10 Times Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Made Us Cry

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood may be filled with a lot of exciting action, but it is also equally filled with truly sad moments.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a rollercoaster of emotions. In just one episode, this amazing anime can make you cry tears of joy one moment and sob uncontrollably the next. Over the course of sixty-four episodes, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood tugged at our heartstrings more times than we can count. Aside from the fact that almost every character has a depressing backstory, tons of moments made us bawl our eyes out.

Brotherhood is a highly emotional story at its core and does an excellent job of hitting the audience right in the feels. Here are some honorable mentions: Ed and Al coming home, Riza’s throat cut, Roy losing his sight, the nation-wide transmutation circle activated, Hawkeye talks down Mustang, Ed and Al leaving the Portal of Truth, etc. It would be virtually impossible to list every single moment that has made us tear up, so here are the ten that stand out.

10. ED AND AL ATTEMPT HUMAN TRANSMUTATION

Human transmutation. A taboo among alchemists. Strictly forbidden. And impossible because the souls that have left this world can never be called back. Unfortunately, the young Elric brothers who lost their mother couldn’t comprehend this at the time they attempted it. They were just kids. They were alone and scared, and they just wanted to see their mom again.

The brothers researched human transmutation and attempted to bring their mom back to life only to pay the ultimate price for their transgression. Alphonse lost his whole body, while Ed lost his left leg. Watching this scene is crushing. Hearing the boys’ cries and seeing their bodies disintegrate is heart-rending. But, the moment that utterly destroys us is Ed yelling: “Give him back, he’s my brother! Take my leg! Take my arm! Take my heart! Anything! You can have it! Just give him back! He’s my little brother! He’s all I have left!” Yet, Ed musters whatever strength he has left to draw the transmutation circle with his blood and bind Al’s soul to a suit of armor. It’s too much for anyone with a heart to bear.

9. Shou Tucker turns his daughter into a chimera

The fourth episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is depressing, disturbing, and then some. The brothers meet a State Alchemist named Shou Tucker, known for transmuting a talking chimera. They spend some time at his house, conducting research, and playing with his daughter Nina and her dog Alexander.

Though it all seems harmless and sweet in the beginning, it soon becomes glaringly obvious that there’s something amiss with Tucker. With his assessment day coming up, Tucker, having nothing to show for his work, grows desperate. In the show’s most shocking and traumatizing moment, this piece of excrement father actually uses his daughter and her dog to create a chimera. This is an irreversible process, a fact that has haunted the brothers ever since. The Elrics never forgot about Nina, and neither did anyone who’s seen this anime. To say that this episode made us cry would be an understatement. Just talking about it now has our eyes filling up with tears.

8. AL QUESTIONING WHETHER HE’S A REAL BOY

In the show’s eighth episode, Alphonse Elric encounters a hollow suit of armor, proving he’s not the only one whose soul had been bound to an object. The soul bound to the armor is none other than the convicted serial killer, Barry the Chopper. In order to gain the upper hand in their fight, Barry plants a seed of doubt in Alphonse’s mind, making Al question whether he is a real person at all.

The dilemma eats at him as he suffers in silence until he finally confronts Ed about it. Seeing a wonderful, kind-hearted, and too-good-for-this-world boy like Al go through something like this breaks our hearts just as much as seeing a devoted, loving, and brave brother like Ed deal with such insinuations. It’s easy to break down into tears as these scenes play out, especially once we see that the brothers’ fight is having a huge effect on Winry.

7. The death of Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes

The death of Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes is a pivotal moment in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood as it serves as the incentive for Roy Mustang to set his coup d’etat plans into motion. While the scene in which Envy kills Hughes was certainly sad, the real tearjerker came at Hughes’s funeral. Watching Hughes’s daughter Elicia crying, while everyone else attempts to keep their emotions at bay was heartbreaking.

But, the moments that gets us every single time is when Mustang and Hawkeye are standing by Hughes’s grave alone and Mustang says “it’s a terrible day for rain” while tears start streaming down his face. It’s literally the last straw. If we weren’t crying already, this is the moment that is sure to get us bawling our eyes out.

6. HAWKEYE BREAKS DOWN

There’s something unsettling and excruciatingly painful about watching badass characters have a complete breakdown. Hawkeye is simply the kind of person you’d think can’t ever be broken, and when she finally hit her breaking point it’s all that more poignant to watch her crumble and give up.

That is what happened in “Death of the Undying” when we watched in disbelief as Hawkeye literally lost the will to live believing Lust had killed Mustang. Watching the seemingly unbreakable, stoic, and reserved Lieutenant Hawkeye get so emotional, break into tears, screaming and sobbing uncontrollably while firing god knows how many bullets at the monster hits us right in the feels. If Al hadn’t been there to protect her, Riza would have let herself get killed and that thought is terrifying.

5. ED CONVINCES WINRY NOT TO KILL SCAR

In the twenty-second episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Hiromu Arakawa pulls off something pretty damn impressive by crafting a moment that’s heartwarming, a tearjerker, and a moment of awesome all at once. When Winry overhears Elric’s conversation with Scar and finds out that the Ishvalan was the one who killed her parents, her reaction is gut-wrenching.

In a state of despair and deep sadness, she picks up a gun and points it at Scar, prompting Ed to shield her with his own body to stop Scar’s incoming attack. Ed then comforts a sobbing Winry and tells her that she couldn’t shoot Scar because her hands weren’t meant to take lives, but to save them, just as she saved him by giving him an arm and a leg. If that speech doesn’t melt your heart we don’t know what will.

4. ED PUNCHING OPEN THE PORTAL OF TRUTH

For the entirety of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, we all lived and breathed for the moment when Al would finally get his original body back so that he can be a normal teenage boy, eat all the food on his list, and live a happy life. Every time the boys would inch closer to their goal our hearts would fill with hope.

