Taking a break from the action and adventure packed anime, Your Lie In April is an emotional roller coaster published in the shonen magazine from April 2011 to May 2015. The anime aired from October 2014 to March 2015. The manga won the award for Best Shōnen Manga at the 37th Kodansha Manga Awards.
Piano prodigy Kōsei Arima dominates various music competitions and becomes famous among child musicians, but also controversial. When his mother Saki dies suddenly, he has a mental breakdown while performing at a piano recital which resulted in him no longer being able to hear the sound of his piano even though his hearing was perfectly fine. Two years later, Kōsei has not touched the piano and views the world in monochrome, without any flair or color, resigning himself to living out his life with his good friends, Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryōta Watari, until, one day, a girl changes everything. Kaori Miyazono, an audacious, free-spirited, fourteen-year-old violinist whose playing style reflects her manic personality, helps Kōsei return to the music world and shows that it should be free and mold-breaking unlike the structured and rigid style Kōsei was used to, and as she continues to uplift him, he quickly realizes that he loves her, though she already likes Watari.
The final performance with Kosei truly embodies the show as a whole and emphasizes the effect of a bildungsroman piece. Throughout the entirety of the show we are able to watch as each individual character matures and how they each learn to accept one another.
With a quick change of pace, this anime is by far one of my favorites and I constantly recommend this show to anyone that can hold back some tears. If you’re in the mood for a depressing yet happy anime, Your Lie In April is the way to go.
The story of Baki Hanma, who is considered the strongest teenager in Tokyo if not the world, is written by Tatsuhiko Urahata demonstrates the perfect example of a great MMA style anime in the past couple of years. The vicious fighting scenes will leave you on the edge of your seat just to see who will win each encounter.
The main protagonist, Baki Hanma, has been living sort of a boring, normal, and less aggressively athletic lifestyle since the underground tournament. A bunch of death-row inmates around the world has defied Death and defeat to a point where they break out of prison to find something/someone to finally end their win streak. Upon escaping death and extreme imprisonment, all of them venture to the same destination. Once Baki and the gang is informed of these superhuman, beastly, skillful fighters – a gathered meeting is not far off. The rules are set, everyone goes their own way, and everything escalates from that point on.
(From Left to Right)
Ryuukou Yanagi- he behaves towards his prey like a cat toying with a mouse. Yanagi often asks his victims if they know what the world’s most poisonous gas is before he uses his technique on them.
Spec- A psychotic serial killer with a malevolent sense of humor. Spec normally seemed to convey an almost happy demeanor accompanied with a humorous attitude most of the time, while causing harm and destruction at the same time.
Hector Doyle- An assassin and probably the most chill out of the group of death row inmate. Doyle has a good sense of right from wrong and utilizes this throughout the entirety of the show
Sikorsky- A ruthless Russian killer. He is very deceptive and likes to play with his opponents. One of his methods is pretending to be outmatched only to attack when his opponent’s guard is down
Kaioh Dorian- He is calm and relaxed most times. Despite being a great Chinese Kenpo fighter and achieving the title of Kaioh, Dorian somehow lost his faith in martial arts, or just abandoned them because of his own ego. In battle, he usually counts on his gadgets and dirty tactics to win. One of his favorite tricks is to suddenly start crying, bewildering his opponent and making them feel pity.
Overall, this Netflix show based on the manga is an amazing take on the life of Baki Hanma and the difficulties he faces in order to become strong enough to defeat his father. If you are really into blood, gore, and utter beat downs this is the perfect show for you.
If you have ever seen a video or seen a person running with their arms behind their back, that’s from Naruto. If you’ve ever seen someone making random motions with their hands, yeah that’s also probably from Naruto. The Naruto franchise is one if not the most iconic anime shows that are around to this date. The Naruto franchise is broken up into three separate series; Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto with a grand total of about 720 episodes.
