1001 Nights is an experimental, stand-alone movie. There's no dialogue, it's just a series of fluid Arabic-influenced images that tell a loosely connected story. It's stunning at times and worth watching, but only if you like that kind of thing. Also noteworthy is that this is a collaborative effort of both Western and Eastern artists. 

Recommended

So it's not the most unique gangster/revenge story. So what. It's fun to watch. It doesn't get lost pondering ethics of revengs or take itself more seriously than it should. It's a solid revenge story with a unique setting for anime and good production. I wish the side characters got more development, but not much to complain about here.

Highly Recommended

ACCA's main issue isn't that it's a slow-burn, low-key anime, it's that up until the last handful of episodes, it feels directionless. However, once those episodes hit, everything makes sense and what felt like aimless wandering and bread eating clicks together. The end result is an extremly solid and cool ending. If you have the patience, this one pays off. 

Recommended

Ajin is back and better than ever. Season 2 is an improvement on the first season because we don't have to waste any time on introducing characters before jumping into the thrilling action that makes Ajin so great. If you liked the first season, check this one out. 

Recommended

Ajin feels like Tokyo Ghoul, minus  everything wrong with Tokyo Ghoul. Instead of a story built off angst that would impress a teenager after their first breakup, we get unapologetic action, violence, and characters all with a wide range of motivations. If the first few episodes feel like your standard edgy!shonen fare, stick around, it gets better. Not a masterpiece, but a fun ride.

Moderately Recommended

For the small percentage of people who'd look at this list who haven't watched Akira, I'd highly advise you watch it. Akira is a masterpiece. It's a quintessential movie for any anime fan, or fan of sci-fi or even just movies in general. The animation is stunning and is accompanied by one of the greatest soundtracks ever. A warning though, it's pretty graphic and some background about Japanese issues at the time will make it less confusing.

Top Recommendation 

Anju to Zushiou Maru feels a bit like a Disney movie, Japanese style. Given the year this came out, that's probably exactly what it wantedr. Don't let the singing animals throw you though, this story is far more adult than most mainstream Disney movies. There aren't too many disney movies with veiled attempted rape and your MC commits acts of violence.  

Recommended 

If you enjoy the Final Destination movies, you'll probably like Another. For the most part, it's a solid anime, but I found the 'twist' at the ending a little hard to swallow. It succeeds at making you guess who's going to die next and, more importantly, how will they die. Some of the deaths are brutal.

Moderately Recommended

Aoi Bungaku is a series of short stories that vary in interest, my favorite being 'No Longer Human.' I can't tell you how many times I've understood an anime reference because I watched this. Even without that added bonus, this anime is worth watching for its own sake for it's sometimes dark and othertimes surreal atmospheres that keeps you engaged + interesting backgrounds on the original authors provided in the beginning, giving you more context.   

Recommended

All 3 OVAs are very different. The first one adapts an interesting part of the manga, but might spoil stuff for those who haven't watched season 2 or read the manga. The second one is somewhat of a paraody. The third is a made-up training scenario. All three are fine, but the first one is especially interesting. 

Moderately Recommended

I watched this when I was starved for season two before this franchise burned out a little for me. Even then it was only moderately entertaining. It only succeeds at humor on occasion and features Eren (who I've never cared for) too much for my taste. 

Not Recommended

While at times it's over dramatic and not as unique and mature as some people think it is, Attack on Titan is honestly entertaining. If you can get beyond an annoying lead (who, to be fair, gets punished by the plot for his stupid actions rather than upheld for them), there's an interesting supporting cast, awesome fights, great production, and my favorite Hiroyuki Sawano OST. Don't let oversaturation ruin this for you and just enjoy it for what it is.

Recommended

Levi and Erwin are my favorite characters in the Attack on Titan franchise. In theory, I should love an short story about how they meant. But it's only okay. It's missing some of the over-the-top drama that makes this series so fun to watch. The side characters are easily forgettable. It's worth watching once.

