Rediscovering My Appreciation for Anime

I recently rediscovered my appreciation for anime. As an artist, I'm inspired by the stunning visuals of this art form. But more importantly, I'm learning that this storytelling medium has many different genres other than robots, magical girls, or exotic pets.

Here (in no particular order) are 5 of my favorite anime series from the past few years.

Kimi ni Todoke | From Me to You

Aired: Oct 2009 - Mar 2010, Jan - Mar 2011

No. of Episodes: 37 

Genre: Drama, Romace

Plot:

Socially inept and often misunderstood (and feared) Sawako is actually a sweet and timid girl who only longs to be able to make friends and be liked by everyone else. When Kazehaya, a popular boy, begins talking with her, everything changes. She finds herself making new friends and talking to different people.

It's a self-help guide for anyone looking to change how others perceive them.

Where can you watch it: Crunchyroll, Hulu

Hozuki no Reitetsu | Hozuki's Coolheadedness

Aired: Jan-Apr 2014, Oct-Dec 2017

No. of Episodes: 26

Genre: Comedy, Supernatural

Plot:

Think of this as if Parks and Rec were set in the Japanese version of hell. This a comedy about Hozuki (a beaurocrat in hell), who works under King Enma (the King and Head Judge of Hell) who determines what kind of hell the dead will be sent to. The serious-minded Hozuki attempts to manage and troubleshoot unusual problems which occur in the Japanese hell.

Recommended to anyone working in local government.

Where can you watch it: Season 1 on Crunchyroll

Goruden Taimo | Golden Time

Aired: October 2013 - March 2014

No. of Episodes: 24

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Plot: 

Law student Banri is an amnesiac who doesn't remember anything before his accident after this high school graduation. He meets Mitsuo, a popular rich and handsome student; stylish Koko, a spoiled and obsessive woman who is revealed to be Mitsuo's childhood friend; and Linda, a second-year student, who unbeknownst to him, was his best friend in high school and holds herself responsible for his memory loss. As the series progresses, Banri deals with his slowly re-emerging memories, which often come into conflict with a relationship that blooms between him and Kaga.

It's Memento without the sinister plot.

Where can you watch it: Crunchyroll

Isekai Shokudo | Restaurant to Another World

Aired: Jul-Sep 2017

No. of Episodes: 12

Genre: Fantasy

Plot:

A restaurant situated in a mundane corner of an undisclosed Tokyo shopping district which, despite its name. It opens during usual business hours though closed during holidays and weekends. But secretly it is also open on Saturdays, as on this particular day it creates doorways to another world inhabited by elves, dragons, animal men and other fantastic creatures, who enter the restaurant and partake of its exotic food, with many of them becoming regular patrons

Where can you watch it: Crunchyroll

Kino no Tabi - the Beautiful | World Kino's Journey - The Beautiful World

Aired: Oct-Dec 2017

No. of Episodes: 12

Genre: Action, Adventure

Plot: 

Accompanied by a talking motorcycle named Hermes, Kino travels from country to country with vast differences between political, social, and international. The most significant difference between one country and another is their political structures and how they have answered the questions of, “what rights do individuals have in comparison to each other?” “what rights do individuals have in relation to the state?” and “what rights do states have in relation to other states?" 

If you are into Philosophy, Political Ethics, or just too deep for everyone else around you - I highly recommend this show.

Where can you watch it: Crunchyroll, Hulu