Anime Recommendation #10: Death Parade

Description:
When two people die at the same time, they're sent to a place that's neither heaven nor hell: a lavish bar between worlds where the stakes are high and the rules are simple: if you win you live again, if you die you're gone for good. Decim is the bartender charged with serving the souls who enter Quindecim. He may make a mean cocktail, but his true profession is to play the role of arbiter: a judge who determines whether or not a soul is worthy of reincarnation. To aid in his judgment, the bar's patrons are forced to play simple games laced with sadistic twists designed to bring their true natures to light. To Decim, judgment has always been black and white - that is until he meets a mysterious young woman whose fate seems impossible to decide. His indecision shakes the very foundation of the games and raises the biggest question of all: who is fit to judge the dead?

Anime: Death Parade
No. Eps: 12
Studio: MADHOUSE
Aired: Winter 2015
Tags: Drama, Afterlife, Bar, High Stakes Games, Play or Die, Psychological, PVP, Supernatural, Thriller, Original Work
Content Warning: Mature Themes, Physical Abuse

Reason for Recommendation:
I remember when I went to watch this thinking I was most likely not going to enjoy as much as I did. My emotions wasn't ready for this Anime and It felt like the emotional roller coaster ride was never going to end. The Animation was wonderful and the addicting opening song was one of the things that sold this Anime to me. All of the characters were well written and developed. If you are a fan of Death Note or Angel Beats then this could be the one for you.


My Rating: 5 Stars
AVG. Rating on "Anime Planet" ATM:  4.4 Stars

Anime Recommendation #9: If you like The Heroic Legend of Arslan you might like...

If you liked The Heroic Legend of Arslan (Arslan Senki):

As Arslan gathers forces to fight for his cause, his progress is suddenly halted by the warring Princes of the neighboring country, Sindhura. Both brothers believe they have equal claim to the throne, but only one can succeed their father. Sensing the opportunity to form a powerful alliance, Arslan's trusted advisor, Narsus forms a plan to end the feud once and for all. But their detour in Sindhura gives Lord Silver Mask and his followers time to strengthen their own influence back in Pars. The mystery surrounding Arslan's true parentage has loyal Parsians questioning his right to rule. Shocked by the revelation that he may be fighting for a throne that isn't his, Arslan has to wonder: Is blood truly what makes a king Or is the love he has for Pars and its people enough to see him through?



You might like Altair: A Record of Battles (Shoukoku no Altair):

The clouds of war are gathering over the Türkiye Stratocracy as the neighboring Balt-Rhein Empire prepares to aggressively expand its power. 17-year-old Tughril Mahmut is the youngest military leader in Türkiye's history, and he sits on a council sharply divided between warmongers and pacifists. As an orphan who has already lost his entire village in a massacre, Mahmet is among those bidding for peace; but war is coming whether anyone wants it or not. Can Mahmet successfully build an alliance strong enough to defend his nation, or will the tangled web of political intrigue give Balt-Rhein the advantage it needs to bring about the Türkiye Stratocracy's downfall?





Reasons/Similarities:

• Action
• Adventure
• Both main characters are young
• Fantasy
• Shounen
• Both main characters go through a similar journey with some differences
• Medieval
• Middle Eastern
• Political
• War
• Based on a Manga
• Amazing soundtracks (Opening & Ending songs) 

Anime Recommendation #8: If you like Yuri!!! on Ice you might like...

If you liked Yuri!!! on Ice:
Yuuri Katsuki carried the hope of all Japan on his shoulders in the Figure Skating Grand Prix, but suffered a crushing defeat in the finals. He returned to his hometown in Kyushu and hid away in his family's home, half wanting to continue skating and half wanting to retire. That was when the five-time consecutive world champion, Viktor Nikiforov, suddenly showed up with his teammate, Yuuri Plisetsky, a young skater starting to surpass his seniors. And so the two Yuuris and the Russian champion Viktor set out to compete in a Grand Prix like none the world has ever seen!






You might like Welcome to the Ballroom:

Feckless high school student Tatara Fujita wants to be good at something - anything. Unfortunately, he's about as average as a slouchy teen can be. The local bullies know this, and make it a habit to hit him up for cash, but all that changes when the debonair Kaname Sengoku sends them packing. Sengoku's not the neighborhood watch, though. He's a professional ballroom dancer. And once Tatara Fujita gets pulled into the world of the ballroom, his life will never be the same.








Reasons/Similarities:

• Drama
• Tournaments
• Main Male character 
• Tutors 
• Improving in said subject
• Real life issues 
• Hurdles to overcome
• Dancing off or on ice
• Amazing routines
• Point systems explained easily
• Great supporting characters

Anime Recommendation #7: If you like Fairy Tail you might like...