In the twenty-sixth episode, Ed opens the Portal of Truth once again and finds Al’s body there. Even though the cruel hands of Truth pull him back, Ed manages to punch open the portal and let his brother know that he is coming back for him. When Ed yells out his message and the door finally starts closing we hear the“Let it All Out” ending start to play it becomes virtually impossible to hold back tears.

3. AL TRADES HIS SOUL FOR ED’S ARM

In the final fight against father, nearly everyone the Elric brothers met on their arduous journey landed a hand in an effort to stop father from achieving his goals. With one of his attacks, father managed to destroy Ed’s automail arm, so when another attack pinned his other hand to a piece of concrete, Ed was helpless. Luckily for him, his brother Alphonse, with some help from May, transmuted his soul back to his body that was stuck in the Portal of Truth, giving Ed his right arm back.

The horror and pain in Ed’s eyes as he realizes what’s happening is absolutely soul-crushing. And Al’s subsequent reunion with his body is just as emotional. At this point, we’re crying happy tears, sad tears, we don’t even know what we’re crying for.

2. GREED’S DEATH

The most surprising hero of the Promised Day was the homunculus Greed, who not only joined the fight on the side of the humans, or as he put it – the underdog, he literally laid his life on the line to help the heroes defeat father. In a heart-crushing scene, Greed tricks Ling into thinking they’re gonna fight father together and just when Ling lets his guard down, Greed surrenders himself to father.

In his dying moments, Greed admits that all his life what he really wanted, what he was truly greedy for were friends. Ling breaks down into tears, devastated as father destroys Greed and it’s hard not to shed a tear for this unwitting hero that only wanted to have friends. Of course, the entire time this is happening “Lapis Philosophorum” tugs at our heartstrings.

1. JOURNEY’S END

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has a happy ending. While there’s certainly a lot of work to be done in order to make everything less wrong with Amestris, our heroes are, for the most part, living happier lives. Yet, when that final episode “Journey’s End” starts playing we can’t help but shed a few happy tears here and there.

The scene that truly gets us going comes at the very end when Ed narrates that iconic closing line: “There’s no such thing as a painless lesson. They just don’t exist. Sacrifices are necessary; you can’t gain anything without losing something first. Although, if you can endure that pain, and walk away from it, you’ll have a heart that’s strong enough to overcome any obstacle. Yea, a heart made fullmetal.” Shut up. We’re not crying. You are.

10 Unskippable Openings In Shonen Anime, Ranked

Plenty of shonen anime have openings that leave an impression on the viewer, either because of the music, animation, or both.

Plenty of shonen anime have openings that leave an impression on the viewer, either because of the music, animation, or both. Many nostalgic fans can remember listening to one song on loop or their excitement at discovering that there is usually a full-length version of a song (not to mention remixes.)

An opening can be tailored to the plot or be intended as a standalone song, with some even based on pop songs. Some songs even reach memetic status and become popular with fans around the world who aren’t too familiar with the actual series it came from. In fact, some songs manage to win fans over decades after the anime it came from was released.

10. Devilman Crybaby – “Man Human” Is Almost Instrumental, But Perfectly Spooky

This anime’s theme song’s a bit of a rarity in that it’s almost entirely instrumental, parts with “man human” being added in. Although its spooky atmosphere and animation looks like a moving inkblot test, this really helps set up the story. Effectively showing characters failing to escape their fate, as if they are already damned.

That said, a lot of fans would have probably liked the opening to have used a remixed version of the classic 1970s theme song, especially since one was made for the remake and proved popular with new and old fans.

9. Inuyasha – “Change The World” Gives Fans Some Perspective Of The Characters

The anime series, Inuyasha, would become known for its changing openings and ending songs. Nostalgic fans probably have a soft spot for the first, “Change the World,” which seems to tell the story through Inuyasha’s perspective. That’s said, its famous English line, “It’s wonderland,” feels like something Kagome would say, what with her falling down a hole into a new world.

An English version of the song is also known to exist (which was actually created for the Italian dub, rather than the English dub) and was performed by Inuyasha’s Italian voice actor. This version of the song was likely influenced by the “italo disco” music style, which favors English lyrics. Ironically, American airings of the English dub often cut the opening entirely.

8. The Ancient Magus’ Bride – “Here” Proves Shonen Openings Can Be Romantic

Nobody said a shonen series can’t have a romantic opening. “Here” is an opening song with strong Spanish influences and talks about a desire to survive in a new world, with a mysterious voice telling them where to go.

The opening is also known for its haunting animation, with the heroine, Chise, dancing like a puppet pulled by strings, in darkness, over rippling water, and a room of candles before the other characters are introduced. Ending with Chise floating down like a fiery phoenix into Elias’ arms, the final shot is Chise with the other characters.

7. Yu Yu Hakusho – With All Its Different Endings Songs, “Smile Bomb” Wasn’t Going Anywhere

The animation might change here and there, but this series would have had a hard time trying to find a replacement for its classic opening song, “Smile Bomb,” despite being famous for its different ending songs. Fans of the English dub might remember their version also had an English version of the song.

The opening starts with Botan flying on her oar like a witch, although later versions show Yusuke dropping down on the city like a bolt of lightning. Slowly, the animation begins to showcase just what he and his teammates are capable of. One flaw is that it kind of spoils which of Yusuke’s enemies are going to become his friends, but some fans just like anticipating their favorites characters being introduced and joining Yusuke’s side. On the other hand, it can be a bit deceptive; the first opening made Yusuke’s mother seem like a larger character than she was going to be.

6. Naruto – “Go” Gives Flight To Anime’s Flying Dreamers

The original Naruto series has had a few different openings, not to mention songs from its spin-offs (with the fourth especially being popular among fans.)

With the opening giving focus on each of the cast, the song emphasizes the characters are fighting dreamers.

5. Beastars – “Wild Side” Is The Perfect Blend Of Stop-Motion & Jazz Music

This anime’s first opening is a jazz fan’s delight, with fans comparing it to the similar jazzy openings to Cowboy Bebop and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency.

