JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Alternative names: JoJo’s
Genres: Action, Fantasy
Episodes: 190 (Loose ending, continuation possible)
Stream available on: Crunchyroll, Netflix
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure tells the story of the Joestar family. After the family’s adoptive son, Dio Brando, comes into possession of an ancient relic, he is transformed into an immortal, powerful being. The effects of his actions create ripples and are felt over several decades.
Each season focuses on a new generation or a different offspring of the family, so the setting continually changes and creates an epic that spans nearly a century.
The respective protagonist, always called “JoJo”, develops new, absurd abilities, gathers the craziest companions around him, and leaps from one battle to the next to uphold the family legacy and put an end to the machinations of Dio and his followers.
What to expect from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: There are anime that are realistic. There are anime that are ‘a bit over the top’. And then there’s JoJo’s.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure takes the already exaggerated elements of anime and multiplies them by 10. Every man is an absolute muscle package. Every character’s pose is a meme. A small example? Two guys fall down a hallway that is actually only two floors deep, yet engage in a lengthy dialogue.
Despite all this absurdity, you can’t take your eyes off JoJo after the somewhat tedious start. The crazy powers are unparalleled, even in the anime sector.
Those who want to know the origin of all the memes and just love non-stop action with a lot of humor are in for a treat with JoJo.
However, JoJo is rarely silly — because in its over-the-top absurdity, it takes itself surprisingly seriously.
Demon Slayer
Alternative names: Kometsu no Yaiba
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Drama
Episodes: 44 (2 seasons – season 3 is currently airing)
Stream available on: Crunchyroll, Netflix (partially)
Tanjirou is the eldest son of his family and must protect them since the death of his father. One day, after returning home from selling charcoal, he discovers that his family has been slaughtered. Worse still, his sister Nezuko has been corrupted by the demonic attackers and is on the verge of transforming into a bloodthirsty demon herself.
Driven by desperation and the desire for revenge, he seeks out the “Demon Slayers” and joins them to protect others from a similar fate and to find a way to somehow turn his sister back into a human.
What to expect from Demon Slayer: Demon Slayer is one of those exceptional anime that gets almost everything right and has almost no weaknesses. Lovable yet slightly quirky characters with emotional moments, exciting battles, and a grand animation style that, even after years, seems unmatched by other studios. The second season really raises the bar and presents one of the most exciting and best-staged battles over several episodes that never gets boring.
Demon Slayer also places a strong emphasis on the adversaries. The enemies are rarely just blunt opponents standing in the way — most have comprehensive backstories that add even more drama to the battles.
Chainsaw Man
Alternative names: /
Genres: Action, Splatter
Episodes: 12 (Loose ending, continuation possible)
Stream available on: Crunchyroll
Demons are a fixed part of the world. Demon hunters earn good money selling parts of the creatures. Since his father was already in debt, Denji is also obligated to work — hunting weaker demons and even selling his own organs to get by. Only the little demon dog, Pochita, whom he helped years ago, gives him a bit of comfort.
But Denji falls into the clutches of a much too powerful demon and is killed. The little Pochita decides to save Denji’s life and merges with him. From now on, Denji is a hybrid of human and demon. He becomes known as the “Chainsaw Devil” and tries to carve out a new place in life… and finally experience the joys he has only dreamed of until now.
What to expect from Chainsaw Man: The name “Chainsaw Man” is the program. Bodies are shredded, demons are torn to pieces, and it literally rains blood when the protagonists go against their enemies. Accompanied by a brilliant soundtrack — even featuring a unique song in each ending of the individual episodes — there is an action fireworks display that remains memorable.
What might take getting used to is the main character’s focus on rather “primitive” seeming goals. However, if you can embrace that and view it in the context of the experiences, Chainsaw Man is an exciting and quite ruthless action anime with a unique animation style and interesting characters.
Which action anime would you recommend to others and what are your favorites from recent years?
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