You want recommendations? Here's a list of them

Question

This is the special meta post where we post our recommendations. It's not for asking, just for posting whatever you feel like others would be interested in watching/reading/playing/hearing.

Also, below is a list of third-party sites which may be helpful in finding recommendations.

Third-party links

• MyAnimeList − On any work's page there is a "Recommendations" section;
• Anime Planet - The homepage contains links to current popular anime & manga, and creating an account leads to personalised suggestions based on your watching and/or reading habits;
• Reddit / Anime suggest − Browse and search existing suggestions or ask for your own;
• (other recommendation sites go here)

List of suggestion engines.

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Our own recommendations

Post a new answer per recommendation in the following format:

• Work type − anime, manga, visual novel, drama CD, etc.;
• Work title − with a tag link on the main site, if it exists;
• Short description − general info about the item;
• Tags − sometimes description just doesn't cut it.

There are also community wiki lists that contain works united by the same general description which is a strong point of the work (good or bad).

Bad (overall) works may still have something good in them, like an anime series with terrible plot, but absolutely lovable characters. Or a horrendously drawn manga with unexpectedly wonderful story. Don't forget to comment why you still recommend something like that despite its flaws.

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You can sort recommendations by date if you press the "Oldest" link/button.

Answer 1

Monogatari Series [Anime]
Including: Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari, Nekomonogatari: Kuro, Monogatari Series: Second Season, Hanamonogatari, Tsukimonogatari, Owarimonogatari, Koyomimonogatari, Kizumonogatari

monogatari-series

An anime follows Araragi Koyomi dealing with lots of supernatural event. Gods, spirits, devil, and apparitions along side with lots of heroine.

Artistic as hell, eyegasm animation, as always from SHAFT. The character designs were drop dead gorgeous. The lighting, shading, dimension, movement and coloration added to the atmosphere were beautiful.

This anime has lots of dialogue and heavy-weight conversation. It's full of phrases that you will remember for a life time. It's sarcastic, erotic, symbolical, with lots of wordplay. You will love them even if you don’t get them. But for those who don't like so much dialogues, they will find it boring.

Similar anime: Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei, Arakawa Under the Bridge, xxxHolic

Mystery, Supernatural, Romance, Based on a Light Novel, SHAFT PRODUCTION

Screenshots :

_{(From Anime-Planet, first row: Bakemonogatari, second row: Nisemonogatari, third row: Monogatari Series: Second Season)}

Useful links:

• What is the in-universe chronological order of the Monogatari Series?
• What is the production order of the Monogatari series?

Answer 2

Nichijou [Anime]

nichijou

An eccentric to the maximum anime about everyday lives of several highschoolers who get into all sorts of unbelievably stupid and fun situations all day.

comedy, gags, random, school, cultural references

Answer 3

Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica [anime]

aka Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika, Magical Girl Madoka Magica

madoka-magica

Madoka Kaname and her friends are regular high-schoolers. They go to school together every day, talk about different things, love, hate, be jelly and all that. As time goes by, they are offered a chance to become Magical Girls and take on the great task of fighting darkness and evil that taint the existence, in order to make the world a better place.

Shaft, mahou shoujo, Urobuchi Gen

Answer 4

Cute Girls Doing Cute Things

@mirroroftruth already mentioned K-On, an absolute giant when it comes to this style of show, and @ToshinouKyouko mentioned Yuru Yuri, another giant, but here are others you might check out if you like this sort of thing.

