# General Anime Discussion
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** cartoons-animation
**Created:** [June 16, 2025, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703 "2025-06-16T14:46:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2025, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/1 "2025-06-16T14:46:22Z")
Some of my likes and dislikes.
**Freiren** of course is nearly perfect, especially for and old Middle Earth fan like me. Story is from the perspective of an over 1000 year old elf mage. She was in the party the defeated the big evil 50 years earlier.
There is a strangely powerful scene where she makes a whole field of flowers bloom. This doesn’t win a battle, or accomplish a great deed, it just ends up paying respect to one of her now dead human companions.
**Konosuba** is a fantasy isekai comedy. I put it on par with Futurama for humor. It is a lot of fun.
**Spy X Family** is a fun spy comedy series taking place in 1960s Central Europe like place. I can’t describe it without spoilers, but it is really fun.
I watched but didn’t like **Deathnote** in the end, none of the characters were interesting or likeable to me.
Oh, I hate **Demon Slayer** , that style and even the drawing are nothing I like to watch.
But if we’re going older, **SteinsGate** is an incredibly good timey-wimey story with many great characters. So good.
Some lesser known (I think) excellent animes are:
**Ascendance of a Bookworm** , about a young woman named Urano who dies and is reincarnated as Myne, a frail, five-year-old girl in a world where books are scarce. Myne, determined to surround herself with books, sets out to create them in this new world, facing the challenges of a low literacy rate and a rigid class.
There is a climatic scene in season 2, I think, where they made grass growing epic. To achieve this was remarkable.
An older fantasy rom-com called **Spice and Wolf** was really good with some of the best dub work I’ve heard. A remake with more story was done in the past year, but it wasn’t as good as the older one. A minor agriculture goddess takes up with a merchant in this one.
A decent place to start looking for top animes:
[Top Anime - MyAnimeList.net](https://myanimelist.net/topanime.php)
[Top 100 Anime Series Of All Time](https://www.imdb.com/list/ls057577566/)
Highest grossing series: [https://www.cbr.com/highest-grossing-anime-franchises/](https://www.cbr.com/highest-grossing-anime-franchises/)
If this takes off at all, I’ll add more.
Discussion for [Delicious in Dungeon / Dungeon Meshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delicious-in-dungeon-dungeon-meshi/998903)
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### Author:  [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2025, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/2 "2025-06-16T17:19:24Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#):
>
> An older fantasy rom-com called **Spice and Wolf** was really good with some of the best dub work I’ve heard. A remake with more story was done in the past year, but it wasn’t as good as the older one. A minor agriculture goddess takes up with a merchant in this one.
I’d endorse **Spice and Wolf** to anyone whose experience is limited to combat or school-life anime who thinks the genre is mindless, though I agree, the later iterations are less impressive. I have many minds (most of which are negative) about later adaptations of the same story being redone to be “discovered” by a new audience, almost always with computer aided animation that jars (I’m eyeballing the Berserk franchise especially hard on this one).
My problem these days (and it’s MY problem, not always the anime’s problem to be clear) is that I’m more likely to find an interesting manga or light/web novel, read IT, then find the anime. I’m much more attached to the story that I am the images, so when I see the story inevitably truncated to fit the time and format, I tend to judge it harshly, the same way dedicated Tolkien fans may have a kneejerk reaction to the movies (leaving out the Hobbit and Rings of Power for different gripes) even when they’re a remarkably GOOD adaptation.
Despite that personal bias, I must admit that the **Overlord** Anime worked darn well for me, but then again, I’m always a sucker for a villain protagonist.
And in terms of “I shouldn’t love this so much but I do” is the Japanese/American “ **Big O** ” is still on my annual watch list, and some of my friends and I still continue to work out our individual theories of _exactly_ what was going on in the greater plot.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2025, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/3 "2025-06-16T18:07:07Z")
What’s the Big O?
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### Author:  [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2025, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/4 "2025-06-16T18:16:01Z")
Not a big fan or consumer of anime despite having grown up with _Gigantor_, _Speed Racer_, etc., all of which are unwatchable to me now. That said, I enjoyed the first two seasons of _Ghost in the Shell_ tremendously, a series that truly marches to the beat of its own drummer. _Cowboy Bebop_ was entertaining until the characters (apart from Ein, the dog) began to grate on me.
> [@ParallelLines](#):
>
> And in terms of “I shouldn’t love this so much but I do” is the Japanese/American “ **Big O** ”
[The Big O - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_O). Yes, quite incomprehensible, nevertheless I remember it fondly as well.
Assuming a general anime discussion includes features, I liked _Castle in the Sky_ (1986) and _Dead Leaves_ (2004).
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### Author:  [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2025, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/5 "2025-06-16T18:24:25Z")
Have you tried “Solo Levelling”. I enjoyed it.
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### Author:  [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2025, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/6 "2025-06-16T18:37:51Z")
Thanks for the assist @Dropo, I was doing IRL stuff.
It was one of those oddities, being deliberately retro in styling of the mecha, and was much more popular in the US (which is the only reason it got the second season) than in Japan. And you wouldn’t believe how much the very limited merch from the run is currently going for.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2025, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/7 "2025-06-16T18:38:32Z")
First season was pretty entertaining, but I found the second season lost my attention.
