11 Anime That You Should Definitely Watch

If my first love is music then my second love is anime. I love watching new anime and finding anime from years ago to watch. There are still come classics I haven't gotten to and everyone has their own tastes in shows, and what not so these are just my recommendations and some thoughts of anime I watched in the beginning of the year. I already know I need to improve my summarization skills so hopefully in the future I can get better at that. What was your favorite anime that you watched recently? If you'd like to see what other anime I've watched or am watching you can find my MAL here!

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Airdate: Oct 4, 2018 to Dec 27, 2018

Episodes: 13 (Trailer)

Rating: 8.5/10

This was the first anime that I watched after doing my top anime of 2018 list and I wish I had watched it beforehand because of how much I loved it. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is a very soft anime. It examines each character in their own way and shows how they end up suffering from Adolescent syndrome, which is basically a supernatural event that only happens to, well, adolescents. The main relationship between Sakuta and Mai is very sweet and done in a way that makes it important to their stories and the other characters stories but is not a central point of the entire anime. It's very nicely woven in which doesn't make the cute moments between them overbearing. I don't remember exactly what it was about him, but Sakuta is one of my favorite male characters, he's just so cool and collected and always there to help his friends when they need him.

Diamond no Ace (Season 1 + Season 2)

Airdate: Oct 6, 2013 to Mar 28, 2016

Episodes: 126 (Trailer)

Rating: 9.5/10

I am so glad that I watched this anime, it's so fun and possibly my favorite sports anime that I've seen. Diamond no Ace follows Seidou Highschool's baseball team and while the story is told mostly through Sawamura Eijun's eyes you also get glimpses and story lines from the other characters. Like with most sports anime you follow the team through training, games, tournaments etc, and Diamond no Ace is no different. I think I enjoy this series so much because I grew up around baseball with my brother playing it for practically his entire school career, so it was quite nostalgic for me. I also just really enjoy an anime that has strong friendships and a good and friendly rivalry. I'm so excited that season 3 has started recently because even though it hasn't been too long since I watched this anime I missed the characters and their relationships with one another.

Banana Fish

Airdate: Jul 6, 2018 to Dec 21, 2018

Episodes: 24 (Trailer)

Rating: 8/10

Banana Fish is, I think, one of the only anime that I've watched that takes place outside of Japan (besides ones from made up worlds of course). It's a very mature anime with explicit content and scenes, so I wouldn't recommend watching it with someone younger than 16 or 17. This anime also comes with a heavy trigger warning for sexual abuse, rape, and general violence. I really didn't know what to expect from this anime going into it, all I knew was that the two main male characters were kind-of love interests to one another. This anime follows Ash who is, essentially, a gang leader and Eiji who comes from Japan with his mentor who is teaching him photography and journalism. From the very beginning Ash and Eiji get mixed up in a crazy situation of the bar their interviewing Ash in getting shot up. They build a relationship of love and trust through all the trials they go through together and when they aren't running away, getting kidnapped, or planning some type of revenge plan they have fun moments together that remind you that Ash is still only 18 and Eiji not much older. This is a really good anime and the only reason I gave it an 8 is because of the ending. While the anime leaves it kind of up for interpretation the manga tells you what happens. There are also a few extra chapters of the future from the manga, in case you have watched this/do and want more. Be prepared, I've warned you.

My Little Monster

Airdate: Oct 2, 2012 to Dec 25, 2012

Episodes: 13 (Trailer)

Rating: 8/10

I never thought I would love this anime as much as I do. My Little Monster is a typical grade-school anime with a badboy-esque character and a girl who only wants to study. Think Toradora but the opposite. I really enjoyed the storytelling of this anime and how all the characters interacted with one another, and while there was an essence of everyone sort of falling in love with each other I think it can be very real around that time in your life. The two main characters, Haru and Shizuku, have terrible timing when it comes to liking one another but their friendship is everything. Haru gets suspended from school but then doesn't want to return because of a fight he happened to find himself in while protecting another student and Shizuku is given the burden of bringing him his classwork. From the very first moment they interact Haru clings to Shizuku and finally returns to school. The group of friends that seems to flock around them is full of different personalities that make you love them all. I need to look up the manga for this series and continue it because I loved it.

