Lost Media's Offical Top 5 Anime List

Today's topic: Anime! To be specific, my favorite anime. I have watched many anime over my lifetime, but only 5 take the cake as my top 5. This list is not in any specific order, but each item holds a special place in my heart.

illustrated by Takeshi Obata

To start off the list is... Death Note! Death Note is a thriller, psychological thriller, and supernatural mystery. It's a cat-and-mouse game between a detective and a murderer who can kill anyone just by writing their name in a notebook (hence the name Death Note). I watched it back in my freshman year of high school, and it was great every moment of the way. I remember during COVID, one of my friends was interested in getting into anime and hit me up. I spent hours trying to think of the best anime to introduce her to when it hit me. Death Note. It has a combination of being one of the oldies but goodies and none of the 'oddities' that modern anime has that would definitely scare one away. And turns out they loved it (and you would too)!

Illustrated by A-1 Pictures

Up Next is Erased. Another classic (sensing a trend yet?) older anime. It's another Detective/mystery anime, but with more suspense rather than a psychological thriller. The main character, Satoru, can travel back in time to prevent life-threatening events. This takes place in his life by just going back a few seconds or minutes to save someone from getting run over or kidnapped, endlessly repeating until he saves them. The plot starts when a murderer kills his mom, and he is framed for it. He then goes back in time to when he was a child to stop the murderer who killed many children at his school. This is all I will give without giving any spoilers, but if you are a fan of mysteries and haven't checked this out yet, you definitely should!

illustrated by CLAMP

Keeping the trend of mystery (even though this one is less of a mystery) is Code Geass. It's an Anime that delves into imperialism, power, and rebellion. Lelouch vi Britannia, an exiled prince who gains the power of Geass, the ability to issue a command through eye contact, and the person has to follow it. The thing is, he can only use it once per person. Using this power, he becomes the masked rebel leader "Zero" and leads the Order of the Black Knights in a war against the tyrannical Holy Britannian Empire. It's a great show with a vast cast of personalities that you are bound to love (or hate).

Art from one of the Manga Covers

Now, for a pick out of left field is Bleach. Known as the "Top Three" of anime, it sits on a throne. If you ask any anime fan, chances are one of the "Top Three" would be their favorites. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki, a high school student who gains the powers of a Soul Reaper. Protecting humans from evil spirits. Now, the story does delve much deeper, but it's definitely a slow burn at first, considering it has over 400 episodes. However, if you do consider watching it, you are in for a wild ride, because when I say it gets good, I mean it really gets good. Also, the best soundtracks in anime can be found here, with music inspired from all across the globe, from Latin America to Japan itself, you are bound to find some bangers in this show!

Illustrated by studio Madhouse

Last but not least is Parasyte: The Maxim. It's a science fiction horror series with strong elements of psychological drama. It's about the story of Shinichi, who is infected by an alien parasite meant to take over his brain, but instead takes over his arm. Now this parasite isn't the only one, but thousands are sent across the world, taking over hosts. Now, Sinichi and the parasite Migi must learn to coexist to survive attacks from other parasites that are secretly living among humans since they are seen as "failed" and are a kill on sight. There's definitely a lot more to be said, but I will leave it at that and leave the Judging to you (Go watch it now!).

That's all I got, folks, my top 5 wrapped in a bundle. If any of the shows I have talked about sounds interesting, I highly recommend checking it out, and if anything, you can just drop the show if it's not your cup of tea. And this is Aj Signing out!