I’m surprised it won the Anime of the year vote.
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### Author:  [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/8 "2025-06-16T18:52:18Z")
Solo Leveling (TBC, I have read the entire web novel via fan translations and own the english translation of the first few volumes of the manhwa) is something I’ve been avoiding due to my personal prejudice I outlined above. That said, the art of the manhwa is _gorgeous_, so I’m torn about watching it. The problem to be honest, is that the story itself is … well, meh. It’s not _bad_, don’t get me wrong, but it has a LOT of tell, don’t show, which may be a part of the translation rather than the author’s skills.
I also wanted to check with @What_Exit, if anime produced for international rather than domestic audiences (primarily) count? Because if so, I _loved_ and strongly endorse [Cyberpunk: Edgerunners](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk:_Edgerunners) to anyone, even if they haven’t played or don’t want to play the CRPG.
Having played the game, or being familiar with the TT-RPG / Setting will be helpful, but it does a fine as a stand alone as well.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2025, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/9 "2025-06-16T19:31:13Z")
There is a fair amount of anime produced for domestic and streamers now, so those surely count. **Delicious in the Dungeon** comes to mind as one where Netflix helped pay the production and both Japanese and English were done at the same time and knowing Netflix probably many other languages.
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### Author:  [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2025, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/10 "2025-06-16T20:49:40Z")
_Apothecary Diaries_ is awesome.
Currently just enjoyed _Dandadan_ and _From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman_.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2025, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/11 "2025-06-16T22:16:11Z")
**Apothecary Diaries** is excellent, Maomao is a fun character. It is a fun detective show.
I enjoyed both **Dandadan** which is getting season 2 soon and **From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman** which is much better than first impressions.
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### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2025, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/12 "2025-06-16T23:55:52Z")
I had a complex post or two forming in my mind before the weird obvious spammer that started this was wished into the cornfield. I want to mention this first, though.
> [@What\_Exit](#):
>
> **Ascendance of a Bookworm** , about a young woman named Urano who dies and is reincarnated as Myne, a frail, five-year-old girl in a world where books are scarce. Myne, determined to surround herself with books, sets out to create them in this new world, facing the challenges of a low literacy rate and a rigid class.
I’m _kind of_ glad that you mentioned this. I read the first volume or two of the manga for this a number of years ago, but forgot the name. (I had read it under the name _Honzuki no Gekokujou_). I say “kind of” because it turns out to have evolved into a complex read as a manga since I last encountered it. Seven volumes in a “part one”, twelve in “part two”, nine in “part three”, and ten in “part four”. So 38 volumes so far, and I see that the light novel source series has a part five, so maybe more manga volumes to come? Probably never get around to all of that. (And the anime will very probably never be “completed”.
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### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2025, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/13 "2025-06-17T00:51:13Z")
Here’s an anime unlikely to be mentioned by anyone else. I saw it a long time ago and enjoyed it, but when it has crossed my mind years later I was never able to google it up again from descriptive words. A couple of months ago it crossed my mind again and I asked ChatGPT about it and it got it on the first try, despite my description having some errors. (I thought about bringing that up in one of the "do you use AI/“how do you use AI threads”.
> **Summary**
>
> I’m trying to recall the title of an anime series from the early 2000s. It is a zany parody of several anime tropes. It parodies harem shows by taking place in a motel complex where the male lead lives with several women. It is also a parody of superheroes and science fiction. The male main character is secretly a superhero who wears a robot-like mask and cape. Some of the women that he lives with are secretly enemies of his hero alter-ego, such as being an alien ruler attempting to take over the world. Can you provide any help on this?
>
> > Yes! Based on your description, it sounds like you’re thinking of **“Dai-Guard”** or **“Excel Saga”** at first glance—but those aren’t quite right. What _does_ match very closely is:
> >
> > **_“Dokkoida!? / Sumeba Miyako no Cosmos-sou Suttoko Taisen Dokkoida”_**
> >
> > ### Here’s why it fits:
> >
> > - **Early 2000s** : Aired in 2003.
> > - **Zany Parody** : It’s a comedy that parodies superhero, sci-fi, and slice-of-life/harem anime tropes all at once.
> > - **Motel/Apartment setting** : The main character, Suzuo, lives in a boarding house with several women.
> > - **Superhero identity** : Suzuo becomes the superhero **Dokkoida** , wearing a ridiculous, tokusatsu-style costume complete with a robot-like helmet and cape.
> > - **Hidden identities** : Many of his housemates are actually rival superpowered individuals or agents from competing alien companies trying to test their weapons/technology on Earth.
> > - **Harem/romantic comedy parody** : While not explicitly a harem anime in a romantic sense, it clearly riffs on the genre’s structure and tropes.
> >
> > It’s a very self-aware, over-the-top comedy with a ton of references and genre-spoofing moments—sounds exactly like what you’re describing.
I quickly found it (by means I wouldn’t be allowed to detail) and still enjoy it 20 years later. It is a fun comedy/parody that doesn’t require you to already be steeped in genre anime history to enjoy.
