Aldnoah Zero

Saturday morning cartoons were all the rage when I was growing up as I’m sure they were (or are) for you too.  However what many people are now watching aren’t just cartoons that we were used to, where Bugs managed to defeat Daffy or the Coyote continually chased but lost out to the Road Runner.

With multi-episodic story arcs, these new “cartoons” are significantly more intricate, artistic and detailed.  In addition, many of the really good ones are surprisingly violent and sometimes quite erotic also!  They definitely aren’t suitable for your typical preteen (& in some cases post-teen!) that’s for sure!!

I’ve written a previous post already on the top 5 Anime episodes on Netflix which you can find here. However, I wouldn’t want you to simply restrict yourself to these titles as there are many more both on and off Netflix that are absolutely worth looking at.

The ones I previously mentioned are – Sword Art Online (now with 2 seasons), The Irregular at Magic High School, Attack on Titan (now also released in Live Action!), Highschool of the Dead & Knights of Siddonia (also up to Season 2).

Some new ones that I think you should consider for your viewing pleasure are:

Aldnoah Zero

I just watched this one and the one thing I have to state without ruining anything is the ending is a complete shock.  My jaw literally hit the floor!

Aldnoah Zero is a bit confusing in its overall mythology – basically in the 70’s a hypergate to Mars was found on the surface of the moon.  Those early astronauts also found a mysterious property (power?) called Aldnoah that gave them the ability to enhance normal mechanical tools and weapons and gave them a devastating advantage over the rest of humanity.

After a short war that saw the Moon destroyed in an event later referred to as Heaven’s Fall (not shown in the series), an uneasy truce exists between the Terran’s and Martians.  However when Princess Asseylum is seemingly assassinated while on a diplomatic mission to Earth, the truce fractures and all out war ensues between the two planets.

Freezing

Another of those slightly erotic (lots of female nudity) titles, this one still had a really interesting story and was fun to watch.  When Earth is the target of an alien invasion by beings called Nova’s the only defence is genetically altered girls (Pandora’s) and their male partners (Limiters).  Freezing tells the story of Bridget and Kazuya Aoi who together combine to be the best and strongest.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Back in 2013, Fullmetal Alchemist made the list of top anime series on Netflix. That’s still available via streaming, but, now, we’re suggesting that you add Brotherhood to your queue as well. This is a reboot rather than a sequel and it’s one that aims closer to the manga source material. The essence of the story is that two boys attempt to bring their mother back from the dead and, in the process, lose huge chunks of their physical selves. That leads them on the road in search of The Philosopher’s Stone.

Gurren Lagann

At times controversial and often deceptively raunchy, this smart, fast-paced anime is beloved for its wide-ranging plot, its gorgeous animation, its take-no-prisoners plot twists, and its character development.

While many anime series in the mecha genre tend to turn off newcomers because of all the talk about giant robots, Gurren knows how to plunge you into the middle of the action while getting you emotionally invested before you know what’s happening. Even if you’re not up on your Japanese sci-fi tropes, this is an excellent, accessible series. Don’t miss it.

Stay tuned however as Netflix is now also launching another title called the Seven Deadly Sins.  Similar to Knights of Sidonnia this series also exclusive to Netflix & while Knights was definitely SciFi in scope and tone, this one is more of a western.