5 Amazon Anime to Consider Watching

With Crunchyroll and HIDIVE around, Amazon might not be your go-to choice to stream anime, but there’s a treasure trove of content out there that’s ripe for the watching. Although it doesn’t market itself as an anime-exclusive site like other services, Amazon Prime Video does feature some titles only available there. Let’s run through some of the best available anime on Amazon exclusive to that site.

Image via Studio Khara

Rebuild of Evangelion

The remake and reboot of Neon Genesis Evangelion reworks the settings and story with an updated look. The saga consists of four films; Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone, Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance, Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo, and Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. On Amazon Prime Video, the series is known as Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition. Evangelion 1.0 is essentially a shot-for-shot remake of episodes 1–6, Evangelion 2.0 is a loose re-imagining of episodes 8 through 19, then Evangelion 3.0 and Evangelion 3.0+1.0 break away from the continuity to tell a whole new story.

Image via MAPPA

Banana Fish

Derived from the manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Akimi Yoshida, the Banana Fish anime follows Ash Lynx. He’s a New York runaway raised by the godfather of the mafia, who becomes the boss of his own gang at age 17. In his late-teens, Ash begins investigating the mysterious “Banana Fish” — the same two words his older brother, Griffin, has muttered to himself consistently since his return from the Iraq War. Ash’s plans are interrupted when his father figure Dino sends his men after him. During the ensuing chaos of an altercation with Dino’s men, Ash’s friend Skip and their new associate Eiji are kidnapped, forcing Ash to rescue his companions while seeking to uncover the secrets of “Banana Fish.”

Image via Tezuka Productions and MAPPA

Dororo

Acting as a re-adaptation of the original 1969 series, which was itself based on the manga by Osamu Tezuka, Dororo departs from the source meterial in many ways. However, it still keeps key events consistent with the manga. It follows a young ronin named Hyakkimaru who is accompanied by a young child named Dororo and face multiple demons in Sengoku-era Japan. As Hyakkimaru and Dororo venture across the samurai lord Daigo Kagemitsu’s land, they encounter numerous demons who took Dororo as sacrifice. With the death of each one, Dororo regains a part of himself.

Image via Zero-G

Grand Blue Dreaming

Grand Blue Dreaming, known simply as Grand Blue, focuses on Iori Kitahara. He’s a student who moves to the coastal town of Izu for his freshman year and lives in the residence above Grand Blue, his uncle’s scuba diving shop. When interacting with the carefree alcoholics that frequent the Diving Club, Izu finds himself longing for an ideal college experience. Eventually, he’s persuaded by upperclassmen Shinji Tokita and Ryuujirou Kotobuki to join their bizarre party. Based on Kenji Inoue and Kimitake Yoshioka’s popular comedy manga, Grand Blue follows Izu’s exploits with his reluctant new friends as he attempts to balance his studies with learning how to scuba dive.

Image via A-1 Pictures

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku

Narumi Momose finds herself running late for her first day at a new office. As she catches the late train, she makes an internal promise to herself that her co-workers will never find out about her dark secret. She’s an otaku and a fujoshi. Her cover is blown when she runs into an old friend from middle school named Hirotaka Nifuji, but luckily the only two witnesses are otaku themselves. After communicating to Hirotaka over drinks that her last boyfriend devastated her as he refused to date an otaku, Hirotaka suggests she try dating a fellow otaku instead, meaning himself. And thus, the pair begin dating and their awkward romance blossoms.