These top picks go beyond the boundaries of their genres in unique ways.
Best Adventure Anime: ‘Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’
A genre-defying story.
Each season is something new.
Hulu
Some people might be turned off by the tonal whiplash.
The first season is slow to start.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventuredefies categorization, but it absolutely belongs on a list like this.
Hulu
Each season ofJojoconstantly reinvents itself as it follows the lineage of the Joestar family.
Each scion of the family has a name that can be conveniently reduced to the eponymous Jojo moniker.
Best Superhero Anime: ‘My Hero Academia’
It’s tropey but fun.
Visually interesting character designs and powers.
Takes a bit of time for the really good plots to get going.
It’s basically Harry Potter for the superhero set.
YouTube
The show is set in a world where superheroes aren’t only real, they’re everywhere.
The thing that makesMy Hero Academiasuch a great show is that everything about it is fun.
Wonderful Akira Toriyama artwork.
Plenty of filler episodes.
WithoutDragon Ball, the fighting anime genre as we know it today probably wouldn’t exist.
Dragon Ballstarted as a mostly lighthearted take on the ancient Journey to the West.
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It’s fine to joke about Goku and his foes spending entire episodes charging up their ultimate attacks.
Wastes no time getting into the meat of the plot.
Some of the most popular examples includeSword Art OnlineandSpirited Away.
YouTube
It elicits real emotions, specifically anger, in the viewer.
Best Samurai Anime: ‘Samurai Champloo’
Slick visuals.
The plot isn’t terribly exciting.
Funimation
The profanity and violence aren’t for younger viewers.
Studio Ghibli is a master of the genre.
Emotional without being overly saccharine.
Netflix
It’s not available on most streaming services.
It gets the nod because it’s a legitimately good movie.
It’s also rated G, so it’s a great introduction to anime for kids of all ages.
Hulu
Coolest Anime: ‘FLCL’
Funimation
Visually beautiful.
Fewer episodes mean less filler.
The series only got six episodes, but that plays to its benefit.
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Each episode is jam-packed with no sagging in the middle.
The whole thing blasts forward to the tune of a fantastic soundtrack from The Pillows.
One of the best things aboutFLCLis you might binge it in a day without feeling too guilty.
Netflix
It’s a concentrated shot of cool that’s easy to come back to over and over again.
Best Magical Girl Anime: ‘Puella Magi Madoka Magica’
Netflix
Can appeal to adults and teens.
It subverts many genre tropes.
Crunchyroll
Surprisingly emotional at times.
Darker themes might not be suitable for younger viewers.
In the west,Sailor Moonis one well-known example.
Crunchyroll
It delivers an emotional payload that elevates it to a new level.
Best Fantasy Anime: ‘Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood’
A grounded story in a fantastic setting.
A faithful adaptation of the manga.
Crunchyroll
The dark tone may turn off some viewers.
The more contentious issue is whether to chooseFullmetal AlchemistorFullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
For the uninitiated,Fullmetal AlchemistandFullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhoodare based on the same manga.
Crunchyroll
Brotherhoodcame later, and it faithfully adapts the entire manga.
Both have great animation, engaging stories, and fantastic dubs.
ButBrotherhoodis a good choice if you prefer a faster pace, more action, and more humor.
Crunchyroll
The original has an even pace and more drama.
Best Science Fiction Anime: ‘Stein’s; Gate’
A fascinating exploration of time travel.
Steins;Gaterevolves around time travel, but it doesn’t use it as a plot gear.
YouTube
Best Mecha/Giant Robot Anime: ‘Gurren Lagann’
Imaginative and energetic.
Goofy and lovable characters.
Its absurdity isn’t for everyone.
Crunchyroll
Viewers who aren’t into the giant robot anime genre might be turned off by a mecha wearing sunglasses.
Still, what seems like an embarrassing mess works much better than it has any right to.
Gurren Lagannis fun, plus it packs an emotional punch that’s strong enough to pierce the heavens.
Hulu
It’s funny, if a bit bizarre.
It’s only available on one platform.
Rated: TV-14Honorable mentions:Azumanga Daioh,Beck,Hanasaku Iroha,K-On!
Hulu
Slice of life is a genre devoted to the mundane.
If you want a quintessential anime that’s about nothing in particular,Azumanga Daiohmay be your jam.
Anime is known for mixing genres, which is how you get shows likeThe Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Crunchyroll
WhileHaruhiis a slice-of-life anime on a superficial level, there’s a lot more weirdness going on there.
The show elevates itself beyond genre limitations, with elements of mystery and science fiction.
Best Romance Anime: ‘Toradora!’
Filled with over-the-top slapstick and witty dialogue.
Some plot twists can feel cheap.
An observant viewer will figure that out early on.
The story is about the characters growing and learning what love is.
Best Drama Anime: ‘Your Lie in April’
Emotionally manipulative (in a good way).
It sticks the landing.
You might run out of tissues.
What really drives it home and makesYour Lie in Aprilthe best drama anime is the ending.
Instead of petering out, or leaving things hanging, it wraps things up in an emotionally impactful way.
Best Action Anime: ‘Attack on Titan’
Horrifying visuals.
Heavy on plot and character development.
Real stakes for the characters.
The protagonist is arguably the least interesting character.
Not everyone will enjoy its overly bleak tone.
Best Comedy Anime: ‘Gintama’
The dub is legitimately funny.
Absurdist humor and sight gags.
Some jokes may be lost on Western audiences.
The funniest series out there rely on Japanese puns that don’t translate.
A prime example isBobobo-bo Bo-bobo, which Western audiences know for its surrealist, nonsensical humor.
In the original Japanese, the humor was primarily based on puns and double-talk.
Ghost Storyis another example where the humor was introduced almost entirely in the dub.
Gintamastraddles a fine line where some jokes may be lost on Western audiences.
Some of that comes from jokes that land despite the language barrier.
The show also has absurdist humor and sight gags that work regardless of your frame of reference.
Best Sports Anime: ‘Major 2nd’
Spans several seasons, atypical for the genre.
Only Major 2nd is available for streaming.
The genre sometimes resembles fighting anime, with the fights replaced by games.
He grows up over subsequent seasons.
The most recent iteration follows his son’s debut on the baseball diamond.
Best Dubbed Anime: ‘Cowboy Bebop’
Fantastic English voice work.
It’s one of the classics.
Rated: TV-MAHonorable mentions:Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood,Berserk,Baccano!
There is some truth to that, as there are many awful dubs out there.
Still, other shows feature fantastic English voice work.
The best anime dub of all time isCowboy Bebop.
Although the Japanese voice acting is top-notch, the English cast knocks it out of the park.
This is one of the first great anime dubs, coming in a time where most were mediocre.
See you, space cowboy.
Best Dark Anime Series: ‘Death Note’
Interesting premise.
A controversial plot twist might spoil the story for some.
It’s a complicated story that asks tough questions, which resonates with many viewers.
Best Anime Movie: ‘Akira’
Beautiful visuals.
It earns its R rating.
It’s a great movie, full stop.
Best Anime World: ‘One Piece’
Excellent world-building.
Some may find the nonstop mayhem exhausting.
Some interesting fictional worlds have come from anime and manga.
Especially since many anime series do a great job at constructing fictional worlds.
