The orphanage that Atsushi Nakajima has been living at has been recently plagued by a tiger that only he can see. Blaming him for the incident, they kick him out. Now homeless, he wanders the streets until he meets the eccentric Osamu Dazai and saves him from drowning. As it turns out, Dazai is a supernatural detective and agrees to help him solve the mystery. Supernatural and mystery were a match made in heaven. If you enjoyed it in this literary-tinged show, then check out some of these anime recommendations. For Fans of Extraordinary Detectives Blood Blockade Battlefront Vampires, fishmen, supersonic monkeys – they are all normal residents living alongside humans in Hellsalem’s Lot, formerly known as New York City. When a gate between Earth and the Beyond popped up there three years ago, old NYC became dominated by monsters and now Libra, a secret organization, is tasked with keeping it in order. However, for main character Leonardo Watch, he

For many fans, anime is a way to escape the normal and be immersed in something extraordinary, which is what makes the slice of life genre such an odd bird. It isn’t extraordinary. In fact, it can be about as normal as your everyday life. Many can even be as plotless as your life, meandering through encounter after encounter with no overall message at the end. However, the typically well crafted characters and even the relatability of slice of life series make them beloved by many. If you don’t see any innate appeal, but want to enter this genre of anime, here are some good choices. Barakamon As a calligrapher, Handa was a talented artist, but his pride in his work (or perhaps lack of confidence) leads to bad behavior that sees him forced into seclusion on an island by his family. There he is prey for the bored local children. While the children and weird island yokels provide the comedy by playing off the comedic straight man Handa, through l

Ousai Private Academy used to be an all-girls school, but Takatoshi Tsuda is among one of the first male students. However, on his way to class, he is stopped by the student president who needs a male’s point of view in order to better accommodate new male students. As such, she ends up making him the vice president of the student council. However, this seemingly upstanding institution is not quite what it seems. Nothing finer than a series that looks normal but is distinctly pervy. For more anime recommendations, head on down below. For Fans of Sex Jokes B Gata H Kei Yamada is beautiful and just entering high school, but she has one strange goal – to have casual sex with 100 men. The problem is that she is afraid of being teased for being a virgin. Upon happenstance, she stumbles upon a solution to her problem, the soft-spoken (also virgin) Kosuda. The problem is, he knows nothing about sex and is a shy gentleman about it. If you

Mononoke follows the story of a man simply known as the Medicine Seller. However, it is not medicine he sells, but rather he travels feudal Japan ridding villages of malevolent spirits called mononoke. However, in order to kill each spirit he encounters, he must first learn its Form, Truth, and it’s Reason. There is something so satisfying about an episodic supernatural mystery of the week, and if that is what you liked about Mononoke, you will enjoy these anime recommendations too. For Fans of Japanese Folklore Ayakashi Ayakashi features three classic Japanese horror stories: The story of the betrayed wife and her quest for vengeance, the story of a forbidden love between human and goddess, and the story of a cat monster with a grudge against a particular family. The similarities here are obvious. Mononoke presents short mysteries based on Japanese folklore and Ayakashi tells different folklore horror arcs that are longer than just one epi

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 slice of life 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 slice of life manga recommendations below. Goodnight Punpun This is the tale of Onodera Punpun, a young Japanese boy that is growing up. However, while it shows him in four stages of his life, this is no happy tale. It rips the mask off your happy slice of life fairy tale adolescence. Yotsubato Yotsuba is a five year old that is fully of energy, thirsty for adventure, and unforgettably odd. Even ordinary experiences for her become an adventure and this spir

It doesn’t matter who you are – boy or girl – you will want to fall in love at one point. Once it happens, you’ll realize that there is no feeling quite like it. It is a hard feeling to replicate – that unique, heart-racing excitement – but romance anime dares to dream. That is, in essence, why people watch romance series. They want to capture even just the passing thrill that comes with romance. If you are intrigued by that, but new to the genre, here are some excellent romance anime series to start with. Toradora He’s mean-looking but nice, she’s pretty but mean. It is a tale as old as time. These two misunderstood classmates end up as friends that agree to help each other go after their respective crushes. However, you, as the audience, already know how this will end up. The fun part is getting there. Ouran High School Host Club You want a romance anime where the main heroine isn’t a dithering idiot, or at least doesn’

In order to make friends with some popular girls, Erika Shinohara has taken to lying about having a boyfriend. In order to prove it, she hastily takes a picture of a man, but her friends recognize him as a school mate, the popular Kyouya Sata. In order to avoid humiliation, she asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend. He accepts, but only if she agrees to become his dog. What’s not fun about a guy blackmailing a girl into subservience and eventually falling in love with her? If you need more, then give these anime recommendations a try. For Fans of Blackmail Class President is a Maid After their high school’s recent transfer from all-boys school to co-ed, it wasn’t easy for Misaki Ayuzawa to become the school’s first female class president. While she inspires terror at school, she also works part-time at a maid café to help her struggling family. However, when one of the most popular boys at school, Takumi Usui, discovers her secret, her wo