• Lucky Star [Anime and Manga] lucky-star - Cute otaku girls doing cute (otaku-themed) things.
• Azumanga Daioh [Anime and Manga] azumanga-daioh - A gateway drug into the world of cute girls doing cute things.
• Aria [Anime and Manga] aria - Cute girls becoming gondola-rowing tour guides in a replica of Venice built on 24th Century Mars. You have to watch just to find out how amazing that inauspicious premise can be. When it comes to utopian visions of the 24th Century, Star Trek: The Next Generation cannot even begin to compete with Aria.
• Hanayamata [Anime and Manga] hanayamata - Cute girls doing traditional Japanese dancing.
• GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class [Anime and Manga] ga-geijutsuka-art-design-class - Cute girls doing art. Cute, charming and also very creative and beautiful, like its cousin Shoulder a Coffin Kuro, also by mangaka Satoko Kiyuzuki.
• Hidamari Sketch [Anime and Manga] hidamari-sketch - More cute girls doing art. By Puella Magi Madoka Magica character designer Ume Aoki.
• Sketchbook [Anime and Manga] sketchbook - Another cute girls doing art theme that features a cameo appearance of a character from Aria. Not to be confused with Hidamari Sketch.
• Gochuumon wa Usagi desu ka? (Is the Order a Rabbit?) [Anime and Manga] is-the-order-a-rabbit - Cute girls serving coffee in an Alpine village where signs are in Japanese.
• Kill Me Baby! [Anime and Manga] kill-me-baby - Cute girls inflict great pain on each other. More funny than it sounds.
• Kiniro Mosaic [Anime and Manga] kiniro-mosaic - Cute girls going on exchange student programs between Japan and England.
• Yuyushiki [Anime] yuyushiki - Cute girls using HooYa! (essentially Google Search) to find out interesting facts
• Strawberry Marshmallow [Anime and Manga] strawberry-marshmallow - Chika and her equally cute elementary school girl friends doing cute things in cute ways, basking her cute big sister in the glory of moe aesthetic.
• Komorebi no Kuni [Manga] komorebi-no-kuni - Just enjoy the cute girls and the scenery in full color.
• Saki [Anime and Manga] saki - Girls of varying abilities and cuteness challenging each other to a mahjong match.
• Girls und Panzer [Anime and Manga] girls-und-panzer - What could be cuter than a girl and her tank? Watch Miho and other girls compete in a Panzerfahren tournament. For less tank and more cute girls doing cute thing read Girls und Panzer: Motto Love Love Sakusen desu!
• Hibike! Euphonium [Anime] hibike-euphonium - Cute girls playing in the brass ensemble. In contrast to most of these shows, the club is huge, with tons of members, and there are boys in it. Also known as Sound! Euphonium.
• Bakuon!! [Anime and Manga] bakuon Cute Girls Doing Cute Things, like riding their motorcycles and racing against each other.
• New Game! [Anime and Manga] new-game Dream world where all the programmer and designer are cute girls to develop a game.
• Anne Happy [Anime and Manga] anne-happy Cute girls who are terribly unfortunate.
• A-Channel [Anime and Manga] a-channel Cute Girls Doing Cute Things in 4koma format.
• Moe Cockroach (Gokiburi Gijinka), Gokicha [Manga, Manga] gokicha It's cockroach [ugh] but it's moe \o/ but it's cockroach [orz] but still moe (There are 2 short ONA but the manga is better drawn and have the exact same and more story)

Answer 5

Mushishi [Anime]

mushishi

An enchanting collection of stories set in old-time Japan, in a world where mushi are the elemental forms of life live alongside mankind, invisible to most. Ginko studies and resolves undesirable effects of mushi on ordinary people.

The series is very slow-paced and has a fitting soundtrack, making for a unique soothing experience.

old Japan, relaxing, how do you not already know about this

Answer 6

Yuru Yuri [Anime]

yuruyuri

Right after starting middle school, Akari Akaza joins the Amusement Club which is composed solely by her two childhood friends, Kyouko Toshinou and Yui Funami. Chinatsu Yoshikawa, Akaza's classmate, becomes a member after finding out about the dissolution of the Tea Club.

The Amusement Club, situated at the tea room facility since the Tea Club disbanded, has no clear purpose, being free for the girls to do whatever they want.

Slice Of Life, Comedy, Yuri

Answer 7

Hotarubi no Mori e [anime movie]

Jon Lin approves: 9/10.

This recommendation/review may degrade your viewing experience, either by hyping or spoiling it too much. Read at your own discretion.

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With just 45 minutes of running time (40 if you don't count the end credits) and with such a simple plot, it's hard to put a synopsis without spoiler info, so I suggest you just read the tags, but here it is:

The story of Hotarubi no Mori e centers around Hotaru, a little girl who gets lost in an enchanted forest where apparitions reside. A young boy, Gin, appears before Hotaru, but she cannot touch him for fear of making him disappear.

From the first 5 or so minutes, we could already deduce how the story is going to play out (given that you have read the tags). The hackneyed plot, however, is only a strength of this movie because of how well it is executed. The movie benefits from a tight plot, artfully segueing from the present journey to the past ones and back, and only focuses on a single element in a scene. It has comical moments, times of peacefulness and happiness, as well as blinks of trailing sadness, all the emotions one experiences when in love, and in the right proportions, too.

