I intended to write the “anime recommendations” entry the day after I did the “manga recommendations”, but I’ve been too caught up in college enrollment and certain events that I lost time to do this.
Anyway, most of the manga I listed previously are horror and psychological. When watching anime though, I’m less restricted to one or some genre. You can say my anime exposure is more diverse, hence you couldn’t expect this list to be filled with dark themes just like the manga list!
Let’s begin!
9) Kaleido Star
Genre: Shoujo, Fantasy, Comedy, Drama
Number of episodes: 51
Status: Finished
Plot: Sora Naegino is a talented young acrobat who has always dreamed of performing on the Kaleido Stage. She travels all the way from Japan to the USA to audition for the stage. However, she realizes that performing with the Kaleido Stage is not as simple as she thought; let alone becoming the star of the stage.
Malory’s Note: I’ve watched this as a child, but I could only remember snippets of it. Three years ago, I was able to get a copy of this anime so I can watch it all over again. I happened to be undergoing one of the most stressful periods in my university life by the time I got around to watching this. With Kaleido Star’s very motivational theme about never giving up on one’s dreams, I was able to get through that difficult time.
8) Osomatsu-san
Genre: Comedy, Parody
Number of Episodes: 25
Status: Finished
Plot: The Matsuno sixtuplets are back and they’re more troublesome than they were during the Showa era.
Malory’s Note: This anime is batshit crazy and absolutely hilarious. As an only child, this summarizes the reason why I hate being an only child and why I love being so.
7) Aoi Bungaku
Genre: Drama, Historical,Psychological, Seinen, Thriller
Number of Episodes: 12
Status: Finished
Plot: The series consists of adaptations of six modern classics of Japanese literature: Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human (Ningen Shikkaku) & Run, Melos! (Hashire, Melos!), Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro, Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s Hell Screen (Jigoku Hen) & The Spider’s Thread (Kumo no Ito), and Ango Sakaguchi’s In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom (Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita). [lifted from myanimelist.net]
Malory’s Note: This could also serve as a recommendation list for Japanese literary pieces. Its art and animation might be reminiscent of ‘Death Note’, but the portrayal of the literary pieces previously mentioned is darker and more twisted than that.
6) Casshern Sins
Genre: Action, Sci-fi, Adventure, Psychological, Drama
Number of Episodes: 24
Status: Finished
Plot: Set in the post-apocalyptic world wherein humans and cyborgs are struggling to coexist, Casshern Sins follows an amnesiac Casshern. Casshern woke up without any memory of his past, but many beings know him and are set out to kill or devour him.
Malory’s Note: This series has my favorite opening song! Also, I love how this was able to portray an existentialist theme in a post-apocalyptic world mainly populated by robots.
5) Steins;Gate
Genre: Sci-fi, Thriller
Number of Episodes: 24
Status: FInished
Plot: The self-proclaimed mad scientist Rintarou Okabe rents out a room in a rickety old building in Akihabara, where he indulges himself in his hobby of inventing prospective “future gadgets” with fellow lab members: Mayuri Shiina, his air-headed childhood friend, and Hashida Itaru, a perverted hacker nicknamed “Daru.” The three pass the time by tinkering with their most promising contraption yet, a machine dubbed the “Phone Microwave,” which performs the strange function of morphing bananas into piles of green gel. [lifted from myanimelist.net]
Malory’s Note: Time-travel is one of my favorite sci-fi themes, especially when it entails trying to change the past. With this anime, one can be exposed to the different theories of time and recall the “John Titor” story from sixteen years ago.
4) Sket Dance
Genre: Shounen, School, Comedy
Number of Episodes: 77
Status: Finished
Plot: At Kaimei High School, the Living Assistance Club (aka the Sket Brigade) was organized to help students with problems big or small. Most of the time, though, they hang out in their club room, bored, with only a few trivial problems floating in every once in a while. In spite of this, they still throw all their energy into solving these worries. [lifted from myanimelist.net]
Malory’s Note: Just like Kaleido Star, this anime motivates me. Aside from the laughs,you’d also get feels and be able to relate deeper with the protagonists of Sket Dance.
3) Trigun
Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-fi
Number of Episodes: 26
Status: Finished
Plot: Vash the Stampede has a humongous bounty on his head. He is said to destroy entire cities for fun and causes trouble wherever he goes. But when two insurance agents attempt to sell him insurance, they get caught up with Vash’s escapades and realize that this “villain” is much more than what the posters say he is.
Malory’s Note: I may have listed a couple of anime here as my source of motivation, but Trigun provides me with inspiration. Vash’s steadfast morals and outlook in life are things I wish I too can have. Not to mention Masaya Onosaka is my favorite seiyuu.
2) Mushishi [including Mushishi Zoku Sho]
Genre: Historical, Supernatural, Fantasy, Seinen
Number of episodes: 36
Status: Finished
Plot: Mushi is the most basic form of life and takes on different manifestations. They exist aimlessly. They just exist. Ginko is a mushi-master who goes after rumors of occurrences that can be tied to Mushi in order to understand these creatures, which can also lead to understanding life and existence itself.
Malory’s Note: My favorite manga! The animation makes it all the more beautiful, but it cannot match Urushibara Yuki’s nature art in the manga.
Of course, my favorite anime…
1) Monster
Genre: Psychological, Seinen, Mystery, Drama, Thriller
Number of Episodes: 74
Status: Finished
Plot: Dr. Kenzou Tenma is a renowned brain surgeon of Japanese descent working in Europe. Highly lauded by his peers as one of the great young minds that will revolutionize the field, he is blessed with a beautiful fiancée and is on the cusp of a big promotion in the hospital he works at. But all of that is about to change with a grave dilemma that Kenzou faces one night—whether to save the life of a small boy or that of the town’s mayor. [lifted from myanimelist.net]
Malory’s Note: As I’ve mentioned in my manga recommendations, this anime has a deep impact on me. This series is just so compelling. The soundtrack, the animation and just all of it draws you into a sinister series of events which are likely to happen. Also, watch out for the ending songs; they’re superb!
That ends my list for now. Should I want to recommend more, I might make another list in the future!
Malory Columbretis 