Anime/manga, whether through the heart-wrenching moments that leave you with a shattered soul to adrenaline-pumping fights where even the gods tremble, has captured the hearts of many teens and young adults. Here at MHS, where we even have a club dedicated to this art, it is a popular entertainment amongst students.

Where to Watch

Before you can even begin an anime or manga, you must first know the best way to view them.  For mangas, many enjoy reading them the old-fashioned way: physical, paper books.  Senior Jennifer Olivera says that she reads manga that are either from our own school library or from a Barnes & Nobles store. “Their section on manga is expanding,” she says.

While reading manga is certainly enjoyable, there is nothing quite like seeing your favorite manga characters come to life on screen.  One of the two most popular websites for watching anime are KissAnime and Crunchyroll. Senior Andy Pelegrino goes as far as saying that Crunchyroll is “Netflix for anime.”

Others choose to go directly to Netflix to watch anime. Senior Joseph Guerra uses a site called MangaStream to read the newest and latest manga. For old manga, he just searches it up on Google.

Genres

Like literature, animes and mangas have various genres. You have the classic ones that everyone is familiar with like adventure, horror, romance, etc. However, other genres are unique to anime, with the most well-known being shounen.

According to the website animenewsnetwork.com, shounen means that the main audience are young boys. According to another website reelrundown.com, it has an age range of 10-18. The most common example of shounen is fighting animes like “Dragon Ball Z” which usually have fast-paced stories where action is emphasized over plot.  Other mainstream animes/mangas in this genre are “Naruto” and “One Piece.”

Personal Favorites

Choosing a favorite anime is like choosing your favorite food; it is almost impossible to choose out of all the various flavors. Andy Pelegrino’s three favorite animes are “Fullmetal Panic,” “Fuuka,” and “Saga of Tanya the Evil.” He says that they all fall under the Slice of Life genre of anime where they show you characters dealing with real-life situations, which entices him.

He likes “Fullmetal Panic” and “Saga of Tanya the Evil” in particular because they are also action animes that show a hero or heroine with obstacles to overcome and making decisions. He goes on to say that “Saga of Tanya the Evil” is also an emotional anime. “It gives you the feels and puts you in a rollercoaster,” he said.

Senior Roxanna Ortiz enjoys animes like “Erased,” “Tokyo Ghoul,” and “Soul Eaters.” For her, each anime has a special quality that makes them great to watch: “Erased” has beautiful art and a unique concept of time travel; “Tokyo Ghoul” has diverse characters and an impactful soundtrack; “Soul Eaters” is a funny anime with great character development. “The arrogant characters become selfless,” she said.

Joseph Guerra‘s top favorite anime is “Code Geass,” “because of the amazing story, the complex and well-developed characters, and its consistent criticism of politics, morality, and ethics,” he said.

Jennifer Olivera’s favorite is “Attack on Titan” because of its suspenseful story that keeps her guessing until the end.

Diamonds in the Rough

As with many forms of entertainment media, a few diamonds in the rough remain unknown to public and are only enjoyed by the few. Fortunately, some students were willing to recommend a few of these gems. Guerra likes animes like “Iria,” which he describes as a sort of predecessor to a well-known anime called “Cowboy Bebop,” and “NieA_7” which “gives an accurate look at how Japanese people are,” he said.

Senior Allison Ferrera recommends “Samurai Champloo,” which mixes music with animation, and “Tokyo Godfathers,” which has a unique storytelling and art style that many artists would enjoy.