The Yuri (or Girls' Love) genre has undergone a remarkable maturation. Far from the initial narratives focused on innocent affection and the exploration of feelings (Shoujo-ai), a wave of works has emerged that use lesbian romance as a vehicle to explore obsession, psychological horror, manipulation, and tragedy. This subgenre, known as Dark Yuri, has found fertile ground, especially in the...

Filler vs. Canon: A Beginner's Guide to Understanding Anime Arcs (and Which to Skip)   You're watching a long-running action anime, like Naruto. The main plot is intense; the characters are in the middle of crucial training or a life-or-death battle. Suddenly, the next episode begins, and the main characters are on an unimportant side mission, like helping a talking ostrich or cooking the...

The Re-Rise of Sports Anime: How 'Blue Lock' and 'Haikyuu!!' Made Sports a Global Phenomenon   For decades, sports anime (or "Spokon") was a fundamental but consistent genre in Japan, with classics like Slam Dunk and Captain Tsubasa. Globally, however, it was often considered a niche. Today, in 2025, that has irrevocably changed. The sports genre now competes in global popularity with the...

One of the biggest headaches for romance fans in anime is the "open ending": ambiguous confessions, vague promises, or, worse, a simple handshake. Audiences seek the satisfaction of seeing emotional progression culminate in a stable, confirmed relationship. This list is dedicated to those anime that are not afraid to take the leap, offering complete narrative and emotional closure where the...

The 80s and 90s were the Golden Age of Cyberpunk, a period where anime fearlessly explored the fear of technology, the omnipresence of corporations, and the merging of the human body with machines. While Akira and Ghost in the Shell are the fundamental pillars, a handful of lesser-known OVAs and films captured the essence of the genre with equal intensity, defining the neon and dystopian...