For decades now,Shōnen Jumphas more or less become synonymous with good anime. Some of the most popular manga in the world are published byShōnen Jumpand its affiliates, and that tends to result intheir anime adaptations being of higher quality than othersand, of course, receiving far more attention than any other anime airing at the same time.
Shōnen Jump-based anime old and new are always at the center of discussions from fans and critics alike, but they’re not the only ones to ever come up in conversation. Plenty of manga outside theShōnen Jumplabel have taken off worldwide, and because of their popularity, many anime adaptations ofshōnenmanga outsideShōnen Jumphave beenincredibly great watches thanks to their stories and overall incredible direction, even more so than someShōnen Jumpanime. Some of those anime have especially stood out over the years, and each one is especially worth highlighting.
Komi Can’t Communicate
Cast
Komi Can’t Communicate is an animated series focusing on Shoko Komi, a high school student with severe communication anxiety. Despite her social challenges, she becomes the school’s most admired figure. Aided by a classmate, Hitohito Tadano, Komi embarks on a journey to overcome her fears and make 100 friends. The series blends humor and heartfelt moments while addressing themes of social anxiety and friendship.
In OLM, Inc.’sKomi Can’t Communicate, while Shoko Komi has a reputation for being a cool and stoic beauty, her stoicism stems from crippling social anxiety that makes it hard for her to say as much as a single word to people. By chance, the unassuming Hitohito Tadano is the first person to learn the truth about Komi, and after a friendship forms between them, they start working together to help Komi overcome her social anxiety and make 100 friends.
In addition to how great Komi and Tadano’s relationship is,Komi Can’t Communicatestrikes a perfect balance between comedy and dramato tell a heartwarming story about social anxiety that never forgets to be fun, all with plenty of great art and animation complementing it, as well.Komi Can’t Communicateis one of the biggest romcom mangas of recent years, and the anime more than did it justice.
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic is a Japanese anime series adapted from Shinobu Ohtaka’s manga. Set in a fantastical world inspired by the Arabian Nights, it follows young adventurers Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana as they explore mystical labyrinths called Dungeons to uncover ancient secrets and treasures. The series delves into themes of courage, friendship, and destiny, blending action, magic, and political intrigue.
A-1 Pictures’Magi: The Labyrinth of Magictakes place in anArabian Nights-inspired world where people challenge mysterious and deadly dungeons to obtain enough wealth and power. Among the people challenging dungeons is the duo of Aladdin and Alibaba, and while they initially just wanted to go on adventures and see the world, they soon find themselves involved in conspiracies political and magical alike that all tie into the fate of their entire universe.
Between its engaging cast of heroes and villains, thorough magic system, and highly developed worldbuilding for the political elements driving its narrative,Magi: The Labyrinth of Magichas some of the best writing of anyshōnenanime, and there’s always plenty of great action to go along with it, as well. The anime infamously ends on a massive cliffhanger that’s unlikely to ever be resolved, but even with that, it’s still a great series to watch.
Soul Eater
Soul Eater is an anime series set in the Death Weapon Meister Academy, where students train to become meisters and weapon partners to hunt evil souls. The protagonist, Maka Albarn, along with her living weapon partner Soul Eater, aim to transform Soul into a powerful Death Scythe. The series explores their battles against various supernatural threats and the complex dynamics within the academy.
Bones’Soul Eaterdepicts a world where monsters and other supernatural beings, most notably witches, are real and constantly attack people. The only ones who can stop these threats are people with the ability to turn into weapons and meisters, their partners in battle who bring out their full potential by harmonizing each other’s souls through Soul Resonance.
Soul Eaterstands out from othershōnenanime thanks to its eccentric character designs and equally eccentric cast, and thanks to its engaging story and consistently high quality of its artwork and animation,Soul Eateris easily one of the best anime to ever be produced by Bones. The last third of the series infamously diverged from the manga for a largely inferior ending, but even that doesn’t detract from how great a series it is to watch.
Azumanga Daioh
Azumanga Daioh is an anime series that follows the daily lives of six high school girls and their teachers, exploring their unique personalities and humorous antics. Based on Kiyohiko Azuma’s manga, the show delves into themes of friendship and adolescence, creating a slice-of-life narrative enriched with wit and charm. The series captures the essence of high school experiences with a blend of relatable moments and whimsical humor.
J.C.Staff’sAzumanga Daiohis a slice-of-life anime centered around five—later six—girls and their two teachers across three years of high school. Unlike other slice-of-life anime, which tend to involve romance or have some gimmick behind why the main characters associate with each other,Azumanga Daiohfeatures nothing of the sort and is focused solely on the daily lives of the cast.
While it’s not as deep or eccentric as the slice-of-life anime to follow it,Azumanga Daiohexcels through its great comedy and clever character writing, all of which still feel incredibly fresh after over 20 years.Azumanga Daiohis often seen as having formed the foundation for the “cute girls doing cute things” subgenre of anime, and even after all this time, it’s still just as great as the anime to follow in its footsteps, if not greater.
Attack On Titan
Based on the manga, Attack on Titan is a dark-action fantasy series set in a world where humanity has been corralled into walled cities from fear of monstrous human-eating Titans that exist outside of them. When protagonist Eren Yeager’s mother is killed in front of his eyes at a young age, his thirst for vengeance leads him to join an elite group of soldiers created to fight back against the Titan menace.
Wit Studio and MAPPA’sAttack on Titanis set in a world where humanity has spent a century living behind giant walls to protect themselves frommonsters called Titans. When the Titans finally break through the walls one day, Eren Yeager, forced to watch his mother be devoured by a Titan, swears to kill every last one of them, and his journey to do so reveals truths about himself and the world he never could have imagined.
