With so many anime to explore, sometimes you need a guide to help you find your next watch. Rather than provide recommendations by genre, we will provide recommendations for each horoscope in this Anime Series By Horoscope series.
Aquarius: The Water Bearer (January 20-February 18)
https://tenor.com/embed.jsWhat to say about the Aquarius? You’re as strange and eccentric as the taste in your shows. You have a bit of a tapas approach when it comes to your taste in anime: You like a little bit of this and a little bit of that. What’s certain, however, is that as weird as your shows get, they all have some concrete grounding, with a solid purpose and a clear objective.
Psycho-Pass
Psycho-Pass takes place in an authoritarian future dystopia, where justice is essentially enforced by the Sibyl System, a scanner that assesses a person’s likelihood to commit a crime. Given a number that exceeds an accepted threshold, the person is pursued by police forces, who depending on situation may eliminate them on the spot. Our story focuses on Akane Tsunemori, a new police inspector, and Shinya Kogami, who Akane supervises.
KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World!
After suffering an early and embarrassing death, gaming addict teenager Kazuma Sato is offered reincarnation to a parallel MMORPG world where he uses his intuition from all his time gaming. He is accompanied by a pack of characters, all superpowered in their own fashion but deeply flawed in others. This show is built on parody and tongue-in-cheek humor, with a level of quirkiness fit for the Aquarius.
Blame!
Blame! is a seriously underrated cyberpunk science-fiction production. And for how much world-building it features, you’re bound to want to get sucked in. We follow our protagonist Killy, an enigmatic and practically wordless assassin, as he surveys the city looking for Net Terminal Genes. His objective? Reclaim the city back for humanity. Heads up, Blame! is a movie — not quite an animated series. But it is well worth your time (and perhaps more importantly currently available on Netflix).
Pisces: The Fish (February 19-March 20)
https://tenor.com/embed.jsA proper water element, you do not stray clear of emotions. In fact, your strengths lie in how unapologetically empathetic you are and how you innately understand complex feelings. You appreciate a good cry, and you value good character development. These shows offer a little bit of a whimsical environment, as well as good artwork for your eyes to absorb.
Boku dake ga Inai Machi (Erased)
Visually stunning and heartbreaking, Erased centers on Satoru Fujinuma, a man who suddenly possesses an ability to travel back in time to prevent life-threatening incidents from happening. After his mother is murdered, he finds himself thrown 18 years back into his grade school years. He has to relive the days before three of his childhood friends are kidnapped and killed. This story is about how he stops all of this from happening.
Kyosogiga
A touching tale about family that is set in a fantasy world hidden inside a painting. Kyousougiga is a story about three siblings Myoe, Yase, and Karuma. After their parents suddenly disappear, they become the leaders of this painted world. One day, a young girl named Koto stumbles into their alternate dimension, disturbing the long established peace, and slowly unravels the truths in their ink-and-paper universe.
Mushishi
Set in an imaginary past historical time, Mushishi features a world of ethereal supernatural beings called Mushi, deemed to be the most primitive of all life form. Our main character Ginko is one of the few people that can perceive Mushi, and in being able to do so, travels from place to place to continue researching Mushi and helping others with their Mushi-based problems. The series reads more like an anthology than a plot, and you’ll find yourself easily immersed in the show’s atmosphere.
Aries: The Ram (March 21-April 19)
https://tenor.com/embed.jsThe Aries is a pioneer and a trailblazer, and you are not afraid to fight for your beliefs. You are especially tireless and relentless when it comes to your loved ones. You appreciate someone that struggles and overcomes obstacles without losing their virtue. We stan a character that can work through personal flaws and external hardships. You’ll enjoy the steadfast protagonists in these anime recommendations:
Gurren Lagann
A classic mecha anime that you should surely not miss if you like forward-moving characters and plots. Gurren Lagann takes place in a future Earth where the so-called Spiral King rules. He forces humans to live underground, never to see the surface. Our main character, Simon, is one of these subterranean humans. He lives as a digger until one of his peers Kamina convinces him to help him achieve his dream of visiting the surface world. And that is only where the story begins.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
An anime series first released in March, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba features protagonist Tanjiro Kamado who unfortunately witnesses the death of his family at demon hands. His sister Nezuko miraculously also survives the event, but she now lives as a demon. Struck with grief and anger, Tanjiro becomes a demon slayer — his sole objective to return his sister’s humanity and to avenge his lost family.
Dororo
Dororo is another 2019 anime, centered around the story of Dororo, a young orphan thief who befriends Ronin Hyakkimaru after he saves her life. She discovers that Hyakkimaru’s body is completely prosthetic and that he is on a mission to search for his missing body parts and to slay the demons that did this to him. Dororo decides to join him for the adventure, and their story unfolds new truths along the way.
Taurus: The Bull (April 20-May 20)
https://tenor.com/embed.jsYou are a calming presence, and others often seek peace and security with you. Your taste in anime may reflect the same. You are patient enough for a good slow-burn, and as a completionist, you prefer to see neat and tidy ends to stories you invest time in. You might find these well-developed, well-shaped plots to your liking:
Akatsuki no Yona
A classic. Our protagonist Yona is the sole princess to the Kingdom of Kouka, living a mostly sheltered and carefree life until her sixteenth birthday when a coup d’etat against her father. Yona escapes, running out into the countryside with her guard Hak, and faces hardship. She travels around her country to learn about the people that make up her kingdom, quickly learning how to best serve as leader of her kingdom while plotting to eventually reclaim her throne. Oh, also, dragons. If you like yourself a good political saga, this is for you.
Hotarubi no Mori e
Even at a short 44-minute run-time, this movie will keep you for a lifetime. The animated film centers on Hotaru Takegawa, a young girl who befriends a human-like spirit named Gin when she gets lost in a forest. The movie follows her as she grows up and as she continues to come back to this enchanted forest to spend more time with Gin. The film is universally praised for its simple aesthetic, tender moments, and overall soothing atmosphere — all characteristics that remind others of you.
Are you a Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, or Capricorn? Catherine has recommendations for you too! Check out her previous Anime Series By Horoscope post. And stick around this summer. Our next and final Anime Series By Horoscope post will provide anime recommendations for Gemini, Cancer, Leo, and Virgo.
Featured image credit: MAPPA, Tezuka Productions
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