Anime, which means Japanese animations, is one of the most famous Japanese pop cultures. It has got more popular as a genre of movies and TV programs all over the world. Hundreds of new anime titles and series are released every year, and they are distributed to the world by the gigantic video streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
A technology of anime has the history dating back to illustrated handscrolls in Japan around the 12th and 13th century. It is said that a modern type of Japanese anime first originated in the 1910s. The early famous series Astro Boy (鉄腕アトム) was aired in 1963 and its movie adaptation came to the big screen in 1964. The worldly renowned director Hayao Miyazaki directed his early masterpiece Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ) in 1984. He founded Studio Ghibli in the next year and released Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ) as the first Studio Ghibli film in 1986.
Tracing back the history, you can enjoy watching countless attractive series in the present day. On the other hand, you may wonder what to watch in priority to many other anime series. Today, I’d like to introduce 25 best anime of all time from the famous classics to the latest titles. Of course, you can watch the greatest anime with English dubs or subtitles. These well-selected recommendations are for various watchers from beginners to die-hard freaks.
Please be noted that this best watch list doesn’t include anime movie titles such as Studio Ghibli and Makoto Shinkai’s works, which means it consists of only TV anime series.
Let’s see the best anime ranking from the 25th to the 1st!
(Photo on Top: ©岸本斉史 スコット／集英社・テレビ東京・ぴえろ)
Check out this article for recommendations from the latest 2024 anime list, and enhance your watchlist.
▶︎▷▶︎▷List of the Best Anime Series of 2024
▶︎▷▶︎▷List of the Best Anime Movies 2024
25. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。), which is also known as My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected or abbreviated to just Oregairu, is a modern romance and drama anime series. It was originally made as a light novel series consisting of 17 volumes and was adapted into three seasons of the anime series: My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU in 2013, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Too! in 2015 and My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax in 2020.
Main characters of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU are a protagonist Hachiman Hikigaya and two heroines Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama, who belong to the Service Club in the high school. They handle various problems that other students ask to solve.
Genre: Romantic comedy/Slice of life
Aired: 2013 (Season 1)/2015 (Season 2)/2020 (Season3)
Episodes: 13 (Season 1)/13 (Season 2)/12 (Season3)
Recommended for Elementary/Intermediate
24. Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl
Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl (電波女と青春男), a slice-of-life and coming-of-age anime released in 2011, was based on 9 volumes of the light novel written by Hitoma Iruma. The anime series, which can be also categorized as Sekaikei, includes 12 episodes.
A high schooler Makoto Niwa moves from a countryside to his aunt’s house in an urban area. He gets to live with her and her daughter named Erio Towa (his cousin). The anime depicts the daily life of the blue-haired girl who refuses to attend school and people around her.
Genre: Slice of life/Romantic comedy
Aired: 2011
Episodes: 12
Recommended for Intermediate/Advanced
23. Jujutsu Kaisen
Gaining widespread praise from across the globe, a modern dark-fantasy Jujutsu Kaisen (呪術廻戦) newly emerged as one of the potentially best anime series in the 2020s. It is adapted from a manga written by Gege Akutami and serialized on Weekly Shonen Jump since 2018. Its first film titled Jujutsu Kaisen 0 the Movie was released in December, 2021; it was announced that the second season of the television series will be broadcast in 2023 at the same time.
Going classic, Jujutsu Kaisen revolves around an ordinal high school boy Yuji Itadori and other Sorcerers who fight against Curses. Yuji suddenly gets a curse power by swallowing a finger of Ryomen Sukuna, the king of the Curses. He grows up meeting other talented Sorcerers including Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki and his teacher Satoru Gojo.
