8 best anime series

Anime series are animated television shows or web series that originate from Japan and have gained popularity worldwide. These series encompass a wide range of genres, styles, and themes, making them a diverse and influential medium of entertainment. Here's what you should know about anime series:

  1. Diverse Genres: Anime series cover a vast array of genres, including action, adventure, romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, slice of life, and more. This diversity allows anime to cater to audiences of all ages and interests.

  2. Target Demographics: Anime is often categorized based on target demographics. The main categories include:

    • Shonen: Aimed at young boys, often featuring action, adventure, and male protagonists.
    • Shojo: Targeted at young girls, emphasizing romance, relationships, and female protagonists.
    • Seinen: Geared toward adult men, often featuring mature themes and complex narratives.
    • Josei: Designed for adult women, focusing on realistic relationships and adult life.
  3. Adaptations: Many anime series are adaptations of manga (Japanese comic books), light novels, video games, or other source material.These adaptations can help popularize the original works and provide fans with animated versions of their favorite stories.

  4. Episode Format: Anime series are typically divided into episodes, which can range from a few episodes in a short series to hundreds in long-running ones. The standard episode duration is approximately 24 minutes.

  5. Seasons: Anime series are often released in seasons, with each season consisting of a set number of episodes. This allows for breaks between seasons and helps with production schedules.

  6. Production Studios: Numerous animation studios in Japan produce anime series. Some well-known studios include Studio Ghibli, Toei Animation, Kyoto Animation, and Madhouse, among others. Each studio has its unique artistic style and strengths.

  7. Cultural Influence: Anime often reflects Japanese culture, traditions, and societal norms. However, it also explores universal themes that resonate with a global audience. Many anime series offer insights into Japanese history, mythology, and daily life.

  8. Global Appeal: Over the years, anime has gained a massive international following. Subtitles and dubbing in various languages have made anime accessible to a global audience. Anime conventions, fan clubs, and online communities contribute to its worldwide popularity.

  9. Merchandise: Successful anime series often lead to the production of merchandise, including toys, clothing, posters, and collectibles. Fans can show their support for their favorite series through these items.

  10. Streaming Platforms: In addition to traditional TV broadcasts and physical Blu-ray releases, many anime series are available for streaming on platforms like Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix, and Hulu.

  11. Anime Movies: Some anime series spawn movies that continue or conclude the story or offer a standalone cinematic experience. These movies can be highly anticipated by fans.

Anime series are a dynamic and evolving form of entertainment that continues to captivate audiences around the world. Whether you're interested in epic battles, heartfelt romances, intricate mysteries, or thought-provoking dramas, there's likely an anime series that caters to your preferences.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best anime series on the market
  

Inuyasha The Movie The Complete Collection (BD) [Blu-ray]

Warner Manufacturing

Based on 766 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Inuyasha The Movie The Complete Collection (BD)

In a mystical version of feudal-era Japan, modern-day schoolgirl Kagome and half-demon Inuyasha are drawn together across time to protect a land ravaged by demons! In these four feature films, our heroes take on new challenges and strange foes. With their crew of demon-slaying friends, Kagome and Inuyasha face the adventures of their lives

The four Inu-Yasha theatrical features pit the cast of Rumiko Takahashi's "feudal fairy tale" against new foes: The search for the shards of the Shikon Jewel falls by the wayside as Kagome, Inu-Yasha, Shippo, Miroku, and Sango tackle these supernatural enemies. In Affections Touching Across Time (2001), the moth-demon Menomaru seeks to reclaim the powers of his father, who was defeated by Inu-Yasha's father during the attempted Mongol invasion of 1274. The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass (2002) evokes the Japanese legend "The Tale of the Bamboo-Cutter," when Kaguya appears, claiming to be the legendary Moon Princess. Swords of an Honorable Ruler (2003) reveals that Inu-Yasha's father, the Great Dog Demon, possessed not two but three swords: Tetsusaiga, Tenseiga, and Sounga, which are linked to Earth, Heaven, and Hell, respectively. When the Sounga is accidentally freed, its aura raises the soul of Takemaru, the samurai who murdered Inu-Yasha's mother. The villains in Fire on Mystic Island (2004) are the Four War Gods, powerful demons on the island of Houraijima, who preserve and augment their power by sacrificing half-demon children. The later films are darker and more violent, although the directors balance the mayhem against familiar comedic elements, especially Kagome and Inu-Yasha squabbling. The features all reflect larger budgets than the television series, as the filmmakers employ a variety of CG effects: explosions, lightning bolts, insects, monsters, and strangling tree roots. Affections Touching Across Time stands out as the handsomest of the films, with designs that suggest the woodblock prints of Kawase Hasui. The set includes CD's of the movie soundtracks and a booklet on the traditional Japanese instruments they feature, although more information on composer Kaoru Wada would have been nice. A must-have for Inu-Yasha fans. (Rated Teen: suitable for ages 13 and older: violence, grotesque imagery, brief nudity, alcohol use, risque humor) --Charles Solomon

Dragon Ball Z: Seasons 1-9 Collection (Amazon Exclusive) [Blu-ray]

Funimation

Based on 2 reviews Check latest price

Product description

After learning that he is from another planet, a warrior named Goku and his friends are prompted to defend it from an onslaught of extraterrestrial enemies. This set contains seasons 1-9 across 36 discs in an exclusive slip-case, and presented in 1080p HD!

Product features

Dragon Ball Z: Seasons 1-9 Collection

Video- Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Resolution: 1080p Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1

Audio- English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English: Dolby TrueHD 2.0 Japanese: Dolby TrueHD Mono

Subtitles- English

Discs- Blu-ray Disc Thirty six-disc set (36 BD-50)

Trigun: Complete Series Box Set (Classic)

Funimation Prod

Based on 1 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Vash the Stampede is a wanted man with a habit of turning entire towns into rubble. The price on his head is a fortune, and his path of destruction reaches across the arid wastelands of a desert planet. Unfortunately, most encounters with the spiky-haired gunslinger don't end well for the bounty hunters who catch up with him; someone almost always gets hurt - and it's never Vash. Oddly enough, for such an infamous fugitive, there's no proof that he's ever taken a life. In fact, he's a pacifist with a doughnut obsession who's more doofus than desperado. There's a whole lot more to him than his reputation lets on - Vash the Stampede definitely ain't your typical outlaw.

Product features

The Legend of the Galaxy’s Greatest Gunslinger

“…it is a must-have for any anime collector.” - AnimeNewsNetwork.com

“Trigun is deserving of its massive popularity within the world of anime” - DVDTalk.com

Nichijou: My Ordinary Life - The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

Funimation

Based on 421 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Follow the outlandish adventures of three ordinary girls as they learn their most important lessons the hard way. Meanwhile, a pocket-sized professor makes life difficult for a robot who just wants to be normal.



Bonus Content:

Disc 1 - Nichijou My Ordinary Life - The Complete Series:

  • Episode 0
  • Textless Opening Songs
  • Textless Closing Songs

    Product features

    The key to friendship is stuck in a robot.

    Follow the outlandish adventures of three ordinary girls as they learn their most important lessons the hard way. Meanwhile, a pocket-sized professor makes life difficult for a robot who just wants to be normal.

    Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

    Funimation

    Based on 5 reviews Check latest price

    Product description

    Explore the far reaches of the galaxy in this undeniably hip series that inspired a generation – and redefined anime as an indisputable art form. The Bebop crew is just trying to make a buck. This motely lot of intergalactic loners teams up to track down fugitives and turn them in for cold hard cash. Spike is a hero whose cool façade hides a dark and deadly past. The pilot Jet is a bruiser of a brute who can’t wait to collect the next bounty. Faye Valentine is a femme fatale prone to breaking hearts and separating fools from their money. Along for the ride are the brilliant, but weird, hacker Ed and a super genius Welsh Corgi named Ein. On their own, any one of them is likely to get lost in the sprawl of space, but together, they’re they most entertaining gang of bounty hunters in the year 2071.

    Product features

    See You Space Cowboy....

    Class up your Blu-ray collection with the first ever release of the undeniably-hip series that inspired a generation – and redefined anime as an indisputable art form.

    Drifters - The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

    Funimation

    Based on 388 reviews Check latest price

    Product description

    "From the creators behind Hellsing comes a thrilling story where history and fantasy collide. Join figures from the past in an epic battle of good versus evil!



    Shimazu Toyohisa, a samurai from the historical Battle of Sekigahara, was moments from death when he stepped through a door. Transported to a world both like and unlike his own, he finds himself in a new war and a new fight—but he is not alone. By his side, Japan’s most notable historical figures Oda Nobunaga and Nasu no Yoichi will join him in this new world at war. As they discover more about their roles as “Drifters,” they’ll face the “Ends,” a group of Europe’s most brilliant and deadly minds led by a man cloaked in darkness who seeks to bring destruction and devastation to this world.



    What awaits these heroes of old? Are their bloodthirsty ways the only hope for victory, or does something worse than death await them?"

    Taboo Tattoo: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

    Funimation

    Based on 103 reviews Check latest price

    Product description

    "From the studio behind Prison School and A Certain Magical Index, step into a cutthroat arms race where weapons of mass destruction can fit in the palm of your hand.

    Nothing burns hotter in the heart of Justice Akatsuka than the desire to do the right thing. But when he saves a homeless man from a bunch of thugs, his life is turned upside down, and he comes face to face with the ultimate question—what is justice? Stuck with a tattoo that holds an incredible and deadly power, he’s trained by tattoo-wielding special agents who drag him into an international conspiracy between America and the tumultuous Kingdom of Selinistan. In the midst of it all, a vengeful princess is after his power, and the deadly battles that ensue will push him beyond the limits of right and wrong."

    Product features

    In his hand lies the truth.

    A tattoo is an ancient weapon that enhances the physical ability of its user. When Justice Akatsuka accepts a stone as a token of gratitude, a mysterious tattoo appears on his palm. And so the battle begins, framed by a web of conspiracies and centering around the boy who obtained a tattoo by complete chance.

    World Break - Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman - The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

    Funimation

    Based on 342 reviews Check latest price

    Product description

    Moroha Haimura isn’t your typical teenager. In fact, he’s quite unique compared to his fellow classmates at the high-profile Akane Academy. Along with other gifted students, he trains as a “Savior” where he will learn to harness his special inherited mystical powers from a former life.

    However, unlike his peers, Moroha not only has one past life, but two! This means he can command both the Dark Arts of spell magic and the Light Arts of the body itself. Because of his rare talents, he quickly climbs the ranks to join the “Strikers,” an elite group of Saviors at the academy. With the other Strikers at his side, Moroha must protect the fate of the world against giant, evil beasts—all while juggling the hearts of the jiggly girls constantly vying for his affection. With each battle, Moroha learns more and more about his two heroic past lives and the powers hidden within.

    Product features

    Two lives, one spellbound heart

    Welcome to Akane Academy where our unlikely hero, Moroha Haimura, has just enrolled. Moroha quickly learns to harness the magical powers of his two past lives, which he must use to fend off fantastic, evil beasts. His trouble with women might be an understatement, but that won’t stop Moroha from learning the secrets of his former lives to help protect the fate of the world!

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