10 Best Anime on HBO Max to Watch

Credit: ghibli
By Madalena DaleziouWriter

Credit: ghibli

Anime might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of HBO Max – the best American movies and series are more on brand – but this is not to say that the popular streaming platform doesn't have its fair share of good anime! We browsed the anime library of HBO Max for you and gleaned some of their best anime titles to watch:

1)Spirited Away (2001)

Spirited Away is considered by many to be one of the greatest anime films of all time. Hayao Miyazaki's 2001 film truly marked the beginning of the 21st century with its amazing animation and important, enduring themes.

When 10-year-old Chihiro and her parents, who are moving house, find themselves in an abandoned amusement park, things take a sinister turn for them; the parents are turned into pigs and Chihiro ends up alone and afraid. To save them, she finds employment in a bathhouse for demons, but she must act quickly, as her family's lives and her very identity are threatened.

The movie is a powerful comment on the Japanese identity, materialism, and colonialism, but it's also incredibly fun if a bit disturbing to watch.

2)My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

In a quite different vein from Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro is still one of Miyazaki's most beautiful works, that can be enjoyed by both adults and children; sisters Mei and Satsuki, and their father, move house to be closer to their ill mother who is in the hospital.

The girls soon find out that they are able to see things adults do not, with Totoro, a cute, giant spirit being the most prominent. This is a film that will make you laugh and cry both – I can hardly think of a more heartwarming anime.

To be honest, this list could be about Ghibli anime-only – but you can check that out for yourself as most of them are on HBO max.

3)Your Lie in April (2014)

Your Lie in April is another one that will likely make you cry. The A-1 Pictures anime follows a young boy, Kosei Arima; he's a budding pianist, but when his mother dies, he can no longer participate in music-related activities.

This all changes when he meets a young violinist, Kaori, who inspires him to return to the world of music once more.

4)Bungo Stray Dogs (2016)

While trying to fend for himself, Atsushi saves a man, Osamu Dazai, from drowning. Dazai reveals he had been investigated the mystical tiger too and joins Dazai and his mysterious co-workers in their explorations.

The most unique thing about the anime, is that most characters are based on important figures from Japanese literature – who knows? It might even inspire you to read their stories.

5)Hunter x Hunter (2011-14)

One of the most beloved shonen anime out there couldn't be missing from the library of HBO Max. Set in a world where hunters are expected to perform dangerous tasks, such as capturing criminals and finding treasures, the main character Gon resolves to be a great Hunter so that he can find his missing father.

Along the way, he meets friends, each with their own goals, and together they resolve to pass the Hunter Exam, which will mark them as true Hunters.

6)Berserk (1997)

Based on a beloved, unfinished manga by the late Kentaro Miura, Berserk is an anime you can't miss if you love dark fantasy. Guts, a mercenary who has always led a harsh life, joining the mercenary group "Band of the Hawkes," led by the ambitious and charismatic Griffith.

This choice is to change his life forever, as Guts' attempts to forge his own path in life while enabling another's ambition is bound to end in tragedy.

7)Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)

Before being dethroned by Fruits Basket Season 3 – for now – Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was number 1 on MyAnimeList. It's only to be expected then that as many platforms as possible would want to acquire it.

The story of Edward and Alfonse Elric, who lose an arm and a leg, and an entire body respectively, in a failed alchemical attempt to resurrect their dead mother, is one that has a little bit of everything; drama, fun, tears, adventure, and even the threat of an apocalypse.

While it takes ten or so episodes to persuade you it's unlike any other shonen, it's absolutely worth watching.

8)Erased (2016)

Erased is a lovely 12-episode supernatural anime by studio A-1 Pictures, which never fails to create stellar works.

A mangaka in his late twenties is given the opportunity to erase the past, going back in time by a few minutes in order to prevent a tragic accident. But when he's mistakenly accused of murder, he goes back in time once more, this time 18 years back, and finds that the murder might be related to the death of one of his classmates back then. Will he manage to erase the past and make things right?

9) 91 Days (2016)

If you love early 20th-century historical settings you might love 91 Days. Set in America during the prohibition era, it follows Angelo Lagusa, a young man who seeks to avenge the death of his family at the hands of the Vanetti, a family involved in the mafia.

7 years after the tragedy, Angelo goes under a different name and tries to befriend a son of the Vanetti family to achieve his goal.

10) Death Note (2006)

For non-anime fans, Death Note is often the one anime they will watch. Whether amoral protagonists, detectives, and mind games are your cup of tea, this is the one show you should try watching at least once.

The anime tells the story of Light Yagami, a genius student who comes across a notebook that will kill anyone whose name is written in it. Amazed by this newfound power, the young man decides to purge the world from evil and become the god of the new world, descending further and further into villainy in the process, all while L, a genius detective is trying to stop him.

Whether you love Death Note or not, it's definitely one of the most intelligent anime works out there.

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