Summary
Shonen anime is the action-packed stuff that legends are born from, includingDragon Balland its many successor series,Naruto,Bleach, and so on. While all of theseanime are good, some of them start slowlyand can take a while to get into. The fights may not be that exciting, or the fights may not even be that frequent at all.
There are a lot of factors to consider, but these anime examples do start at a hundred and only increase from there with little to no dips in between. From the action, characters, and premises, these anime will have viewers hooked and wanting more. No spoilers will be present.
Case Closed, also known asDetective Conanin Japan, starts strong with a mystery that turns teen detective, Shinichi, into a little boy again after a shady organization drugs him. To reverse the process, the overarching narrative has Shinichi investigate these goons as his childhood self, Conan, who is now living with his girlfriend, Ran, who doesn’t know the truth, and her incompetent private detective father, Kogoro. It’s amystery thriller seriesthat has been serialized in Shonen magazines since the 90s, and the anime is still ongoing too. It involves murder investigations, which sounds dark, but it’s fun to play along with the scenarios, plus there is some comedy thrown in to keep things light.
Chainsaw Manis about Denji, a down-on-his-luck demon slayer, who uses his demonic dog, Pochita, to cut through enemies. One day, the two fuse, thus turning Denji into the titular Chainsaw Man, which gets him the attention of a woman named Makima who works for a big demon-hunting organization. With the promise of food and women, Denji joins the fight for the most un-noble reasons possible. It’s bloody beyond all reason, but Denji is such a likable and awkward character that it’s hard not to laugh beyond all the gore.
Dan Da Dan, or justDandadan, has a unique premise involving two teenage characterswho are opposites. Momo is popular and believes in the paranormal, like ghosts, since she lives with her shrine maiden grandma; Ken is awkward, unpopular, and thinks aliens are real.
One day, the two challenge each other to find the other’s interests, and it turns out that both ghosts and aliens are real. It’s one of the wildest opening episodes to an anime ever, and it doesn’t let up for any of the twelve episodes available so far, with comedy, animation, and action so on-point that it is unreal.
Gurren Lagannis a mech-based animethat starts with Kamina and Simon mining underground in a repetitive cycle that has them both beat. After discovering a mini-mech while mining, the two rise to the surface, take control of other mechs, and gain a following to revolt against the Beastmen who are forcing humanity underground. The face-adorned mechs are unlike any other mech in anime out there, and the action is top-notch as well. Viewers are probably going to be too busy laughing at all of the wacky characters and scenarios they get up to, even notice how cool the mech-based combat is.
Kill la Killwas thefirst anime Studio Triggerput out, and many of the creators came from theGurren Lagannteam at Gainax.Kill la Killis about a young girl, Ryuko, who goes to a top school in the nation, swearing revenge against the people who killed her father. She’s aided in her quest by half of a scissor blade and a school uniform that talks and transforms her into scandalous power armor. It’s an anime full of fan service, but there is a surprisingly poignant message behind all of the T&A that gets shown. Beyond that, though, Studio Trigger animated this to death, making every scene, line, and character memorable a thousand times over.
What if the world ofHarry Potterwas an animeand a lot sillier, involving everyone having scars and weight lifting playing a big part in the story? That’s basically the setup ofMashle: Magic and Muscles, as the hero, Mash, is one of the few people in the world without magic, which is illegal. When agents come looking for him, Mash fakes his way into a magic academy and defies expectations when he uses his muscles to get through trials.
How can he get past this trial now? That’s what fans will ask in every episode, and it gets funnier every time thanks to Mash’s deadpan expression and everyone thinking too highly of themselves before getting owned by Mash’s brawn.
Mob Psycho 100is about a young psychic named Mob who is an apprentice to a medium named Reigen. Mob is actually a psychic, though, and can do everything from exercise ghosts to lift things with his mind, while Reigen is a con artist unbeknownst to Mob. Mob’s unwavering desire for anything other than to get through life without harming anyone is noble, while Reigen constantly getting himself into sticky paranormal situations is hilarious. Honestly, though, viewers will probably know this anime is great from the first opening theme alone, “99" by Mob Choir, which is an all-time anime banger.
One-Punch Manwas written by the same Mangaka asMob Psycho 100, known only as One, and the two series have a lot in common. Saitama is the titular hero who can kill anything in a single punch, which has frustrated Saitama as he finds no challenge in hero work. That is, until he learns he can earn money by doing it, but the trouble is, no one at the top believes Saitama is strong, even after testing. Like the characters inMashle: Magic and Muscles, everyone, from heroes to villains, underestimates Saitama because of his looks, and the comedy comes into play when he constantly shows them up.
