Bradley ranks top Anime to add to your watchlist

by Ian McCormick

Staff Writer

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.

An image displaying various show franchises previews the wide abundance of choices when looking for anime to watch. Photo by Dex Ezekiel on Unsplash.

In the modern world of media there’s a wide abundance of choices when looking for a source of entertainment to quench boredom. In this sea of choices most will come across the opportunity to browse into the world of anime. Anime is what many would consider an acquired taste, however, most who give it a chance don’t come away disappointed. Although most anima is a good time or at least mildly entertaining at its core, in the search to find its hidden treasures most who come across it have to first sift through a lot of trash. So whether new to anime entirely or looking for a new watch after sifting through the trash for a while, why not skip to the good part and count down Bradley’s top three picks for their anime watchlist.

1: Death Note

Death Note is a fantastic anime for those looking for the crime drama feel. Due to a huge part of the show following a detective and his work viewers get to feel as if they are watching a dramatic crime show. Zarius Overstreet (10) states, “it’s also a good anime for those into horror, you may enjoy it if you are a big horror fan.” The main story of the anime follows a morally flawed college attendee who stumbles across a mysterious notebook that came from the Shinigami (Japanese god of death) realm. Using the notebook the main character, Light Yagami, decides to take the law into his own hands, killing criminals he sees unjust one by one. Eventually a detective picks up the case on the mysterious killings. The show soon thereafter becomes a race against the clock for the protagonist as he hurries to find the identity of this detective and kill him before he is put behind bars. The thrilling story and many plot twists makes this an amazing show even for those who might not typically enjoy anime.

2: Yu Yu Hakusho

Yu Yu Hakusho is one of the older anime of the shonen genre originally airing in the year 1992. This means it out-dates that of some of the widely known anime like One Piece and Naruto. French teacher Mr. Howard sums up the anime’s achievements nicely, explaining “While the show is not the first of its kind, it is reputed for achieving a balance of intense action, quality world building, interesting character development, and compelling narrative.” The show's plot follows a young man by the name of Yusuke Urimeshi who dies saving a child who was going to be hit by a car. After death, the protagonist ends up in the spirit world where he is given a choice between death or a second chance at life, however this second chance comes with a cost. If he takes the second chance he has to become in Mr. Howard’s words, the “Earth’s next spirit detective. While acting in this role, Yusuke is charged with battling spirits, demons, and other monsters in order to protect both Earth and the spirit world.” If new to anime entirely, this show might be a lot to start with, however if an avid consumer of shonen for a while it’s a great show and definitely worth giving a try.

3: One Punch Man

One Punch Man is a great show for almost every audience even if potentially new to anime. Whether someone is looking for action, comedy, relatable characters, or well written world building, this series has it all. In the areas of the show’s success Jorge Morales (10) notes, “the thing that makes it interesting is that it’s more of a comedy, but it’s still full of action and suspense.” The show's plot follows a man living in a society of superheroes where he endlessly searches for someone who can prove to be a real opponent. However, there’s a catch; as the show's title might have given it away, the man defeats everyone he fights with just a single punch, leaving him in a comically depressed state of boredom. In case you’re concerned, the show is still able to keep its audience on their feet with well thought out fights and great character development. This is due to the fact there are multiple other super heroes not nearly as strong as the main character. Additionally as previously stated this is an amazing place to start for people new to anime because it's everything a well written show needs to keep viewers coming back for more.

In the end, there’s a ton of anime out there worth watching and these are only a few of them. Some anime are very clearly better than others as is the case in most media someone may come across on a day to day basis. These three are the ones many at Bradley have pointed out as enjoyable and worth watching. Although listed by number, they are in no specific order meaning one is not necessarily better than another. So once again, whether new to anime or not, or looking for a watch somewhat different from the norm, these are highly recommended shows worth taking a look at.