Alex's Anime List Volume 1

It's no secret that our Anime tattoo artist Alex Heart is an Anime junkie.

So we decided to sit down with her and chat to her about some of the recent ones she's been watching as well as some of her favourites.

We've done our best to keep this as spoiler free as possible as not to ruin any of the fun!

Here's 10 ten recommendations straight from the kawaii princess herself <3

1.Darling in the Frankxx

One of my most recent watches, from two of my favourite anime studios; Trigger and A-1.

If you love sassy characters, cute anime girls and massive mech units then you’re bound to love Darling in the Frankxx! It’s a super new anime that is available to watch on crunchy roll.

Without giving to much away, Darling in the Frankxx is set a future where humanity is struggling to survive and its up to the kids to save the day. Its cool to see this battle not only with the monsters attacking the plantation the humans call home but it’s also a battle in the sense that the kids are trying to figure out what being a kid even is, what growing up really means in the world they live in and at the same time trying to protect this world they seem to know nothing about, which leads to some cool character development and has you learning about the world along with them. Darling in the Frankxx has some awesome battle scenes and cool art style, theres also some great laughs, touching moments and what I suspect to be a bit of a plot twist.

2. Ancient Magus’ Bride

I started watching Ancient Magus’ Bride when I first saw the manga cover and got intrigued by the character design of Elias one of the main Characters.

It’s a more slow paced anime then what I’m usually into but the beauty of it is what keeps me watching. It sort of has that Ghibli feel in the sense that there is so much thought in the way the characters are designed and the cool landscape shots and magic that it feels like you’re watching a moving artwork. Theres so many crazy creatures some inspired by western folklore as well as Japanese which has this cool way of pulling you out of the real world but still keeping that sense of familiarity towards it.

Ancient Magus’ Bride is about two outcasts finding each other, learning from each other and a whole lot of magic! She is a rarity known as a Sleigh Beggy who can draw magic from her surroundings and Elias is known as the Thorn Mage who most people consider to be an abomination. Their journey is cute and touching and the friends they meet along the way are just as awesome. I think one of the main things I love about this Anime is the stories behind each character, how they got to where they are and how sometimes when you think you are the most lost in life, you meet people that can give you hope and shine a bit of light on your world and thats what makes this anime so cute!

3. Gurren Lagann

Another Mecha Anime I completely fell in love with. It is only 27 Episodes and came out in 2007 but would definitely be in my top 10 favourite anime of all time. It’ll make you laugh, cry and have you yelling “fight the power.” Because thats exactly what this anime is about. Fighting the powers of “The Man”, getting out of your comfort zone and striving to put an end to a world you hate.

It’s another anime with awesome character development and insane art style. Much like Kill la Kill and Darling in the Frankxx this anime gets epic!

It only takes 27 episodes to send you from the underground right into space and the battle scenes will have you going “WHAT THE HELL?!” Again, this anime is set in the future where an evil king has taken over the world and has forced mankind to live in underground villages where the only way to expand is by digging deeper while under threat from constant earthquakes. It starts of with a dream of seeing the seeing the surface world, but what they discover becomes so much more!

4. Re:Zero : Starting Life In Another World.

Although Re:Zero has a light novel series as well as manga adaptations, the anime is definitely one to watch. The only complaint is that there isn’t more! It came out in 2015 but only has 25 episodes so far (with an OVA on the way). Regardless of this, its still an anime I highly recommend.

The anime is about a regular guy named Subaru who gets taken to a magical world with no clue as to how he got there, and proceeds to have the worst time ever. His only super power is that he can die. Again. and again. and again. Each time he respawns back to a set checkpoint and has to try and make it through the day, keeping himself and his new friends alive. This anime has some very cute girls, epic magic, funny moments and also some really dark twisted ones. The bad guy in the anime so far is bat shit crazy in all the best creepy, comical and dark ways. I don’t want to give away too much about this anime because seeing Subarus choices and their outcomes is half the fun of this anime.

5. Parasyte

Parasyte is more of a sci-fi horror and is originally a manga from the 80’s-90’s. It does now however also have a pretty awesome live action to go along with it as well as the anime itself. There’s some pretty gruesome and heavy scenes in this anime but its definitely one of my favorites because of it.

