In the sea known as the Anime World lies the show just for you. It has everything you want in a show, everything you’ve ever needed. It waits for you, day after day, and yet you still don’t watch it. Why? Because there are too many damn anime and it’s hard to find the right one for you.
There are so many anime that are produced from season to season, and with it come some masterpieces, like recent anime “Re:Zero” and last year's “One Punch Man,” and then some, uh… not-so-masterpieces, like last season’s “Masou Gakuen HxH.” Unfortunately, the anime world is somewhat watered down by the latter of choices, leaving much to be desired. But fear not, because all hope is not lost. There are ways to find that eventual favorite show of yours.
The first thing you must ask yourself is, what are you looking for? Just like every type of entertainment up for consumption, anime comes with a multitude of genres. Maybe you’re really itching for something action-packed, like “Magi: Labyrinth/Kingdom of Magic,” or perhaps you’re really feeling an emotional roller-coaster like “Orange.” Whatever you’re in the mood for, you have to figure that out before you go on your search for the anime you’ve been dreaming of.
After having discerned the genre you’re in the mood for comes the hard part. Where the hell do you go to look for it? Well, there are many options. You could scour Google in the hopes that you’ll find what you’re looking for. Or, you could use resources dedicated to anime. On a site called MyAnimeList lies a databank of anime. I can guarantee that on this site you’ll find something that tickles your fancy.
There are many features on MyAnimeList, and the one that I often go to for my next animated adventure is the “Top Anime” section of the site. There, you can find what people find to be the best of the best. You can scroll forever until you find something that looks and sounds fascinating.
And if that’s not good enough for you, maybe take a look at the page of an anime you’ve already watched. On the page, there are recommendations of other shows that carry similarities to the one you’ve already seen. Popular shows tend to have a lot of links leading to more obscure shows. For example, take “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”—arguably one of the best anime of all time—and you’ll find shows like “Busou Renkin” or “Darker than Black.” Both hold similarities but ultimately are different shows.
So if you really do some digging around for your dream show, I guarantee that you’ll find what you’re looking for. And if that method didn’t work for you, I highly suggest looking up “Top Anime” on YouTube. A lot of people like to give their top 10-100 anime, also varying in genre. It’s another surefire way to find what you’re looking for. Also, if you have a Netflix account, there's a good amount there, as well!
Well, at this point you’ve probably found something to watch. So go watch your new favorite show and once you’ve binged the hell out of it, go find the next one. Because the world of anime is seemingly endless, every show ripe for the watching.
