Ebisu is a tremendously important god to fishermen and sailors. Praying to him is said to give you good fortune. Since Japan is an island surrounded by water, Ebisu is unsurprisingly one of the most popular gods in the Seven Gods of Luck. This deity is quite admired due to him bringing a good fishing season and safe waters for sailing. In many anime we see characters clapping before worship. This tradition is said to have come from the worship of Ebisu because he is partially deaf. The clapping would get his attention so he could grant the wishes of the worshipers. This soon became a widespread custom throughout Japan at almost every shrine for every deity. Ebisu is also the deity of fair trading. In order to alleviate the guilt of making too much of a profit, merchants would sell their goods at a lower price and hold sales in order to please the god. Ebisu is an exceptionally important god in Japanese mythology and in Japanese culture. This holds true in his portrayal throughout Japan and also in anime.

The Ebisu of Noragami is not nearly as revered as her real-life counterpart. The poor god is not even given a name upon birth because her power is said to bring chaos and misfortune. Rather than portraying one of the important Seven Gods of Fortune, she has been cast down to a mere shadow of what she is supposed to be. However, Ebisu does not let this keep her down as shown by her optimistic personality that is exhibited by her strong, though slightly airheaded, character. Ebisu is shown to bring bad luck to all who encounter her, whether that is through losing jobs, bad luck with money or even illness. Ebisu is an interesting character in her own right but is far from the authentic god that we see in Japanese mythology.

Stress is started early with students in Japan. Rather than focusing on just getting into a good college, they must pass entrance exams into junior high school and high school as well. Many parents enroll their children into cram schools that they go to after their day classes to get ahead of the other students and ensure their future. These cram schools, or jukus, are becoming more popular every year and start at ages as young as 2 or 3 years old. Jukus essentially propel its students forward by encouraging success but critics argue that it takes away part of their childhood because they have no time for anything other than studying. Japanese society builds itself up on the idea of a successful individual working to make the country a better place and make a good life for themselves and parents focus on this from an early age. Study culture in Japan truly takes up the majority of their child’s time by exerting pressure for the children to achieve the best by knowing the most. This controversial trend is prevalent throughout Japan and making its way to the rest of the world in its media.

Japanese study culture may seem amusing to us. Anime makes it seem as though there are only a few students in each class who adhere to this culture in order to make the contrast seem much more apparent than it actually is. Study culture is dramatized in Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai due to the students that Nariuuki Yuiga tutors being geniuses in only one subject while being hopeless in others. He pushes the study culture that he has grown up around onto these other students that certain subjects just come naturally to. The girls react in such a way that we find comical because study culture seems so foreign to them but so natural to Yuiga. This is exhibited when Uruka has difficulty with her studying and although she knows that studying is a necessity, she must find a different place where her emotions cannot get in the way of her schoolwork. Here we can see another difficulty that study culture gives not only to Yuiga and his schoolmates but in students as a whole in Japan. This gives us outsiders a look into what study culture is and how it differs from what we know in our own education system.

When first diving into Granblue Fantasy: VERSUS, you are shown a really nice animated cutscene before the menu screen. Then you’re taken straight to the character selections screen where you see your 11 characters to choose from. Once you’ve selected a character, you are then shown a specific entrance animation to each playable character prior to starting the match. Prior to your fight with the next opponent, you can choose different colors for your character’s outfit. When looking through the selections, it seems to be just 3 different colors to start: Normal (Blue), Black, and Red. Once you have chosen the outfit, you then are shown the animated cutscene and then you can commence the fight. The camera movement is very nice and during specific moves or Skybounds, it is seamless and has no frame drops, no lag, no rendering issues, at least to the naked eye. The character’s skills and attributes are unique and fun, especially, when you activate your characters Skybound which I must say, Lowain’s Skybound—and this is mostly because he is a trickster in the franchise—is hilarious!

As soon as you see the animated cutscene, you will notice the attention to detail for each character’s armor and costume. Each character, as aforementioned earlier, will have their own entrance cutscene to enjoy and each being very specific to their personalities, companions, and/or attributes from the mobile game/anime series. Did you know there is an animated series of Granblue Fantasy? Well, now you know! There is a very nice amount of cell-shading which seems to be a popular process in anime-related videogames as of late, and a good amount of CG imagery accompanying the cell-shading. With it, the character’s movement are more seamless and fluid, making it easier and balanced when trying to hit that counter-attack when receiving a beating. The visuals definitely do the game justice when a character’s fighting and showing off the special moves; Special moves like the Skybound and Super Skybounds arts, to be exact. The animation and imagery pop out with fantastical colors that are vivid and clear with little to no framerate issues—at least to the naked eye. After you see some of the Skybound moves come to life right before your eyes, you’ll definitely want to plan out the perfect attack where you can finish it off with spectacular visuals.

