Back in my youthful days I discovered the art of anime. This genre, for those who are not familiar, constitutes Japanese cartoons. Anime is unique in the sense that their plot, character development, writing, wide array of genre and cartoon design are more complex than your average American cartoon.
As an anime lover, I am always on the lookout for new shows to watch. Thanks to the genius of YouTube, I have come across certain channels that suggest shows by genre or category. These channels portray, in an organized fashion, lists and summaries of the shows. Here are my top five YouTube channels about anime I recommend watching.
1. Misty Chronexia
I began watching Misty Chronexia since his first video came out. In the beginning, Chronexia was a bit awkward with his videos and he had a habit of giving longer reviews than other channels out there. Most importantly, his reviews only revolved around the basic genres: action, horror, romance, sport and slice-of-life.
Fortunately, as his fan base grew, Chronexia began focusing on a certain style of anime: erotica. Now, erotic anime is not my vibe, but I still watch Chronexia because he posts a substantial amount of reviews and suggestions on non-erotic anime as well.
In addition to his erotic reviews, Chronexia gets creative in posting suggestions for anime to watch that you wouldn’t normally think to search for but really want to experience. For example, sometimes I crave a specific anime that presents chivalry or a type of romance in which there is a non-confession and the guy has unattractive traits. Don’t judge my taste; my cravings vary.
Anyway, Chronexia delivers on these very specific requirements you might have. One of his videos, “Ranking the 40 Strongest Punches in Anime,” is a random yet very interesting topic I would have never thought to look for, but it was indeed satisfying to see action-packed punches in bad—s shows.
Lastly, my favorite thing about Chronexia is the aesthetics of his reviews. All his videos are colorful, and the audience sees snippets of the shows being reviewed in addition to some basic info about the series. Chronexia provides his opinion on the show as well, which proves somewhat helpful. His opinion allows for a sense of precaution, like “hey this show is super awesome, but it will not go the way you want it to.” He doesn’t really say this, but it is implied.
I love Misty Chronexia, and if you are a newbie to the anime world and are looking for some suggestions, I highly recommend this guy’s videos, especially his older ones that cover the classics.
2. Top Anime Weekly
Alright, so, Top Anime Weekly does not post as often as Misty Chronexia does, which is funny because the title of the channel includes the word “weekly” but it is still worth the watch. Whereas Chronexia refers to specific episodes in his anime reviews, Top Anime Weekly does reviews based around entire seasons.
Their reviews are usually on upcoming shows, which are helpful to experienced viewers who are looking for something new to keep up with the times. Though I have some reservation about the new shows within this genre, I still recommend viewing Top Anime Weekly’s YouTube channel to see what new shows are coming out. Who knows, there might be a new show that is worth watching.
The channel’s most recent video, published a week ago, was titled, “Top Upcoming Fall 2019 Anime.” I particularly admire the fact that the channel publishes by season, so that it allows for better organization for people in the process of making lists of anime shows to watch. Believe me, anyone will tell you, you need to have a list. After seeing so many awesome reviews, how can you not make a list?
What would have been helpful to know when I was starting out on anime was to make a list of shows that I have completed. After watching hundreds, maybe even thousands of shows, you tend to forget which ones you have watched, and if you are like me, you end up re-watching a show you have already seen, only to find out when you’re halfway through episode one.
Lastly, Top Anime Weekly gives silent reviews, which are incredibly different from Misty Chronexia. In Top Anime Weekly videos, you have a short snippet of the show, the synopsis, the name of the show, the studio, the source of where the anime came from (light novel etc.), director and genres. I find that watching Top Anime Weekly at night works best, when I am especially not in the mood to hear an in-depth review but rather want to do some list building instead.
3. Glass Reflection
Okay, so this channel is a bit different from the other channels I’ve mentioned, however, it is worth the time. Arkada, the host and owner of Glass Reflection, presents his audience with in-depth synopses and reviews.
Though Chronexia gives reviews and opinions of shows, Arkada takes you deeper into the world of anime. In his latest video, “Anime to Watch When Life Has Got You Down,” we are presented with a classic selection of the genre. Arkada spends roughly five to 10 minutes per review, which allows for the audience to understand the synopsis, how anime falls in a certain genre category, the conflict and the art style. They even see a short snippet that highlights the qualities of the shows he reviews.
In addition to anime reviews, Arkada does historical movie reviews on directors, movies and studios in Japan. If you are looking for a channel that gives in-depth reviews, Glass Reflection is the perfect channel for you.
In short there are tons of outlets for you to seek new and old anime, but if you want to start right, I recommend starting with these channels to get your foot in the door.
