Add Blog

isaacthepainter's Blog

February 9th, 2022


Intro
There is a certain type of anime that exists that has horror and action elements, with an undercurrent of romance. Just enough to give you hope among the gore, but not enough to make it sappy (most of the time.) These are a list of my favorite anime that fit that list. Enjoy!





Noragami
My favorite anime and manga - and one of the only ones I've seen where I think the dubbed version does it justice (I mean, watch the subbed if you can!). Who doesn't love a reformed mass murder turned inept good guy + snarky sidekick + kick ass love interest? Hiyori, a high school girl, tries to save a guy that's about to get hit by a truck, only for her soul to separate from her body. From there, she enters the world of gods and monsters (no Lana) and fights to help Yato, the strayed god, find a home.





Death Parade
This might be my favorite theme song ever (sorry, Fairy Tail). Death Parade is like if Noragami somehow got really dark, but there's enough humour and styling that even the melancholy starts to feel warm. Decim is a bartender in the in-between; when people die at the same time, he decides who gets reborn (heaven) and who does not (hell). But, when a woman shows up who knows that she's dead, he begins to question everything around him.





Mahoutsukai no Yome
The Ancient Magus Bride is another amazing anime where the female lead, here me out here, has a striking amount of agency. Chise has been able to see ghosts all her life (much more violent ones than Watanuki in xxxHolic). Her dad and brother leave her and her mom, and her mom kinda loses it. Distraught and ready to end her life, Chise sells herself into slavery and is bought by Elias, a thorn mage. He makes it clear from the start, she is more than she thinks she is, and he is going to be her family. The age gap is still a little gross, but they don't really have a physical relationship - it's more about learning to love yourself. Plus, there's tons of horror and creepy side villains, plus excellent world building. The first part of the series has a really cool, haunting theme song as well.





xxxHolic
CLAMP can literally do whatever they want. Who doesn't want a bad ass spirit guide who helps them through life with vague advice while seemingly downing sake? Watanuki has been chased by spirits his whole life, and meets shopkeeper Yuko who promises to grant his wish if he works in her shop. From there, Watanuki widens his circle of friends, from the demon-repelling Doumeki to adorable udon makers and others from Japanese folklore.





Wild Card Entry: Satsuriku no Tenshi
Listen, if you're not rooting for Zack and Rachel to somehow work it out and be together forever after watching this, then we are just simply not the same. Rachel wakes up in a basement with the goal of dying. She meets a man with a scythe who promises to kill her, in exchange for getting him out of the building. But the building isn't what it seems (I'm not sure what it seemed like initially, but it's... not that) and neither are our "heroes."




Posted by isaacthepainter | Feb 9, 2022 5:35 PM | 0 comments
Intro
There is a certain type of anime that exists that has horror and action elements, with an undercurrent of romance. Just enough to give you hope among the gore, but not enough to make it sappy (most of the time.) These are a list of my favorite anime that fit that list. Enjoy!





Noragami
My favorite anime and manga - and one of the only ones I've seen where I think the dubbed version does it justice (I mean, watch the subbed if you can!). Who doesn't love a reformed mass murder turned inept good guy + snarky sidekick + kick ass love interest? Hiyori, a high school girl, tries to save a guy that's about to get hit by a truck, only for her soul to separate from her body. From there, she enters the world of gods and monsters (no Lana) and fights to help Yato, the strayed god, find a home.





Death Parade
This might be my favorite theme song ever (sorry, Fairy Tail). Death Parade is like if Noragami somehow got really dark, but there's enough humour and styling that even the melancholy starts to feel warm. Decim is a bartender in the in-between; when people die at the same time, he decides who gets reborn (heaven) and who does not (hell). But, when a woman shows up who knows that she's dead, he begins to question everything around him.





Mahoutsukai no Yome
The Ancient Magus Bride is another amazing anime where the female lead, here me out here, has a striking amount of agency. Chise has been able to see ghosts all her life (much more violent ones than Watanuki in xxxHolic). Her dad and brother leave her and her mom, and her mom kinda loses it. Distraught and ready to end her life, Chise sells herself into slavery and is bought by Elias, a thorn mage. He makes it clear from the start, she is more than she thinks she is, and he is going to be her family. The age gap is still a little gross, but they don't really have a physical relationship - it's more about learning to love yourself. Plus, there's tons of horror and creepy side villains, plus excellent world building. The first part of the series has a really cool, haunting theme song as well.





xxxHolic
CLAMP can literally do whatever they want. Who doesn't want a bad ass spirit guide who helps them through life with vague advice while seemingly downing sake? Watanuki has been chased by spirits his whole life, and meets shopkeeper Yuko who promises to grant his wish if he works in her shop. From there, Watanuki widens his circle of friends, from the demon-repelling Doumeki to adorable udon makers and others from Japanese folklore.





Wild Card Entry: Satsuriku no Tenshi
Listen, if you're not rooting for Zack and Rachel to somehow work it out and be together forever after watching this, then we are just simply not the same. Rachel wakes up in a basement with the goal of dying. She meets a man with a scythe who promises to kill her, in exchange for getting him out of the building. But the building isn't what it seems (I'm not sure what it seemed like initially, but it's... not that) and neither are our "heroes."




Posted by isaacthepainter | Feb 9, 2022 5:34 PM | 0 comments
Private Entry
Private Entry
Private Entry
Private Entry
It’s time to ditch the text file.
Keep track of your anime easily by creating your own list.
Sign Up Login