The combat mechanics are pretty smooth and very responsive. With the help of the visual being boosted in magnificent colors, you can better plan your combat routine based on the character you are using. There are few combat users you can play with at the moment are Swords, Spears, Scythes, Axes, Daggers, and Magic Bows, to name a few. Within those types, you have ground-based combat characters, air-based combat characters, and ground-to-air and vice versa. You have your basic meter gauge for HP and XP levels which paying attention to them is very important, obviously. When fighting, each character has a secondary power-up level you can acquire for more precise and chain-combos to effectively take out your opponent. After that, you can power-up to use your Skybound and Super Skybound moves for the finisher. Character balance is pretty good to start but there are some characters with a better advantage than others which we feel right out the gate, Granblue Fantasy: VERSUS will most likely have a character nerf/de-buffer patch. Some character moves are incredibly faster than others and their chain-combos being equally hard to counter. There were times we just sat there and took until we finally landed a counter to break free and recover our dignity or whatever was left. The HItbox is also something to point out as it is very precise and will affect your fighting style whether you are using a long-range to a close-range fighter. It would be night and day if the opponents are dagger and spear users. The spear fighter can get the most damage for the count but if that dagger user gets close to you, it’s practically over unless you can keep your distance. These are some of the most notable attributes that we noticed and we can only wait in anticipation for the full release of the game. Canceling out, completing link chains/combo chains are pretty smooth and easy to use depending on the character. Leveling up and landing Skybound attacks have also been fun and with no issues that we could tell.

With her father having recently remarried, Ema has to get used to a new family. However, it's quite a jump from being an only child to being the only sister with 13 brothers! With her father and step-mother living elsewhere for work, Ema moves in with her step-siblings and is immediately caught off guard by how rowdy and friendly they are. But is it maybe too friendly to kiss your new little sister on the cheek? It's not long before many of her brothers to start showing signs that they see her more as a girl than as a sister. Yet with such a diverse group of talented, interesting, and hot guys living with her, Ema also may have problems keeping her feelings strictly familial. Brothers Conflict is a clear and concise example of a reverse harem, showcasing a number of different but enticing options for the main character to choose from. Everyone manages to stand out, some more than others, which is a tall order with so many guys. Immediately, there’s romantic tension, flirtation, and even a hint of twincest. There’s not a lot to get emotionally invested in but it’s a cute anime with each episode focusing on a different brother bachelor.

In the year of 1864, Yukimura Chizuru grows restless waiting for her father to return to their village from his clinic in Kyoto. After a month of no communication, she goes looking for him herself. Her arrival in Kyoto is almost the end of her as she’s chased by rogue samurai and then violent, human-like creatures that feel no pain. The Shinsengumi rescue her but deliberately silencing her forever before they learn Chizuru’s father is the doctor they’re searching for. Little by little, Chizuru learns more about how to wield a sword as well as the mysterious circumstances linking her father, the Shinsengumi, and those mysterious monsters. For history buffs and fans of the Bakumatsu Period who want to romanticize a violent time, this is a reverse harem for you! A lot of the sword-wielding Shinsengumi are, unsurprisingly, manlier than many other reverse harems so it’s perfect for those who like big, strong men. Instead of shoujo bubbles, there’s blood. Instead of fighting over a girl, they’re fighting for peace. The stakes are much higher and the 17+ rating is for violence instead of steamy scenes, so don’t get too excited! However, Hakuouki makes the tender moments with the Shinsengumi members all the sweeter when you know that any moment disaster could befall them.

With her priest father traveling overseas, 17-year-old Yui goes to live in a dark mansion only to find that the inhabitants are vampires. Not only that, but Yui was sent to be a ‘Bride’ which is more like a sacrifice. The 6 brothers see her as a food source at best and a nuisance at worst. Living in constant pain and fear, Yui tries vainly to answer the mysteries surrounding her. What is her father’s connection with these vampires, what role is she meant to play as a Bride, and just how can she hope to live while constantly being fed on? If you’ve got a vampire fetish, you’ll definitely want to check this one out. The title is very fitting as all of them want a literal piece of Yui but most of them delight in her fear. They’re not just mean, however, they seem a little unhinged as well which you would expect from creatures that live a long time from killing their prey with their own hands. You do get a lot of scenes with several hot guys on one girl which is pretty nice. Rather than focusing on emotional fulfillment, Diabolik Lovers’s charm comes from its unapologetic embracing of darker fetishes and sex appeal.

Cardia was content to live the rest of her days out isolated in a dirty mansion where she couldn’t harm anyone. That choice was taken from her when the British army takes her prisoner due to the Horologium, an energy-source and weapon, embedded in her chest. On the way back to the capital, however, gentleman thief Arsene Lupin snatches her away. He brings Cardia to their headquarters and introduces her to the rest of the group; an inventor, a philanthropist, and an inventor. With skin that deteriorates anything it touches and a heart that could both fuel and destroy entire countries, Cardia is wanted by many as a tool. But Arsene and the others want to give Cardia a chance to choose her own fate, and her choice is to support these men fighting so hard to remove corruption from Britain. Code:Realize is beautiful to watch and the lovely Industrial London setting with its machines and towering buildings are almost as intriguing as the eye-catching main characters. Of course, the main guys are all attractive in their own way and most of them are immediately respectful of Cardia, something she’s never known previously. Cardia goes from being a literal tool too afraid of hurting others to do anything to a woman who physically pushes herself to help fight for the people she cares about. Other handsome and cute guys join the group later to help keep things fresh. You’ll have heard of some of these guys from other works as well like Frankenstein and Van Helsing. Seeing a story that combines them all in this historic setting with a mix of sci-fi makes Code:Realize both recognizable and refreshing.

