10 Anime You Should Watch (And That Are Easy to Find!)

FLCL is short but amazing! It is also on Netflix. This list is great – thanks!

Just a correction, a State Alchemist is an alchemist who receives a stipend from the military government but must work for them in turn. Riza Hawkeye, while a bona fide badass, isn’t an alchemist at all, though her father was. Anyway, I suggest you guys watch FMA: Brotherhood as it is closer to the manga and has a much more satisfyingly awesome storyline than the first.

Slayers is one of my all time favorites, but I cannot recommend the English dub. The voice of Xelloss terrible and basically ruins the character. Get the DVDs if you want to watch it legally in its best form :)

Whoops, it’s been a while! Thanks, and fixed! 

You should also look into Moribito on Netflix

There are dozens of anime on Hulu and Netflix, and A:TLA still makes the list?  It’s a great show, but there are tons of great actual anime out there that could’ve taken a slot of an already well-known show.

Man, I have adored the Slayers for years.

Good list! Other titles I would suggest: Gurren Lagann (it’s a sort of “Manly Men” show but I’ve never seen one that inspired so much optimism and hope, at least not in such a time of skepticism and snark), Black Lagoon (you wanna talk badass women? This one features them as top mafia leaders, mercenaries, assassins, and smugglers, and they truly lethal), and Eden of the East. I’m not really sure if these are currently/still available streaming though.

If anyone’s really into anime (or wants to be), I strongly recommend trying out subscriptions to Funimation.com and Crunchyroll.com for a pretty vast library of stuff.

Now only is it more awesome than its predecessor, but FMA: Brotherhood also has one of the coolest female characters in anime, Olivier Armstrong. 
http://www.cosplayisland.co.uk/files/costumes/2500/57422/CI_57422_1328235375.JPG
She is never even seen in the first anime adaptation, but she’s a major – and in my mind the best – character in Brotherhood.
You can also watch the entire series on officially/legally on YouTube, which is convenient: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDDAC7E6A5A5B2D83&feature=plcp

Actually, Crunchyroll is free (ad-supported) for all but the latest episodes, so it’s perfectly cheapskate- and beginner-friendly, with the caveat that nearly all its shows are in Japanese with English subtitles. Also, unlike Hulu+, its iOS app fully supports AirPlay, so people with AppleTVs can stream to their living room HDTVs.

Good places to start on Crunchy: the jazz-obsessed slice-of-life drama “Kids on the Slope”, the slightly supernatural teen angst-fest of “Anohana”, and the deconstructionist fan favorite “Puella Magi Madoka Magica”.

Where is Cowboy Bebop? 10 years ago I watched my first episode and it changed my entire perspective on what anime actually is. The story is engaging, the characters (especially the background ones) are ethnically diverse, the English dubs are perfection and the music is mesmerizing. 

Seriously, for shame.

Cowboy Bebop isn’t on Netflix or Hulu, so it’s technically ineligible for this list (although, if you’re visiting hulu.com with a computer and not a mobile device, Hulu will link you over to adultswim.com, where Bebop can be streamed easily and legally)

I love Olivia Armstrong, however, the beginning of FMA brotherhood doesn’t always make sense to people because it kind of assumes you read the manga or watched the first FMA. So you might have to watch that for the first 15 episodes then switch over to Brotherhood if you’re completely new to the series.

Major General Armstrong was an amazing character.  The only reason she and a few others didn’t appear in the first FMA series was because the first series got so far ahead of the books it had to take on a new plot approved by the author (so I hear).

(BTW: just wanted to recommend Tiger & Bunny.  I caught it on Hulu a while back and greatly enjoyed it.  It’s quite fun and even has some interesting commentary about a lot of things, including female superheroes and marketing)

Three words: Watch Princess Jellyfish.

More words:  Tsukimi is an awkward, jellyfish-obsessed girl who lives in a “nunnery” with a bunch of other awkward, obsessed girls. Her life suddenly changes when she befriends a stylish cross-dressing son of a politician. An entertaining series with themes of body image, public personas, and what really makes a person beautiful. See it for free at Funimation.com

Yup, that’s exactly what happened…and the continuation/conclusion of the first anime’s story, while fun, makes a whole lot less sense than the manga’s/Brotherhood’s.

Gurren Lagann is great b/c it subverts the Manly Men and Giant Fighting Robot tropes of anime.

Seriously almost everything in that show is either a phallic object or a metaphor for gay sex.

I completely skimmed over the Netflix/Hulu part. Those words literally didn’t even register because a pirates life for me.

i highly recommend the series “Claymore.” 
in the narrative, the only people who have the strength to defeat the demons plaguing humanity are women who have been made half-demons themselves. once they reach a particular point in strength, they change over completely & lose themselves in the process. at this point, the “organization” responsible for their creation & handling issue an execution order. the women are able to tell when the time is near as well & sometimes choose to end their own lives (or, as in one case, ask a friend to do it for them). 

incredible fodder for discussion regarding female identity, demonizing women’s strength (can’t get “too” strong, after all), ostracizing the women who choose to buck tradition & carry the sword, etc. very highly recommended, although at times very difficult to watch.

You know, I would disagree with that, honestly. I think the first chunk of episodes in the original FMA have more space to breathe and are more emotionally effective (especially with regards to Maes Hughes), but all the necessary plot points are still well-covered in FMA:B. The start of Brotherhood is a little more snappy, because yeah, they didn’t want to bore us old-timers too much, but I don’t recall anything important being glossed over or left out. 

Watching the two right in a row might get kind of boring, I think. I like that I had that 5-or-so year span between watching them, so that coming back to the story was nostalgic for me. 
All that said, I also often recommend that people watch both series, because the first definitely forces you to fall in love with those characters, and it has a fun and insane story all its own.

I have to recommend Shikabane Hime which is available on Hulu. The main character is a male monk, but it’s unique because he must partner with a (dead) girl and work together with her in order to do his job. http://www.hulu.com/corpse-princess

I included A:TLA politically — it is one of the few anime within the purview of this list that isn’t totally whitewashed and it actually features women of color, so it was important to me to showcase it. I don’t mean to say that other anime don’t, just that many anime characters approximate whiteness and A:TLA explicitly refrains from that, which is amazing and worth all of the commendations ever. :)

I really love anime, but sometimes feel lost and unsure of what to watch next. I’m a big Inuyasha fan, as that’s where I got my start, but I’ve recently begun watching a bunch of others like Fruits Basket, Blood +, and Elfien Lied. I really liked Ga Rei:Zero. Talk about women kicking butt! So, thanks for posting this and giving me all these new shows to check out. 

Good list! A few of my favorites are on here, and I just finished the first season of Slayers and it was excellent (although I do agree that the Japanese dub is much better.)

A few others I’d like to recommend are Princess Tutu (streaming legally on YouTube, look for the channel AnimeNetwork), Baccano! (on Hulu), Angel Beats (Netflix) and Puella Magi Madoka Magica (on Crunchyroll).

