Anime’s You May Not Know About

 

Whether you have been watching anime for many years, or just started recently, you probably know that there is NO end to the amount you can watch.

I remember back in my younger days watching DBZ, I never would have thought the list could go on so long.

 

In the last few years anime has become so mainstream in the West that it’s considered “cool” now.

WHICH IS AWESOME!!

I’m so glad that so many people are jumping into it.  The more people who identify as part “weeb” the better.  It means more profit to be made by the animation & manga publishers, which means more anime to watch and more merch to buy!

It’s good for all of us.

 

If you’ve gone through all the “big” ones like Attack on Titan, Naruto and all the other mainstream anime, you may be looking for something new.

 

Lucky for you I watch a TON.  And I also have friends that watch a lot.  So I am going to share some of my favorites that are a little less known.

 And the best part?

They’re all available on standard streaming services that you probably already have.

 

6 Darwin’s Game

1 Season

Streaming: HULU

Plot: 7-year-old Kaname Sudō accepts an online invitation by a friend to play an app game called Darwin's Game, unbeknownst to him that it involves a fight between life and death. ... Trapped in this game of relentless murder and conquest, Kaname determines to clear the game, and seek out and kill the Game Master.

 

This is the most recent anime I decided to check out. It’s pretty short so you can watch it in a couple sittings.  And there is a TON of action.

It’s kind of like the Hunger Games in a way, only a bunch more twists.

The main character downloads an app on his phone to play a game, and it turns out the game is “real”.  It takes place in modern day society, rather than with “bow and arrow” type weapons.

If you like survival – like anime I think you’ll really enjoy this.

 

5  High Rise Invasion

1 Season

Streaming: Netflix

Plot: On the roof of a high-rise building, a young girl named Yuri witnesses a masked figure split a man's head open with an axe! ... Yuri soon finds herself in a strange world of skyscrapers with only two options for escape—fight past the mysterious masked figures or leap to her death!

 

 

This is another anime similar to “darwin’s Game” but I actually liked it a little more.  It follows a similar premise as it’s a survival based genre, but there are a few key differences.

 

One of these is that rather than taking place in the “real” world, the characters are in a separate “battle arena”.  There aren’t just regular people also around. 

I like this because it really focuses on the fighting and mystery of every person you see being an enemy.

Speaking of mystery, this anime also doesn’t explain outright what is going on.  At first you have no idea why the characters are there or how they got there.   Which on top of the sick action is awesome.

You do find out bits and pieces early on, but a lot of mystery gets saved for later.

Oh also it’s a bunch of badass chicks with swords and guns.  So you can’t beat that.

 

4 Orange

1 Season

Streaming; Hulu & Crunchyroll

Plot: Orange is a romance/high school drama with a speculative twist. Sixteen-year-old Naho Takamiya discovers a letter from herself from ten years into that future that tells her to watch for a new transfer student, Kakeru Naruse, who will become one of her friends.

 

Get ready for the waterworks because this is a sad one.

That being said if you enjoy Slice of Life style romances, I can’t recommend this enough.

Also don’t worry, it’s sad but in a good way. 

The main cast of friends are about what any person could hope for in a friend group.  They’re all willing to do anything for each other.  Both now, and their future selves.

And the message of this anime is pretty clear.  Don’t pass up any chances in life.  Stick yourself out there, and take risks. You may not know what will happen if you do, but the downsides could be much, much worse.

 

 

3 Chivalry of A Failed Knight

Seasons 1

Streaming: Hulu

Plot: The story is set in a fantasy world where the titular "failed knight" Ikki Kurogane meets Stella Vermillion, who is considered a prodigy. The two make up for each other's weaknesses and form a relationship while training to become great knight

 

This is actually one of my all time favorite anime.  It has everything you could possibly want.

Badass fight scenes? Check

Cute girl? Check

Romance? Check

Magic? FUGGIN CHECK

 

I’m not sure why this one isn’t way more popular.  A lot of times some of these action anime’s fall short either in plot or character design.  But this anime does not.

It’s pretty short so you can watch it quickly too.

I love the main characters and the action is right up there with something like sword art online.  Do yourself a favor and WATCH THIS asap.

 

2 So I Can’t Play, H?

Seasons 1

Streaming: Crunchyroll & Hi Dive

Plot: Ryosuke Kaga is an ecchi high school boy attending Momozomo Academy. One day, he meets a girl standing alone in the rain. She is Lisara Restor, an elite Grim Reaper, who visited the human world in order to find "The Singular Man".

 

So let me tell you right away that if “fan service” in anime isn’t for you, then you probably wont like this.

There are definitely a lot of boobies and suggestive scenes, but not over the top.  I would say even less so than “Highschool DXD”.

 

And while I am a man of culture, a good plot is still really important.

This anime has it.  It’s part romance part action and it does both of them pretty well.  Plus I have always been a fan of the “demon and magic” thing which there is plenty of.

 

1 Keijo!!!!!!

Seasons 1

Streaming: Amazon Prime & Funimation

Plot: The story involves Nozomi Kaminashi, a confident, skilled gymnast but comes from a very poor family, who decides to enter the world of "Keijo." A water sport where girls stand on a small floating platform called "Land," and fight against one another. ... They are trying to become great Keijo players.

 

Keijo was the first “off the beaten path” anime I ever watched.  It is incredibly entertaining and funny and well worth your time if you want a good laugh.

 

I guess you would call it a “sport” anime… if girls using their butts and b00bs to push each other into the water was a sport.

 

But it’s actually not as “cultured” as it sounds.

While the plot is kind of absurd if you quickly read it, the anime really doesn’t focus to heavily on the fan service stuff.

 

The story of the main girl and her quest to be a solid leader in the sport is similar to other sports anime.  There’s an engaging plot and a whole line of great characters.

 

I would highly suggest this if you like anime like ‘Haikyu!!’, or if you just want something funny and relaxing.

 

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