Genre: Dark fantasy/Action
Aired: 2020 (Season 1)
Episodes: 24 (Season 1)
Recommended for Elementary/Intermediate
Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the most popular manga and anime series that have not been completed yet. Following the recent […]
In the manga titles of the best selling Japanese comic magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, Jujutsu Kaisen is the most popular a[…]
22. Mushoku Tensei
A potential authentic latest anime series Mushoku Tensei (無職転生〜異世界行ったら本気だす〜), which means Jobless Reincarnation in Japanese, has got a lot of applause from both casual fans and critics since the first season was released in the beginning of 2021. It is also well-known as a light novel series written by Rifujin na Magonote and illustrated by Shirotaka from 2014 to 2022 as well as its manga adaptation.
The Isekai adventure begins when a 34-year-old unemployed man dies and is reincarnated as a child named Rudeus in a magical Isekai world. He improves his magic abilities receiving quality support from his parents and a mastered magician Roxy.
Genre: Isekai/Adventure
Aired: from 2021
Episodes: 23
Recommended for Elementary/Intermediate
▽Are you interested in the following story after the anime series?▽
There are a lot of quality new anime series airing in 2021, and Mushoku Tensei, which is also known as Jobless Reincarna[…]
21. Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online (ソードアート・オンライン) is one of the most famous anime adaptations made from a light novel series. It is based on the over-30-volume light novel written by Reki Kawahara. There are four seasons in the anime series so far: Sword Art Online (2012), Sword Art Online II (2014), Sword Art Online: Alicization (2018-2019) and Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld (2019-2020).
In the set year 2022, the high-tech VRMMORPG called Sword Art Online is developed and released. One day, the 10,000 game players find that they can’t log out of the virtual reality world due to the trap of a gamemaster. The problem is that the players die in the real world if they lose their life in the game. A young boy Kirito and a heroine Asuna fight for beating the end boss on the 100th floor of Aincrad.
Genre: Adventure/Isekai/Action
Aired: 2012 (Season 1)/2014 (Season 2)/2018-2020 (Alicization)
Episodes: 24 (Season 1)/24 (Season 2)/23 (Alicization)
Recommended for Elementary/Intermediate
Sword Art Online (ソードアート・オンライン), one of the most popular anime among both domestic and international fans, has become a […]
20. Dragon Ball
As some anime fans look on Dragon Ball (ドラゴンボール) as the best manga and anime series of all time, the action adventure anime has been loved all over the world for a long time. Dragon Ball was originally serialized as a manga by Akira Toriyama on Weekly Shonen Jump from 1984 to 1995. The original story is adapted into two anime series Dragon Ball (1986-1989) and Dragon Ball Z (1989-1996), followed by other titles Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Kai and Dragon Ball Super.
Dragon Ball follows a young boy Son Goku, who travels around the world in search of the seven Dragon Balls that grant a wish to the owner. He grows up training and fighting with friends and villains. Dragon Ball Z mainly depicts the grown-up protagonist and his sons Gohan and Goten.
Genre: Adventure/Action
Aired: 1986-1989 (Dragon Ball)/1989-1996 (Dragon Ball Z)
Episodes: 153 (Dragon Ball)/291 (Dragon Ball Z)
Recommended for Elementary
The live-legend action adventure franchise Dragon Ball is still ongoing with the sequel title Dragon Ball Super. More ne[…]
19. March Comes In like a Lion
March Comes In like a Lion (3月のライオン) has come to be more recognized since it was first adapted from the Chica Umino’s original serialized on Young Animal since 2007 in 2016. The coming-of-age anime started with the first 22 episodes in 2016-2017 and the second season’s 22 episodes in 2017-2018, produced by a popular studio Shaft and its renowned directed Akiyuki Shinbo.
March Comes In like a Lion is set in Tokyo depicting a adolescent story and a severe world of professional shogi players. A 17-year-old high schooler Rei Kiriyama, who became a professional shogi player as a middle school student, loses his family for an accident and was raised by his father’s friend and a shogi player Masachika Koda. He grows up developing his shogi skill and confronting his inner problems while he interacts with his rival and friend Harunobu Nikaido and Kawamoto family’s three sisters Akari, Hinata and Momo.
