What’s more satisfying than procrastinating studying for finals and binging an entire season of a new show? Here’s a list of some of my recent fave animes you should totally binge on this holiday season! (And don’t worry, I’ve got lots of different genres covered for all of your moods as you recover from food comas and study hangovers!)
- Kotaro Lives Alone (Netflix)
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Starting off the list strong, you can stream this one on Netflix! Kotaro Lives Alone centers around a four-year-old boy, Kotaro, who lives by himself in a small apartment complex. The story takes many deep dives, twists, and turns, while slowly revealing pieces of Kotaro’s past. His neighbors, most notably, Karino, become like family to the kid.
Fair warning, your heartstrings will be pulled (…not that I cried or anything…) but the constant humor keeps it mostly upbeat. Given that there is currently only one season released on Netflix, this one is definitely at the top of my list for binge-watching.
- The way of the househusband (Netflix)
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Another win for Netflix in their anime collection. The story is about an ex-yakuza (gang member) who is now, well, the perfect house husband. He once lived the life of a criminal, now he lives the life of a bargain-hunting, cooking-class-taking, adorable hubby.
The Way of the House Husband is perfect for watching alone or with your significant other. The episodes are short, but the story progresses quickly, and Tatsu is always quick to throw in those one-liners, so you won’t want to look away for long. This one also has only one season currently out on Netflix, but the second season is hopefully to be released sometime in 2023.
**Note: If you end up loving this one, and Netflix recommends “The Ingenuity of the Househusband”, a live-action parody, do yourself a favor and skip this one. Unless you’re a fan of 5 Minute Crafts, it’s not worth the watch.
- Chainsaw man (Crunchyroll)
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This exciting, paranormal-action romance is one of the most anticipated anime releases this year. Originating from the manga, this series features a man, Denji, who lived in poverty with his devil dog, Pochita (who is SUPER cute btw). Denji inherited debt from his father and works as a devil hunter to pay off the loan sharks. Unfortunately, that’s as much as I can say without giving out any spoilers.
Chainsaw Man has seriously got some of the BEST animation and story progression that I have ever seen. There is not a single plot twist that you will see coming (unless you’ve already read the manga), and there are A LOT of plot twists. Each episode leaves off on some insane cliff hanger, so I would definitely recommend grabbing some snacks because you won’t want to leave the couch once you’ve started.
Although this one is only available on Crunchyroll, I would highly recommend it if you’re already into anime or looking to get started on one that you will absolutely not want to walk away from. Season one is still being released, with new episodes uploaded every Tuesday. The good news is, if you haven’t started watching this one yet, we are already more than halfway through the season release, and you’ll have plenty of episodes to binge RIGHT NOW!
- Mushoku tensei: a jobless reincarnation (Crunchyroll)
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A Jobless Reincarnation is a wonderfully playful and action-packed series with plenty of episodes to keep you busy for a while. As the name implies, reincarnation occurs. A man leaves our world and is reborn as a child in a far away land… and he’s now a wizard. You will get to follow along with him as he matures and things become more complicated in his “jobless” life.
This one surprised me at how much I enjoyed watching it, but it truly is worth a good binge. Aside from the magical land, I really enjoyed how the story matured along with the characters. A more playful tone when the boy is young leads up to a more adult plot as he gets older. The perfect touch of magic during your holiday break!
- Jujustu kaisen (Crunchyroll)
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If you haven’t heard of JJK, I’m sorry to tell you you are a bit behind here. Jujutsu Kaisen follows Yuji Itadori as he joins Tokyo Jujutsu High School of Sorcery (how he gets there is a major spoiler so I will not be sharing that information, but you’ll find out by the end of the first episode). There, he trains alongside his classmates to fight cursed spirits that torment Japan’s largest cities. Not to mention the detailed history behind the school and side characters that get unraveled little by little as the show rolls out.
This has nothing to do with the story of the show, but I personally loved the show’s outro. It gave me a good little dance break between episodes but obviously didn’t slow down the binge (that song is now on my Spotify playlist though).
With aspects of the supernatural, action, and humor, this one was definitely one of my favorites to watch. Crunchyroll also recently added Jujutsu Kaisen 0 to their platform, which is a movie prequel to the first season of the series. I would highly suggest watching both but watch the movie second (you’ll see why).