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Culture > Entertainment

The Different Genres of Anime for Every Fan!

Nawal Jasey
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UWindsor chapter.

When people think of anime, they typically think of ninja running and the screaming of attack names. While there are tons of anime that contain this, there are also many that differ! There are plenty of different genres for everyone to enjoy, and I am here to name a few.

Shonen

This is the genre that I basically just described. Shonen anime is the most popular genre of anime. It is typically targeted towards an audience of teenage boys, but so many of us gals enjoy this genre as well. Generally, this genre contains action and adventure revolving around the protagonist (typically a male protagonist, but sometimes we have a female one in the making too). Some examples of Shonen anime include Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach.

Romance

Can you feel the love tonight? This genre of anime needs no explanation. Usually targeted towards a female audience, a female protagonist is the go-to for this genre (but again, not always). Much drama, much emotion, many laughs, and many tears! If you’re in the mood for a feels trip, please explore the romance genre of anime and check out series like Your Lie in April, Orange, and My Happy Marriage. 

Fantasy

An anime fantasy isn’t like your typical Harry Potter magic! Fantasy anime explores magic, adventure, and the power of friendship. I find that most fantasy anime contains a lot of humour, but I think that could be said for almost every other genre. If fantasy and magic are your forte, I would recommend Fairy Tail, Black Clover, and The Seven Deadly Sins.

Kids

Many non-anime fans make the assumption that anime as a whole is for kids. I’ll admit, before I became a fan, I jumped to that conclusion too. Even though this isn’t true (and several of the examples I previously listed can attest to that), there are still plenty of anime aimed towards a younger audience! Some examples of these are Pokémon, Digimon Adventures, and Doraemon.

Slice of Life

This genre of anime, similar to romance, explores the daily lives of anime protagonists and other characters, and the many adventures and drama they endure. You have the opportunity to watch your favourite characters grow into wonderfully developed people. Some of my favourite Slice of Life anime are Ouran High School Host Club, Violet Evergarden, and Fruits Basket.

Isekai

Similar to the fantasy genre, Isekai anime explores the adventures of an anime protagonist who is transported from one world to another. The world they travel to is new and unfamiliar and the characters have to adjust. It’s a very interesting genre of anime and it is really fun to watch the protagonist grow in a new world and face obstacles that compels them to develop as well-rounded characters. Some Isekai anime that I would recommend are No Game No Life, The Rising Of The Shield Hero, and That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime. 

If you are a non-anime fan who thinks that there is no anime out there that will interest you, I would encourage you to explore these different genres! It’s not all Naruto running and Super Saiyan screaming. This list doesn’t cover every genre of anime out there – there are so many more! So go ahead and have fun with it!

Nawal Jasey is the Writing Director at the Her Campus UWindsor Chapter. She is responsible for scheduling writers for article postings as well as writing articles herself. Prior to this, she was part of the writing team as a simple writer. Her content normally depicts entertainment, life experiences, and personal cultural and/or religious topics. Nawal attends the University of Windsor as a senior undergraduate under the English program, where she mainly studies different branches of English literature including Victorian, Renaissance, Restoration, and more. Furthermore, she studies creative writing to pursue her dream of becoming an author. She attends several reading events hosted by different authors to help inspire her creative writing. She has independently published a fiction fantasy novel and continues to write more stories for the future. In her free time, Nawal loves to read and write fiction and epic fantasy novels. She would rather shop for books than for clothes any day. She is an anime and manga lover and considers herself a massive and proud nerd. She enjoys baking and playing the piano (not at all professionally) while cuddling her adorable kitty named Sabo.