Genre: Coming of age/Slice of life
Aired: 2016-2017 (Season 1)/2017-2018 (Season 2)
Episodes: 22 (Season 1)/22 (Season 2)
Recommended for Intermediate/Advanced
18. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
A magical girl themed Puella Magi Madoka Magica (魔法少女まどか☆マギカ) is known as one of the best anime created by the studio sfaft and its director Akiyuki Shinbo. The 12-episode dark fantasy in 2011 was followed by Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie, which contains three films Beginnings, Eternal and Rebellion released in 2012 and 2013.
Set in a futuristic metropolis inspired by real-life places around the world, it tells the story of a middle school girl Madoka Kaname. By a cat-like extraterrestrial Kyubey, she is faced with a decision of whether to become a magical girl to fight against opposite witches. In addition to her, four more magical girls are featured there.
Genre: Dark fantasy/Action
Aired: 2011
Episodes: 12
Recommended for Intermediate/Advanced
17. Laid-Back Camp
Laid-Back Camp (ゆるキャン△), which is also known as Yuru Camp, is a modern anime series with the theme of camping, adapted from the ongoing manga written by Afro from 2015. The first season of the slice-of-life anime series was aired with 12 episodes in 2018 and its spin-off Heya Camp (which means Room Camp) in 2020. The 13-episode second season and the first anime movie were also welcomed by the fans in 2021 and 2022. Unlike those anime made by C-Station, the third season is produced by a different anime studio Eight Bit.
The camping anime focuses on five high school girls living in Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan, which is located near Mt.Fuji. A solo camper Rin meets a camp beginner Nadeshiko at a camping site at the foot of Mt.Fuji. They enjoy camping at various beautiful sites solo or in a group. Many fans of Laid-Back Camp visit the real-life locations they see in the anime as Anime Tourism.
Genre: Slice of life
Aired: 2018 (Season 1)/2021 (Season 2)/2024 (Season 3)
Episodes: 12 (Season 1)/13 (Season 2)/TBA (Season 3)
Recommended for Intermediate/Advanced
The recent surge in anime popularity can be attributed to the presence of slice-of-life anime. These series rarely featu[…]
16. Ghost in the Shell
The classic renowned anime franchise Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊) is one of the best anime in the 2000s. Following the original manga written by Masamune Shirow from 1989 and its anime movie adaptation directed by Mamoru Oshii in 1995, the first TV anime series was released as Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX) in 2002.
And then, it was followed by the second season titled Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG (攻殻機動隊 S.A.C. 2nd GIG) in 2004-2005, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society (攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX Solid State Society) in 2006 and Ghost in the Shell: Arise (攻殻機動隊 ARISE) in 2013-2014. In 2020, the gigantic video streaming site Netflix made and distributed the new full 3DCG title Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 (攻殻機動隊 SAC_2045) with 12 episodes.
The setting of Ghost in the Shell is the 21st century after a few nuclear wars break out in the world. Technologies including cyberbrains, cyborgs and androids are highly developed in the world. The main character Major Motoko Kusanagi with the Public Security Section 9 members carry out missions to obviate terrorism, corruption and other crimes.
Genre: Cyberpunk/Science fiction/Thriller
Aired: 2002-2003 (Stand Alone Complex)/2004-2005 (S.A.C. 2nd GIG)/2006 (Solid State Society)
Episodes: 23 (Stand Alone Complex)/26 (S.A.C. 2nd GIG)/1 (Solid State Society)
Recommended for Advanced
15. Violet Evergarden
Violet Evergarden (ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン) is one of the most popular recent anime series, categorized as fantasy and coming-of-age. Firstly, the same titled light novel written by Kana Akatsuki won the Kyoto Animation Award’s grand prize in 2014 and Kyoto Animation made its anime adaptation with 13 episodes in 2018. A spin-off anime movie Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン 外伝 – 永遠と自動手記人形 -) was released in 2019 and the sequel of the main story with the title Violet Evergarden the Movie (劇場版 ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン) in 2020.
