Narrowing down the top 30 best anime series currently on Crunchyroll was a struggle. After merging with Funimation and buying out RightStuf, the Sony-owned streaming service Crunchyroll is scarily close to a monopoly over the North American anime market. Questions about business practices aside, this basically makes Crunchyroll the go-to platform if you want to stream anime. With a large library of classics (most of which are available to stream free with ads) and the latest hits simulcast straight from Japan (with a subscription), the sheer variety is unmatched.
Series that were considered for this list but got left off (for now) include the likes of Spy x Family, Zombie Land Saga, Sarazanmai, and Demon Slayer. This also doesn’t include the service’s growing movie library, which features such masterpieces as Akira and Your Name. This list is a mix of popular hits, personal favorites, and historically influential series. For those looking for their next anime binge, below are some of your best options.
30. Space Dandy
Let’s let Space Dandy’s opening narration set the scene: “Space Dandy: he’s a dandy guy in space. He combs the galaxy like his pompadour on the hunt for aliens. Planet after planet he searches, discovering bizarre new creatures both friendly and not. These are the spectacular adventures of Space Dandy and his brave space crew in space.”
Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop fame, Space Dandy takes the episodic sci-fi bounty-hunting set-up of his breakout hit and twists it in sillier, surrealistic, smartly-stupid directions. With each episode set in a different universe, and with some of the world’s best animators using this freedom for maximum artistic experimentation, the show matches and at times even exceeds the hilarity and unpredictability that made Rick and Morty’s journeys across the multiverse such a hit. Somehow all this chaos coheres into one horny space himbo’s journey to Enlightenment. —Reuben Baron
29. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
If you were at an anime convention in 2007, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was inescapable. Kyoto Animation’s gorgeous adaptation of Nagaru Tanigawa’s hit light novel series simultaneously indulged the era’s popular otaku fantasies and parodied them. Kyon, the show’s sardonic narrator, is dragged into the SOS Brigade, a paranormal club founded by the eccentric Haruhi Suzumiya. Haruhi herself is unaware that she herself is a god, and that Kyon is the only ordinary human in a club secretly filled with aliens, time travelers, and ESPers trying their best to appease this chaotic deity.
Crunchyroll lists both seasons as a single entity with episodes arranged in chronological order, but you might want to watch the show in its non-linear broadcast order for better pacing. You might also want to skip through the “Endless Eight” arc from Season 2, a massive troll that illustrated a time loop by repeating the exact same episode eight times in a row with only minor variations until the conclusion. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya movie is also currently streaming on Crunchyroll and is recommended viewing after completing the series. —Reuben Baron
28. Kill la Kill
Kill la Kill was Studio Trigger’s first TV anime and a reunion for director Hiroyuki Imaishi and writer Kazuki Nakashima of Gurren Lagann fame. Just as over-the-top as Gurren Lagann and about five times as horny, Kill la Kill swaps giant robots for super-powered school uniforms made from alien life fibers—the most powerful of which have to leave a lot of skin exposed or else they’ll overpower the wearer.
Yes, this is one of those ridiculous fanservice anime where large chunks of the plot are mainly excuses to get everyone as naked as possible as much as possible, but Kill la Kill is as funny and thrilling as it is utterly shameless. The action and plot twists move at a rapid pace, the stylized cartoony animation is great, the distinctive characters you’ll either love or love to hate, and the story’s overall messages are strongly anti-fascist. Critics can argue all day whether Kill la Kill is feminist, sexist, or a strange mix of both, but whatever it is, it’s extremely entertaining. —Reuben Baron
27. Skip and Loafer
Although there is no shortage of anime about high school, Skip and Loafer differentiates itself through its boundless warmth and thoughtful treatment of its protagonists. We follow Mitsumi, a student who moves to Tokyo to attend an elite academy so she can eventually make her dream of revitalizing her rural home come true. While she’s initially overwhelmed by life in the bustling city, she is taken under the wing of Sousuke, a helpful first-year boy whose outwardly pleasant demeanor seems to hide traces of lingering pain. One of the series’ standout elements is how virtually every character is afforded an inner life—their charms, struggles, and flaws making each feel like fully rendered people instead of archetypes. For instance, although our heroine is hard-working and effortlessly kind, she also tends to stress herself out with self-imposed expectations, resulting in many sleepless nights.
This complexity is also reflected in Mitsumi’s eclectic friend group, made up of popular folks who have had to deal with unwanted advances or assumptions about their personality due to their looks, as well as those who have built up walls due to past judgment. In particular, it does a beautiful job representing the friendships that form between its young women, deftly avoiding tired tropes that would pit them against one another over a love interest. And though this work is buoyed by a general sense of levity, as reflected in its warm color palette, charming art style, and bounty of affecting moments, it isn’t afraid to add tension by introducing conflicts that threaten to spoil the burgeoning romance between its central pair. In a spring stacked with heavy hitters, Skip and Loafer was the show that never failed to brighten my day, its kindness and multifaceted cast making it one of the most brilliant high school dramas in some time. —Elijah Gonzalez
26. Mononoke
Deftly blending Christie-esque murder mystery with supernatural horror, Mononoke is a psychedelic nightmare. With its memorable animation style mimicking the shadowless ukiyo-e painting style of 17th century Japan, Mononoke revels in maximal beauty and twitchy sound design, but it’s also successful in its emotional endeavors, proving to be more than just a directorial experiment. Mononoke are a type of yokai (a spectrum of beings in Japanese myth ranging from ghosts to demons) that prey on the negative emotions of humans. They serve as an excellent set piece for pulse-pounding psychological horror, being unafraid to delve into exigent thematic territory. Produced by Toei Animation, the show balances the grotesque with the intensely vulnerable with such harmony, often blurring color and lines with hallucinatory flair. For a show about spirits, Mononoke’s core is decidedly human. It’s sure to haunt you for years to come. —Austin Jones
25. Dragon Ball Z
In every practical sense, Akira Toriyama’s status as one of anime’s greatest creators was all but secured with Dragon Ball. Loosely inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, the manga and subsequent anime series of Son Goku’s misadventures to collect all seven of the mythical dragon balls inspired whole generations of manga artists and animators in Japan. The original series was a classic, but it was Dragon Ball Z that marked the series’ transition from a national treasure into a worldwide phenomenon. With hyper-kinetic violence, flashy energy attacks, dizzying spectacles of mass destruction, and tense moments of serial escalation, Dragon Ball Z is a singularly important installment in the canon of martial arts action anime and an enduring entry point for newcomers to the medium to this day. —Toussaint Egan
24. Samurai Champloo
Drawing on a variety of influences, from chanbara films to hip-hop music, and oozing with self-confident flair, Shinichiro Watanabe’s Samurai Champloo is simply one of the coolest television programs in recent memory. Mugen and Jin are two rival swordsmen who, after being saved from execution by a former tea waitress named Fuu, resolve to help her find the mysterious “samurai who smells of sunflowers.” From there, they journey across this fictionalized rendition of Edo-era Japan, encountering those struggling to get by in a heavily stratified society. Through its anachronistic fusion of contemporary influences and a historical setting, the series explores the frictions between the existing conservative social order and those who butt up against these stifling forces, such as our rebellious protagonists. It combines serialized and episodic storytelling, its one-offs tied together through its ostentatious style, dashes of early 2000s ‘tude, and frequent focus on portraying the lives of marginalized peoples. It all makes for a series that is generally breezy, thanks to the great rapport between its central trio, but that isn’t afraid to cut to the bone of various issues. Combine that with its excellent soundtrack, which was influential to the lo-fi hip-hop scene, and its duels that channel the look of old-school samurai flicks, and it’s easy to see why the series was such a hit. —Elijah Gonzalez