I cannot begin to express my love for the Slayers. I grew up with it, and it definitely influenced me a lot. Don’t get me wrong, Sailor Moon is awesome. But THIS was the girl I wanted to be when I was 10. 

In the West you can probably make the argument that anime _might as well_ be whitewashed, since most viewers just assume the characters are white. But almost all characters are meant to be Japanese, or at least Asian.

People get confused because they draw anime characters with such large eyes, but “slanted eyes” is a Western way of identifying Asian peoples, and not necessarily how the Japanese visually self-identify in their art. You can see the difference whenever they explicitly have a foreign character — we Westerners are often drawn very differently, and even non-Japanese Asians are drawn in distinct (sometimes stereotypical) ways.

Japan has its own issues with racism, and darker-skinned anime characters are rare, but they’re not actually white. We just see them as white because the visual language is different. (And we think everyone wants to draw us or something.)

There used to be an excellent video on youtube talking about this, but Sony took it down with a DMCA claim. Poo. :( Maybe I can dig it up from somewhere else…

 Being Japanese cartoons for a primarily Japanese audience, anime isn’t attempting to whitewash anything. The characters are all Japanese. When anime attempts to insert a “token” white American, they’re often blonde and blue-eyed. If there’s no racial diversity in anime, it’s because Japan has a very different “mix” of ethnic groups. You could take anime to task for negative Chinese stereotypes, or for leaving minority Koreans out, but anime isn’t even attempting the diverse mix an American audience would expect.

“darker-skinned anime characters are rare”

My point exactly, though. And, while yes we’re to assume anime characters to be Japanese, the beauty ideas set forth for many, many characters often include white skin, light hair, and White European sensibility, which still mobilizes the language and reality of whiteness.

So, to be specific, there’s a reason why post-industrial Europe or France is a popular setting or influence for anime, but anything in the Southern Hemisphere isn’t.

 Seconded! Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit focuses on a well-fleshed out and entirely kickass lead Balsa (who reminds me a bit of Kusanagi from the little bit of GitS that I’ve watched) and it’s a great high fantasy show.

I was going to say FLCL, but you beat me to it. FLCL (no, it doesn’t stand for anything) is a six episode experiment by Gainax in which they poured the budget of an entire season of a regular anime into just those six episodes. If you watch, the anime features multiple types of animation (including a short South Park style scene) and has several shout-outs to other anime by Gainax.

Good
list, but no Last Exile?

You’re right, but anime does in fact include myriad influences of whiteness — even on this list, see Le Chevalier, FMA’s setting, Ouran’s setting and sensibility. 

This is a stellar article! I appreciate the insightful and concise analyses of each series. Thanks, Kellie!

Uh, I definitely would advise against Stand Alone Complex.  It has some good story elements but the feminist in me rages any time I watch it because there are too many shots of Makoto focuses on her tits and ass, she has unnecessary shower scenes, and for some reason she is the only one that runs around in a bathing suit and coincidentally the only female member of her team.  It’s like they’re saying “Yes, you can be a smart, strong, independent woman BUT you also have to exist for the pleasure of our male audience”.

 Le Chevalier d’Eon takes place in France, so most of the characters are French. I believe FMA is supposed to have a tension between a Western-inspired bloc, and a more Middle Eastern group of countries, but Ouran takes place entirely in Japan.

Also, most of those “people of color” in Avatar are voiced by white voice actors. So whitewashing is still taking place in a major way as far as talented actors of color are concerned.

Ouran does take place in Japan, but the setting is largely influenced by white Europe.

And you’re right re: Avatar, and it sucks! 

I saw part of Chevalier! It was pretty neat in its storytelling–not at all what I’d expected. I second the recommendation.

12 Kingdoms has great female characters. I’m not sure if it’s on netflix. Beast Master Erin is also great. It hasn’t been dubbed yet.

What about The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya?

Agreed! Princess Jellyfish is wonderful ♥

This is a good list but what about Revolutionary Girl Utena? 

Utena is not on Hulu or Netflix, ergo not “easy to find” by this article’s fundamental premise. At least there’s a nice new DVD release from Right Stuf… a year or two ago, watching Utena would have been highly problematic.

Haruhi is not on Hulu or Netflix, ergo not “easy to find” by this article’s fundamental premise (it is available on Crunchyroll, FWIW). Also, it’s more a favorite of entrenched anime fans than something that would interest a Mary Sue passer-by.

Thanks, Inky. All four of those are wonderful recommendations… perhaps with the caveat that Baccano! is absurdly violent, and told out-of-order to boot.

 I have to agree with those who think you made a mistake including Avatar on this list. You included it because you wanted to promote a show with dark-skinned characters, which is welcome. But on the other hand, isn’t Avatar somewhat problematic for being, well, a show made by white people based on their stereotypical ideas about Asia? Wouldn’t it have been better to replace it with a show made by *actual* Asian people? Yes, there’s the skin tone factor, but there’s got to be at least one Japanese animé out there with dark-skinned characters…

If I could have included Korra, I would have, which is actually animated by a Korean animation studio, Studio Mir. 

I still think Avatar gets a lot of things right re: color and diversity of ethnicity and it really shed light for a lot of fans of animated series how rarely people with dark skin are featured in animation. 

It’s certainly problematic for the reasons you state though, but I don’t think it makes it unworthy of inclusion, largely because I have yet to find a popular animated series that features darker protagonists.

You can watch it on youtube though! Nozomi entertainment has the entire series on their channel :)

Since you mention Brazil and female characters of color, be sure to look out for Michiko and Hatchin when it’s released. It’s not available in English yet, but it has been licensed for release. Not only is the series set in Brazil, but the series features a female duo as the leads and Michiko is a beautiful, badass lady of color.

As for characters of color, it’s hard to hold Japan to the same standards of diversity as America. For one, it’s a much smaller country with a lot less diversity when you compare it to the melting pot that is America. The problem in America is that we have a large variety of ethnicities here that are vastly underrepresented in the media. Not that there aren’t a variety of ethnicities in Japan, but the problem in America stems from our ignoring that America is not predominantly white whereas Japan is fairly homogenous, being a small island country.

Racism is racism no matter how you slice it and I’m not trying to defend Japan b/c they have their own racial issues (hoo boy, do they), but I just don’t think you can hold every other country up to America’s standards when it comes to racial representation.

Thanks for the suggestion! You also make a great point about differing standards for Japan and America, and when I was compiling this list I was definitely projecting my own experiences with race from the position of watching TV shows and anime as an American.

Thus, in the global context of anime-watching, I apologize for including Avatar on this list. But in the context of an American viewership, I think it’s an important inclusion. 

