LIST: 8 Anime Series Worth Watching for Newcomers

8 anime perfect for newcomers to the medium

A collection of shows worth checking out for the uncertain and uninitiated.

Image: Shounen Jump

Diving into the world of anime can be daunting for those unfamiliar with foreign media in general. As platforms like Netflix and Hulu continue to develop their repertoire of anime, it isn't easy to figure out where to start.

Japan produces close to 200 anime series each year, and in a sea of content with no way to gauge quality outside of aggregate scoring and reviews hosted on dedicated websites like MyAnimeList, it's not easy to find the right show to start with. 

Here are eight anime series perfect for starting with if you simply have no clue where to begin.

8. Death Note

A classic, and rightfully so. "Death Note" tells the story of Light Yagami, a high school student who comes into possession of a mysterious notebook that's labeled "Death Note." The Death Note lists its rules for how to use it and what it's capable of. 

Upon picking up the Death Note, Light also begins to see a strange monster. The monster follows Light home, and introduces himself as Ryuk, a shinigami, or god of death. 

Light quickly becomes obsessed with writing down names in the Death Note, seeking to rid the world of criminal filth. This attracts the attention of L, a legendary British detective, who vows to hunt Light down.

"Death Note" is the perfect starting anime. It introduces the viewer to complex themes and characters almost immediately, keeping the viewer invested in the story, characters and philosophies presented by the anime. 

The cat-and-mouse game played by L and Light is unimaginably entertaining as well, and will leave viewers anxious and thrilled simultaneously. 

"Death Note" is engaging from the get-go, since the show's pacing kicks off at a breakneck speed, with the games beginning within the first three episodes. 

Available on Netflix.

7. Cowboy Bebop

"Cowboy Bebop" transcends the genre of anime. It's rare that someone will be familiar with anime and unfamiliar with "Cowboy Bebop" at the same time. Put simply, "Bebop" is a legendary collection of stories following a couple of bounty hunters in space.

Centered around Spike Spiegel and Jet Black, "Bebop" takes place all throughout the solar system. Spike and Jet work together to collect bounties put out on wanted criminals. Throughout their misadventures, they meet Faye Valentine, a woman with a mysterious past who recently awoke from cryogenic sleep, and Edward, a genius hacker who tags along for fun. 

Though the series is episodic in its presentation, there is noticeable momentum that carries through each individual episode, weaving together an intricate sequence of events that carry profound meaning in the context of the show's themes. 

Backed by an absolutely stellar soundtrack composed by Yoko Kanno, "Cowboy Bebop" is a legendary merging of traditional Japanese animation and strong Western influence. You'll fall in love with the characters and you won't be able to stop watching.

Official Funimation trailer for "Cowboy Bebop"

Available on Netflix.

6. Attack on Titan

"Attack on Titan" has a legendary reputation. Captivating audiences back in 2013 with the release of its first season, it introduced viewers to a dystopian world ravaged by the threat of massive humanoid beasts whose solitary goal seemed to be devouring the denizens the world.

Though it was all flash and no substance back when it first released, four additional seasons have since been released, covering more of the source material. 

It's exciting, it's horrifying and it's even heartbreaking at times. "Attack on Titan" understands the core fundamentals of storytelling in such a deep way, and it tells a compelling tale spanning several years within the world. 

Available on Netflix and Hulu.

5. My Hero Academia

Image: Funimation

Exceedingly popular since it's initial release in 2016, "My Hero Academia" is essentially Marvel meets anime. People are occasionally born with abilities known as "quirks." Quirks are basically superpowers, though not all of these quirks are created equal, with some being borderline useless.

"My Hero Academia" focuses on the story of a young hero enthusiast named Izuku Midoriya and his unflinching desire to become a superhero. Despite not being born with a quirk, Izuku still fawns over the superhero culture, hoping to join their ranks one day.

"My Hero Academia" is the very essence of dumb fun. The characters can have deep arcs, but the show often focuses more on creating hype and spectacle rather than innovating new ways to tell a story. Lack of innovation aside, the plot for this show is incredibly grabbing. Off the bat, the viewer is exposed to immediate action and plot development, leaving them wanting more.

It's easy to binge, and a ton of fun to watch. Definitely check this show out if you enjoy comic books or other super hero TV shows and movies!

Available on Hulu.

4. A Silent Voice

Unlike the other entries on this list, "A Silent Voice" is a movie. Released in 2016 by Kyoto Animation, "A Silent Voice" is a heartwarming story about a deaf girl named Shoko Nishimiya. Shoko first meets the other main character, Shoya Ishida, in grade school. Shoya and Shoko did not get along, resulting in Shoya often bullying Shoko for attention from his friends.

