I haven’t watched a lot of anime recently, but would like to get back in. I need a few recommendations.
Some I enjoy: Cowboy Bebop Berserk 1997 Devilman Crybaby Fullmetal Alchemist, both series Neon Genesis Evangelion Akira Any Studio Ghibli Food Wars (Yes, I love food wars.) Ghost in the Shell
Some I want to watch: Jin Ryo, Wolf Brigade Vinland Saga Vagabond Any classic cyberpunk anime, big fan of those. Tanya the Evil
Well how many niche animes you want ?
- Sidonia no kishi
- Psycho pass
- Welcome to demon highschool, Iruma-kun
- Rosario vampire
- Great teacher onizuka
- Capeta
- Trinity seven
- Hellsing (the classic, but ultimate as well)
- Blade (Marvel anime by studio madhouse)
- Ironman (Also a marvel anime by studio madhouse)
- Samurai champloo
- Ex-Drivers
- Guyver: Bio boosted armour
- Dr.Stone
- Cells at work (As well as Cells at work: Black)
As is customary of older anime, be aware most if not all of these contain any of the following: graphic violence, graphic nudity, high amounts of foul language. In other words, its probably not for your grandma or your living room TV.
Bubblegum Crisis (DO NOT start with Tokyo 2040, start with the original OVA first, it has better aesthetics and art) is always a recommendation from me. Along with the related series Bubblegum Crash, AD Police Files, Parasite Dolls, and A.D. Police: To Protect and Serve.
Armitage III has a cyberpunk aesthetic but on Mars, the story isn’t perfect but it’s interesting enough. The original, not the movie with Kiefer Sutherland which is just the OVAs cut down into a movie.
Dominion Tank Police was a fun series.
Goku Midnight Eye is all attitude and little substance. I really liked it, but don’t watch it expecting an intricate plot. Its just entertainment, not more. But its cool entertainment.
Cyber City Oedo 808 is another one that isnt that deep but oozes pure classic cyberpunkium.
Death Note
Perfect Blue
Paprika
Samurai Champloo
Attack on Titan
Hunter x Hunter (2011)
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro
Monster
Tokyo Godfathers
Your Name
Mushishi
Series, probably to your tastes:
Not sure how you managed to watch only two of the classic big three but you absolutely need to go back and watch the original Trigun if you liked both Cowboy Bebop and Eva. (my rec: dubbed)
Similarly, you’d probably dig both Samurai Champloo and Space Dandy. Both are made by the same guy behind Cowboy Bebop and can kind of be seen as a thematic trilogy of sorts. Do be warned that Space Dandy is a little bit heavier on both the fanservice and nonsensical comedy, tho. (my rec for both: dubbed)
You’d probably enjoy Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit based on your other series. It’s a very down-to-earth tale of a prince saved from a prophecy by a swordsmistress, and it’s a bit of a slow burn but it’s well worth it. (my rec: dubbed)
Kino’s Journey is another one you might like. Similar to Cowboy Bebop it’s so episodic it’s practically slice-of-life but with a throughline of this character and their talking motorcycle going on an adventure through this dark and whimsical world. It’s kind of hard to properly explain without going into the entire plot. (my rec: dubbed)
I’ve never seen Food Wars, but I’ll cautiously recommend Interspecies Reviewers as a raunchy comedy with some actual thought put behind the world. Like, you can absolutely go in just thinking your in for brainless sexy monster girls but you’ll be presented with a world more fully-fleshed out than a vast majority of fantasy anime. (only 1 episode was ever dubbed b/c Funimation are COWARDS)
If I’m reading between the lines correctly and you’re a bit of an older fan who’s had to endure their share of unrewarding jobs, check out Aggretsuko. It’s kinda like if Hello Kitty and The Office had a baby. Aggretsuko is my spirit animal. (my rec: subbed).
Series, my personal faves:
Den-no Coil (I think there’s been multiple romanizations of this title). It’s a supernatural mystery/thriller with a very-near-future cyberpunk coat of paint, aesthetically it’s kind of like a cyber-Mushi-shi, but it shares a lot of the same themes of connection as NGE (my rec: subbed)
Gurren Lagann probably a Gainax classic, full-blown machismo cranked up not just to 11 but to 20, but somehow the plot ramps up in an appreciable way so that when they throw entire galaxies as shurikens by the end it’s not just complete bullshit. (my rec: dubbed)
Interviews with Monster Girls AKA Demi-chan wa Katatirai On the opposite end of the spectrum from Interspecies Reviewers, come for the idea of fun escapades with monster girls in the modern day and instead get some of the kindest, most poignant messages about people with disabilities, neurodivergence, special needs, and PTSD. (my rec: dubbed)
Nichijou Probably THE most well-known gag anime out there, it has an impeccable sense of comedic timing and some of the most well-animated gag shots in anime history. (my rec: subbed)
Movies
You need to go check out Mamoru Hosoda’s films:
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Summer Wars
- Wolf Children
- The Boy and the Beast
- Mirai
- Belle
All of them have great dubs.
