genre(s):

Drama, Fantasy, School

synopsis: a group of dead students trapped in a high school purgatory are battling to resist passing on, just so they can still be human and experience their existence. MC Otonashi has amnesia and can't remember much about the life he once lived. Little by little, him and the others' mysteries about their pasts are revealed.

notes: Literally one of my all-time favorite shows - every time I come back to it, I take a little more from it. It helps me slowly process my intense anxieties around death. Not to mention, the characters are just cute and the show's direction is actually funny and makes me laugh. Though, it's just as likely to make me tear up. The show takes itself seriously when its important to, but also knows how to be charming and have fun with itself and its dark humor.

BTW!! The music of this show is top tier. We stan GirlDeMo, Iwasawa and LiSA you will always be famous. I mean, seriously, if you haven't heard this show's opening theme, what planet have you been on? I also love the rock version so much!! Yui-nyan is shooo cute!! Love love love! Her garage kit is my holy grail figure...

genre(s):

Comedy, School

synopsis: a slice of life comedy about a group of eccentric high school girls and their even more eccentric teachers. Brought to you by Kiyohiko Azuma, the same genius behind Yotsuba&.

notes: a very cozy comfy and silly show from my early years... it seems it has become a little more trendy these days!

genre(s):

Comedy, Romance, Love Polygon, School

synopsis: A group of students who all scored poorly on their school's major test were grouped into "F class," which means they're stuck with the bottom of the barrel when it comes to funding. Luckily, all students have the ability to summon chibi versions of themselves that can fight for them like Pokemon or something, so this band of idiots has a chance at battling their way up to privilege. But with there being literally only one smart girl in the whole class, their odds are not looking great.

notes: an off-the-walls bonkers show that still cracks me up. Akihisa is the cutest little girlboy ever. The openings are all bangers. This show is where an infamous gender ambiguous character named Hideyoshi is from.

genre(s):

Mystery, Romance, Supernatural, Vampires

synopsis: Hottest man alive Araragi meets a bunch of weirdo girls who all happen to be suffering from some kind of spritual possession. He figures he can help since he's kind of somewhat immortal since he was bitten by a vampire and took on some vampiric traits himself. Antics ensue as bro just really wants to live his life as a normal high school horndog.

notes: probably the toughest synopsis to write lol. This show is so bonkers, so nerdcore. It's also infamously wordy, but the way it stands out above the rest is part of its charm and how it became so popular. I love its characters since despite them all being really strange, they're all relatable in some fashion and their struggles feel very human to me. Also the music in this show is peak. If you've somehow never heard of the Monogatari series, it's where cult classics like Renai Circulation and Platinum Disco are from.

genre(s):

Comedy, Moe, Music, School

synopsis: Yui Hirasawa lives life at a slow pace. Sadly, she takes it so slow that she has no clue what club to join in high school. After being persuaded to join the light music club by its desperate remaining members, Yui finds something to get passionate about: playing her guitar with all of her new friends in a band.

notes: idk what you've heard, but this is actually a really cute and endearing show about learning to play music together with friends and the payoff that comes with slow improvement. Fun fact: the voice actresses actually learned how to play their instruments from the show so they could perform live! I'm a Yui stan. This show and its music has been with me since childhood and nothing could make me hate you, K-On.

genre(s):

Shoujo, Comedy, Romance, Japanese Mythology

synopsis: Nanami is absolutely down on her luck. Her deadbeat father had so much debt and left his daughter literally homeless on the streets. One day, Nanami runs into a mysterious man who actually offers up his home to her, but his home is actually a shrine and Nanami is basically turned into a God that now must maintain the shrine, answer prayers, and deal with the pesky fox boy familiar that lives there - Tomoe.

notes: do yourself a favor and watch this show if you're at all into cheesy silly shoujo series. The Yokai/Japanese mythology theme is just everything. It's a funny and heart-throbbing show for sure. Nanami is a real one.

genre(s):

Drama, Romance, Supernatural

synopsis: MC Yuuichi went through some kind of trauma as a child that kept him away from living in a certain city. Since he can't seem to remember anything about this event, a few "new" faces are confused when he returns. Slowly, the sad secrets of the town and its inhabitants are unraveled.

notes: a Key classic that I somehow missed in my childhood, but had the pleasure of experiencing as an adult. The wintery and snowy setting gives this show bonus points for me. That, and it's KyoAni. Certain scenes in this are so tragic that they live in my brain, stuck there.

genre(s):

Animals, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Comedy

synopsis: a young girl wakes up in a world where the animal kingdom has been anthropomorphized. Nobody (not even herself) knows her name or species. She teams up with an energetic and friendly Serval to travel around meeting various other animals and discover the dark secrets of Japari Park.

notes: This anime is kind of infamous for its simplistic 3D CGI animation that looks a little silly, but the character/animal designs from Mine Yoshizaki are still quite cute imo. I love exotic animals and animals of all kinds, so I enjoyed learning about them even more in this wholesome and engaging series!

genre(s):

Sci-Fi, Comedy

synopsis: a platoon of space aliens invades Earth but becomes too obsessed with french fries, gundam, and other human pleasantries to cause any real harm.

notes: The sub is great too, but I do also recommend the unhinged Funimation dub, since I grew up on it and it has a lot of silly jokes specifically targeted at a Western audience. It's kinda ghost stories dub coded, but a little less bad. xD

genre(s):