 Yeah, not everyone’s going to love Baccano!, particularly if they can’t stomach the violence. Not all of the female characters in that are totally great, either (Lua is…ehhh, and I’m still unsure how I feel about Chane’s portrayal even though I sorta love her). It *is* a clever story, though, with a large ensemble cast that does have some pretty good female characters in it (…besides Lua).

I was going to try to give plot summaries and reasons for each of those shows but I’m horrible at being concise and my original comment just felt WAY too long, so I cut ‘em out.

My problem with ATLA on the list is that there are so many other decent series that are actually anime that could be listed here instead. I do love ATLA, but it is not anime and it’s popular enough I don’t think that there are really many people who come to this blog thinking, “I should check that out someday”. Not that they don’t exist. I just doubt people who haven’t seen ATLA at this point are a vast majority.
This list is mostly a lot of series that even those who aren’t anime fans are somewhat familiar with. FMA and Ghost in the Shell have both been predominantly featured in the Adult Swim line up. I would have loved to see a list that does more than just scratch the surface of anime. There are a ton of great series that are actually available streaming online so to cover so many series that are already well-known and fairly mainstream is disappointing. However, I do appreciate Rideback, Kino, and Le Chevalier being mentioned. But here are a few great series that I think could have found a spot on this list or should have at least been taken into consideration:

Kids on the Slope (Crunchyroll, Hulu)
Princess Jellyfish (Hulu, Funimation.com)
Chihayafuru (Crunchyroll)
Moribito (Netflix)
Lain (Hulu)
AnoHana (Crunchyroll)
Madoka Magica (Crunchyroll)
Eden of the East (Netflix, Hulu, Funimation.com)
Gurren Lagann (Netflix, Hulu)
Cross Game (Hulu)
Natsuyuki Rendezvous (Crunchyroll)
Wandering Son (Crunchyroll)
Haibane Renmei (Hulu)
Now and Then, Here and There (Hulu, Netflix)

… What do the skin colors of voice actors have to do with anything? The relevance. It eludes me. 

Forgive me if I’m wrong and am missing something but I did not really come across any horrid stereotypes of Asia. What I got from the show was a lot of research done to help influence the creation of a brand new world that is NOT our own world. So… I guess I’m missing your point, here.

Well, my goal was to sort of “scratch the surface” for folks who literally have no idea how to start getting into anime by including a list of well-known, mainstream titles and popular ones within anime fan groups. But you’re right, and you provided a great list.

Another is listed here and it’s only available on Crunchyroll, from what I know.

Thank you. :) I do understand and it’s a sort of tightrope between obscurity and mainstream, but I feel like listing series like FMA and GitS isn’t really introducing anybody here to anything they don’t already know. They’re both great series, this much is true, but even those in geek culture who are not as familiar with anime have probably had some contact with series like these. It’s not guaranteed, but it is likely. I feel like there are some other series that sort of straddle this line of mainstream vs. obscure a bit better than some of those presented here.

And if this were the 90s, Slayers would have been another “too well known” series, but maybe not so much anymore? LOL!

Edit: And something really more important than obscurity is accessibility to those in geek culture not into anime. :Accessability” as in something that those who aren’t anime fans could get into. In this regard, it’s a huge missed chance to mention Princess Jellyfish! If ever there was a show actually made for and about geek girls, this is it.

Updated the list to include Wandering Son. :]

Updated the list to include Wandering Son in lieu of ATLA. :]

Updated the list to include Wandering Son in lieu of ATLA. :]

Updated the list to include Wandering Son in lieu of ATLA. :] I haven’t actually watched Princess Jellyfish, but I’ll take a look since you mentioned it! 

 That’s excellent! :D And do be sure to check out Princess Jellyfish! I assure you it is not to be missed. ^_^

Also need to try Trinity Blood. It’s AMAZING!

And when you think about it, a young girl leading around others on her adventures is remarkably progressive. I love me some Slayers!

i don’t care for your picks in anime 2 out of the 10 are ok but the others can be passes there is way better anime out there.

 Another might be on The Anime Network’s website but that’s definitely kinda obscure, I get the feeling that even most anime fans don’t know that there are some shows that stream entirely free on there.

 I had forgotten that Princess Tutu can be found legally (it might be on hulu as well come to think of it) which I would really recommend as well (it starts off as a standard magical girl tale with heavy fairy tale inspirations, reaches it’s happily ever after point in the middle and subverts everything to hell and back by the end). And Baccano! is just plain fun, I’m not a big fan of gore but I adored it’s out-of-order nature, I’d call it “Pulp Fiction if 75% of the cast was immortal with more violence and twice as out of order”.

 Nitpick, the Major’s name is Motoko, not Matoko. I’m sure Batou will scream it out dramatically if you ask nicely. ;)

Others have noted Moribito and FMA: Brotherhood, so I’ll bring in some obscure gems:

Funimation has posted a whole load of older titles on Youtube, including:

Bamboo Blade, which is about a highschool Kendo club (Kendo is basically Japanese fencing). It’s a lighthearted feel-good underdog story about a (mostly-female) cast of weirdos and geeks fighting their way to the championship, with the added weight of some pointed commentary about winning, losing, and heroic acts of geekery (the lead character is only interested in kendo because she’s obsessed with a kendo-themed superhero show).

Bubblegum Crisis 2040 is also available (though, like Slayers, it’s a little dated-looking); it’s like Power Rangers gone cyberpunk, as an all-female superhero/vigilante team tries to take down runaway androids (and avoid the cops, who are owned by the very company behind the berserker ‘bots).

Also up is Vandread, a sci-fi space-opera series, set in a universe where the battle of the sexes has turned to open warfare (both genders reproduce by cloning). It’s set up like a traditional harem series, but defies it (most of the “harem” are just as disinterested in the male lead as he is in them) and ultimately makes the point that it doesn’t matter at all what gender/sex/preference you are, as long as your friends can count on you.

Available for free on Crunchyroll is Bodacious Space Pirates, which focuses on the daughter of a deceased space pirate captain –according to ship’s code, only a descendant can take over, which puts a high-school girl in command of a crew of hard-working professionals. The “pirates” here are basically actors (they’re contracted to put on a show for wealthy nobles; they get to keep the plunder, and the insurance companies pay out and raise premiums, so everyone’s happy). It’s action-packed and sits right on the border between hard SF and space-opera, with a healthy dose of Pirates of the Caribbean (in Space).

Also available for free on Crunchyroll is the tragically under-recognized Erin, about (initially) a young girl who dreams of becoming a “beast-healer” (veterinarian specializing in large dragon-like war-mounts) like her single mother. Be warned, the series has a few “rip out your heart” moments, as Erin’s journey to adulthood is anything but easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is.

 I feel like everyone who visits this blog regularly would see some part of them in Princess Jellyfish.

YES! Not enough people know about Princess Jellyfish. It’s by far one of the best anime I’ve seen. It’s perfect for someone who reads this blog.