But what really sells the opening to fans is its unique visuals: the animation is done in stop-motion. Legoshi can be seen chasing Haru through a dark forest, which initially appears to be made of antlers. Right when he seems to go in for the kill, the sun rises and the area transforms into a happy park. There is no danger and Legoshi helps Haru up. The two share a dance, presumably to the theme music. Unfortunately, the last second ends on a note of caution, as a disgruntled figure can be seen beside a pool of blood beneath the blood moon.

4. Dragon Ball Super – “Limit Break X Survivor” Doesn’t Let You Forget What Show You’re Watching

Also known as “Genkaitoppa X Survivor,” this is the second theme song of Dragon Ball Super. This opening song is proud to be a Dragon Ball song, even announcing the name of the anime towards the end of the lyrics.

Fans of the English dub might recognize the English version of the song. And it also makes sure to name-drop the anime’s title by the end of the song, too.

3. Death Note – “What’s Up, People” Has A Place In Everyone’s Dark Heart & Soul

Anime openings have a little something for everyone. The second opening of Death Note is for all fans of death metal and hardcore music.

The opening is also known for its famous animation, from the famous walk sequence, Ryuk chasing an apple, or even the blue roses.

2. Neon Genesis Evangelion – “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” Is The Original Meme

This anime’s famous theme song has a surprising background. Originally, the series was going to open with classical music, but it was decided that would confuse casual viewers and a J-pop song would be more appropriate. At one point, the song was also going to have a male chorus, but it was decided a main female voice emphasized a wanted maternal theme.

Of course, what makes this theme song so memorable is just how memetic it has become in recent years, with fans making videos connecting it to all sorts of things, usually whatever they want to pretend is their “favorite anime.”

1. Attack On Titan – “Guren No Yumiya” Got The Whole World Speaking German

Linked Horizon already had fans in the anime community thanks to Sound Horizon, even without direct ties to anime, thanks to their music and albums connected to historical events and dark fairy tales. However, Linked Horizon would become known around the world for “Guren no Yumiya,” the original opening for Attack on Titan.

The song’s use of German is something of Horizon’s trademark, having been especially popularized in Sound Horizon’s Ido e Itaru Mori e Itaru Ido and Märchen albums. Even the lyrics, essentially encouraging the humans to rise up against the Titans left an impression on listeners. Similar to “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” the theme song quickly became a meme, although arguably in a shorter amount of time, with fans connecting it to all sorts of their favorite media.

Your Name Still Makes Me Want To Sob Tears Of Love

Your Name came out in 2016 and became one of the biggest animated films to ever hit the Japanese market, and the highest-grossing anime film and Japanese film of all time. Tuesday, rather than doom scrolling, I rewatched the film and found that it still left me flooded with emotions.

**Spoilers for Your Name.**

Your Name tells the story of two high school students, Mitsuha Miyamizu and Taki Tachibana. Mitsuha is a Miko with an absent father and is dissatisfied with her life in the countryside. She wishes to be reborn as a handsome Tokyo boy and wakes up the next day in the body of Taki. She takes on his life and adjusts to everything, only to wake up in her own body the next day and find out the body swap was mutual.

Taki and Mitsuha end up learning about and falling in love with each other, which then coincides with the appearance of Comet Tiamat. It is during the festival on which this comet shower happens that Your Name throws its first gut punch at the audience. And like I said … spoilers.

Taki and Mitsuha are not synced up with each other time-wise. Taki is three years into the future, a future where Mitsuha has died after Comet Tiamat split apart, and a piece of it crashed into her town, killing her and 500 other people. The realization of this is slow and heartbreaking, but of course, since there is a dash of magical realism, their connection allows a second chance at fixing this.

What I love about Your Name is how it’s just a perfect sappy romance that knows how to add enough fantastical stakes that you get completely sucked into the feels between Taki and Mitsuha. I vividly remember watching this film in theaters holding my best friend’s hand and us just squeezing each other as we held back tears. A good romance makes you want to believe in miracles, even if it doesn’t make much sense. Upon my rewatch, I was trying to pay attention to little things I may have missed before, but I didn’t want to poke holes in it. I wanted to enjoy how it made me feel.

Your Name is a beautiful movie, and if you haven’t yet checked it out and want a movie about love with a lot of humor and fantastical elements, I would highly recommend it.

Also, for those who haven’t read the Weathering With You light novel, there is a great bit in there that confirms what future Taki and Mitsuha have together.

What romance always makes you cry?

Why Is ‘Your Name’ Such A Timeless Anime?

 Three years later, Shinkai’s film continues to amaze.

In 2016, the Japanese production “Kimi no na wa” changed anime movies forever. Its director and writer, Makoto Shinkai, has since been heralded as the next Hayao Miyazaki — the renowned director behind movies such as “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” — and is in the post-production process for his upcoming movie, “Weathering With You.” Even so, Shinkai’s success pales in comparison to the accolades of “Kimi no na wa,” which has become the highest-grossing anime movie Japan has ever seen.

Never heard of it? Don’t fret; most English-speaking viewers recognize it as another title, “Your Name,” and if you’ve never seen the film before, I highly recommend watching it. “Your Name” features an intricate plot with a startling twist, so consider this an obligatory spoiler warning.

“Your Name” tells the story of two teenage strangers, Mitsuha Miyamizu and Taki Tachibana, who come from vastly different home environments. Supernatural forces intervene in their lives, making them intermittently wake up in each other’s bodies. The two combat their bewilderedness and slowly begin to know each other beyond the normal bounds of intimacy. When the phenomenon suddenly stops, Tachibana embarks on a quest to finally meet Miyamizu; instead, he makes a frightening discovery.

The incredibly creative story is great for a bevy of reasons, but chief among them are its visuals. Entirely composed of hand-drawn frames, “Your Name” is a beautiful work that combines life-like vitality with a traditional anime style. As a result, its staging, setting, apparel and other features quite frequently leave the viewer in a state of awe.

