I don’t have cookies! BUT, I do have three great anime, picked by yours truly, for anyone looking to delve into the popular Japanese animation style!

Attack on Titan (2013- )

This dystopian anime is set in a world where the human race, as we know it, is all but extinct due to a mysterious onslaught of giant man-eating Titans that descended on mankind 100 years before the start of the anime. In order to preserve their species, humans have held up in a giant city with three massive walls (Wall Maria, Wall Rose, and Wall Shina) seemingly protecting each section of the city from the Titan threat. The story follows Eren Yaeger, a teenager who, after suffering a devastating loss, decides to join the Survey Corps, the sect of the military that battles the Titans and go on reconnaissance missions in an attempt to figure out where the Titans come from and hopefully, a way to destroy them forever. Throughout the ongoing series Eren, his adopted sister Mikasa, and his best friend Armin are first-hand witnesses to the horror of the Titans and the hopelessness of their situation. But even when all seems lost, a long-forgotten secret is rediscovered, and the world that they think they know is turned upside down forever. “Attack On Titan” is really a mystery set within a dystopian horror story. It has the action and violence that we are used to in our action genre, and it also has many elements that you’ll find are prevalent in anime, including the idea that perseverance, friendship, and sacrifice can keep you going at even your worst moments. “Attack on Titan” is not for the faint of heart. The show gets very violent and gory almost immediately, but if you’re someone who has watched “The Walking Dead”, “Rick and Morty”, or “Game of Thrones” you should be fine. 

My Hero Academia (2016- )

What makes a real hero? That’s the question that “My Hero Academia” poses to its viewers. Is it power, or is more required to take up the mantle and defend the innocent? My Hero is the perfect anime for our current cultural climate. Superhero movies and other media are huge right now, thanks to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. My Hero delves into the world of the superpowered through the eyes of Izuku Midoriya, a young man who has no other wish than to be a hero and help people. On Midoriya’s Earth, human beings have been born with special powers known as Quirks for many decades. This next step in evolution has brought about a new career path for those with exceptional Quirks: Heroism. Police and Law Enforcement still exist but Heroes are now called upon to face the threat of equally super-powered villains. Unfortunately for Midoriya, when he is  5 years old, he is informed that he is in the small minority of people born without a Quirk. This news is devastating to him but he never gives up on his dream. Inspired by the unwavering optimism of the #1 Hero All Might, he spends the next 10 years studying heroes and taking detailed notes about their powers and fighting techniques in hopes that he will be able to one day attend UA High, a top tier high school for students on the hero career path. On a day when Midoriya’s faith in his dream is at its lowest, a chance encounter with his idol finally answers the question that will determine his future, “Can I be a hero without a Quirk?”. 

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009-2010)

This is my favorite anime, so I may be a little biased but when you look up Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood you see that it has been repeatedly ranked up there with some of the best anime. It is cohesively written and has one of the most satisfying conclusions of any television show, animated or otherwise that I have ever watched. The characters are all fully developed, with their own motives and agency, and while the story involves a number of parallel plotlines, the final resolution isn’t rushed and it feels earned. The series follows Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers on a journey through the fictional country of Amestris, searching to find a way to get back what they’ve lost. Their goal is revealed to be the restoration of their bodies, which they lost due to their misuse of alchemy. In their world, alchemy is “the scientific technique of understanding the structure of matter, decomposing it, and then reconstructing it” and is viewed in the same way that we view chemistry in the real world. Alchemists live by the Law of Equivalent Exchange. The law states that in order to gain, something of equal value must be lost. In accordance with this law, alchemy’s ultimate taboo is human transmutation, because there is nothing man can give that would equal a human soul. Edward and Alphonse had to learn this the hard way when, as children, they tried to bring back their dead mother, resulting in Alphonse losing his entire body and Ed losing his leg, and later his arm, in order to alchemically bind Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor. The Elric Brothers come to realize that getting their bodies back is not going to be an easy feat. In order to advance their alchemic knowledge Edward becomes a State Alchemist of Amestris, which gives him access to information classified from civilians. This high status also makes him a living weapon for the military. To make matters worse, Ed and Al accidentally stumble upon a horrible secret about Amestris, which could mean disaster for the country and its people. There is so much more to FMA: Brotherhood and I could honestly talk about it for hours,  but I don’t want to spoil the amazing story that will unfold when you watch it for the first time.

All of the anime that I recommend below are available on Hulu. Only Attack on Titan and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are available on Netflix.