Mo Dao Zu Shin

Airdate: Jul 9, 2018 to Oct 6, 2018

Episodes: 15 (Trailer)

Rating: 7.5/10

Mo Dao Zu Shin is the first Chinese anime I've watched. It's a historical-type anime with that added presence of demons and people who defeat them. This anime also falls under the BL category but the anime is very tame when it comes to that aspect, which I'm unsure if it's because it's season 1 or because of China's strict laws when it comes to media and same-sex relationships. For me the anime was a little hard to follow because of all the terms and having to become familiar with a whole new set of suffixes on names, and there being different names for the same people depending on who's talking etc. It's something that still confuses me but I love the story of this anime. I actually would suggest reading the manga first - or after like I did - watching the anime. The manga makes everything a little easier to follow and also has some scenes in it that the anime does not which adds to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's relationship. This anime is originally based on a light novel but then that light novel is currently being transformed into a manga which I believe is released once a month. I can't wait for season 2!

Seven Deadly Sins (Season 1 - Season 3)

Airdate: Oct 5, 2014 to Jun 30, 2018

Episodes: 52 (Trailer)

Rating: 9/10

I can't believe it took me this long to watch this, it's so amazing and the perfect anime for me? It has everything I love: friendships, magic, some sort of demon element, it's perfect. Seven Deadly Sins is a Netflix original anime that starts off with one of the royal princesses, Elizabeth, looking for the group of magic knights who were known as the Seven Deadly Sins. This group of knights is said to be the most powerful and once caused all sorts of harm and commotions, years and years prior, but Elizabeth wants their help because her family and kingdom are in danger. The first season pretty much follows the line of Elizabeth looking for them, meeting them, and going on adventures while also trying to save the kingdom. It's just such a wonderful anime and I can't wait for the next season. Every character and relationship is done so well that you can't help but love them. Once the semester ends I plan to read this manga because of how much I truly love all of the characters and stories of each character. If you could only watch one anime off of this list I would definitely recommend it be this one.

Blood Lad

Airdate: Jul 8, 2013 to Sep 9, 2013

Episodes: 10 (Trailer)

Rating: 7.5/10

Although I rated this a pretty lowish 7.5 I still think it's an interesting and quirky anime to watch. I do plan to read the manga soon to see how the story continues but for now I'm still curious from just the anime. Blood Lad is about a vampire, Staz, who is the block boss of a neighborhood in the Underworld who is trying to help bring a human girl back to life who accidentally found her way to the Underworld and basically got eaten by a giant plant. We also find out that Staz comes from what can be compared to royalty in the Underworld so he's super powerful. It's not anything life changing in an anime but I think it's a short, fun, and an interesting story. Hopefully I can get to the manga soon and maybe update this then!

Hakkenden (Season 1 + Season 2)

Airdate: Jan 6, 2013 to Sep 29, 2013

Episodes: 26 (Trailer)

Rating: 8/10

Ahh, Hakkenden, this anime - this anime deserves so much more, as well as the manga. Again this isn't a mind blowing anime but it's just so wonderful and unique (or compared to what I've seen anyways) that I wish there was more of it. Hakkenden follows Shino, Sosuke, and Hamaji, childhood friends, who come from a village where everyone was infected by a disease and they were the only ones to survive because of a demon taking host in Shino's body. Shino now lives on but is stuck in his 13 year old body while everyone else around him ages. After surviving everyone in their village dying they're taken in by the church and one of the royal families - Satomi Riou being their guardian. The anime then follows Shino trying to find 8 small marbles that have words written on them and that are owned by 8 different men (him and Sosuke being two of them). It's just such a great anime, and although it's quite predictable it's still really fun and the characters, relationships, and little surprises really make it worth the watch. The disappointment that there's only 2 seasons really hit me hard when I watched that final episode of season 2. I tried to find the manga to read but I think there's only 30 chapters, which is pretty much all covered in the anime. I just want more people to love this anime. Sigh.