I’d definitely recommend Fruits Basket if you like stories that focus mainly on the characters. It’s about a girl who finds herself in the midst of the Sohma Family, who transform into animals of the Zodiac whenever hugged by the opposite gender. It actually has a deeper storyline, and can be very hilarious. It’s a great anime for beginners. Nothing confusing and it’s on Netflix and Hulu in English. 

Also, Ouran and Slayers and both great! If you like one’s humor, you’ll probably like the other. Ouran itself is just so unbelievably quirky and lovable that it’s definitely one of the best anime you could start on.  

Crunchyroll is also headed to PS3 soon, which is super exciting. Also, I just wanted to say I approve of your Kids on the Slope and Anohana recommendations. :)

I third this. I haven’t watched it, but I read the excellent light novel and have had the anime on my list for a while. Balsa is amazing! She’s also an older woman, which is refreshing.

No FLCL or Paranoia Agent?

I also definitely recommend Seirei no Moribito (guardian of the spirit) It is about a woman guardian Balsa. (Also I think that Korra would be just like Balsa when she grows up >< )

For neglecting to mention Revolutionary Girl Utena, the most ambitious postmodernist fairy tale in recent memory, this list fails.

Agh, so happy someone mentioned Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit! I was beginning to fear I was the only one who’d seen it. :)

A lot of stuff on The Anime Network is first one or two episodes free, the rest for subscribers only. TAN is also on many cable and satellite systems as a VOD channel, but what’s available there is ever changing, so you can’t really say “go check out show X on TAN” if it’s only going to be up for a month.

Nice catch on “Bodacious Space Pirates”… it’s different because it’s so easy-going good-natured, and optimistic, maybe to a fault. Also passes the Bechdel test with ease.

I totally love Chane in “Baccano!”, even though I see how she could be highly problematic from a feminist perspective.

As for “Madoka Magica”, the way to sell that show is to link to the “Wham Episode” article on TV Tropes, where it’s noted that Madoka has SEVEN wham episodes in the course of a 12-episode series.

Also, try to think of the last five minutes of “Angel Beats!” without crying. Dare you.

If you like suspense, horror and psychological horror. I recommend “Monster”. It’s easy to find as all episodes are on youtube. Released by the people who made it themselves.

It’s about a Japanese brain surgeon living in Germany that goes against his orders to save a small boys life. He finds out years later the the boy grows up to be a serial killer and believes because he saved him it’s his job to stop him. 

I highly recommend not looking up spoilers because this series has some amazing twists in it.

 Yes, love Fruits Basket!  I was going to recommend that myself.  It seems like a silly premise (well, ok, you could say that about a lot of anime) but it’s astoundingly deep and I’m not ashamed to admit it made me cry a few times!

Paranoia Agent is one of my favorite anime EVER, and I would’ve mentioned it here in the comments, but I think it’s currently out of print. I don’t know if anywhere you can watch it legally streaming. Netflix doesn’t even have half of the DVDs anymore.

 Yep, your feelings basically match mine about those two shows! I adore fairytales that turn conventions of the genre on its head, so Princess Tutu is a huge favorite of mine. And although I’m normally not a huge fan of violence, the funny dialogue and larger-than-life characters really help keep Baccano! from feeling too dark even when the violence starts to ratchet up.

 Oh, evil! I’m going to have to try not to think about it now.

Which shows are on which format, Netflix or Hulu?

Yeah, Chane’s actually my favorite female character in the series, buuuut I did want to admit that other people here might not like her much, particularly since nearly everything she does is motivated by her attachment to her father. (Although it seems to be mostly due to emotional abuse from him, and the show really portrays their relationship in a negative light and doesn’t pretend it’s healthy.)

Oh man, I didn’t even realize that TV Tropes had considered 7 episodes to be wham ones! That show seriously threw me for a loop while I was watching it, I went in expecting there to be twists and it STILL caught me by surprise.

You guys should point out there are two separate FMA series so people don’t get confused.  They are completely separate stories, not all one connected story like Slayers is.

I would definitely second (third?) Puella Magi Madoka Magica. For someone who grew up on magical girl shows, it can be downright TERRIFYING, but the girls still kick ass and there’s enough lesbian subtext that it’s practically maintext. I also liked how Madoka’s mother works and her father is a “house husband” which is a nice change.

Go I hate to be that person Who seems like they didnt read the artcle. (I did BTW) but Avatar:TLAB is NOT an anime. So why put it in here. I see what you mean by its one in spirit. But it just isnt.

Yeah, It’s gotten me very emotional sometimes too!

HOLY CRAP YOU ARE SO RIGHT! Why didn’t Serei No Moribito make it on the list???

 I know it’s pretty spanking new, so not a lot of folks have heard of it (if you don’t follow fansubs like a bloodhound) then I’d like to mention Moretsu Pirates – a giant, almost entirely female cast set in the far future of space where a young girl must take up the mantle of a space pirate captain of an ancient privateering ship – and still keep up with her space “yacht club” and highschool studies. A huge number of strong women, pirates and students a like, and while the tone is pretty light hearted, it’s a pretty darn entertaining show – and features an openly lesbian couple that everyone views as pretty normal (as it should be). Worth a peek when it filters across the ocean! 

I loved Wandering Son. Thanks so much for including it!

Eff yes for the Kids on the Slope! (Sakamichi no Apollon) One of the best I’ve seen in years!

I’m going to give a call out to Mushishi.  While it’s main character is a guy and there aren’t a ton of female characters, it’s an amazing series.  The episodes stand largely on their own and don’t contain much in the way of violence.  It’s one of the few anime series that leaves me feeling kind of chilled out after watching.

God remember my first anime I bought cost me $27 on VHS. I think I got  2 episodes on it??

I also enjoyed watching High School of the Dead – Vampire Bund – Rosario+Vampire and Shuffle  all on Netflix all very good IMO

Tiger and Bunny should have been tops on this list, man. The main character is a single, approaching over-the-hill dad who works as a super hero to support his daughter, working in a system where all the heroes are corporate sponsored and marketed to hell. It’s like Watchmen meets Teen Titans, 20 years before and after each series starts. 

I wouldn’t have spoiled the cross-dressing part, since its such a great surprise at the end of episode one. (I was watching the show blind on hulu and that moment hooked me. I ended up watching the whole thing in two days)

The one downfall of the show is that fact that it was never picked up for a second season to complete the story. Reading the rest of the manga has been on my to-do list for a while now.

But to echo everyone else: YES. Watch this now. And tell all your anime watching friends to watch it as well.

As much as I loved this list -  I feel like you missed an important element of Kino’s Journey.  The main character, Kino, does not specify hir gender until a few episodes in, where you get to see a bit of hir past.  What I loved about this show is that subversion of gender, and how Kino never specifies exactly what hir gender is.  Kino is often mistaken as male, and seems perfectly fine with this, and thus I’m left with this sense that Kino is actually transgender. That’s how I read hir character, and I found this gloriously refreshing for it is far too often that transgender people are erased from media, and have little to no roles that aren’t horribly stereotypical.  I guess I’m super surprised to see you not even mention this aspect of Kino’s character in your assessment of such an amazing show.

