Everyone feels lonely sometimes. They feel like they don’t fit in, but one day they find the right person or people that finally make them discover they have a place in this world. Unsurprisingly, there are a number of anime series that explore this particular feeling of being an outcast. I’ve always believed that watching the right anime for how you are feeling can make a big difference. So if you feel like an outcast adrift in a sea of people that seem so different from you, perhaps check out these anime series. Darling in the Franxx This series is a double-sided outcast story about two people that were innately different in a post-apocalyptic world where they were expected to conform. Hiro showed all the signs of being an expert pilot, but ultimately fizzled out while Zero Two is literally shunned because of what she is. However, these two form feelings and ultimately elevate each other in to being able to excel in battle. There is much more to unravel in this

This is the story of three girls that couldn’t be more different. Brought together by classroom games, or their irritation to which, they spend their days fretting over their English scores. Filled with an intoxicating mix of cuteness and absurd comedy, if you are looking for more anime recommendations like Asobi Asobase, then look no further. For Fans of Absurd School Comedy Daily Lives of High School Boys 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. Where Asobi Asobase is about girls, Daily Lives of High School Boys is about boys. Both feature incredibly grounded absurd comedy series where the absurdity of real life situations as well as the facial expressions make them very effective comedies. Nichijou Nichijou is a

We don’t do manga series in our recommendations here, just anime. However, that doesn’t mean that anime fans don’t want to lie in bed and read a few good chapters quietly before bed. Instead of branching out into manga recommendations, we’re going to give you a few good ones that you can look into. So if you want to read some good action manga or are just some sort of anime hipster that wants to be all “I read the manga before it was cool and animated,” then check out these action manga recommendations below. Vagabond Shinmen Takezou is wild and aggressive, leading to the villagers being fearful of him. However, he and his friend Matahachi end up running away and joining the Toyotomi army for glory. Unfortunately, after a crushing defeat at the Battle of Sekigahara, they barely make it out alive and are separated. From there, they each go on a journey. Takezou walks the path that will eventually see him as Musashi Miyamoto, legendary swordsmen. Vinland Sag

Iori Kitahara is excited to travel to the seaside town of Izu for his first year of college. He moves into his uncle’s scuba shop, Grand Blue, but things don’t go according to plan. Inside the shop is a bunch of naked and drunk upperclassman who get him drunk. After his cousin walks in, his college life starts to derail, but his work getting it back on track doesn’t go quite as planned either. Grand Blue is comedy through and through, part slice of life and part random events, it is sure to tickle your funny bone. If you are looking for a similar comedy experience, then try these anime recommendations below. For Fans of The Beach Harukana Receive In Okinawa, Haruka convinces her short friend Kanata to form a beach volleyball pair with her. Kanata was once discouraged from the sport, but Haruka has a way of convincing her to aim for the junior tournament. While Harukana Receive is more sports and slice of life oriented, it has beach-oriented comedy similar to Gra

It’s that time again. The summer 2018 season has progressed enough where the good rises to the top and the bad ends up completely forgotten. However, you don’t have to sort that out yourself. You’re busy, we get it. So we watched the new season for you to give you a clue on what was worth watching. As always, this only covers wholly new series. So any second seasons won’t be included. If you are a fan of My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, Steins;Gate, Overlord, or Free, then by all means go watch those. Grand Blue Iori Kitahara is excited to travel to the seaside town of Izu for his first year of college. He moves into his uncle’s scuba shop, Grand Blue, but things don’t go according to plan. Inside the shop is a bunch of naked and drunk upperclassman who get him drunk. After his cousin walks in, his college life starts to derail, but his work getting it back on track doesn’t go quite as planned either. Why It Is Worth Watching? – Don’t be fooled, th

During the Vietnam War, a soldier named Griff goes insane and starts killing his own platoon. After being subdued, all he kept speaking was the words “banana fish”. Years later, Griff is taken care of by his brother Ash, a boy who ran away from home and was taken in by mob boss Papa Dino. Ash was groomed as both heir to the Mafia family and sex slave to Papa Dino. Now he seeks to unravel the mystery between this banana fish, a phrase that keeps mysteriously popping up in his life. Though based on a shoujo manga, Banana Fish the manga and the anime are the manliest series you’ll run across. Combining mob politics and deep conspiracy, it is a non-stop anime of action and intensity. If you are looking for similar series, then look no further. For Fans of Foreign Crime 91 Days Set during Prohibition, a man named Avilio returns to Lawless, a town famed for brewing illegal liquor, after the murder of his family by the mafia. A mysterious letter prompted him to return

Being an alcoholic isn’t cool, unless you are a fictional anime character. There are a lot of anime characters that drink, but not all of them would be so cool to hang out and knock back a few with. If you’re looking for the hardest drinking, most fun drunks in anime to drink with so you’re not drinking by yourself, then look no further. Aqua from Konosuba There are many parts of Konosuba that focus on Aqua’s ability to pack a bunch of liquor down. Furthermore, you also see that while drinking, she is the literal life of the party. Unlike other characters that focus on learning battle magic, Aqua would prefer to learn party tricks, which should make for an exciting night. Mugen from Samurai Champloo Mugen may be a pretty good swordsman, but he is also a relatively chill dude. When intoxicated (by alcohol or otherwise), Mugen is shown to be a good time sort of guy. However, you also have the security of knowing if someone gets in your face, his wild and unpred