Parasyte is about these strange worm-like parasites that appear on earth and take control of the bodies that they enter. Shinichi, the main character manages to stop one from taking over his body entirely but now has to live with it as part of him. These two unlikely “friends” now have to learn to co-exist in one body in order to survive while battling other parasites who only want to devour other humans for food. It’s a cool concept done well, and you really get a sense of this growing bond between the two, especially in the sense of trying to be friends with something foreign inside you that was out to control you and kill those around you. It takes the whole Alien movie idea and kind of flips it on its head and thats probably why I like it. The animation is rad, the parasites are creepy and the blood is plenty!

6. Kakegurui

Insane girls on top of Insane girls getting their ‘gambling freak on’. That pretty much sums up this anime. If you like something a little twisted yet smart then this one is for you! The dramatic animation style of Kakegurui definitely gives it a real horror feel to it and captures the madness involved in this anime. Set in an academy that most of the rich kids attend which gets turned into a gambling prison where you have to win to survive. Playing dirty, manipulation and financial hierarchy are all main aspects in this anime. From the bluffing to the mentally unstable Kakegurui had me power watching it all over the course of 3 days. The main characters crazy way of disrupting the school system has you on the edge of your seat a bit as you watch her crush peers and make friends.

Theres only one season at the moment but its available on Netflix so I’m hoping for a second one!

7. Death Parade

Welcome to Quindecim where you will play a game to determine the fate of your soul!

First thing I can say about this anime is not to let the opening fool you. This happy dancing opening number in no way reflects the anime thats ahead of you. Even though this is only a 12 episode anime it had me pretty much locked in at episode one. It’s definitely great for a short anime if your wanting something to power through in-between watching longer ones. It may be short but I found this anime powerful. It definitely makes you feel, think and contemplate your own existence to one point or another. It’s a psychological thriller with all the necessary blood and gore, so I wouldn’t recommend this as a family friendly watch. Death Parade also tackles some pretty heavy subjects in terms of relationships.

8. Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In a Dungeon?

Who knew one anime could make one strip of blue ribbon so iconic? Not only does this anime contain some cute and badass anime babes its pretty darn funny and adventurous. If your like high level dungeon gaming then this anime is right up your… um… dungeon.

Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In a Dungeon takes place in a magical city which exists around a dungeon, where the strongest citizens are tasked with exploring but inside hide an abundance of strong monsters and secrets. It follows Bell-kun a seemingly weak yet loveable character as his goddess Hestia guides him to the depths of the dungeon! Take some great characters, epic battles, dungeons, loot and gaming references galore and you’ve got one anime that most RPG gamers are sure to love <3 at the very least its a fun one!

9. Pop Team Epic

Do you like memes? do you have an attention span that only lasts about 1 minute at a time? do you like to be left going “wtf” and “i don’t understand.”?

Then Pop Team Epic is for you! It started out as web comic and now its a popular anime that lasts 15 minutes an episode and then repeats itself with subtle changes to make half hour episodes. It revolves around two best friends Popuko and Pipimi who I can only describe as the trolls of the anime world! Theres digs to a number of anime and games including “your name” and Skyrim. It’s pretty hard to describe Pop Team Epic since theres no real plot or point to it besides its being hilarious, bizarre and surreal nonsense.

If you find a lot of your lols on Reddit, then id say you’ll like this one!

10. Akatsuki no Yona

“Why Alex, whats your favourite anime of all time?”

Well that my friends would be Akatsuki no Yona. The only bad thing I can say about Akatsuki no Yona is that it hasn’t had any more seasons, but the manga is still going!

It follows a princess and her body guard as she is forced to flee the kingdom after her father the king is killed. It’s a tale of growth, finding your purpose and adventure on her quest to restore the kingdom. I love this anime because it has everything. Romance, Adventure, Pirates, Dragons, Battles, Great Character Development and Design, Cool Backstories and pretty animation! It’s hard for me to write about this one as its so close to my heart yet goes under the radar so much. I also don’t want to give away too much because I want you all to enjoy watching it knowing as little about the plot as possible. Its fun to follow these characters on their journey and to watch them grow and bond together through hardships.

So just go ahead and watch it on Crunchyroll and come talk to me about it at the shop and watch my face light up!

Well There's ten for you all so I hope you can find one in there to spark your interest <3 Now get watching!!