Eventually the bullying progresses to a point where Shoko is forced to transfer schools. After a brutal barrage of insults from his teachers and classmates, Shoya becomes ostracized from his peers. Carrying the burden of regret with him, Shoya only has one goal he wants to accomplish before the end of his life: apologizing to Shoko.

"A Silent Voice" is not only a gorgeous film with an equally beautiful tale of romance and redemption, but also a relatively quick watch, with the final runtime for the film clocking in at a mere 130 minutes.

Official trailer for "A Silent Voice"

Available on Netflix.

3. One Punch Man

"One Punch Man" is as simple as the title suggests. Saitama, a wannabe superhero, trains for a year straight, sticking to an intense exercise regiment and diet, in hopes of being able to achieve his dreams of being a superhero.

Saitama's wish comes true, but in a monkey's paw sort of way. Saitama has the strength to literally defeat anything in one punch, speed that is unmatched by any and all rivals, and complete invulnerability to most attacks. The problem? He's bored. No enemy poses a threat to him, and fights are over before they begin.

"One Punch Man" goes on to follow Saitama as he joins the Hero Association and meets other heroes, both strong and weak. 

The animation is great, the voice acting is fitting, and the pacing of this show makes it easy to binge in a day or two. It's chock full of comedy, cool moments, and great characters.

Season 1 is available on Netflix.

2. Erased

"Erased" doesn't get enough love, and it's a perfect show to start at any time. Satoru Fujinuma lives an average life. Working at a pizza shop and writing manga on the side, Satoru has more or less accepted his place in the world.

However, every so often, Satoru will be given the opportunity to go back in time a couple minutes, in order to alter the past and prevent something major. This is what guides the plot and creates the conflict in the story. No spoilers, but the first episode will have you hooked!

The animation isn't anything remarkable, but the voice acting sells the performances of the cast, adding a quality that makes them feel believable. 

Available on Netflix.

1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Image: HBO

The highest rated anime on MyAnimeList and an undisputed hit. "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" follows the Elric brothers, two alchemists haunted by the past, on their quest to regain the body parts they lost in a horrific experiment.

On their journey, they discover the horrific underbelly of the alchemy world, coming face-to-face with homunculi, which are humans created through alchemy. 

"Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" is an odyssey to say the least, as its story spans a whopping 64 episodes. But the journey is so enthralling that it'll be over in an instant, and you'll be left wanting more.

FMA:B has some of the most fluid and clean fights you'll ever see in an anime, and the plot build up to each fight will leave you breathless. 

Trailer for "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood"

Available on Netflix.

BREAKING: 'Golden Kamuy' renewed for a fourth season

'Golden Kamuy' fourth season announced in a special event

Hinna, hinna...

Teaser visual for the upcoming season of "Golden Kamuy"

During a special event presented by the TV staff for the anime, a new season of "Golden Kamuy" was announced. Alongside the announcement, a new promo and visual was released.

The event also revealed that Brain's Base would be taking over production. Geno Studio was in charge of the previous three seasons, that ran from Spring 2018 to Fall 2020. Coinciding with the change in studio, a new staff list was released for the next season.

Chief Director: Seiki Sugawara

Series Composition: Noboru Takagi

Character Design: Takumi Yamakawa

"Golden Kamuy" is an adaptation of the manga created by Satoru Noda, a historical adventure story centered around the adventures of Saichi Sugimoto and Asirpa, on a journey to find a huge fortune of gold left by the Ainu people. The manga is releasing its 24th volume on Dec. 21, and has a cumulative 17 million copies in circulation.

Golden Kamuy Season 4 preview.

via MyAnimeList

Is Saitama the Strongest Anime Character?

One Punch Man is the strongest anime character

No, seriously. Don't even try to suggest another person that could beat him.

For decades, comic book fans and anime fans have been at odds in a seemingly never-ending argument that rarely seems to develop. The argument? Who would win, Goku or Superman?

These debates have been taking place over the internet practically since the birth of the forum, and the discussion never seems to go anywhere. Both sides are far too entrenched in their own views, which results in a self-perpetuating deadlock that will never move as long as people remain stubborn.

But ever since the debut of a Japanese webcomic known as "One Punch Man," a new argument has sparked debates across the internet. Can Saitama beat Goku in a fight?