There is some incredible character development in this short span of screen time. We see Hotaru grow from a kid to a girl, and then to a young woman-to-be. With the passing of each season, Hotaru's feelings for Gin also budded, grew and developed increasingly. The movie captured the thoughts of an innocent girl in her stages of development so well, and the fact that the Hotaru at her different ages are superbly voiced by the same CV, SAKURA Ayane, is just the icing on the cake. Gin also received some character development, albeit in a much more subtle manner.

The music, while not particularly memorable, is so simple and good it can't get any better. The western musical instruments, especially the piano, are surprisingly more fitting with the Japanese and Shinto settings than the eastern musical instruments would be.

The animation is decent, not breath-taking for its era and type, but that just goes to show that the story and the vibes are more important than animation quality. In fact, I would argue that most of the time, photo-realistic animation is just wasted money and actually hampers the presentation of the spiritual stuff and/or central messages (sorry, Shinkai Makoto fans, but 5 Centimeters Per Second might be an exception). The anime is done by the same team behind Natsume's Book of Friends, so there are similarities between them.

Despite the ample premonitions throughout the anime of the inevitable, this panda who has withstood tears to watch many anime still cried like a dog upon the second watch. It's like snow melting in your hand: it aches a little from the cold, but the warmth that comes afterwards is worth it. My advice on how to enjoy this movie fully (as with any anime IMO): watch it in HD when you can be by yourself at a quiet place and when you are not emotionally high or low.

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Slice of life. Romance. Supernatural.

Answer 8

Katanagatari [Anime] katanagatari

Another light novel series written by NisiOisiN. Katanagatari is a story about Yasuri Shichika, a swordsmaster who can not wield a sword, along with Togame, a self proclaim strategist, in a journey to collect 12 deviant blades for the shogunate.

Unique and unusual artistry with colorful environment and outfits, the character design is simple yet beautiful and exciting, you just can't find this anywhere else.

While it sounds like a generic fighting shounens, most of the time consists of clever dialogue and witty wordplay rather than actual action scene, just like another NisiOisiN work, Monogatari Series. But don't think it is lack of stunning action sequences, it have plenty spectacular battles, just not that long.

Similar anime: Monogatari Series, Samurai Champloo

Adventure, Feudal Japan, Martial Arts, Swordsmen, NisiOisiN

Screenshots :

Answer 9

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo) [Movie] toki-wo-kakeru-shoujo

Makoto Kanno is your ordinary, cheerful, tomboy high school girl who spend her most time with her two male best friend. Then suddenly, she gains the ability to leap through time. However, she doesn't use her power to save the world or win a lottery, she uses it to fool around, such as cheating on a test, or redo a karaoke night for 10 hours. But as the story goes, she realizes the consequences of her action.

Brought to you by Madhouse, the animation is clean and fluid, the character movement seems realistic. And with Sadamoto Yoshiyuki as the character designer, you know what to expect. The character design is simple yet charming on its own way. However, the CGI used for the time-travel sequences are ugly and feels very clunky. The character looks out of place on this background.

Similar anime: 5 Centimeters per Second, Steins;Gate

Drama, Romance, Comedy, Slice of Life, Based on a Novel, Time Travel

Screenshots :

Answer 10

One Outs [Anime, Manga]

It's Light without a Death Note, but with a Baseball.

Our main character Tokuchi Toua, is pulled from an underground baseball gambling game called "One Outs" into the World of Professionally Baseball in Japan.

When signing for the team, he proposes the owner sign him on a performance-based contract to determine his yearly salary: +5 million JPY per out he pitches. -50 million JPY for every run he allows.

Baseball knowledge isn't really required to enjoy it - me being the example as I've never seen/played a baseball game in my life.

At least check it out on wiki/MAL...

The story begins when Hiromichi Kojima, the star batter of the fictional Lycaons in Japan's Pacific League, heads to the southern Japanese island of Okinawa to train and bring himself out of a slump. There, he meets Toua Tokuchi, a 134-kmph (83 miles per hour) pitcher and the undisputed king of a gambling form of baseball called "One Out." At Kojima's urging, Tokuchi signs up with the Lycaons under an unusual contract: he gets 5,000,000 yen (about US$46,000) for every out he pitches, but loses 50,000,000 yen (US$460,000) for every run he gives up.

Genre: Sports, Psychological, Seinen

Answer 11

K-On [Anime]

k-on

A story about four Japanese high school girls Yui Hirasawa, Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka and Tsumugi Kotobuki joining the light music club of Sakuragaoka Girl's High School to try to save it from being disbanded. However, they are the only members of the club.In their second year, the club welcomes another guitarist, underclassman Azusa Nakano.

