Many anime series live up to cynical expectations and appear every season of the anime. Fortunately, the industry has also produced some of the most original and engaging animated stories of the modern era, and these great anime series buck many of the industry's worst trends or misconceptions.

Some anime take full advantage of familiar conventions or do something completely new. Either way, it's clear that this industry still has a lot to offer.

10. Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi o Suru

One of the biggest complaints about Japanese anime is the gratuitous use of fan service, a concept other than “giving the fans what they want,” such as cameos from popular characters. Anime-style fan service means showing a lot of skin in PG-13 or R-rated ways, which can be a big turn-off for many fans.

Thankfully, Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi o Suru takes the idea of ​​fan service and turns it into something warm but meaningful. This anime is all about healthy friendships and a love of cosplay, so it’s understandable that Wakana Gojo would need a tape measure to take measurements of Marin Kitagawa’s body. Best of all, Marin herself is comfortable with it all and doesn’t mind showing off the gorgeous body she’s so proud of.

9. Bocchi the Rock!

The slice-of-life subgenre often leads to generic and forgettable anime series that rely too heavily on relatable settings and characters to draw fans in. These anime are often formulaic and rarely break any new ground, but popular series Bocchi the Rock! changed all that in just 12 episodes.

Without forgetting its SOL roots, Bocchi the Rock! greatly entertained anime fans with its offbeat humor, rock and roll themes, and limited use of high school settings to feel comfortably familiar. Fans couldn't help but root for dandere Hitori Gotoh as she struggled to express herself with the guitar and make her new band truly rock.

8. Demon Slayer

In many layers, Demon Slayer It really is the standard shonen action series that it appears to be. However, this anime also has a strong emotional core, and its protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado, is neither a himbo nor is he recklessly ambitious. Tanjiro's goal is to heal his family and bring peace to the demons he slays.

Demon Slayer also employs top-notch animation, a rousing soundtrack, exceptional drama and plenty of humor, helping Demon Slayer Killer feel conveniently familiar, but also refreshing. This may be why this seemingly ordinary shonen series has such strong appeal across all demographics and gives fans faith that shonen isn't out of ideas yet.

7. Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex

The science fiction genre really shined in anime from the 1980s onwards, since Akira to Neon Genesis Evangelion for the famous Ghost in the Shell franchise. Fortunately, the famous 1995 Ghost in the Shell anime film was not a coincidence, because later GitS releases like Autonomous complex were so good.

Anime series like GitS: Autonomous Complex reassure fans that science fiction isn’t just about aliens and hackers; this genre has a lot to offer even after all this time, and is more thought-provoking than ever about humanitarian themes. Anime isn’t just about pretty visuals and self-insertion, because some special series really make viewers stop and think.

6. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

If any new anime fan wants to be sure that the shonen genre can be deep and thought-provoking, then they should give it a try. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, often considered one of the best anime of all time. It may have familiar elements, like a magical combat system and a tsundere leader who can't admit his feelings to his crush, but there's so much more to this anime.

FMA: Brotherhoodis a carefully written and beautifully animated series that tackles a number of themes related to world history, war, genocide, forgiveness, religion, and what it means to be human. The series has 64 episodes, which is plenty of room to explore these weighty themes, but without so much that the series starts to drag.

5. Oshi No Ko

Idol anime is popular, but it can also feel rote and cliché in some cases, so it seemed like the anime was out of ideas for musical stories – at least until Oshi no Ko came along. Oshi no Ko completely transformed the premise of idol anime and reminded fans that anything, even an innocent genre like idol anime, can be subverted in huge ways.

Oshi no Ko presents itself as many things: an idol anime, a partial isekai story, a drama, a romance, and even a revenge story. All of these elements are carefully woven into a single, tense narrative that moves along smoothly while also providing accurate and much-needed commentary on the modern idol industry.

4. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

After watching some recent isekai anime series, fans might be convinced that isekai is completely out of ideas and is just weighing down the anime industry. It's true that many isekai series aren't really trying, but even this stereotypical subgenre has some standouts that should give fans new faith in the anime industry.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is an isekai standout, even though it has familiar elements like an OP hero and a fantasy setting to explore. The difference is that protagonist Rimuru Tempest doesn't aim to glorify himself, but to build a tolerant nation where all monsters can live in peace. Such a constructive and selfless mindset is rare among isekai protagonists, and no one does it better than Rimuru.

3. Attack on Titan

The famous action series Attack on Titan restored everyone's hopes that the shonen demographic is much more than just Dragon Ball Z aspirants. Attack on Titan is a brutal and original series that deftly blends familiar shonen conventions with horror and pseudo-mecha elements, along with some thought-provoking commentary on real-world history and politics.

Everything that makes Attack on Titan much more than the sum of its parts, and anime fans love it for that. This is the story of Eren Yeager, a brash action hero who spends much of this anime fighting to protect his walled-off city home—at least until he discovers the bizarre truth about the Titans and embarks on an entirely new crusade.

2. Vinland Saga

Some anime fans may complain that many medieval-style fantasy stories are just cheap isekai or present a cartoonish, sanitized view of what medieval Europe was like. Fortunately, seinen anime Vinland Saga arrived to set a new standard for historical anime.

Vinland Saga is not just a high-quality action anime about Vikings and revenge during the Viking era. This anime also has deep and meaningful themes about the cost of revenge, finding purpose in life, and battling inner demons. If someone like Thorfinn Karlsefni can overcome his violent past to dream of a better future, then perhaps anyone can.

1. Chainsaw Man

Chainsaw Man is a memorable and highly successful effort to embrace shonen clichés and tear apart those familiar clichés and tropes to prove a point. This anime has the skeleton of a typical action series, but its subversive characters and unpredictable story make it feel like anything but. DBZ clone.

Instead of, Chainsaw Man is a darkly funny, dramatic, and totally unique anime that stubbornly does its own thing, giving fans the best kind of whiplash as it kills off characters and throws in crazy plot twists. Nothing and no one is what they should be in Chainsaw Man. and this gives anime fans hope that the brilliant anime is aware of its own outdated rules and is ready to shake things up aggressively.