The Nameless Heroine has a brief moment of consciousness working at a cafe before she faints. Waking in a daze, Heroine is surrounded by people who seem to know her but who she can't recognize. Even worse, Heroine seems to be the only one who can hear and see the otherworldly spirit Orion. Orion later explains that his appearance is the reason that heroine has lost her memories and her only hopes of restoring them are by spending time with those she developed close relationships with. He warns that if anyone finds out about her amnesia, she'll be forced into a hospital where her memory will continue to deteriorate. How can she manage to reawaken old feelings without letting anyone know they've gone missing? Sometimes, reverse harem protags don’t have names in order to be easier for the viewer to self-insert but in this case, it somewhat lends itself to the plot. Heroine can’t remember anything about her past be it her house, her name, or her relationships. Amnesia doesn’t make you guess what it would be like to date all potential options as every 3-4 episodes, you get to see what a new guy would be like!

Princess Yona has a wonderful life ahead of her with her doting father, her cousin and crush Su-won, and her trusty guard and friend Hak. This all changed one night when Su-won stages a coup and kills the king. Hak helps Yona escape before she too can be killed but Yona has never had to endure real hardship before. She is also forced to come to terms with the common people’s immense suffering she had never known before, bringing into question her father’s ability to rule. Despite all this, Yona takes heed of a legend of 4 dragons that can help her take back her kingdom and vows to become strong enough to save this bleeding country. We like a heroine with redeeming qualities and Yona definitely fits the bill. Not only is she born from a bloodline that makes her special, but her resolve to rise to her fate and better herself as a person as well make her pretty admirable character. She has the magical ability to draw others to her but also the temperament and later wisdom to make people revere her personally. The 4 ‘dragons’, people with powers and blood of the previous dragons, all look very different from the general citizens with their hair color, style, and clothes while Hak and even Su-won have a more regular but still attractive look.

Nanami is quite down on her luck with her no-good father and lack of a home when she rescues a man who says Nanami can have his home. This ‘home’ turns out to be a rundown shrine and Nanami must take over the land god’s duties. The fox spirit Tomoe refuses to serve a human but after she forces a contract with Tomoe, he and Nanami are bound. With all of the things going wrong with the shrine, Tomoe and Nanami hardly have time to keep antagonizing each other. Their forced teamwork could open up a new romantic possibility for them if others would stop getting in the way! Nanami is a good-hearted and practical girl who doesn’t let much overwhelm her. Tomoe is a powerful familiar who is very prideful. Those fox ears sure give him a lot of charm though! The clear winner of the anime, Tomoe still has to fight off would-be suitors of Nanami. Kurama the tengu and Mizuki the white snake have their own charms and fascination with Mizuki. Even with the other guys serving as distractions, watching Nanami and Tomoe’s relationships grow steadily over so many episodes is quite heart-warming!

Third-year Yui is minding her own business when she’s suddenly transported to a strange but beautiful school. After running into a few interesting characters, Yui and all of the other confused new-comers are gathered together only for Zeus, the God of thunder, to reveal himself as the master-mind. Due to the Gods losing their connection with humanity over the years, he has determined that the summoned gods need a lesson in what it means to be human and that Yui will be their teacher. They all have 1 year to accomplish this and in that time, their powers will be sealed and they will live as normal students. Should they fail, all the gods and Yui too will be trapped their forever. We love God-bachelors, and Kamigami no Asobi has several different religions represented to give you a truly diverse and special group. From the immediately affectionate Apollon and Baltur to the cold Hades and Susanoo, there will be a sexy version of a powerful god with your favorite traits. The characters are all beautiful and even their hair is shiny. The show is rather light-hearted and cute with lots of character development as the guys slowly learn about human emotions but it does take a dark and dramatic turn later on. If you like the idea of numerous gods all depending on a human girl to show them how to love, you’ll love Kamigami no Asobi.

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While her classmates might point out her being overweight, Kae’s real problem is her overactive imagination. She’s constantly picturing her male classmates in homosexual relationships causing her to space out instead of pay attention to her surroundings. Her obsession with cute boys goes too far when her favorite anime character dies and Kae holes herself up in her room and refuses to eat. Once Kae returns to school, her male classmates notice her sudden weight loss and suddenly how beautiful they find her. Unused to so much male attention, Kae isn’t sure what to do! While being a fujoshi otaku is a little weird, it doesn’t stop Kae from being a generally great person. Yuusuke, Nozomu, and Hayato all have to come to terms their misgivings about Kae just because she wasn’t attractive to them at first but work towards bettering themselves for her. Asuna has never done anything wrong and is near perfect. Bonus that there’s the attractive and boyish Shima as the female threat vying for Kae’s heart. Watashi ga Moete Dousunda is also super funny and for the comedy alone you should give it a watch. Of course, we’re here for the options and this anime has some great and heartfelt moments between the different suitors.

