With the manga concluded and the first part of the anime’s final season ended, Attack on Titan‘s occupancy at the forefront of every seasonal anime discussion is nearly over. Undoubtedly, the series will remain in the zeitgeist for years to come, particularly for its myriad of twists, stunning visuals, polarizing finale, and thoroughly developed characters.
Although much of the cast is beloved, Levi Ackerman’s position as one of humanity’s strongest weapons against the eponymous titans has won him legions of admirers. While Levi’s personality is stoic and he often speaks with detached coldness, his voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya brings his talents to a wide array of characters that might entertain Attack on Titan fans looking to fill the hole in their hearts and watch schedules.
Angel Beats!: Yuzuru Otonashi
Wildly funny and incredibly heartwarming, Angel Beats achieves these elements often associated with slice-of-life anime while maintaining a mysterious and dark premise. Taking place in a school-themed afterlife, the narrative follows Yuzuru Otonashi as he attempts to regain his life’s memories and discern the true nature of the world he now inhabits.
Otonashi quickly meets members of the “Afterlife Battlefront,” a group of fellow “high schoolers” who are rebelling against whatever system they are in by waging war against the student council’s president, ostensibly an associate of God’s possessing supernatural powers known as Angel.
Arakawa Under The Bridge: Kou Ichinomiya
Arakawa Under the Bridge is a truly bizarre comedy that follows the self-driven and successful Kou Ichinomiya as he begins life under a bridge in Arakawa, Tokyo. Ichinomiya has lived his life by the creed of “never be indebted to anyone”—he is, and feels he must always be, entirely self-made. The young man’s life is turned completely upside down when after being depantsed by younger children, he refuses help in his attempt to retrieve his pants and subsequently falls into the river.
The onlooker who initially offered assistance, a girl named Nino, saves Ichinomiya which places him in her debt. When Nino declares Ichinomiya can repay her with love, the latter is faced not only with the former’s eccentric nature but the other idiosyncratic denizens beneath the bridge.
Monogatari: Koyomi Araragi
Starring as the human-turned-former-vampire and protagonist of the Monogatari franchise, Koyomi Araragi, Hiroshi Kamiya instills the character with a fast-talking comedic energy that anchors the show’s deeper philosophical musings and winding, chronologically disjointed narrative. Araragi’s adventure begins when he saves the life of an ancient and powerful vampire known as Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade.
His efforts result in a case of vampirism that intertwines his fate with Kiss-Shot’s. The first anime in Monogatari, Bakemonogatari, skips Araragi’s backstory (only showing a quick, voiceless montage that may make first-time viewers believe they’ve missed a season) to focus on his interactions with several classmates and the oddities (supernatural spirits born from psychological experiences) that plague them.
Bungou Stray Dogs: Ranpo Edogawa
Bungou Stray Dogs reimagines authors of great literary works as superpower-wielding agents in an organization dedicated to solving seemingly impossible or incredibly violent crimes. Although he is a member of the Armed Detective Agency, Ranpo Edogawa’s “ability” is merely an act; describing his power as “Super Deduction,” Edogawa activates his skill with a pair of glasses.
Once in effect, Edogawa’s “Super Deduction” allows him to create accurate theories and predictions when evidence is limited. Despite working with and against incredible supernatural powers, Edogawa relies upon his own intellect to outsmart and outmaneuver his foes.
Classmates: Hikaru Kusakabe
The anime film Classmates follows two students in an all-boys school, Rihito Sajou and Hikaru Kusakabe, as they grow closer and eventually fall in love. While Sajou is a shy and serious student who strives for perfect grades, Kusakabe is free-spirited and more interested in playing music with his band than studying for school.
The classic “opposites attract” trope is played with heartwarming sincerity as the boys grow both closer together and as individuals. Although Sajou is incredibly intelligent and self-motivated, he is encouraged and supported by Kusakabe’s charming affection and inner strength.
Durarara!!: Izaya Orihara
Within the sprawling, multifaceted district of Ikebukuro, a tangled web of narratives bind together the characters of Durarara!!. Serving as the anime’s part-time antagonist and full-time troublemaker, Izaya Orihara is an information broker in a world where knowledge is the most valuable currency. Aware of all things, whether supernatural or commercial, Izaya spends the majority of his time manipulating events to his benefit.
Although he often either acts directly against the interests of other characters or is integral in realizing their ambitions, Durarara!!’s unique style of narration—switching between its large cast of characters regularly to provide multiple views of the plot—ensures that viewers are familiar with Izaya’s trickster personality and regularly see him playing sides against one another.
The Great Passage: Masashi Nishioka
The Great Passage‘s premise is unassuming; it isn’t likely to spark excitement or appear particularly interesting at a glance. That being said, the anime takes the editorial process of creating a new dictionary—a herculean undertaking that is demanding financially and takes many years to complete—and creates a narrative full of emotion and passion.
Mitsuya Majime is a reserved and thoughtful salesman for a publishing company that is terrible at his job, but his interest in reading and his educational background in linguistics land him in his publishing company’s dictionary department as they strive to create a new work, The Great Passage. Balancing out the shy and introverted nature of Majime is Masashi Nishioka, an affable and smooth-talking editor that befriends Majime and supports his work.
Honey And Clover: Yuuta Takemoto
While many slice-of-life anime are set in high schools, Honey and Clover takes place in the dorms and college campus of an art school. Following the lives of young artists struggling to figure out themselves and their ultimate aspirations, the drama is accentuated by the attractions that develop between, across, and around one another. The anime’s protagonist, Yuuta Takemoto, is caring and mild-tempered; he studies architecture but is unsure if he possesses the artistic abilities necessary to make a career out of his creative works.
Although the narrative explores multiple characters and their feelings, Yuuta’s silent love for Hagumi Hanamoto, a first-year student who is often mistaken for a young girl because of her diminutive stature and childlike disposition, permeates the series from beginning to end.
Haikyuu!!: Ittetsu Takeda
Serving as both the faculty advisor and a means for explaining volleyball mechanics to Haikyuu!!’s viewers, Ittetsu Takeda plays a significant supporting role despite his lack of knowledge regarding the sport. A major aspect of the anime is its ability to take the growth and development of characters and transform them into emotional actions on the court.
Feeling the same passion viewers experience as he watches the boys’ volleyball team evolve, Takeda often articulates poetic ideas that are expressed visually as a means of heightening the dramatic impact of key moments. The most iconic example of this is the styling of Karasuno High as a murder of crows capable of defeating larger, more powerful threats by working together—a motif that is used to great effect during several important matches.
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.: Kusuo Saiki
In the rapid-fire and quirky comedy The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., the show’s episodic style allows for many character-focused skits that largely focus on Kusuo Saiki’s attempts to avoid his peers by using his unbelievably powerful psychic abilities.
Saiki occupies an interesting role as a comedic straight man and possessor of absurd powers, which often results in hilarious encounters with his eccentric classmates and family. Although the animation style isn’t particularly impressive, its bare-bones style has a charm of its own that is enhanced by the cast’s witty interactions and genuine chemistry.
