One Piece
Some Anime’s are only a few episodes and then they are gone, leaving you wanting more. Then there is One Piece, which has over 100 volumes of the Manga that inspired it and there are over 1000 episodes to watch; the series started back in 1999. It is the favorite of one of my friends and now that I know there finally might be a recently announced end in sight, I’m thinking of checking the series out. One Piece chronicles the quirky adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew, the Straw Hat Pirates. The One Piece in the title refers to a great treasure that Luffy is searching for in order to become Pirate King. Adding to the fun, Luffy’s body becomes like rubber after accidentally eating Gomu Gomu no Mi, a type of Devil Fruit. The first five dubbed seasons are available for Hoboken Library Patrons to check out from Hoopla.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures
The most recently released of my recommendations, JoJo’s started in 2012. Based on author Hirohiko Araki’s groundbreaking Shonen Jump manga series, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure follows the multigenerational tale of the heroic Joestar family and their never-ending battle against evil using their powers called stands. The art style is distinctive with exaggeratedly muscular heroes in evenly more over the top outfits. Over the top also covers the dialog and storyline, but if you are looking for a fun, crazy adventure then JoJo’s is sure to delight. This is currently my husband’s favorite Anime and he has cosplayed some of the characters along with my son. You can borrow the first four seasons subbed or dubbed from Hoopla.
Death Note
For those a bit daunted by the volume of One Piece, this 2007 series is only 37 episodes long. The Death Note Manga has been a popular one with our library’s teen department for years. Death Note follows Light Yagami a top student who finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any person, whose name Light writes in the notebook, will die. I’ve watched the series as well as the Japanese and American live action movies and enjoyed the animated version the most. You can borrow the subbed or dubbed episodes from Hoopla.
Ranma ½
Like many Gen X Americans, Ranma ½ is one of the first Anime’s I can remember watching; it debuted in 1989 and I can remember renting Ranma ½ videos or DVDs at my local Blockbuster Video. Ranma Saotome might at first seem to be a typical teenage martial-artist, but only a splash of cold water turns him into a red-haired, female version of himself (hot water turns him back). His father is also cursed, but in his case, he turns into a Panda. The series follows Ranma’s quest to break the curse. Seasons 1-7 are available subbed or dubbed from Hoopla.
Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager