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The Arcana Famiglia, a mafia-like group made of individuals with the powers of the Arcana, protects the island of Regalo from any threat be it disease or pirates. They pretty much run the town and will take out anyone who threatens their citizens’ peace. But when Papa calls for an internal battle, all bets are off. Papa decides that he will retire and the most powerful Arcana user will take his title and his daughter Felicita in marriage! While many anime harem heroines tend to be rather one-dimensional, Felicita is far from bland. She’s unabashed when it comes to practicality but gets super embarrassed and violent if people think dirty thoughts about her. He arcana allows her to see into people’s hearts but she’s also trained in martial arts. The guys all vying for her have their own unique powers and personalities and character designs. Some of the guys want to force Felicita to marry them while others want to fight for her freedom so whether you like the idea of belonging to someone or forging your own path, you’ll like what Arcana Famiglia has to offer.

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Psychokinesis suddenly appeared in 0.1% of the population in Shinsekai yori, and while that might not sound like much, these people gained the ability to manipulate the very matter around them. This lead to violence, political upheaval, and oppressive regimes that only came to an end when a fragile peace was made and the psychokinetic people moved into their own society. Years later, Saki Watanabe and her friends at Sage Academy are just coming to their abilities. But not all children in their closed-off world develop these abilities, and Saki begins to wonder what happens to those who do not. Especially, when children start to disappear and the dark reality behind their utopia starts to reveal itself. Shinsekai yori might not be your usual idea of a horror story, but don’t let that put you off from checking it out. The horror unfolds slowly as the reality of the dark society that Saki and her friends are growing up in is revealed. What appears to be a utopia turns out to be anything but one, and it’s children who are suffering because of it. And if you’re a fan of telekinesis and other phenomena of the mind, Shinsekai yori is an anime you won’t want to miss. While it won’t have jump scares, you’ll still be at the edge of your seat with the tense atmosphere and slow-burning but equally dark story.

Tasogare Otome x Amnesia is set at Seikyou Academy, a school that has been haunted for over 60 years by a spirit named Yuuko who mysteriously died in the building’s basement of unknown causes. Yuuko is also the main character of the anime. She cannot remember anything about her life or death, so she finds and leads the Paranormal Investigations Club to try to find answers. Alongside freshman student Teiichi Niiya, Yuuko conducts many investigations into Seikyou Academy’s secrets and troubled history, all the while inching closer to the truth about her own demise. Tasogare Otome x Amnesia is a mystery horror anime that stars a ghost as the lead character! It’s full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing all along the way as the dark truths of Seikyou Academy are brought to light. Researching her own death also reveals even more macabre secrets that Yuuko may not want to actually learn as the closer she comes to answers, the more disturbing the story actually is. If you like ghosts and mysteries, Tasogare Otome x Amnesia may be your best horror anime of the decade.

Megumi Shimizu is only 15 years old at the start of Shiki, living in the small village of Sotoba with dreams of moving to the big city. But before she can make those dreams come true, she falls victim to a bloody and terrible epidemic that hits her village, colouring an entire summer red with blood and claiming many lives. Doctor Toshio Ozaki and Natsuno Yuuki form an unlikely pair as they try to investigate the deaths—only to learn that the people of Sotoba are being turned into vampires! And those vampires are fighting to survive, with nothing else on their minds but their strong will to live. Shiki is adapted from a horror novel, and they did a great job. The anime is tense and exciting, bringing a new twist to tired vampire stories. Shiki blurs the line between good and evil, showing that it’s never that easy to distinguish between the two. What exactly makes a human, and what makes a monster? These are the kinds of questions Shiki seeks to explore, all the while full of disease, blood, and underlying fear. For fans of traditional horror, like vampires, but looking for something new, Shiki delivers in full. Plus the animation is gorgeous!

Deadman Wonderland opens with Ganta Igarashi and his classmates preparing for a class trip to a jail amusement park of the same name, where dangerous criminals perform dangerous acts for the amusement of others—and their freedom. But everything gets turned upside when Ganta’s entire class is brutally murdered and he is blamed for it, and sentenced to that very same jail he was going to visit. He is forced into a terrifying life amongst the other twisted inmates with a lethal collar around his neck, his imminent death only held off by winning games in this cruel amusement park. He wants to find the real murderer of his classmates to clear his name, but he has to survive Deadman Wonderland first. Deadman Wonderland is a survival horror anime similar to movies like Saw, where the main character is forced to do death-defying tricks and games for someone else in exchange for their life. A lot of the material in Deadman Wonderland is twisted, macabre, and sometimes downright uncomfortable. The other inmates that Ganta interacts with are true criminals who are being punished to death for their crimes, and it shows in their characters. Even just the concept behind Deadman Wonderland with humans being willing to watch other humans perform dangerous acts for their amusement, criminals or not, is a dark look into the human psyche. For those wanting psychological horror coupled with some gore, Deadman Wonderland is a good fit.

Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is set in an alternate industrial revolution where a virus sweeps through humanity, creating monsters called “Kabane” that feed on the flesh of others. They can only be stopped by having their steel hearts destroyed. The only pieces of humanity who survived this epidemic now live behind huge walls in fortified cities that can only be accessed by heavily armoured trains that run between them, which are constantly attacked by Kabane. One young engineer named Ikoma, though, believes he had created a weapon that can fight the Kabane. When things don’t go as planned and he gets bitten and starts to turn, though, his life is changed forever. Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is a zombie horror anime with an awesome steampunk twist. The Kabane behave like typical zombies, attacking in hoards and trying to destroy what little remains of humanity. When people are bitten, they slowly turn into Kabane to the horror of their friends and family as well. Koutetsujou no Kabaneri has a lot of tense action in fights, chase scenes, and some really crazy train manoeuvres. It also deals with what it’s like for Ikoma to slowly become what he hates the most, and the fear of losing what makes him human as he does all he can to keep the Kabane virus at bay in his own body. If you like fantasy and horror, and especially zombies, Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is a fantastic watch from this past decade that sadly got overlooked by many people.