Kinda Recommended

I mean . . . it's about cute cats bouncing around in bananas for 3 minutes per episode. It's exactly as advertised. Mostly, I watched it because the narrator made it oddly entertaining. 

Kinda Recommended

Basilisk feels somewhat like Bleach, in that everyone has ridiculous powers, but you actually hate the whole cast. It takes itself a little too seriously for an anime that has a guy slithering around like a snake as his 'power.' The 'love story' is abysmal, but there's some entertainment value in the fights.

Not Recommended

If you want to see what all the fuss about Berserk is about, this anime is the way to do it. The original anime covers what is easily the best Berserk arc. Our three main characters develop complex relationships and are refreshing versions of standard fantasy tropes. A warning though, there's an awful cliff hanger with a real let-down of a resolution if you decide to continue the story.  

Highly Recommended

Unlike Bleach the anime, the movie is just plain bad. Instead of shonen-style 1 v 1 fights with powers ranging from awesome to just plain weird, the movie focuses on a teased at romance between Ichigo and an uninteresting original character. Bonus points for the scene where Ichigo sides with his new waifu over the entire cast, including Rukia, headed by, of all captains, Jushiro. Because the Soul Society doesn't have hardass captains I guess.

Not Recommended 

Bleach is bad. I know that. There's too much filler, too many characters, and a paperthin plot. But I don't care. Despite everything, Bleach pulls it off by out-shonening every shonen ever. It helps that the majority of the cast is likeable, has some badass characters, and that the soundtrack hypes every fight. Just have fun with it instead of expecting a masterpiece. 

Highly Recommended

I watched this when I wanted to watch something mindless, but entertaining. Unless you love Bleach, it's probably not worth your time. I will give it credit for trying to utilize what makes Bleach so great, if not doing it quite as well as the cannon storyline. It feels like a decent Bleach filler episode (yes, Bleach has some). 

Moderately Recommended

This anime left me confused. Not because I couldn't follow the story, but because I didn't know what it wanted to be. It never felt like it gelled together into a coherent tone and world I could immerse in. It also felt spread out between too many characters, not letting the more entertaining ones steal the show. 

Not Recommended

Based on a decent shonen manga, Blue Exorcist succesfully adapts the first few acrs, provides some funny fillers, and then self-destructs an awful anime-only ending. I find the original material passingly entertaining, so I found the first half alright and hated the ending. Wouldn't recommend to anyone except people desperate for a standard shonen.

Not Recommended 

This is a vast improvement on S1. It pretends the horrible plot they made up doesn't exist, even changing how characters react to certain events back to how they did in the manga. While this one stays true to the original source, it still suffers from the issues I have with the manga: Shiemi and Rin are the two dullest characters in the series but get most of the screen time (sigh). 

Kinda Recommended

I like weird, psychological, and dark anime, so I think I would've liked this more if it wasn't so disjointed. Boogiepop is hard to follow at times. It's also heavy on the psychological and philosophical. That said, each individual episode is easy to understand and interesting. It's worth watching if you're looking for something different.  

Recommended

Bungou Stray Dogs S2 is better than S1, but still doesn't escape from it's overcrowding problem. There's still a handful of episodes that focus on characters introduced that episode rather than the core cast, many of which I still find dull. That said, the first handful of episodes are so awesome it makes you wish the rest of the show could stay that way.  

Recommended

Dazai steals this show out from under the too large cast with an overabundance of 'insane' characters. While the plot and world feel like part of a coherent whole, the anime gets a little lost in it's struggle to balance darker and lighter aspects and large cast. A working knowledge of famous Japanese authors would most likely improve appreciation for this show. 

Moderately Recommended

I only watched this way too short because I'm a fan of the real-life Shinsengumi and the time period they operated in. This show is kind of depressing because I see potential in the basic character set-ups and the humor, but it's just too short for anything to even remotely develop. 

