There are a lot of ways to create a dystopian society in anime. However, one of the easiest ways to create one and also make it relatable to the audience is to paint a world in which one class rules above the rest. Sometimes it feels like we are just one step away from that in our society. In these worlds, there is a one class that is painted as better than the rest for one reason or another. It is this elevation that often gives them the perceived right to treat their lessers any way they want to. If this particular vein of dystopia is your jam, then give these anime recommendations a try. Texhnolyze In the underground city of Lux, you are either part of one of the three gangs fighting for control or your are dirt poor, used by these gangs, and thrown away. Among all this is a prize fighter that lost a few limbs after fighting with a promoter. This leads to them being replaced by a scientist, giving him the power to finally fight against what should have

While summer may not be a season that everyone enjoys fully, after a solid month of clouds and rain, even they probably get a bit squirrely. If you want to feel the hot sun on your skin and smell the sweet breeze filled with blooming life – but can’t – maybe a bit of anime can help? Sure, it’s not the same as actually frolicking on a summer day, but a lot of anime series can be evocative of that summer feeling. Natsu-Iro Kiseki For school children, summer is a great time because of summer vacation, and Natsu-iro Kiseki takes full advantage the scenario by adding a bit of a twist to it. At its core, the show is school children trying to make the best of what seems like their last summer together. Non Non Biyori When someone says they want an anime series with a strong focus on natural visuals, I always recommend the often unassuming Non Non Biyori is a slice of life anime about a group of school girls goofing around in their rural to

While testing out his filming camera one night, Kaito is blown off the bridge by a streak of blue light. When he wakes up, he finds himself in his room. This leads to a meeting with an upperclassman that changes his summer forever. Japan has a lot of festivals, traditions, and cuisine that celebrate the seasons. Not all anime is like that, but Waiting in Summer is true revelry for the season in animation form. With some good comedy, passable romance, and beautiful animation, if you are looking for more anime recommendations like Waiting in Summer, look no further. For Fans of Meandering Summer Days~ Anohana After the death of childhood friend Meiko “Menma” Honma, Jinta Yadomi and his group of friends grew apart, each trying to deal with grief and guilt in their own way. However, when Jinta starts seeing what he believes to be Menma’s ghost, the group of friends are drawn together to help grant her long-desired wish. While Anohana is tinged wi

Certainly you can craft some memorable villains out of humans, but when it comes to the most deadly enemies of an anime series – it can only be monsters. Large and with infinitely more options to be deadly, monsters raise the stakes in action anime. If you are looking for anime series about monster hunting, you have a lot of good options. Claymore The entire premise of Claymore is that there is an order of all-female warriors, infused with Yoma blood in order to fight Yoma. They are shunned by normal humans because of their infusion and lead miserable short lives filled with little happiness or peace. The series explores a few backstories and the brief relationships that these women explore before showing them enduring brutal fights. Rising of the Shield Hero In The Rising of the Shield Hero, the heroes need to grow stronger in order for a wave-like battle that is on the horizon. In these waves, numerous and powerful monsters appear and need to

On Kobeni Yonomori’s 16th birthday, it is discovered that her grandfather arranged for her to marry the mysterious Hakuya Mitsumine. Shocked, she now finds herself living with her future husband, his deceptive little sister, and her own perverted older sister. However, Kobeni takes it in stride, adjusting to her new life and trying to learn more about the new additions. This series is a hard one to sell unless you are scraping the bottom of the barrel for romance series. However, once you watch it, you see how charming it is. The characters are cute, the comedy is good, but the romance is a bit sparse. Regardless, it is carried by its endlessly cute OP and ED sequences. If you are looking for anime similar to Engaged to the Unidentified, head on down below. For Fans of Arranged Marriage Nisekoi Ten years ago, Raku Ichijou made a promise with a childhood friend. In the present day, this heir apparent to an intimidating yakuza family continues to wait

To have honor is to know your ideals and be stalwart in upholding them. It may be easier to claim a victory through underhanded means, but to these characters, that is a path they simply won’t walk. If you are looking for anime characters that are stalwart in their ideals and never stray from the honorable path, anime has plenty. Jin From Samurai Champloo One of the major themes in Samurai Champloo is that Jin and Mugen are diametrically opposed as people. Jin is stiff and honorable while Mugen is a flexible scoundrel. It is even reflected immediately in their fighting styles before you even know them as people. However, as you learn more about Jin, you find that he is even more honorable than his rigid and precise sword style reflect. His whole arc could have been cleared up with one revelation about his former master to the sword school students that hunt him, yet he kept silent. Jonathan Joestar from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure As th

This is the tale of three boys that roam the halls of the all-boys school of Sanada North. Their lives are filled with nothing but giant robot drama and true love stories, at least in their imaginations. In reality, these three boys are nothing special, but they try their best to pass the time. Sometimes life can be the most hilarious thing of all. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like the Daily Lives of High School Boys, then head on down below. For Fans of Random Comedy Nichijou Nichijou is about the daily lives of a trio of three friends who soon find their fate intertwined with a young genius, her robot maid, and talking cat. Needless to say, the normal does not ensue. You can’t recommend one without the other, really. They are just that similar. The difference is that one follows a group of boys and the other follows girls. You will also note a distinct absurdness in Nichijou, however. Asobi Asobase This

In many art forms, taking inspiration from the real world is recommended to add depth and realism to a story. A character based on a friend from your past makes for a more realistic character not because the audience also know them, but chances are they can relate to them better due to their actual real traits. Anime pulls a lot from reality, even the most fantastic and ridiculous series have moments that were inspired by people from history or events that happened. Welcome to the NHK “Ah, haha, this guy is getting into shenanigans due to his own paranoia and anxiety, though this situation seems low-key terrifying.” – Welcome to the NHK audiences, probably. Welcome to the NHK isn’t just a dark comedy, but it is also a somewhat autobiographical one based on a novel the author wrote about his situation in which he is still trapped in. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 Japan is prone to occasional bouts of huge and deadly earthquakes. You may reca

Thanks to population decline, there are fewer humans left. Enter Mazama Jin, an animal hater who has enrolled in Seton Academy that is mostly anthropomorphic animal people. He immediately falls in love the Hino Hitomi, the only other human female in class. Unfortunately, as he tries to become closer with her, he gets pulled into the various shenanigans of his classmates. It’s a big season for animal people, I guess. Regardless on your feelings about furries, this series has great comedy in every episode and if you are looking for more anime recommendations like Seton Academy, head on down below. For Fans of Animals Girls Nekopara Kashou is the son of Japanese confection makers, but has recently moved out to open his own patisserie. While unpacking, he finds two cat girls that his family has been raising hiding in boxes. He initially wants to send them back, but after they begged to stay, he ends up keeping them as long as they help around the shop.

Anime is fond of its fantasy settings, but it is not always so fond of its fantasy races. They really are somewhat underutilized in anime, but if you have a fondness for creatures, you can find them if you look hard enough. If you are looking for a little diversity in your fantasy anime, here are some anime recommendations that make good use of other races. Rage of Bahamut While Rage of Bahamut: Genesis is definitely more human-centric, the second series – Virgin Soul – further explores the complex world and shows off the larger variety of races that actually inhabit it. In a world where gods and demons are abound and there exists a dragon that can destroy the world, you expect more than just puny humans. Re:Zero Re:Zero keeps things pretty traditional with its characters, at least it main cast. However, in the world you see more than just human characters. You actually see quite a bit of diversity in those large sweeping crowd scenes. Unfortuna

After losing his temper on a critic, renowned calligraphy artist Sieshuu Handa is exiled to the Goto Islands by his father for a period of self-reflection. There he seeks to find new inspiration for his art, but finds that his neighbors and some neighborhood kids keep getting in his way. Soothing and unexpectedly hilarious, Barakamon teaches watchers to treasure the smaller moments in life. If you are looking for anime recommendations like Barakamon, then head on down below. For Fans of Adults Surrounded By Children (in a Not Creepy Way) Usagi Drop Daikichi Kawachi is a 30-year-old bachelor with a decent job, but no purpose in his life. When he returns to his family home for his grandfather’s funeral, he finds out that the old man had an illegitimate daughter. With his other relatives not wanting to take in such a child, Daikichi steps up and takes her home. From that day onwards, his hard new life as a parent begins. While Usagi Drop has a

Been away from anime for awhile? We understand. You go out and have your life, anime will always be waiting for you when you come back. They always come back. If you are finally coming back and stopped watching sometime in or before 2012, here are all the best anime series that you missed and definitely should go back and watch. Sword Art Online With the aid of NerveGear technology, video game players can now experience their playable worlds like never before – in virtual reality. For Kazuto Kirigaya, his game of choice is Sword Art Online. After beta testing the game, he logs into the launch and finds himself, as well as ten thousand other players, trapped in the game world. Remember in 2012 when everyone joked that the world would end because of that Mayan prophecy? Well, I still attribute the flood of isekai anime to the popularity that was Sword Art Online. So in a way, it was an anime apocalypse. Everyone got hooked in that first half about

Fujito Chiyuki has dreamed of being the star model for her father’s modeling agency since she was a girl. Unfortunately, she stopped growing and is considered too short to be a good model. Regardless, she kept pursuing her dream. Only did her resolve start to waiver in her last year of high school. However, after meeting Tsumura Ikuto, a classmate with a passion for designing clothes, does she join him on a seemingly impossible journey to achieve their dreams. Unexpectedly intense and even more unexpectedly interesting despite the subject matter, even those who aren’t into fashion can enjoy this one. If you are looking for anime recommendations like Smile Down The Runway, sashay your way on down below. For Fans of Fashion Skip Beat Although extremely bright, Kyouko Mogami’s naivety shines brighter as she toils endlessly to support her childhood friend and rising pop star Shou Fuwa. However, when she learns that all her hard work is like free s