Ajin is set in a world where mysterious immortal humans, called “Ajin,” exist. They aren’t considered to be human by society and are immediately arrested upon their discovery as they are seen as a threat to all humankind. Kei Nagai is a seemingly normal medical school student who gets pulled unwittingly into everything when he survives being hit by a truck. It turns out that he, too, is an Ajin! And now he’s on the run to keep both his life and his freedom, seemingly alone. But there may be even more Ajin around than he ever realised... Ajin uses a unique, gritty animation style paired with its scary plot and violence to create a horror vibe. It’s got plenty of tense action sequences and fights, all featuring the dark powers of the Ajin. The action starts right from the first episode, too, not wasting time to get into the main plot and keep the audience gripped and wondering what is going to happen next. Ajin is a mix between a monster horror story and a supernatural story, and the end result is a great horror anime of our decade.

Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu is a contemporary horror anime set in Japan where a race of tiny aliens invades. That may not sound scary at first, but these aliens burrow into humans’ brains, take over their heads, and then prey on unsuspecting others by morphing their hosts’ heads into a variety of terrifying forms. When high schooler Shinichi Izumi is about to become a host himself, the alien isn’t able to enter his ear because he’s wearing headphones. Weak on its own, the alien instead takes over Shinichi’s right arm. Both the parasite, nicknamed Migi, and Shinichi both retain their consciousness, and have to start a life lived sharing the same body. But Shinichi’s life will never be the same with a hungry parasitic alien controlling his arm. Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu may sound like it has a weird premise—and you’re right, it really does. But in practise, the idea is actually quite terrifying. The aliens can morph into horrendous forms replacing their hosts’ heads, and they tend to violently eat their unsuspecting victims (usually the closest family and friends of the unfortunate host). Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu has plenty of blood and carnage, and a lot of surprises, too. It’s a sci-fi creature horror without the sci-fi setting, making it that much easier to imagine it happening right under our very noses.

Class 3-3 of Yomiyama North Middle School is cursed in Another. Ever since a student named Misaki died from that same class in 1972, it has never been the same. Every year, one student is ignored by all the other students and teachers to keep the curse at bay. But transfer student Kouichi Sakakibara doesn’t know about the dark curse and befriends a mysterious girl named Mei Misaki against her warnings. It turns out she is the girl being ignored in their year. But once Kouichi befriends her, their classmates begin to die horrible deaths one by one. And it’s up to Kouichi and Misaki to find out why the class has been cursed and try to stop the curse’s vengeance. Another is a well-known horror anime and for good reason. It’s full of incredibly memorable deaths (like falling down the stairs and being stabbed with an umbrella or being caught in a boat propeller) that will make any viewer nervous the next time they’re in a similar situation. It’s got ghosts stories, curses, nightmares, and more. Plus, it has an entire shop of creepy porcelain dolls and a leading character that may or may not be dead. Combine all of those things together and you’ve got a properly scary horror anime - and that’s exactly what Another is.

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In Devilman: Crybaby, devils are able to take form in the human realm by possessing someone and changing their body into their own beastly form. But if a person is strong enough to overcome the will of the devil, they will instead transform into a Devilman. This is exactly what happens to unassuming Akira Fudou when he attends a dark night of debauchery with his friend, Ryou Asuka. The party is crashed by devils that possess the partygoers, and when one tries to possess Akira, he turns into a Devilman and is able to defeat all the others. With his newfound powers, Akira fights alongside Ryou to try to stop the devils who are possessing and destroying other people. Devils and possession already make it clear what kind of anime Devilman: Crybaby is. It’s a horror anime for demon and supernatural fans, and it doesn’t disappoint. The story and animation are great, the perspective is fresh, and the violence is, well. Very violent, which definitely makes it an exciting watch. Everyone knew that Netflix was great at creating live-action originals, but what Devilman: Crybaby proved this decade is that Netflix can also make one hell of an anime. And for horror fans, it’s great news that one of the best anime to release was a horror one.

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Tokyo Ghoul is set in a modern Tokyo that feels familiar, but with one massive difference—alongside humans, there also live ghouls. While ghouls have the appearance of a normal person, they can only live by ingesting the flesh of humans. Any other kind of food (the only exception being black coffee) makes them sick. Ken Kaneki lives in this world without knowing much about the ghoul side of things, until a date takes a very terrifying turn when the woman he is with tries to eat him! Both are involved in a serious accident, though, and Kaneki is saved only by having some of the woman’s organs transplanted into him. He becomes a human/ghoul hybrid, forced to toe the line between both worlds. Tokyo Ghoul is a new take on zombie horror. The ghouls are born that way instead of turned, and have an established ghoul society. But they still hunt and eat humans, often in terrifying and bloody ways. Tokyo Ghoul has a lot of blood and carnage, so while it’s not great for those with a weak stomach, it’s awesome for people looking for that kind of horror anime. A lot of the concepts are very dark as well, such as Kaneki and his friends choosing to eat suicide victims rather than hunting living people. Tokyo Ghoul is full of action and violence with a very dark aesthetic, and became popular for a reason—it’s a really good horror anime.