As much of a triumph the visuals are, the pacing of “Your Name” deserves just as much credit. The movie is a whirlwind of emotional gravitas, melancholy sadness, humor and hope. Those unaccustomed to watching a Japanese film with English subtitles — there is an English-language version, but I don’t recommend it — might find the plot slow in its build up, which is certainly fair for the first watch.

However, watching the film a second or third time reveals a flood of information that initially eludes cinephiles. The narrative is a tightly bound cord that ravels and unravels with a mysterious rhythm — if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know what I mean.

Moreover, the voice acting is marvelous. Ryunosuke Kamiki (Tachibana) and Mone Kamishiraishi (Miyamizu) capture the emotional and bewildering feel of the film in every line of dialogue, a considerable feat considering they each spend a large portion of the movie as each other.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the film is its many layers, like a finely crafted baklava. But all jesting aside, “Your Name” is so multidimensional that fans have scrutinized every single one of its 118 minutes of runtime.

Theories have circulated about everything from the way Miyamizu writes her name to why the film included “kataware-doki,” a Hida word for “twilight,” which literally translates to “fragment of time.” Although something as simple as writing a name sounds trivial, one of the most important and devastating scenes in “Your Name” correlates to the direction of the first stroke of her name.

In addition to providing fodder for fan theories,”Your Name” effectively incorporates Japanese culture and mythology. Some of the major plot points rely on Miyamizu’s “kuchikamizake,” which is a rice-based alcohol traditionally made by virgins, and braided chord called “kumihimo,” alluding to the mythology of the red string of fate that connects people meant to be together.

The soundtrack, composed by the Japanese rock band RADWIMPS, masterfully captures the animation’s tone and transcends language barriers, powerfully conveying the fleeting sense of nostalgia so prevalent in “Your Name.” While only four songs contain lyrics, all carry the same reflective sentiment, exemplified by “Nandemoniya,” the closing song of the film. In RADWIMPS’ English translation, the opening stanza reads,

“The sorrowful gust of wind that blew right between you and me / Where did it find the loneliness it carried on the breeze? / Looking up at the sky after shedding a stream of tears / I could see for miles of blue, it’s never been so clear.”

Shinkai’s “Your Name” is not likely to be forgotten by fans or critics in the near future, as it has garnered a 97 percent freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a favorable 8.4 out of 10 on IMDb. In addition, the movie has received a heap of awards and nominations, including the best animation award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

“Your Name” is also in the process of a live-action adaptation. Hollywood detonation connoisseur Michael Bay is producing the film, and Marc Webb, director of “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “500 Days of Summer,” is serving as its director. The live-action adaptation will be far more Americanized, telling the story of a Chicago boy and a Native-American girl.Fans have regarded the adaptation’s departure from its Japanese origins with hesitation and criticism, but Shinkai has since voiced support for Webb. The creator is even rumored to have included a small tribute to “500 Days of Summer” in his upcoming anime film “Tenki no Ko,” translated as “Weathering With You.” How Bay and Webb approach the movie is still up to speculation because, as of yet, there isn’t even a release date.

Whether the live-action adaptation thrives or fails ultimately should not impact the outstanding legacy of Shinkai’s work. “Your Name” is a stunningly personal movie that overpowers logic with whispers of beauty. Although there may not be a kiss in the film, no movie, live action or animated, has ever tugged at my heart quite like this, which, at the end of the day, is the most flattering superlative I can ascribe to a film.

Binge On These 6 Breathtaking Anime Movies For Drama And Romance Worthy Of Bollywood

If you are a fan of the good old Bollywood movies, chances are you are irrevocably in love with the tropes we have been seeing for years. Strange twists and turns, exciting plot twists, convoluted love affairs, and more. However, if you don’t know what to watch next, Anime is a great follow-up for Bollywood lovers. 

The drama and romance of Bollywood are hard to replicate, but there are some Anime movies that accurately fill the briefs and check all the boxes that a Bollywood lover would have. Drama, romance, excitement, high stakes, these movies have got them all! In addition, these Anime movies are also gorgeously directed with breathtaking artwork!

Watch these gorgeous Anime movies this month, but keep a tissue handy because you are going to feel many feels! 

1. A Silent Voice: The Movie 

Image Credit: Twitter/cmauthor

Have you ever had a bully-to-lover arc that has been done in a way that will make your heart melt? It’s time that you do. This beautiful tale of a high-school bully and his life after high-school will keep you engrossed till the very last second. To top it off, this movie had a brilliant portrayal of disability and how people with disabilities live their lives! Love, remorse, drama: this movie has it all. 

2. 5 Centimeters Per Second 

Image Credits: Twitter/isZohoor

If you are looking for emotions, you will find all of them in this gorgeously animated 2011 movie. This romance movie is all about painting a realistic picture of life. The gorgeous visuals will keep you hooked and the love-story unfolding throughout the movie will have you at the edge of your seat. The slice-of-life content and the beautiful heartbreaking story will absolutely make you ugly cry, so be ready! Get ready to climb a rollercoaster of feels!

3. Your Name

Image Credits: Twitter/shevin_141

Love romance? Is Veer Zaara the movie you always end up watching after a long bout of indecisive Netflix scrolling? You should take a crack at Your Name or Kimi No Na Wa in its original title. This love story will make your heart beat faster and your eyes well up! Full of laughter, pain, twists and turns, and a budding romance that will make the biggest romantic sit up and take notice, this movie is the perfect weekend watch! 

4. Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light 

Image Credits: Twitter/gymcdz_

If you are looking for something short but profound, Into The Forest of Fireflies’ Light or Hotarubi No Mori E will captivate you and make sure you never forget this short movie. It is a straight-up romance that promises to ensnare you with its beautiful visuals and intense tenderness. With a little magic, a dash of adventure, a bucketload of love, and a sprinkling of spirits, this tiny movie has a massive impact on all those who watch!