As the title suggests, "One Punch Man" is about a wannabe superhero named Saitama. Saitama spent a year training relentlessly to become a hero, sticking to a relatively tame exercise regiment and diet. One his training was finished, he became One Punch Man.

To Saitama's detriment, his ability doesn't come with many caveats. He can quite literally punch something once and utterly obliterate it. Coupled with speed that rivals even Goku and indestructability, Saitama has few rivals in his universe. 

He struggles more with bureaucracy and gaining recognition for his abilities and achievements, which other superheroes in his city have taken credit for on more than one occasion.

With all of this in mind, what's the debate? Is a debate even necessary? No, and here's why.

First and foremost, "One Punch Man" is a gag comic. ONE, the creator of "One Punch Man" hasn't explicitly stated as such, but regards his works as gag comics by his own admission. In an interview with web magazine Tokyo Reimei Note, ONE states the following:

"I had decided I wanted to be a gag manga artist from the time I was in grade school.  I was a fan of 'Crayon Shin-chan,' and at the time I wanted to draw that sort of manga.  For me it wasn’t a case of simply trying to be a manga artist and testing the waters to see if it was worth a shot."

 So "One Punch Man" is a gag comic. What does that even mean in the context of the argument? For starters, there's a strong implication that the events and abilities of the characters in the manga are exaggerated to high degree in order to make them jokes essentially.

Saitama isn't an exception to these rules. As the titular One Punch Man, he does exactly what his name implies; he punches things, and they die. 

These are the rules of "One Punch Man." There isn't much room for interpretation because the rules are completely surface level, lacking both nuance and depth. But this is what makes Saitama such a compelling character for analysis. Anime is home of some of the strongest characters in fiction, and some of the most loyal fans as well.

So then, which characters could Saitama defeat?

I've scoured the internet for articles that seek to defame Saitama's reputation as the strongest hero, not like he has much of a reputation to begin with, and plan to break down the arguments utilized to justify any weakness they see in him.

First, here's a list by Blerds Online, where they list seven characters that can beat Saitama. For the sake of brevity, I'll be focusing primarily on the characters that Saitama would undeniably destroy.

Contender #1: Goku

Of course, we have to talk about Goku. Goku is the go-to strongest anime character, given DBZ's tendency to create characters with power surpassing anything even remotely rooted in reality.

The argument in favor of Goku goes like this:

"Man, I don't even like Goku like that. But c'mon. I'm not even sure Saitama can beat Frieza if we're being honest. He stands a chance against Gohan, but Goku. 

Have you seen the list of people Goku has beaten? The number of people who actually destroyed planets that Goku beat? Meanwhile Saitama is having problems punching the armor off people. Saitama can't even get to fights on time. Did he think the cape let Superman fly? He probably thinks wearing orange makes Goku go Super Saiyan."

Not much of an argument at all. Nowhere do they compare their abilities to try and reason who could win in a fight, just a lot of shade being thrown at Saitama.

Sure, Goku has beaten things that have destroyed planets. Good for him. But, Saitama has too. Literally in the first season of the "One Punch Man" anime, we meet Boros, an alien invader with goals paralleling Saitama's. He simply wants a fight that gets him excited.

It's not a surprise at all, but Saitama absolutely wipes the floor with Boros. He kills him so quickly that the other heroes called to the scene don't even get to see him do it. I couldn't find anything about Boros actually destroying a planet, but it's stated that Boros' ability, Collapsing Star Roaring Cannon, would have destroyed the surface of Earth, and potentially the entire planet, had it actually landed. 

I'm sure Goku could give Saitama an exciting battle, but I doubt that he could actually deal the final blow. For goodness' sake, Saitama was literally knocked into the moon at light speed from the surface of Earth and got up unscathed and unbothered. 

Contender #2: Luffy D. Monkey

C'mon, don't make me laugh. This is a serious debate that needs to be taken seriously!

Sarcasm aside, arguments in support of Luffy are as follows:

"According to Oda, punches and kicks don't actually hurt him. It's piercing and slashing attacks. The only reason he gets tired after fights with opponents who punch and kick is because it wears down his stamina. 

Gonna take a whole lot of punches to take him out. Might want to knock him through some buildings or something to wear him down a little quicker. Maybe get creative and stab or slice him...if he isn't too fast for Saitama."

Completely ignoring Saitama's gimmick, the author asserts that Luffy could simply absorb the punches.

A hilarious thought, but even if Luffy has never been damaged or injured from a punch in "One Piece," I find it tough to believe that there are any characters throwing punches at the speed of light, something Saitama is capable of.

