When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.
There are few things in the world as big as Japanese anime.
But as big as anime might be, it’s not without a few haters.
It wasn’t terribly long ago when cultural critics nicknamed it “Japanime” (clever!
But what if that isn’t true?
While Shenmue was canceled after one season, its lean 13-episode count makes it a casual commitment to finish.
Their efforts take them all across a snowfallen Japan, finding warmth in their togetherness.
Sometimes, it’s just unusual people trying to do the right thing.
It’s simply magical.
Death Note
Write a name in the Death Note, and they die.
It’s also one of the best gateway anime series for fans of thrillers and crime dramas.
Black Lagoon
A bored corporate salaryman.
An ice-cool crew of pirate mercenaries.
One bodacious gal with a midriff and two loaded pistols.
This is Black Lagoon, an anime that pays homage to Hong Kong and Hollywood action cinema.
If your tastes skew toward the works of Quentin Tarantino and John Woo, Black Lagoon awaits your arrival.
Psycho-Pass
Stemming from studio Production I.G.
Psycho-Pass is set in a dystopian future where a powerful A.I.
calculates an individual’s propensity to commit a crime.
At just 13 episodes, Terror in Resonance is low commitment with an extremely high yield.
Paprika
If you love Christopher Nolan’s Inception, you might love Paprika.
Belle
It’s a tale as old as time kind of.
Vinland Saga
For fans of the TV show Vikings or Robert Eggers' The Northman, Vinland Saga beckons.
If you want to know the source code for The Matrix, hack into Ghost in the Shell.
Their action-packed journey pits them against a wide array of friends and enemies.
Hajime no Ippo
The squared circle of boxing rings are an eternal invitation for all underdogs to become heroes.
At the gym, Ippo discovers his natural strength and begins his training to become a proper pugilist.
Attack on Titan
If any anime defined the 2010s, it’s Attack on Titan.
As gruesome murders pile up around her, she begins to lose all touch with reality.
Cowboy Bebop
It may be one of the most popular and acclaimed anime shows of all time.
But it’s also many anime fans' first recommendation to their non-anime friends.
Because there’s simply never been a show as cool as Cowboy Bebop.
For the older crowd, there was and still is Cowboy Bebop.
She soon attracts a curse from a vengeful witch that turns her into an old woman.
It’s a misconception that the anime version, produced in 2000, was a flop in Japan.
(It was actually a hit.)
(Again, it was the early 2000s.)
Akira
Roving bikers who light up Neo-Tokyo.
A society on the brink of collapse.
A government desperate to cover up its secrets.
A teenage rebel with every cause.
If nothing else, see it to know where the “Akira Bike Slide” actually came from.
