Top 10 Most Popular Anime Series You Can Watch Right Now
One Punch Man
Top 10 Popular Anime Series
Most storytelling conventions would cast the protagonist as the underdog always fighting an uphill battle who is only able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat through sheer willpower. One Punch Man bucks this trend fantastically by presenting to us a character who is so overpowered, he himself is annoyed by it.
That character is Saitama, a superhero who cannot fly or use mythical powers of any kind. He’s just strong. So strong, in fact, that he defeats most of his foes with a single punch. His apathy and lack of gumption set a unique tone, and despite the best efforts of the villains that stand before him – villains who get an A+ for effort – all will fall to the might of the one punch man.
It is available for viewing on Hulu and Netflix.
My Hero Academia
Top 10 Popular Anime Series
It’s hard enough for Saitama to qualify as a superhero with nothing more than his exquisite strength, so one can only imagine how lousy Izuku Midoriya must feel: born into a world where powers are the norm, he was gifted with none whatsoever. Nada. Bupkis. His is the power of… participation, really. Regardless, he doesn’t give up and enrolls in a school for heroes in training.
My Hero Academia is a compelling piece of narrative based on the unexpected challenges and twists that life takes for Izuku as he learns that perhaps there is more power residing deep down within him than he ever thought possible. Anyone who has ever felt overwhelmingly average can surely relate.
Enroll in My Hero Academia via Crunchyroll, Hulu or the Funimation website. …Don’t literally enroll, though. It’s not a real school, guys.
Darling in the Franxx
Top 10 Popular Anime Series
Nothing like a good old mechsuit anime to get the blood pumping, eh? Darling in the Franxx may sound one X short of something a bit unsavory, but it is in actual fact based on a post-apocalyptic future where our very survival is threatened by beasts called klaxosaurs. Yes, klaxosaurs. Just go with it.
Humanity’s last hope lies within paired children who pilot the Franxx, one of whom, a presumed prodigy known as Hiro, flunks out of the academy for failing to synchronize with his partner. He joins up with the elite pilot Zero Two, a mysterious girl with klaxosaur blood in her veins and a name that sounds like it was the brainchild of an edgy thirteen-year-old.
You can watch Darling in the Franxx via Crunchyroll, Hulu or Funimation.
Black Clover
Top 10 Popular Anime Series
A world filled with magical powers, and one tragic little sap devoid of any at his disposal. This time, we’re referring to Asta, an orphan who aims to be the Wizard King someday. He compensates for this by just being physically superior to everyone else, a testament to the idea that even the most talented and studious among us can be outdone by a swift punch to the face.
Alongside his friend and rival Yuno (a gifted magician with the power to control wind), Asta joins the Magic Knights, eventually gaining the keen ability of anti-magic. But he’ll have to harness this technique properly if he hopes to ever become the Wizard King, as well as surviving the deadly onslaughts of one too many warlocks with a bone to pick.
Black Clover can be found on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Attack on Titan
Top 10 Popular Anime Series
Known to some as Nightmare Fuel: The Anime.
Attack on Titan takes place in a grim world where cities are walled off to help protect residents from the ever-present threat of the Titans. True to their name, these behemoths are gigantic, horrifying beasts with human-like features and a lack of remorse, and they happen to think that we’re all just delicious. Clearly, this is not a healthy relationship, so series’ hero Eren Yeager and his friends join the Scout Regiment in an effort to fend them off.
Rife with troubling imagery and tension, Attack on Titan is best viewed with the expectation that you’re about to see some nasty stuff. The unsettling grins on the faces of some of the Titans leaves a lasting impression on you, particularly when they’re about to chow down on some poor sap who couldn’t run fast enough. Where’s Saitama when you need him?
Attack on Titan is on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Netflix.
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
Top 10 Popular Anime Series
Soma is a young boy who dreams of someday becoming a full-time chef (all of these anime characters with their dreams and ambitions, how enviable) and enrolls at the Totsuki Culinary Academy, a prestigious school where less than 1% of students manage to graduate. Frankly, that sounds like a terrible school that shouldn’t receive any funding whatsoever, but who are we to judge?
The high-pressure world of top-level cooking makes for a grand stage, as Soma and his classmates strive desperately to make the grade. Why, even lodging in the on-site dorms requires a dish that impresses the warden, and needless to say, two-minute noodles will not suffice.
You can find Food Wars on Crunchyroll (rather appropriately), as well as Hulu.
Devilman Crybaby
Top 10 Popular Anime Series
The title may sound like an oxymoron, but on further reflection, it’s actually fair enough. The main character, Akira Fudo, is a sensitive soul, to the point where seeing others in pain brings him to tears. In order to protect mankind from an ancient race of demons, he unites with one, effectively becoming – you guessed it – a Devilman. Funny how anime is able to sort itself out like that sometimes.
Now possessing the power of a demon, but with the soul of a human, Akira becomes the ultimate weapon in the fight between hell and Earth. As you may anticipate from the thematic undertones, shucks, it gets a little bit bleak at times, but stick with it and you’re in for some thrills.
Devilman Crybaby is currently available on Netflix.
Record of Grancrest War
Top 10 Popular Anime Series
When the continent of Atlatan is threatened by demons from another dimension, the nobles fight back using the mythical Crests, the power of which gives them superhuman abilities. Alas, all that excess might was rather enticing, so they begin to turn on one another in an attempt to snatch up as many Crests as possible. This is why we can’t have nice things.
One such Crest-bearer, Theo Cornaro, happens upon a young mage named Siluca Meletes, who seeks to put an end to all of the strife. She also has a cat. That cat is the king of the cat kingdom. And that’s a pretty sweet pet to have. They combine their powers in an effort not only to cease the war between man but also to put an end to those pesky demons that everyone seems to have forgotten about.
Record of Grancrest War can be found on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
Golden Kamuy
Top 10 Popular Anime Series
History lesson! Were you aware of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05? Fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire over ambitions lying in Manchuria and Korea, it lasted a year and a half and ended with a treaty being signed that put an end to Russia’s expansionist efforts in the area.
Now that you’ve got that framework in mind, Golden Kamuy is about Saichi Sugimoto, a Russo-Japanese War veteran, who learns of a stash of gold and has machinations of acquiring it, despite significant resistance from the Imperial Japanese army, among other groups. Can the tough old son of a gun survive not only these opposing forces but the harsh Hokkaido wilderness?
Only one way to find out. Check out Golden Kamuy on Crunchyroll. Or, you know, read the synopsis online, you filthy cheater, you.
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby
Top 10 Popular Anime Series
History lesson! Were you aware of the legendary horse girls? Great racehorses of yesteryear that have been reborn as cute girls, that have the ears and tails from their past, as well as the speed and endurance of an equine. No, that one probably won’t be in the history books, because it’s not a real thing at all (or it’s being covered up by the anti-horse girl conspirators).
Alright, so you shouldn’t be that surprised to learn that an anime called Pretty Derby is quite bizarre, but it makes for a fun template, mixing the typical Japanese schoolgirl setting with the offbeat sideshow of seeing them race on a horse track. It’s like My Little Pony for a new era, and you must admit that you are at least vaguely intrigued. Say yes, please. Don’t say neigh.
The Pretty Derby can be viewed on Crunchyroll. I hope that I can brush their hair someday.