Everyone loves an odd couple. As they say, opposites attract, or at very least make media interesting to watch. They fight, they get into shenanigans, but ultimately in the end you discover they have things in common because – at their core – everyone is a human. Well…That’s not always true in anime, but you get the point. If you are looking for odd couples, anime has A LOT. Taiga and Ryuuji from Toradora Tiger and dragon, different yet similarly vicious. Ryuuji is mean-looking but with the disposition of a great housewife. Taiga is adorable like a doll, but short and bad tempered. They bond over the fact they each love someone else, but after agreeing to help pursue their loves, they find out that they are, as the audience already knows, perfect for each other. Gon and Killua from Hunter x Hunter Many shounen series have odd couples, but none do them quite as well as Hunter x Hunter. Although the plot and mood in the series shif

In the small village in Ake lives Erin, a bright girl who spends her days with her mother Soyon who serves as a doctor to the empire’s Touda war-lizards. However, when the Grand Duke’s favorite lizard Kiba dies, Erin’s peace is shattered as her mother is arrested and suspected with its death. In an attempt to save her mother, Erin sets off on an epic adventure. It is so easy for your generic fantasy anime series to blend in with the rest, but while Erin seems like that, within lies a fantastic tale of both growing up and world politics. For Fans of Time Skips From the New World After a small portion of humanity suddenly developed psychokinetic powers, the world underwent a rapid transformation. After 1,000 years of turbulent history where regular humans struggled against those with powers, we focus in on Kamisu 66, a small town where 12-year-old Saki Watanabe finally awakened her powers. This awakening means she is finally able t

When it comes to action anime, you could probably close your eyes, swirl your finger, and land on a decent series. Action is a broad genre and it can range from mild to adrenaline-pumping. Even if you have stayed specifically in other genres, like chill slice of life or doki-doki romance, it won’t be difficult to find action anime to love. In truth, the action genre often works well with other genres to make a good series. However, if you want to get into the action genre, here is where to start. Attack on Titan Attack on Titan hits hard with its action first and details the world second. As one of the more popular anime series, I accredit its popularity for often unexpected nature of events that unfold. However, even when things remain expected, the nature of the action remains visually beautiful as well as exciting. My Hero Academia If you are also a fan of things like Marvel movies, then My Hero Academia is a natural choice for an actio

An 150-year-long stalemate between two countries is finally coming to and end with the rise of two new, idealistic leaders. The Galactic Empire sees military genius Reinhard von Lohengramm climb through the ranks with dreams of becoming the one true ruler while the Free Planets Alliance  is assisted in their autocratic troubles by historian Yang Wenli and his democratic ideals. Although older, if you are in the mood for an expansive space opera, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a classic choice. For more anime recommendations like it, head on down below. For Fans of Universal Conflict Mobile Suit Gundam After mankind moved to space, it established several colony clusters. However, one of these colonies declares independence as well as war on the Earth Federation. Using powerful mobile suits, these rebels quickly gain the upper hand. However, in the midst of the conflict, a young civilian named Amuro Ray finds himself hurled into the conflict.

I feel like horror in any medium is one of these genre’s that you either love or your have no interest in. Some people like to be scared, other people, not so much. Although, to call any anime in the horror genre “scary” is usually kind of a stretch. However, if you want to get into the horror genre of anime to raise the little hairs on the back of your neck or feel a burst of adrenaline while being perfectly safe on your couch, there are some good entry series. I feel like for those trying to get into horror, it is better to choose series with an actually good and cohesive story (sorry Higurashi and your occasionally confusing visual novel narrative) rather than just mindless gore like Corpse Party. So while these aren’t necessarily the scariest shows, I feel they are a pretty good place to start. School Live There are times when watching School Live that you forget you are watching a horror anime. It is that moe art style and the way it

For Nishikata, no one knows him better than Takagi-san. Unfortunately for him, she uses this knowledge to unrelentingly tease him on a daily basis. Nishikata vows to get revenge for all that blushing he has done, but is he good enough to overcome her skill? Comedy and frustrating unresolved romance (mostly) at its finest. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Skilled Teaser Takagi-san, then look no further. For Fans of Playful Teasing Class President is a Maid After their high school’s recent transfer from all-boys school to co-ed, it wasn’t easy for Misaki Ayuzawa to become the school’s first female class president. While she inspires terror at school, she also works part-time at a maid café to help her struggling family. However, when one of the most popular boys at school, Takumi Usui, discovers her secret, her world is about to get a whole lot more complicated. Although Class President is a Maid is more of your tra

