Recommendations: Anime, Manga, Light Novels, and Adaptations

==Japanese Media and Me: A History==

A year and a half ago, I didn’t like manga or anime.  There are three reasons for this: 1) I don’t natively do well with graphic novels, being very word-oriented.  I don’t naturally really examine pictures, so I miss a lot when I read them unless I consciously force myself.  2) I find a lot of animation ugly—including the style in popular anime like Naruto.  3) Not having any understanding of either Japanese culture or media, a lot of it simply didn’t make sense to me.  So I couldn’t follow it, couldn’t understand it, and found much of it visually repugnant—not a promising start.

Then a year and a half ago, Netflix gave me a free month, and I ended up watching the live action movie of Bleach.  And I adored it.  I dearly wanted more, but what more was there?  Just anime and manga.  But I was desperate, and I could tell by the loving and subtle details that the film was almost certainly a very good adaptation of the source material.  (Note: I was right.)  So I grit my teeth and started watching the anime.

It took me a little over 3.5 months to watch all 366 episodes and 4 movies.  But by the end, I’d gained enough understanding to enable me to read manga—and I proved it by reading Descendants of Darkness.  I also discovered that although I couldn’t bear the art styles of some anime, there were other styles I liked just fine.

But I still preferred live action.  I went about devouring live action adaptations (see list below), and I kept coming across Death Note.  Willing to give it a shot, I tried watching the live action TV show . . . and concluded that the story was no good.  So I tried the other live action TV show and it was also dreadful.  I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to watch the cowardly, shriveling, dull Light as a main character. 

But I kept coming across Death Note, and I’d become more comfortable with anime.  It wore me down.  So I decided maybe, maybe, I’d just try the anime.  So I sat down and began it.  It seemed to start in much the same way as the live action shows, but then—but then—!!!!

Then, the end of episode 2.  Then Light being what he should have been.  A powerful, decisive, brilliant, deadly, devious, horrible, wonderful main character.  And I was hooked.

Hooked on the story—not on anime or manga (oddly, I found to my surprise I actually possibly preferred the manga, though that is of all forms the most difficult for me to consume).  Still, it seemed to end there . . . until two months ago, when Netflix gave me another free month, and I discovered The Irregular at Magic High School and Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan.  And then I hurt my leg and I’ve had nothing to do but elevate it and watch anime and read the source material and . . .

Well. 

Here we go.

==Notes==

In all cases for anime and film, I’ve watched in Japanese with English subtitles.

I read all manga in physical book form (thank you, libraries!) but light novels as ebooks. 

My deepest gratitude to the fan translators out there.  Of the below, about half the films and light novels were fan translations, done simply for love of the source material.  I would never have gotten to read/watch these without you.  Thank you so much for all your hard work!

Within sections, I kept them in alphabetical order, not ranked.  Not rankable, frankly, due to the vast differences in length and genre.

I am relatively new to anime, so this is by no means a definitive list.  I may eventually post an update if it comes to that.

If any of you wants to track down one that is not commercially available (aka there are only fan translations), leave me a message and I’ll send you a link.

==Top Anime==

Criteria: I watched every episode and craved more, so I went on to find as much more of it as I could, including purchasing part or all of it and reading the source material.  These stories touched me on a deeper level; they spoke to me. 

BLEACH

A soul reaper gives Ichigo her powers so he can save his little sister . . . and then can’t get them back.  So he has to do her job and then some.  Action-adventure, light/dark mix; anime leans light but manga leans dark.

Why I love it: It has true heart.  I like almost all the many characters.  It has great action.  It managed to shock and devastate me (in a good way) with a brilliant twist.

Its flaws: um.  Some pacing issues: too slow for most of it and too fast near the end.  A few really annoying characters.

Other media: I’ve also read the first two arcs of the manga.  Due to the action-packed nature of the story, I prefer the anime.  Also, some of the fillers are quite good and one filler arc is excellent.  Though they do create a few pacing issues, the fillers do something very important: they let us get to know characters much better and make us care about them more and makes them care more about one another—so it makes more sense the lengths Ichigo goes for them.
See live action movies, below.  Of the four anime movies, they get better as they go along—with the third and fourth being the best.

(366 episodes + 4 animated movies.  More episodes coming next year!)

DEATH NOTE

Two geniuses battle to the death: one with supernatural powers, the other with greater experience and resources.  Cerebral thriller, dark.

Why I love it: Unlike so many stories about geniuses . . . Light and L actually act like it.  Aggressively.  There are moments of true brilliance.  And on top of that, they’re also deeply human and flawed. 