I love you for bringing up Rideback. I’ve been trying to get my anime-loving friends into this hidden gem of a show.

One of my favorite anime of all time happens to be Princess Tutu. On the surface, it may seem like another magical girl show, but it’s actually a very dark subversion on fairy tales while still being very kid-friendly. It starts out simple and cute, but it get very twisted and complex with its stories as it hits the second half. Duck is one of the most likable female protagonists in anime and her rival Kraehe is a great tragic villainess. It’s also another anime about ballerinas kicking ass, though much more fantastical than Rideback. 

You can find it on Netflix Instant. It’s enjoyable for both kids and adults, so if you have a younger sibling or child you want to introduce to anime, this is a perfect choice. 

I remember coming upon Rideback on Netflix after I just finished another short anime that should really be on this list; one known as Noein. 

There’s too much to say about Noein, and I honestly feel like they could have at least pulled out a second season, but I just recall completely falling in love with the adorable children and understanding their strong desire to run-away. They definitely did do well with characterizing the protagonists and really did have a shot at loyalty testing. The art alone was enough to make me pine for more the moment it was over.

Rideback was what filled the hole Noein left. I couldn’t believe I had gone from one perfect anime to another so quickly. I can recall being skeptical of the show when reading the description and first happening upon the Riders, but by the end of the first episode, I was definitely hooked and I’m pushing my few anime-liking friends to watch both of these shows.

Dosen’t one of the scenes go, “Quick, we must combine our mechas!”  “That will remain an output only port, thank you.”  :D

Yes, and Kamina constantly refers to his “mighty drill” that will “pierce the heavens”

Pumpkin Scissors – Lt. Alice Malvin and her war relief group. Really cool, funny and with kickass characters.
Cowboy Bebop – Space Cowboys/bounty hunters

Thank you! My daughter has fallen in love with manga and anime through Miyazaki-movies and Avatar and I would love to introduce her to more of the fare, but it is a labyrinth to get through! Especially when it’s for a young girl desperate for great heroines to identify with. This gave me a couple of good tips, and some also for the future when she is a bit older.

Cosign on Chevalier, Ouran, and Kino, although if we’re talking Hulu I believe they only have 2 episodes free for streaming of the latter.

A few of these I’ve either not heard of or haven’t gotten around to checking out yet. All the more reason to get on that soon.

But he fact that a couple of, well…stinkers made this list in place of Revolutionary Girl Utena is a total head scratcher. Slayers? About as generic as it gets. And I personally thought that the GiTC shovels loads and loads of technobabble and pseudo-philosophy (as opposed to the movie) in place of developing the characters or making me care about them. And NANA, well, NANA just kind of put me to sleep so I never made it past the first episode. Just not my cup of tea, so I can see how others might enjoy it. Same goes for FMA. 

Don’t forget that the characters are wooden, uninteresting and unsympathetic.

Karekano it’s an oldy but I love it for ever, a very strong girl that has an image of perfect girl in front of everybody but she actually is lazy XD .. I’m not sure if that one is available on hulu or netflix but if you can get it I totally recommend it.

 FLCL (also known as Furi Kuri/Fooly Cooly) is by far one of the best anime of all time. And it’s definitely #1 on my list. The only problem is you have to watch the series a good 5 times before you can completely understand everything. Every minute detail is important. And it’s just crazy!

Still no “Lum” or “Ranma 1/2 on the American continent.
Whent will they ever learn?

>casuals
My jimmies have been severely rustled.

 Why would it be wrong for americans to craft a story about the japanese?  Can a german not write a story based in Brazil?  Is it wrong if a chinese studio made a cartoon taking place in Australia?  what about anime featuring non japanese characters in a european country?  I swear, sometimes people whose focus is identity politics become so imperious.

for the record, i’ve never seen ATLA, so i can’t speak to what stereotypes it might have, or how its depictions compare to any other fiction that would be similar in genre.  I do know it was a popular and well thought of show

 There’s nothing inherently wrong about writing a story set in another country. It’s just that if you want to learn about that country and experience its culture, you’re better off seeking out stuff that was actually made in that country, rather than relying on foreigners’ impressions of it, which are likely to be influenced by their own prejudices.

I was a bit harsh on Avatar in my comment – I haven’t seen it either, so I can’t say whether it contains any offensive stereotypes. I should have held off from criticising it. But I think the basic point stands: this was meant to be list of animé recommendations. Avatar, however good it may be, is not an animé, but an American cartoon; for that reason, it didn’t belong on this list.

You should check out Claymore. I’m not sure where you can watch it, I borrowed my friends DVDs and own the manga, but it’s really cool. And it’s probably on Netflix or Hulu.

There are deadly monsters called the Yoma who move town to town eating humans. The only people that can stop them are hybrid Yoma-human women who are called Claymores because of the claymore swords they carry. It follows Clare and Rakki and young boy who she saved in the beginning as they travel and it delves into her past. It’s mainly an action anime, but certainly gets very emotional, and shows that these half Yoma can have feelings too, and aren’t just pure bred fighters.

 i can understand disqualifying it as ‘not anime’ since this list is concerned with animation from Japan. 

I’m a big fan of animation in general, and watch animation from all over the world, including Japan. As someone who isn’t exclusively an anime fan, it does always seem a little peculiar to turn nationality into a genre, or even a medium unto itself.  but i am used to the distinction people make and aware that Japan produces more animation than most countries.  America is by far the biggest player in the movie business, but it would never occur to me to think of movies as something peculiar to America.  i think i get put off by the term anime, which just means animation, and so by using it to mean japanese animation, it implies that true animation is from japan.  when i was young, we used to first say ‘japanimation’, which became japanime, and is now just anime.

i think when wanting to learn about, and i use the term ‘learn’ loosely when talking about entertainments, a country the perspective of an insider and an outsider are both pertinent and would highlight things differently.  the resident and the foreigner will both have biases, prejudices and blinders.  they will each have things that stand out more or seem more distinctive.  I do think of a foreign perspective as being valuable

What about Nodame Cantabile or Honey and Clover!!?

Rideback is awesome!

Trigun,  Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo.  That is all.

 Cowboy Bebop is on netflix listed under Cowboy Bebop:Redux.

I’d suggest watching it.  It may be american, but it has all the spirit of an anime and a powerful story on top of that.

Happy this was the first comment I saw after scrolling through the article thinking, “Where’s Princess Jellyfish?!”

I really like Noir – two kick-ass female assassins who unknowingly share a past.  An organisation is after them, sending out squads to kill them and manipulating their relationship through a third female assassin.  There is sexual tension between the assassins and ultimately they must make a choice: to stand together against the organisation or to kill one another.  The entire series is based around strong and extremely capable women, there are no major male characters – just empowered women.  The anime style is quite artistic too and thankfully, there’s hardly any fan service. 

