6 Anime to Watch, Even If You Think You Hate Anime

Anime is one of the most misunderstood forms of media. Often represented solely by sexy school girls and maids, or as an outlet for the socially inept, anime gets a bad rep within the American mainstream. While there are certainly niche anime that serve particular audiences — say people who enjoy seeing women objectified in all sorts of odd, unnecessary ways — it is not the only breeder of bad culture. American media can be just as trashy, sexist, and exclusive.

Problems aside, what makes anime unique is its cultural perspective. Being dominantly a product of Japanese origin, anime offers different viewpoints on things we think and talk about daily, like love, work, fear, friendship, and death. You may find yourself challenged, for the better, to ponder these topics in a new way. You're always learning and anime can be a great teacher if you choose the right one.

Below are just 6 of the countless anime that bridge the media gap and show that original, thought-provoking, emotional storylines are not reserved for HBO shows about dragons and lots and lots and lots of death.

Soul Eater

Soul Eater follows Maka Albarn and her friends, students at Death Academy, a school for demon-fighters known as Meisters and their weapon partners (humans who are able to transform into real weapons). The school keeps the forces of darkness at bay while the students work hard to become legendary. This world is one of humans, witches, demons, werewolves, fairies, and more, with the occasional reference to popular lore like the sword Excalibur, for one.

What makes Soul Eater powerful is that it features both strong women and strong men. The beginning of the series has a few fan service moments (a term used to describe unnecessary objectifying moments meant to please the audience) but they quickly fade away. The title makes the anime appear really dark, but it's not as bad as it appears, I promise!

Fullmetal Alchemist

This series follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, as they seek to rectify an alchemy-related mistake of their youth. After losing someone close to them, Edward (the older brother) and Al attempt to bring this person back to life, a taboo and forbidden activity in alchemy. They fail, and both pay dearly for this. They search for a way to turn things back to the way they were, all while getting pulled into dark government plots and disturbing scientific exploration.

What's tricky about FMA is that there are two versions of the show: Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Both feature the same characters, but the stories veer off in very different directions with characters dying in one that don't die in the other, and villains being different altogether. The differences are big and people debate which series is best. Honestly, there are arguments to be made on both sides, but the original series, FMA, is easier to start with than Brotherhood. For one, it's much shorter. And for two, it's easier to digest.

Fruits Basket

Fruits Basket is much less complicated than the two previous anime. The story follows Tohru Honda, a generous, thoughtful, and kindhearted high school student trying to continue life after losing her mother. She's given shelter by her school's most popular and desired student, Yuki Souma. While staying with Yuki and his family members Shigure and Kyo, she discovers an adorable, but also tragic family secret. 

Fruits Basket is a light anime, not very long and not too heart-wrenching, but that is not to say that it doesn't have its powerful moments. There are many memorable characters, but few will leave the impact that Tohru does.

Inu x Boku SS

Another light, short watch, Inu x Boku SS (SS stands for Secret Service) is the story of a young woman named Ririchiyo. She moves into a mysterious new apartment complex and — being part of a powerful family — is assigned a secret service agent to protect her at all times. Her agent, Miketsukami is as charming as he is kind, much to the apathetic, suspicious Ririchiyo's dismay. This is a story of magic and love, but also an exploration of how we grow from trauma and loneliness.

Inu x Boku is super cute and funny, but it'll pull your heartstrings when you least expect it. The show, particularly Ririchiyo, though, demonstrate how complex people are, and how there's almost always an explanation for why people act the way they do or why they keep people at bay.

Sword Art Online

This anime can be summed up really quickly: a company develops a massive, virtual reality, online multiplayer game. It starts out really fun, but takes a terrifying turn when the players realize they're trapped in the game and if they die in the game, they die in real life.

Sword Art Online is exciting, suspenseful, and action-packed. It doesn't always do the best job portraying women, but there are still women aplenty who stand out and kick butt. The anime is and was extraordinarily popular, and after you start watching, it's clear why.

Sailor Moon

You've probably heard of Sailor Moon before, and probably know what it's all about. I won't waste time giving you a summary, as the intro alone gives a good idea of what the show is about, but what I will do is give you a suggestion. If you watch Sailor Moon, watch the original Japanese version with English subtitles. The version that we received in America was insidiously edited and watered down to remove many elements that were important to the series, such as death scenes and same-sex love. If you're gonna watch it, watch the real thing.