5. Children Who Chase Lost Voices

Image Credits: Twitter/sliceofani

A pinch of magic, a dash of unrequited love, and a load of adventure. Children Who Chase Lost Voices is a story full of magic, drama, suspense, and mystery. With a strong female lead and a tale of daring exploits and wonderful friendships, this movie promises to carve a place into your heart. Also known as Journey To Agartha, this is one of the more unknown movies. The spellbinding visuals and captivating story will keep you at the edge of your seat, wishing that the movie would never end!

6. Perfect Blue 

Image Credits: Twitter/superteebaby

Looking for a drama or thriller that will take your breath away? Forget about Kahani or Karthik Calling Karthik. It is time to head towards a more untrodden path. Perfect Blue is the chilling tale of a superstar plagued with a stalker and how her life plummets around her as she tries to live up to expectations and beliefs. This movie will have you at the edge of your seat with its dark and gritty visuals and wonderful story. 

These movies will make you nostalgic for a place you have never been to! The art styles are gorgeous and evoke feelings within you that you might never have felt before. 

You might feel like Anime is for children because it is animated, but you will be proven wrong with some of these gorgeous themes and storylines immediately! 

Watch some of these movies and tell us which one you love the most in the comments below. 

Happy watching!

The Legend Of Korra And The Treatment Of Suffering In Fiction

The Legend of Korra is a show always ripe for a retrospective. The Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel series that ran for four seasons (2012-2014) was divisive among fans of the previous incarnation, especially with the earlier seasons. Most people pinpoint the third and fourth seasons (Books Change & Balance) as the high points of the series, but something controversial did happen: the depowering of Korra.

Each season of Korra focused on a different political movement taking place (all of them honestly poorly handled, to a degree) and in Book 3, a group of “anarchists” come into power and the leader, Zaheer, tortures her. His plan was to kill Korra while she was in the Avatar State and end the Avatar cycle. While Korra survived the ordeal, she was left with PTSD that took up her arc in Book 4: Balance.

“I know I was in a pretty dark place after I was poisoned. But I finally understand why I had to go through all that. I needed to understand what true suffering was so I could be more compassionate to others, even to people like Kuvira,” is what Korra tells her mentor, Tenzin, in the finale episode of the series.

On the surface, this is a hard statement to swallow, especially since very often in Western media, women and femme-presenting people are often given a monopoly of a specific kind of suffering to humble them. With a character like Korra, who was so brash and powerful, and in full knowledge of that, seeing her say that it was good to be tormented feels like a perpetuation of that.

But Korra, while having a mostly non-Asian writing and creative team, is based on a pan-Asian ideology, especially the important concept of Duḥkha, which is present in Hinduism and Buddhism, where a sense of understanding is formed through suffering (which differs in both faiths). In many ways, Korra‘s journey is about that—someone who is of many privileges as the Avatar, the niece of the Chief to the Water Tribes, and lived a largely sheltered life. It is uncomfortable and in many ways unusual to have this brown-skinned woman being elevated to this position, because it is so stereotyped, but not so much in the world of Avatar.

In Avatar, despite the voice actors of most characters, the characters are non-white people, and there is gender diversity in multiple venues. Korra going through this kind of character evolution, within the context of Avatar, is one of the few examples that doesn’t feel like trauma porn for the sake of it. It feels valid because the universe the franchise created, despite its flaws, is the kind of place where a female protagonist can explore what it means to be a god being and then figure out what it means to be responsible with that power.

Rewatching Korra is always an experience. There are highs, there are lows, there is important criticism from the Asian community about the Avatar series in general, and it still remains one of the few shows I am always excited to rewatch. It was worth sticking with, and I’m glad to get to do so over and over again.

Here Are Some Famous Evergreen Anime Series We Will Never Grow Tired Of

Anime is a style of animation that emerged in Japan, the term itself is Japanese which connotes animations made in Japan.

Early animes were targeted at the Japanese markets only and they were culturally unique to Japan only. Modern anime productions began in 1956. It was in 1961, with the establishment of Mushi Productions by Osamu Tezuka,  who was famous for his mangas. Osamu Tezuka created Astro Boy which was premiered on Fuji TV on January 1, 1963. Astro Boy was the first anime ever to be shown widely to the Western audience.

Skip to 2021, where there is a newfound hype around animes. Animes have come a long way since then. With the production quality improving with every new anime, like Jujutsu Kaisen and the creators blowing our minds with an out-of-the-world story or darker-than-our-soul themes, animes have transcended every bar.

With the overflow of anime on the internet, people who are new to the genre might get confused as to ‘which anime to choose from?’ To help people new to anime and to remind weebs of their roots, here is a list of famous evergreen animes (in no particular order) that we will never grow tired of:

1. Dragon Ball/ Dragon Ball Z

Dragon Ball (1986-1989) and Dragon Ball Z (1989-1996) is one of the absolute classics that we all have watched or known about. The series is adapted from weekly Shonen Jump manga by Akira Toriyama, the most famous season is the Z where the story gets real interesting when Goku is all grown up.

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Martial Arts

2. Naruto/ Naruto Shippuden

One of the best animes in the list of classics, and also one of the most famous ones. Again, the anime was originally a weekly shonen manga created by Masashi Kishimoto in 1999. The anime first aired in 2002 ended in 2017 after a long run but left an imprint on all of us forever. 

Genre: Adventure, Action, Fantasy

3. Cowboy Bepop

One of the early animes that was broadcasted in 1990 for the first time. With only 26 episodes, the story revolves around a bounty hunter crew who travel in their spaceship called Bebop.

Genre: Futuristic, Space Western, Action, Fiction, Sci-Fi

4. One Piece

One piece is another classic anime that has literally grown up with us, first aired in 1999 the anime is still ongoing. One piece is one of the lengthiest animes to watch ever, but Luffy takes us on an unforgettable journey so it is worth it.

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Action

5. Pokemon

Pokemon is one of the most light-hearted shonen anime in this list and needless to say, the most famous one. We all have followed Ash in his journey to become the greatest pokemon trainer.

Many card games, video games and mobile games have been designed based on Pokemon and we mutually joined that craze also.

Genre: Kids, Family, Adventure, Fiction

6. Fullmetal Alchemist/ Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Fullmetal series is a science-fiction that is widely popular. The anime is divided into two series. Fullmetal Alchemist was aired before the manga was finished so the story is different in the former series.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood was aired after the manga ended, therefore the story is the same as the original one. First aired in 2003, the series ran till 2010.

Genre: Sci-fi, Action, Dark fantasy

7. Code Geass

Another superior anime with fans all over the world. It has two seasons to date, first season is called Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. It has a heavy theme that tends to get dark.

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Mecha

8. One Punch Man

Without giving away anything, it is a story of a hero called One Punch Man who can defeat his enemy with a single punch, without even trying. Created by an artist named ONE, the story revolves around Saitama who is bored because nobody can challenge him.

Genre: Superhero fiction, Comedy

9. Attack On Titan 

Attack On Titan is a fairly new anime, but it is one that will go down in the history as a classic for sure. The manga first released in 2009 and the first season of Attack On Titan aired in 2013 but the story lined has kept us all on an edge because of its twists and turns.

Season 4 of Attack On Titan is currently being aired and part 2 of season 4 has been announced, leaving us in all kinds of mystery.

Genre: Action, Dark Fantasy

10. Death Note 

Death Note, originally a Japanese manga series created by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata is a short story. The manga has 12 volumes and the series has 37 episodes.

Death Note is considered one of the top animes of all times simply because of the themes and the way the story is constructed. A righteous young boy finds a notebook that can kill people, soon he forgets the difference between good and bad.

Genre: Mystery, Psychological thriller, Thriller

Did one of your all-time favorite animes make the list?

10 Times Boruto Ignored Everything The Original Naruto Stood For

It’s one thing to try to set the Boruto series apart from its parent show and another to make the head-scratching decisions it has.

There have been several changes with Boruto that fans of Naruto haven’t always been pleased about. In some cases, it’s how characters are portrayed in the series, and in others, it’s the massive jump in technology the world experiences. Others just flat out don’t like Boruto as a character either.
The complaints are numerous and a lot of the time they are justified. Boruto has veered away from many things that made the original series so great. It’s one thing to try to set it apart from its parent show and another to make the head-scratching decisions it has.

10. Side Characters No Longer Matter

One of the things part 1 of Naruto did exceptionally well was use its side characters to their fullest. All of the characters in Team 10 underwent an arc, from Choji reaching his butterfly form, Ino growing to accept Sakura again, or Shikamaru overcoming his laziness. They all were important in their own ways.

Compare that with Team 10 in Boruto, and there is a huge difference. The only member who gets any screen time is Chocho, and she’s just Sarada’s friend, nothing more.

9. Power-Ups No Longer Feel Earned With Hard Work

Training arcs aren’t always the most exciting kinds, but they help show off a character’s progression very well. They were the lifeblood of Naruto up until the end of Shippuden.

Naruto always had to work hard for everything he got, and the same could be said of Sasuke as well. That doesn’t feel the same for Boruto, who has powerups just handed to him, from the Jogan to his Kama. It strips away the meaning of hard work always paying off.

8. Boruto Isn’t About Breaking The Cycle Of Hatred

The biggest theme of Naruto was breaking the cycle of hatred that was rooted in shinobi society. It’s why so many of his fights ended with some form of talk no jutsu, where he helped show the villain the error of their ways.
It’s only happened in Boruto once with Sumire. While it makes sense for Boruto to try to go in a different direction, the one they have has pretty much boiled down to defeating targets and moving on to the next one.

7. Villains Are No Longer Shaded In Grey

The difference between Akatsuki and Kara is a stark one. Even the minor members of Akatsuki had interesting stories or at least helped drive home a character development for another character. Both Pain and Itachi were brilliantly portrayed characters who had reasonings fans could empathize with.

That isn’t the case with Kara, as almost all of them are one-dimensional. They are there to be bad guys and nothing more than that. It makes them less interesting as a result.

6. There Aren’t Any Long-Term Threats

Another thing Naruto did a great job with was keeping villains around long enough to make an impact. Orochimaru was there from the very beginning of the series and is still making a small impact now.

Akatsuki showed up mid-way through part 1 and lasted until almost the end of the whole series. It’s a stark difference from Kara, who is already bleeding members. Outside of Koji, they only show up to get defeated and forgotten about.

5. Lack Of Character Connections Throughout The World

Part of what made Naruto so great is that the characters all seemed to know about each other. Some connections spread beyond the village. Itachi was innately tied to Sasuke, just as Nagato and Konan were to Jiraiya.
Everyone also knew who Madara was, giving his name a degree of weight. In Boruto, there isn’t any of that. It makes the world feel more static and less alive. Even the Otsutsuki are known only by their clan name.

4. Everything Revolves Around The Otsutsuki & The Chakra Fruit

While the end goal of Naruto was always achieving some form of peace in the world, be it with Nagato, Obito, or even Madara, it wasn’t the only thing that mattered.

Orochimaru only wanted to learn as many jutsu as he could, Kabuto only wanted to surpass his mentor, and others wanted to perfect their art. With Boruto, everything revolves around the Otsutsuki or the chakra fruit. No matter the character, that’s always the end goal.

3. Power Levels Aren’t Balanced As Well

In Naruto, both Naruto and Sasuke had the potential to be powerful characters, flashing that strength on more than one occasion. Despite this, it was all potential, as a hierarchy was in place.

