 1995 and is still loved by many Anime fans to this day. The series takes place in a fictional version of Japan fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm. The main protagonist “Shinji Ikari” is recruited by his father to the organization called “Nerv” to pilot a giant bio-machine known as an “Evangelion” to battle alien-like monsters from other parallel dimensions known as “Angels”. Will Shinji and his crew be able defeat the Angels before it destroys the balance of the Universe?
“The Promised Neverland” (2019-Ongoing):
Do you like a story with a bit of a dark twist? Are you a fan of horror movies and psychological thriller? Then you will love the coming-of-age, dark fantasy, psychological horror series known as “The Promised Neverland” by Kaiu Shirai which took the internet by storm and was one of the top 10 most watched animes of 2019. This grim-dark story takes place in an alternative period on earth where children from the age of 1-12 are forced to stay in huge, highly-secured orphanages which are run by nuns. The main protagonists Emma, Norman and Ray are a group of best friends who have unique, brilliant, intelligent minds who have lived 11 years together in peace and harmony. After the mysterious departure of a fellow inmate they soon realise that their once beautiful and beloved residence that they call “home” is none other than a malevolent prison run by an unhinged, corrupted cult who are about to put thousands of orphan’s lives at risk. Can Emma, Norman and Ray escape this twisted hell before their fates turn upside-down?
“Demon Slayer”(2019-Ongoing):
Well well well, if it isn’t another anime which was none other than the most hyped series of 2019. In fact it was so good that when Netflix announced that they were going to add such a powerful popular series like “Demon Slayer on their list, My parents and I gathered around the TV just to watch it and finished it within 5 days during Covid-19 pandemic. This fantasy action drama series takes place none other than the majestic period known as the “Taisho Era” (1910s-1920s, when Japan was first exposed to Western technology and culture) . Our main protagonist, “Tanjiro Kamado” is a lively, kind-hearted, resilient teenage boy who sets out to become a Demon Slayer, which are skilled and highly trained assassins who are meant to eliminated bloodthirsty demons that come out in the dead of the night after a vicious massacre that occurred in Tanjiro’s beloved hometown in the mountains and tragic incident which turned Tanjiro’s one and only precious younger sister “Nezuko” into a demon. Can Tanjiro succeed as a Demon Slayer, end the merciless reigns of the most feared and powerful demons to put an end to his sister’s curse?
Death Note (2006-2007):
If you have been on the internet for a very long time, then you’ve probably heard of the famous manga series known as “Death Note”. Death Note is another manga classic of the 2nd to 4th generation and has always been in the limelight in the anime world. The series centres around the main character “Light Yagami”, an elite all-As student who stumbles upon a mysterious black notebook called “The Death Note”. He learns that the notebook has to ability to kill anyone as long as the user knows both the target’s name and face, along with circumstances and timelines. He is also greeted by the “Shinigami” (The Japanese word for “Grim-Reaper”) “Ryuk” who tells him that the notebook holds some sort of God-like power known as “Kira”. Will Light use the Death Note to cleanse the streets of violent criminals or will he use it for his own pleasure?
Sailor Moon (1994-Ongoing):
I’m sorry to all my female viewers who are looking at the list and are like “Why are all the protagonist male?” Do not worry. If you are the type of person that grew up watching all those shows from Disney Channel then you’ll probably love Japan’s most treasured shojo manga series since 1992 “Sailor Moon”. Not only is this show loved by people of all ages but it is one of those shows with the largest franchises in the world, and has sold over 13 billions copies of the manga worldwide and had a 2014 remastered version of the entire show. The series stars our main protagonist “Usagi Tsukino”, a quirky young teenage girl who is shown to be very clumsy and always struggling at school and to fit in with the other students. One day she comes across a talking black cat named “Luna” who announces to Usagi that she has been chosen to be a member of the “Sailor Guardian Girl Scouts” representing the Moon/the Earth. Usagi has the most memorable and exciting adventures battling evil monsters from different dimensions with the other sailor scouts. As the series progresses, Usagi realises that she is actually the long lost princess and future heir of the “Moon Kingdom”.
Black Butler (2008-2017):
I felt like I had to add this series onto the list because this series is one of my all time favourites amongst all the animes in the world. If you really enjoy the artsy and gloomy world of the gothic genre or enjoy films that do a very exceptional job at expressing the gothic world such as directors like “Tim Burton” then you’ll absolutely enjoy the luxurious grim dark world of talented artist and writer Yana Toboso’s shonen and shojo series “Black Butler”. The series really breaks a lot of boundaries and is well known for having diverse beautifully designed characters and extraordinary artwork. This series tells the story of our main protagonist “Ciel Phantomhive”, an aristocratic intelligent young boy who makes a powerful pact with a demon after a tragic event where his entire household was under a brutal terrorist attack which had his parents and his entire family killed and him being sold into child slavery. After escaping and experiencing such pain and suffering, Ciel decides to regain his name and seek extreme revenge on those who have completely ruined his life. With the demon by his side disguised as his own personal butler they head of into the cold polluted streets of Victorian London. Despite the story really dark undertone you’ll have a ride with the show’s style of using dark humour for comedic relief.
Little Witch Academia (2013-2017):
Are you a Potterhead? (Harry Potter Fan) Do you love fantasy genre or do you just like wizards and witches? If so, you’ll love the adorable series “Little Witch Academia”. The story centres around a cheerful, imaginative girl named “Akko Kagari” who dreams of becoming a wizard/witch just like her role model “Shiny Chariot” a respected idolised witch. She soon joins “Luna Nova Magical Academy” a prestigious wizarding school for secondary schoolgirls. One of the main themes in the show is Akko trying to live up to Shiny Chariot’s ideals by showing the world that magic is still a wonderful thing, while Luna Nova struggles for its continual existence because the general public regards wizardry as outdated. This shows also excels with characters being from all around the world with different unique personalities.
Ouran High School Host Club (2006-2011):
Here we have another manga classic which is highly respected by the anime community. The series breaks a lot of boundaries due to its time being in the early 2000’s. This series really supports LGBTQ themes and ridicules the stereotypes of gender. The series follows a feisty, androgynous girl named “Haruhi Fujioku” who joins a prestigious high school and struggles to find an activity club bumps into a group of 6 boys who take part in a large range of activities. Haruhi’s short hair, slouching attire, tomboyish attitude and gender-ambiguous face cause her to be mistaken by the Hosts for a male student, though they soon realize her actual gender and the fact that she’s a “natural” in entertaining especially girls, promoting her to full-Host status.
Beastars (2019-Ongoing):
Now I’m finally ending this list with the one and only manga series “Beastar”. If you don’t know what “Beastars” is, It is the show that took the internet by storm last year in autumn which managed to captivate the eyes of many viewers worldwide, people from the anime community and people from outside the anime community that Netflix was forced to add the show into their show collection. The franchise focuses on a lot of major mature themes such racism, sexism, classism and extreme politics. So this is definitely a show for the mature ones and the ones that are okay with explicit content. The series takes place in a fictional version of the world where humans are replaced through the minds and physical appearances of anthropomorphic animals. This fictional world of animals is divided into two powerful groups “The Herbivores” and “The Carnivores” and for many years have managed to live in peace and harmony. However as we go deeper we find out about the actual society and how much tension and discrimination there is, such as The Herbivores discriminating The Carnivores for not being able to control their instincts for the taste of flesh. The main story focuses on the forbidden love between “Legoshi”, a shy introverted grey wolf and “Haru” a lively and feisty white dwarf rabbit. This series has received such fantastic criticism and I must say that this anime deserves an Emmy award due to its acting skills.
