Genre: Romantic Comedy, Slice of Life Why it’s popular: Unlike most romance anime that take 100 chapters for a kiss, Horimiya gets the couple together quickly. It focuses on the realistic intimacy of a relationship—how two people with "hidden sides" fall in love and navigate high school.

Love it or hate it, Isekai dominates modern anime.

Genre: Drama, Romance, Music, Josei (adult women) Why it’s popular: Two girls named Nana become roommates in Tokyo. One is a punk rock singer chasing fame; the other is a country girl chasing love. It is a brutally realistic look at adult relationships, cheating, addiction, and fame.

If you’ve never watched anime, these are the cultural landmarks that turned the medium into a worldwide phenomenon.

These series are globally recognized, highly rated, and serve as the perfect gateway into the medium.