10 Things For Someone Who Doesn’t Watch Anime

Anime isn’t as different as it seems.

We all know what animation is, for we have grown up watching Disney and Cartoon Network. Another form of animation has gained a lot of popularity originated from Japan called Anime which is often characterised with vibrant characters, colourful graphics and fantasy themes. There are so many things, thoughts, emotions which can only be expressed through animation and you cannot really visualise them in live-action movies or series.

If you watch Game of Thrones or are used to binge-watching TV series in general, we have some news for you. Anime can be so engaging and oh-I-forgot-to-eat-and-sleep kind of gripping that you never imagined.

Today, we will tell you some aspects of anime and the things they signify which you might not have thought existed.

Adventure & journey of life from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is not exactly an anime but is an American animated TV series. It’s a very good stepping stone in the world of animated TV series. It is based on an Asiatic-like world, and the main characters excel at using powers by being able to manipulate the classical elements — Earth, Water, Air & Fire. These elements can be moved using psychokinetic variants of the Chinese Martial arts known as ‘bending’. The protagonist Aang travels around the world along with his friends and a flying bison (Appa).

Dreams & passion from Naruto.

Naruto is a Japanese anime, probably one of the most famous ones all over the world. It is the story of Naruto Uzumaki who is an adolescent ninja wanting to be the leader of the village — Hokage to gain recognition and fight loneliness. It has some awesome powers, tailed beasts, and an amazing story-line. It tells you the tales of friendships, loyalty, loneliness, and revenge. Sometimes it is dragged, but that happens in a lot of series (animated or otherwise). The next part in the series is called Naruto Shippudenwhere the characters are grown up and continue their journey.

PS — Be wary of the fillers, just hold on for the first 15 episodes and then it won’t disappoint you!

Friendship & loyalty from One Piece.

One Piece is another anime which is the most famous one in Japan & many other countries. It is the story of Monkey D. Luffy who is a pirate and has special powers after eating a Devil Fruit which enables his body to stretch like rubber. His ultimate aim is to find the ultimate treasure called One Piece and become the Pirate King. On the way, he gathers a crew (Nakama) — some have special powers like him, and some are just skilled at other things. The various story arcs, in the beginning, show the character development of the crew and get very emotional at times. But once the characters are in shape, the story-line takes a jump and becomes very exciting. It has emotions, humor, passion, and story.

You have to have free time and be patient though as it has over 15 seasons.

Strategy & mystery from Death Note.

Death Note is one short anime with 37 episodes and is of the fantasy & mystery genre. It follows the story of Light Yagami, a seemingly perfect high school student who once stumbles across a supernatural notebook called Death Note. This book was the property of a Death God (Shinigami) called Ryuk who dropped it in the human world primarily because he was bored & wanted some entertainment. The notebook grants its user the ability to kill anyone whose name and face s/he knows. While Light finds it, he starts killing off the bad people to cleanse the world and is then followed by a mysterious detective called ‘L’. The story gets very interesting as Light (known by the alias Kira) tries to justify how he is right and keeps escaping the police. But for how long?

Sports & comedy-drama from Kuroko No Basuke.

Kuroko No Basuke or Kuroko’s basketball is a sports manga (Japanese comic books) and which was later adapted into an anime. Anime are usually adapted from the Manga itself of the same name. In the story, Tetsuya Kuroko is a basketball player with a very little presence. He was a team member of the ‘Generation of Miracles’, which was an amazing team winning all the middle school leagues and bringing their school to the top in Japan. Kuroko, now in a different school joins the basketball team again and helps Taiga Kagamiface all his former teammates who are now at different schools and still among the highest ranked players.

Superhero action & satire of One Punch Man.

One Punch Man is an ongoing Japanese superhero comic and anime which has gained a lot of popularity in recent times. It’s based on another Earth-like planet which has a series of strange monsters and super-villains who mysteriously appear and cause havoc. Saitama is a hero who counters them and just became one for the heck of it. He defeats every villain with one punch, and that’s how he got the name One Punch Man. He got bored with his super-human power and only gets excited when he is facing strong opponents. It is a light satirical anime which makes fun of a lot of superhero and action anime.

Post-Apocalyptic of action on a dark fantasy of Attack on Titan.

Attack on Titan is a relatively dark anime having post-apocalyptic genre and is a bit gory. It is set in a world where humanity has been shunned behind enormous walls and are living in the constant fear of Titans, gigantic humanoids which eat humans like preys. It revolves around Eren Yeager, Misaka Ackerman and Armin Arlert who join the military to fight the Titans. The story gets interesting with a twist which suddenly makes them think that there might be a connection between humans and titans.

Innocence & adventure in Hunter X Hunter.

Hunter X Hunter is another anime which revolves around the life of young boy, Gon Freecss, and his friends, Killua Zoldyck, Kurapika Kurta & Leorio Paradinight. Gon just gets to know that his father is not dead as he was told when he was a kid and is a world-renowned Hunter — licensed elite professional who go on treasure hunting, explore undiscovered enclaves, hunt down law-less individuals, etc. He meets his friends during the rigorous hunter exam and they continue their journey together thereafter.

Innocence & powers from Dragon Ball

Dragon ball is probably one of the most famous anime series which is well known even among those who don’t watch anime. It has inspired many artists and Manga writers. The story plot has been divided in many sequences namely Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Z Kai & Dragon Ball Super. It follows the adventures of the protagonist, Son Goku, who trains & practices martial arts and searches for the seven dragon balls which summon a wish-granting dragon once gathered.

Gore & intellect in Parasyte.

Parasyte: The Maxim (Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu) is an anime of psychological thriller & science fiction genre. It is based on the story of a 17-year-old student, Shinichi Izumi living in Tokyo. When alien creatures called Parasytes start attacking & invading humans, Shinichi is also infested by one, that is contained in his right arm. Since he is still a conscious human, he is targeted by the other Parasytes. The story proceeds with how Shinichi struggles to retain his own senses as well as defend humanity from this attack. It is a bit gory and can be terrifying when you imagine the possibilities but that’s what anime is for, right?