Its flaws: the second arc is bad.  Stick with the first one.

Other media: I’ve read the first arc of the manga.  I may slightly prefer it to the anime.  I do not recommend the live action TV shows, but see below in my live-action films section (no, not the Netflix film.  Don’t lynch me; I haven’t seen it and don’t plan to).

(37 episodes)

THE IRREGULAR AT MAGIC HIGH SCHOOL

A powerful sister and her seemingly useless brother enroll in magic high school—but the brother’s more than he seems, and strange things are afoot.  Action-school drama, fairly light.

Why I love it: it adores magic.  To a frankly ridiculous extent.  It treats magic like hard sci-fi treats technology.  It delves into it in detail that should be but isn’t dull.  And beyond that, it’s magic high school. Nuff said.

Its flaws: the real problems in the story don’t crop up until later in the light novel series, and those books haven’t yet been adapted.

Other media: I’ve read the first 16 light novels.  The first 15 have been officially translated, and 16–30 have fan translations of varying quality.  I decided not to read further.  The first 4 are very good, but it goes downhill from there as the series loses the high school element and OPs its characters too much and runs into/increases a few other issues.  So I’d stick with the first couple of arcs—which is what the anime currently is (but season 2 is coming soon).

(26 episodes)

NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN

Middle-schooler Rikou is 1/4 yokai (ghost/monster/bogeyman) and 3/4 human.  He’s also heir to the Nura yokai clan, and he’s going to need to power up both his human and yokai forms to defeat evil and protect monsters and humans alike.  Action-adventure, fairly light.

Why I love it: Rikou is a true leader in the best sense of the word.  Beyond that . . . um.  I love monsters?  And these have great designs.  This show is clever and has real heart and humor.  Of all the stories on the list, this is the one that makes me say, “I’d like to write something like that.”

Its flaws: only the first half of the manga was adapted.  I want more.

Other media: I’ve read the rest of the story in manga form and plan to read the earlier volumes also.  The manga is excellent.

(48 episodes)

==Honorable Mentions==

Criterion: I happily watched every episode.

AKASHIC RECORDS OF THE BASTARD MAGIC INSTRUCTOR

The new teacher at a magic high school is unmotivated and subpar and clearly wants to be anywhere else.  So why did the most powerful magician in the world recommend him?  And what will happen when baddies strike?  Awesomeness—but not OP, surprisingly enough.  Action-comedy, mostly light.

I’ve read light novels vol 1, 6,7, and 8, and am working on 2—the anime covers 1–5 faithfully.  Thank you, fan translators!  The LNs aren’t brilliant, but they’re quite decent.  This show is fun and occasionally clever.  I would watch more, and I’m reading further in the light novels to learn what happens next.  

(12 episodes)

ARIFURETA: FROM COMMONPLACE TO WORLD'S STRONGEST

Class of kids gets sucked into fantasy world a la video game with a labyrinth.  The deeper you go, the more dangerous.  Hajime’s powers are the weakest of anyone’s, and a bully makes him fall of the edge—far deeper into the labyrinth than he can possibly survive.  And yet he does survive. Action with elements of romance, starts dark but ends light.

So, this show is messy.  I ended up reading the first light novel because the show skipped over too much important information—but the light novel was pretty poor.  Also, it turns into a full-blown shameless harem anime.  But I watched all of it.  Why?  Because it has elements I love, and core potential that it doesn’t entirely squander.  (Finally, a protagonist who shoots rather than putting down his gun for the baddie!)  So while I wouldn’t watch more, I’m not unhappy I enjoyed this much.

(13 episodes)

SWORD ART ONLINE

10,000 players, including Kirito, enter a fully immersive virtual reality MMORPG . . . and discover can only leave if they win the game.  And that if they die in the game, they’ll die in real life, too. Action-adventure-romance-drama, light/dark mix leaning light.

The light novels for this are decent but really add nothing to the show.  Um.  This is fun.  There’s quite a bit of it, and some arcs are much better than others, but none are bad.

(86 episodes)
EDIT: Never mind, it eventually got bad.  But it took a long time.

THAT TIME I GOT REINCARNATED AS A SLIME

After being knifed, a man reincarnates as a slime in a magical world.  He gains new powers by devouring monsters and becomes a powerful leader.  Adventure, light.

It’s deliciously fun and very, very well done.  It’s clever and funny and shows an example of frankly good leadership.  I would definitely watch more.  Also, this wins my “best title” award.

(26 episodes)
EDIT: Second season now out!  It is . . . of uneven quality.  It began and ended well, at least.

