Anime Series According to Rotten Tomatoes:
Japanese Pop Culture has been heavily influenced by the anime industry. The Japanese Pop Culture, in turn, has influenced a lot of other cultures throughout the world. So in a sense anime has had a huge impact on human history. The themes that revolve around Japanese anime productions are widely varying and numerous. It can be about a mechanized suit of armor or just a slice of life story about two crime families trying to wed their teenage heirs to end an ancient feud. While many see the anime industry as a nuisance, only true lovers of art would realize the beauty a good anime holds. To add fuel to fire, we have compiled a list of anime series that is some of the most critically acclaimed TV Series of all time according to the Rotten Tomatoes score.
10. Samurai Champloo – 88 percent
Samurai Champloo is all about Japanese Samurais. The story is about an innocent lady starting a journey with two samurai that are rivals in terms of ideology as well as fighting styles. They go in search of a Samurai who smells of sunflowers. The anime studio that created Samurai Champloo wanted the series to portray the violence, nudity and graphic acts that existed in medieval Japan in full vigor. They succeeded in creating an anime that not only stayed true to its promise of violence but created an epic storyline. The interaction between the characters is also pretty funny and it has some pretty mature themes to boast of in each episode.
9. One Piece – 90 percent
One Piece can be summed up in one word – Pirates!! The anime is all about a group of pirates called the Straw Hat Pirates who are led by their Pirate Leader called Monkey D. Luffy. They are in search of the greatest treasure to ever exist called One Piece – which is all the loot that was ever collected by the greatest pirate of all time – Gol D. Roger. One Piece tells a story of friendship and camaraderie. It is for anyone who has enough time to watch over a thousand episodes. Several critics are of the opinion that One Piece has dragged on for too long and the show has come to a point that they should just end it. But a series with about 1000 episodes and still being at 90 percent means that it must be given a try!
8. Bleach – 91 percent
Bleach tells the story of Ichigo Kurosaki – a young and aggressive high school student that is pulled into a world of demons and souls. He soon becomes a Shinigami – a soul reaper that fights rogue souls called Hollows and protects the world as part of an organization called the Soul Society. Bleach is one of the greatest Shonen anime in the world has been categorically recognized as one of the best binge-watchable series of all time when it comes to anime. The anime may not have as many mature themes as Samurai Champloo but its appeal to a wider audience cannot be ignored. It is also one of the longest-running anime shows of all time.
7. Ghost in the Shell – 96 percent
Welcome to the future where the concept of man and machine are no longer two separate entities. In 2029, the city of Niihama is home to the world’s largest population of cyborgs. The entire world now lives and thrives upon an array of electronic networks that allows them to transfer their consciousness into machines and live forever. A particularly gifted hacker has made it his life mission to destroy the world by corrupting this electronic network. To stop him in his tracks is Major Makoto Kusanagi – a powerful cyborg who will do whatever it takes to keep the world running. Ghost in the Shell is seen as a major milestone in the sci-fi action anime genre.
6. Hunter x Hunter – 97 percent
Hunter x Hunter has gone through so many hiatuses that we have lost count how many times we have lost count. The writer of the manga has had too many health problems. But the audience has already seen the anime and the depth of each storyline combined with the complexity of characters makes them come back for more. The problem is the without the manga being complete, the anime show cannot move forward since they have no more source material left. Hunter x Hunter tells the story of Gon and his journey to find his father as he discovers the Hunters association and becomes a part of it, unlocking mystical abilities through the manipulation of the life energy coming out of his body called “Nen”.
5. Trigun – 100 percent
From a distance, it does not look like this red coat wearing womanizer with such an impractical looking gun could be a legendary outlaw with a 60 Million dollar bounty over his head. Vash the Stampede is a catastrophe in the form of a human being. Wherever he goes, destruction follows. Trigun is the journey of Vash through unforgiving wastelands as the anime slowly reveals just how and why Vash is so talented at creating chaos. The anime has lots of action and is full of amazingly well-placed humor.
4. Elfen Lied – 100 percent
Elfen Lied is remembered for two things – the storyline as well as the opening theme song. The opening theme song called “Lilium” is one of the most popular anime original soundtracks to date. Elfen Lied is basically a bloodier, gorier version of Stranger Things but with bullets and bones flying everywhere. The main character called Lucy is actually from a species called the Diclonius – mutated human beings with special abilities. Lucy is trying to escape from the government who is trying to recapture her and put her back into captivity so that they could keep experimenting on her and create human weapons for use in battle.
3. Death Note – 100 percent
It may not come as a surprise to many by seeing Death Note in this list. Death Note is the tale of an exceptionally talented young man in Japan getting his hands on the personal diary of a Shinigami – the Japanese God of Death. Whosoever’s name is written in the diary will die within a fixed period of time. The diary also allows one to fix the type of death – whether a heart attack (which is the default setting) or even more creative ways like being hit by a truck or falling from the roof of a high rise building. The Netflix adaptation sucked big time. But the anime is something that will forever be remembered.
2. One-Punch Man – 100 percent
He is just a hero for fun. One-Punch Man is about a guy who somehow miraculously became the strongest superhero ever. Nobody, not even he himself, knows how. He lives in a world where monsters regularly pop up and try to take over the world and his signature move is beating up any monster, no matter how powerful it is, with just one punch (hence the name duh!!). One punch man is equal parts comedy and equal parts action. The animation is beautiful in both the seasons and the plot direction is phenomenal. One-Punch Man has a very few episodes but they will get you hooked in no time.
1. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood – 100 percent
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is about two brothers that are gifted in Alchemy – a discipline that blends science and magic using the manipulation of other-worldly sources of energy. All alchemy is based on the Law of Equivalent Exchange. When Edward and Aphonse Elric tried to break that law and use a forbidden technique to bring their mother back from the dead, Edward lost half of his limbs while Aphonse lost his body, his soul now stuck to metallic armor. They are in search of a mystical artefact called the Philosopher’s stone to restore their bodies to their former state.