The setting of Violet Evergarden is based on the Europe in the Middle Ages after a 4-year world war is over. It follows a journey of ablonde lady named Violet Evergarden, who loses both her arms and wears artificial hands. She gets to learn how people have emotions working as a Auto Memory Doll, who write on behalf of people who cannot write letters.
Genre: Coming of age/Drama
Aired: 2018
Episodes: 13
Recommended for Intermediate
14. Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師), categorized as adventure and dark fantasy, is one of the greatest modern manga and anime series. The manga series was serialized on Monthly Shonen Gangan from 2001 to 2010. There are two versions in the anime series, and they are totally different.
The first one was aired as Fullmetal Alchemist with 51 episodes in between 2003 and 2004, and another Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was broadcasted with 64 episodes between 2009 and 2010. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is more recommended to watch since it is completely based on the original story from the manga.
Fullmetal Alchemist is set in the Europe in the industrial revolution in the 19th century. It centers on the Elric brothers Edward and Alphonse who are young alchemists. Edward loses his left leg and right arm and Alphonse loses his entire body since they violate a taboo as an alchemist trying to revive their dead mother, which turns into a disaster. They start traveling the world to seek a way to restore their lost bodies.
Genre: Dark fantasy/Adventure
Aired: 2003-2004 (Fullmetal Alchemist)/2009-2010 (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Episodes: 51 (Fullmetal Alchemist)/64 (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Recommended for Elementary/Intermediate
There are a bunch of high-quality anime series categorized as fantasy and adventure, and Fullmetal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師) is[…]
13. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Many anime fans including newcomers and freaks has been attracted by the famous drama anime Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。) since it was released with 11 episodes in 2011. The fantasy and slice-of-life anime made into anime movie, novel, manga and game adaptations.
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is set in Chichibu, a rural area in Saitama Prefecture. There are six childhood friends in the anime. In front of the protagonist high school boy called Jintan, a dead old friend Menma shows up as a ghost. The heart-warming story proceeds with the main characters and the question: why did she appear suddenly.
Genre: Drama/Slice of life/Coming of age
Aired: 2011
Episodes: 11
Recommended for Elementary/Intermediate
12. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
The time-tested anime series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険) has a great number of fans all over the world. The famous manga artist Hirohiko Araki has created eight parts of the series: Phantom Blood, Battle Tendency, Stardust Crusaders, Diamond Is Unbreakable, Golden Wind, Stone Ocean, Steel Ball Run and JoJolion. There are four seasons in the anime series which are adapted from the manga from the first Phantom Blood to the fifth Golden Wind so far. The sixth arc Stone Ocean was broadcasted as the fifth anime series in 2022-2023.
The fantasy and adventure anime focuses on mysterious adventures of the Joestar family fighting against the antagonist Dio Brando and his successors. Each part centers on someone from the Joestar family and other unique characters. They battle with martial arts and supernatural powers.
Genre: Adventure/Action/Dark fantasy
Aired: 2012-2013 (Season 1)/2014-2015 (Season 2)/2016 (Season 3)/2018 (Season 4)/2022-2023 (Season 5)
Episodes: 26 (Season 1)/48 (Season 2)/39 (Season 3)/39 (Season 4)/38 (Season 5)
Recommended for Advanced
11. K-on!
K-on! (けいおん!) is a top-rated modern anime with the theme of a girl band, based on a four-panel manga written by Kakifly between 2007 and 2012. The season one was broadcasted with 14 episodes in 2009 and the season two K-On!! with 27 episodes the next year. The only anime movie K-On! The Movie! was made by Kyoto Animation in 2011.
The slice-of-life and comedy anime series depicts the daily life of four high school girls consisting of Yui Hirasawa, Mio Akiyama, Tsumugi Kotobuki and Ritsu Tainaka. They meet each other in the high school and join a school band club, which a one-year-younger Azusa Nakano take part in later.