This anime tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who searches for recognition from his peers and the village and also dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. The main conflict of the story is between Naruto and his lifelong friend Sasuke (Above picture: Naruto left, Sasuke right). Both trying to prove themselves the better ninja, they go to immense measures to gain power in order to defeat one another, but in the end this urge to gain power just drew the two main characters closer together and made them best friends. The story is in two parts, the first set in Naruto’s pre-teen years (Naruto), and the second in his teens (Naruto Shippuden).
Rasengan 螺旋丸
This crazy word can be described as the embodiment of the Naruto community. This word is the name for the most overpowered attack the main character, Naruto, uses to defeat countless enemies. Upon uttering this powerful word Naruto charges full force prepared to sacrifice his life for the good of his comrades.
Naruto is one of the first anime shows that I successfully watched beginning to end and I can say it is one of my favorites. This show has characters that you will grow to love and abilities that will make you shudder in amazement. If you can tough out over 700 episodes of nonstop action and adventure then this is the show for you. I guarantee that you yourself will be screaming “RASENGAN” before the series is over.
Soul Eater (Japanese: ソウルイーターSōru Ītā) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Atsushi Ōkubo. Set at the “Death Weapon Meister Academy”, the series revolves around three teams, each consisting of a weapon meister and (at least one) weapon that can transform into a humanoid. Trying to make the latter a “death scythe” and thus fit for use by the academy’s headmaster Shinigami, the personification of death, they must collect the souls of 99 evil humans and one witch, in that order; otherwise, they will have to start all over again.
Soul Eater is set at Death Weapon Meister Academy (死神武器職人専門学校Shinigami Buki Shokunin Senmon Gakkō) — “DWMA” (死武専Shibusen) for short — located in the fictional Death City in Nevada, United States. The school is run by Shinigami, also known as Death, as a training facility for humans with the ability to transform into weapons, as well as the wielders of those weapons, called meisters (職人shokunin). Attending this school are Maka Albarn and her scythe partner Soul Eater; assassin Black Star and his partner Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, who can turn into various ninja weapons; and Shinigami’s son, Death the Kid, and his pistol partners Liz and Patty Thompson. The goal of the school’s meister students is to have their weapons defeat and absorb the souls of 99 evil humans and one witch, which dramatically increases the power of the weapon and turns them into “death scythes” used by Death.
A weapon and Meister are two people that work together to bring down the forces of evil. Throughout the anime, many types of weapons can be seen ranging from Scythes to guns, to ninja swords and some people can even become their own weapon. Below is a video of a transformation into a weapon.
All in all, this is a wonderful anime that utilizes ideas with extensive creativity and wonder that truly make it shine above the rest. If you are a fan of demons, destruction, and weapons this show is for you.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (鋼の錬金術師Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Furumetaru Arukemisuto) is actually an adaptation of the show’s predecessor, Fullmetal Alchemist. Brotherhood differs slightly from the original, but people seem to enjoy the new rendition of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood the most. Without spoiling any details, the ending is WAY better and satisfying in Brotherhood than it is in the original.
The show begins by introducing brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric who are raised by their mother Trisha Elric in the remote village of Resembool in the country of Amestris. Their father Hohenheim, a noted and very gifted alchemist, abandoned his family while the boys were still young, and while in Trisha’s care they began to show an affinity for alchemy. However, when Trisha died of a lingering illness, they were cared for by their best friend Winry Rockbell and her grandmother Pinako. The boys traveled the world to advance their alchemic training under Izumi Curtis. Upon returning home, the two decide to try to bring their mother back to life with alchemy. However, human transmutation is a taboo, as it is impossible to do so properly. In the failed transmutation that results, Al’s body is completely obliterated and Ed loses his left leg. In a last-ditch attempt to keep his brother alive, Ed sacrifices his right arm to bring Al’s soul back and houses it in a nearby suit of armor. After Edward receives automail prosthetics from Winry and Pinako, the brothers decide to burn their childhood home down (symbolizing their determination and decision of “no turning back”) and head to the capital city to become government sanctioned State Alchemists. After passing the exam, Edward is dubbed the “Fullmetal Alchemist” by the State Military, and the brothers begin their quest to discover the nature of the fabled Philosopher’s Stone, under the direction of Colonel Roy Mustang. Along the way, they discover a deep government conspiracy to hide the true nature of the Philosopher’s Stone that involves the homunculi, the alchemists of the neighboring nation of Xing, the scarred man from the war-torn nation of Ishval, and their own father’s past.