When dueling Boros, Saitama is able to land his signature "Consecutive Normal Punches" on Boros, who was moving close to, or at the speed of light. Even ignoring the force that comes loaded in a normal Saitama punch, I refuse to believe that Luffy could withstand a barrage of punches traveling at the speed of light.

Not to mention that Saitama's stamina is unparalleled, and Luffy simply would never be able to keep up reasonably. Saitama could basically just stand still for the entire fight and let Luffy wear himself out before taking any real damage.

Moving on, here's a list from CBR. Some contenders are repeated, so let's just tackle the newcomers.

Contender #3: Light Yagami

Another entry that people seem to actually believe would stand a chance. Here's what CBR has to say about Light's odds in a fight against Saitama:

"Sometimes the best battle fought is one that isn’t fought at all. Light Yagami’s Death Note is the ultimate weapon he has with him. Basically, all he has to do is lift his fingers, jot down Saitama’s name, and Saitama would be dead. 

Sure, Saitama can chase Light down the streets in typical shounen style, but Light is way too smart and cunning to let a simpleton like Saitama catch him so easily."

Yes, the infamous Death Note could kill Saitama. But that's a huge could. Would it kill Saitama? Not a chance, here's why.

For starters, Saitama's full name hasn't even been revealed, which is a requirement for activating the Death Note in the first place. Saitama could be his real and full name, but I find this to be incredibly unlikely. 

Furthermore, Saitama is barely taken seriously in his universe, to a point where most people simply refer to him as "Caped Baldy," meaning most people who have seen him don't even know the name "Saitama."

Light's victory would be contingent on actually procuring the name Saitama from somewhere, as well as hoping that Saitama is his only name. 

As for the second argument, a chase between Light and Saitama wouldn't be a chase at all. Saitama can literally propel himself at the speed of light, the measurement of distance, not the speed at which Light Yagami would be running at. So in that regard, Saitama would catch and dispose of Light Yagami before he could even consider the idea of running away.

Contender #4: Katara

I'd never even heard of a Katara vs. Saitama debate prior to writing this, so I'm fascinated that someone even thought about this at all. Upon further research, and out of all the people in this list, Katara stands the best chance so far. But it's not enough sadly. CBR writes:

"Most fans would be on the fence about Katara defeating Saitama. She’s the best waterbender on earth, but what would happen if Saitama got too close to her? 

The answer is simple – she can use her bloodbending ability.

Bloodbending is a forbidden technique that should never be used since it is considered to be a sin. But in a battle where Katara is fighting for her life, everything is fair game. She would kill Saitama in an instant without getting anywhere near him."

An interesting gambit. Bloodbending has the power to halt an opponent by taking control of the water in their blood. This carries a plethora of horrifying implications, since controlling someone's blood remotely is just a spine-tingling hypothetical.

But is it enough to take down Saitama? I seriously doubt it. Bloodbending, like other forms of bending, requires the bender to perform a series of movements in exchange for the ability to control another person's blood. 

As mentioned earlier, Saitama is ludicrously swift. Since Katara is basically human, the actual fight would be over before it began, like most of the fights in this list. 

However, I like the implication of using bloodbending on Saitama. Something the article fails to even mention is that Katara could take control of Saitama's muscles, in order to make him punch himself, which should, destroy him instantly. Whether or not this would actually happen is up for debate, but it's interesting food for thought.

There are countless other contenders for Saitama to theoretically spar with, but he would simply pummel most of them into submission. But what about characters that actually pose a threat to Saitama? Do any exist? If so, who are they?

Serious Contender #1: Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Definitely an interesting challenger. See, Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, or STTGL for short, is currently believed to be the largest object created in any work of fiction to date. 

Constructed of Spiral Energy, a fictional resource that essentially just boils down to the power of believing, with an entire mech sitting at the top of the head, STTGL is absolutely massive. According to estimates in the guidebook and data from the show, STTGL's size is debatable, with ranges listed from 350 billion light years tall, all the way to 10.5 trillion light years tall.

Most of STTGL's body is Spiral Energy, making it essentially untouchable, since it is an energy form, and not a tangible object. Though Spiral Energy can materialize, the energy forming the body of STTGL is just energy, being held together presumably by gravity.

So, could Saitama ever even land a punch on STTGL? He's about as fast as the speed of light, and by all calculations, he simply would never make it to the top of STTGL unless he was immortal, immune to the long term effects of space, didn't need to eat, didn't need to sleep and didn't need to breathe.