Also Satoshi Kon’s works:
- Perfect Blue
- Millennium Actress
- Tokyo Godfathers
- Paprika
I don’t think any of them have dubs
Also watch Redline because it’s fucking gorgeous (dub is good). Also The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl because it’s gorgeously animated* in another way (subbed unless you can keep up with the breakneck pace of the dub).
If you like Ghibli in general then check out both Miss Hokusai and In This Corner of the World. I think two different studios did the both of them but they’re both high-quality in terms of both animation and story.
It’s been so long since I’ve seen someone recommend “Kinos Journey”. I stumbled upon it years ago looking for new anime and never understood why it never got more attention. The ending is a little weird, bit it has some fantastic episodes.
My memory is a little hazy on the details, but I think there was more to the original story (probably a light novel?) that never got adapted, which is why it kind of peters out at the end. It probably doesn’t get much attention the same way Mushi-shi doesn’t – it’s a slow-going show without a clear-cut plot, and that doesn’t appeal to a lot of the folks who watch anime (esp. here in the West).
If I’d ever finished Mushi-shi I’d have probably included that, too, but I’ve had the worst luck watching it just as sites get taken down or I lose internet for a few days and lose all momentum.
While it’s overarching plot is kinda meh, it’s structure felt similar to things like Trigun or Cowboy Bebop (basically a western), which both are fairly well regarded. But to me, the high episodes of Kinos Journey stand out more than any Trigun episodes and are at least on par if not better than many Cowboy Bebop episodes.
I agree with most of this, but the idea of a classic big three is something that only exists in your head. I’d argue Legend of the Galactic Heroes is better than any of those three, and it aired at about the same time.
Mirai and Belle were both pretty mediocre imo.
Perfect Blue wasn’t bad or anything, but it needs a “this movie is generally fucked up” content warning.
Tokyo Godfathers is probably the best Christmas movie in anime.
Summer Wars has kind of a nonsense plot but it’s such an accurate depiction of a family reunion that watching it makes me feel nostalgic anyways.
I have to distinguish “classic” big three because I’m more of an oldtaku and the young’ins these days consider the “big three” to be One Piece, Naruto, and BLEACH. I don’t necessarily mean “classic” here in terms of absolute quality but more “these were the three everyone at the time knew about” – which I know is also subject to region/culture when things like Knights of the Zodiac AKA Caballeros Del Zodiaco would have been THE anime of LatAm around the same time but virtually unknown in the U.S.
The way I see it, Hosoda’s films are a natural progression for anyone who likes Ghibli films, which I probably should have included in the post but it was already growing overly long. Low-key agree with you on Mirai and Belle but I’d say they’re still worth a watch. Also Summer Wars makes a lot more sense if you’re familiar with Digimon, as it’s just the Our War Game OVA extended out to a full movie.
Kinda fair wrt Perfect Blue, I’m used to its reputation preceding it. Generally all of Kon’s works are “kinda fucked up” tho; actual adult material (and not just gritty or overly-sexualized) that draws people to them.
Just stopping by to confirm there’s a lot of good stuff in this post.
I’m gonna tack on CITY to this list (if you enjoyed nichijou or if you like extremely well animated and produced anime) and also One Punch Man, but really only the first season.
I haven’t seen OPM yet, it’s been on my radar but I’ve been working on clearing things off my old personal list before adding more to it.
CITY I’ve only recently heard of but I keep seeing it brought up in relation to Nichijou so I’ll need to check it out eventually.
Tenmaku no Jaadugar. Seriously go watch it right now, it’s a fictionalized biography about a (real, she has a Wikipedia page) Persian woman who gets forcibly taken to Mongolia during the Mongol conquests of the early 13th century. I could technically describe it as a court drama, but it’s much more human than that.
Selling points:
-Nuanced and human takes on difficult topics like slavery and conquest; it has a way of making you have strong mixed feelings (in a good way) about characters who would be either whitewashed or made comically evil in lesser works. This extends to the court politics, and you get to see the human motivation behind what everybody is doing. -An impressive depiction of the emotional struggles of the protagonist trying to process a new and difficult situation; you really feel the confusion she has about what she’s supposed to feel alongside her conviction. -A whole cast of realistic, strong and independent female characters. Helped partially by the setting (Mongolia was somewhat egalitarian for the time period), you get a feel of how they’d act to get their way in a position where they for the most part have little formal authority. -A wonderfully historical depiction of, well, basically everything. The author has clearly done their research, making it alongside everything else a very informative experience about how the Mongols of that period actually lived. This also gives grounding that makes everything else hit that much harder.
If you like it, you should then try Apothecary Diaries and Orb: On the Movement of the Earth, which are both amazing recent additions to the historical fiction genre, though they both take more liberties than Jaadugar.
