With the way the economy is right now, it’s definitely a hard time to be an anime fan that wants to own your favorite shows. While a lot of people like myself used to grab lots of shows just to try them, those days have come and gone for most. But thankfully, the ability to see lots and lots of shows for free or a low cost is out there so you can support the companies still and get a look at a lot of anime. Anime that you in turn may end up purchasing. I never personally thought I’d be a huge streaming advocate, but it’s changed my consumption habits considerably in the last couple of years since I got into it and I continue to be surprised by the wealth of shows that are available. But like a lot of fans that focus heavily on simulcasting, you tend to forget that there’s a lot more available than just that. So today, we’re taking a look at The Anime Network and putting together a list of the ten shows you should be watching in addition to all those simulcasts, in alphabetical.
Clannad
There’s a reason this show continues to be popular and that’s because it’s the kind that grabs you hard but it does it slowly over the course of the series until you realize just how invested you are in it. While it’s not a show for everyone to be sure, it’s the ideal kind of show to watch streaming if you’re unsure about it since you can soak it all up with minimal commitment to resources. With beautiful animation, character designs and settings, it weaves a tale across two seasons that takes you through the lives of these students in ways that few series ever manage to do.
Divergence Eve
If there’s a series I always get a twinge of hesitation about recommending, it’s this one. Due to the exaggerated character designs used to sell it to the audience, it’s written off as another big boobs science fiction series. While that gets it the most attention, it’s a series that actually deals heavily in the science side of things, though it is of course anime science. But it weaves a really fascinating and large scale story that’s told in a personal way that has an edge of despair and creepiness about it that permeates it the further you get into it. It’s the kind of show most fans would turn their nose up at just based on the cover art, but would surprise the more science fiction oriented with how solid it is.
Glass Mask
While I have zero ability to act, I love shows about actors and what they go through. Glass Mask had a partial DVD release which made the streaming version more important since we could at least finish it that way. The show may go through its exaggerations, but it’s such a great study of a young woman who has an exceptional skill but has a teacher that’s intent on putting her through such an intense and almost damaging method of study that you can feel her suffering throughout, but also relish the way in which she succeeds and rises (and falls) along the way. It’s pure drama but done so slickly and strongly that it’s very, very addicting.
Guin Saga
There’s a real dearth of fantasy oriented anime in general but we’ve got a few on this list and for good reason. They’re all different but a lot of fun. Guin Saga is a high profile release based on an extensive body of work that takes us through a number of curious lands, large action movements and some great personal ones as well. There’s a layer of mystery to it, plenty of intrigue and an array of fascinating creatures. It’s all backed up by some gorgeous designs and animation as well that makes it thoroughly engaging.
Kino’s Journey
While a lot of shows are re-released on DVD throughout the years, only a small number made the re-watch list for me and Kino’s Journey is the only one that achieved that repeatedly. The series of short stories with a larger backdrop to it is endlessly fascinating with the tales it wants to tell as we follow Kino journeying across various countries, each with their own distinctive traits and personalities. There’s so many little moments here, such a sense of presence and atmosphere, that every time you watch it you see something new, some new connecting angle and a more cohesive storyline evolving.
Orphen
Between the two series, Orphen offers up a different kind of fantasy adventure, one with a bit more humor to it. It’s reminiscent of Slayers in a lot of ways (and the pair even had a crossover in another property) because of the fantasy and humor, but it’s like a toned down version that’s played a bit more straight and without over the top personalities. The two seasons have different goals but the core of it is storylines running over a fair number of episodes in pursuit of a larger goal. It may be a bit slower moving than fans are used to today, but there’s a lot of pleasure deriving from settling into this particular world.
RahXephon
Once thought to be the next Evangelion, RahXephon suffered because of that comparison and could never live up to what fans had thought it should be in their minds. Time and distance make for this series to be an excellent one to be revisited, but for those that have never seen it there’s a lot to love here. Almost ten years old, this Bones series still looks fantastic and has a layered storyline that actually works better now that the comparisons are further behind us. It’s almost the kind of series where the less you know about it, the more you get out of it as it teases so many revelations about its near future science fiction storyline.
Taisho Baseball Girls
One of the surprises that came out in the last couple of years for me was this little gem of a series. Going back to the Taisho period, we see how baseball started to make an impact in Japan with a group of girls that wanted to play. Or at least a couple that wanted to and ended up bringing in a lot more to do so while dealing with social issues about it and what was expected of them and their station. It’s a very soft, relaxed and fun little show that while predictable offers up the kind of warm and enjoyable feelings you’d expect. And considering how poorly sports shows do in general, every one of them needs a little love.
Tears To Tiara
The last of the fantasy shows on the list, Tears to Tiara is a series that reaches high but doesn’t quite succeed but is very much worth the investment of time. Based off of the game of the same name by Aquaplus, the folks behind the highly enjoyable Utawarerumono, it’s a big, sprawling fantasy piece with numerous races, creatures and one hell of a devil that’s come back that is more than he seems. And is the lead character at that. While most shows focus on characters with no power or growing into power, this one gives us someone with a hell of a lot of confidence and the desire and skill to use it.
You’re Under Arrest
With three seasons available in various forms on the service, this may be the one that will provide the most material overall. And it’s a hugely episodic series for the most part which makes it one that you can queue up easily and just drop into when you want something that will almost always make you smile. Focusing on a metropolitan traffic department, there are plenty of personalities here but they’re just slightly exaggerated real world versions. And because of that, you’re able to get into it because they are accessible. It’s a slice of work life kind of series revolving around police officers that deal with an array of problems, but the majority are simple, enjoyable and focuses more on the cast and the relationships between them. It’s largely focused on the friendship of the two leads but it easily expands beyond that as well.
