Anime has many different styles within its genre. Each of them is categorized by a specific demographic.  In this article I will talk about the shows I enjoyed as a newbie and what manga they are associated with. 

   The first show that got me into Anime was BNA on Netflix believe it or not. “Brand New Animal” is about a teenager named Michiru who faces adversity for being different. She has the ability to turn into a humanoid animal and is cast out. It’s her story of trying to find a safe haven and accepting who she is as a Beastman. I thoroughly enjoyed the story telling of the show and it’s characters. The art style really reminded me of a lot of cartoons I grew up watching. It’s a show I am excited to re-watch and always recommend to my friends.

This specific Anime is a Seinen manga. Seinen are marketed to young adults. It also falls under a few other genres like Action, Fantasy and Science Fiction. With only twelve episodes I really can’t wait for the next season which unfortunate hasn’t been announced yet. With this series being so new I was so surprised how good it was and the fact that it’s a Netflix Original is just really cool. I would love to see more anime originals on their platform.

My husband I had a blast trying to figure out what type of Beastman each character was before it was revealed. Some are pretty obvious and others keep you guessing. A huge part of why I love this show is the story telling. The way that each episode ends keeps you at the edge of your seat. You think you know as much as you possible can figure out on your own but then there is something more to it. I thoroughly enjoyed it beginning to end.

This next Anime was remade in 2019 and released on HULU in collaboration with CrunchyRoll. Fruits Basket is an Anime about A girl named Tohru Honda, a high school student that finds out that the Soma Family are hiding something from everyone. In actuality there are possessed by the animals of the Chinese Zodiac and involuntary change into said animal when hugged by the opposite sex.

The characters are charming and their stories will give you all the feels. This show is very emotional so if you can’t handle some drama and heartache this one probably isn’t for you. I find that anime is like that though to draw you into the characters lives. Things can’t get lighter if there isn’t a little darkness.

The main characters really grow on you and their personalities truly shine. Tohru reminded me of myself a lot and I think that’s why I really enjoyed the show so much. When a character is relatable it makes the show that more enjoyable. I found the art style very cute and the back story of each member of the Soma family very intriguing. Similarly to BNA I had so much fun trying to guess what animal from the Zodiac calendar was who. Fruits Basket is a Shōjo manga meaning that this show was aimed at young women as their demographic. It also falls under the genre of ” Romantic Comedy” and Supernatural.

Similarily to Fruits Basket is HoriMiya focuses on highschool students Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura. A couple that are complete opposites to one another. It’s a simple story of them opening up to each other and life with their friends in school.

The back stories aren’t the most in-depth or severely depressing like most shows which is refreshing to say the least. I liked this anime for the simplicity and cutesy romance between characters. There wasn’t much to the whole show but when you need a distraction I’d say this one could be your ticket into watching Anime series.

I got butterflies watching the romance bloom in their hearts and in their eyes. The demographic of this particular manga is Shōnen. Shōnen are usually targeted towards a young male audience. (I would have to argue that it is more of a Shojo type show being that its a romantic type of show but I digress.)

On to the action, My husband and I binge watched this one. BoFuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense. You can probably tell by the title but this one is about a Virtual Reality role playing game world.

Maple starts playing this game with her friend after little deliberation and maxes out her defense in hopes to be able to stay alive in the game. In doing this she continues to put all her strength into defense as a tactic to be different from the rest. Usually in role playing games you want a balance of defense, attack and speed but she lacks everything except her shielding . You’d think she wasn’t doing as much as she could to compete but she proves everyone wrong.

This show is very creative in its approach. I really loved how cheesy everything was and how in depth the narrative went to show exactly what skills were reached and what her achievements were. It was like I was really watching someone play an RPG. If you aren’t into video games or any of that sort of stuff this Anime isn’t going to work for you. But my husband and I are huge nerds and loved it so much.

The characters were very cute and the animation was very unique. As a Seinen I would have to agree that young adults are the best demographic for this manga but I can see it being very appealing to adults as well. I am 29 and I absolutely would watch it again. I can’t wait for the next season to come out. 2022 here we go! This show was very easy to watch for me and didn’t have a ton of emotional content in it. Would highly recommend to anyone that loves adventure and video games.

And here comes the Anime that brings tears to your eyes. People tell me all the time that I only love sad sappy anime. That’s definitely not true. I love all different types of shows. It’s not my fault that a lot of the characters have sad lives and wear their hearts on their sleeves. I fall so hard for the lonely and depressed. I surely don’t seek out shows that make me cry. ” The Day I became a God” started out so bright and happy. It was so light-hearted and cute until it got down to the end. I won’t ruin it for you but please be warned. I definitely loved it but it was so short. In only twelve episodes you really fall in love with the protagonist.

The Anime is about a girl that goes by Hina Sato that claims that she’s a God named Odin. In claiming shes supernatural she expresses that the world is going to end in 30 days after running into the other main character Yōta Narukami. I won’t say much more about it but it was definitely a good one. Highly recommend if you can handle it. The demographic for this manga is seinen as well. This anime is fairly new to the scene and was released in 2020. Not sure if their will be a sequel or not.

Last but not least Sword Art Online another tear-jerker. I have yet to finish this Anime because my husband couldn’t take the sadness but I promise I’ll complete it before the year is up. What I can say about the show is it took some getting used to at first. I started watching it after Bo-furi and found it pretty similar in theme. It’s about a virtual reality role playing world but with a twist.

This game doesn’t allow for you to leave the game unless you die or complete the final boss. When you die in game you die in real life. Bo-furi was not dark like that at all or really emotional in anyway. It started out very slow but gained momentum as it progressed. If you are not emotionally stable I wouldn’t give this one a watch. It’s pretty dark and can really make your heart hurt for a while. Not saying that as a bad thing necessarily but it really isn’t for everyone. This show seems like it’s for mature audiences. (contains nudity and violence as well as some language.)

The demographic for this Anime is shonen that being a male audience. I would definitely agree with that. The show is pretty straight forward as far as everything goes. Being that I haven’t finished the show yet I will say that it might not be as good all the way through. I have only made it to season two about half way but up until then I have enjoyed it. Kirito is a well rounded character and many of the characters you meet through out the series are great too.