 Good stuff. Princess Jellyfish is the bomb.

I hate to nitpick, but Ghost in the Shell’s lead character is Motoko, not Matoko.

Agreed! Though I get leaving it off if they were just limiting it to Netflix Streaming or Hulu.

Utena is AMAZING, one of my all time favorite anime. I also really enjoyed the movie for it’s reinterpretation of the series itself. 
Slayers was my very first and very beloved anime obsession. I believe you can stream it on Hulu with subs but they have two versions of the same episodes, so you have to look for the subbed version. The dubbed version is just terrible.

Also Serial Experiments: Lain

Kino’s Journey is one of my fav animes. Loved seeing it on this list!

Moribito: Guardian of the Sacred Spirit is one of the most feminist animes I’ve ever seen! It definitely deserves a spot on this list. It’s about a female bodyguard who is tasked to protect a prince from killers sent by his father, the Mikado. It has beautiful animation and the characters are really well-drawn. You can watch all the episodes on Netflix.

The first three in this list are awful, The rest I’ve never heard of. The only ones I can really recommend is Avatar and that’s not even technically anime. A couple I’ll recommend that can be found on Netflix are Spice and Wolf and Last Exile.

To me, “women-friendly” does not necessarily mean that something has a “strong female character” (which is so often coded language for a stereotypical male action hero in a highly objectifiable/fanservicey female body), or queer elements, or anything like that. I’m just looking for a good story. It’s a bonus if its female characters are good, as long as I’m not actively enraged by how badly the women are handled.

Does Monster count for being good, and for having a realistically impressive heroine in Nina, or does it fail because the women in it are deuteragonists at best and tend to be defined through the men in their lives? Nina is a kind person and a good shot, but she also spends much of the series on the verge of a psychological breakdown. Death Note fails horribly on all feminist fronts, and the English-language fandom’s tendency to hate what female characters it has is kind of wince-worthy, but it’s still about 100 times better than Slayers. The truth is that there’s a lot of shonen and seinen stuff that does have a “strong female character” or three (in terms of them being smart, or good fighters, or etc.–some of the ladies of Bleach are phenomenal) but is still not necessarily always “women-friendly” on the whole, if I’m understanding the premise of this list. They aren’t harem anime, but whether or not an individual woman likes them depends on what they can stomach–just like some people won’t be able to stomach the slice-of-life nature of NANA, or the protagonists’ romantic issues.

Any list like this should begin and end with Utena, regardless of where it’s available: find a way to watch it, because you cannot have a conversation about women-friendly anime or queer-themed anime without it. Also, a lot of women still love Sailor Moon, in spite of its problematic elements.

and there i was thinking azumanga dioh(?) would get a mention

Michiko to Hatchin is another good one if no one has mentioned it yet.

You can find at least the first season on Crunchyroll.com :  Code Geass: Lelouch of the Revolution. 

Should have made the list bigger to include such gems as Last Exile, Seirei no Moribito, Shoujo Kakumei Utena, Gurenn Laggan, Evangelion, Fruits Basket, Trinity Blood, Cowboy Bebop, Serial Experiments Lain, Gankutsuou, Romeo x Juliet, Escaflowne, Blood +, Chihayafuru…and my all time favorite RUROUNI KENSHIN (which has a live action movie coming out this month)

Though the series is short, I would also recommend CLAYMORE as another fantastic anime with some very creative and strong female leads. It has monsters, conspiracy, and awesome swordplay. It’s on Netflix.

Thank you!  What a gem to stumble upon.  Like you mentioned, I’m a new anime fan, familiar with only Avatar: The Last Airbender and most of Hayao Miyazaki films, who has had trouble finding a quality show to watch. Ahhhhhh, I’m so excited to check out these shows!

I take this list as an insult. The only anime in your list that is worth watching7 Stars is Fulmetall Alchemist. The rest is bullshit. Where is Kara no Kyoukai?Where is Angel Beats? Sorry but your list is ridiculous!

I take this list as an insult. The only anime in your list that is worth watching is Fulmetall Alchemist. The rest is bullshit. Where is Kara no Kyoukai?Where is Angel Beats? Sorry but your list is ridiculous!

surprised not to serial experiments lain on there.

Azumanga Daioh should be on here. It’s about a bunch of ordinary girls in school doing ordinary things, and are really funny. They don’t do magic, they don’t save the world, and despite being in a regular school, boys don’t figure into their lives at all.

Kino’s Journey is a fantastic anime series! :D

Eh, that would be Motoko, not Matoko.

watch any anime on good anime or lovely anime they have loads of anime list

Wait….. Matoko is queer? I must have missed something because I don’t think her sexual orientation was ever confirmed.

“rather than relying on foreigners’ impressions of it, which are likely to be influenced by their own prejudices.” Listen it’s wrong to assume that foreigner who writes a story about another country is doing it solely out of prejudice. As opposed to doing research on the country/culture or actually being there.

“I have yet to find a popular animated series that features darker protagonists.”
Well, there’s Bleach, DBZ, Cowboy Bebop, Deadman Wonderland, and those are just off the top of my head.

Wait, no one mentioned Princess Tutu? Sure, it looks sugary on the outside–they do ballet battles, for Pete’s sake–but that’s before you realize how genuinely abusive most of the characters are.

The main character is a young girl–who is actually a duck? and also a magical girl, just because–trying to actively save a heartless boy from another girl who doesn’t want him to change. Then there’s the boy’s friend, who threatens *everyone* under the guise of masculine protection–until he realizes that is absolute crap and struggles with changing his habits to save the first girl, who he’d planned to kill. Seriously, this series is chocolate vodka with a chaser of Fridge Horror.

English dub with English subs is on Netflix.

Urusei Yatsura. Project A-Ko. Dirty Pair. Captain Harlock. Space Cruiser Yamato. Galaxy Express 999.

Fruits basket!!!

What did you base your reviews of fan subs, company subs or dubs?

If your looking for other story’s, animes that have a good female presence aside from the usual harem you could try:

Fairy Tale(Tail?)
Black Lagoon
Angel Beats
Blood+
Fate/Stay Night
XXXHolic

Each anime listed are unique in their on way, while fairy tale stands to be the odd one out especially as its aimed at guys. The writer does well to give strong female characters that hold up to there male counter parts not giving into the usual stereotypical female behavior seen in most series.

This list is pretty excellent! Ghost in the Shell is probably my favorite thing in the universe, precisely because Motoko is so complex and badass and lovely (and canonically bi/pansexual, according to the manga!) It has its own issues – why aren’t there more ladies in Public Security? Why are most of Motoko’s outfits so designed for the male gaze? – but considering its background it’s still absolutely lovely. (And the animation quality, soundtrack, and complex plots help too.)