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 sports 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 sports manga recommendations below. Real Tomomi Nomiya was once the captain of his basketball team, but after ruining a girl’s life in a traffic accident, he turned into a delinquent. He drops out of high school in order to help her where he meets a former sprinter in a wheelchair named Kiyoharu. Kiyoharu challenges him to a game of basketball and completely crushes Tomomi, an encounter that inspires him to not let go of his love for basketball so easily. Subaru

Hanamichi Sakuragi is known for three things – his height, his fire red hair, and his fire red temper. Hoping to get a girlfriend, unfortunately his is reputation precedes him. However, when a girl approaches him one day and asks if he likes basketball, of course he falls in love with her and tries to impress her with a slam dunk. Unfortunate, he overshoots, but when the girl informs on him to the basketball team about his great physical capabilities, he finds himself pulled in deeply. Slam Dunk is getting on in age, but it still tells a great basketball story as well as a story about how one event can change a person’s whole life. If you are interested in more anime recommendations like Slam Dunk, then look no further. For Fans of Basketball Kuroko’s Basketball For three years in a row, the Teikou Junior High basketball team took the championship crown thanks to their outstanding players. However, after graduating, the team split up and w

Similar to the previously covered mecha genre, sport anime can be a difficult genre to love. If you love sports already, you may be naturally drawn to sports anime. However, if you don’t like a particular sport, you may not be interested in this genre at all. That being said, there are many non-sports fans that do enjoy sports anime because of the stories often steeped in realism with complex characters. Furthermore, sports anime are often some of the most passion-filled motivating anime series you can find. If you are looking to get into sports anime, the general rule of thumb is to watch one about a sport you do enjoy. However, if that can’t really be factored in, these starter sports anime recommendations are often more about just the sports themselves. Haikyuu So often when you are asked by another anime fan why you don’t like sports anime, they will throw back at you, “Have you ever watched Haikyuu?” It is because this anime series has c

This is the story of Honda-san, a skeleton that works in a bookstore. He mans the manga counter and fulfill requests for his strange customers like Gintama tentacle doujinshi and deals with his variety of equally odd co-workers. This is an anime for the anime fans. The comedy is part absurd and part meme, but if you are well-versed in your otaku references, it is sure to please. If you want more anime recommendations like Honda-san, head on down below. For Fans of Inhuman Shop Workers Shirokuma Cafe Located near the local zoo, the charismatic polar bear Shirokuma decided to open his eponymous cafe.As a popular spot for humans and animals alike, it is a good place to relax after a hard day. Honda-san is a skeleton, the cafe is staffed by animals. Different, yes, but also similar. Shirokuma is more of a chill comedy, however, but can be just as strange at times. Squid Girl Terror of the seas Ika Musume has come out of the ocean to punish

For some anime fans, they tend to stay in a specific genre because that is what they like. However, like with people that only eat McDonald’s every day, there is a big wide world of anime out there to explore. The issue is, if you watch the wrong series when moving into a genre first, it can leave a bad first impression. In no genre is this more true than mecha. It can be a difficult genre to love sometimes. Some people are just ingrained with a natural love of those super robots, but if you aren’t, it is best to enter the mecha genre with series that feature mechs as more of a tool towards the overarching plot, which can be very complex. Code Geass Code Geass, by itself, is a very good entry point to anime as a whole as well as to the mecha genre. Like many mecha shows, the mechs are merely just cool weapons to use in the overarching grandiose plot of rebellion against a powerful kingdom. That is really the mecha genre as it should be defined

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. Nichijou has become an iconic comedy for its fast-paced blast of absurd and unexpected comedy. For more anime recommendations like Nichijou, head on down below. For Fans of Extreme Slice of Life Comedy The 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. Think of this show as something like a gender swapped Nichijou. It follows boys instead of girls. However, while the comedy in Daily Lives of High School Boys is highly random, it is more grounded in realty than Nichijou. Az

There are tons of animal characters in anime. Typically, they are there for comedic relief or a daily dose of adorable. Although, often, let’s be honest, they are either cute or annoying, very rarely anywhere in between. Anime animal protagonists, however, are a rarer beast. They have to have that classic anime protagonist charm while still being a cute animal character. It is a fine line walk, but it has been done. (Obligatory mentions not included here: Pokemon, Digimon, Hello Kitty, Hamtaro. Why not included on the full list? Because you already know they exist.) Aggressive Retsuko If the characters weren’t all animals, this might be a slightly depressing series. Aggressive Retsuko is about a brow-beaten office red panda lady that is full of stress. In order to de-stress, she engages in the art of death metal singing her irritation out. Chi’s Sweet Home This series centers around Chi, a kitten found on the street and adop