There are a lot of choices to sift through when it comes to watching anime right now. Finding the hidden gems beneath the rubble of a hundred new shows is undeniably difficult, but it doesn’t have to be! Why potentially waste your time watching a bunch of shows you might not like, when we can help you find ones that you will? Here are some great anime you can jump into right now!
DR. STONE
AnimeLab/Crunchyroll
Feel like you’ve waited three millennia for the next big show? Wait no longer! The perfect blend of action, comedy and science fiction, Dr. STONE is the exhilarating must-watch of the season.
Adapted from Riichiro Inagaki (writer of acclaimed sports manga Eyeshield 21) and artist Boichi’s hit Weekly Shōnen Jump series, Dr. STONE follows science-loving Senku and his friends on their mission to rebuild civilisation after a mysterious force turns every single human on the planet to stone (get it? STONE?). With humanity petrified for 3,700 years, the world has returned to nature, setting the stage for the gang’s comedic take on Primitive Technology.
Dr. STONE is a literal crack up – and educational, too! In fact, some of the science in this sci-fi is so realistic, it’s warranted its own in-show disclaimer, so be sure not to recreate any of Senku’s experiments at home!
GIVEN
Crunchyroll
If you’re feeling like chilling out and taking things a bit slower this season, Given is the show for you. The series follows guitarist Uenoyama, once a passionate and eager musical newbie, who has lost his spark and passion to play – that is, until he meets Sato, a boy who, for reasons unknown, never goes anywhere without his broken guitar that he has no idea how to play. Sato’s wide-eyed wonderment at Uenoyama and his band may yet reignite Uenoyama’s love of music, but we’re only a few episodes in, so we guess you’ll just have to watch the rest to find out!
Even if Given only ends up as a more contemporary rehashing of Kids on the Slope, which has a very similar premise, there are a lot worse shows you could borrow from (Kids on the Slope is also a 10/10 show that everyone should watch). Plus, if you’re jonesing for a musical anime with well-animated jam sessions, Given can scratch that itch too.
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION
Netflix
After languishing in licensing limbo for almost two decades, Neon Genesis Evangelion is finally available to stream on Netflix! If you’re an old-school fan rewatching it for the umpteenth time, or a newcomer who’s never experienced it before, now is the time to catch up on this legendary anime, maybe even one of the best anime of all time. NGE follows the story of young Shinji in a semi-post-apocalyptic world, who is suddenly called on by his estranged father, Gendo, now that he has a use for his son: to pilot the giant machine known as Eva Unit 01 and battle the Angels, creatures that want to destroy the human race.
Of course, it’s definitely not that simple for Shinji and his comrades at NERV, and even though the constantly shifting narrative with thought-provoking religious and spiritual symbolism is great, the character study of its main cast is, in our opinion, what has made this the timeless show that it is. Hideaki Anno’s subversive deconstruction of the mecha genre is a classic that has to be seen, either on Netflix, or, if you have a spare $200-or-so and some determination, the out-of-print DVDs, to join the Shinji/Kaworu “I like you/I love you” discourse.
FIRE FORCE
AnimeLab/Crunchyroll
The cream of the crop for this season (especially for you sakuga enthusiasts), the show that David Production has been working on when they should have been finishing JoJo! But seriously, this show is very good, with the animation powerhouse of David Production combined with the writing of Atsushi Ōkubo, the author of Soul Eater.
Fire Force is about a team of magical firefighters who protect their city from cases of spontaneous human combustion, a mysterious event where any person, at any time, can burst into flames and turn into a demon. Our main character Shinra and his friends are pyrokinetics, meaning they can harness fire powers of their own, leading to some very well-choreographed and well-directed fight scenes.
At first, the show seems to be going for a fun, crazy-action angle, but Fire Force does address the serious implications of its world in a really mature and heartfelt way. When you combine these concepts with interesting and emotionally-evocative direction from Shaft Inc talent Yuki Yase, it all comes together to be a shounen that rises far above the rank of its contemporaries.
