Well, somehow I managed to make it to the end of October having put up a post each day about some of my favorite obscure, and less-obscure spooky, supernatural anime. Having gone back to work after having a baby, I consider that quite a feat (especially since I have maybe 2.5 or 3 hours of semi-useful awake time after I get home from work to cram in everything I need to do, including chores and what-not). Today, since it’s now everyone’s favorite spooky Autumn holiday, I thought I’d take it easy and throw out some recommendations for a few series that are more popular and easier to find. I want to throw folks a bone who don’t want to deal with gray-area media legality. I hope everyone has enjoyed this spooky season series, and if you know of a particular spooky series I didn’t cover, feel free to throw the title into the comments. I might do something like this again next year!
Natsume’s Book of Friends – The quintessential cozy supernatural series, this anime tells the story of a teenage boy named Takashi who can see yokai. For many years he’s been bullied for being weird because of it, but now adopted by loving relatives and living in a quiet, rural town, Takashi has finally found a place to be. When he inherits an artifact called the “book of friends” from his late grandmother’s belongings, he learns that it is filled with the names of various yokai that she defeated in battle. He decides to find these yokai and return their names to them one-by-one, much to the chagrin of certain individuals who would rather hold that power for themselves.
This is one of my favorite anime, and with six seasons (and a seventh recently announced) and a few OVAs and a movie, there’s plenty of it to last for a while.
Natsume’s Book of Friends is available to watch on Crunchyroll. Note: a couple of the seasons are listed in the Crunchyroll catalog separately, so you might have to search for them.
Chainsaw Man – This series probably needs no introduction for most. I avoided watching it for a while because the fandom passion surrounding it was getting too intense for me, but I’m glad I revisited it after the fact, as it’s a truly unique series.
For the two of you out there who aren’t familiar with it, the series stars Denji, a teenager who ekes out a living fighting demons. When he’s mortally wounded, he joins with his devil dog Pochita which allows him to survive. This allows Denji to transform into an entity that battles using chainsaw blades that are produced from within his body. Denji joins with the Public Safety Devil Hunters, which defends Japan and its interests from devils that threaten the public.
The story is often darkly funny; while Denji’s perverted antics would be more annoying in a lesser series, his goal to someday touch boobs reads as very earnest. I also like that plot developments feel consequential and that there is a true sense of danger surrounding the characters that I feel gets neutered in most popular anime series.
Chainsaw Man is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
Flying Witch – Not all witches are scary, and that’s obvious in this chill series that follows a teenage witch-in-training and her rural adventures with her relatives. Makoto is considered an adult in the witching world, but elects to continue her training in Aomori, which is much more chill than her home in Yokohama. There she leads a quiet life with her cousins Kei and Chinatsu. Chinatsu is fascinated by all of the witchy stuff and decides (after flying on a broom and witnessing other “interesting” things) that she’d also like to become a witch.
The series is focused more on natural magic, benign supernatural creatures, and the cute and humorous antics of its characters. Chinatsu often steals the show with her guileless and funny nature. It’s a pleasant iyashikei (“healing”) series that’s likely to leave you with the warm fuzzies.
Flying Witch is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
Mob Psycho 100 – Last, but not least for this round is a series that ought to need no introduction, and one anime that taught me the range of emotional depth that shounen anime can have when it tries. Mob Psycho 100 stars Shigeo, a teenage boy who has telekinetic powers, and who works for Reigen, a self-proclaimed exorcist and actual grifter. Shigeo helps out on Reigen’s odd jobs, while also working to build confidence in himself (he has the nickname “Mob” because he tends to fade into the background). Shigeo encounters other people with similar abilities and usually after some form of conflict with them is able to get them to see the error of their ways. He also doesn’t like to get too intensely worked-up, because his power is such that, should he be pushed to his limits, he might black out and commit the kind of violence that goes against his nature.
This is another of my favorite series, both for its incredible animation and for its heart. Definitely more on the “supernatural” side than the scary one.
Mob Psycho 100 is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
And that’s what I’ve got, folks. It’s been a fun and spooky month! Thanks for letting me reminisce about a lot of anime that I like. Hopefully it’s helped you find something new and interesting to watch. And again, if you’ve got a favorite seasonal anime to recommend, feel free to comment below.
One reply on “It’s Spooky Season! – Day 31: Some You Already Probably Know”
Fitting the theme of somewhat unsettling shows, this season’s Migi and Dali seems like a show that could be in a future version of this. I’m also particularly enjoying Frieren and Apothecary Diaries. If you ever find yourself with an abundance of time, there are a bunch of others too, but those are my big favorites this go around.
Thanks for doing all of these, it’s been such an enjoyable read.