Traveling at the speed of light, you would be able to cover one light year in the time span of one real year. Assuming even STTGL's shortest height measurement, it would take Saitama 25 times the amount of time that has passed since the beginning of the observable universe to reach the head, a whopping 350 billion years.

Granted, there is one other way Saitama could destroy STTGL. Simply by using the power of gag rules. If you write that your character can do something, then they can do it. All it would take to destroy STTGL would be a rule that allows Saitama to punch energy forms as if they were physical. 

But then we could get into a whole argument about how STTGL is on-par with and essentially the god of the universe it resides in, and well, that just isn't fun.

Serious Contender #2: Saiki Kusuo

It's not really fair to discuss the possibilities of a gag character vs. gag character fight. Their similarities in regards to the scale of their power would force just about every fight to result in a deadlock.

But Saiki K. stands a chance.

Despite being a gag character, Saitama's abilities are limited to what exists in the manga. While this gives Saitama a ton of leeway to completely crush most who would oppose him, Saiki isn't held back by such restrictions. 

Both Saitama and Saiki have an extensive list of abilities, but Saiki's are a bit more broad and can influence the state of the universe. Put simply, Saiki's abilities aren't limited to physical enhancement, which the bulk of Saitama's power seems to be.

Just by taking a glance at Saiki's extensive list of abilities, it's pretty easy to tell how many advantages he has over Saitama. Telepathy would give Saiki the jump on what Saitama is thinking, boundless teleportation grants Saiki speed that rivals Saitama's, and Saiki possesses a ridiculous amount of abilities that would succeed in subduing Saitama as a threat.

Not to mention, Saiki literally has the ability to change human genetics, rules of nature, and the status quo, as he literally mass brainwashes everyone on the planet into thinking that his hair color is natural and not worth questioning.

Saiki could quite literally beat Saitama without being conscious of it, as he has lost control of his powers during his sleep in the past.

There are tons of characters in anime that simply cannot stand a chance against Saitama, and a few that actually can. Despite being a gag character, Saitama has limitations, which makes it incredibly entertaining to debate whether or not a given character could put up a fight against him.

NEWS: Chainsaw Man Leaks Reveal New Details Regarding the Upcoming Anime and Manga

'Chainsaw Man' anime and manga information leaked ahead of planned announcement

Reputable sources leaked cast lists and anime details pertaining to the upcoming anime adaptation

The 'Chainsaw Man' anime is rumored to release sometime in 2022.

Though the "Chainsaw Man" anime has been in development for about a year, news regarding the anime has been kept secret for the most part. Aside from a staff list that released alongside the teaser for the anime back in June, not much is known about the anime, with the notable absence of a cast list and release date.

Official preview for the upcoming 'Chainsaw Man' anime.

On Nov. 22, a Twitter user named @fumihitokun posted a series of tweets regarding information about the "Chainsaw Man" anime. The tweets contained a cast list, details about the animation quality, a new preview and key visual being present at the upcoming Jump Festa 2022, an event that takes place on the weekend of Dec. 18.

Fumihitokun's tweets coincide with announcements from earlier this month regarding an appearance by the "Chainsaw Man" staff at this year's Jump Festa 2022 event. 

The cast list released by Fumihitokun is as follows:

Denji: Nobuhiko Okamoto (Bakugo, 'My Hero Academia')

Power: Sumire Uesaka (Nagatoro, 'Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro')

Aki: Takahiro Sakurai (Rohan Kishibe, 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4')

Makima: Youko Hikasa (Rias Gremory, 'Highschool DxD')

Himeno: Kana Hanazawa (Mitsuri, 'Demon Slayer')

Kobeni: Yumi Uchiyama (Rudeus, 'Jobless Reincarnation')

Pochita: Ikue Otani (Pikachu, 'Pokemon)

Katana Man: Takaya Kuroda (Kazuma Kiryu, 'Yakuza' series)

Hirokazu Arai: Yoshimasa Hosoya (Reiner Braun, 'Attack on Titan')

'Chainsaw Man' characters in order of popularity based on a Japanese popularity poll

Another tweet posted by @WSJ_manga, an unofficial account dedicated to translating official news directly from Weekly Shounen Jump, posted a tweet confirming a release window for the "Chainsaw Man" anime. 

Both Chainsaw Man Part 2 & the anime adaptation of Chainsaw Man are scheduled for a 2022 release

— Shonen Jump News - Unofficial (@WSJ_manga) December 3, 2021

The tweet also confirms a release window for the continuation of the "Chainsaw Man" manga, aptly dubbed "Chainsaw Man Part 2" currently. 