23. Toradora!
Toradora! is one of the best anime rom-coms around, able to bounce between humor, yearning, and affecting drama without dropping a beat. We follow two disastrous teens, Ryuuji, a second-year high-school student who is unjustifiably feared by his peers due to his intimidating looks, and Taiga, a tiny ball of anger who is quite justifiably feared due to her martial prowess and short temper. After figuring out that they are both crushing on the other’s best friend, they resolve to work together toward their romantic aspirations. And then things get complicated. On its face, the series is a blast, its cast bouncing off each other in a way that makes it rewarding to spend time with them, full of great recurring bits like how Taiga is prickly to everyone but her precious best friend, Minorin. However, what sets the series apart from many of its peers is its ability to peel back the layers of these people, revealing that their outward appearances are little more than performances meant to shield them from the social pressures of high school and the larger world. These weighty digressions on identity become more pronounced as the series continues, fueling thorny relationship dynamics as it successfully portrays its characters’ emotional turmoil. And this all drives towards romantic revelations and big swing melodrama that soars, making for the type of story you’ll sorely miss when it’s over. —Elijah Gonzalez
22. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
What does it mean to live forever? Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End tackles this question both literally and figuratively as it wrings melancholy out of this high fantasy backdrop. We follow Frieren, a several thousand-year-old elven mage who previously helped defeat the Demon Lord, who struggles with the weight of leaving her companions behind. As she heads off on a new quest with her apprentice, she faces new challenges and reflects on how those closest to her have lived on in those they’ve helped.
As an adaptation, Studio Madhouse, director Keiichirō Saitō, and composer Evan Call come together to realize one of the most aesthetically consistent anime in ages, delivering gorgeous animation and background art that puts as much emphasis on tiny moments of connection as its big battles. It works wonderfully in both modes, delighting in the greens of rolling countryside and pastoral melodies of its score while also delivering duels of earth-shaking magical power. Compared to many modern fantasy anime worlds that feel plucked from undercooked RPGs, this one fleshes out the details to create a living, changing space sculpted by the march of time. And although it’s a story defined by the weight of the past, it still provides levity and charm thanks to its cast of loveable doofuses who I’ll very much miss until we get a new season. Until next time, Frieren. —Elijah Gonzalez
21. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
For some time, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure has been the anime I turn to when I need some R&R. Not that anything about it, at least at first glance, is particularly chill. It’s an anime full of men built like classical sculptures arguing as loud as they can over psychic battles they’re having, seemingly in molasses-slow time. What feels like hours encapsulates little more than a minute in JJBA’s universe. The anime is so much more than that, though; it’s a journey that spans a century and obliterates the rules of how to tell a traditional adventure story, taking liberal inspiration from Indiana Jones, Versace, classic rock, and any other fleeting interest of mangaka Hirohiko Araki to make an explosive hodgepodge of fast-paced absurdity, a language you’ll pick up on quickly and soon fine cozier than Sailor Moon. There’s a reason JJBA continues to be one of the most influential pieces of media to come out of the anime world. – Austin Jones
20. Ranking of Kings
Ever see a protagonist who is just so damn genuine that it elevates the whole story? That’s Ranking of Kings. The show follows Bojji, a little prince who is deaf. He excels in defensive tactics rather than offense, as he is bullied by his half-brother and ridiculed by his subjects, and his naivety makes those around him doubtful of his eventual succession. After the death of Bojji’s father, King Bosse, the court decides to install Bojji’s younger half-brother Prince Daida on the throne instead. Bojji then resolves to become a worthy king so he can take his rightful crown, and sets off on a quest to gain experience and grow stronger, but while he’s away from the kingdom, a mysterious force takes control.