Whether it was with Wit Studio or MAPPA,Attack on Titan’s anime always did a flawless job of bringing the manga to lifewith its gorgeous soundtrack, visuals, and animation, all of which helped its story reach even greater heights over the past decade.Attack on Titanis often seen as the biggest reason anime became mainstream again in the modern day, and overall, it’s hard to argue with that idea.
The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya centers on high school student Kyon, who inadvertently becomes involved with the eccentric Haruhi Suzumiya and her unusual club, the SOS Brigade, which seeks to find aliens, time travelers, and espers. Unbeknownst to Haruhi, she possesses the power to alter reality, leading to a series of strange and supernatural events that Kyon and the other brigade members must navigate.
Kyoto Animation’sThe Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiyastars Kyon, a sarcastic high schooler forced to join the SOS Brigade, a club made by the eccentric Haruhi Suzumiya for discovering supernatural oddities. Ironically, all the other members are the exact supernatural oddities Haruhi has been searching for who have gathered to observe Haruhi and her godlike powers, all of which Haruhi is kept blissfully unaware of, much to Kyon’s constant frustration.
Between its great art and animation, incredible direction, and writing that always knows how to get the most humor and heart out of its cast and its narrative,The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiyaalways excels at getting the most out of its contrasting genres and themes, resulting in a story that always manages to hit, no matter the topic.Haruhi Suzumiyawas the most popular anime in the world in the 2000s, and overall, it’s easy to see why.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End follows the elven mage Frieren after the defeat of the Demon King. As generations pass, she confronts humanity’s mortality, taking on a new apprentice and striving to fulfill her late friends' final wishes, embarking on a journey to reconcile with life and death.
Madhouse’sFrieren: Beyond Journey’s Endstars Frieren, the virtually unaging elf mage of the adventurer party that defeated the demon lord. While Frieren initially didn’t think much of her time with everyone, the death of the Hero, Himmel, made her realize how much she cared about them, and her regret over letting Himmel die without seeing that pushes Frieren to go on a new journey to learn how to better understand people.
In addition to an emotionally poignant story about loss and the importance of maintaining connections with others,Frieren: Beyond Journey’s Endhas some of the most gorgeous visuals and animation of any anime to come out in recent years, with every episode filled with beautiful scenery and camerawork for every scene.The series was quick to take the world by storm during its run, and the popularity it’s gained is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
Zatch Bell!
Zatch Bell! is an anime series that follows Kiyo Takamine, a high school student, who becomes the caretaker of Zatch Bell, an amnesiac but powerful Mamodo. Partnered by a spellbook that endows Zatch with special abilities, Kiyo must compete against other Mamodos vying to become the Mamodo King. The series intricately blends themes of friendship, responsibility, and battle-driven strategy within a fantastical narrative framework.
Toei Animation’sZatch Bell!, also known asKonjiki no Gash!!, stars Kiyomaro Takamine, an arrogant genius who, one day, meets Zatch Bell, an amnesiac young boy sent to Kiyomaro by his father to help him make friends. As it turns out, though, Zatch is one of 100 demons fighting in a battle to determine the next king of the demon realm, and coincidentally, Kiyomaro is the human who has to work with Zatch and call upon his lightning magic to fight anyone who comes after them.
While not always having the best artwork, animation, or pacing,Zatch Bell!’s unique action and character writing make it a standout among some of the more popularshōnenanime, and that hasn’t changed, even after 20 years. It’s one of the best underrated gems of the demographic, and anyone looking for something that does more than the averageshōnenwon’t be disappointed.
Mob Psycho 100
Mob Psycho 100 follows Shigeo Kageyama, a young boy struggling with self-expression while possessing formidable psychic abilities. As he strives for normalcy by suppressing his powers, he faces challenges from false psychics, malevolent spirits, and enigmatic entities, bringing his emotional and psychic thresholds to critical levels.
Bones’Mob Psycho 100stars Mob, a young boy who has to suppress his emotions at all times to control his powerful psychic abilities. With help from Arataka Reigen, Mob’s mentor who pretends to be a powerful psychic, himself, Mob learns to better express himself as he strives to make friends and impress the girl he likes, all of which is made even harder by the constant supernatural threats he has to deal with.
Not only is the anime’s unconventional art style perfectly used for beautifully cinematic fight scenes and overall animation, but thanks to its perfect balance of comedy and heart,Mob Psycho 100has a perfect character arc for its protagonist and becomes one of the best coming-of-age stories of the past decade. Series creator ONE is best known for creatingOne-Punch Man, but it’s easy to seeMob Psycho 100as the better series between the two.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood follows brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric who use alchemy in a quest to restore their bodies after a failed transmutation. The series explores themes of sacrifice, the consequences of ambition, and the quest for truth in a richly developed world.
When Bones first adaptedFullmetal Alchemist, the series quickly veered off into a new direction and told a story that drastically changed the characters and lore of the original manga. Near the end of the manga’s run, however, the anime received a reboot inFullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, a more straightforward adaptation of the political action thriller that ended around the same time the manga did.
From start to finish,Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhoodhas incredible animation and fight scenes that still hold up after over a decade, and when combined with its competent and mature writing,Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhoodis easily one of the best anime adaptations a person can watch, if not the best.Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhoodmore than earns its reputation as one of the best anime of all time, and because of that, it’s easily thebestshonenanime not based on aShōnen Jumpmanga.