Go-toubun no Hanayome

Airdate: Jan 11, 2019 to Mar 29, 2019

Episodes: 12 (Trailer)

Rating: 9.5/10

I really never thought I would love this anime as much as I do, so much so I really had to just go and read the manga the minute the show ended because I needed more. I really hope we get a second season of this. Gotoubun no Hanayome is about 5 sisters - quintuplets - who are failing horribly in school so their father hires the number 1 student in their class, which just so happens to be Uesugi Fuutarou. The anime is written in a flashback sort of style with the viewer already knowing that Fuutarou and one of the sisters are getting married in the future, which is super fun trying to figure out which sister it is. (Personally, I love him and Itsuki.) It's really just such a fun anime and each of the sister's relationship with Fuutarou is so different. I know this is a haram and those can be really hard to get into because of all the cliches and focus of them but this one is done so well that it barely feels like a haram to begin with. I highly, highly recommend this anime (and the manga too)!

Yakusoku no Neverland

Airdate: Jan 10, 2019 to Mar 29, 2019

Episodes: 12 (Trailer)

Rating: 10/10

Along with the anime mentioned above Yakusoku no Neverland is an anime I didn't expect to love as much as I do. I didn't even plan on watching this anime this season but saw it mentioned in a Youtube video so I was like, "Let me give it a shot", and I'm so glad I did. Yakusoku no Neverland is about three kids who are trying to escape with all the other children they live with. I don't want to say too much about this anime because having that element of surprise at certain moments is what makes it so good. What I can say, though, is that this is one of the best anime I think I've ever watched - I haven't been able to read the manga yet but I can't wait to in the near future. The characters, the plot, the surprises, and the weird horror-ish aspect of it is just all done so well that I can't see anyone not enjoying this anime.

Fukigen na Mononokean (Second Season)

Airdate: Jan 5, 2019 to Mar 30, 2019

Episodes: 13 (Trailer)

Rating: 9.8/10

Since this is a second season I'm not going to say too much about it for spoiler reasons, but I couldn't leave this anime off of my list because it's one of my favorite - like in all of anime. The premise of the anime itself is about a boy named Ashiya Hanae who finds out he can see yokai because one attaches itself to him one day. Our other protagonist is Abeno Haruitsuki who is the master of the Mononokean - a yokai shaped as a tearoom that lets you travel pretty much anywhere you want. Together they go around helping yokai and sending them back to the Underworld. The second season has a bit more plot, mystery, and suspense than the first season but that makes it so much better. It's just a super cute anime that I really adore and wish more people would love. I would also recommend the manga since there are a few things the anime leaves out that are just super cute and add to the story!

Now I do occasionally watch a live-action show here and there so here are two that I watched over the last couple of months that I would recommend. They're both Netflix originals!

Sex Education (Netflix Original)

Airdate: January 11th 2019

Episodes: 8 (Trailer)

Rating: 8/10

Sex Education follows a boy named Otis, his bestfriend - Eric - and a girl in their class, Maeve. The show tells the story of Otis and Maeve becoming friends and starting an almost sex therapy business together in an abandon building on their school grounds. An important factor that I should mention is that Otis's mom - who is played by the wonderful Gillian Anderson - is an actual sex therapist so he has heard a lot of her advice with her clients. Through this "business" Otis finds himself falling for Maeve but she is with another boy. I don't want to go too much more into it, but this show highlights a lot of good points about many issues and the three main characters play off of each other so well and have such great relationships with each other. I can't wait for season 2!

Umbrella Academy

Airdate: February 15th, 2019

Episodes: 10 (Trailer)

Rating: 8.5/10

I don't even think I should summarise this because I think everyone has either already watched it or knows what it's about. But in case you don't the Umbrella Academy is about 7 siblings who were born from mother's became pregnant and gave birth on the same day. These siblings have magical powers and their adopted father, a billionaire, trains them to use their powers to fight crime. The show follows them as adults after their father has passed away and how they are trying to save the world. That's a rough summary but I think you should just give it a watch to find out. My favorite characters are definitely Klaus and Ben, I love them so much. Season 2 can't come fast enough!

Do you have any show or anime recommendations?