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An anime with lots of fun, comedy, music and Tea and Cake.

Comedy, Music, School, Slice of Life

Answer 12

Shirobako [Anime]

shirobako

I watch this anime at first for the anime production theme, but I like this series since I empathize with the characters' unclear vision of their future. A recommended watch for anyone having the same uncertainty.

anime-production, following-your-dream

Answer 13

Gankutsuou [Anime]

gankutsuou

Loosely based on the story of The Count of Monte Cristo, Gankutsuou is a feast for the eyes. It blends traditional animation with elaborate textures, uses appropiate usage of 3d animation and is distinctly different in style to most other anime. I recommend watching this purely for the visual feast, but the story is very good aswell.

Below Synopsis from Wikipedia:

The story takes place in the far future of the 51st Century, during the year 5053.

While visiting Luna for the festival, Viscount Albert de Morcerf and Baron Franz d'Épinay make the acquaintance of the Count of Monte Cristo, a self-made nobleman. When they part, the Count promises to visit Albert in Paris. After he arrives, he introduces himself to the most powerful families in France (the Morcerfs, the Danglars, and the Villeforts).

The general plot of Gankutsuou, while broadly the same as the novel on which it is based, changes many aspects of the source material. In the novel, the narrative arc follows the Count chronologically; in the anime, the story begins with Albert and Franz meeting the Count on Luna (which occurs, in Rome, many hundreds of pages into the book), and the Count's back story is pieced together throughout the series. The anime's plot includes futuristic elements, talking about space travel, computer systems and robots, different fates for some characters, the disposal of several side-plots, and an altogether different ending.

Mystery, Drama, Sci-fi

Answer 14

Cross-Referencing

Giving a nod to other work is common, be it for something the animation studio did previously, other animes in general, or popculture outside of anime. However, some series clearly takes this further than others. I find great joy in realizing these, so in no particular order here are just a few animes generally recommended but in particular for the amount and quality of their homages.

• SHIROBAKO [Anime] shirobako

  Popular animation studios, people from the industry. Becomes less common in the second part.

• Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken [Anime] danna-wakaranai-ken

  Shorts about the otaku lifestyle through the eyes of an outsider, this consists of hardly anything but references. Including amongst many others imageboards, shota/loli(cons), yaoi, otaku slang, dating asf. Second season coming Spring 2015.

• Denki-gai no Honya-san [Anime] denkigai-no-honya-san

  From the 18+ section of an Akhibara bookstore comes anything from Hentai-ified Ghibli movies, to Nausicaä monsters, the obligatory Evangelion references, waifus, lolicons, bukkake, AV idols and seriously just anything that could possibly be raunchy (although not only that). Becomes a bit less intense in later episodes but still very present.

• Lucky☆Star [Anime] lucky-star

  Another series about the otaku lifestyle, this time in full 24 minute, 24 episode glory. Not a single episode without some referencing of other works down to the karaoke endings of classic anime songs. And who needs a fourth wall anyway.

• Space☆Dandy (Season 2) [Anime]

  Tons of references, perhaps more focussed on western culture compared to the other works in this list. Glee! in space? Saturday Night Fever with John Travolta aliens? Space Invaders? Space Dandy has you covered.

• Excel Saga

  A highly caffeinated show full of low-brow slapstick and visual reference to all sorts of anime. I got pretty burnt out on it after about seven episodes, but Episode 4, which parodies renai games, is still pretty funny. The original US DVD release had on-screen pop-up notes because there were so many shows being parodied at once.

• Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai

  Similar to Excel Saga, it picks a new genre to parody every episode and does so with lots of slapstick, low-brow, zany, over-caffeinated humor, but also has a main plot that's weirdly Studio Ghibli-like, with a touching coming-of-age story and one of those trademark Gainax endings.

• Genshiken

  One of the greatest of all anime about otaku, Genshiken constantly references and parodies other anime by showing us what otaku in its alternate reality are into. One of its parodies, Kujibiki Unbalance, was even made into a real anime.

• Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai

  Series I had quite a few amusing parodies, homages, and references, including Nanoha parody Stardust Witch Meruru, X/1999 parody Maschera: Lament of a Fallen Beast, and a visual novel called Oniichan no Pantsu nanka Zettai Nusunde nai n da kara ne! Series II didn't really, other than the ones it carried forward from Series I.