Generally the most hated thing in anime, filler isn’t always bad – but often it is! It okay to like filler since it is there to entertain typically while the source material sprints forward. However, some arcs are just god-awful wastes of your time. Let’s discuss. Endless Eight – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya This filler arc effectively killed the series. It is eight episodes of the same events. The first and last episodes differ slightly and each episode is newly animated and voice acted, but it is still the same thing. Imagine what that did to people watching it while currently airing? Eight weeks of…The same thing. The reception was so negative that even though the following movie did well, there is no season three incoming. Noah’s Arc / Virtual World Arc in Yugioh The thing about Yugioh is that many of the filler arcs could have worked, but it had the world’s worst timing for them. Such is the case for Noah’s Arc. Essentially, it l

One day, beautiful female scientist Ayame told her co-worker Shinya that she loved him. Both being rational people, they expressed their lack of experience with romance and decided to use science as a way to concretely conclude if they did indeed love each other. Ah, finally the cold and calculate romance that we have all been waiting for. Nah, it’s actually pretty fun, albeit littered with tropes. If you are looking for anime recommendations similar to Science Fell in Love, tucking in those pocket protectors and head on down below. For Fans of Mature Romance Wotakoi It its Narumi’s goal that her co-workers don’t find out that she is an otaku and fujoshi. However, that becomes more difficult when she discovers that she works with her old middle school friend Hirotaka who is more open about his passions. After a night of drinking and complaining about her failed past relationships, Hirotaka suggests she date an otaku, namely him. Both series follo

As a child, Mira met a boy named Ao at a campsite. While they were gazing at the sky, Mira learned there was a star with her name, but none with Ao’s name. She made a promise that one day they would explore asteroids and name a star after him. Years later, Mira is reunited with Ao at their school’s Earth Science Club. This is also when she discovers that Ao is actually a girl. A nice soothing anime about exploring space and earth in an all-girls club. It is classic cute girls doing cute things, and if you want more anime recommendations similar to Asteroid in Love, head on down below. For Fans of All-Female Casts Non Non Biyori Asahigaoka is rural village in the middle of nowhere, and for the five students who go to school there, their days are all about keeping the boredom at bay. All of different ages, their ways to entertain themselves never border on normal. Both series want you to drink in the scenery of the show, and like

The Winter 2020 anime season had a few pleasant surprises and maybe one or two big disappointments. Overall, it was a pretty solid season, but it wasn’t the most amazing season ever. None of the shows are going to rank among those unforgettable anime classics, but if you are looking for some good new anime recommendations outside of the continuing anime of the season like My Hero Academia or a Certain Scientific Railgun, here are our picks. Id: Invaded In this world, crimes are able to be solved by piecing together a criminal’s unconscious mind in ID-wells. However, in order to enter these ID-wells, you must be a killer yourself. Enter brilliant detective Akihito Narihisago. After his daughter was murdered, he sought vengeance on the killer and is currently serving his sentence. However, under the name Sakaido, he enters the ID-wells in order to help his fellow detective piece together crimes. Why It Is Worth Watching? – Although it start

Hanako is said to be a ghost that occupies the third stall of the third floor girls’ bathroom in the old building. When summoned, she is said to grant any wish. Nene, an occult lover with dreams of romance, summons Hanako, only to find out that this traditionally girl ghost is a boy! In proof you can make an anime series out of anything, we finally got a series about Japan’s toilet ghost urban legend and its…a slice of life comedy? Okay then. If you want more anime recommendations like Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, we’ll…try our best to help? For Fans of Mischievous Spirits Noragami There will be times where you may happen across an odd phone number written in red. If you call it, you will get in touch with a young man who introduces himself as the Yato God. This Yato God is a minor deity and the self-proclaimed God of Delivery. He dreams of having millions of worshipers, but there isn’t a single shrine dedicated to his name. He spends his time doi

A lot of anime fans will eventually experience an all too common frustration. They will finish that next great anime series that made them fall in love with it, only to find there is no second season – and might not ever be. However, if you are sick of finding great series that tell stories that you will have to wait a year to find out what happens next, it sounds like you need something a little more complete. Plenty of anime series can tell great stories with a conclusive ending in only one season. Parasyte Anime has a weird habits of turning alien invasion into something weirdly sexy, as in making them a romance or a comedy. Parasyte isn’t that. It tells the serious side of an alien invasion where they snatch human bodies, can mold flesh into deadly weapons, and have no regard for human life. Erased Mysteries always benefit from being told in a single season because there is only so much you can build intrigue before it is no longer intriguin

With sketchbook always on hand, Midori Asakusa has a passion for drawing both the world around her and the world in her boundless imagination. In stark contrast, her best friend Sayaka Kanamori and her calculated approach to life keeps her grounded. After a chance encounter with model Tsubame Misuzaki who has a passion for drawing characters, Kanamori, sensing a money-making opportunity, suggests they start an animation club. Take this anime series frame by frame and you will see that it is a love letter to animation and not at all as weird as you have come to expect from Masaaki Yuasa. For anime recommendations similar to Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, head on down below. For Fans of Anime About Making Anime Shirobako The five members of the Kaminoyama High School animation club all make a pledge to make their project for the school cultural festival a huge success, then afterwards move to Tokyo and work in the industry. Fast forward two years in th