If you liked Fairy Tail:

Lucy is a seventeen-year-old mage with the power to summon stellar spirits, but what she really wants to do is join a guild - and not just any guild. She has her eyes set on Fairy Tail, a notoriously reckless and outrageous group of magic users who are likely to be drunk or destroying buildings and towns in the process of completing a job! While in town one day Lucy meets a perpetually-seasick boy named Natsu who, through a series of events, reveals to her that he's none other than the fire-eating mage Salamander of Fairy Tail! Lucy is finally able to join Fairy Tail and quickly begins to take on odd jobs with Natsu and his gang for fame and profit. Along with her fiery friend, Happy the flying cat, Natsu's archrival Gray and their overseer the invincible and beautiful Erza, Lucy sets forth for epic adventures that leave an epic amount of destruction in their wake. After all, destroying a city or five doesn't matter as long as they get the job done... right?!

You might like Black Clover (on-going):

In a world where magic is everything, Asta and Yuno are both found abandoned at a church on the same day. While Yuno is gifted with exceptional magical powers, Asta is the only one in this world without any. At the age of fifteen, both receive grimoires, magic books that amplify their holder’s magic. Asta’s is a rare Grimoire of Anti-Magic that negates and repels his opponent’s spells. Being opposite but good rivals, Yuno and Asta are ready for the hardest of challenges to achieve their common dream: to be the Wizard King. Giving up is never an option!





Reasons/Similarities:

• Shounen
• Action
• Adventure 
• Guilds
• Magic
• Fantasy
• Based on a manga
• Hot headed main male character 
• Strong Friendships
• Crazy fight scenes
• Awesome soundtrack

Anime Recommendation #6: If you like The Ancient Magus' Bride you might like...

If you liked The Ancient Magus' Bride:


Chise Hitori was a child nobody wanted. Told by her own mother that she should never have been born and passed from one neglectful guardian to the next, the young girl has grown up feeling lost, hopeless and emotionally numb. At age fifteen she sells herself into slavery, desperate for a home where somebody- anybody- actually wants her to be there, and is purchased by a mysterious being with a skull for a head. He whisks Chise off to his home in England and introduces her to a world of talking animals, dragons and faeries, declaring that she is to become his apprentice in magic... and also his bride!





You might like Snow White with the Red Hair:


Shirayuki is a spunky pharmacist with bright, apple-red hair unlike anything anyone has ever seen. Even the prince of the kingdom she lives in is entranced by her locks, and demands that she become his concubine. Not wanting to be viewed as an object prized purely for its novelty, Shirayuki flees civilization and heads towards the forest. Here, the girl meets the charming Zen, who rescues her from Prince Raji's clutches and reveals that he is a prince as well. The two become close friends, and Shirayuki decides to return to Zen's castle with him, to pursue her dreams. But becoming a palace pharmacist isn't easy, especially since her unusual hair color and close relationship with the prince tend to draw unwanted attention...



Reasons/Similarities:

• Drama
• Fantasy
• Romance 
• Apprenticeship 
• Main character having red hair
• Based on a Manga 
• Lifestyle change
• Can I say Romance again... <3

Anime Recommendation #5: If you like Ouran High School Host Club you might like...

If you liked Ouran High School Host Club:


Ouran High is a school for the extremely wealthy or, in Haruhi's case, the extremely talented. But no amount of talent will help when Haruhi accidentally drops an eight million yen vase in a music room. The vase was the property of Ouran High School Host Club, a group of attractive young men who, for a fee, provide their time and affections for their lovesick clientele: the female students. Fascinated by this strange new specimen, a poor and clumsy commoner, they force Haruhi to work for them until the debt is repaid; but they get a lot more than they bargained for...




You might like Kaichou wa Maid-sama!:


President of the Student Council at the almost-all-boys Seika High School, the hard-as-nails Misaki Ayuzawa works every day to make life easier on the small population of co-eds who have enrolled there. Though an unholy terror to all things male during school hours, in order to provide for her impoverished family, she secretly works after school at a maid cafe in Akihabara. However, when campus hottie Usui Takumi wanders into the restaurant during her shift, suddenly she finds her reputation in school at his mercy...





Reasons/Similarities:

• Main girl in a unique situation; one in a mainly all boy school and one in a school for the riches
• Main girl not wealthy 
• Main girl is strong willed; one mainly in strength and one mainly in brains
• School life
• Romance 
• Comedy
• Shoujo
• Catchy Opening song
• Both have 26 Episodes
• Based on a Manga 

Anime Recommendation #4: If you like Kuroko's Basketball you might like...

If you liked Kuroko's Basketball:

They were known as the 'Generation of Miracles' – five basketball prodigies who helped lead Teiko Middle School's basketball team to glory, defeating anyone who got in their way. But a mysterious rumor tells of a sixth, a phantom player who the five prodigies respected greatly. That boy is Tetsuya Kuroko, a freshman at Seirin High and the newest member of the basketball club. Alongside strong teammates such as Taiga Kagami, Kuroko will use his unique skills on the court to help the team defeat old rivals and make their way to the championships.