• Gintama

  A large part of Gintama's attraction is that they make fun of almost everything - This means lots of references to other anime series, japanese culture, western culture, video games - anything an otaku would know about :)

Answer 15

Barakamon [Anime]

barakamon

As a punishment for punching a famous calligrapher, young handsome calligrapher Handa Seishu is exiled to a small island. As someone who has never lived outside of a city, Handa has to adapt to his new wacky neighbors, like people traveling on a tractor, unwanted visitors who never use the front door, annoying kids using his home as a playground, etc. Can this city guy handle all the crazy hardships? Find out in this wacky island comedy full of innocence and laughter!

comedy, slice of life

Answer 16

Hitsugi Katsugi no Kuro (Shoulder a Coffin Kuro) [manga]

By Satoko Kiyuzuki, the author of GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class. (You can tell because Kuro, the protagonist, looks like a taller and gloomier Kisaragi Yamaguchi.) This is less well-known than GA, but in my opinion, much better.

Kuro is a mysterious traveler, a teenage girl who's often mistaken for a boy due to her ambiguous features and dark Puritan-style clothing. She carries a coffin on her back and travels in search of a witch who cursed her, alongside a talking bat named Sen and a pair of children, Nijuku and Sanju, who are artificial humans with various strange powers (including transferring colors between objects, growing wings, and separating themselves from their shadows) that Kuro rescued from the basement of a mad scientist's house.

From left to right: Kuro, Nijuku, Sanju, Sen

The series is a 4-koma, but there's nothing particularly 4-koma-like about it; it's a dark fantasy that reminds me of the work of Neil Gaiman (Coraline) or Tim Burton. Among anime, the closest thing I know of is Kino's Journey: both series follow a protagonist who doesn't talk much on a journey through a series of strange lands, though Shoulder a Coffin Kuro places a lot more emphasis on art and character, and is just a bit more lighthearted. The series also has aspects of Aishiteruze Baby or Bunny Drop, where an inexperienced person (Kuro) suddenly has to take care of a child (Nijuku and Sanju).

Shoulder a Coffin Kuro is by turns dark, moving, cute, charming, witty, and funny, and always imaginative and amazingly drawn. Kiyuzuki is particularly good at the 17th Century European-styled cities, in which each brick in each wall seems to have its own history, but also does a great job with countryside and machinery such as airplanes and motorcycles. The series deserves a much bigger audience than it has; to my knowledge there is no anime and the series has gotten very little attention in the US, though it does have an official release by Yen Press. It's been somewhat overshadowed by its more conventional cousin GA, but if you like Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle or Kino's Journey, or if you're the kind of person who loved The Nightmare Before Christmas as a kid, you should check it out.

Another shot of the cast. Notice how every brick has its own unique set of chips, cracks, and scuffs.

Answer 17

Bungaku Shoujo (Book Girl) [novel]

bungaku-shoujo

Konoha Inoue was once a best-selling author under the female pseudonym Miu Inoue, but after a trauma, he quit writing, until he entered high school and happened to meet Touko Amano, the eccentric president of the Literature Club, who turns out to be a creature that eats books and tastes the stories. Konoha is recruited as Touko's personal writer/chef, crafting delicious snacks for her every day. But Touko is also nosy and active, so she has a tendency to get the two of them involved in mysteries and strange incidents that, surprisingly often, have a literary theme.

The series has a shoujo feel to it; there's a lot of drama, a lot of trauma, and a lot of interpersonal turmoil. The plots have the same artificed feeling as Victorian English literature such as the work of Dickens and the Brontë sisters; the second novel is directly inspired by Wuthering Heights, while the fourth novel is a very Victorian take on Phantom of the Opera starring modern Japanese high school students. As such, the stories can feel unrealistic and contrived; alternately, they're classically inspired and carefully crafted. It all depends which way you swing.

But it can't be denied that the art is gorgeous, and the characters are likable and unique, especially Touko, who is like a less obnoxious Haruhi crossed with Kami Nomi's Shiori Shiomiya. There are also anime based on the novels, in which Touko is voiced by Kana Hanazawa, if you're into that. If you enjoyed Clannad, Kanon, Chobits, or shoujo fantasy in general, you might like Bungaku Shoujo.

More pictures!

Official art by the books' illustrator, Miho Takeoka

Touko in the Bungaku Shoujo anime, enjoying a snack.

