1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
“Brotherhood” follows the story of Hiromu Arakawa’s “Fullmetal Alchemist” manga. The series was written by Hiromu Arakawa and directed by Yasuhiro Irie. “Brotherhood” possesses every trait one could want in a TV show, anime or otherwise. The storyline is creative and intricate and with the mix of tragedy, comedy and suspense, it becomes impossible not to keep watching episode after episode. Also, alchemy is incredibly cool.
2. Fairy Tail
“Fairy Tail” is an anime full of action and attitude and is such a fun watch. The series is based on the manga written by Hiro Mashima and is produced by A-1 Pictures and Satelight. Wizard guilds are constantly at war with one another and the story arcs of “Fairy Tail” are always exciting and gasp-worthy. The show, which started airing in April 2014, is still airing new episodes on Fridays in Japan, making it one of the only animes I’ve seen that has not finished production.
3. Death Note
“Death Note” is about a teenage boy who stumbles upon a “Death Note,” a journal belonging to a Shinigami, or a Japanese death god. The journals give the beholder the power to kill any person by writing his or her name and picturing his or her face. This kind of power would make anyone crazy. The awkward and exceptionally clever detective, known as “L,” alone makes the show worth watching. The series is based on a manga by Tsugumi Ohba.
4. Black Butler
At first glance, I wasn’t sure how I would like “Black Butler,” but it quickly became one of my favorite animes. Sebastian, a demon butler, is a handsome, talented and seemingly undefeatable character with an exceptionally charming English accent. Black Butler is funny and lighthearted, but also maddeningly brilliant. The series is surprisingly historically accurate, set in the early 20th century. The anime was directed by Shinohara and produced by A-1 pictures.
5. Psycho-Pass
“Psycho-Pass” is everything. Set in Japan in 2113, the country’s authority is known as Sybil. The police force uses guns known as dominators that scan citizens’ psycho-passes and the automated Sybil system determines a person’s criminal potential based on the scan’s results. It is a very big-brotheresque dystopia and the plot is spectacular throughout each episode. The villian in “Psycho-Pass” is probably my favorite villian ever. A second season has been announced to come out in October this year.
