5 Great Anime to Binge on Netflix

One of the first things I checked out when I got a Netflix subscription was its anime collection. I found that the site had a reasonably robust collection, with some of the most iconic shows in anime history being present, as well as several more that have popped up in the past four or five years, and even some that Netflix was producing - never did I think that streaming services would start making their own anime. I’m pretty thrilled to see how much the genre has grown over the years, and I’m eager to see which shows will join the roster that Netflix has built.

In this vein, I decided I’d make a list of some of the most exciting anime on the platform that can be binged because we could all use something to watch, y’know? If you’ve clicked on this article without having seen any anime before, or if your only experience with it has been mainstays like Pokémon, Dragon Ball Z, or Naruto, these shows are a GREAT way to see what the genre can offer. I would highly encourage you to give some of them a try. With that, in no particular order, here they are!

NOTE: This lists anime that are available on the Indian domain of Netflix. There is a good chance they will be on your own Netflix domain as well, but in case they aren’t, you will most likely find them on Crunchyroll or VRV.

1. Beastars

Beastars intrigued me the moment I saw the preview of it on my screen - a wolf chasing down a rabbit, eventually catching it and clutching it tightly against its chest, its claws buried in the rabbits’ arm. Produced by Orange, it was released on Netflix on March 13th last year. The series occurs in a world where animals live in complete harmony, forming a civilized society complete with a government much like ours. However, there is a strong divide that borders on animosity between herbivores and carnivores. With this premise, we meet Legoshi, a grey wolf who is a student at Cherryton Academy. He is just trying to live his life as quietly as possible, working as a backstage member of the school’s drama club. He generally feels uncomfortable with his existence as a carnivore, continually wishing to suppress his predatory instincts to avoid skirmishes with his classmates. However, when one of the club’s members is brutally murdered by an unknown carnivore, it creates a new wave of mistrust between the two types of animals. In the midst of this, Legoshi encounters a female dwarf rabbit named Haru. Throughout several interactions with her, he develops complex feelings – both about her and his instincts as a predator.

The first thing I noticed about this show was the animation – it leans into the trend of using CGI instead of the traditional 2D animation. The 3D models are initially a little off-putting and come off as stiff and unnatural - the anthropomorphic designs of the animals themselves don’t help with this initial impression. However, I soon got used to the series’s unique look, and I’m glad that it didn’t throw me off entirely because this is one of the more enjoyable anime I’ve seen in the recent past. It has a fairly unique premise and a decent amount of twists and turns to keep you interested in the plot. One thing I was particularly impressed by is the world-building. Certain aspects of our world were represented beautifully through a more animal lens; this, plus the solid character development and great writing, meant that I was already anticipating the next season when the credits for this one rolled. Season 2 is premiering in Japan right now and should come to international Netflix in July.

2. Assassination Classroom

Imagine the weirdest premise you can think of for a TV show. Got it? It’s probably not even close to the weirdness of Assassination Classroom. A strange octopus like alien destroys 70% of the moon, leaving the world in complete chaos. The alien claims that he will destroy the planet in one year and gives humanity a chance to stop him through the efforts of a most unusual group. The alien lands in Japan and becomes the homeroom teacher of Class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Junior High School. 3-E is a group of students considered misfits by the other students of the school, and they are suddenly tasked with assassinating the alien before the end of the year. The government tells the students that there is a $100 million reward for whoever manages to kill the creature. Despite this extremely ominous threat, the alien himself is friendly, looking after his students and genuinely wanting to see each of them improve in whatever way they can. The class names him ‘Koro-Sensei’ (combining the words korosenai – unkillable, and sensei - teacher), and the anime follows their attempts to take his life – a difficult task, considering his seemingly endless list of supernatural powers.

Initially, I didn’t know what to think of this show. I watched the first six episodes and then dropped it for a good three months because it was a little too out of left field for me. There weren’t too many captivating things about the initial episodes; with such a large cast, good character development couldn’t be given to any singular student. The show was forced to rely on its humor, which was hit or miss at best. However, around halfway through the season, the series finally started to pick up momentum. By the end, I was invested enough to immediately continue onto the next season, which was leagues better than the first. Things slow down enough to prioritize some characters over others in terms of development and growth; while each of the students of Class 3-E was interesting in their own right, some of them were more integral to the plot, and the second season acknowledges this. To top it off, the animation is incredible, with the lighting in some of the shots deserving particular praise. While outlandish, the plot allows for a surprisingly steady balance between action sequences and emotional moments, and it’s a solid anime if you’re looking for a good time. Given that it's only two seasons, it's easy to finish, and it’s a roller coaster from beginning to end.

3. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

A bit of an obvious pick, but one that had to be here nonetheless. I couldn’t avoid putting what is arguably one of the greatest anime of all time on this list. Even though it's more than ten years old, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood stands tall as one of the best shows I’ve ever had the pleasure to see simply because everything about it is nearly perfect. The story takes place in the land of Amestris, where certain people are skilled in the art of alchemy – the science of deconstructing and reconstructing matter through transmutations. The science of alchemy has only one taboo - performing human transmutation is strictly forbidden. Unfortunately, that is precisely what our protagonists, Edward and Alphonse Elric, do in their attempt to bring their mother back from the dead. In the process, both the brothers lose parts of themselves - Edward loses an arm and a leg, and Alphonse loses his body, only existing as a consciousness trapped in a suit of armor. The show follows the brothers as they embark on a quest to repair their bodies while also discovering the truth about the science of alchemy.