For those looking for more suggestions, Steins;Gate is on Crunchyroll. It’s got lots of wibbly wobbly timey wimey goodness, a confused androgynous character handled sensitively, a male/female Platonic friendship full of depth and sweetness, and another female character who is the smartest, funniest, and most awesome character in the room – and she’s an Actual Scientist, published at a young age and well respected. (And she’s my Minecraft skin, so there’s that…)

Thank you for pointing out that Avatar is NOT an anime. I get so tired of having that conversation with people.

One that isn’t easy always easy to find, but definitely worth a look, is “The 12 Kingdoms”. And don’t go confusing it with “The 10 Kingdoms” – that’s something COMPLETELY different! It’s difficult to find a legitimate copy of “The 12 Kingdoms”, but it’s easy to find on youtube, and I highly recommend KickAssAnime’s subtitles for the show.

WARNING: The main character (and hero) is an incredibly annoying, pain in the ass for the first few episodes. It took me a couple tries to start watching it. Give it a chance and you will be rewarded.

That these anime are easy to find is great because you listed some pretty awesome stuff. I have to encourage folks to watch them in their original Japanese with subtitles. Also Avatar: The Last Airbender, might be the best series listed on this list. Legend of Korra should’ve gotten an honorable mention too.

I’m just sad that Princess Tutu isn’t on this list. Even if it is about magical ballerina princesses.

Jellyfish princess why isn’t that on their and yet another is on their. Nana and a lot of the others are good choices though. also case closed is great

1) SOUL EATER
2) Hetalia!

I love you! Slayers! Ahahah I watched it first in 2002 and I’ve been a big fan ever since! I also remember watching Ghost in the Shell when it was on YTV. FMA, and Ouran, too! And I consider Avatar an anime because the art style is anime. Art styles shouldn’t be confined based on the country of origin, no matter where it came from, anime included. Though it is one of the few non-Japanese anime or styled work that actually looks decent.

I also heard of Kino’s Journey and NANA and the rest… thank you for informing me of them.

Really? Avatar? You do realize that is not an anime, as it was created in the States?

You do realize that Avatar TLA IS Western, right?

I have to say Haruko from FLCL is one of the worst manic-pixie-dream-girl-types I’ve ever encountered. If those kinds of characters bother you, steer clear.

I came here to say SLAYERS!!! I can’t say enough good things about Slayers. I own all the seasons on DVD: Slayers, Slayers Next, Slayers Try, and the 2 new seasons Slayers Revolution and Slayers Evolution-R. Such good anime. Great characters. Hilarity, drama and adventure! And treasure! It’s like watching an epic dungeons and dragons campaign.

“queer heterosexual romcom” hahaha what

Naruto. Guyver. DBZ. Death note. Cowboy bebop.

I’d like to add Blood+ and Claymore to this list, I really enjoyed both animes and the main characters are strong ladies!

If you like Ouran high school host club and Rideback I suggest Kamisama hajimemashita

I think Black Butler deserves a spot on this list

This list is for marysue crowd. No wonder it sucks.

It is in the manga, sort of. It’s basically explained that when people with synthetic bodies have sex with one another, they have to interface with a same-sex partner, because the synthetic bodies can only process stimulation that happens to the same type of body. So a male body and a female body would cause painful feedback to both partners. So I guess people with cyber bodies have to enjoy one another either male-male or female-female. There’s an explicit scene int he beginning of the manga, which was removed in most copies, of Makoto engaging in sex (a show?) with one or two other female models.

I think most anime characters are…you know,…Asian? probably Japanese?
if they appear white to the western eye….that’s kind of racist

Surprised not to see Naruto shippunden

I fail to see why characters with extra UVA/B/C protection should be voiced by actors with the same coloration.

One character of color makes it all better. Now I feel represented.

“One character of color makes it all better. Now I feel represented.”

Actually, it’s more than one character. If you actually seen any of the shows I’m talking about you would that already. Please, don’t talk unless you actually know what you’re talking about.

I think you are assuming that I believe that everyone should be represented based on their skin color or specific features. What I was trying to point out is that skin color isn’t the issue, diversity is. I realize that japan is an island and doesn’t have the same access to the amount of diversity that I might see where I come from but I dont think thats a reason to shy away from a larger world view in anime especially anime based in a modern or sci-fi setting.

I think its pretty obvious that I care how many diverse characters are in an anime but if you want me to spell it out for you I can. Maybe you were confused when I said a character of color. What I mean by that is anyone who isn’t caucasian (Caucasians include Persians). As to how many that would be exactly that depends on the number of characters in an anime and where the anime was set. If its modeled after 1200 b.c. europe I understand if the characters are all caucasian. If its set in modern day anything I expect to see some variation in ethnicity because there are planes and people travel. A lot of animes I’ve seen are set in port cities or other areas in trade paths and there should be a large variation in at the very least cultures if not ethnic groups.

A lot of animes, in my opinion, dont adequately adress culture or ethnicity. Instead they toss in an exotic character, someone who looks different and does different things from the other characters (who all share a common culture for some reason) and adds a little sparkle and intrigue to the dvd cover. For instance in bleach where there are two obvious culture differences and considering how old shinigami are, there should be a difference in ethnicity as well (assuming that japan has changed in the last couple thousand years). I know bleach is action and shonen but that isn’t an excuse to have plot holes like a spaghetti strainer. The two cultures seem to clash at first but as soon as the ichigo crew rescues Rukia soul society is on the same wavelength and their cool with whatever Ichigo and friends want to try as long as it fits the plot devices they call morals.

And how you came to the understanding that I didn’t know what I was talking about with only 12 words and a username is almost impressive. I’m not going to say that you dont know what you are talking about but you did make some assumptions based on very little information which, I believe, would make you the hypocrite.

“What I was trying to point out is that skin color isn’t the issue, diversity is.” My point that you clearly missed is that you seem to care less about diversity and more about how many character represent you.

What is the point of this exactly?

Neither of us are going to change our opinions.
We could send snarky comments back and forth until one of us hunted down the other and killed them but that seems a tad drastic. I think you are a fucking moron who isn’t willing to consider anything outside of your own narrow minded experience (I feel better just saying that) you may think the same of me but I have a life and I’m going to take a wild guess that you do to and I dont actually glean any sort of pleasure arguing with you. So let’s agree to disagree or not agree at all and never talk to each other again, I vote the latter

“What is the point of this exactly?”

The point is that your wrong. I thought I explained why…you either didn’t understand it or too stubborn to admit that you were wrong.

“So let’s agree to disagree or not agree at all and never talk to each other again, I vote the latter.”
I’m for the former and for the latter.

One great one is called Rosairo + Vampire.

(It follows the story of a female vampire who has to deal with other monsters stealing her man! It is NOT degrading at ALL to women, and you will not be offended! Promise!)

