After looking at the anime on Netflix, I see a lack of diverse options besides the mainstream series.
Since their release, a few classics have been a staple in Netflix’s anime catalog. Those include Death Note, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and its movies. I have rewatched these multiple times and would recommend them for a first-time viewer.
Recently, they have added more episodes to longer-running shows, like One Piece, including the movie Red, Black Clover, and My Hero Academia. Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files is also getting more seasons on April 15 and got a live-action adaptation this past year along with One Piece.
This is the right place for those seeking unconventional anime recommendations. Some are popular enough to get close to mainstream status, but I still had to recommend them because they are all rewatchable.
Older Rom-Com Anime
When I think of mainly Netflix anime, Aggresuko is one of the first I watched exclusively on the platform. It came out in 2018 and has five seasons, wrapping up the final season this past year. Although I think the first few seasons are more enjoyable than the rest, I would recommend this to anyone. Think Zootopia, but more in anime cartoon style. However, there are many unexpected twists to its relatable plot throughout the seasons.
Toradora! is also a mainstay of romantic comedy anime for only one season.
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Coming out in 2008, this was one of the first anime I can remember rewatching years later. It leans on the romance and drama side of things with its plot and is still one of the best romance high school stories ever. This would be my first recommendation if someone wanted a basic romance story with some comedy without too much fluff. The characters, storylines, and relationships it establishes throughout the season are what aged well about this 25-episode anime.
Newer Comedies
Despite production issues and delayed episode releases, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead was one of the craziest shows I watched in 2023. Another unusual thing about this series is that Japan released a live-action movie covering the anime’s first half. I never really understood that, but a brand-new studio did take on this 12-episode season.
It took a genre topic like zombies and added something interesting with its symbolism while sometimes being too on the nose with its comparisons. Still, I liked this show’s creative venues to display color and artistic vision in a way I didn’t think would ever be done.
Romantic Killer is not what it sounds like.
More on the rom-com side, this 12-episode 2022 series was way funnier than I expected. A few moments were taken seriously when it had to, but the parody aspects of a cliched rom-com stood out. It reminded me of a few comedy anime I enjoyed in the past not available on Netflix, like D-Frag! or Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, but with a modern take on it. Reverse harems have been done before in anime, but the way it’s done in this is fantastical and over the top but realistic simultaneously.
Game and Comic Book Adaptations
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World has been notable since its 2010 release. But with a new non-live-action Netflix series, did Scott Pilgrim Takes Off re-energize the fandom of its source material?
Yes and no.
In 2023, with most of the original voice-acting cast, Netflix launched an eight-episode mini-series about Scott Pilgrim. The movie was based on the graphic novel series, but this new show took a whole new turn on it compared to the movie. Despite it looking like an animated rehash of the film, it is not for the most part.
While divisive, the mini-series and the movie are worth a watch in any order. Watching both gives different perspectives and outlooks on some aspects of the plot. I would consider it an anime because it is an adaptation of a Western comic book by a Japanese studio.
Many people most likely watched Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, a ten-episode prequel to the game Cyberpunk 2077.
My last entry is what won Anime of the Year and multiple other awards in 2023, so how can it be considered underrated? But even after rewatching it, I still find the original score, the animation, and the cast to be iconic looking back.
I have never played the game and wasn’t part of the hype when the series came out. The stand-alone mini-series is peak science fiction and is one of the better examples of game-turned-anime breaking barriers outside its medium.
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