anime

Anime to binge while the world falls apart

Cristeen Salazar

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Anime to binge while the world falls apart

ANIME TO BINGE. 'Assassination Classroom' is among our top picks.

From series with more than 100 episodes to one with just 12, here are our picks

Let’s face it. The world is falling apart – or, at the very least, it feels like it is.

A quick scroll through social media proves that, and it doesn’t help that everyone has been stuck inside for months (this part of the world, at least). While it’s important to stay updated and to do our part in helping the world heal, it also leads to hopelessness, stress, and anxiety. 

It’s important for us to relax. We all have our ways of doing that, and for me, it’s watching anime until 5 AM.

So from my binge list to yours, here are five series to watch while the world burns down.

Haikyuu!!

Haikyuu!! brings us through the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows of high school volleyball. The show follows the journey of Karasuno’s volleyball team, nicknamed the Fallen Crows, as they reinvent themselves to reach their ultimate goal: Nationals.

But Haikyuu!! isn’t just about the tense volleyball games. It’s about the characters. Karasuno might be the focus, but their opponents always get their turn in the spotlight, showing a different part of the athlete experience – from the frustration of your first game becoming your last, to the struggles of overcoming not only other players, but your own emotional and physical shortcomings.

It’s a story with heart, and I highly recommend it.

If for some reason you haven’t seen it yet, all four seasons of Haikyuu!! are streaming on Netflix, with the second part of season 4 set to release on October 2, 2020. 

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War

High school romance is a battlefield, and no one knows that better than Shinomiya Kaguya and Miyuki Shirogane, two student council officers and young geniuses who just can’t admit that they like each other.

Each episode turns trivial matters like sharing an umbrella into an epic battle of wits as they attempt to get the other person to confess. It’s a hilarious yet heartwarming parody of romance anime tropes, and one of the most extreme depictions of will-they-won’t-they I’ve ever seen. 

Whether you’re in it for the slow burn between Kaguya and Shirogane, or you’re swayed by all the videos you’ve seen of Chika’s iconic dance, you can stream both seasons of Kaguya-sama on Netflix.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is what you’d get if you chucked every single anime in existence into a blender and pulsed without the lid on. Each part follows someone from the Joestar bloodline — all nicknamed Jojo — as they attempt to save the world (or their town) from an unspeakable evil.

It takes us from a 1880s England ridden with brotherly conflict, fistfights, and vampires; to 2001 Italy, where the mafia fights using supernatural entities called stands, with names like “Metallica,” “Spice Girl,” and “Sex Pistols.” Whether it’s continent-hopping adventures, or a small town murder mystery, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure will always have something for you.

If you’ve got all the time in the world, this series has 153 episodes, with the first four seasons available on Netflix. And remember the golden rule: Never. Skip. Parts.

Assassination Classroom

Imagine yourself in a special class in high school, training for months to assassinate a specific person. Your beloved teacher and trainer, Korosensei, is also the person you’re tasked to kill — and he knows it. To top it all off, he’s a 10 foot tall yellow octopus-like alien who will destroy Earth by the end of the school year. 

Don’t be put off by the absurd premise. Assassination Classroom is one of the most heartfelt animes I’ve seen in a while, thriving on Korosensei’s relationship with his students. He brings the best out of Class 3-E, and by the end of the series, both the students and the viewers can’t help but fall in love with the giant octopus.

All 47 episodes of Assassination Classroom can be streamed on Netflix. Prepare tissues. 

Beastars

I know what you’re thinking: “I didn’t know Zootopia had an anime!”

Sorry to disappoint, but this isn’t a show you should be watching with your little siblings.

Beastars is set in a world of walking, talking animals, where the divide between herbivores and carnivores drives the tension of high schools and government bodies alike. Legosi, a teenaged wolf, falls for a white rabbit named Haru, and struggles between his love for her and his hunger as a predator.

Beastars thrives on intrigue and melodrama. In the first scene alone, a student is murdered by an unseen carnivore, setting the tone for a  genre-bending roller coaster. Itagaki brings us from club rooms to mafia headquarters within a few chapters, and the colorful cast of characters makes the ride all the more enjoyable.   

With only one season so far, Beastars’ 12 episodes make for the perfect one-night binge. – Rappler.com

Cristeen Salazar is a Rappler intern

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!