The human body has approximately 37 trillion cells that are hard at work every day to keep you alive. Cells at Work tells the story of a red blood cell and a white blood cell and the tireless work of countless other cells to keep you alive. Germ invasions, scratches, and drama unfold inside this body. Essentially Osmosis Jones in Japanese anime form, Cells at Work is as entertaining as it is informational. This blend and the unique way it makes you think about your body has gathered quite a fan base. If you are part of it and want more anime recommendations, then look no further. For Fans of Educational Anime Silver Spoon Yuugo Hachiken is a hard-working, studious student, but he is tired of trying to live up to the academic expectations that are placed on him. So when it comes time to go to high school, he enrolls in the Ooezo Agricultural High School in Hokkaido. Being so clever, he thinks he will excel in the institution, but soon learns that farming is much harder

I’ve always been an advocate on how much you can learn from anime. However, you can learn more from some anime more than others. There are series that teach life lessons and morals, but there are actually quite a few anime series out there that teach legitimate academic knowledge. When educational topics are all wrapped up in an otherwise entertaining anime series, it is really the best way to learn. Cooking: Food Wars For all of its fan service, and there is a fair bit for comedy, Food Wars does present an educational take on cooking and being a chef. Certainly if you go to cooking school, you won’t be having many shokugeki, but it does touch on what it takes to be a good chef and the philosophy of food service. Furthermore, it presents the science behind recipes and the recipes themselves. However, due to time constraints, they usually just give the basics of the recipes so you will have to find the finer details to really recreate it. Agriculture and Food Scien

Major tells the story of Gorou Honda, a boy that has always been obsessed with baseball. At first it started as admiration for his father, a professional pitcher. However, even after an injury forces his father off the team, Gorou aims for the sky. Follow him as he climbs up to professional greatness! As one of the top and the longest baseball anime series of all-time, Major is a rollercoaster of sports anime feels. If you are chasing that same high, then consider these recommendations. For Fans of Baseball Ace of Diamond After a bad last pitch, Eijun Sawamura is frustrated when his last middle school ball game ends in a loss. Determined, Eijun and his team vow to make it to Nationals in high school. However, everything is thrown for a loop when his unique pitching style earns Eijun an invitation to Japan’s top high school for baseball. Accepting, he struggles to find his place on a team of such talent. Ace of Diamond is somewhat of a more compact version of Major.

Many mecha series are all serious and very little play. They need to keep their game face on to keep the universe safe after all. You don’t have any time for knock-knock jokes when the ambassador from Mars is plotting the fall of Earth, after all. However, that is not always the case, there are plenty of silly mecha series out there, but you have to hunt them down. If you are in the mood to laugh, then check out these comedy mecha series. Martian Successor Nadesico There is no finer comedy anime. It both parodies old school mecha clichés and honors them in the same way. While this is a much watch series for fans of older mecha series, it is notable that it is a fun story in its own right. The crew in the series are each unique and quirky in such a way that you want to watch the series for more than just parody. Full Metal Panic From the get-go, Full Metal Panic adopts and interesting plot – what happens when you put a battle-ready warrior in high school? He has

Baccano follows the seemingly unrelated events of a series of characters spanning different times and different places. However, it is ultimately part of a much larger story, one that tells the tales of alchemy, immortality, and survival. Baccano and its experimental storytelling is made fun by its interesting cast of characters that carry the show. If you are looking for more unique anime series like Baccano, then look no further. For Fans of Unrelated Stories Coming Together Durarara Tokyo’s downtown district of Ikebukuro is awash in strange rumors, everything from colorless color gangs to a headless rider roaming town populate the rumors. For Mikado Ryuugamine who just moved there from Tokyo, he is but one witness to the district’s slew of strange events. Written by the same author and made by the same studio, you will immediately note similarities between the quirky characters, the way of storytelling, and even the real/supernatural blend of plot. Initially ev

The manga is always better. It’s like an anime/manga fandom rule. Sometimes it seems like the number one rule, but it is not always true. Manga can often be better, it is true. However, sometimes animation is a better form of media to tell a particular story. Don’t believe us when we say that anime can be better than manga? That skepticism is understandable, but here are a few notable examples. Nodame Cantabile   There is nothing wrong with Nodame Cantabile as a manga, especially as a romance manga. However, there is something fundamentally wrong with manga about music. If you can’t hear the music, you can’t feel the message it is trying to convey. Unless they do something horrible to the story, music manga will always be better in anime from for the soundtrack alone. Tsurezure Children The major flaw with the Tsurezure Children manga is that it never feels like there was enough in each chapter. Even though it was adapted into a short-episode anime serie

