With the onslaught of numerous streaming platforms, audiences now have the whole world to choose content from. Taking part in an anime adventure may be thrilling, even for non-fans. This post will make your anime exploration more enjoyable and approachable if you've been hesitant to start. We'll examine non-traditional animes that tell captivating stories with a broader appeal than typical anime topics. These animes provide both exciting adventures and reassuring stories, making them appealing to a broader audience. Learn about the wonders of anime, even if you've never considered yourself a fan!
1. Shenmue
Shenmue is an animated television series that was based on the video game of the same name. The anime borrows a lot of elements from its source material. This martial arts-centric anime is the best choice for those who want to start watching anime. After Ryo witnesses the murder of his father at the hands of a martial artist named Lan Di, he vows to exact revenge. Training rigorously in the streets of Hong Kong, Ryo honed his skills and craft of martial arts to defeat Lan Di. Staying true to the source video games, fans of the Shenmue video game will love this anime adaptation. Shenmue’s action sequences and background scores make it a decent start for first-time anime watchers.
2. Prison School
One of the best waifu animes out there, Prison School, explores the lives of boys sent to the strict disciplinary school called Hatchimitsu Academy. Kiyoshi Fujima is a young boy who is a recent transfer to the academy who, along with his four friends are sentenced to the school’s prison under the charge of voyeurism. This raunchy anime contains lots of ecchi elements and is the perfect content to watch for those who are just starting to explore this genre. Over-the-top humor and plot twists will be sure to keep you hooked!
3. Terror In Resonance
Created and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, this 11-episode animated series is one of the best works of the director. Terror in Resonance is a psychological thriller produced by the Japanese animation studio MAPPA. Exploring themes of terrorism, tragedy, and high school, the anime chronicles the tragic lives of two teenage boys desperately trying to survive in a dystopian world. Featuring a gripping storyline and many other intriguing themes, Terror in Resonance provides an objective scrutiny of capitalism.
4. Erased
Manga writer Satoru Fujinuma possesses to ability to subconsciously travel back in the past and alter past and consequently, the present. After his mother is murdered in her own house by an unknown assailant, Satoru travels back 15 years in time to prevent her mother’s terrible, eventual fate. Erased anime that would seem a bit more eccentric than other time travel anime, but the whole “subconsciously travel back in time” has been executed very well.
5. One Punch Man
Engaging scriptwriting, endearing characters, seamless action sequences, and well-crafted character arcs are some of the defining features of the top-rated anime series One Punch Man. Adapted from the manga of the same name created by Japanese manga artist One, this satirical comedy is perfect for Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans. In an alternate world endowed with superheroes, Saitama, one of such superheroes, gets tired of his ability to defeat anyone with a single punch. Using Saitama’s frustration as a metaphor, the anime aptly depicts the case of “burnout” in adults.
6. Junji Ito Maniac: Tales Of The Japanese Macabre
Junji Ito Maniac: Tales of the Japanese Macabre is a recently released anime series produced by Studio Dean and streaming rights held by Netflix. The series draws inspiration from the 20 mangas penned by the iconic horror manga writer Junji Ito. Junji is a horror anthology that includes 12 tales that explore the themes of life, pressure, toxic fandom, love, death, and suicide. Anthology series are much more enjoyable than regular web series, as they offer different content and niches in each episode. These nerve-wracking horror stories, including Ito’s scariest story “The Hanging Balloon”, will appeal to everyone, even those who don’t watch anime often.
7. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is based on the video game Cyberpunk 2077, which was developed by CD Projekt Red. This OG video game underwent many modifications to augment the gameplay experience, and fans of the game find the anime series to be very triumphant. Serving as a sequel to the video game’s events, this cyberpunk web anime features the setting of a never-sleeping metropolitan city named Night City, which is burdened by corruption. Desperate to survive, a young boy joins the “wrong” side of the crowd. The series features incredible world-building and character development.
8. Cromartie High School
Most animes are made mainly by Japanese staff, so they tend to rely heavily on Japanese traditions and humor. On the contrary, Cromartie High School feels more like a Western animated series, owing to its crack humor style. Each episode has a runtime of 12 episodes and would be the perfect series to watch for those who don’t want to sit through the usual episode runtime of 60-90 minutes. The events of the series take place in the titular high school, which, even though being dubbed as the most feared school in the area, is full of idiots. The slapstick comedy that constantly appears in anime will have you in stitches.
9. Samurai Champloo
A swordsman, an orphan girl, and a lordless samurai are the focus of Samurai Champloo. This unlikely trio travels through feudal Japan in search of a samurai who “smells of sunflowers” and finds themselves in various misadventures and mishaps. Samurai Champloo has a unique and eccentric storytelling style, combining the historical setting of Japan’s Edo period with modern cultural references. This anime should be at the top of the watchlist for those viewers who like adventures and samurai.
10. Beastars
Centering around themes of love, identity, and bigotry, Beastars showcases a stratified society of anthropomorphic animals where carnivores and herbivores animals live together. The protagonist, a wolf named Legoshi, is shy despite his vast size and scary outer personality. There are already tensions and distrust between the two sections of society, which is further escalated when an alpaca is brutally murdered in his college dorm room.
