For one reason or another, many people have a predisposed aversion to anime. The medium is full of unique quirks, tropes, and genres that may feel too foreign to some, especially those who only grew up consuming American media. But, like any other style of entertainment, anime is not a monolith.
For every kid-friendly adventure, there's an intense and intellectual drama. For every goofy bit of fan-service, there's dramatic awards bait. As is the case with American movies and television, when someone starts digging into anime, there's a good chance they'll find something to their tastes. Here are ten fantastic anime shows that newcomers should have no trouble investing in.
Erased
Any fans of time-travel or murder mysteries should look no further than Erased. It's a short series, only thirteen episodes, and is the kind of pulse-pounding thriller that will draw the eye of fans of animation and live-action alike.
Erased follows a young man named Satoru who has a mysterious power to make short time jumps to the past and save the lives of people around him. He doesn't quite understand his power but his world is further turned upside down when a murderer from his youth resurfaces and he finds himself jumping back into his eleven-year-old body with a chance to stop the murderer once and for all.
Death Note
Death Note is probably the most well-known entry on this list. It's been adapted many times, including a poorly received Netflix movie, and is already responsible for creating many anime fans over the years. It follows the story of Light Yagami, a brilliant student who discovers a book with the power to kill people and begins a crusade to rid the world of criminals.
Light's activities soon draw the attention of the world's greatest detective, a man known only as L, and the two of them square off in a game of cat-and-mouse that sees them constantly alternating the roles of hunter and prey. It's an incredibly gripping thriller and is a perfect choice for the binge-watching crowd.
When They Cry
When They Cry is the ideal anime for Stephen King fans. It takes place in a small remote village stuffed with unsavory secrets and dark occult history and features a group of unlucky children cursed to face off against the worst the village has to offer.
The show employs adorable slice-of-life comedy with its many endearing characters and then routinely flips that set-up on its head as the kids face increasingly brutal challenges and mysteries. When They Cry's first anime is another short series at only 26 episodes and is an excellent show for horror and mystery fans.
Samurai Champloo
Fans might be more familiar with Cowboy Bebop, but Shinichiro Watanabe's other masterpiece, Samurai Champloo, is an even better entry point into the anime world.
It's a surprisingly accurate period piece, give or take the odd break dancing samurai, that fuses Japanese history with American hip-hop to create a show that's as hilarious as it is exciting. Any fans looking for excellent swordfights and a killer soundtrack should look no further.
Fate/Zero
The Fate franchise started as a visual novel and is one of the most unique uses of magic in any storytelling medium. Each franchise entry focuses on a battle royale where mages summon heroes from history to fight to the death in hopes of winning a wish-granting prize. There are many shows and movies in the Fate canon but Fate/Zero is undoubtedly the best and the perfect place for new fans to start.
Zero is a prequel to the original story and mixes inventive action with incredible character work. It also manages to be one of the best deconstructions of King Arthur despite massive breaks with the traditional telling of the myth such as the franchise's famous gender-swapping of Arthur.
Your Lie in April
Your Lie in April is by far the least high-concept of any show on this list and is perfect for fans of coming of age tales and stories about music and young love.
It follows a piano prodigy whose traumatic life has robbed him of the joy music once brought him until an eccentric new friend sparks him on a journey of rediscovery and growth. It's an adorable, clever, and life-affirming story but be warned, it's also very, very sad.
One-Punch Man
Any superhero fans itching for a fresh take on the genre have found what they're looking for in One-Punch Man. It tells the story of an up-and-coming hero named Saitama who hasn't found hero work to be as exciting as he hoped. That's because Saitama is so impossibly strong that any enemy he faces is felled with a single punch.
The show mines tons of comedy out of Saitama's boredom and his enemies' constant underestimation of him, while still managing to create some impressive fight scenes utilizing Saitama less overpowered comrades.
Psycho-Pass
Cyberpunk fans should direct their attention at Psycho-Pass for a perfect gateway into anime. It takes place in a dystopian future where a completely isolationist Japan has turned its governing power over to a computer system called Sibyl that can monitor all citizens' mental states and authorize law enforcement action based on the likelihood an individual will commit a crime.
The system, and main character Akane Tsunemori, are then thrown for a loop when a villain that the system is incapable of judging arrives on the scene. The series meditates on the natures of crime and free will and is every bit a worthy successor to genre classics like Blade Runner.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Of all the shows on this list, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood feels the least specifically Japanese. It's a fantasy adventure of two brothers who suffered an unimaginable loss and now chase after the magic of a Philosopher's Stone in order to reset their lives.
This is the perfect show for fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Like the iconic Nickelodeon show, Brotherhood features a unique and grounded magic system, a mix of quirky comedy and intense wartime drama, political intrigue, and an epic journey absolutely stuffed with fan-favorite characters. Like Avatar, Brotherhood is a masterpiece.
The Promised Neverland
The most recent show on this list is also the most gripping. The Promised Neverland is a difficult show to recommend without spoiling its many, many twists, but the simplest way to explain it is as the story of three exceptional children in an orphanage who discover a disturbing secret that turns their world upside down.
The show has a game-changing twist in every single episode and is impossible to put down once you start it. Anyone looking for an edge-of-your-seat thriller will love The Promised Neverland.