5th May 2022 || 1035 words || Source
Anime is a style of cartoon animation that originates from Japan. Over the last few decades, anime has become increasingly popular all over the world, especially in dominantly English-speaking countries such as the US and UK.
Though a lot of hardcore anime lovers prefer to watch the original audio with subtitles, it is much more common now to find English Dubbed versions of many of the anime series, making them more accessible to these countries.
In this article, we will be having a look at some of the most popular anime that have been loved and watched by viewers in the UK.
Attack On Titan
The story follows a group of people who are living in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity lives under siege by giant monsters called Titans. The main character Eren Jaeger is one of those survivors and he joins an elite military unit known as the Survey Corps.
Together they fight against the Titans and try to survive. As the series goes on, Eren and his friends learn that not everything is what it seems, and there is more to the Titans and what lies beyond the walls than they originally believed.
Attack on Titan was first released in 2013, but the story has just begun to wrap up. Part 4 of the Final Season has yet to be aired, and fans of AOT can't get enough of this anime.
One Piece
One Piece follows the story of Monkey D Luffy, a boy with a body made of rubber, who sets out to become the Pirate King. Along the way, he meets various characters including Shanks, Nami, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Franky, Brook, Nico Robin, and Ace. Monkey joins forces with these characters to find the mystical treasure known as the "One Piece", and become King of the Pirates.
One Piece has been running since 1999 and is still going strong. Very recently, it hit the 1000-episode mark, which is no small feat for any anime!
Death Note
This show was created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Death Note follows Light Yagami, a student who finds a notebook with which he can kill anyone whose name he writes down. Under the alias of "KIRA", he then uses it to rid the world of anyone he deems to be a criminal. But when his actions start to get out of hand, the police begin to investigate him, headed by the genius detective who goes by the name of L.
Death Note is an elaborate game of cat and mouse, with Light and L constantly trying to one-up each other, leaving you on the edge of your seat as you wonder who is going to come out on top. Even though this series was released in 2006, it is still regarded as one of the most popular anime of all time.
Seven Deadly Sins
This anime was based on the manga written by Kyohei Horikoshi. In the story, seven deadly sins are trapped inside a tower and must work together to escape. Each sin represents a different personality type, and their personalities clash quite often. This anime is very similar to One Piece because both shows follow the same basic plotline.
It was released in 2012 and has received positive reviews from fans and critics alike. When it was added to Netflix, it gave more people in the UK access to it, which increased its popularity.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is based on the manga by Hiromu Arakawa. This anime adaptation focuses on two brothers obsessed with alchemy, named Edward and Alphonse Elric who lose parts of their bodies (in Al's case, he loses his whole body) during a failed attempt at bringing their mother back to life. They use alchemy to restore their bodies but also need to find someone who possesses the power of the fabled "Philosopher's Stone".
Set in Amestris in a pre-World War I era, the world of FMA is incredibly intricate, rich in world-building, unique characters, and storylines. It's no wonder this anime has been one of the most popular animes watched by not just people in the UK, but all over the world for so long. It is slightly older now, being released in 2009, but it still holds up well with viewers today.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba
Based on the manga Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Sha by Kentaro Miura, Demon Slayer follows the story of the protagonist Tanijiro Kamado, who returns home to his village to discover his entire family has been slaughtered by demons. The only survivor of this attack is his sister, Nezuko, but she is now transforming into a demon herself.
Determined to avenge his family and save his sister, Tanjirio joins the Demon Slayer Corps in hopes that they can help him fulfill his goals and cure his Nezuko.
The anime was first aired in Japan in 2013 and gained a lot of attention due to how dark the storyline was. Fans were shocked when they found out about the gruesome deaths of many characters throughout the series. Although some may have thought that this would deter them from watching the anime, it actually made it even better!
Conclusion
Anime has been popular in the UK for many years now and with Netflix making a lot of these series more accessible on their platform, people who never even considered watching anime before have become just as obsessed as the veteran watchers.
Anime covers many different genres, usually crossing them over. Fullmetal Alchemist blends fantasy with historical, Death Note blends Horror with Crime and One Piece blends Comedy with Adventure!
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