Alchemy (錬金術 Renkinjutsu) is, as it is understood in the Fullmetal Alchemist series, the ancient metaphysical science/mystical art of manipulating and altering matter by using natural energy. This act is known as “Transmutation” (錬成 Rensei) and its sequence is usually described as:
Comprehension – Understanding the inherent structure and properties of the atomic or molecular makeup of a particular material to be transmuted, including the flow and balance of potential and kinetic energy within.
Deconstruction – Using energy to break down the physical structure of the identified material into a more malleable state so as to be easily reshaped into a new form.
Reconstruction – Continuing the flow of energy so as to reform the material into a new shape.
In order to become an alchemist, a person must abide by a certain set of rules. Those rules being you are not able to transmute gold and you are not able to transmute humans. As explained above the two main characters, Edward and Alphonse’s mother passed away due to sickness and the young boys tried to bring her back to life through transmutation. The pair believed they had everything figured out but to their dismay, everything went awry.
This scene really sets the tone for the attitude of the main characters of the show. Human transmutation is not possible unless the user has a philosophers stone in their hands, and the philosophers stone is one of the most difficult items to create in the world.
This anime truly lived up to the hype and my expectations of being a great anime show. You know a show is good that you want to watch more episodes as soon as it is over. This would be, in my opinion, the ideal anime show that is perfect to watch by anyone.
Deathnote (デスノートDesu Nōto) is a very popular manga first published by Tsugumi Ohba and produced into in anime by October 2006, and it aired for a little less than a year ending in June of 2007. Deathnote was incredibly successful, so much so that an American live-action film adaptation was produced and released by Netflix in 2017.
The show begins in Tokyo following the point of view of an intelligent yet disaffected high-school student named Light Yagami who finds the “Death Note”, a mysterious black notebook which can kill anyone as long as the user knows both the target’s name and face. After verifying that the notebook works and initially being terrified of its god-like abilities, Light begins to consider the possibilities of the Death Note’s abilities and sets out to create a utopian world without crime, killing numerous high-profile Japanese criminals, before eventually targeting international law-offenders around the world. Eventually, Light is visited by Ryuk, a Japanese god of death and the Death Note’s previous owner, who dropped the notebook into the human world out of boredom. Ryuk, who is invisible to anyone who has not touched the Death Note, is amused by Light’s actions and serves as Light’s companion. As numerous criminals and convicts around the world begin to die of inexplicable freak accidents and heart attacks, the global media begin to believe that an individual is responsible for the mysterious murders and start designating him as “Kira”, a Japanese transliteration of the word “killer”, who is both feared and beloved by the public and the law enforcement agencies. Hoping to apprehend Kira, Interpol requests the assistance of an enigmatic and highly-esteemed international consulting detective, known as L, who has cracked numerous crime cases around the world, to assist them in the investigation.
The entire show is a game of wits between the two main characters, Light and L, and to see which person will give up first. One of the most iconic scenes is shown towards the beginning of the show when L suspects Light of being Kira. After placing exactly 64 cameras in Light Yagami’s house as a way to try to prove Light is Kira. Light is able to outsmart L by hiding a miniature TV in a bag of chips as well as writing down names of people to kill in his left hand and doing homework in his right all at the same time. The level of genius Light Yagami has hit is incredible and throughout the show, you will see moments of Light’s brilliance shine. Below is a video clip of this exact scene described.
Light’s brilliance is what makes this anime shine and why I decided to watch this anime. Light thinks of himself as a God and believes all those who have committed crimes should repent and die for their sins. Even if the show is a little demonic I still highly recommend this show to anyone.