Ranking of Kings takes place in a fairly classic fantasy world (it resembles Dragon Quest in both style and vibe), but is rendered in beautiful watercolor. Its gorgeous fights and fluid, freeform take on fantasy channels the whimsical worlds of Jacques Demy, and its heartwarming story gives way to a classic epic adventure. Did we mention that Bojji’s most reliable ally is Kage, a creature who looks like an evil black puddle, but who learns to love Bojji? Ranking of Kings is special not only for its adventure, but because Bojji is the best boy and well worth following on his great journey. More than any of that, though, it’s a truly sensitive depiction of disability, empowering yet challenging in its dedicated portrayal of Bojji. The show features sign language advised by the Tokyo Federation for the Deaf, which is a huge step forward for media—we should be making these essential languages more appealing, and Ranking of Kings does a lot to make signing cool. —Max Covill and Austin Jones
19. Gurren Lagann
Up until to the release of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Gainax had always been a studio perilously skirting the line between disaster and success. The runaway success of Neon Genesis Evangelion had buoyed the studio from the brink of disaster, and in the intervening years Gainax found itself again in need of another boon. Hiroyuki Imaishi’s directorial television debut, a “hot-blooded” and “unconventional” super robot anime that functioned as a spiritual successor to the studio’s prior works like Gunbuster and Evangelion. With boundless charisma, meteoric stakes, and exponential heaps of absurd spectacle that laugh in the face of sensibility, Gurren Lagann delivered Gainax another cult classic and became the launchpad for the studio’s own successor, Trigger. On the height of Gurren Lagann’s success, Imaishi and co. pierced through the heavens and showed the world just who the hell they were. —Toussaint Egan
18. The Apothecary Diaries
Combining court politics with medical-themed whodunits, The Apothecary Diaries is a tantalizing concoction elevated by its immensely charming lead. Week to week, we watch as our genius apothecary, Maomao, uses her deep knowledge of science and remedies to piece together mysteries within this fictionalized spin on Ming Dynasty China’s imperial court. These one-offs are deeply entertaining in their own right, offering ample room for our medicinal detective to flex her sharp wit. However, where they gain even more impact is in how they connect to implicit critiques of the power imbalances and misogyny that define this historical setting. For Maomao, cracking these cases is frequently the easy part, and the true difficulty comes from navigating an invisible web of royal court procedure and faux pas that could lead to her getting expelled (or much worse) if she makes even a minor misstep.
But while this setting can be oppressive, the series also highlights the ways the people trapped in this walled garden carve out little spaces for themselves. Maomao is a lovable medicine goblin who’s quickly become one of my favorite anime protagonists, and this story is so good at capturing her over-the-top glee at gathering herbs and crafting potions (especially poison). We see other people’s passions, wants, and loves in equal turn—the things that persevere despite these stifling circumstances. Toho and OLM’s consistently beautiful backdrops put us in this historical moment as the show deftly balances its many tones and political circumstances. Altogether, it makes for a potent mixture. —Elijah Gonzalez
17. A Place Further Than the Universe
The first anime to make The New York Times’ Best TV Shows of the Year list in 2018, A Place Further Than the Universe is an instantly charming, at times tearjerking adventure anime about four high school girls making plans to travel to Antarctica. Each of the main characters has their own reasons for taking the trip: energetic Mari is seeking out adventure, studious Hinata is looking to stand out from other students, child actress Yuzuki wants to forge real friendships, and shy Shirase is leading the mission to discover what happened to her missing scientist mother.
Made by the brilliant up-and-coming director Atsuko Ishizuka (Goodbye, Don Glees!) and veteran screenwriter Jukki Hanada (Princess Jellyfish), with animation from Madhouse, A Place Further Than the Universe is a one of the best coming of age anime in recent memory. For those interested in getting into anime but not drawn to the popular action series, this would be a great place to start. —Reuben Baron
16. Odd Taxi
The simple veneer of Odd Taxi belies a complex inner core; each of the show’s 13 episodes follows the beat of taxi driver Hiroshi Odokawa, an eccentric and terminally single walrus numb to his monotonous daily routine. Unbeknownst to him, a missing girl slowly invades his life as his taxi becomes the epicenter of the case. Part Taxi Cab Confessions and part Durarara!!, Odd Taxi eschews bombast for a slower story about relationships, societal expectations, and modern life. Yes, it’s a scintillating examination of life in the newly minted Reiwa era, but it’s also an exercise in the practiced building of tension, with each episode feeling like it’s about to reach a boiling point before it returns to a calm simmer.
