FAVORITE ANIME PART 1

 Another blog post that is just a list, but worth checking out.

Here are some of my favorite anime/manga series.

Some of these might be your favorites too, or maybe these are good recommendations if you are thinking of getting into anime and manga.

1. Fruits Basket

This is about the 2019-2021 reboot, which covers the whole story. The original manga was written by Natsuki Takaya in the late 90s and early 2000s. Fruits Basket is about a teenage girl named Tohru Honda who has recently been orphaned, and finds herself beginning to live with the Sohma clan. She finds out that for generations, several members of their clan have been cursed with the spirits of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, and they many of them have had difficult lives growing up so they all carry a lot of trauma with them. When Tohru comes along, their lives start to turn around for the better, and even Tohru herself carries a lot of baggage that she slowly learns to how to handle thanks to her new family. 

This is such a sweet story about friendship, family, and healing. Since it deal with generational trauma there are a ton of trigger warnings, but almost everything is handled in a compassionate manner. Pretty much all the characters are likable and well rounded and the artwork and music and gorgeous!

2. Kaleido Star

This is an original anime from 2004 created by Gonzo. Kaleido Star is about a teenage girl named Sora who is an acrobat and moves to the United States (specifically, LA) to join a circus called Kaleido Stage. It is not easy to get in, and even after she gets in a lot of trials and tribulations come into the way of her and her new friends. But Sora always finds a way to make things work out in the end. This is a story of always following your dreams and never giving up. 

Again, another sweet and optimistic shojo anime, with great artwork and music, too. 

3. Cardcaptor Sakura

Another popular magical girl series, with the original manga created by CLAMP. Cardcaptor Sakura follows 10 year old Sakura who one day discovers a magical book in her father's library. It turns out the book belonged to famous magician Clow Reed, who was the master of these magical cards called the Clow Cards. When Sakura opens the book, the cards fly out and scatter all over her hometown, and she also awakens Cereberus (or Kero-chan for short, as she calls him), one of the guardians of the cards. They have to work together to get all the cards back. Sakura's best friend, Tomoyo, also helps out. Early on even her rival turned friend Syaoran helps out, too (Syaoran himself is a distant relative of Clow Reed). 

"Very cute magical girl show" is all I can say. Also, I recommend only watching the original 90s series--the sequel Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Arc is not good at all. I warned you!

4. Yona of the Dawn

This is a high fantasy series inspired by Korean folklore. On her 16th birthday, Princess Yona unfortunately witnesses her cousin Su Won murder her father, the king. The kingdom is then taken over by Su Won and his army, so Yona and her bodyguard Hak escape and become refugees. They find out about the myth of the Crimson Dragon and their dragon companions from a kindly priest named Ik-Soo, and Yona is supposedly descended from this Crimson Dragon (which explains her red hair). Yona, Hak, and their new friend Yun (a herbalist and who formerly lived with Ik-Soo) go on their travels to find the rest of the descendents of the other dragons so they can unite and Yona can take over her kingdom again.

If you love high fantasy stories with prophecies, battles, and found family, check out Yona!

Unfortunately the anime does not cover the whole story. I am planning on reading the rest of the story via the manga starting with where the anime ended.

5. Special A

This is a contemporary romance anime about a girl named Hikari, for as long as she could remember, has competed over everything with her rival/best friend Kei. It continues in high school even when they are a part of their school's most gifted and talented group, the Special A class. As their high school years go on, Hikari starts to realize that winning isn't everything, and that Kei has a crush on her. The rest of their friends in the Special A class have their own things going on too regarding friendship and romance.

This is a heartwarming and funny romance series! Everyone is so relatable and you will love watching their individual coming of age stories. 

That is all for now! I plan on making a part 2 soon!