Tokyo Ghoul
A relatively new anime, this story follows a college student as he has the organs of a monstrous creature known as a Ghoul transplanted into him. Ghouls are man eating humanoids with special abilities, and to the main character’s horror, he finds himself becoming more ghoul like than human. As he becomes stuck in the middle of the Ghoul and Human war, he becomes torn as to who his true identity is. Genre: Dark Fantasy, Tragedy, Warning: This anime does not pull its punches. There is a lot of blood and several cringe worthy moments.
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
This is more along the lines of Avatar as a series that can be enjoyed by all ages. The show takes place in an fantasy world, starting with an Arabian theme that expands as more of the world is explored and interacted with by the characters. The story follows a young boy named Aladdin, who is the fourth of the legendary Magi, the strongest magicians in all the land, but the catch is, there can only be three Magi at once. So where did this boy come from? This anime boasts a creative and beautiful world filled with diverse politics that the show goes into. While this show may seem a bit “kiddy,” it’s actually a very mature show and handles itself wonderfully. Watch this if you want to get that giddy feeling Avatar gives you. The shows share a similar “heartfelt” sincerity to them while also taking their audiences seriously. Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Terror in Resonance
The day before a terrorist attack hits Tokyo, devastating the city, a video is uploaded to Youtube by a mysterious duo of teenage boys who call themselves “Sphinx.” This video predicts the attack as the boys decide to “Wake up the world.” The story follows a teenage girl who becomes involved with the boys while uncovering more and more about them and why they don’t technically exist. Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Psycho-Pass
Like detective drama with subtle character, interesting twists and a cheerful dystopian vibe? This might be for you. It takes place in a future where emotions are regulated and those showing signs of mental instability are arrested and forced to attend therapy sessions. The show follows a new detective as she begins to question what counts as “instability” and finds herself having to keep strong as things get progressively worse. All the meanwhile she has to work with her “hounds”, criminals that are handled by detectives to be used as an insight into the criminal mind. Basically, a very awesome anime with a very sexy male lead. I would recommend watching the second version, which is more polished and has more detail in it. Genre: Crime Fiction, Cyberpunk, Dystopian
Tiger and Bunny
This is what happens when Japan tries to imitate American animation and make a super hero series. I’m okay with it. This is an action packed and pretty awesome show with some good comedy inside of it. The lead character is a rare “older” protagonist, being over thirty. He’s a veteran super hero who’s been assigned to act as the side kick for a hotshot newcomer after his ‘ratings’ slip. In this world, crime and the heroes who stop them is filmed and broadcasted, forming a television and advertisement based competition to be the “King of Heroes” by raking in points through stopping crime. It’s a very interesting show, and I’d recommend it. The characters are all likeable and amusing, and the action scenes are top notch with some pretty badass animation. Genre: Science Fiction, Superhero
Serial Experiments Lain
The show follows a girl named Lain as her life slowly becomes more and more strange, starting with an email received from a schoolmate who had committed suicide telling her that the girl didn’t die, just abandoned her physical body and flesh. This leads Lain into the complex world of the “Wired”, where she goes deeper and deeper into both the network and her own subconscious thoughts and sensations. Genre: Cyberpunk, Psychological Horror, Science Fiction, Drama
Aldnoah.Zero
From the creators of Fate/Zero, Psycho-Pass and Puella Magi Madoka Magica comes a show another mecha anime, but seriously, if you recognize any of the names I just dropped, you should know there’s way more to this than on the surface. The show follows a conflict between Earth and the Mars Empire, and I’m not going to say more. Watch it, see if it’s for you. The anime is split into two parts, the second of which will be aired in January 2015. Just don’t pass on this anime because it’s “another mecha anime.” Genre: Action, Mecha, Real Robot Alternative History
Log Horizon
So, this anime starts off a bit cliché, but the attention to detail and MMO lingo is amazing. This is an anime about people physically transported into the world of a game they’ve all played for years after a new patch appears. They take the form of their actual characters and have to find a way to survive in this world. Almost all of the game functions are still active, including resurrection of deceased players. The show really starts to blossom into an amazing thing after the first couple of episodes, and even then, the first few episodes are entertaining. The story also dives into NPCs with great detail and their political relationship with the player characters. Don’t pass up on this because it “sounds like a SAO clone.” Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Paranoia Agent
An old favorite of mine, this anime is about the changes brought upon the lives of several people within Tokyo who are attacked with a bat by a young boy wearing skates. Those who are attacked can only remember three details: golden inline skates, a baseball cap and the weapon, a bent golden baseball bat. This story follows the police investigation into the mysterious boy as he attacks more people and how the public reacts to this almost supernatural force. Genres: Psychological Thriller/Horror, Mystery, Satire, Supernatural
Black Butler: Book of Circus
Yeah, yeah. I know, “Black Butler? That yaoi fangirl anime?! PFT!” Frankly, the first two seasons of the anime are pretty shitty. The manga is a dark macabre Victorian piece about a young boy who sold his soul to a demon. The anime belittles that. However, it seems they’ve finally gotten their shit straight with this one. The first episode is a bore, so just ignore that unless you’re new to the series completely and want a general run down of who’s who. Now, what makes this new season so good is the detail to character and setting while also not pulling any punches. While it’s still probably one of the more juvenile animes on my list, it’s still pretty darn entertaining. About 2/3rds of the way in you’ll realize why it’s on this list. Genre: Historical, Black Comedy, Dark Fantasy