Genre: Slice of life/Comedy
Aired: 2009 (Season 1)/2010 (Season 2)
Episodes: 14 (Season 1)/27 (Season 2)
Recommended for Elementary/Intermediate
10. Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter, one of the most popular Shonen Jump manga published from 1998, is famous for two versions of anime series. The first anime series, released from 1999 to 2004, consists of 62 episodes and 30 OVA stories. The newer one were aired with 148 episodes between 2011 and 2014, which cover the longer story from the beginning to the Chimera Ant and Election arc.
Hunter x Hunter follows a young boy named Gon Freecss, who travels around the world in search of his father Ging Freecss. Gon decides to become a licensed Hunter like his farther and grows up by training and fighting with a variety of opposite characters including Killua Zoldyck, Kurapika and Leorio Paradinight.
Genre: Adventure/Action
Aired: 1999-2001 (First)/2011-2014 (Second)
Episodes: 62 (First)/148 (Second)
Recommended for Intermediate
The living legend Hunter x Hunter has attracted a great number of fans of manga and anime all over the globe for a long […]
9. Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン), directed by Directed by Hideaki Anno, has been known as the best mecha anime series in Japan since the 26 episodes were aired in 1995-1996. The television anime series was followed by two anime movie adaptations: Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン劇場版 シト新生) and The End of Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン劇場版 Air/まごころを、君に) in 1997.
Afterward, there are four new anime movies released: Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone in 2007, 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance in 2009, 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo in 2012 and 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time in 2021.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is set in Tokyo-3, a futuristic city after a catastrophe known as the Second Impact , in 2015. It focuses on a 14-year-old boy Shinji Ikari and heroines Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu and a 15-year-old boy Kaworu Nagisa. They fight against Angels, which are large creatures coming somewhere outside the earth, piloting a gigantic humanoid robot called Evangelion.
Genre: Mecha/Drama
Aired: 1995-1996
Episodes: 26
Recommended for Intermediate/Advanced
8. Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人) is one of the world’s most famous and popular anime series, categorized as dark fantasy and action. It was first published as a manga in 2009 and there are over 30 volumed serialized for over a decade. The first season of the anime adaptation was made in 2013, finally followed by the final season in 2020-2023.
The symbol of the anime is gigantic creatures Titans. In the fictional world, human beings are in danger of extinction since the Titans inflict harm on people. The protagonist Eren Yeager, his old friend Mikasa Ackerman and other Survey Corps members fight against the Titans to protect the citizen. At the same time, they investigate what the Titans are and where they come from.
Genre: Dark fantasy/Action
Aired: 2013 (Season 1)/2017 (Season 2)/2018-2019 (Season 3)/2020-2023 (Season 4)
Episodes: 25 (Season 1)/12 (Season 2)/22 (Season 3)/35 (Season 4)
Recommended for Elementary/Intermediate
Many anime fans have very little doubt that Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人) is one of the masterpieces of the modern anime in th[…]
7. Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-
Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- (Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活), which is also known as just Re:Zero, is the dark-fantasy and Isekai anime based on the light novel written by Tappei Nagatsuki. The anime series’s first season consists of 25 episodes aired in 2016. The first half of the second season was broadcasted in 2020 and the last half in 2021.
The main character is a high school student Subaru Natsuki, who is suddenly sent to another world. He notices that he has no special ability except the supernatural power called Shinimodori (Returns by Death), which takes him to a “save point” after death. The story proceeds when he meets a half-elf girl with silver hair named Emilia, who is the heroine of Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-.