The show precariously oscillates between mundane, often humorous conversations from Odokawa’s passengers and the dangerous conspiracies brewing just outside the safety of his cab. Where the show truly shines is in the former, though—the quippy banter between the cast’s characters reveal a deeply human view of modern life, tackling pervasive but often undersold conversations about online gambling, dating apps, and the urge to make it big in a world full of thousands of microcelebrities. Unlike many of its peers, though, Odd Taxi isn’t just some flash in the pan viral star—it’s one of the best anime of recent years, and unlike anything else out there right now. —Austin Jones
15. Yuri!!! on Ice
Sayo Yamamoto and Mitsurou Kubo’s figure skating anime Yuri!!! on Ice is beloved by all, including actual Olympians like Miu Suzaki and Adam Rippon. Yamamoto, a disciple of Shinichiro Watanabe, was a breakout director of the last decade or so, leading the equally impressive Michiko & Hatchin in 2008 and Lupin III’s achingly beautiful sexploitation spin-off The Woman Called Fujiko Mine in 2012. Yuri!!! on Ice is what made Yamamoto a star, a much needed voice in an industry not typically friendly towards female directors. Yuri On Ice’s story of hopeful athletes might seem simple, but serves as a perfect setting for Yamamoto’s continued fascination with the complex, creative potential of human bodies. —Austin Jones
14. Michiko and Hatchin
Michiko and Hatchin has all the makings of an instant anime classic: a country-spanning road trip, an irrepressible sense of adventure, a funky samba soundtrack courtesy of Brazilian artist Alexandre Kassin, and two of the strongest leads in anime history. Where the show truly shines is in Sayo Yamamoto’s directorial sense, with each scene lovingly capturing the unforgiving allure of South America. The show leads with Michiko Malandro, a convict, breaking out of prison to find her supposedly dead lover Hiroshi. Her only lead is their daughter, Hana, who lives with an abusive foster family. After plowing through their house on a motorbike, the duo travel the country looking for the only mutual connection they share.
Tackling themes of poverty and exploitation, Michiko and Hatchin is a bawdy tale that centers women every step of the way. With an intense sense of liberation, it’s one of the only anime to capture the spark that made Cowboy Bebop legendary. It deserves nothing but praise. —Austin Jones
13. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
It’s crazy to think that until a few years ago, Masaaki Yuasa was anime’s best kept secret. Long popular among fans of experimental animation, he finally crossed over into mainstream success with his Netflix adaptation of Devilman Crybaby. But where Devilman Crybaby is an indulgent work of hedonism and destruction, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is one of his chillest works to date and a fine entry in Yuasa’s expansive oeuvre.
Yuasa is an expert in making the mundane seem magical, and that’s exactly what makes Eizouken so infinitely relatable. The story’s a simple one—Midori, an incoming high school freshman, dreams of creating her own anime. She soon meets her classmate, Tsubame, a popular young model frustrated with her expectant parents who similarly yearns to work in animation. Together with Midori’s best friend, the hilarious miser Sayaka, they form an animation team masqueraded as a film production club at their school to avoid suspicion from Tsubame’s family (and to siphon the school’s generous budget offering).
Eizouken’s all about the power of collaboration and dreams. It’s an optimistic show nestled perfectly in an otherwise dismal year, earnestly hopeful and just a little naive. In 2020, we could all use a little wide-eyed idealism, which made Eizouken irrefutably the best anime of the year. —Austin Jones
12. Mobile Suit Gundam
In 2023, it’s easy to forget—considering the countless spinoff series, films, manga, and model kits—that this legendary 1979 mecha anime was… really, really freakin’ good. The animation may look dated. The mechanical designs and character models may not move with the consistency of the later series. And the implications of its world-building, in which a separatist faction of humans abandons Earth for space colonies, hadn’t been perfectly fine-tuned. Nonetheless, Mobile Suit Gundam’s core arguments hold up four decades later: The people we ask to fight for us—often before they can maturely engage with the world—come back broken or don’t come back at all; Nazis and Nazi-lookalikes are bad; and giant robots are compulsively watchable. —Eric Vilas-Boas
11. Nichijou – My Ordinary Life
When it first premiered in 2011, Nichijou – My Ordinary Life was a massive flop for Kyoto Animation, barely selling any DVDs. For years, it had no legal release in the US due to its initial international licensor Bandai Entertainment folding. Today, fortunately, it’s streaming on Crunchyroll and fondly remembered as one of the best examples of the subgenre of anime high school comedies that, like Seinfeld, can affectionately be considered “shows about nothing.” (See also: Azumanga Daioh, streaming on HIDIVE.)