Not Recommended

Season 2 manages to have a plot that makes less sense, mastermind plans that seem even dumber, and have even more unnecessary characters than season 1. It got so stupid towards the end, it actually had some value as a comedy. 

Not Recommended

If there was ever an anime more overrated than SAO, it's Code Geass. I cannot for the life of me understand what everyone likes so much about Lelouch and the plot that ties itself into a knot to make all his 'mastermind' plans work. This guy has more mommy and daddy issues than Shinji Ikari, who actually acts like he has all these issues instead of trying to come across like some kind of vampire!Light Yamagi. 

Not Recommended

Colorful is a visual masterpiece coupled with believable characters and deals with a serious topic without feeling melodramatic or too heavy-handed. My only critique is that it feels like it meanders, which makes it feel somewhat dragged out. There's no reason you shouldn't watch this movie, unless you strictly watch anime for fanservice.

Highly Recommended

It's hard to live up to the kind of hype Cowboy Bebop has. And yet that's exactly what this anime does. This Jazz/Western/Space infusion creates an cool vibe, supported by a stellar soundtrack (but I mean, what else would you expect from Yoko Kanno). It doesn't rest on this 'vibe' to pull you in, but delivers interesting characters, cool plots, humor, and action. Dub highly recommended. 

Top Recommendation 

I love D. Gray Man. I love the manga, I love the anime, I love the world, plot, characters, art . . . I can't give an unbiased review. What I can say, is if you watched the first season and either a.) wished it was darker or b.) wished you knew more about Kanda, then I highly recommend this. Oh, I highly recommend it anyways.

Top Recommendation 

D. Gray Man is one of my favorite mangas, so I'm a little bias here, but I loved this anime. I can't say what people who haven't read the manga will think, but I LOVE the cast, the world, the tone, etc . . . A warning though, there's a ton of filler, which I liked, but not as much as the cannon storylines. It also has an awesome soundtrack from Kaoru Wada. 

Top Recommendation 

I'm a fan of the old shoujo style and female characters with something to talk about outside of boys and breast size, so I throughly enjoyed Dear Brother. It's a tad dramatic at times and feels like the plot could've been tighter, but it makes up for that with its complex characters and beautiful imagery.  

Highly Recommended

Death Billiards feels like an early episode of Death Parade, which makes sense given this came first. I liked the beginning of DP more than I did towards the end, so I enjoyed this episode, even if the concept and characters were already known. It's worth watching if you enjoyed DP. 

Moderately Recommended

Death Note is worth watching just for its incredible OST. Thankfully, that's not the only reason you should watch it. Unlike many other stories, Death Note utilizes its magic system and explores it to its fullest extent. The first half is especially interesting. It's not all peaches and roses though. The finish isn't as strong as the start, many characters feel like repeats with a twist, and it's blantly sexist. 

Recommended

I can see why Death Parade is popular. It's beautiful, has an interesting idea, and explores range of emotions without ever feeling too edgy or angsty. It should've been better.  I wished they explored the issues in the system using the individual cases instead of giving some half-explanation for how the system works and fails as a whole. Also, too many characters. 

Kinda Recommended

There were things I loved and things I hated about this anime. It was confusing at times, didn't have an ending, and tried to take on too much. On the other side, I loved the characters, the world they started creating, and it had some badass fights. For all the love/hate I felt while watching it and for a few months after, it didn't have a lot of staying power. But that didn't make the initial ride any less fun.

Recommended

I love shonen-ai and yaoi, but this . . . just isn't good. The characters leave much to be desired, as does the production, world building, and plot. There's also things that feel out of place. It's hard to take a backstory with rape, torture, and slow death seriously with a kawaii creature flying around. Only recommended if you're desperate for shonen-ai(ish) anime. 

Not recommended

I loved S1 of Rakugo so much, that I felt hesitation towards S2, knowing almost the entire cast would change. My fear was largely unfounded. Shouwa, yet again, provides its viewers with some of the best character development, drama, and nuanced storytelling (through Rakugo performances & the actual story) available. This series is a God-sent gift to anyone looking for something more subtle and mature. 

