Anime has become popular over the past two years. If you are not watching, here is where to start. Anime is extremely diverse because there is gore, mystery, comedy, romance, tragedy, adventure, fighting, mental illness, school life, sports, etc. If you still feel confused or scared that you won’t like it, then the following animes would be a good start.
Death Note was originally released in 2006. The storyline surrounds an ordinary high school student named Light Yagami minding his business when he finds a black notebook that says “Death Note” on it. The moment he touched the book the demon that owns it appeared in front of him. But only the people that touch the notebook can see it. The demon explains to Light that he can kill anyone he wants, but he must know their full name and face. Light was not interested because he does not need or want to kill anyone, but he kept the book incase. Later, that day he was watching the news and saw a criminal holding people hostage in a daycare, and Light decided to try out the book because he did not believe it worked. The criminal ended up dying on live TV after he wrote his name in the book so Light felt relieved because he helped people by killing the bad guy. He decides to start killing more criminals to make the world safe and peaceful. Soon enough it went to his head because he became a god-complex and started killing other people that got in the way of his idea that were not even criminals.
Angel Beats was originally released 2010. This anime focuses on the afterlife. People are sent to a high school limbo because they have experienced trauma or hardship in their past life so they must accept and understand before being reincarnated. The characters befriend each other, talk about their lives experiences, and help each other move on.
Your Lie in April was originally released in 2011. This anime could be on the sad side, but the story line is well developed. The main character Kosei Arima is a talented pianist because he was forced to play and win piano competitions from such a young age by his mom. His mother died suddenly from disease, and he could not touch a piano for two years, but one day he met a free-spirited girl named Kaori Miyazono. She motivated him to play again, and he does, but he falls in love with her and so does she. They played beautifully together multiple times, but one day she was performing and fainted. No spoilers, sorry.
There are other animes that are special mentions like Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Anohana, Tokyo Ghoul, Seven Deadly Sins, Black Butler, and Cowboy Bebop. This does not mean you should strictly watch these animes, but it does mean to give it a chance, and maybe do some research so you can find one that is a good fit for you.
