Top 10 Starter Anime to Binge-Watch

Tah'niyah Jackson, Staff Reporter

From the mind-blowing, suspenseful, mysterious, to action, or thriller, there is an anime for everyone and any moment. Every one of these anime has a certain allure to them, whether it be the main character’s tenacity or just the mind-blowing plot and storyline. Most of these anime shows can be found on either Netflix or Crunchyroll, but a few are on Funimation. Crunchyroll is free unless you want to get the premium version which is $7.99 a month. This is also the same price for a basic Funimation subscription. Funimation is also free with a Hulu subscription. These are my top 10 anime to binge-watch.

 

10 – “Kakegurui-Compulsive Gambler”

This show is amazing, starting with Yumeko Jabami’s grand entrance to Hyakkaou Private Academy. At this school, everything is a gamble, and the rules of the gamble are the law. Yumeko is a compulsive gambler and is willing to put her social standing, money, and even her limbs on the line for a good gamble. You can watch Yumeko make some of the craziest deals in which the risk is way greater than the reward, and she is willing to accept any challenge. When I finished the first episode, I was rushing to get to the next so I could find out how Yumeko would deal with the consequences of her gambles. Both seasons of this show are on Netflix, available as both dubbed and subtitled.

 

9 – “The Promised Neverland”

This show draws lots of emotions. Its plot centers on 3 orphans -Emma, Norman, and Ray- trying to get themselves and their siblings out of the ‘orphanage,’ they’ve lived in their whole lives. This show starts off very cute but gets dark very quickly. The house mother is a farmer of sorts, and the orphans are the cattle. The lies the children have been told, and why they were even born, is all so they could be fed to monsters. I legitimately cried so many times, and could not stop yelling at my tv for the characters to stop making irrational decisions. The show is definitely worth the watch and it’s dubbed on Netflix.

 

8 – “Sword Art Online” (SAO)-

“SAO” is about a video game inside which thousands of people get stuck. The beginning of this series progresses rather slowly, but it has its moments of impact. While the conscious of the players are inside the game, their bodies in the real world are connected to nerve gear that will kill them if anyone tries to take them out of the game. Kirito, the protagonist in this show, has game, to use another form of the word. He has almost every female character he meets fall in love with him, which is kind of bizarre, but it is even crazier because he doesn’t even notice, as he is head over heels for Asuna, the secondary main character of the show. Asuna is Kirito’s wife in the game and the person who helps him survive in “SAO”. The show primarily follows Kirito and Asuna around the game and their struggles to beat it in hopes they could meet each other in the real world. This show is great and can be watched on Netflix along with another show Named “Gun Gale Online” which is just “SAO” Part 2.

 

7 – “Haikyuu!!”

“Haikyuu!!” is a volleyball anime, and while you may not watch sports, this anime doesn’t require you to understand how to play volleyball; all you have to do is sit back and watch the boys do their thing. While the show does use a few terms you may not understand on your own, it does explain those terms so you can follow along.  Hinata Shoyo and Kageyama Tobio are the power duo in the show with their ‘Quick Attack.’ Hinata is small but you should NEVER underestimate him, and Kageyama could easily become one of the best setters in the show.. This drama gets very competitive, but the show is also very funny. All of the aired seasons are on Crunchyroll.

 

6 – “My Hero Academia”

While I do love this show, I also think it is a little overrated. While it still makes the top 10, many people will probably argue it needs to be #1, but there are at least five other animes that are better. Izuku Midoriya (Deku) is just so determined to become the #1 hero and prove to his childhood ‘friend,’ (or bully, depending on how you look at their relationship) Katsuki Bakugou (Kacchan) that he wasn’t useless or helpless. There’s lots of action and fight scenes between the students of class 1A and grown super villains. So on top of trying to become professional heroes and manage their quirks, they have to fight bad guys. The show can be a bit repetitive about Kacchan’s feelings towards Deku, and you’ll probably want to physically harm Kacchan. To show does eventually allow some character development between the boys, and overall the show is really good. I watched this one on Crunchyroll, which has all the episodes that have been aired.