Genre: Isekai/Dark fantasy/Adventure
Aired: 2016 (Season 1)/2020-2021 (Season 2)
Episodes: 25 (Season 1)/25 (Season 2)
Recommended for Elementary/Intermediate
Light novels has been seen to be situated at the cutting edge of Japanese pop culture recently since many of them have b[…]
6. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
One of the most famous anime that is adapted from light novels is The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱). The fantasy and slice-of-life light novel, which is also known as Haruhi Suzumiya Series, has been created by Nagaru Tanigawa and Noizi Ito since 2003. Parts of the light novel series are adapted into the first season of the anime series with 14 episodes in 2014, which were not aired chronologically. The light novel fans were surprised at it. The second season, broadcasted in 2009, includes the existing 14 episodes and new 14 episodes in chronological order.
The story is set in a Japanese high school proceeding with the main character Haruhi Suzumiya, the narrator Kyon and other members of SOS Brigade, a school club. The SOS Brigade members except Kyon are aliens that come from other planets or the future. The anime depicts everyday of the high schoolers as well as supernatural phenomena which are caused by unconscious imagination by Haruhi.
Genre: Slice of life/Comedy/Fantasy
Aired: 2006 (Season 1)/2009 (Season 2)
Episodes: 14 (Season 1)/14 (Season 2)
Recommended for Intermediate
Haruhi Suzumiya Series is well known in various respects: As a representative Sekai-kei (a kind of genre in anime and li[…]
5. One Piece
One Piece is one of the best manga serialized on Weekly Shonen Jump from 1997, written by Eiichiro Oda. It is also famous for the anime series all over the globe that has been aired with around 1000 episodes for over 20 years since 1999. The legendary adventure anime series with the theme of pirates has led the anime industry worldwide.
The story starts when a young boy named Monkey D. Luffy goes on a maiden voyage for two big dreams: becoming the next king of pirates and finding the supreme unknown treasure known as “One Piece”. He lets his reliable characters join the Straw Hat Pirates as his crews during the voyage and fights other strong pirates and navy people with them.
Genre: Adventure/Action
Aired: from 1999
Episodes: 1000+
Recommended for Elementary
Who would miss the chance to watch every episode of the greatest ongoing anime series One Piece on a real-time basis? Mo[…]
4. Naruto
Naruto (NARUTO -ナルト-), one of the masterpieces of Shonen Jump, is the worldly renowned manga and anime series. 72 volumes of the manga series were published between 1999 and 2014. The Ninja anime series is divided into two parts: Naruto including 220 episodes in 2002-2007 and Naruto: Shippuden consisting of 500 episodes in 2007-2017.
The setting of the adventure anime is the Shinobi (Ninja) world, where five major counties maintain a peaceful balance. It follows a young boy named Naruto, who is an inferior Ninja student in academic and fighting skills to others. However, he is rapidly developed training hard and completing various missions with his friends and teachers.
Genre: Adventure/Action
Aired: 2002-2007 (Naruto)/2007-2017 (Naruto: Shippuden)
Episodes: 220 (Season 1)/500 (Season 2)
Recommended for Elementary/Intermediate
Naruto, one of the most famous and popular manga and anime series of all time, has been an introductory anime title reco[…]
3. Clannad
For those who like a romance drama anime, Clannad is the finest series released between 2007 and 2009. Clannad is originally developed as a video game in 2004 and its anime adaptation was made by Kyoto Animation. First 23 episodes of the first season were aired in 2007-2008, and then, the second season Clannad After Story was offered with 24 episodes in 2008-2009.
Clannad centers on the daily life of a high schooler Tomoya Okazaki and a heroine Nagisa Furukawa. Nagisa tries to restructure the dead school drama club with the support by Tomoya and their friends. In Clannad After Story, the story after they graduate the high school is focused on. The moving drama with the theme of family reaches its peek in the second season.
Clannad may be not such a well-known series by foreign people, but some fans in Japan look on it as apart of their lives. If you want to touch the core of Japanese anime, it is highly recommended to watch Clannad and Clannad After Story.
