From Sci-Fi To Western: The Best Anime In Every Major Genre – CBR

What kind of anime do you like to watch? While huge titles such as Dragon Ball and Naruto and One Piece seem to really stand out, there is more to the world of anime and manga than the major Shonen titles. Don't get us wrong; we love those titles and others like them. But the strength of anime is its variety of genres and storytelling methods, not just the number of Dragon Ball seasons.

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Many hidden gems of the anime world explore off-beat themes or see the world through a new lens, and today, we're going to name some of the best anime series (long and short) from ten of the biggest genres of fiction out there. While "best' is subjective, we are confident that these series are among the finest out there, and newcomers to the anime world ought to give them a try. Your new favorite might be right around the corner.

This anime is based on a seven-volume manga series, and both tell a heart-warming (and tense) story all about bullying, redemption, the consequences of one's actions, and self-acceptance. The protagonist is not the victim of bullying, but the bully himself: Shota Ishida (at left).

With gorgeous visuals and a well-told story, this anime is a great first series for anyone who needs a new drama series to watch, and the manga is a good alternative for comic lovers everywhere. It even shows some diversity in ability, as the bullied girl is deaf and uses both sign language and paper to speak.

While Shonen has Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach as its "big three," the Shojo world has the likes of Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Fruits Basket as counterparts. There's some stiff competition, but we chose the classic story of Fruits Basket as the top romance anime out there.

What's the story? The kindhearted orphan Tohru Honda moves in with the reclusive Sohma family, and discovers their big secret: they are cursed, and can turn into the Chinese zodiac animals! This media juggernaut has romance, drama, fun characters, deep themes, and gorgeous visuals to offer, and an eye-popping reboot anime is underway, with season 1 already complete.

The competition is fierce for this genre, and sci-fi elements tend to find their way into other genres, too. But all things considered, the classic Ghost in the Shell serves as the genre's capstone.

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It boasts numerous anime adaptations and movies (including live-action), deep themes of humanity and society, cool action sequences, mind-bending technology and plot twists, and lush animation on top of all that. Let's just say that out of all robot girls in anime, no one can top Motoko Kusanagi.

This series also has some steampunk elements, giving it a soft sci-fi edge, but it's ultimately a fantasy series. It may not be high fantasy like many isekai anime are, but Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an incredible show in every category you can think of.

Characters. Plot. Animation. Action. Humor. Drama. Deep and resonate themes. Voice acting. A cool magic system. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood doesn't have the tiniest gap in its production, and better yet, it's 64 episodes long: time enough to deliver the full story, but short enough so it's not a slog.

Japan and South Korea have given the world some of our favorite horror franchises, such as Ringu and The Grudge, but anime doesn't lag far behind. For example, the short but grisly series Another checks of all the right boxes and leaves us wanting more.

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It's atmospheric and creepy at all times, but it's never overdone or silly, and there's just enough relief from the horror to keep things balanced... until the next disaster strikes. And the conclusion offers some closure to wrap up the story, but tantalizing questions still linger. Horror works best when not everything is laid out in clinical detail.

True, this anime does have a sci-fi setting, and it's a great show, but we'd rather categorize it as Western rather than generic sci-fi. After all, just look at the setting.Trigun set on the barren, sunlit world of Gunsmoke, where vigilante justice, gunslingers, and train robberies are the order of the day.

Hero Vash the Stampede is an anime classic, and it seems like half the other anime/manga series out there pay homage to him. He's a deadly marksman with a heart of gold, and we love this anime'e meandering plot as Vash and his friends explore the world of Gunsmoke... and get caught up in a few harrowing fights along the way!

Now it's time to relax and have a few laughs. The anime industry as a whole does well with comic relief, from chibi people to visual gags, but some anime really own the humor. One of them is Nichijou.

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Often translated as "my ordinary life," Nichijou is a high school slice of life with some truly goofy characters and sequences, from the kid professor and her love of sharks and snacks to Mio's explosive temper and love of drawing BL manga (she tries and fails to hide it). If you need a few chuckles, Nichijou is ready to deliver.

This is a household name in the anime world, but younger anime fans might not have yet watched it (the anime and manga are from the mid to late 2000s). As far as crime thrillers go, few titles (anime or not) can compare to Death Note.

Brilliant high schooler Light Yagami picks up the supernatural murder book Death Note, and with it, he goes on a rampage to rid the world of criminals and reign as a god. The world's top detective, L, vows to stop the "Kira" mass murderer at all costs. And the following battle of wits has to be seen to be believed!

Also known as Detective Conan, this long-running series is another one that newer anime fans might have missed (it's an old one). It stars Shinichi Kudo, a brilliant high schooler who (unlike Light Yagami) uses his formidable intellect for good.

But a mysterious organization poisons him, and he assumes the body of a young boy. Now he helps solve the toughest mysteries around, and he's also trying to uncover the truth about the people who poisoned him. If you need an anime Sherlock Holmes, you've got it.

Why do we love post-apocalyptic fiction so much, such as zombie stories or the Fallout games? Maybe it's fun to see characters break free of the stuffy rules and law of society, and run free in a planet-sized playground. We want to stretch our wings and fly, and if civilization collapses, it's an open world out there.

But this freedom comes with many costs, from giant radioactive scorpions to cruel raiders and bandits... and zombies! With its R-rated action and drama, gorgeous visuals, and appropriately open ending, High School of the Dead is the anime equal to AMC's The Walking Dead (and it's shorter, too). Barricade the door and get ready for the apocalypse!

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I graduated high school in Kansas City in 2009, then earned my Associate's in Arts in 2011 at MCC Longview, then my BA in Creative Writing at UMKC in 2013. I have a passion for creative fiction and I've studied and practiced my craft for over ten years. Currently, I'm expanding my resume and skill set with jobs such as SEO writing and journalism.

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From Sci-Fi To Western: The Best Anime In Every Major Genre - CBR

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero