What Anime is Right for You?
Created | Updated Apr 15, 2005
Japanese anime is becoming one of the most popular forms of modern entertainment. However, not all shows are the same. Like movies, there are different genres and key demographics. So, how do you know which ones are right for you?
First of all, different shows are geared towards different genders. So, there are two main categories of anime: Shoujo and Shounen. Shoujo means ‘girl’ in Japanese and, therefore, is written to attract a primarily female following. These shows often focus on the, female, main character’s romantic and social life while sometimes adding a twist to liven it up. For example, Tokyo Mew Mew is a rather interesting anime about five girls who were spliced with the DNA of different endangered animals and use their abilities to protect the earth. Some other popular Shoujo animes are Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura, Vampire Princess Miyu, and Peach Girl.
Shounen is, essentially, the opposite of Shoujo. It means ‘boy’ in Japanese and is meant for mostly male fans. These shows usually portray a hero and his friends going on exciting adventures, often partaking in lengthy battles. One popular Shounen anime is One Piece, the story of a morally sound pirate crew that sails around in hopes of fulfilling each crewmate’s dreams. Other examples include Dragon Ball Z, Shaman King, Rurouni Kenshin, and Yu-Gi-Oh!
Of course, it’s not just that simple. There are also different genres to go by. Comedy anime is supposed to, what else, make you laugh. Shows of this type include Tenchi Muyo, FLCL, Love Hina, Slayers, and Dirty Pair Flash.
The sci-fi anime category is just like in the movies where aliens, high-tech gadgets, and futuristic weaponry rules. Some shows in this genre include Cowboy Bebop, Lain, Outlaw Star, Chobits, and Gatekeepers.
Fantasy anime, perhaps the most popular type, appeals to the viewer’s imagination with strange new worlds, magical heroes and heroines, and the traditional good vs. evil conflict. This genre includes Tokyo Mew Mew, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Fushigi Yuugi, Magic Knight Rayearth, and Pokemon.
A horror anime often depicts graphic violence and blood, all the while attempting to scare you. Shows geared towards making you wet yourself include Vampire Princess Miyu, Devil Hunter Yohko, Berserk, and Soul Taker.
Hentai, which we’re not getting into, is purely animated pornography.
Action anime is meant to excite you and get your pulse racing by showing scenes of exciting battles and adventures. Shows in this category include One Piece, Akira, Burn Up, Ghost In The Shell, FLCL, and Cowboy Bebop.
A mystery anime boggles your mind by keeping you in suspense and making you guess things about the characters and events. Some examples are Case Closed, .Hack//Sign, Metropolis, Kikaider, Spiral, and King Of Bandit Jing.
There’s also mecha anime, which focuses on robots, cyborgs and machines, usually in the future. For example, there is Vision of Escaflowne, Macross, Dual!, Big O, Pilot Candidate, and Transformers.
This is just a basic guide to some of the Japanese anime that’s out there so it doesn’t cover every aspect of categorizing and choosing different shows. There are many more shows that fall under more than one genre that have been left unmentioned. For more information, a great site to glance at is mediaminer.org. It has reviews and descriptions of many great animes and can help you in your quest to find the perfect one for you.
First of all, different shows are geared towards different genders. So, there are two main categories of anime: Shoujo and Shounen. Shoujo means ‘girl’ in Japanese and, therefore, is written to attract a primarily female following. These shows often focus on the, female, main character’s romantic and social life while sometimes adding a twist to liven it up. For example, Tokyo Mew Mew is a rather interesting anime about five girls who were spliced with the DNA of different endangered animals and use their abilities to protect the earth. Some other popular Shoujo animes are Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura, Vampire Princess Miyu, and Peach Girl.
Shounen is, essentially, the opposite of Shoujo. It means ‘boy’ in Japanese and is meant for mostly male fans. These shows usually portray a hero and his friends going on exciting adventures, often partaking in lengthy battles. One popular Shounen anime is One Piece, the story of a morally sound pirate crew that sails around in hopes of fulfilling each crewmate’s dreams. Other examples include Dragon Ball Z, Shaman King, Rurouni Kenshin, and Yu-Gi-Oh!
Of course, it’s not just that simple. There are also different genres to go by. Comedy anime is supposed to, what else, make you laugh. Shows of this type include Tenchi Muyo, FLCL, Love Hina, Slayers, and Dirty Pair Flash.
The sci-fi anime category is just like in the movies where aliens, high-tech gadgets, and futuristic weaponry rules. Some shows in this genre include Cowboy Bebop, Lain, Outlaw Star, Chobits, and Gatekeepers.
Fantasy anime, perhaps the most popular type, appeals to the viewer’s imagination with strange new worlds, magical heroes and heroines, and the traditional good vs. evil conflict. This genre includes Tokyo Mew Mew, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Fushigi Yuugi, Magic Knight Rayearth, and Pokemon.
A horror anime often depicts graphic violence and blood, all the while attempting to scare you. Shows geared towards making you wet yourself include Vampire Princess Miyu, Devil Hunter Yohko, Berserk, and Soul Taker.
Hentai, which we’re not getting into, is purely animated pornography.
Action anime is meant to excite you and get your pulse racing by showing scenes of exciting battles and adventures. Shows in this category include One Piece, Akira, Burn Up, Ghost In The Shell, FLCL, and Cowboy Bebop.
A mystery anime boggles your mind by keeping you in suspense and making you guess things about the characters and events. Some examples are Case Closed, .Hack//Sign, Metropolis, Kikaider, Spiral, and King Of Bandit Jing.
There’s also mecha anime, which focuses on robots, cyborgs and machines, usually in the future. For example, there is Vision of Escaflowne, Macross, Dual!, Big O, Pilot Candidate, and Transformers.
This is just a basic guide to some of the Japanese anime that’s out there so it doesn’t cover every aspect of categorizing and choosing different shows. There are many more shows that fall under more than one genre that have been left unmentioned. For more information, a great site to glance at is mediaminer.org. It has reviews and descriptions of many great animes and can help you in your quest to find the perfect one for you.
