5 Feel Good Anime Worth Bingeing
Brush away the winter blues (or any blues, really) with these funny and heartwarming shows.
One of the great things about anime is just how energetic it is. With bright colours, dramatic emotions, and charismatic animation, there is a lot to enjoy with any anime series.
It’s not hard to see why, either - a lot of anime is adapted from manga, the Japanese equivalent to comic books, so the source material is often dripping with over-the-top sequences, expressions, and action meant to suck the reader into the narrative. Translate those elements to the screen, and you’ve got something that is a true joy to watch.
While anime can often be mature or violent a lot of the time, there are series out there dedicated to humour, feel-good, and the ever sought after warm fuzzies to push the genre into every corner it can reach. Rich with brilliantly written humour, endearing romances, and completely odd, yet unashamedly brilliant plots, the world of anime has a lot to offer than just cute characters and muscle-bound men screaming at each other (looking at you, Dragon Ball Z).
5. Yuri!!! On Ice
Yuri!!! On Ice is a heartwarming series that follows the journey of a competitive figure skater, Yuri Katsuki. On the heels of a loss in the Grand Prix Final, Yuri returns home to Japan broken and unmotivated. His losing streak in competitions has piled up and, worse still, he is almost too old to compete in the juniors division anymore.
However, after a video is leaked of Yuri perfectly mimicking the performance of his skating idol, Russian Skating Champion, Victor Nikiforov, Yuri is presented the unique opportunity to train directly under Victor for the next competition. Sparking a fire of inspiration, as well as a rivalry with a student Victor promised to choreograph named Yuri Plisetsky, Yuri!!! On Ice offers a truly enjoyable, if short, viewing experience.
The series offers a delicate balance of being grounded yet fantastical in all the right places. The characters are lovable, the relationship between Yuri and Victor is adorable, and the animation is top-notch. In fact, the choreography for the skating sequences was provided by real-life competitive figure skater and choreographer, Kenji Miyamoto. A boast that is supported by the fluid animation and skating sequences that you have to look no further than the opening title to appreciate.