6 Anime You Should Watch, Even If You Think You Hate Anime

Fullmetal Alchemist

This series follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, as they seek to rectify an alchemy-related mistake of their youth. After losing someone close to them, Edward (the older brother) and Al attempt to bring this person back to life, a taboo and forbidden activity in alchemy. They fail, and both pay dearly for this. They search for a way to turn things back to the way they were, all while getting pulled into dark government plots and disturbing scientific exploration.

What's tricky about FMA is that there are two versions of the show: Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Both feature the same characters, but the stories veer off in very different directions with characters dying in one that don't die in the other, and villains being different altogether. The differences are big and people debate which series is best. Honestly, there are arguments to be made on both sides, but the original series, FMA, is easier to start with than Brotherhood. For one, it's much shorter. And for two, it's easier to digest.

Inu x Boku SS

Another light, short watch, Inu x Boku SS (SS stands for Secret Service) is the story of a young woman named Ririchiyo. She moves into a mysterious new apartment complex and—being part of a powerful family—is assigned a secret service agent to protect her at all times. Her agent, Miketsukami is as charming as he is kind, much to the apathetic, suspicious Ririchiyo's dismay. This is a story of magic and love, but also an exploration of how we grow from trauma and loneliness.

Inu x Boku SS is super cute and funny, but it'll pull your heartstrings when you least expect it. The show, particularly Ririchiyo, though, demonstrate how complex people are, and how there's almost always an explanation for why people act the way they do or why they keep people at bay.

Sailor Moon

You've probably heard of Sailor Moon before, and probably know what it's all about. I won't waste time giving you a summary, as the intro alone gives a good idea of what the show is about, but what I will do is give you a suggestion. If you watch Sailor Moon, watch the original Japanese version with English subtitles. The version that we received in America in the '90s was insidiously edited and watered down to remove many elements that were important to the series, such as death scenes and same-sex love. If you're gonna watch it, watch the real thing.