Regarding A:TLA being one that shows PoC- technically, ALL anime/manga characters, unless otherwise specified or existing in a made-up world that lacks the racial distinctions of Earth, are PoC. They’re all Japanese, no matter how “white” they look.

add The Legend of Korra as an honorable mention as well as Ranma 1/2

Not true. I’ve only watched FMA:B when my friend recommended it to me and I understood it totally with no prior knowledge to the series. I haven’t even watched FMA yet… Though it’s been on my to-do list for awhile.

Gurren Lagann is the best damn giant robot anime ever.

I had no idea that there was an anime for Wandering Son! The manga’s coming out from Fantagraphics right now, and while it’s not perfect, yeah – check it out. (And I’m gonna start watching the anime!)

Interesting…. every anime mentioned and described focused on the female parts and sexual orientation. Like, omg they’ve got, like, strong female characters who are like, totally cool with their like sexuality and are omg gay and awesome and strong and screw men! who needs men! booo male establishment. Ugh. Tumblr would be all over this article in 2.5 seconds.

couldn’t find another :(

Actually, for $7 a month (like Netflix) you can get their premium anime channel and watch it on PS3 and Xbox360. Highly recommended.

I’m way late on this, but the Genshiken anime is both squirm-inducing and hilarious in its unblinking portrayal of both male and female anime nerds. Better yet, read the manga.

It might be a little controversial in regards to “feminist” but Mononoke (no affiliation with Miyazaki) a gorgeous, kabuki-esque anime that plays out in a way similar to Mushishi–the supernatural and non-continuous arcs, with only the androgynous Medicine Seller at the center of it all. Each arc in someways deals with overt and subverted forms of misogyny and gender oppression…hauntingly relevant given the ancient Japanese setting.

Trigun?!

Can’t we just pay attention to how good a show is rather than what color they are? Who cares?

This is great! I’m relatively new to anime, and this list has some great looking suggestions, and I know you must have good taste because 3 of my favorite animes are on here! :D

how about…. full metal alchemist “brotherhood”, darker than black, code gease, steins gate, avatar last air bender even legend of korra, tengen toppa gurren lagan, better choices by far…. but i guess since i dont even rate ghost in a shell..

I thought she was bi-sexual in the manga?

She might be. The example I’m mentioning is just an example of her engaging in same-sex activity. So she could very well be bi.

Seriously, watch Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit or Serei No Moribito (eng/jap titles)

Strong female protagonist and some great female supporting characters. She’s not girly or sissy and there isn’t any Ero to make things awkward. Straight story based on the first book of a series I’d love to see the rest of animated.The world is very well realized. It’s animated by Production I.G., which does quality work every time they touch something. It’s full of action and adventure in a fantasy Asia (kind of like if Avatar: The Last Airbender was made in Japan but with less magic)

What is not to love? You can stream it for free legally from Crackle. Supposedly Neflix US has it too.

http://www.crackle.com/c/Moribito/Balsa_The_Female_Bodyguard/2483494?c=CA

I’m from Canada so I don’t get Hulu like you lucky folks.That and out Netflix also kind of sucks (WAY less titles available on it)

Guys. Soul Eater. Dooooooo it!

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Two words… Or, more like three… No wait, four…

Naruto and Naruto Shippuden.

-_-

Shit just got real.

And, lol. This is like a twitter for animetards. Me? I’m a full on Narutard (Big time Naruto fan). I also like One Piece, Black Butler, Kamisama Dolls, Oh my Goddess, Kore wa zombie desu, Rock Lee no Seishun (Also called Naruto SD: Rock Lee), Kill me Baby (Kiru Mi Beibe), Tonari no Kaibutsu (My Little Monster), Seakiichi Hatsukoi (World’s Greatest Love in a Nutshell) etc…

Biased much? they almost all consist of feminist ideology. I don’t know if i clicked the wrong link, but this isn’t really what im looking for the only one that peaked my interest is “Another”

Da ga… otoko da.

The only thing that sucks more than anime are these stupid, lazy top 10 lists.

Slayers is my favorite animu of all time (if I had to decide) so I’m really pleased to see that other people remember it exists and is hilarious! IMHO it aged really well… while the style’s a bit 90s, it strikes me as sort of unlikely that anyone not watching anime in the 80s/90s knows that. XD The actual animation isn’t super smooth or anything, but cheap animation still exists today, as do cartoony backgrounds, so other than being a bit lo-res I’d say it doesn’t look too bad. Plus, with a series that is based entirely on comedic adventure nonsense, I frankly don’t think it really matters what it looks like. I mean people watch Adventure Time and Adult Swim shows and other modern flash animation-esque stuff that looks like complete crap, artistically and in terms of production values. Why? Because those things have good scripts. (Supposedly. XD I don’t watch most of them… But look how great Harvey Birdman is, and it was purposely animated to look like crap.)

oh I guess if I had things to add to this list… Princess Tutu? The most bizarre of the ballerina animus. XD It’s about a little girl who turns into a duck sometimes and goes to this ballet school and uhh evil beings are controlling everyone and… something messed up? Anyway it’s weird but cool and cute, look into it! I’d say the same about the show “Tenshi ni Narumon” although I would not look there for feminist stuff (the main chara is this extremely retarded girl who makes everyone better as a person because she’s so full of light and innocence and crap… it kind of reinforces stereotypes, although positive ones, about the role women are supposed to play in society?). But it gets really weird and fucked up and the rest of the cast, other than main girl and “dumb schoolboy you’re supposed to identify with,” are extremely bizarre people, so I’d recommend it. XD Ohhhh and then there’s “Brother, Dear Brother” (aka “Oniisama E”) which is an old shoujo manga/anime about a girls’ school (the main character writes letters throughout to this guy she sees as a big brother, hence the title). At the school, we’ve got 3 girls who all the other girls worship: the cool sporty chick, the upper-class princess, and of course the beautiful-but-cracked poetic gothy crazy chick. There are lesbian hijinks and obsessive people throwing boxes of razors and stuff. Lots of psychological drama and suicide and whatthefuckery. XD

oh and BASARA. How did I forget this oldie-but-goodie?! Uhhhh warrior kid and his sister live in a sort of post-apocalyptic Japan with lots of desertland. The boy is supposed to be the “child of prophecy” or who’s gonna lead the armies and take back the land or something like that, so when the bad guys hear this, they show up and — as any non-moron would — murder him. His twin sister takes on the role of prophecied hero (by dressing in drag as is always the case) and learns sword-fighting and all that so that the people don’t lose hope. She hopes to avenge his death etc. It’s better as a manga since the animu is a 6-ep OVA, but look into it!

My problem with Azumanga is that the characters have the depth of the priest, the minister, and the rabbi in your typical bar joke. After all, the whole series was little more than a set of 5 minute, one-gag sketches that needed the characters to remain basic so that the jokes would work.

It’s not that it doesn’t do badly by the sketch comedy genre–it does that well. But if you want a show about character development, Azumanga isn’t it.