After humanity has extended itself into the far reaches of space, war breaks out among the colonies. Aboard the mighty battleship Tiramisu, one genius pilot in the serenity that is his cockpit changes the tides of battle. Parodying some of the classic mecha series, Space Battleship Tiramisu is a short-episode anime series filled with hit or miss comedy, but if you enjoyed it, then check out some of these anime series. For Fans of the Anime Series It Parodies Space Battleship Yamato In the year 2199, Earth is nearly destroyed by an alien race known as Gamilas. In its desperation, the Earth Defense Force was established to be their last line of defense. However, when they receive a communication, they are tempted into the depths of space to the planet Iscander in search of a device to restore Earth. To make this 148,000-light-year trek, the formidable Space Battleship Yamato and its crew are tasked with navigating the Gamila Empire to save the human race. If the title d

Black hair – it is something you will see a lot of in anime because you will see a lot of it in Japan. Previously, we highlighted brown hair color as “the everyone” hair color, but while that is true in many anime series and throughout the world, black hair is traditional to Japan and Asia. While black hair color in anime does have some meaning to it, it doesn’t always carry that meaning as strongly as other hair colors because it is also an “everyone” color, meaning the character is an avatar for the audience. As for the meaning of black hair, in most cases, it means the character is ordinary, or otherwise traditional. Black hair has always been common in anime because of how a Japanese audience can relate to the characters. Alternatively, black hair can denote a darkness in the character. Mysterious characters often come with black hair because it is not only dark, but it makes their personality more difficult to read. Finally, because it denotes a traditiona

At a mysterious back alley ramen stand, a lonely college student in his final year accidentally bumps into a man that calls himself the God of Matrimony. There he pours his soul out to the god about all the regrets he has about his college life that he spent bitterly trying to break up couples. However, soon he finds himself back at the very start of college career. Can he change the past or will he repeat past mistakes? Experimental and later psychedelic in nature, Tatami Galaxy is what many consider a cult anime series, but if you are part of the cult, then give these other anime recommendations a try. For Fans of Human Failures Welcome to the NHK College dropout Tatsuhiro Satou has been living as a hikikomori for four years, and in his isolation, he has come to believe in a number of conspiracy theories. Primary among them is that a conspirator is behind his NEET nature. Although he tries to overcome it, his NEET nature is a deep hole to crawl out of. Both series f

There are strong female characters and there are anime series with strong female characters. Let’s be real. Many anime series have one or two strong females, but otherwise many of the other female characters are just there to be cute, fall in love, and be dressed in cute outfits. However, there is something endearing about strong female characters and anime series that are daring enough  to make their female characters more complex than just walking fan service. Do note while many of these series have feminist themes, this is not a strictly feminist list. Instead, I’ll be highlighting series that creates not only strong females, but female characters that have more than just one personality dimension. Moribito If Moribito were about a wondering male warrior guarding the life of a young princess, it would be a story told over a thousand times across all sorts of media. However, making Balsa a female mercenary smuggling and guarding a young prince keeps the

Clumsy and talentless, Tsunayoshi Sawada, dubbed Loser Tsuna by his class, is the personification of failure. However, this loser’s boring life takes a new turn when he encounters Reborn, a baby and a hitman from the strongest family in Italy. Reborn needs this middle schooler’s help to kill a mafia boss, but whipping this loser into shape will take some doing. Widely overlooked, but a decent shounen anime series with a good balance of action and comedy, if you are looking for more anime recommendations like Katekyo Hitman Reborn, then look no further because we’re about to hook you up. For Fans of Zero to Hero Main Characters Eyeshield 21 As a shy and frequently bullied kid, Sena is accustomed to running away. However, after Hiruma, the captain of the American Football team, sees his skill at running, he goes to great lengths to recruit Sena as a running back in order to turn the team’s lackluster record around. Although football and mafia activities

From poker to Magic: The Gathering, people have been playing card games since the dark ages where the internet was just a fever dream of a mad man. However, it can be said that those that play card games are a rather overshadowed aspect of the gaming community overall these days. In a similar vein, anime about card games is the same way. If you don’t play card games, you probably won’t like watching people play them no matter how action-y they make the series. So while there aren’t many recommendations for this, if a good creative card game or even just deck-building games like Dominion are your jam, here are some card game anime series for you to enjoy. Note: I’m just going to put out there that almost all of these series have multiple incarnations. You know, same game, new main character, some sort of new hook, ect. So if you pick most from this list, you have a lot of different seasons to watch. Cardfight! Vanguard Instead of being like Yugi

The legend says that one wish will be granted to whoever solves the Millennium Puzzle. However, when high schooler Yuugi solves it, it unlocks another Yuugi. Now whenever he is faced with a dilemma, this Yami Yuugi comes out. While looking to solve the mystery of this spirit, Yuugi and his friends find themselves drawn into card tournaments for Duel Monsters, a game that proves to be more than just a simple child’s card game. Do note that these recommendations are only relevant for the first series, since I’ve not seen the other half dozen newer Yugioh series. For Fans of Games Kaiji Kaiji Itou is a thug in the truest sense. With his days spent drinking and stealing hubcaps, his world is turned upside down when a co-worker tricks him into taking on a huge debt. In order to pay it off, Kaiji takes up a shady offer to participate in illegal gambling on a cruise ship that is filled with even worse scumbags than him. While significantly darker and more mature