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We’ll admit that Toxtricity’s Gigantamax form is here mainly because of its aesthetics, as this form is yet to be obtainable in the game so far. This Pokémon’s Gigantamax form already promises something big, as its known G-Max Stun Shock ability can either poison or paralyze the opponent, however, we can’t confirm yet that these two effects can stack on one opponent. We can only wait in hopes that during the next event we can get our hands on this neon-colored masterpiece.

Gigantamax Gengar’s Pokedex entry is one of the scariest ones out there. It says that it attempts to steal the lives of the living by luring them into its mouth, which is rumored to automatically take you to the afterlife (aka kill you); the worst part is that if you stand near its mouth, you’ll hear your loved ones calling out for you. Yikes. This eery entry matches his Gigantamax special skill, G-Max Terror, a ghost type move that inflicts damage and prevents you from escaping or switching out a Pokémon. As cool or terrifying as it sounds, Gigantamax Gengar is not part of the strongest Gigantamax forms out there, however, keep in mind that in the hands of a good player, it can easily wipe out entire teams on its own because of its high special attack and speed points. Keep in mind before adding this Pokémon to your team, that Gigantamax Gengar is exclusive to Pokémon Shield.

One of the Gigantamax Pokémon everyone would love to try at least once will be, of course, the face of the franchise: Pikachu. As you could expect, this special Pikachu is just a gigantic version of the little electric mouse we all love; aside from its tail, it does not go through any radical physical changes like other Gigantamax forms. However, this Pikachu does bring back the older appearance of the Pokémon from back in the 90s, where Pikachu had more of an over all-round shape and a longer tail. As each Gigantamax Pokémon, Pikachu has it’s exclusive G-Max move called Volt Crash, an electric move that will paralyze all opponents. Unfortunately, for the time being, the only way to obtain Gigantamax Pikachu is if you have a save file on your Nintendo Switch of the game Let’s Go, Pikachu!.

If you’re joining a Max Raid Battle around Bridge Field and you happen to stumble upon a gigantic multi-layered cake, you might not even notice this Gigantamax Pokémon is the special version of Alcremie. We can’t explain how a soft-serve ice cream looking Pokémon can turn into a kawaii cake, but we can explain why you’d want to catch it as soon as you can. Gigantamax Alcremie has a unique Fairy-type move called G-Max Finale, a move you’ll want to match up with the held item Pixie Plate. This ability not only inflicts damage to your opponent but it also heals Alcremie and all of your allies by ⅙ of their max HP. As with every G-Max move, the type and power of the attack will depend on the attack it’s based on, so to get the maximum power Alcremie and the held item can achieve, be sure that the base attack for G-Max Finale is Fleur Cannon or Light of Ruin, special moves with 140 attack power.

The 6th in our list is occupied by two Pokémon, who are essentially the same, as they both are the second step evolution of the Pokémon Applin. Even though these Pokémon look different in their normal forms, their Gigantamax form is the same: a gigantic snake-looking Pokémon that’s coming out of a delicious honey oozing apple. Even though they share the same Gigantamax appearance, these Pokémon are not treated as equals in this special form, as they each have different exclusive G-Max moves. Flapple’s G-Max move is called Tartness, and on paper, it does not sound too good, as it only inflicts damage and reduces the target’s evasiveness. However, this Pokémon has a big selection of powerful physical attacks of 140 pts., making G-Max Tartness deadly by the 3rd hit. Appletun’s G-Max Sweetness move is more of a support type, as it deals damage and heals your Pokémon and your allies, however, if it’s base move is Frenzy Plant, it can also deal some serious damage.

Gigantamax Orbeetle is one of the coolest looking Gigantamax forms, it takes the shape of a really crazy looking UFO. Its special move G-Max Gravitas sounds really cool as well, and it closes a lot of doors for many Pokémon and moves that depend on gravity to work. No more ground immunity from flying or levitating Pokémon, also forget about squashing this bug Pokémon with abilities like Flying Press or similar. However, we did not include Gigantamax Orbeetle in this list because of how useful or powerful it is in battle, but for the description, it’s given in the Pokedex. Yeah, you read that right, Orbeetle is here because, on its Gigantamax form, it’s said its brain grows tremendously, affecting its intellect and psychic abilities to the point that it can control the minds of every living thing in its vicinity. How creepy and overpowered is that? Imagine Gigantamax-ing Orbeetle near a powerful political group in the Pokémon universe? Is Nintendo trying to tell us something about UFOs? At least it’s only for 3 turns...

Drednaw is a powerful beast already, so we can imagine what a monster it can become with its special Gigantamax form. In this new form, Drednaw becomes a towering armored giant that looks insanely cool, and better than that, indestructible. Despite its appearance, Dreadnaw doesn’t rely on defense to thrive, it uses its mouth to crush anything standing on its way, being its base attack its most powerful stat. Knowing this, you’ll want to go for any of its 130 pts physical attack moves, which will all activate its special Gigantamax move, Stonesurge. This move not only hits for a lot, it’s one of the few G-Max moves to also inflict a lasting entry hazard, as G-Max Stonesurge will leave your opponent’s party surrounded by Stealth Rock, making your opponent’s Pokémon take damage after switching in. If you’re looking for a powerful entry to a Dynamax battle, be sure to catch Gigantamax Drednaw in Giant's Cap.