Answer 18

Love Triangles

Series that consist of tangled love interests and their complex feelings

• Chihayafuru (anime) − karuta-based anime
• School Days (manga)
• School Rumble (anime)
• Good Ending (manga)
• Molester Man (manga)
  • Not what it sounds like it's about >_> − Toshinou Kyouko
• Nagi no Asukara (anime)
• Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (Ano Hana) (anime)
• Golden Time (anime)
• Kimi no Iru Machi (anime)

Answer 19

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012) [Anime]

jojo-no-kimyouna-bouken

Beginning its tale in 19th century England, young aristocrat Jonathan Joestar finds himself locked in bitter rivalry with Dio Brando, a low-born boy who Jonathan's father took under his wing after the death of Dio's father. Discontent with his station in life, Dio's fathomless lust to reign over all eventually leads him to seek the supernatural powers of an ancient Aztec stone mask in the Joestar's possession—an artifact that will forever change the destiny of Dio and Jonathan for generations to come. Fifty years later, in 1938 New York City, Jonathan's grandson Joseph Joestar must take up his grandfather's mission and master the abilities necessary to destroy the stone mask and its immensely powerful creators who threaten humanity's very existence, the Pillar Men.

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Great, over-the-top fight scenes and fabulous posing.

It continues in the currently airing Stardust Crusaders

Answer 20

Teleported to a fantasy world

Games and riddles

• Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru Sō Desu yo? [Light Novel and Anime] - A story about 3 children with special power summoned to another world to participate in games to help a "No Name" community fight the Devil King. The characters in the world they are summoned to are based on legends and folklore around the world.

  comedy, action, legend-and-folklore

• No Game No Life [Light Novel and Anime] - A story about a pair step-siblings who an undefeated gamer in the online game world. They play a game of chess with a god from alternate world and defeat him. They are then invited by the god to his world where everything are decided by games, even the position of being a god.

  comedy, ecchi, neet-protagonist

"Defeat the demon king!"

• Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari [Light Novel and Manga] - Iwatani Naofumi is summoned to another world to become one of the four heroes, namely the Shield Hero. Starting out with poor popularity and labeled as the weakest, Naofumi found himself betrayed on the third day of his adventure. Having lost faith and money, all that's left is just his shield. (From mangaupdates)

  betrayal, action, game-element

• Kekkon Yubiwa Monogatari [Manga] - A boy has been in love with his childhood friend, but as it turns out, she is a princess from another world and she has to return to fulfill the prophecy. He follows her into the portal to her world in the middle of the ceremony. Suddenly, they are attacked by creatures from the Abyss, and his childhood friend - the princess - decides to kiss the boy and gives him the ring, which gives him the power to defeat the demon. This marks the start their adventure to collect the rings defeat the demon king.

  action, magic, harem, romance

• Konjiki no Moji Tsukai [Light Novel and Manga] - To combat the 'Evila' race's Demon King, the kingdom summons five high school students from 21st century Japan who have the power of Heroes. However, only four out of five of those students had the status title of 'Hero'. Okamura Hiiro was summoned by accident and he did not have the title of a 'Hero' but instead he had the title of 'Word Master' and 'Innocent Bystander'. Seeing through the 'Humas' kingdom's deceit and insanity, Hiiro decides that he has no wish to partake in their selfish war. (From mangaupdates)

  game-element, magic, cool-protagonist

Other

• Ore to Kawazu-san no Isekai Hourouki [Manga] - A university student is taken to another world against his will by a wizard who wished to pass on his magic.

  comedy, magic

• Yuusha Gojo Kumiai Kouryuugata Keijiban [Manga] - The hero union's BBS, where heroes gather, crossing many dimensions. A bulletin board made by heroes for heroes. (From mangaupdates)

  random, comedy, social-network, cross-time-and-dimension

• World Customize Creator [Manga] - Tagami Yusuke, led by a mysterious voice, is summoned to another world, "Caltsio". He was just a young video-game lover, but Fate decided to make him become the "Evil God of Calamity" of this world, obtaining the ability to create and customize everything, Customize Creation. (From mangaupdates)

  game-element

• Isekai de "Kuro no Iyashi Te" tte Yobareteimasu [Manga] - The story is about a girl who is dragged into an alternate world by black hands, where she found out that she can use magic.

  shoujo, female-protagonist, game-element, magic

Reincarnated to a fantasy world

"Defeat the demon king!"

• Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o! [Light Novel and Manga] - A story about a hikikomori who dies for a stupid reason, and is offered a chance for reincarnation to another world to subjugate the demon king. He is asked by the goddess to choose one thing to take with him to the other world, and he chooses the goddess herself, and their adventure begins.

  comedy, sword and magic, gathering-of-weirdo

Other

• Mushoku Tensei [Light Novel and Manga] - To sum up, "If a man stay virgin until 30, he will become a wizard". The main protagonist is a hiki-NEET. He died saving a girl from an approaching truck, and reincarnated into a world of sword and magic, where he decided to live his life to the fullest.

  sword and magic, action

• Re:Monster [Light Novel and Manga] - Tomokui Kanata has been re-incarnated in the weakest goblin, named Rou, after having undergone an unfortunate death. However goblin Rou has retained his previous life's memories, an unusual evolution, as well as becoming strong enough to gain status boosts from eating. (From mangaupdates)

  survival-of-the-fittest, sword and magic, demon-protagonist

• E? Heibon Desu yo?? [Light Novel and Manga] - Yukari was a high-school student when she died in a traffic accident, but when she woke up, she had been reincarnated as the daughter of a count in another world! But strangely, what was waiting for her was a life of poverty, so she decided to make use of the knowledge from her previous life.

  female-protagonist, magic

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(Some series known to be of the above 2 tropes, but I haven't read so I don't know where to put them)

• The New Gate
• Overlord

Answer 21

WTF!?

You're left with the feeling of strong confusion after watching/reading these because of very unclear or underdeveloped plot.

• Glasslip [anime] − love, friendship, mystery, actually nothing;
  • You may think something interesting is gonna happen, but it won't. Ever. − Hakase.

• Nerawareta Gakuen [movie] − school, psychics, time travel, love, friendship;
  • Nicely animated. Nevermind the plot. − Hakase.

Answer 22

Witch Craft Works [Manga specifically, but there is an anime]

The female lead is without a doubt the most badass Tall, Dark and Bishoujo there is...in my opinion at least.

Kagari Ayaka, is revered at her school as "Hime-sama", standing a whole head above every other character, literally - including guys and the male lead(Takamiya). However, this isn't all she is. Unbeknownst to most, incuding Takamiya at the start of the series, she is also an EXTREMELY powerful witch, with the power to control fire.

Give the series a look just for her, not that the story is bad - personally I love the story too, one of my top five manga if I had to pick. (I included the series description at the bottom if you need to know the story to be convinced.)

Genre - Action, Fantasy, Magic, Seinen, Supernatural

Series Description -

Takamiya Honoka is a regular student whose only problem seems to be that he sits next to Kagari Ayaka, the school's #1 beauty. They have never spoken to each other before and any small interaction between them immediately results in her fanclub beating him. Yet when a falling part of the school's building is about to send him to the afterlife, it's Kagari that comes to his rescue. Only... she's dressed as a witch, carrying him in her arms and floating on a broom?! Kagari tells him it is her mission to protect him and that now she can finally protect him openly rather than undercover.

Answer 23

My list of recommendations

Love Live!

An anime about a girl who created a school idol group to save her beloved school from closing down. She is then joined by 8 other cute girls of various different background and personality. There are two seasons of it. Two, OK!

p.s. Ayase Eri is my waifu! хорошо forever!

Date a Live

It has two seasons. It is about a high school student, Itsuka Shidou trying to save the Spirits. Spirits are cute pretty girls with power to destroy the world. Because of this, they are feared and hunted down, and...killed. Shidou has the power to seal their power inside himself, which enables the Spirits to live pretty much like a normal girl.

It has bishoujo, loli, psychopath bishoujo, tsundere loli imouto, twin sisters, famous idol with big breast, the girl next table that is in love with you.

Note: There are a filler episode in the first season that you better skip. IIRC it is episode 6.

Answer 24

Disappointing ending

The ending does not resolve the important plot points, leaving you frustrated. This is a spoiler list.

Highschool of the Dead [anime] - Really good anime and manga, but the mangaka Daisuke Satou passed away, so we probably will never see the continuation of the story.

Sora no Otoshimono Final: Eternal My Master [movie] - For final movie it's far from the original manga, lots of skip chapter and different ending, read the manga, it's so much better.

Eden no Ori [manga] - really interesting manga, but for some reason they rush the ending and leave so many plot hole.

Mahou Sensou [Anime] - An anime with magic, action and fantasy. Not a bad anime to watch but a cliff hanging end will disappoint you and you can't draw any proper end conclusion.