"Chainsaw Man" is a manga about a 16-year old boy named Denji and his experience living as the Chainsaw Fiend, a devil-human hybrid that allows him to grow a chainsaw from his head and arms. In his journey to find meaning in his life, he meets Power, Aki and Makima, members of the Public Safety Squad, who task him with killing devils that threaten the safety of the public.

"Chainsaw Man" will be on the Jump Festa Super Stage EX on Dec. 18 at 6:45 PM JST.

REVIEW: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Stone Ocean

Stone Ocean Part 1 is a promising start to a highly anticipated entry in the franchise

After a seemingly never-ending wait, the next part of JoJo is finally here

Stone Ocean's first twelve episodes released on December 1st exclusively on Netflix.

Three years have passed since the release of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind" and fans were getting noticeably antsy for more of the legendary shounen saga created by Hirohiko Araki. 

Fast forward a few months, and we finally have brand new episodes to binge. Though the production has shifted a bit in terms of the staff overseeing it, as the franchise seems to have made its new home on Netflix, David Production, the studio behind the past seasons of the anime, has stayed the same.

Jolyne's stand, Stone Free.

Covering a brand new part in the series, Stone Ocean focuses on Jolyne Cujoh, the daughter of Jotaro Kujo who starred in his own anime back in 2015. 

Stone Ocean kicks off to an immediately engaging start, as she is involved in a car accident that results in a lengthy prison sentence. There, she meets other prisoners and potential allies, Ermes Costello and F.F.

Almost immediately into the first episode, Jolyne acquires her "stand," which as long term fans know, is the current power system that the JoJo series uses. 

For the uninitiated, a stand is simply a manifestation of the user's spirit. It embodies their personality and serves as their gateway into the hidden world of other stand users. 

Stone Ocean isn't too different from previous entries in the series. It's a battle anime at its core, delivering some of the most entertaining and bizarre fights in anime history, and it's nice to see that some things never change.

However, while the core storytelling components of the series remains unchanged, Stone Ocean deviates slightly, showcasing some of the most bizarre fights the franchise has seen yet. 

We've seen some truly bizarre stands before. Stands that are literal electrical pylons, stands that embed themselves in food and heal you, and even a stand that steals an enemy's stand if they lose to the user in a best of three game of rock-paper-scissors. And yet, Stone Ocean finds new ways to get even more bizarre.

Already, we've been exposed to a weird two-in-one fight, where the characters thought they were fighting one stand, but were actually being trapped by another stand, which is then revealed to actually be the first stand they were fighting, but the first stand fight actually didn't happen and was all a dream. Weird stuff.

As someone familiar with the source material, Stone Ocean has a lot more to offer in the department of oddity, but the initial glimpse viewers are given is a good metric for determining how the other fights in the part will play out.

The animation, as always with David Production, is stellar. The time between Part 5 and 6 was longer than any other waiting period between parts, but it's clear that the extra time paid off, as Part 6 looks amazing. Though I do have one gripe with the animation.

With the advent of new technology being integrated into the medium of animation, we've seen the rise of CGI in anime, a traditionally two-dimensional art form. Some anime, like "Dorohedoro" and "Lupin the Third: The First" have pulled off the look, but those works are purely CGI, with very little traditional 2D animation being integrated at all. 

However, as one might expect, CGI does not mesh well with 2D animation. Part 6 is the first part to extensively feature CGI in it, and while I believe it serves a purpose in the long term run of the show, the CGI itself is off to a rocky start. Sometimes, it works. It can mesh well with the characters and environments, and even elevates a few fights. Most of the time though, it's noticeable and off-putting.

Specifically, its presence in some of the later fights, where most of the sets and characters are 2D, is incredibly noticeable. In my experience watching these fights, I've found that the bad CGI can break immersion. Anything that makes you pause to question the production choices in the middle of a tense fight, where your undivided attention is required, isn't optimal. But I digress.

Other than some mediocre CGI implementation, Stone Ocean does little wrong. The new voice cast is incredible, and based on early interviews done for promotion of the anime, it seems that all of them are incredibly passionate about their roles, with Fairouz Ai, the voice actress for Jolyne, citing that her love for JoJo's spurred her interest in voice acting in general. In the end, her passion paid off immensely.

I'm optimistic that the series will carry momentum throughout its entire run, with promising fights later on, some amazing character development, and an unbelievably thrilling conclusion. 

Rating: 8/10