Based on the manga by Keiichi Arawi, Nichijou mixes “ordinary” slice-of-life sequences with wacky flights of fantasy (recurring characters include an 8-year-old mad scientist, a wind-up robot, and a talking cat). The real key to the show’s comedic genius is KyoAni’s signature outstanding animation; silly gags that could have been throwaways in any other show are afforded more lavish animation than most big Shonen Jump fight scenes end up receiving. —Reuben Baron
10. Ping Pong: The Animation
While its idiosyncratic, scratchy art style may dissuade some, Ping Pong: The Animation is one of the most creative anime in years—one that uses its bold visual choices to communicate its powerful sentiments on the nature of competition. Peco and Smile are childhood friends who are the stars of a high school table tennis team, but after Peco is unexpectedly crushed in a match, he finds himself questioning his future with the game. Meanwhile, we also follow Wenge, Kazama, and Sakuma, three other players competing in the same tournament circuit, who each have their own deeply felt reasons for wanting to be the best. Through these characters, it explores many underlying anxieties that define sports, such as the tensions between natural talent and hard work, as well as how obsessions with victory can chip away at feelings of self-worth. And since it follows five characters in direct competition, it eventually blossoms into a story about the importance of learning to lose and how it’s essential not to let the results of competition define us. These observations are conveyed via trail-blazing animation that utilizes visual motifs and clever editing to convey the passions of its cast, as the acclaimed director Masaaki Yuasa and his team bring exciting matches and roiling inner turmoils to life. It’s a series that narratively and aesthetically breaks from the conventions of most other sports stories, resulting in a rich work that lands with the power of a mighty forehand spike. —Elijah Gonzalez
9. Hunter x Hunter
There are countless shonens (and American TV shows, even) that focus on a group of young characters using supernatural abilities and deductive reasoning to problem solve. Hunter x Hunter is a rare find among this homogeneous archetype because of its attention to detail and emotional investment. This anime is filled with whimsical subplots that don’t always end with a major event, but let you know characters in this world were alive before you started watching them.
Hunter x Hunter begins with Gon Freecss, as he sets out on a journey to become a Hunter. He’s your typical savior-figure protagonist unique to shonen, but fortunately he keeps the annoying, repetitive mantras to himself. His determination to see the best in people becomes a marvel of the series, and his dedication to others drives the plot. He makes friends with a young boy from a family of assassins, and their polarized dynamic creates a connection that makes the series inspiring. The compelling relationship between these two boys demands emotional investment from you. Togashi emphasizes their youth and inexperience by pitting them against much older, more experienced villains, and introduces powerful mentors that help them evolve. He’s meticulous about tailoring his characters’ abilities to their personality, but everyone draws their strength from resolve. The feats of pure determination you’ll witness in this anime will change you.
