Top Picks

Akira is one of Japan's most well known and loved anime.  Originally released in 1988, Akira still holds it's own in its design, illustration, music compositions and rich story line.

All of the characters go through significant development as the story progresses.  The story is also developed enough to carry significant symbolism that are common amongst great literary works but not as common in anime.

The conflicts in Akira are large and affect the characters personally as well as their world.  Every aspect of the story is relevant and well thought out.  It allows the viewers to enter Akira's world with ease but also allows for them to think of the presented ideas in the context of their own life.

It's easy to see why Akira is considered a hallmark of Japanese Anime.  I give Akira 5 stars out of 5.

I'm starting with my favorite anime to date, Attack on Titan.  Attack on Titan is definitely NOT for children, so if you have any little ones, be sure to watch this after they have gone to bed.

Attack on Titan is an amazing anime that excels in all areas.  It's artwork, design, storyboards, colouring is all first rate.

The story is also large, complex and often very unpredictable.  What makes it even more interesting is that all of the main characters in the story also don't know what is going on... everyone, including the viewer is racing to find understanding.  However, despite having a large, complex story, at this point in time, the story is extremely complete.  Everything appears to be well thought out and every detail has been accounted for.  Even though many of the ideas are very foreign to us, everything is heavily grounded in a form of realism allowing the viewer to follow along and drawn into the story with ease.

Attack on Titan features a large number of characters, which is to be expected from such a large story.  Their crisscrossing relationships and ideals make this world all the more compelling and complex.  It also begs the question that even if they solve the major issues with the titans, will their world, like our own be any more stable and or safe?

Although the conflict in this story is truly unique, it's also completely relatable.  How do relate to our fellow peers? How do we overcome fear?

Perhaps by watching Attack on Titan, not only are we being entertained, but we can explore the same questions from the safety of our homes.

As this is my favorite anime to date, I  give Attack on Titan a 5 out of 5.
I'm eagerly awaiting season 2.

Magi - The Kingdom of Magic is a very fun anime that has recently started airing its second season.
Magi is loosely based around the famous Arabian Nights and tales of Alibaba and the 40 thieves and Sinbad the Sailor.

The artwork also reflects a middle eastern influence in everything from the costume to the weapon design.  However, as you travel all over the Magi world you encounter other cultural references and design styles.  The bright designs and clean design makes this a very enjoyable anime to watch.

The overarching story is a common one amongst Japanese anime, which is how to find peace and understanding among many various types of peoples.  However, just as it's a complex problem in our own world, so is it in the Anime.  As the characters struggle in their own circumstances to find meaning and understanding, it sometimes offers small gems of enlightenment for the viewers as well.
Also, Magi is a story about friends who seek to discover themselves while discovering their world together.  Lot's of challenges and adventures ensue as they travel through the world together.

This anime revolves around character development and promotes encouragement, keeping a positive attitude, doing your best and helping others.  For me, it's so positive I just love to watch it to cheer me up when I feel blue.

Magi's conflicts are easy for viewers to identify with as it is essentially the struggle for good to overcome evil.  What makes this conflict more appealing as they define evil acts as something that we can all identify with: Enslaving others, Discrimination, and Impoverishment to name a few of the ideas that are touched upon.

I would recommend watching Magi and watching the characters struggle to find answers to some of the same questions that we struggle with today.  I give Magi - the Kingdom of magic a 4.5 out of 5.


Cautions for western audiences.
Although, I personally believe this anime would be suitable for children (8? and over) to watch, some families may find the some of the characters inter-gender relations too much for young viewers.   Although, there are not many scenes like the one shown below, if you do not want your child to see scenes like this, I recommend parental guidance.

Sword Art Online was a very popular anime that ran for two seasons. I don't think the second season was as strong as the first season, but this was the first time I have seen an anime about being trapped in an online virtual world.  I thought SAO did a good job expressing some of the highs and lows of living in the virtual world.

I really liked the art in this series.  Perhaps because it was a virtual world, the designers enjoyed making a variety of unique designs and environments.  The animation is very polished and coloring is super rich and enjoyable.

SAO  does a good job of finishing off it's storyline and wrapping up all of it's loose ends which is great because it doesn't leave you hanging.  Also, the character development is very good in this anime.

The conflicts in season one are more interesting because you don't quite understand why the players become trapped in the world, so the characters and the viewers are on a quest to solve that together.  Season two is less interesting as it doesn't promote any questions but it's still fun to watch.

I would give SAO season 1 a 4.5 out of 5 and season 2 a 4 out of 5.  I believe that children over 8 can watch SAO but I recommend parental guidance.

Fairy Tail is a very fun anime about a guild of young friends that use their magical abilities to help their community overcome problems and defeat evil.  In the end, it shows that their greatest strength doesn't lie in their physical strength or magic skills but in their friendship.  Yes, it is a feel good anime but with lot's of action, magic and various types of explosions and monsters.  To date, Fairy Tail has 175 episodes and one movie with more on the way.  Needless to say, it puts a smile a large number of faces.

Every Character has their own mini story within the greater series story and as the series develops we discover more along  with the characters in the story.  This story is essentially all character based and even though some characters change more than others, the viewers can enjoy watching the all of the characters grow throughout the series.

The artwork definitely has improved from the first episodes that were released and now is a top notch anime with it's own distinct Fairy Tail style.

I give Fairy Tale a 4.5 and believe it would be suitable for children over 6.  I'm looking forward to the next season!

Sukitte Iinayo - Say... I Love You is a very cute romance anime about a very unlikely couple.  All of the characters in the story all develop and transform through their interactions with each other.  The conflicts of the story tend to be both individualized and relationship based.  Throughout the story all of the characters grow through these interactions with each other.  In this way the anime captures a precious aspect of high school life.

The artwork is very beautiful and captures many precious moments and memories of Japanese life during the summer months.

Sukitte Iinayo is a beautiful and charming story that I will give 4.5 out of 5.

Colorful is a an anime thats representational of a real life story in modern Japan.  In the protagonist's struggle to find meaning and joy in life both he and his family find reconciliation.   

The artwork in Colorful is beautiful; it is one of the best combinations of painterly styled environments and animation that I have seen to date.  The story is more realistic in nature and the character designs also reflect this.  

Even though this is a realistic story, the author made a few fun twists such as adding the 'not quite an angel' and spirit queue.  The character development and conflicts were all very plausible and occur at a pace that suits the mood of the story.

Overall, I give this well made anime a very colorful score of 5 out of 5. 

Tekkonkinkreet is an amazingly rich anime in both art and story.  It's densely packed symbolism and story line can be a bit to untangle at first but the artistic style and plot line make this anime one movie worth watching twice.

Everything from the perspective, the colors, the layout to the design is so unique and well done.  The animation style even matches the look of Treasure Town which was really amazing for me to see.

The character development and plot line are absolutely amazing to watch as well.  It's as though the Tekkonkinkreet story itself has one foot in reality and the other in it's own fantasy world. A lot like one of the main characters 'Shiro.'

In my opinion, Tekkonkinkreet is in a class all its own.  Not only does it capitalize on all story aspects, it knocks them all out of the park.  Tekkonkinkreet is an easy win with 5 out of 5.