If anyone wants an example of what anime as a medium is like, this is the perfect series to show them just how good it can get. It has everything you could hope for in a blockbuster TV show - gorgeous visuals, incredible voice acting, fantastic music, and an engaging story that is so complete that even after re-watching the series multiple times, I find myself getting lost in it. The show takes multiple narratives and manages to condense them into a single story while also giving a resolute conclusion to every single one. On MyAnimeList, the series occupies the top spot on the list of the best rated anime of all time, as it has since it first aired back in 2009. While MAL isn’t a definitive guide as to what is or isn’t a good anime, the fact that this one series has consistently stayed on top since its initial airing should be an indication enough that it is of substantial quality – there isn’t any other series quite like it, and I cannot praise it highly enough.

4. Megalo Box

From 1968 to 1973, a manga by the name of Ashita no Joe ran in Shōnen Weekly, and during its run, it received positive reviews to the extent that today, it is seen as one of the most influential manga of all time. With such a legendary legacy, you would think that its anniversaries would be celebrated among the anime community, and you would be right. However, the adulation was taken one step further in 2018, as for the 50th anniversary of the manga, a brand new anime started to air. Megalo Box, produced by TMS Entertainment and 3xCube, is a traditional underdog story with a lot of heart and some dazzling visuals to boot. The series takes place in a futuristic version of Japan, where a sport known as ‘Megalo Box’ is prevalent. In this variant of traditional boxing, all participants use special equipment called ‘gear’ to maximize their abilities and increase the power in their attacks. We are introduced to Junk Dog, a boxer who fights in underground arenas and makes a living by throwing matches despite his obvious talent as a fighter. One night, he crashes his motorcycle into a car owned by Yukiko Shirato, the CEO of the company that oversees Megalonia, the biggest Megalo Box tournament in the country. He picks a fight with her bodyguard Yūri, who also happens to be the top ranked Megalo Boxer. The scuffle is broken up quickly, but the next day, Yuri finds Junk Dog in his ring and easily dominates him. He challenges Junk Dog to make it to Megalonia to have another match with him. Junk Dog's coach uses his connections to forge a fake ID under the name ‘Joe’, as they attempt to work their way to the top of the Megalo Box rankings to have a chance of fighting in Megalonia.

Megalo Box is a thrilling ride from start to finish. With only 12 episodes to tell its story, each episode is packed with some form of action. The animation is smooth and easy on the eyes, and you get the sense that Joe is struggling for dear life whenever he’s inside the ring being beaten down by an opponent. The soundtrack is phenomenal, with catchy beats and tunes that add energy to the show at the right moments, and the voice acting is superb as well. Despite all these positives, however, Megalo Box is far from a perfect show. I feel that the show's length being 12 episodes really hurt it because it feels like the story is somewhat rushed, especially near the end of the show. In addition, some of the characters are kind of forgettable, and with such a short runtime, you want to make sure that whoever does show up on your screen has your complete attention. However, none of these things mean that it’s a bad show; quite the opposite. It’s a fun, fast paced ride that you can probably binge on a weekend, and if that’s what you’re looking for, then look no further.

5. Dr. Stone

My initial impression of Dr. Stone was that it was about a wacky scientist who solved all of his problems with his genius intellect and who had minimal regard for the people around him, a la Rick Sanchez from Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty. Because it seemed too similar to the aforementioned adult cartoon, I wasn’t particularly intrigued, and I passed on watching it despite the buzz it had generated among my friends. However, when the series arrived on Netflix, I decided to give it a chance, and what I found was a truly unique show. The premise is quite simple: a mysterious event causes every human on earth to turn to stone, causing life to come to a standstill. Thousands of years pass and nature flourishes in this time, turning back the clock to revert the world to the stone age. It is to this world that Senku Ishigami, a high school student and certified genius, wakes up. Using his unfathomable scientific knowledge, he resolves to revive humanity along with his friends, Taiju Ooki and Yuzuriha Ogawa. However, his plan is threatened by a man named Tsukasa, who believes that the world would be better off without people from the older generation, who he thinks are greedy and selfish and would make the world revolve around their whims and fancies. To this end, he demolishes statues of these people, essentially killing them, and when Senku points out that what he’s doing is wrong, he becomes Tsukasa’s next target as he is the only one who has the knowledge to put an end to his plan. Senku is forced to flee, and in the process, finds refuge in a village whose inhabitants have no idea what science is or how it can be used to better their lives. Senku’s goal becomes two-fold: to teach the villagers about the wonders of science and, at the same time, ask for their help to stop Tsukasa’s plan of mass genocide.

For the first six or seven episodes, I was only half interested in the show – I found its humor to be a bit over the top at times and barring the witty interactions between Senku and Tsukasa, there weren’t many memorable moments. However, the show picks up speed in tremendous fashion, and it becomes better to the point where I was going through 4 or 6 episodes in one sitting. The cast of characters becomes much bigger in the latter half of the season, which provides for a wide variety of interactions – some serious and heartfelt and others being comical and hilarious. Watching Senku explain basic scientific principles to the villagers (and by extension, the audience) is a treat due to his condescending nature and how the show uses montage sequences to catch the viewer up with the progress that is being made is entertaining. The viewer is never overwhelmed with information, something I am very thankful for, as Senku’s character could have easily allowed for exposition dumps every episode, but through hilarious character interactions and some great art and animation, this is avoided. Season 2 of Dr. Stone is airing right now, and from the way that the first season set up the current arc, we’re headed for a bombastic conclusion, so do consider giving it a watch!