Best Anime to Watch For Beginners

The Ancient Magus’ Bride

This animated series takes place in a magical version of modern England, where Celtic and Scandanavian monsters and fairies live unseen in the wilds, far beyond human civilization. It’s almost like a fairy tale out there. Viewers can easily relate to the familiar critters of this series, from a church grim to dragons and the famed Titania and Oberon. That and the fascinating skull-headed Elias can make for a compelling watch, all in 24 episodes.

Cells At Work!

A few works of fiction have portrayed the inner workings of the human body in this fashion, and Cells at Work! does it in true anime style. The human body is a vast city of apartments, furnaces, and aqueducts, and hardworking cells keep it all running. The animation is gorgeous, the cells are well-explained (this is an educational show), and the humor is spot-on. There are action scenes too, when white blood cells and killer T cells do battle with bacteria and viruses (and even cancer cells). This show is 12 episodes long, with a second season on the horizon.

Dr. Stone

Here is another educational animated series. Dr. Stone’s first season is 24 episodes, and there is bound to be another season. The plot: a mysterious energy wave turned all people to stone, and 3,700 years later, the brilliant teenager Senku Ishigami awakens from his stony silence. He’s in a new Stone Age, and with the power of science and faith in the human race, he’s going to rebuild everything, one rediscovered invention at a time. He’s the kind of guy who can make functioning light bulbs in a 200,000 BC-style setting.

Parasyte The Maxim

Parasyte the Maxim may be one of the most underrated anime of the past decade. Based on a classic manga series from the 90s, Parasyte tells the story of a young man named Shinichi who wakes up to find that his right hand has been eaten and replaced with an alien parasite. The alien, eventually called Migi, is part of an invading force that has been taking over various humans. Migi, however, was unable to take over Shinichi’s brain and eventually forms a close bond with his host.

One Punch Man

Anime One Punch Man started as web manga that eventually took over the world after it was the subject of a massively successful anime adaptation, with the property even spawning its own video game. The series follows Saitama, a man who has trained his body to such an extent that he is able to defeat enemies with one punch. The series is a satire of the hero and anime fighting genre and it truly is fantastic with its material. The series is also relatively short which makes it an easy series to catch up on.

Re: Zero Starting Life On Another World

Anime One Punch Man started as web manga that eventually took over the world after it was the subject of a massively successful anime adaptation, with the property even spawning its own video game. The series follows Saitama, a man who has trained his body to such an extent that he is able to defeat enemies with one punch. The series is a satire of the hero and anime fighting genre and it truly is fantastic with its material. The series is also relatively short which makes it an easy series to catch up on.

Attack on Titan

Anime Attack On Titan is one of the most popular due to its incredible first season, with many referring to it as the Game of Thrones of anime due to its intense and graphic plot. The series is set in an apocalyptic future in which humanity hides behind a walled city in order to keep out the Titans, who are these giant creatures that feed on humans. The series has some of the most compelling mysteries and intense anime action scenes of the past few years, meaning that it is certain to hook any new anime fans.

Tokyo Ghoul

This one one of the most popular dark fantasy anime seris out there. The story follows Ken Kaneki, a student who barely survives a deadly encounter with Rize Kamishiro, his date who reveals herself as a ghoul. He is taken to the hospital in critical condition. After recovering, Kaneki discovers that he underwent a surgery that transformed him into a half-ghoul

Death Note

As is the case with several anime titles on this list, Death Note is an iconic and highly influential series that is perfect for beginners due it compelling and closed story. Death Note follows Yagami Light, a high school student who discovers a Death Note at this school. This book gives Yagami the power to kill anyone whose name he writes in the book, with Yagami using his power to enact vigilante justice. Yagami’s actions eventually bring him into conflict with an eccentric detective known as L, leading to a compelling game of cat and mouse between the two characters. 

Erased

In a similar vein to Parasyte, Erased is one of the most underrated anime of the past decade. The 12 episode series is a dark and intense story that follows a 27-year-old man called Satoru Fujinuma, who possesses the ability to ‘rewind’ to avoid a tragedy. However, after a murder in his present brings back forgotten memories of his childhood, Satoru rewinds to his childhood past. The series is as intense as it is heartwarming, with Satoru having to use his knowledge of the future in order to solve the murder in the future and catch the killer.

My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia is quickly becoming one of the most popular anime of the century. The series is set in a world in which superpowers, or quirks as the anime refers to them, are held by around 80% of the population, which eventually leads to a hero/villain society. The series follows a young man named Izuku Midoriya who is given the quirk of the legendary hero All Might and joins the most prestigious hero school in Japan, UA.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

While the manga is beautifully illustrated, the art and animation quality of the Demon Slayer anime is truly something to behold. The way everything is drawn and animated in the series is extremely eye-catching and flows incredibly well. The story is about a family who is attacked by a demon and only two members survive – Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko, who was turned into a demon. Tanjiro sets out to become a demon slayer to avenge his family and to make his sister human again. There is a movie coming out this October and a second season in the making.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is one of the most iconic and influential anime of the past few decades. The series follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse as they try to heal the damage inflicted on them both during an ill-fated ritual to bring back their mother. The series has some of the most intense action, compelling characters, and heartbreaking episodes in anime history, making it a perfect contender for someone’s ‘first anime’.