Idols, Music, School

synopsis: nine girls join forces to save their school from being shut down from financial ruin by becoming school idols!

notes: one of the most life-changing shows ever. Even if you feel like you wouldn't be into this, I do recommend giving it a try. There's drama, there's sweet moments that encapsulate the fleeting nature of youth, and the music is absolutely bangin'.

genre(s):

Comedy, Slice of Life, Otaku References, School

synopsis: a class of high school girls shoot the shit about whatever.

notes: the anime that started it all for me. I feel very connected to these characters, as if they're old friends I've known for a long time. I can always easily come back and rewatch any episode of Lucky Star and it'll be a relaxing and enjoyable experience. #1 comfort show right here. If you enjoy silly anime culture and want to relate as an otaku, this show has plenty of references to anime of the early 2000s, making it a period piece of this golden era.

genre(s):

Comedy, Slice of Life, School

synopsis: daily lives of the citizens living in a small town, but their daily lives are cranked up in weirdness/just unluckiness. There's random items falling from the sky, a robot girl trying to blend in as a normal high school girl but her kid creator (the professor) keeps modifying her to do things like store cakes inside her arm and blow up when ran into. There's also talking cats, aggressive deer fighting principals, and a friend group that generally gets their kicks just trolling each other sometimes.

notes: possibly the most wackass show to exist and ever will exist. But this time, it's actually funny. Relatably annoying moments are played up to the extreme with this show's intense and impressive animation (like something you'd see in a high budget shounen anime today, but it's a slice of life show with cute characters instead.)

genre(s):

Comedy, Romance, School

synopsis: When Haruhi stumbles upon an unused music room in her new school full of rich kids and accidentally breaks a REALLY expensive vase, she becomes indebted to the Host Club (the original owners). To pay back her debt, she herself becomes a host and the school falls for her androgynous beauty.

notes: It seems this show has had a bit of a renaissance recently. I really love the art style of this show (their legs are so long and pretty). Also, the soundtrack is very fancy and pretty iconic at this point.

genre(s):

Comedy, Ecchi, Poop Humor

synopsis: Panty and Stocking, a pair of angel sisters, are kicked out of heaven. The only way they're allowed back in? Collect enough Heaven Coins by exterminating pesky ghosts on Earth. Though these sisters totally kick ass, they tend to be more preoccupied with fucking and eating sweets rather than kicking ghost butt.

notes: okay, yea, this show has a lot of crude humor but I watched it when I was like 13, ok? The music and art direction is still fucking peak tho!

genre(s):

Comedy, Romance, Josei, Adult Cast, Crossdressing

synopsis: Tsukimi is a jellyfish-obsessed otaku with no social skills who really struggles to function in society. One day, a beautiful boy princess helps her save a jellyfish at a pet shop from impending doom. Together, they work towards achieving their goals and dreams...once they find them.

notes: This was my favorite show for a long time - it's only 11 episodes, so it's quite short and thus a pretty easy watch (especially because it can get you pretty hooked). I really love Tsukimi, Kuranosuke, and all of these characters.

genre(s):

Shounen, Comedy, kinda Gothic? School

synopsis: In Death City, School is run by Headmaster Death himself. Students are split into two categories: weapons (with transformative abilities) and the meisters that wield them. All of the students share the same goal: raise a weapon strong enough to be used by Death.

notes: One of my first anime - it was really easy for me to fall in love with. The art style and setting are just very unique, and I feel that's what truly sets it apart from other Shounen series. The music absolutely fucks. Yes, Lotus Juice features on it multiple times, it's peeeak. Also, fun fact: Megan Thee Stallion cosplayed as one of the best characters in the show (Death the Kid).

genre(s):

Sci-Fi, Supernatural, Comedy, School

synopsis: Haruhi Suzumiya controls the universe. The end and rebeginning of the world is at her fingertips. But she has no idea. Haruhi Suzumiya wishes for aliens, time travelers, and espers to exist; so they exist. Haruhi Suzumiya is an anomaly: she wears her hair different every day, and no one can predict what she's going to do next. Kyon, a totally normal high school guy, gets caught up in the wonders and eccentricities of Haruhi's club, the infamous SOS Brigade...

notes: Based off of a light novel by Nagaru Tanigawa, this show is written in a way that really scratches the book lover in me. Not only are the characters fantastic, but the main character Kyon in particular has this inner monologue that is really mesmerizing to listen in on. As a rite of passage for all anime enjoyers - will you start following Haruhiism?

genre(s):

Mecha, Sci-Fi

synopsis: Legendary bros Simon and Kamina burst through their underground village and reach the surface - an open world overrun by giant robots called Gunmen. Together, they start a team that fights with their own giant robots to insure humanity's survival.

notes: Sweet, sweet Trigger nonsense. It will make you believe in the power of positive masculinity, maybe? Anyways. BELIEVE IN THE YOU THAT BELIEVES IN ME! PIERCE THROUGH THE HEAVENS WITH YOUR DRILL!!!

genre(s):

Idols, Music, Comedy, Drama

synopsis: 13 girls slowly work their way up to achieving their dreams of becoming Top Idols.

notes: Oh gosh, what more can I say? This show has a fantastic selection of music showcased in each episode paired with gorgeous 2D animation - no cgi is used here. Each of these girls are so dear to me and I'm sure there is one for everyone to support. This show altered my brain chemistry.