Top 10 Anime to Watch During Quarantine

by SR~Dailey, posted in Arts, Culture, & Entertainment, Opinion

Timothy Nguyen ’23

Recently, anime has been gaining a lot of attention and popularity due to many new shows becoming very popular even outside of the anime community, such as My Hero Academia. And so with the coming of a larger audience for anime, I would like to enlighten the newcomers with some series and movies that I believe are worth watching. Some shows that I suggest may be very popular within the community and some may not be as well-known. But I can guarantee you that each show is unique in its own way and worth watching for its own specific reason.

  1. Code Geass (Available on Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, Crunchyroll, and more)

Code Geass is personally one of my favorite anime of all time. To put it simply, the anime is about a teenager named Lelouch who wants to take back Japan, which was conquered by The Holy Empire of Britannia(a fictional country). However, he is never able to actually try and take back Japan as he is just a powerless high school student. But this all changes once he gains a geass power from a mysterious girl named C.C., which allows him to plant commands within a person’s mind upon direct eye contact. And with his incredible intellect and this newfound power, Lelouch goes on a journey to retake Japan. 

  1. One-Punch Man (Available on Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, Crunchyroll, and more)

If you are new to anime and action/comedy is your thing, I recommend One Punch Man. It is about a man named Saitama, who is a superhero that could beat anyone and anything with one punch. The show is about Saitama’s journey to become a great hero, and to find an opponent worthy of his insane, inhuman strength. Saitama’s overwhelming strength makes for some funny interactions between the show’s characters.

  1. Attack on Titan (Available on Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, Crunchyroll, and more)

Attack on Titan takes place in a world where humanity is stuck behind walls, surrounded by giant humanoid monsters called titans. And the main character, Eren Yeager, joins the Scout Regiment with his friends to liberate humanity from the Titans and take revenge on them for killing his mother. The action in this anime, with its amazing plot, and art style makes it one of the best anime that is still ongoing to this day. 

  1. Steins Gate (Available on Hulu, and Crunchyroll)

Steins Gate is a Psychological thriller/Science Fiction anime about time travel. The anime is about how a group of friends is able to create a machine capable of sending messages across time, which results in changes in the past, present, and future. The plot may be a little confusing to understand at first, but everything eventually ties together as you watch the show. Also, there is a specific way to watch this series. To watch it chronologically, first, watch Steins gate up to episode 22, next, watch episode 23b(an alternative ending), then, all of Steins Gate 0, and finally, watch episodes of 23, 24, and 25 of the original series(Steins gate). This viewing order may make this show unappealing to watch, but I can almost 100% guarantee that it will be completely worth it as this show is so amazing. 

  1. Death Note (Available on Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll, and more)

Death Note follows a teenager named Light Yagami, who obtains a mysterious notebook called the Death Note from a shinigami(god of death) named Ryuk. The book allows him to kill anyone as long as he writes their name inside of the book. He then uses the Death Note to commit mass murder on those who he deems unworthy of living in this world specifically those who are criminals. And his end goal is to create a peaceful, and righteous world without crimes. 

  1. The Promised Neverland (Available on Hulu, Crunchyroll, and more)

I can not give a summary of what The Promised Neverland is about without spoiling the amazing hook it has in the very first episode. So all that I will say about this great show is that it is about a group of prodigal children who live an amazing life in an orphanage. However, there are strict rules that they must follow, such as being forbidden to ever leave unless allowed to by the caretaker. And the reason why the strict rules were created is one of the most amazing hooks I have ever seen in an anime.

  1. Death Parade (Available on Hulu, Crunchyroll, and more)

Death Parade takes place in the afterlife in a place called the Quindecim Bar. In this bar, there are games that are held between two dead people to decide their fates. It explores human nature with each episode encountering many different people, and in my opinion, was a very enjoyable anime to watch.

  1. Parasyte (Available on Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Vudu, and more)

Parasyte takes place when an onslaught of parasites from space travel to Earth and must take over another organism’s body to try and survive. The show is about how a teenager named Shinichi Izumi, with the help of a parasite on his right hand, battles the other parasites to help save humanity. This show has some very impactful fight scenes, and some of the interactions between humans and parasites make you rethink what being a human is. 

  1. Violet Evergarden (Available only on Netflix)

Violet Evergarden is about an emotionally detached soldier named Violet. After being a soldier for most of her life, she becomes a ghostwriter, so that she can learn more about emotions and the final words that she heard from her commander. The drawings in this anime are truly breathtaking, and so if you love anime for the visual aspects, Violet Evergarden will not disappoint.

  1. A Silent Voice (Available on Netflix, Youtube, Vudu, and more)

Unlike the other anime that I mentioned before, the movie A Silent Voice, is one of the most heartfelt anime movies that I have seen. It is known by many as a “tearjerker”. It is about how a former class bully named Shoya Ishida reaches out to a deaf girl who he once bullied, Shouko Nishimiya. He feels unworthy of her forgiveness, but he still tries to make everything between the two of them right.