One-Punch Man (ワンパンマン Wanpanman) is a very popular anime that follows the main character Saitama as he searches in his quest to find a worthy opponent. Season 1 first aired back in October of 2015 and will be releasing a new season in Spring of 2018 making this one of the most hyped anime of the spring season.
On an unnamed Earth-like super-continent planet, powerful monsters and villains have been mysteriously appearing and causing disasters. To combat them, the world’s government has created a Hero Association that employs superheroes to try and stop the violent creatures and villains. Each of the Hero Association’s superheroes is ranked from Class-C to Class-S. Saitama is an unranked hero, hailing from the metropolis of City-Z, who performs heroic deeds for his own entertainment. He has trained himself and grown strong to the point where he can effortlessly defeat any opponent with a single punch, hence the name of the show. However, since Saitama became a hero for the fun of the experience, he has lately become bored with his superhuman power and frustrated at the complete lack of strong opponents that can challenge him.
The use of comedy and action by publisher One, the pseudonym of a Japanese manga artist, really allows the show to shine and entice people all over the world to enjoy the show. One gives his reasons for creating One Punch Man by saying,
“Punching is oftentimes pretty useless against life’s problems. But inside One Punch Man’s universe, I made Saitama a sort of guy who was capable of adapting his life to the world that surrounded him, only armed with his immense power. The only obstacles he faces are mundane things, like running short of money.”
As explained above Saitama’s main problem is his cash flow which is very minimal. Money is one of the main reasons he became a hero. One utilizes his comedy within the very first couple of episodes when Saitama is needed to defeat a giant monster. Halfway through fighting the monster, Saitama looked as if he was losing but in all reality, his mind was focused on other things, that being bargain day at the market. After quickly obliterating his opponent he exclaims to his friend the problem they are in and they quickly run to the market. By utilizing comedy One is able to not only create a brilliant anime but also to show how powerful this character truly is.
Another example of Saitama’s incredible strength can be seen in his fight against his partner Genos. Genos is a genetically modified cyborg who sees Saitama as his sensei. Genos wanted to know the full extent of his master’s powers but that proved to be a mistake. Comedy is utilized in this scene to show how without even trying Saitama is able to evade all of Genos’s attacks with ease. Towards the end when Saitama begins to try the fighting bout is over within seconds.
This fight scene does not even scratch the surface of Saitama’s power but it gives the audience a taste of what is to come in future episodes. Now the only thing left for us to do and sit back, and wait for more episodes to come.
Cowboy Bebop (カウボーイビバップKaubōi Bibappu) is a Japanese anime show which aired in 1999 in Japan and went on to be a very successful and influential show in the anime community. The importance of Cowboy Bebop in this world today is its tie to America. Cowboy Bebop became the first anime title to be broadcast on Adult Swim in the United States.
Cowboy Bebop takes place in 2071, roughly fifty years after an accident with a hyperspace gateway made the Earth almost uninhabitable, humanity has colonized most of the rocky planets and moons of the Solar System. Amid a rising crime rate, the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP) set up a legalized contract system, in which registered bounty hunters (also referred to as “Cowboys”) chase criminals and bring them in alive in return for a reward. The series’ protagonists are bounty hunters working from the spaceship Bebop. The original crew are Spike Spiegel, an exiled former hitman of the criminal Red Dragon Syndicate, and his partner Jet Black, a former ISSP officer. They are later joined by Faye Valentine, an amnesiac con artist; Edward Wong, an eccentric girl skilled in hacking; and Ein, a genetically-engineered Pembroke Welsh Corgi with human-like intelligence. Over the course of the series, the team get involved in disastrous mishaps leaving them without money, while often confronting faces and events from their past: these include Jet’s reasons for leaving the ISSP, and Faye’s past as a young woman from Earth injured in an accident and cryogenically frozen to save her life.