Top Recommendation

Among the beautiful animation, simple and refreshing love story played out between two interesting characters, it's easy to see how Doukyuusei grew so popular so quickly. The romance is sweet and realistic rather than melodramatic, immature, and/or unrealistic. The fact this romance is between two guys shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying this. Seriously, this isn't your standard shonen-ai story. Give it a chance.   

Highly Recommended

If you watched Durarara!!, watch this special. If you're like most Drr fans, your favorite characters are Izaya, Shizou, and Celty. Well, these specials highlight what makes all three of them great in true out-of-order/seemingly unrelated Drrr style. Both specials were some of my favorite Drrr episodes across the franchise. 

Highly Recommended

Durarara is at it's best when it tells a story out of order through various seemingly unrelated perspectives and then ties it altogether. The cast is as off-beat as the story and keeps the viewer engaged, even when they're wondering what the point of this segment is until the final reveal. Despite having a lot going on, Durarara's first season pulls it altogether in an entertaining way. 

Recommended

Of the three x2 seasons, Ketsu is my favorite. Despite my opinion that the x2 seasons lose lots of what made the first season so great, Ketsu manages to deliver a decent finish. The main characters finally feel like they're back in the spotlight and it brings back some of what made the first season great. But it's too little, too late. Watch the x2 seasons only if you really liked the first one. 

Moderately Recommended

Durararara is back . . . and not as good as it used to be. While far from unwatchable, the x2 seasons get bogged down by too many new characters that serve little to no purpose at times and too many storylines. While some of these characters are enjoyable, there's just too many and everyone feels under utilized. 

In case anyone is curious, x2 of Durarara goes like this Shou -> Ten -> Ketsu. 

Moderately Recommended

This is a fun little extra that shows what happened during the hot pot story. Within it are a few vignettes that give more context to how various characters interacted prior to what we see in the story. If you like Drrr's main cast, I'd recommend you watch this. 

Recommended

x2 Ten picks up right where x2 Shou left off. The plot and characters aren't the only thing that carries over. Shou suffers from the same problems Ten does. The x2 series has so many characters and running plot lines (many of which have no real impact on the plot), that the cool/funky way the first season told its stories out of order and connected everything together is gone, burried under the weight of too much going on. 

Moderately Recommended 

The only characters of note that do anything important in this special are Celty and Shira. Lots of time is spent on unnamed characters never seen in the franchise before and never again. The whole thing feels a bit disjointed, and not in the fun way Durarara usually does. Even a moderate Celty x Shinra fan like myself was underwhelmed. 

Kinda Recommended

Erased is a decent thriller, a great character-focused drama, and a lousey mystery. I'm not sure what it says about a story where you'd rather watch two kids bond than solve a muder mystery, but that's what Erased is. While always interesting, Erased loses a lot of its heart once the first arc ends. That said, you should watch it anyways. 

Moderately Recommended 

If you continue reading this list, you'll learn I like edgy stuff (Monster, Texhnolyze, NGE, etc . . .), but NOT when it feels this juvenile. Elfen Lied isn't edgy, it's a poor excuse for melodrama with an unlikeable cast. Everything feels forced to create the most angst possible. By the time we had a naked, cat-eared girl (who is missing all her limbs) lying on a table ready to get killed by evil scientists while professing her undying loyalty for evil scientist, I officially gave up trying to take this seriously.  

Not Recommended

This anime takes place on Prince Edward Island. To anyone who's read the Anne of Green Gables series or watched the Road to Avonlea TV show, you might've started tearing up from feels. I spent most of my time watching this anime remembering how I felt watching/reading Green Gables and Avonlea. While it has a very important message of, not everyone ends up being a star and that's okay, it got burried under stories that came before it.  

Moderately Recommended