.
So, the series starts off with a country boy moving to the big city and looking for a job (but having no luck). Along the way he encounters a weird little girl in a weird costume who tries to hire him to test a super suit that interstellar toy company she works for has made, attempting to branch out into supplying equipment for the interstellar police. He thinks she is (in character) trying to recruit for a mascot for an Earth toy line, and doesn’t want anything to do with the weird kid. Until he gets a few more job rejections. He finds her again, practically begs for the job, and it isn’t until he puts the suit on he discovers that everything she said was true and his life suddenly becomes much more complex. (There’s a touch of _The Greatest American Hero_ in it.)
He and the girl move (incognito) into a new apartment complex. And each time a new bad guy is introduced and defeated, they just happen to move into the same apartment complex, too. But nobody recognizes each other even though it is as obvious as Clark Kent and Superman.
The English dub itself is slightly a parody, though not nearly on the level of _[Ghost Stories](https://archive.org/details/17.-ghost-stories-2000-dual-audio-dvdrip-960x-720-10bit-hevc)_. For example, here’s an exchange as given by the English subtitles:
> You’ll be paid properly, I swear! And you’ll get a new place to live! Hot water and meals and health insurance. We’ll pay for all of it!
>
> That doesn’t help me right now!
And the same exchange from the English dub:
> I’ll pay you a small but heartfelt bonus if you fight back! I’ll throw in a couple of ballet tickets. They’re nosebleed seats but you can use those tiny binoculars.
>
> I’m not a big fan of the performing arts!
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGN23opgoMQ)
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f05xcjcsX60)
It appears to be available on Apple+
> **[Dokkoida?! - Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/mx/show/dokkoida/umc.cmc.79bbig2frpf2yeeamhx8b1xcf?l=en)**
>
> Suzuo finally got a job testing a new “battle-suit” against the galaxy’s worst super-villains! All but Suzuo fight in diapers and once everyone is out…
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### Author:  [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2025, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/14 "2025-06-17T01:01:52Z")
I don’t like to watch a season until it airs in full. I wish the various sites that offer anime were better at saying how many episodes a season would be. It’s been painful waiting six months for Apothecary Diaries to finish up its second season. I think it’s my favourite show.
I also really enjoyed:
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (fantastic English dub)
Kamisama Kiss / Kamisama Hajimemashita (love the [closing song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQnBsNMebgE).)
My Dress-Up Darling
My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999
And a shoutout to the two titles that top all the lists: Frieren and Bocchi.
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### Author:  [@lilybug0309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilybug0309)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/15 "2025-12-03T18:35:22Z")
anime of the year vote? who is allowed to vote, and what is it?
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2026, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/16 "2026-05-13T01:29:53Z")
I know this thread didn’t get much traction, but I thought I’d bump it as spring 2026 has brought us another great season of Bookworm.
But also a new super high quality fantasy, WITCH HAT ATELIER.
Not quite as great as Frieren, but the world building and animation is spectacular and characters brilliant. It looks like it is #51 on MAL,
[Tongari Boushi no Atelier (Witch Hat Atelier) - MyAnimeList.net](https://myanimelist.net/anime/51553/Tongari_Boushi_no_Atelier).
MAL= My anime list.
Both of these are on Crunchyroll.
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### Author:  [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/17 "2026-05-13T16:19:34Z")
Giving an assist, people may also want to give “How a Realist Hero Saved the Kingdom”. Yes, it’s Isekai, yes, it has other tropes that make me groan a bit, but in handles how a “hero” can be a lot more than just an OP weapon pointed in the right direction. Again, read the WN/LN translations and the manga long before the anime, and I’m still frustrated on the cuts, but the anime worked darn well, and _in this case_ the cuts make it a good bit more accessible to the common audience - many fewer passages quoted from political sources and other info-dump reduction. Should be on Hulu, Prime, and Crunchyroll, though CR I think has the most seasons.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2026, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/18 "2026-05-13T16:49:57Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#):
>
> “How a Realist Hero Saved the Kingdom”
I recall this one overall was a very good watch, mostly as it was a different approach. Many of the characters were not well made though. It reminded me of Gate weirdly. I really enjoyed Gate, but a lot of the characters were paper thin.
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### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/19 "2026-05-13T16:50:08Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#):
>
> But also a new super high quality fantasy, WITCH HAT ATELIER.
I haven’t tried the anime yet, but [as I’ve mentioned](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-favorite-animes-and-why/1025351/18), I’m a fan of the manga.
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### Author:  [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-anime-discussion/1019703/20 "2026-05-13T16:54:02Z")
> [@Dropo](#):
>
> _Cowboy Bebop_ was entertaining until the characters (apart from Ein, the dog) began to grate on me.
Cowboy Bebop remains the only anime with an annoying child I didn’t find at all annoying.
I don’t watch a lot of anime, but nearly twenty years ago a friend of mine recommended an anime for his kid and I suggested _Ninja Scroll_. It was only later I remembered some scenes that made it wholly inappropriate for a kid his age. I don’t recall ever being asked for recommendations again.
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