 

5 – “The Millionaire Detective: Balance Unlimited”

I absolutely adored this show, from the intro music all the way until you see how much  Daisuke Kambe spends by the time the show ends. The show focuses on two detectives, Daisuke Kambe and Haru Kato. Kato has been a detective for years and had been through intensive training, and Kambe was a bored rich man who wanted something to do during the day. Daisuke Kambe is my favorite character in the show because he is just super sassy, classy, and aloof.  Kato, on the other hand, is more compulsive and fast-acting. They are polar opposites but they always have the same goal in mind, regardless of their reasoning. This show was really fun to watch, and it is easy to follow. The first few cases are to show you how Kambe’s money works wonders, and you finally get an idea of how powerful Kambe is. The show overall was very interesting, and I will definitely continue to watch it, but I’ve only been able to find it on Funimation. 

 

4 – “HunterxHunter”

If you’re a fellow anime lover and you haven’t watched this yet, you’re missing out. This anime is mainly about two young boys named Gon and Killua. Gon is a 12-year-old boy who will do anything to meet his dad, even risk his life. Killua is also 12, but his life is a lot different than Gon’s. Killua is a trained assassin and his family’s best prodigy. Originally Killua has no reason to be with Gon other than not being at home. There’s a lot of action and adventure in the show. So if you’re looking for an upbeat, exciting, action-packed anime, this one should be on your list for sure. You can watch “HunterxHunter” on Netflix or Crunchyroll.

 

3 – “Attack on Titan”

This show was very dark, and action-packed. In a world full of danger and fear a certain scout regime tries to protect the last remnants of mankind. This was one of the first anime I’ve watched and it’s one of the reasons I fell in love with anime. There are so many twists and turns in this show.  I was always waiting for something to happen, for someone to die, or a Titan to attack. The show would speed up out of nowhere, then slow back down into a decent pace that makes you want more. There’s plenty of fighting, betrayal, and very sad moments. I absolutely loved this anime, and the main 3 characters have the closest bonds in the show and it’s nice to have some regularity in a show with so many off guard moments. Overall I love this anime and it was convenient for it to be on Netflix. 

 

2 – “Tokyo Ghoul”

“Tokyo Ghoul” is also a dark anime, but it has been very popular for a long time. This was the first anime I’ve watched and it’s what started my love of anime. The way the ghouls had to deal with their version of everyday life and the way they were treated was so unfair. I understand that ghouls are very dangerous to humans, but there are ways that they could have worked together. Even so, this conflict between the humans at the CCG (Commission of Counter Ghoul) and the Ghouls is what makes the show so thrilling. The main character Ken Keneki goes through a lot in the show and he eventually breaks due to all of the stress. Watching him and the other ghouls fight just to live a normal life is compelling. All of the fight scenes and even the calmer scenes provided depth to the show. Almost every movement the characters make affects the plot in one way or another. This show is one of my favorites, and it’s free on Crunchyroll, or you can watch it on Funimation.

 

1 – “Death Note”

Coming in at number one is the most nail-biting, anxiety-inducing, suspenseful anime I’ve ever watched. This show had me on the edge of my bed anxiously awaiting Light Yagami’s next move. “Death Note” has a lot of investigations going on, but it is more like a game of chess. Two of the characters in the show make moves while the other officers just follow orders. Light Yagami is the son of the Chief of Police, who is also trying to find the killer and put him in jail. This plot is fast-paced and you don’t have a moment of relaxation or a chance to breathe. There are always pieces in play, and if you aren’t able to keep up with the enemy, it could mean your untimely demise. This show had me siding with the bad guy, and I was very protective of him. “Death Note” is, without a doubt, the best anime I have ever watched, and it can be found on Netflix.