Mainly from Japan and popularised in Japan, anime is a special genre of animation that mostly adapts Japanese comics named ‘manga,’ Japanese ‘soft’ novels for young adults, and video games. Unlike other American animation typically targeted towards general demographics, such as SpongeBob SquarePants and The Simpsons, anime is a platform in which primarily Japanese writers may say an infinite variety of stories unique to audiences of all cultures, ages and backgrounds. From Studio Ghibli’s enduring film masterpiece Spirited Away (2001) to Sunrise Inc.’s thriving western sci-fi drama Cowboy Bebop (1998-99), anime has everything for all.
Although many fans like to see anime spoken in their original Japanese language with subtitles in their native language, some have gotten accustomed to seeing anime doubling in their native language (dubbing). Unfortunately, Japanese doubling does not often correctly represent Japanese doubling in terms of dialogue alterations and musical substitutions; nevertheless, we always have a closer bond to the characters on the screen because we can grasp what they mean when communicating in English. With that said, here are some of best top animated TV series, at least the most favourite, with some honourable mentions.
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
Food Wars! Soma is brilliantly strange and exquisitely executed. Food Wars centres for teenage student Soma Yukihira, an incredibly talented chef who has collaborated alongside his father at the Yukihira Restaurant for much of his life. Soma soon qualified for and moved to Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute, an elite culinary high school based in Tokyo, Japan, with a graduation rate of just 10%. Upon her defiant entrance, Soma quickly realised that the school was full of other extremely talented chefs who had their own ambitions and goals.
The zeal of these chefs is vividly demonstrated by their numerous squad drills, as well as the individual tasks of their mentors. These tasks also contribute to intense contests between students, often organised in “food fighting” competitions, where students must produce high-quality dishes using pre-set criteria under the responsibility of multiple judges. While at times it is unnecessarily sexy and outright stupid, the amazing abilities, as well as the engaging personalities of the on-screen chefs and the exquisite appeal of their phenomenal dishes, help hold a sharp attention on the plot.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
While it was serialised as a manga from 2016 to 2020, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba or “Blade of Demon Destruction” was not translated to the complete anime until 2019. Since then, the franchise has exploded in popularity, particularly in Japan, where the sequel Cinematography of the movie, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Train (2020), has been the top grossing film of all time, hitting the previous milestone, Spirited Away. Situated in Taishō-Era, Japan (1912-1926), the brothers Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado reside happily with their families before their house is violently destroyed by an unseen ghost.
Tanjiro and Nezuko’s other siblings and mother are killed in a shocking assault, while Nezuko is somehow turned into a bloodthirsty monster. Tanjiro promises to locate the demon responsible for the murder of his kin and to regain Nezuko’s humanity, an oath that ends up bringing the brothers to a centuries-long war between demons and humans in the underground body of the Demon Slayer.
The excellent graphics and incredible performances of the voice actors contribute enormously to the huge popularity of the anime; yet the emotional resonance between Tanjiro and the other protagonists, both noble and criminal, is what sets Demon Slayer apart from the other anime.
Hellsing Ultimate
The spiritual sequel to Bram Stoker’s historical novel Dracula (1897), Hellsing Ultimate is an ultra-violent affair, based on hostile methods by humans who dare to exploit vampires and other creatures through their own sinister means. Inspired
by Abraham Van Helsing’s Royal Order of Protestant Knights, the Hellsing Organization is now headed by Sir Integra Fair Brook Wingate’s Hellsing and has been charged with quietly removing supernatural threats to England.
After his loss at the hands of Helsing 100 years ago, the original and most influential vampire, Alucard, was swore forever to represent the Hellsing family and is now used as an instrument for the extinction of Hellsing’s darkness. Meanwhile, the Vatican Catholic Section XIII, also recognised as the Iscariot Organization, condemns Hellsing’s Protestant views as well as his impious usage of Alucard, which he considers to be harmful to mankind. Millennium, a party that seeks to restore Nazi Germany, is in the midst of these two competing groups.
The bloody conflicts between these three organisations are disastrous, resulting in one of the most chaotic wars in the entire anime. Nothing will brace you for the merciless and optimistic tale of Hellsing Ultimate, the re-launch of the first Hellsing TV series (2001-2002) that this time more strictly adapts the manga of author Kouta Hirona. The bleak and moody surroundings and the uplifting personality of the protagonists, including Integra and Alucard, elevate this tried and tested tale about humans versus vampires to new heights.
Attack on Titan
Though Hellsing Ultimate is basking in the horror created by its creatures, Attack on Titan tells a heroic storey of human courage in the face of terrific monsters. These beasts, known as “Titans,” are huge, mindless humanoid beings with a man’s uncontrollable hunger. The last of mankind is inside three huge concrete barriers, free from the titanic onslaught of 100 years ago. Life inside the walls is sad, but comparatively quiet, that is, before the towering Colossal Titan and the devastating armoured Titan assault the town of Shiganshina, situated just within the third outer wall, Wall Maria.
