10 Best Original Anime That You Should Know Update 04/2024

original anime characters

There have been many new and original anime series over the past decade, but according to MyAnimeList, these few are the best.

An excellent example of how the concept of “dependency” works in this world can be found in the anime industry. There are authors who write light novels that become manga, and then there are a few who make it all the way to anime. There are exceptions to this rule, especially when it comes to manga rather than anime. When it comes to manga, the vast majority of it is original, but when it comes to anime, the situation is quite different. Without manga, there would be no subject matter for anime to be based on.

A small percentage of the anime produced each year is an original work; the vast majority are based on preexisting works. Even so, there have been a number of notable original works over the years, and this list examines some of them in greater detail.

1. Yuri on Ice (2016) – 7.9/10

Yuri!!! on Ice (2016)

There are only a few examples of LGBT characters being shown in anime, and they’re not very good ones. There aren’t many lesbian and homosexual couples around, and those that do exist are equally rarer. Yuri on Ice’s representation of same-sex couples has been hailed as one of the best in animation history. It depicts the narrative of a group of men who compete in an international ice-skating tournament and their personal experiences in the process.

2. Terror in Resonance (2014) – 8/10

Terror in Resonance’s main protagonists are, to put it another way, the bad guys who unleash nuclear catastrophe on Tokyo. Two lads who go by the names of Nine and Twelve challenge the world to solve a riddle in order to expose a powerful organization that uses mentally challenged children as human weapons. Shinichiro Watanabe, the director of Cowboy Bebop, created the first original work for MAPPA, the studio behind the final season of Attack on Titan.

3. Hanasaku Iroha (2011) – 8/10

Hanasaku Iroha

Mother Ohana Matsumae runs away with her boyfriend throwing Ohana into a predicament where she must leave the city and live in the countryside and make her own money as well.

The story takes place at the homey Kissui Inn, and it follows a diverse cast of characters as they deal with the effects of their often not so pure upbringings and circumstances in their day-to-day lives.

It’s a slice of life like many of the shows produced byP.A.Works.

4. Kill la Kill (2013) – 8.1/10

Kill la Kill is one of the most well-received and popular anime series to come out in the last several years. But it’s not for everyone because of its unconventional animation and violence-heavy storyline approach. They are known for their quirky original anime episodes likeand the same quirkiness can be found inKill la Kill, which was created by Studio Trigger.

5. Death Parade (2015) – 8.2/10

Death Parade

Death Parade is based on a short animated film calledDeath Billiards, which in turn is based on an original production by the same studio. In numerous plays and movies, the subject of life and death has been made into a literal game of life and death, and Death Parade does just that.

To determine whether or not they will be reincarnated, the mythical Quindecim bar is where people’s spirits go after death to compete in games that determine their fate.

6. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (2011) – 8.4/10

Anohana will, without a doubt, be included on any list of all-time great anime that is guaranteed to make viewers cry. After the death of one of the friends, the group splits up, but the ghost of the deceased brings them back together years later. The death of the main character is a major plot point, but the anime is ultimately about life and the ways in which it transforms its participants.

7. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011) – 8.4/10

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Magician of the Magi On the surface and based on its name, Madoka Magica appears to be just another magical girl kids anime. However, the truth is far from that. The fact that Madoka Magica has earned so much praise throughout the years shows that it is capable of going beyond the confines of its own genre and succeeding. They are given the opportunity to become magical girls, but things take a darker turn when they understand what their involvement actually entails.

8. Great Pretender (2020) – 8.4/10

While Netflix hasn’t had a lot of success with anime yet, it’s not as if they’ve been sitting on their hands. This anime adaptation of Ocean’s Eleven has the title of one of The Platters’ best-known songs as its title and the Freddie Mercury cover as its finale.

Taking place in various locations throughout the world, each story arc follows Makoto Edamura as he gets sucked into the multinational frauds perpetrated by con artist Laurent and his crew.

9. Psycho-Pass (2012) – 8.4/10

Psycho-Pass

“Psycho-Pass” is the best and most popular anime in the cyberpunk subgenre. While the anime takes place in the distant future, where everything is controlled by an all-seeing Sibyl System, it tells the stories of diverse law enforcement personnel and their battles against criminals of all kinds. Several sequel seasons, manga, and films have been made after the initial season aired in 2012.

10. A Place Further than the Universe (2018) – 8.6/10

For a group of high school ladies to travel to Antarctica, it’s a bit out of the ordinary for them to do so. Shirase Kobuchizawa has been trying to organize an expedition to Antarctica on her own ever since her mother vanished there. Once again, her high school pals have decided to join her on a journey that begins as another tale of “pretty girls doing charming things,” but quickly transforms into something far more polished and complex than they could have imagined.