Okay obligatory shilling over. There’s actually an ongoing faithful anime series adaptation of the Ghost in the Shell manga, so you should probably watch that if you aren’t already. There’s also an ongoing adaptation of a manga by the author of Full Metal Alchemist, so ditto for that. They’re respectively The Ghost in the Shell and Daemons of the Shadow Realm.
Now for more shilling: I haven’t actually watched to completion any of the stuff you listed (currently keeping up with Ghost in the Shell) so I can’t give informed recommendations, but if you like comedy you can’t go wrong with Asobi Asobase, Hinamatsuri and 'Tis Time for Torture, Princess.
Dungeon Meshi? Oddly hits me like FMA - a lot of jokes, but the creator had serious things to say. The emphasis is on food and cooking in Dungeon Meshi, though. The manga is complete and the anime isn’t.
Steins; Gate is an absolute classic
Yes, though I feel like I unfortunately need to attach a warning: it’s really slow for the entire first half of the show. When it picks up it really picks up though!
It lulls you into a false sense of safety and normalcy and then it goes nuts.
Pretty similar to my early likes, so big hits over the last few years:
- Solo leveling
- kaijuu no8
- Demon Slayer
- Clevatess
- Nippon sangoku
- tetsunabe Jan
- Dungeon Meshi
- Jujutsu Kaisen
- Yuusha Kei no shisu
- Shangri-lah Frontier
- Sosu no Frieren
- Dan da Dan
- Mushoku Tensei
Clevatess was a surprisingly good dark fantasy that is new. One season out, second one in the works.
Takes a couple episodes to break out of the generic fantasy route. Also doesn’t get dark dark… some of the recommendations are total mind fucks and should have disclaimers, jfc.
Have you seen Sentenced to be a Hero ? I watched it before Clevatess and the latter felt a little redundant and the characters less endearing. I stopped after 4 or 5 episodes, should I continue ?
I think season 1 of Clevatess was better than season 1 of Sentenced to Be a Hero, but Clevatess fell off a little in season 2 imo and I only watched the first couple hours of Sentenced so maybe it got better than what I saw.
so maybe it got better than what I saw.
Not really, the mineshaft episode is pretty much where you can decide if you like it or not. The narrative keeps progressing at a good pace without losing focus, the stakes are hinted to keep the viewers interested and there is no filler content. It is not outstanding but it has no flaws either. I liked that the characters are not op (in comparison to their enemies) and have some depth. And there is no fan service which is refreshing.
I’ll put it in my queue!
- A Silent Voice (Drama)
- Akane-Banashi (Drama)
- Apocalypse Hotel (Comedy/Sci-Fi)
- The Apothecary Diaries (Drama/Mystery)
- Bocchi the Rock! (Comedy)
- City: The Animation (Comedy)
- Dungeon Meshi (Fantasy/Comedy)
- Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Fantasy)
- Horimiya (Romance)
- Kaguya-Sama: Love is War (Comedy/Romance)
- Kaiji (Drama)
- Little Witch Academia (Fantasy)
- Look Back (Drama)
- Spy x Family (Comedy)
- Violet Evergarden (Drama) (note: watch the original series only, skip the movie)
- Witch Hat Atelier (Fantasy)
- You and I are Polar Opposites (Romance)
I’m here to 2nd Frieren. It starts slow just slice of life with tons of emotions. Eventually you realize it can be badass when it wants to be, then it goes back to being super wholesome lol. My favorite show ever, 11/10
Since you enjoyed Ghost in the Shell, I’d recommend giving the new The Ghost in the Shell TV show a try. It preserves the sometimes-goofy, sometimes-serious feeling of the original manga, and it’s quickly become my favorite adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell. Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex is also quite good if you want just the serious feel, but I personally think the humor in the new one works really well. Crazy that a few decades ago the best new cyberpunk anime was Ghost in the Shell, and now in 2026 the best new cyberpunk anime is once again The Ghost in the Shell. I wonder if cyberpunk is just too close to reality to be enjoyable these days.
The writer of Fullmetal Alchemist also has a new anime based on her work coming out, called Daemons of the Shadow Realm. It’s another action-adventure thing, and I’ve been enjoying it quite a lot.
Honestly there’s been tons of great stuff coming out these past year. If I just listed out everything I’d recommend from the past few years I’d be here all day typing, but if there’s a genre that you’re looking for (that isn’t cyberpunk unfortunately) there’s probably been good anime made for it recently.
Baccano - 1930s style gangsters but add in alchemy. One of my all time favourites.
All-time classic for sure
We must be from the same era. Don’t sleep on Wolf Brigade, it’s worth it.
I also haven’t kept up with the newer stuff though I did watch a season of a show called Dr. Stone I really liked.
Lain.
Death Note.
Attack on Titan.
Code Geass was really good.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was fantastic.
Love Death + Robots isn’t strictly Anime but it’s a great animated series.
I see it on others comments but another vote for Demon Slayer.
