Anime Series that Deserve More Attention: Kino, Dragons, and Space Opera
I’ve been an anime fan since the 90s, but I’ll admit that I’m not always that interested in the super-popular series. Maybe this makes me an anime hipster, but I’ve never seen any of Attack on Titan, One Piece, or My Hero Academia. I’ve skipped over Deathnote and One Punch Man. I have a passing knowledge of these shows, of course, because it’s hard to be involved in fandoms and conventions without picking up some facts.
Instead, I’m more drawn to lesser-known anime gems. These series aren’t always widely known, and I’ll be honest, some of them aren’t always amazing. But some are hidden gems that tell a really good story and have very complex characters. If you’re looking for a new anime series to watch, here are a few I think deserve more attention than they’ve received.
Note that I’ve watched most of these on Funimation or Netflix, but they may be available elsewhere.
Also—some light spoilers here. Nothing beyond what the basic setup is, though.
Kino’s Journey – The Beautiful World
There are two anime series that adapt the Kino’s Journey series of light novels. I’ve watched both, and they were both outstanding. The second is currently streaming on Funimation, while the first may only be available on DVD now. They follow Kino and her talking motorcycle partner Hermes as they travel from country to country. Most of the episodes are stand-alone. Kino comes to a new country, has an adventure there, and leaves.
What’s really fun is the twists. Few of the plots here are as straightforward as they seem. Kino herself is more than the young woman she appears to be. Nothing is black and white here. Kino even comes across as manipulative or amoral at times. The animation in the second series is gorgeous, and I don’t remember having any issues with the older series as far as quality. With only a dozen episodes in each series plus a few OVAs, you can knock this series out in a few days, but you’ll want it to last much longer.
Dragon Goes House-Hunting
I like dragons. I like HGTV house-hunting shows. Why not combine them? That’s the premise of Dragon Goes House-Hunting, a 12-episode series that follows the dragon Letty as he tries to find a new home. He soon enlists the help of the elf mage Dearia, aka the “Dark Lord of Real Estate” who is both a licensed Realtor and an architect. Along the way, they meet several friends while avoiding the annoying Hero and his party. It’s a cute series that occasionally dips into deeper waters. I found Dearia in particular to be an interesting character.
Crest of the Stars
Crest of the Stars and its sequels, Banner of the Stars I and II, are grand space opera at its finest. You won’t find a lot of starship battles, phaser fights, or lightsabers here, although there are certainly some space fights. The two Banner series, in particular, involve more action. The series takes place in the future where the Abh Empire is slowly conquering the known universe. Due to…well, everything that happens in the first episode, the young human Jinto is sent to the Abh military school. There, he meets Lafiel, an Abh princess. Yes, there’s an obvious romance here, but it never really overpowers the story.
Jinto and Lafiel go through a lot, and the series covers a number of years in their lives. If you want action, you may find some parts of Crest to be a little slow. However, the world building is top-notch, and it’s really fun to see Jinto and Lafiel learn about each other and the universe they live in.
These are just three awesome anime that don’t seem to get as much attention as I think they should, so I wanted to shine my small spotlight on them. I suspect this will become a recurring type of post on my blog, so check back to see what other random anime I ramble about.