Anime Recommendations

Today, I'm hitting you with a pretty basic post, much like last week. This week has been a pretty busy one for me, so I haven't had much time for brainstorming post ideas.

I was recommended by a few teens to start an anime club, so what better post could I do this week than one related to anime?!

Before I get into it at all, I'll be using the terms shoujo and shounen to describe the styles. In short, shoujo is more girly, has good comedy and, typically, a love story. Shounen is a term for anything aimed at younger males and tends to be more about fights, robots, etc.

Also, please note that I believe these can all be found on CrunchyRoll (legally free anime website yay!), but I don't really remember off hand. :D You're welcome.

(in no particular order)

1. RWBY

This is such a short series and it almost pulled a Firefly on us. Basically, the creator died suddenly after season 2 and no one had picked it up immediately, so most fans were concerned there would never be more. Thankfully, it was picked up and season 3 started October 24th!

The animation is a bit unique and not your typical style for modern anime and the main characters may be girls, but it's action packed enough to fit in both shoujo and shounen genres, if you ask me.

So if you like fights, ridiculously cool weapons and relatable characters, check out RWBY for sure.

2. Fruits Basket

This is actually a classic. As in, if you like shoujo at all, you should see this right this second. Like seriously, go now. If you aren't into shoujo, you should still try and watch it because, romance aside, it's absolutely hilarious. The one character, Shigure, makes me laugh so hard every time I watch the series that I'm practically sobbing. The downside with the anime is that it isn't nearly as long as the manga and ends on a really weird note. I always said it was because they ran out of funding so they never finished the anime series and left it awkwardly.

Regardless of that, it's totally awesome. I find the story to be pretty unique, as it deals with the Chinese zodiac and the stories associated with that, linked with real life situations. Plus, there's cats. Lots of cats!

3. Sword Art Online

This is really popular right now and, I have to admit, I'm not really sold on it, but those around my adore it, so it must be amazing just not my style.

From what I've seen, heard and read, the premise is that people are getting trapped in a virtual reality MMORGP. For you non-gamers, real people are getting trapped in a video game as their characters and they can't escape. There's lots of fighting, battles and a love story.

Here's the kicker--if you die in the virtual world, you die in real life. So you can imagine it's pretty intense--Walking Dead intense at times, if you ask me.

The characters are all designed well and it's a longer series, for those with time looking for something new.

4. My Love Story!!

LET'S NOT EVEN TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS SERIES. My best friend recommended it to me, because we tend to like the same anime. We're both big fans of Ouran High School Host Club, Fruits Basket, Lucky Star, etc.

It's truly a comedy. There is, obviously, a love story and there's awesome friendships and some heartfelt moments, but it's a comedy. The main character is this "scary" high school boy that everyone is afraid of, except this tiny and adorable high school girl from another school. They get into a relationship and everyone is so shocked because they're so different. Both characters are sweet and adorable, but still funny.

There's also the main character's best friend, who is quiet and hardly says a word but still manages to be amusing, as well as an array of other random minor characters.

There isn't exactly a main plot line--it's certainly a typical high school plot series, where it's just their daily lives together, but it's incredibly enjoyable. Bonus? It's still a new series so it's constantly continuing. Much yay such wow.

5. Attack on Titan

Last but not least, I thought I'd put in another one I'm not super familiar with, but one that is huge right now--especially in Japan.

I have to be honest, I googled a summary of this series I know so little about it. I tend to stay away from anything that's a fad, and this is definitely one I've stayed away from for that exact reason. If you ever go to anime cons, you'll see like a bajillion and one people cosplaying from this series.

To cut this summary short, because I think it's a pretty intense show from what I've heard from my friends, it's sort of a dystopian world where humans live inside gated communities to stay safe from titans, aka huge human like beings that have exposed muscles and eat humans for no reason.

There's lots of fighting, relationships, and a huge fandom to boot. It's another new series, so it's still continuing, and I know a lot of folks who will stay up super late when the new chapter is released and some people have even taught themselves enough Japanese to translate it when that happens. This isn't really my cup of tea (see me in two years when the fad has ended, I start watching it and become obsessed like I did with Doctor Who), but it seems exciting for those who like action!

BONUS: Love Live! School Idol Project

This is probably one of my favorites right now, despite the fact that I have yet to finish season 2. I'm really only putting this here because I'm obsessed with Japanese pop music and idols any ways, so this anime is everything I needed. Also, all the voice actresses do live stage performances where they sing and dance how their cartoon counterparts do in the show. I love that. I'm not going to say too much more, but if you like the ultra girls, watch this. There's also a super addictive phone app by the same title that's a rhythm game using the music by this group of ladies.

JUST LOOK AT THEM. I want to be their sister so badly they're so cute.

What series are you currently into? Have you seen any of these? If so, what did you think of them?