==Best Live Action Films==

Criterion: I enjoyed enough to watch these again.

AJIN: DEMI-HUMAN

Kei is ajin, which means he resets every time he dies.  It also means he’s stuck between government experimentation and psychopathic ajin.  Action, dark.

I watched a fan translation.  This is by the same action team and lead actor as Kenshin (below).  Lots of great action, though not a whole lot else.

ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM

A light-hearted, life-affirming movie about a teacher training his class to assassinate him.  Action-drama, light.

I’m not being sarcastic.  It really is light-hearted and life-affirming.  It’s not a brilliant movie, but it is very fun.  The sequel wasn’t great.  If I remember correctly, I watched a fan translation.

BLEACH

A faithful and loving adaptation. Action-adventure, fairly light.

With plenty of good characterization and action, and mostly good casting.

DEATH NOTE: THE MUSICAL (Kakizawa version)

Death Note . . . but a musical.  Stage production that’s been filmed.  Thriller, dark.

Um.  Kakizawa version is the best (aka the version in which Light has black hair.  There’s also a brown-haired version, but that actor plays him out of character).  This is possibly as good as its source material.  I love the music.  I have only very minor gripes.  It’s really good.  I watched an excellent fan translation.

RUROUNI KENSHIN

The world’s best swordsman-assassin has sworn never to kill again . . . but he will always protect people.  Action, light/dark mix.

Seriously impressive action.  Lead performs his own stunts. (3 films; 2 more out in 2021)

TOKYO GHOUL

When a date goes terrifyingly wrong, Ken turns into a ghoul with a clawing hunger for human flesh.  Horror-action, dark.

I didn’t watch this for a while, because it’s R for violence and gore . . . but actually, it didn’t quite pass my threshold (which is pretty low).  The lead actor deserves an award.  Beyond that—good action, deep themes.  Thought-provoking.

EDIT: And let's add in the live-action mini-series for Mob Psycho 100 to this list!

EDIT: NOVELS OF 4 OR 5 STARS

Classroom of the Elite (first 7 or so novels good)

Dungeon Defense (volume 1.  WN entirely different but equally good.  Both are fan translated)

Experimental Log of the Crazy Lich (fan translation, WN)

I Only Summon Slime (Fan translation)

The Irregular at Magic High School (at least the first couple of volumes.  The first 15 stayed decent)

I'm Really Not the Demon God's Lackey (fan translation, WN)

Is It Tough Being a Friend (fan translation)

The King of the Dead at Dark Palace

Kingdom's Bloodline (WN.  Fan translation)

My Big Sister Lives in a Fantasy World (first volume, but continues being fun for a while)

My Death Flags Show No Signs of Ending (amazing web novel.  Fan translation rocky, but this is so good it blows right through that obstacle)

My House of Horrors (WN, fan translation)

The Novel’s Extra (WN, fan translation)

So I'm a Spider, So What (novels 1-3)

The Sorcerer's Receptionist (it's a trilogy, but the third volume was much less good)

Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs (volume 1)

EDIT: SHOWS WORTH REWATCHING

Edit, 1/9/22: here is an updated list of recommendations, that I'll keep updating.  These are shows worth rewatching.  This recommendation list contains only Anime and Donghua, not novels or live action.

Anime (J)/ Donghua (C)

* means it never decreases in quality.  For all of them, at least the first season is well worth watching.  If it decreases in quality but is only one season long, I was usually disappointed in the last episode or two, but not enough to ruin the show.  

x means something about it was especially impactful to me

M/N means that, after watching it, I was inspired to read several of the manga or novels

Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor ¬– J*xNM

Another – J

Bleach – Jx

Carp Reborn – C*

Cells at Work! – J*

Classroom of the Elite – J*N

The Daily Life of the Immortal King – CN

Death Note – JxM

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K – J*M

Dororo (2019) J*x

Eudemon Quest – J*

Fairy Planting Manual / Demon Seed Planting Manual – C*xM

The Furious Yama – C*

Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East – J

I’m Standing on a Million Lives – J

The Irregular at Magic High School – J*N

Jade Dynasty – C*

Juni Taisen: Zodiac War – J

The Misfit of Demon King Academy – J*N

Mononoke – J*x

The Morose Mononokean – J

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan – J*xM

Overlord – JN

Problem Children Are Coming from Another World – J*

The Royal Tutor – J

Saiki K – J*M

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle – J*

Soul Land – C*N

Spare Me, Great Lord – C*N

Sword Art Online – JN

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime – JN

TSUKIMICHI ~Moonlit Fantasy~ – J*M

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun – J*M