Cowboy Bebop vs. Naruto
The fight scene depicted in the pictures above is one of the most talked about moments of anime history. As you can see both fights are identical which is because Naruto stole this fight scene from Cowboy Bebop. In Cowboy Bebop, Spike Spiegel adopts the form of fighting called Jeet Kune Do (Chinese: 截拳道; Cantonese: jiht kyùhn douh), “The way of the intercepting fist.” This is a hybrid philosophy of martial arts heavily influenced by the personal philosophy and experiences of martial artist Bruce Lee. JKD is a form of Chinese Kung Fu, yet without form. Unlike more traditional martial arts, Jeet Kune Do is not fixed or patterned and is a philosophy with guiding thoughts. It was named for the Wing Chun concept of interception or attacking while one’s opponent is about to attack. Jeet Kune Do practitioners believe in minimal movement with maximum effect.
Cowboy Bebop is one of the all-time greatest and most influential anime shows from the 20th century. Without its introduction into the United States anime may have never become as popular as it is today. I highly recommend this anime to any kung fu loving people who want to watch a dark-humored action anime.
Hunter x Hunter, in my opinion, has the best plot and storyline of any anime ever created. This bildungsroman masterpiece I will describe was written by Yoshihiro Togashi in 1985 and directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi in 1999. The intensity of this show grows after each gut-wrenching fight and tear-jerking death to the point where you just can’t stop watching.
The story follows a young boy named Gon Freecss, who was told all his life that both his parents were dead. But when he learns from Kite, an apprentice of his father Ging Freecss, that he is still alive and has since become an accomplished Hunter, Gon leaves his home on Whale Island (くじら島Kujira Tō) to take the Hunter Examination (ハンター試験Hantā Shiken) in order to become a Hunter like him. During the exam, Gon meets and soon befriends three of the other applicants: Kurapika, the last remaining member of the Kurta clan who wishes to become a Hunter in order to avenge his clan and recover their scarlet-glowing eyes that were plucked from their corpses by a band of thieves known as the Phantom Troupe; Leorio, a prospective physician who, in order to pay for medical school, desires the financial benefits that Hunters receive; and Killua Zoldyck, another twelve-year-old boy who has left his former life as a member of the world’s most notorious assassin family. Among many other examinees, Gon continuously encounters Hisoka, a mysterious and deadly transmuter (transmuter will be described later in the blog) who takes an interest in him. After passing by many trials together, Gon and his friends end up passing the exam except for Killua, who fails after killing another applicant due to being controlled by his brother, Illumi and runs away to his family’s estate in shame.
This image is depicting a scene between Gon, and his arch-enemy Pitou. This is by far the best fight scene I have ever seen in all of anime. With every punch, you can feel the immeasurable power of the main character. You can feel Gon’s hatred, his pain, and his sorrow in every single one of his movements. Throughout this anime show, the characters all have their own respectable power called nen, and each type of nen is broken up into six different categories.
Enhancement allows Enhancers to bolster their natural abilities or qualities of items in their possession. In extreme cases, they can even boost something beyond what would normally be possible by setting limitations and vows upon it.
Gon Freecss (as pictured in the gif above) uses his enhancement to increase the amount of power gathered into his fist, enabling him to deliver strikes capable of harming even the most durable of foes.
Transmutation
Transmutation allows Transmuters to change their Nen so that it gains attributes of something else. Despite the name, it doesn’t actually change the Nen into a physical substance or element, but rather it simply mimics the properties—it may look and act like something else, but it isn’t really the same thing.
Machi of the Phantom Troupe (as pictured in the gif above) transmutes her aura into a thread-like substance that can be used to sew things together, strangle enemies, or even puppet other people around.
Conjuration
Conjuration allows Conjurers to change their Nen into actual objects. To people who are unaware of Nen, it literally makes the users seem like they can pull an object out of thin air, whereas most other Nen abilities aren’t visible to the uninitiated.
Kurapika (as pictured in the gif above) uses conjuration to create chains that can stretch to enormous lengths, which can be used for offense, defense, or restraining his opponent.
Emission
Emission allows Emitters to release and utilize their Nen at a longer distance.
Gon Freecss (as pictured in the gif above) uses his emission to fire off his Nen as a long-distance projectile attack, reminiscent to Ki attacks used in other anime.