The sky's the limit when it comes to the eccentric designs of Gigantamax Pokémon, and Duraludon is the proof of this, transforming into a skyscraper in its Gigantamax form. Its Gigantamax version might be a bit of a joke, but Duraludon’s attack sure is not, as it has access to extremely powerful dragon-type attacks that were previously part of exclusive moves of certain legendaries, we’re talking about Roar of Time and Eternabeam, devastating moves against anything your rival can throw at you. These moves, and some others accessible to Duraludon, turn into the special move G-Max Depletion while on Gigantamax form, and it comes with a secondary effect, if your Pokémon has been hit before using this move (and whilst you’re in Gigantamax), your opponent’s PP for that move will be reduced by 2. It doesn’t sound too useful at first, but we’re sure your opponent will go for their strongest attack just to tickle Gigantamax Duraludon’s massive HP, and usually, these strong moves only come with around 5 PP each.

Long ago, a sleeping Snorlax blocked your path… 14 years later, Snorlax IS the path. This mountain-sized version of Snorlax is great, now it not only blocks your way, but it becomes the only way, as you’ll have to climb and walk through a mini forest that lies on its belly if you were to encounter this form in Galar. If you’ve seen the latest Pokémon Anime, you’ll already know the struggle it will be to even attempt to move this giant. Naturally, Snorlax’s special ability in its Gigantamax form is related to what it eats, this ability is called G-Max Replenish and it has a 50% chance to restore the berry Snorlax or any of its allies, has used during battle. With this said, you’d want to Gigantamax Snorlax while it’s holding a berry that regains HP, as it would go well together with either an offensive or defensive moveset. Whether you’re looking to tire out your opponent’s Pokémon while they try to knock down Snorlax’s defenses and regens, or you’re leaning towards having a chunky damage dealer on your team, we’d recommend giving Gigantamax Snorlax a try, it’s the toughest Pokémon for a Dynamax match!

Charizard will always get extra points in any list for being an all-time fan favorite, so it’s no surprise he made it to the top of this list. Gigantamax Snorlax could possibly be better than Gigantamax Charizard, however, if you team up Charizard with other fire allies, especially those whose hidden ability is Drought, you’ll end up with an incredibly strong Gigantamax form of this Pokémon. Unless you are planning to use a Gigantamax Charizard in tournaments, the absolute best ability you can have on your Charizard will be Solar Power, even though it slowly eats through your Charizard’s HP, we can assure you everything will be dead by the time it even matters. G-Max Wildfire is the name of Gigantamax Charizard’s special move, and it continuously damages the opponent and any Pokémon that’s not a fire-type (including allies) for four turns. Taking into account Charizard’s strong special attack, the fastest way to finish your opponent will be to Will-O-Wisp it while Drought is active, G-Max Wildfire with the Blast Burn base attack, then sit back and watch the world burn.

Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu live in two different worlds entirely. However, fate has decided their path in life needs to collide. Both teens wake up one normal morning but learn their souls have swapped bodies! Now these two strangers will need to attempt to live normal lives as their souls swap randomly back and forth. Yet, is this strange situation meant to be something more than mere coincidence? Kimi no Na wa. took the world by storm and for good reason. This supernatural romance drama filled the theaters multiple times over and won numerous awards due to the beautiful artwork, amazing story, and terrific soundtrack/voice work. Watching the lead characters Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu swap bodies and endure a relationship that goes across time was truly mesmerizing and stood as one of the best romance films to air in 2016. Kimi no Na wa. might not be an anime series like most on our list but it deserves a spot on our Top 10 Best Romance Anime of the 2010s for truly bringing anime further than ever before!

Shoujo and romance are two concepts that go together like rice and beans or peanut butter/jelly. That’s why you knew our Top 10 Best Romance Anime of the 2010s list would have to include a shoujo focused anime and in this case what better show then Kaichou wa Maid-sama! This famous series based on the manga done by Hiro Fujiwara was—and still is—loved by fans of the genre as it tells of an almost “too good to be true” tale of a girl meeting a truly handsome dude in an unlikely situation. Misaki Ayuzawa is a student by day but for her unfortunately poor family she works as a maid after school and the most popular guy in school—Takumi Usui—ends up learning of her secret. From this random encounter, the two end up blossoming into a strange couple that screams shoujo in every way possible. Kaichou wa Maid-sama! won’t be for everyone but fans of the genre, you’re missing out if you skip over this quirky romance anime.

A chance meeting will lead two jr high students towards something incredible. Young love is about to begin between Azumi Kotarou and Akane Mizuno but will it be a simple young love? Love is something even adults struggle with. How can these two youngins make a relationship when they still are challenged by school and the various issues within it!? School might be a place where we go to learn and develop ourselves as young men/women but our hearts don’t wait for romance. However, if we learned anything from series like Tsuki ga Kirei, romance and school can lead to some truly testing times. Tsuki ga Kirei shows romance fans that youthful love isn’t as pleasant as it sounds. Watching two young lovers—in this case, Azumi Kotarou and Akane Mizuno—endure immaturity and love blending together is both endearing and eye-opening. Needless to say, Tsuki ga Kirei might be an anime series but the romance within proves love can be shown in any medium.