Togashi has struggled with a medical condition for some years, but he claims the manga is far from over. Hopefully, the remastered anime gets a seventh season soon.—Jarrod Johnson II
8. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
If you’ve never heard the term “deconstruction” applied to anime, this is where to begin. This series takes the light-hearted “magical girl” archetype and completely juxtaposes it with a reality so grim it feels dystopian. The superpowers that usually empower characters become an unrelenting source of anxiety and peril which leads to grim ends. Emotionally investing in these brave young women will be a masochistic practice once you learn the truth about what it means to be a magical girl. There’s also only one season (on Crunchyroll), which makes for a quick and convenient watch. —Jarrod Johnson II
7. Chihayafuru
Despite focusing on a card game that is relatively obscure outside of Japan, Chihayafuru conveys the soaring feelings of its cast so convincingly that it’s difficult not to get pulled into the intricacies of this sport. The story follows Chihaya, a girl who finds purpose and camaraderie in competitive karuta, a card game that combines memorization, technique, and strategy. Out of the gate, the series successfully conveys the complicated reasons why its central characters are pulled into this hobby. We see the euphoria and fulfillment that Chihaya receives from finding something to strive for, as well as how her friends Arata and Taichi grapple with familial expectations and toxic forms of motivation. However, one of the show’s most ingenious strokes is how it affords the broader cast the same degree of care and interiority as its main trio, endearing us to their foes, and making nearly every showdown into a devastating affair. Madhouse’s adaptation of this best-selling manga further elevates these duels with a striking visual language that uses gorgeous background art and abstract imagery to place us in the headspace of its competitors, making each battle feel climatic. And on top of this, the series is also effective at entertainingly explaining this game’s rules and strategic details, making even its longer tournament arcs feel engaging. Between its ability to endear us to its characters and its beautiful production value, Chihayafuru is a sports anime that you don’t want to miss. —Elijah Gonzalez
6. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
For many, Brotherhood is the essential anime experience, and it’s easy to see why. A more faithful adaptation to Hiromu Arakawa’s mega-popular manga series, Brotherhood contends with loss, grief, war, racism and ethics in mature and unique ways, ahead of its time in nearly every aspect. What’s more, the show is paced perfectly, with neatly wrapped arcs that lead into each other and bolster a greater global narrative on selected themes. Brotherhood is just the right length, never overstaying its welcome and proving how versatile and malleable the conventions of shounen anime can be.
Brotherhood has a sizeable cast of characters all of different nationalities and ideologies, with motivations that often oppose one another—the show manages to use these moving forces to form factions, alliances and foils that flow in multiple directions, paralleling the often messy, always chaotic nature of human relationships during wartime. The show’s emotional core revolves around the plight of the Elric brothers, Ed and Alphonse, two alchemists sponsored by the authoritarian Amestris military. It’s not your classic military drama, though, as Ed and Alphonse quickly learn how far Amestris’ authoritarianism stretches.
Where Brotherhood excels lies in the sensitivity it expresses for every one of the characters’ fighting for their desires and contending with their mistakes, with particular highlights on the plights of minorities and women. Ed and Alphonse struggle with the fallout after attempting forbidden alchemy to revive their recently deceased mother. Later, their childhood friend Winry is portrayed heroically for acting as an emergency midwife. Scar, initially introduced as a brutal serial killer, is one of the last remaining indigenous Ishvalans, an ethnic group purged during a colonial war at the hands of Amestris—his odyssey continues to ring more and more resonant as we stray further into a post-terror world. It’s why the series continues to wow today: it eschews cliche to make cogent points on human consciousness. —Austin Jones
5. Vinland Saga
Based on the long-running manga penned by Makoto Yukimura of Planetes fame, Vinland Saga is a Norse tale told through a humanist lens. It follows Thorfinn, an Icelandic boy living in the early 11th century, who—after enduring a personal tragedy—sets out on a tale of revenge. Or at least, that’s how things initially appear. Despite resembling traditional Scandinavian poems about bloody quests for comeuppance, Thorfinn’s journey is less vainglorious and more tragic. Here warriors aren’t framed as valiant heroes battling for a place in Valhalla, but as sadists and butchers inoculated into a culture of pointless violence. Perhaps the greatest trick this story pulls is that even though it never shies away from human cruelty, it isn’t shot through with cynicism, instead suggesting a better way is just out of reach. Sure, there is some tonal weirdness in its first season, as it enacts a series of fights that feel less like indictments of bloodshed and more like battle shonen duels between borderline superheroes, but admittedly Wit Studio’s animation chops are on such display here that it’s easy to forgive some of the amped-up, meathead shenanigans. And by its second season, these inconsistencies are smoothed over as this story transforms into a full-throated condemnation of the inhumanity of this period, delving into the hardships these characters face due to cruel belief structures and political systems. Between its powerful articulation of its protagonist’s emotional journey and its ability to immerse us in this fraught depiction of Middle Ages Europe, Vinland Saga is a gripping treatise on violence, revenge, and the distant hope for a better world. —Elijah Gonzalez
4. Mob Psycho 100
Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama is a psychic of unquestionable talent. Unfortunately, that’s about all he has going on in the skills department. Based on a web manga by One (One-Punch Man), Mob Psycho 100 is a psychedelic blend of coming-of-age tropes and Ghost Adventures , following Mob as he and his fraudulent mentor Reigen solve supernatural problems in Seasoning City. The show’s animation, courtesy of Bones (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, My Hero Academia), maintains film-quality action sequences and trippy, technicolor style throughout, but what really makes it a cut above the rest is its seemingly forgettable star. Mob starts off as an unremarkable boy who just wants to be normal. His dedication to live everyday to the fullest is infectious, and by the end, he’s got a hearty cast of confidants and companions. Mob Psycho 100 might attract you with its wackiness, but its moments of emotional clarity will keep you coming back. —Austin Jones
3. Fruits Basket (2019)
Both the 2001 and 2019 anime adaptations of Natsuki Takaya’s classic Fruits Basket shojo manga are available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The first anime was cut short early in the manga’s run (Takaya didn’t like the changes made and didn’t allow a second season despite fan demand), so it’s the more faithful, more recent adaptation you’ll want to watch to get the full story.