You might like Haikyuu!!:

Shouyou Hinata began playing volleyball after seeing the "little giant" who played the sport when he was in elementary school. He suffers a crushing defeat in his first and last tournament in middle school at the hands of his rival Tobio Kageyama. So, Hinata joins Karasuno High School's volleyball team, vowing revenge against Kageyama. However, Kageyama is also on Karasuno's team. The former rivals form a legendary combo with Hinata's mobility and Kageyama's precision ball-handling. Together, they take on the local tournaments and vow to meet Karasuno's fated rival school in the nationals.





Reasons/Similarities:

• Shounen
• Production I.G Studio
• Sport 
• Mainly males
• Tournaments 
• School Club
• Tense moments
• Little comedy 
• Main guy being underestimated because of height or body size

PS. I could have did the recommendation anyway at all, as one has been watched more and one is rated higher on Anime Planet. Both Anime are well loved and watched and if you like one, you will like the other. I did it this order, as Kuroko's Basketball came out first. 

Anime Recommendation #3: If you like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood you might like...

If you liked Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood:

The foundation of alchemy is based on the law of equivalent exchange; you cannot produce something from nothing. As such, alchemy is bound by one taboo - human transmutation. Four years ago two young brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, broke this taboo when they tried to resurrect their dead mother. During the process Al's body disintegrated and Ed lost his leg. In a desperate attempt to prevent his brother from disappearing completely, Ed sacrificed one of his arms so he could affix Al's soul to a suit of armor. When his missing limbs are replaced by auto mail parts, Ed bears the name of the Fullmetal Alchemist - the youngest ever State Alchemist and dog of the military. Now, alongside his brother, Ed uses his status within the military to attempt to find any way that he can return their bodies back to their original state.

You might like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba:

Bloodthirsty demons lurk in the woods, and nobody dares to venture out at night, save for the demon slayer of legend. Surviving in this harsh world, young Tanjirou takes it upon himself to protect his family–until the day that everything is taken from him in a vicious slaughter. Now, all he has left is his sister, and she’s not even human anymore.










Reasons/Similarities:

• Action
• Adventure
• Drama
• Fantasy
• Shounen
• Violence
• Based on a manga
• Sibling bond - in both Anime...the bond between siblings are shown to be strong and both sides to the bond is willing to anything to help the other.

Anime Recommendation #2: If you like Your lie in April you might like...

If you liked Your lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso):


Kousei Arima was a genius pianist until his mother's sudden death took away his ability to play. Each day was dull for Kousei. But, then he meets a violinist named Kaori Miyazono who has an eccentric playing style. His monotonus life was about to change forever.













You might like Plastic Memories:

After failing his college entrance exams, 18 year-old Tsukasa Mizugaki is offered a position at the renowned SAI Corporation due to his father’s connections. SAI Corporation is known for its production and management of androids that possessed human emotions called Giftia. Tsukasa’s position is in the terminal service department where the main job is to recover Giftias that are close to their expiration, a graveyard department in every sense. To make matters worse, Tsukasa is ordered to work with Isla, a female Giftia who is never given any responsibility other than serving tea to co-workers.





Reasons/Similarities:

• Drama
• Romance
• Tear-jerking
• A Journey between a boy and a girl
• Heartbreak
• Funny moments
• Emotional
• Needing tissues...a lot of tissues...

Anime Recommendation #1: If you like Steins;Gate you might like...

If you liked Steins;Gate:

The eccentric mad scientist Okabe, his childhood friend Mayuri, and the otaku hacker Daru have banded together to form the Future Gadget Research Laboratory, and spend their days in a ramshackle laboratory hanging out and occasionally attempting to invent incredible, yet generally useless, futuristic gadgets. However, their claymore is a hydrator and their hair dryer flips breakers, and the only invention that’s even remotely interesting is their Phone Microwave, which transforms bananas into oozing green gel. But when an experiment goes awry the gang discovers that the Phone Microwave can also send text messages to the past. And what's more, the words they send can affect the flow of time and have unforeseen, far-reaching consequences...

You might like ERASED(Boku dake ga Inai Machi):

Satoru Fujinuma is a reclusive part-timer with no plans for the future. What sets him apart from the other slackers in his town is an involuntary time travel ability that allows him to jump back several seconds in time in order to prevent accidents and even deaths. As incidents around town begin reminding Satoru of a childhood trauma he'd sooner forget, he finally begins to question what caused his ability to surface and whether or not it's powerful enough to change the past.

Reasons/Similarities:

• Time Travel
• Dark Storylines
• Romance
• Mature Themes
• Tragedy
• Friendships
• Butterfly Effect