Most of us are self-conscious of our looks and often think we can’t get this guy or girl because of our looks. When we here an anime fan saying such nonsense—as we’re all beautiful people inside and that shines stronger than our looks—we point them to Ore Monogatari!! When this show launched fans were immediately surprised to see the main man Takeo Gouda not be some handsome looking main protagonist but a tall and big built guy who screamed anything but your usual main character. That’s why we were glued to our screens watching as Takeo tried to win the heart of his crush Rinko Yamato and rooted for the big guy with every fiber of our being! Anime often has a message built into it and Ore Monogatari!! is one of those series. Don’t ever think your looks are all that matters when it comes to romance/love!

Plastic Memories took the concept of “what if a human could love a robot” and ran wild with it. Our tale follows newly hired Tsukasa Mizugaki whose job is to reclaim Giftias—human-like robots—that have passed their life-span date. Joined by a fellow Giftias named Isla, the two find the job anything but simple when people begin to fall in love with their robotic companions and must lose them before they go crazy and lose control. What makes this romance series even more endearing is that Isla and Tsukasa begin to fall in love but their love is on an even stricter timer meaning they must enjoy their precious time as it flows alarmingly fast. Plastic Memories was—and still is—an incredible romance anime from the year 2015 and shows love can be found in even the strangest circumstances.

Fellow shy otaku out there, here’s a great romance series for you to watch. Kimi ni Todoke follows Kuronuma Sawako—who just so happens to look like the girl from The Ring—as she endures being ostracized by her classmates for her shyness and odd personality. Popular boy Shouta Kazehaya—did we mention this was a shoujo—ends up falling for Sawako and this blossoming romance allows Sawako to begin slowly removing the shyness that surrounds her. As shy folks ourselves here at Honey’s Anime, we understand it can be tough to go out there and become an extrovert overnight. However, when we feel ourselves falling to our shy natures we look towards Sawako and realize taking risks and putting yourself out there can sometimes lead to great results.

What do you get when you mix comedy, romance, drama and school life together? You obviously get Toradora! and this romance series needs very little mention for anime viewers out there. Toradora! follows young Ryuuji Takasu who ends up teaming up with a girl named Taiga Aisaka as they chase their love interest together! As the two try their best to help one another a love forms between them and a struggle for the heart commences. Toradora! has probably been on numerous lists of ours here at Honey’s Anime and it deserves the recognition as it truly is an incredible anime from start to finish. You’ll find yourself binging this twenty five episode show the minute you start it and to be honest…we’d expect no less from those who fall in love with this incredible anime!

Have you been wishing to find a romance anime that made you cry pools of tears all while filling your ear drums with great music both classic and modern? Then Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is the anime you need in your life. Young pianist Kousei Arima has lost his ability to hear music due to a traumatic life experience and it takes the energetic violinist Kaori Miyazono to revive his love for fine music and the piano. What starts as a partnership ends up becoming a relationship that is filled with love and drama in equal measures. Needless to say there’s a rather huge twist in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso we won’t spoil but when it happens…have your towels ready folks. Tissues won’t be enough for this incredibly heart grabbing romance series.

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Lawrence Kraft has dreams that far surpass others around him. Taking on the role of a traveling merchant, Lawrence ends up at a town where a strange wolf-themed ceremony is being held. The town pays homage to a being known as Holo and it just so happens that Lawrence meets this God-like wolf during the celebration. Holo and Lawrence end up as traveling companions but will their relationship go further despite their differences? Ookami to Koushinryou isn’t a series we need to discuss if you are a die-hard romance light novel reader. However, romance anime fans tend to know all about Ookami to Koushinryou as it is considered one of the best fantasy romance series ever made by studio Imagin. Holo and Kraft Lawrence have forever been enshrined in the best anime couples hall of fame and it was because of this series great attention to detail and endearing narrative. We all pray season three of Ookami to Koushinryou eventually releases but until then it gives us who love the series—and those who might have missed out on it—the chance to rewatch from the beginning again for the thousandth time.

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Once a basketball hopeful, Tomoya Okazaki has since found his life heading towards the path of delinquency. One day, Tomoya heads to school and meets a young girl unfamiliar to him. The girl introduces herself as Nagisa Furukawa and due to an illness, Nagisa has missed a bit of school. This chance encounter will lead Tomoya and Nagisa towards a strange path as their fates intertwine. Love can be a beautiful thing but love is also a challenge and sometimes...challenges can be rough for those involved. Anime romance fans shouldn’t be surprised what took our top spot on our list. That’s right readers, at number one on our Top 10 Best Romance Anime of the 2010s list we look at Clannad by studio Kyoto Animation. Back in 2004 developer Key created Clannad and it was a hit among visual novel fans. That’s why it obviously was destined to become a hit anime series and when we say hit…we mean hit. Clannad has stood the test of time to still be considered one of the titans of romance anime and the various sequels and movie only showed how much fans were enamored by this series. Clannad needs little introduction folks. If you want a truly deep romance story with a tinge of supernatural spliced in then look no further.

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