Answer 25

In respond to this question and comment, here are some anime and manga recommendation for kids between 5-10 years old

Family friendly anime/manga

• Doraemon (anime/manga) doraemon Nobita is very unlucky elementary student. He's weak, crybaby, dumb, and lazy, so his great-great grandson come from future and give him a robot named Doraemon from future to help him.
  • I read and watched this anime when I was four and it was super effective - Darjeeling
• Pokemon (anime and several movies) pokemon I think we are all agree that this is one of the most famous family friendly genre anime. Ash - or Satoshi in Japanese version, the kid who never grow up, dreamed of becoming Red. He then traveled all around Pokemon world to catch them all!
  • Just watch out for some banned episodes. They were banned for a reason

Ghibli Movies

Ghibli is famous for their family friendly genre for years. Most of their movies are great

• My Neighbor Totoro (Movie) my-neighbor-totoro Two sisters and their father moved to their new home in the countryside. While the little sister playing outside, she found a strange, small creature and decides to follow it. In the deep forest, she fell through a hole and landed on the stomach of a large and gentle forest spirit named Totoro.

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Useful links

• How can I identify child-appropriate manga?
• Looking for manga apps which filter out mature content
• Where I can buy/rent digital versions of Studio Ghibli films?

Answer 26

Romance and Drama Animes

Who doesn't like a little bit of drama and romance

(This is an unordered list, the position of the entry doesn't denote it's ranking in any proportion, click pictures to see full image)

• Kimi no Na Wa [ 君の名は。]

It is a heartwarming story with a sci-fi twist, and honestly one of the best artworks and combination of music and filmography anime has ever been evident of. A feature film, directed by critically acclaimed Makoto Shinkai, with a duration of 1 hour 46 minutes.

• Koe no Katachi [ 聲の形 ]

Not a romance, per se but definitely one of the most impactful drama anime ever made. It takes us through the journey of Ishida Shouya a bully during his childhood days and Nishimiya Shouko a deaf girl. Shouya and his friends initially bullied Nishimiya-san over the fact that she was deaf, but when they broke the limits of bullying, Shouya was the only one victimized; this makes him fall into a state of depression until high school, when he meet Nishimiya-san again. This movie is about how Shouya comes to terms with himself about the depression, and moves forward. Other than that, KyoAni did a fantastic job on the art as usual, and the OSTs are a solid 9.5/10.

• Toradora [ とらドラ！ ]

It is one of those tsundere anime, with an ending you can probably expect, but still would get all warm and fuzzy while the anime unfolds into a sweet story of how a two person with almost opposite personalities can fall into love.

• Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso [ 四月は君の嘘 ]

A tear-jerking anime to say the least, portrays one of the most highly rated drama and classical music. The music and OSTs in this anime can get off any music lover. Other than that, it's ending is hear-wrenching and while you might have predicted the ending yet again, still it makes you at least drop a tear or two.

• Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterunda [ 心が叫びたがってるんだ。 ]

I don't see a lot of people recommending or watching this anime, but it's one of the best drama / romance anime film being made. It makes you feel attached to the characters, and fleshes out most of them as well. The only thing I can complain about is the ship. (/me cries in corner)

• Eureka Seven [ 交響詩篇エウレカセブン ]

Shounen, Mecha, Romance, Drama, with actual romance, not one of those shounen where you get only romance undertones. What else would you want?

• Clannad After Story [ CLANNAD〜AFTER STORY〜 クラナド アフターストーリー ]

Ah, Clannad After Story, an anime that would make you cry, happy, sad, delighted, and euphoric. It packs a Slice of Life show between what happens after Tomoya marries Nagisa, and takes you through one of the most epic tales. You just can't not feel sad, if not drop another tear or two at Episode 16.

• Tsuki ga Kirei [ 月がきれい ]

It is a realistic approach to how a middle-school relationship would form. It conveys the actual feelings and hardships a guy can face with a relationship during the early teens / pre-teen age. And the ending is conclusive, and the final frame is as memorable as it could be.

• Plastic Memories [ プラスティック・メモリーズ ]

In the world of Plastic Memories, humanoid robots called "Giftias" which ceases to function properly after 9 years, that is they lose their memories and become hostile. The anime tells shows us the bonding of one such Giftia and an human, which can only end in... we know it...

• Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo [ さくら荘のペットな彼女 ]

Sakurasou is a Slice of Life series where you see one of the most fleshed out character developments and get to love the interactions between the dorm members. The relationship between the Main Characters is also very cute... although... not a tight ship to be honest

• Akagami no Shirayuki-hime [ 赤髪の白雪姫 ]

A simple fantasy Slice of Life show about how a bishoujo falls in love with a prince of the neighboring country... It's just a heart warming show... <3