Manipulation
Manipulation allows Manipulators to use their Nen to control the movement or action of a certain person, object, or other ability. It can be paired up with another type of Nen to expand control over how an ability works.
Shalnark of the Phantom Troupe (as pictured in the gif above) uses a phone and antenna to manipulate others into doing his bidding, making it a prime example of manipulation.
Specialization
Specialization is for anything that doesn’t fit squarely into any of the other five categories. Specialists usually have abilities that cannot be gained through training and they often have effects that cannot be replicated.
Meleoron’s ability (as pictured in the gif above) makes him and anyone he is touching while using this ability completely undetectable to the senses of others, making it perfect for stealth and assassination. The only condition is that it only works while he is holding his breath.
Hunter x Hunter is home to my favorite fight scene of all time and I would gladly recommend this show to anyone starting to watch anime. The show is currently in a hiatus (period of pause) where there are no new anime episodes out, but that will hopefully change in the near future. All in all, through intense fight scenes and hilarious moments this show is a must watch and one of my all-time favorites.
Tokyo Ghoul is home to one of the if not the most catchy opening song. The opening music for this anime, “Unravel,” is one of the most iconic anime openings of all time. This beautifully orchestrated piece gives a great description of the anime as a whole. As the opening starts up all calm and somber, it then begins to increase in intensity which is used in the anime to show a sense of destruction. From the piano solo to the electric guitar riff the song as a whole made me love this anime more than I already did.
Tokyo Ghoul is set in an alternate reality where ghouls, cannibalistic ‘monsters’ who look exactly like normal people but can only survive by eating human flesh, live among the human population in secret, hiding their true nature in order to evade pursuit from the authorities. Including enhanced speed, senses, and regenerative ability, a regular ghoul is several times stronger than a normal human, has a skin resistant to ordinary piercing weapons and has at least one special predatory organ called a kagune (Japanese: 赫子), which it can manifest and use as a weapon during combat. The story follows Ken Kaneki, a college 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. This was accomplished because some of Rize’s organs were transferred into his body, and now, like normal ghouls, he must consume human flesh to survive. The ghouls who manage the coffee shop “Anteiku” take him in and teach him to deal with his new life as a half-ghoul. Some of his daily struggles include fitting into the ghoul society, as well as keeping his identity hidden from his human companions, especially from his best friend Hideyoshi Nagachika.
Ken Keneki’s Kagune (赫子)
A kagune is composed of Rc cells, which flow just like blood, can become as solid as teeth and can be described as “liquid muscles.In the anime, there are four different types of Kagune; Ukaku, Koukaku, Rinkaku, and Bikaku. The type of kagune determines the location and power a ghoul will have. Below is an image showing where each type of kagune is located. Ken Keneki was given the power of the Rinkaku kagune which is the most offensively based and most powerful kagune.
Ukaku kagune (羽赫, ukaku, “feather-red”) is spread out like feathers and is released from the shoulder area, it specializes in high-speed attacks.
Koukaku kagune (甲赫, kōkaku, “shell-red”) is released below the shoulder blade. Due to its high density of Rc cells, it is heavy and extremely robust, giving it the greatest sturdiness and making them very well suited for defense.
Rinkaku kagune (鱗赫, rinkaku, “scale-red”) has an appearance similar to scaled tentacles and is released at the back around the waist. A rinkaku wielder has powerful regenerative abilities and some could even survive the most critical of damage. Its peculiar appearance and structure yield a superior striking power and they excel in brute strength.
Bikaku kagune (尾赫, bikaku, “tail-red”) typically has a tail-like appearance and is released around the tail-bone/coccyx. It is good for medium-distance attacks and has decent offense, defense, and speed.
Tokyo Ghoul is my favorite anime that is still running on the air. Tokyo Ghoul is now into its fourth season as a show and is still able to amaze me with its incredible fight scenes to plot-twisting episodes. I highly recommend this anime to anyone that is trying to introduce themselves into the world of anime. When you watch this show it will make you think “would I rather be a ghoul or a human?”
アニメ (Anime) 