Kakashi stood above them in power for all of part 1 and nearly half of Shippuden, helping give Team 7 a benchmark to measure itself. With Boruto, Konohamaru has already been surpassed by his students and often serves as nothing more than fodder for a new villain.

2. Boruto’s Rivalry Pales In Comparison To Naruto

For as annoying as Naruto’s constant forgiveness of Sasuke was, it was a well-handled rivalry for the most part. They helped push each other, and it told a good story of overcoming hatred. It was one of the main storylines in the whole series.

Boruto’s may reach that point with Kawaki, but as it currently stands, it took too long for him to appear. There isn’t the same connection between the two as Naruto and Sasuke had. To compensate, it feels as if their relationship is going to be rushed through.

1. Naruto’s Character Development Was Stunted

The biggest thing Boruto didn’t take or understand from the Naruto series is the title character himself. There are times in Boruto where Naruto does things he never would have in the original series. The way he casually neglects his duties as a father is something the character would never do.

He’d wanted his whole life to have a family that loved and cared for him. It’s never made sense why he’d then toss it aside once he had it. Naruto from the original series would always find a way to make time.

Detective Conan Provides A Detailed Look Into Japanese Life

The 6-year-old lead character of the long-running manga and anime not only investigates crimes, but the culture of his native land as well.

“Detective Conan” is a beloved crime-solving Japanese anime series that has run since 1996, with a manga counterpart that started in 1994. It is so popular in Japan that there is a town and airport named after the titular character. The series is well-known for the insane tricks the culprits use to pull off their crimes, ranging from using insects to employing movable wall tiles.

But another thing “Detective Conan” displays in its more than 900 episodes is an in-depth exploration of the country of Japan. This fact isn’t apparent at first, but one can easily notice how many cases in the “Detective Conan” universe closely intertwine with the specifics of Japanese culture. From its clever usage of the Japanese language, to the crime locations spread across the archipelago, “Detective Conan” provides an interesting way for viewers to get acquainted with the country’s finer points.

The series follows a 17-year-old high school detective, Kudo Shinichi, who is well-known for helping the police solve crimes. Due to an encounter with two men in black, he turns into a 6-year-old child who retains the mental abilities and memories of his adult self — perhaps the most unrealistic aspect of this mostly realistic series. Calling himself Edogawa Conan, a combination of Arthur Conan Doyle and famous Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Ranpo, he goes to live with childhood crush Mouri Ran while solving various mysteries and attempting to uncover the organization that shrunk him.

A lot of the mysteries that appear in the anime have ties to some aspect of Japanese culture, be it the language, food or even historical games. Several riddles that the main characters must solve are related to the Japanese chess game shogi; one notable instance of the ancient game in the “Detective Conan” universe appears when a master shogi player uses Conan’s help to rescue his girlfriend, all by deciphering clues related to shogi pieces. The more modern pachinko also makes an appearance in the anime, as a game loved by Mouri Ran’s father.

Speaking of Ran’s father, another one of his interests is the famous idol Okino Yoko. Several Asian countries (most notably South Korea and Japan) have a huge idol culture. These idols are entertainers who usually create music, but often act and model as well. Most fans, perfectly embodied by Ran’s father, diligently follow their favorite’s works and media appearances. Many of these cases in the anime relate to Okino Yoko and other stars.

Idol culture isn’t the only form of Japanese entertainment represented in the “Detective Conan” anime. Several famous real-life TV shows and movies also have fictionalized counterparts. For example, the long-running tokusatsu (think “Power Rangers”) TV series Kamen Rider is represented by the beloved “Kamen Yaiba.” Gomera movies are also a staple in the anime, referencing the iconic monster Gamera and Godzilla.

But the “Detective Conan” series delves even further into the different aspects of Japan, most notably by its exploration of the Japanese language and history. Several characters that appear in the series have names similar to Japanese historical figures, and their character arcs are often dotted with allusions to their actions. Language, on the other hand, has an even bigger role in the series. When a person is found dead, more often than not, they will have left a “dying message” before their passing to point out their killer — either partially writing out a name in blood or dust, or leaving blood on desktop keyboards, or even arranging matchsticks in a certain order; the range and variety of these dying messages are quite amazing.

Since this is a Japanese anime, obviously the clues are in Japanese. For a non-Japanese speaker to truly understand the logic behind these dying messages, they need to understand how the language works. The Japanese language can be complicated for some and adding in codes can create a headache: Some of the language’s characters look like others, making the dying message hard to understand. Clever puns using Japanese and other languages also frequently appear in the anime.

Another aspect of the language portrayed in the “Detective Conan” anime is the various Japanese dialects. Standard Japanese is portrayed by the Tokyo region’s dialect, but another famous Japanese dialect, the Kansai dialect, also appears in the anime. One of the cases even depends on the differences between these two dialects, because what the witness overheard means something different depending on whether it is spoken in the standard Tokyo dialect or the Kansai dialect.

“Detective Conan” also showcases the Japanese mindset if you pay close attention. In one episode, Conan Edogawa determines that a supposed foreigner is actually Japanese. Seeing through the assumption that foreigners both speak English and look like Westerners, the detective discovers that a talent scout is training people who “looked foreign” but oh-so surprisingly spoke Japanese. To find the culprit, Conan had to break out of the typical mindset of his native land.

One of the more positive aspects of Japanese culture seen in the series comes from a Christmas special in 2004. In the episode, a bomb threat occurs during the much-anticipated final match of the spring koshien tournament. The annual high school tournament is a staple in the Japanese baseball scene and allows high schoolers to showcase their talents for prospective scouts. Fans of school teams, parents and sports fans often travel to see the tournament matches play out, fostering a sense of community — and they cling tighter in the face of adversity.

There are so many ways that the “Detective Conan” series acts as a gateway to the different, more in-depth aspects of Japan. From mysteries occurring all over the Japanese archipelago to the smaller things, like why Japanese people act the way they do, this mystery anime is chock full of cultural references. Whether you watch “Detective Conan” because you’re a mystery fan or not, the series will definitely introduce you to many aspects of Japan and make you think about its culture in different ways.

