With platforms like Funimation and Crunchyroll, its easy to ignore offerings from platforms that don’t make anime their priority. I mean, why head anywhere else when you can get simuldubs of the largest shonen titles or find some obscure goodies in a backlog? I get it. But, by restricting yourself to just those two big-name anime streaming platforms, you miss out on some new and inventive content. The best place to look is at Netflix Original Anime.
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While Netflix Original Anime had a small start, Netflix has stepped up their game by both serving as distributors of anime in the United States and backing original projects mad just for the platform. The former is more a region exclusive but the company doesn’t really denote that and instead uses the Netflix Original Anime banner. That said, I decided to put together a list of 10 great anime under the Netflix Original Anime from a variety of genres and demographics from the United States and Japan to give weebs and future weebs a place to start.
Cannon Busters
Genre: Action-Fantasy
Demographic: Seinen (MA)
Set in Gearbolt, we follow a motley crew of travelers as they try to reunite 2 best friends. S.A.M. is a high-end friendship robot determined to reunite with her best friend Kelby, the missing heir to her Kingdom under siege. Casey Turnbuckle is an outdated repair robot looking for an upgrade. And Philly the Kid is a wanted, immortal fugitive who doesn’t really want to be around them. Driving an oversized Cadillac Eldorado that transforms into a sentient, giant robot, Lesean Thomas drops you into an action fantasy filled with mechs, action, crime, and some friendship.
Dorohedoro
Genre: Action-Fantasy
Demographic: Seinen (MA)
Dorohedoro is one of the Netflix Exclusives in the United States anime and it tells the story of the amnesiac reptilian-headed Caiman working together with his friend Nikaido to recover his memories and survive in a strange and violent world. It’s filled with violence, dynamic animation, and a strange kind of magic and body horror that is well worth the watch.
Carole & Tuesday
Genre: Drama
Demographic: Seinen (MA)
As one of the heaviest hitters on Netflix, this anime is directed by the iconic Shinichirō Watanabe and animated by the high-profile studio Bones. In it, part-timer Carole meets rich girl Tuesday, and each realizes that they’ve found the musical partner they need. Together, they just might make it. The series covers the pressures of idol life, gender, friendship, immigration, and so much more. It has large themes and even larger musical moments. Additionally, the second season is all too relevant right now.
Castlevania
Genre: Fantasy-Action
Demographic: Seinen (MA)
The Netflix Original Anime that started it all, Castlevania stands as one of the best Western anime out there. Inspired by the popular video game series, this anime series is a dark medieval fantasy. It follows the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, Trevor Belmont, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hands of Vlad Dracula Tepes. As Dracula and his legion of vampires prepare to rid the world of humanity’s stain, Belmont is no longer alone, and he and his misfit comrades race to find a way to save mankind from the grief-maddened Dracula. With slim episode counts, all three seasons are easy to binge in one day.
Beastars
Genre: High School Drama/Romance/Action
Demographic: Shonen (Teen+)
In a school populated by anthropomorphic animals, a humble wolf with anxiety investigates a classmate’s sudden murder, while contending with his bewildering feelings for a kindly dwarf rabbit. With high school romance, some action, and some drama, this series offers a little bit of almost every kind of shonen drama for everyone.
Seis Manos
Genre: Fantasy-Action
Demographic: Seinen (MA)
Orphans raised by a martial arts master are thrust into a mystery involving demonic powers, drug cartels, ancient rituals, and blood sacrifice. This series beautifully blends Mexploitation and Kung-Fu cinema for the perfect grindhouse anime. Action, adventure, and fantasy combine with Mexican folklore.
Kakeguri
Genre: Ecchi
Demographic: Seinen (MA)
Second-year transfer student Yumeko Jabami is a beautiful, cheerful and intelligent high school girl at first glance, but deep inside she is a compulsive gambler who gambles for the thrill of it, unlike students that do so for financial or social gain. Unrestrained by rules or logic, and with an exceptional observation ability to see through gambling scams, she quickly disrupts the hierarchy of the school, drawing the attention of the student council who frantically tries to shut her down. This series takes hentai-lite to new heights, which is saying a lot for the ecchi genre especially on Netflix. The gambling is eccentric, the stakes are through the roof, and this one isn’t for the faint of heart.
The Beginning
Genre: Thriller
Demographic: Seinen (MA)
In a world powered by advanced technology, crime and action sweep through the archipelagic nation of Cremona. Chief among the major players is “Killer B”, a serial killer who has thrown the city into chaos. The stories of Koku, the protagonist; Keith, a legendary investigator of the Royal Investigation Service (RIS); and a mysterious criminal organization intertwine on the path to reach their objectives. This is probably one of my favorite anime thrillers and a damn good mystery at that.
Kuromukuro
Genre: Action/Mecha
Demographic: Seinen (MA)
It follows a student at Tateyama International High School named Yukina Shirahane and a young samurai named Kennosuke Tokisada Ouma, who was born in the Sengoku period and reawakened in the present day inside a mysterious artifact called the Cube. When an extraterrestrial force called Efi Dorg invades Earth with a mission to collect all the fragments of an artifact called the Pivot Stone in order to achieve planet domination, Kennosuke pilots a stolen Efi Dorg mecha dubbed the Black Relic, with Yukina biometrically synchronized as the navigator due to an accident. Along with the help of the defense forces of the United Nations Kurobe Laboratory, the two fight back to prevent the mission of Efi Dorg from being accomplished. This one offers up the “man-out-of-time” trope in a great way.
Hi-Score Girl
Genre: Romance
Demographic: Shonen (Everyone)
The story revolves around the life of gamer Haruo Yaguchi, the coin-op fighting game scene, the changes that develop within both over time and his relationship with quiet female gamer Akira Ono. Known as a ’90s arcade romantic comedy, the series is notable for its unique art style, and thoroughly accurate depictions of the multitude of gaming software, hardware, and even culture that are featured. This series is a love letter to fighters and the 90s, as much as it is one between Ono and Haruo.
With more options than ever for weebs to watch anime, it can be easy to dismiss Netflix as a rising star of content, especially with Funimation and Crunchyroll in the mix. That said, Netflix Original Anime comes in genre and sizes for every demographic. These may just be 10 to start, but there are more coming every month.