The astounding attack exposes the whole city to the gruesome destruction of the other Titans, one of whom devours the mother of a teenage boy called Eren Yaeger, who soon threatens vengeance on all the Titans. Along with their adopted sister, Mikasa Ackerman, and their best friend, Armin Arlert, the trio ultimately enrolled in the army of their nation to uncover the roots and intentions of the Titans, as well as what lies within the Walls in which they spent their whole lives.
Attack on Titan’s vast popularity is its innate tendency to instil sympathy with its different protagonists when working hard for their respective ambitions, only for audiences to see these characters as they are ripped away from them, in Game of Thrones (2011-2019). The sheer veracity of characters like Eren and their extraordinary determination to do what needs to be accomplished in the face of despair is vividly illustrated, particularly when the stakes are raised in the Titan Attack.
Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter, a colourful and quirky action-adventure anime with repeated themes of development and friendship at its heart, is a breathtaking television series that marvellously combines the wonders of its universe with the risks of those that inhabit it. The series follows a 12-year-old son, Gon Freecss, who discovers that his father is still alive and acts as an experienced hunter; licenced elite representatives of society, underground treasure hunters, uncommon beasts or even other entities, and who have access to unique knowledge and locations in the universe that average citizens do not have.
Gon is motivated by his father’s achievements and, as part of his quest to sit the hunter’s test, Gon encounters numerous people, such as Killua Zoldyck, Kurapika Kurta, Leorio Paradinight, and Hisoka Morow, who are of concern to him, and scares him beyond all forms of imagination.
This revival of the 1999-2001 television series of the same name and the subsequent 2002-2004 original video animated series (OVA) contains outstanding animation and newly adapted material from the replayed and replayed manga written by Yoshihiro Togashi.
Although in almost 150 seasons, Hunter x Hunter retains a special degree of brilliance for each new storey, since he is always able to take huge chances with his beloved characters while telling meaningful tales.
Assassination Classroom
Despite a controversial title, the Assassination Classroom is an incredibly romantic coming-of-age tale that takes place in the heartfelt friendship that has formed between a community of high school students and their scandalous instructor. The series stares at an apparently unstoppable tentacle monster who unexpectedly kills more than half of the Earth’s moon, attempting to kill the world itself until the Japanese government permits it to educate a community of failed students in the classroom. 3-E at Kungigaoko High School.
The creature often determines that students only have one school year to defeat it, otherwise that the creature will fulfil its vow to consume the Earth. Without any other immediate alternative, the government embraces the ludicrous demands of the species and agrees to give $100 million to anyone who succeeds in killing the creature, whether a student or not.
This mysterious creature, dubbed “Koro-Sensei” or “Invincible Teacher,” unexpectedly urges his students to boost their academic success whilst being lethal assassins who might potentially destroy him. Memorable characters and emotional bonds bind this wild tale to the surprising and exceptional.
Dragon Ball Z
A sequel to the Dragon Ball (1986-1989) anime, Dragon Ball Z is perhaps the most popular animated television series of all time. Although the plot of Dragon Ball Manga creator Akira Toriyama did not originally split the tales of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, the anime producers opted to name the series a sequel to Dragon. Ball Z, once the main character of the show, Goku, had moved from becoming an infant to being an adult with his own family, which inevitably led to a change of mood.
From the conquest of the alien “saiyan” species to the quest for the Dragon Balls on the planet Namek, the return to Earth against the Androids and finally the encounter with the evil entity Majin Buu, Dragon Ball Z is a timeless series that has produced several of the anime tropes since its first broadcast on Japanese television in 1989 over its amazing seven years in 1996.
Despite the overabundance of filler material not present in the initial manga, fans have been involved in thrilling action, legendary personalities, incredible scenes, and the enchanting Dragon Ball Z score for over 30 years, which has spawned more than 20 films and 2 sequel seasons, Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super. From Super Saiyan and beyond, Dragon Ball Z is a must-have anime fan series.
Yu Yu Hakusho
Often missed, but never fully ignored, Yu Yu Hakusho walks a fine line to confidently retain an extraordinary degree of imagination when telling a simple, but undeniably thrilling, action-adventure tale about the physical trials and mental wellbeing of a 14-year-old criminal, Yusuke Urameshi. Through protecting a child’s life at the cost of his own, Yusuke shocks the spirit world with his selfless devotion and tries to take his life back before he is eventually called the Spirit Realm Detective.
This appointment takes him down the course of numerous inquiries that frequently obscure the lines between humans and monsters. Although Yu Yu Hakusho’s manga predates Yoshihiro Togashi’s later manga for Hunter x Hunter, he overtakes the latter in drama and suspense on many occasions without becoming too centred. Inspired by identifiable heroes and formidable antagonists, Yu Yu Hakusho captures the unconventional essence of the anime itself with many interesting emotions and disputes.