Genre: Drama/Romance/Slice of life
Aired: 2007-2008 (Season 1)/2008-2009 (Season 2)
Episodes: 22 (Season 1)/22 (Season 2)
Recommended for Intermediate/Advanced
2. Monogatari Series
Monogatari Series (〈物語〉シリーズ) is one of the best anime series with the highest quality by a Japanese anime studio Shaft in the present time. Monogatari Series is most known for the first title of the series Bakemonogatari (化物語). It has been made as a light novel written by Nisio Isin (NISIOISIN) since 2006.
The first season of the anime adaptation started with 30 episodes in 2009-2012, which consists of Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari and Nekomonogatari (Black). There are six parts in the second season aired between 2013 and 2014: Nekomonogatari (White), Kabukimonogatari, Otorimonogatari, Onimonogatari, Koimonogatari and Hanamonogatari. In the aftermath, Tsukimonogatari, Owarimonogatari I, Koyomimonogatari, Owarimonogatari II and Zoku Owarimonogatari were released as the final season from 2014 to 2019. The prequel Kizumonogatari was made as anime movies that are divided into three parts in 2016 and 2017.
The setting of Monogatari Series is a fictional rural town in Japan. One day, a high schooler Koyomi Araragi, who is a half-vampire, half-human boy, meets one of the heroines Hitagi Senjogahara in the high school. Besides her, there are lots of unique heroines in the anime: Koyomi’s younger sisters Karen and Tsukihi, a class president Tsubasa Hanekawa, a 10-year-old girl Mayoi Hachikuji, a Hitagi’s friend Suruga Kanbaru, a Tsukihi’s old friend Nadeko Sengoku and so on. He solves their various personal problems that are caused by apparitions called Kaii (怪異). The anime series also focuses on the Koyomi’s past and a key person Shinobu Oshino, his partner.
The well-designed story related to each main character makes you pleased, excited and moved. Additionally, the highlight of the fantasy anime series is interesting and speedy conversations of unique characters. The fans of Monogatari Series look forward to watching the rest of the series including Monster Season.
Genre: Fantasy/Mystery/Comedy
Aired: 2009-2012 (First Season)/2013-2014 (Second Season)/2014-2019 (Final Season)
Episodes: 30 (First Season)/28 (Second Season)/42 (Final Season)
Recommended for Elementary/Intermediate/Advanced
What do you think is the best anime series ever? In addition to lots of classic masterpieces that were born decades ago,[…]
1. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Almost no one would deny that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃), the hottest topic of Japanese pop culture, is the best anime of all time. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba started as a manga written by Koyoharu Gotoge on Weekly Shonen Jump in 2016 and came to the end in May, 2020. The dark-fantasy manga was first adapted into the anime series including 26 episodes in 2019, followed by the biggest-hit movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train (劇場版 鬼滅の刃 無限列車編) in 2020 and the second season in 2021-2022.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is set in the fictional Japan in the Taicho period (1912-1926), where evil demons menace human beings. There are demon slayers who fight against the demons controlled by the king of the demons Muzan Kibutsuji.
The dark-fantasy adventure anime follows a 13-year-old boy named Tanjiro Kamado, who loses his family due to the attack by demons. The only survived his younger sister Nezuko is transformed into a demon at the same time. To revert her to a human being, Tanjiro trains hard and battle against demons with his friends Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira and mastered demon slayers.
There are lots of reasons why this is getting quite popular among people around the globe. In addition to powerful battle scenes between strong demon slayers and demons, moving stories related to the background of the characters are sensitively depicted. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba represents not only serious stories but also comedy scenes.
Above all, the characters themselves are what is the most attractive part in the series. You can see passion, purity, and graciousness in the Tanjiro’s personality for instance. Each character has potentiality for becoming one of main characters in the story.
The anime series has not been completed yet, but it will earn itself the much more reputation in the future.
Genre: Dark fantasy/Adventure/Action
Aired: 2019 (Season 1)/2021-2022 (Season 2)
Episodes: 26 (Season 1)/11 (Season 2)
Recommended for Elementary/Intermediate/Advanced
▽Enjoy the following story after the latest anime season!▽
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