10 Popular Anime Characters With Bad Reputations

Even in the world of anime, a hero isn’t promised a good reputation, with characters thinking they have some dark agenda or seeing them as scapegoats.

Even in the world of anime, a hero isn’t promised a good reputation, with characters thinking they have some dark agenda or seeing them as scapegoats. Now, there are different ways a character can have an undeserved bad reputation: they could be thought to be a villain, a coward, a lucky idiot, or a fraud. And the list goes on.

However, some heroes like to cultivate a bad reputation since it helps them hide just what a real threat they are to their enemies. On the other hand, some critics go a little too far with their gossip and might just turn the world’s last hope into the villain they thought they were all along. Of course, there are also times when the villains are the ones behind the press, too.

10. Attack On Titan: Eren Yeager Isn’t Too Popular Outside Of Paradis Island

People who don’t live on Paradis Island tend to think that Eren Yeager is trying to destroy the world. This is sometimes used to justify declaring war against the area.

In all fairness, he actually isn’t too against the idea of destroying life outside of Paradis Island, but this is treated more as forces pushing him into this than his secret agenda all along.

9. One Piece: The Straw Hats Don’t Have The Best Press But They Don’t Mind

While the Straw Hat Pirates have fought a variety of villains, there are a few reasons that don’t have the best reputation in their story. For starters, the fact that they are pirates seems to already paint a bad picture for some people.

But the real issue is the World Government, who would rather have people believe their forces are the ones helping the world at large, as well as covering up the times their forces are the real villains. For their part, the Straw Hat crew doesn’t seem too concerned with having such good press.

8. Black Jack: This Doctor Has Creepy Ways Of Helping Patients

Black Jack’s face, clothes, and even name can cause people to think he’s some sort of villain, but appearances can be deceiving. In reality, he’s a surgeon who cares very much for his patients.

He does like to keep up the appearance of being scary if he thinks it will help his patients. He also doesn’t have much of a sense of humor, as well as something of a bad attitude, which doesn’t help with his reputation, either. He’s also been known to do some creepy things, like hypnotizing patients, in order to teach them a lesson or help them follow a treatment, although he always means well.

7. Kimagure Orange Road: Madoka Fights Bullies So People Think She Is One

In this classic 80’s series, Madoka Ayukawa is feared as a delinquent, especially by her classmates, and is treated as an outcast at the start of the series. In reality, she earned her reputation by defending people from actual delinquents and bullies. She also has a reputation for being a flirt, thanks in part to having a few male friends and close male relatives.

Children seem to like her, suggesting they know better than others when it comes to judging people by appearances. That said, she can be fearsome when she gets angry.

6. Berserk: Guts Gets Turned Into A Scapegoat As The Black Swordsman

Authorities and the regular populace fear Guts as the Black Swordsman. The main issue with him is that the demons he fights tend to turn back into humans after being killed, making it look like he attacked innocent people. And people who tend to know better usually end up either dead or in hiding, so there aren’t many people around who’ll stick up for him.

In all fairness to his naysayers, innocent bystanders have sometimes gotten caught up in his fights, but the situation isn’t as black and white. In general, he’s turned into a scapegoat more than he deserves.

5. Black Clover: Being A Devil Host Isn’t Easy For Asta

Asta’s dark energy, anti-magic properties, and even a demonic appearance when in his Black form don’t help his reputation. As a devil host, his power source is demonic, so forces like Damnatio and the Magic Parliament blame him for the elves’ attack against the Clover Kingdom.

The fact that he’s a peasant also doesn’t win him many friends with the aristocracy at large and his status as an orphan had him grow up treated as an outsider. His work with the Black Bulls does help his reputation somewhat.

4. Sailor Moon: Even The Other Sailor Senshi Wanted To Take Down Saturn

Generally, the Sailor Senshi are regarded as heroes, if not anonymous celebrities, in their universe, considering all the merchandise they get in the series. Sailor Saturn is a bit of an exception in that, while she’s not really known to the general public, the other Outer Senshi fear her, with Uranus and Neptune wanting to take kill her before she comes into her powers.

This is because Sailor Saturn is the Sailor Senshi of Death, with powerfully destructive powers. That said, she ultimately proves herself to be very useful to the heroes, being able to easily take down planetary threats like Pharoah 90. It also doesn’t help her case that she keeps getting possessed by real villains, from Mistress Nine to the occasional genius loci.

3. Princess Tutu: Fakir Is More Well-Meaning Than He Comes Off

Fakir spends most of the early episodes keeping Mytho under lock and key, although it eventually comes to light that he’s only trying to protect him as Mytho tends to get himself in trouble trying to help others.

When Mytho becomes tainted by the Raven’s blood, and becomes something of a villain himself, he takes advantage of Fakir’s reputation to frame him for pushing him out of a window.

2. One-Punch Man: Saitama Was Thought To Be A Joke & It Just Got Worse

Saitama is initially seen as a joke, but then things get worse, as people soon start to believe he fakes being a superhero and steals credit from other heroes. The truth is that he has actually saved mankind on multiple occasions.

To some extent, he cultivates the image of being a fake since he doesn’t want to distract from the other heroes. Eventually, even the Hero Association seems to have taken notice that he probably isn’t what the gossip has made him out to be.

1. Dragon Ball Super: Even Goku Gets A Bad Reputation

Goku of the Dragon Ball franchise is probably one of the most famous heroes in all of anime and manga, but things are sometimes a little different in the series’ universe. In Dragon Ball Super, when it turns out that he gave Zen-Oh the idea for the Tournament of Power, in which losing universes will be destroyed, he finds himself being labeled a villain by various beings throughout the universes.

It also probably doesn’t help that, much like Saitama, he isn’t usually too invested in making sure he gets credit for saving the world, usually allowing someone else, like Mr. Satan, to get the glory.