Fruits Basket’s fantasy rom-com story follows Tohru Honda, an orphan high school girl living with the Sohma family, who are cursed to transform into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac when hugged by members of the opposite sex. It’s a silly setup, but one which affords each of its quirky characters significant depth and goes to some impressively heavy emotional places. Fruits Basket will make you laugh and cry, and maybe even inspire you to be a better person. —Reuben Baron
2. Revolutionary Girl Utena
With a psychic incision on adolescence, Kunihiko Ikuhara’s opus Revolutionary Girl Utena is a shining beacon for the shoujo genre. Inspired by the seminal works of Riyoko Ikeda and legendary all-female theater troupe Takarazuka Revue, Utena is a post-structural examination of queer identity and generational trauma filtered through a surrealist lens and romantic, heart-swelling backdrops. The show follows Utena Tenjou, a middle schooler obsessed with becoming a prince so that she might meet the prince who saved her when she was a young girl. She challenges the gender norms of her school (which may as well be a Grecoroman city-state with its own all-powerful student council and intersecting political structures) and charms the female student body with her unwavering dedication to safeguarding other women. After saving the school garden’s caretaker, Anthy, from her abusive boyfriend, Utena becomes embroiled in duels for Anthy’s possession, who is somehow instrumental to revolutionizing the world as we know it.
The show is centered almost entirely around character drama, cleverly using stock footage and repetition to foster a mythic portrait of its central cast’s shifting, intersecting psychological profiles and taboo desires. With its decadent symbolism, Utena has marked itself on anime history as much as its fellow ‘90s pioneering peers Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion. —Austin Jones
1. Cowboy Bebop
Every debate over whether or not Cowboy Bebop—Shinichiro Watanabe’s science-fiction masterpiece—is the pinnacle of anime is a semantic one. It is, full stop. Its particular blend of space-based cyberpunk intrigue, Western atmosphere, martial arts action, and noir cool in seinen form is unmatched and widely appealing. Its existential and traumatic themes are universally relatable. Its ragtag group of bounty hunting characters are complex and flawed, yet still ooze cool. The future it presents is ethnically diverse and eerily prescient. Its English dub, boasting some of America’s greatest full-time voiceover talents, somehow equals the subtitled Japanese-language original. Its 26-episode run was near-perfect, and episodes that might have been filler in another series are tight, taut, and serve the show’s thesis even as they do not distract from its overarching plot, which is compelling but not overbearing. It’s accessible to new hands and still rewards old-timers with every repeated watch. Yoko Kanno’s magnificent, jazz-heavy soundtrack and score stand on their own. Its opening credits are immaculate. It’s an original property, not an adaptation. It feels like a magnum opus produced at the pinnacle of a long career despite being, almost unbelievably, Watanabe’s first series as a director. It is a masterwork that should justly rank among the best works of television of all time, let alone anime. We eagerly await a rival. We’re not holding our breath. —John Maher
For all the latest TV news, reviews, lists and features, follow @Paste_TV.