Anime to watch for the soundtracks… and other reasons you’re undateable

I write this article (with my Charmander mug in hand) shortly after a friend sent me a TikTok of a group of women being asked “Which hobby makes a guy undateable?” 

They look around for a second and utter — Pokémon — with resounding certainty. Cut to a 32-year-old creator who goes by “BMSOMEGA” on Twitch ducktaping his eyes and reciting ALL 1025 Pokémon from the official Pokédex — you guessed it — by fucking memory. 

Color me so impressed that it led me to you, writing an article about two of my personal obsessions. The first potentially began in 1998 after a kid swam up to me in a Disney World Resort pool — “Hey, kid… want to see my Charizard?” he blurted inches from my face after surfacing. As a fellow 9-year-old at the time (not that kind of story, folks) who had no idea what a Charizard was… I did some digging. Fast-forward 26 years and here I am, a full-fledged 30-somethings man with the same interests, still digging, still just as enthused when I see a Japanese creature racing across my screen to the tune of the newest heavy metal band I haven’t heard of. All because a kid spit in my face in a pool. Thanks, kid. 

Point being — I’ve done the digging for all you nerds (I say this lovingly) so you don’t have to leave your oversized Love Sac (Not sponsored) unless your mum calls you upstairs for dinner. Here is my list of the top 4 animes to watch right now if you’re also into my second obsession — tunes. 

1. Samurai Champloo

I don’t think anyone would argue with me if I called Shinichira Watanabe’s masterpiece out for the obvious lo-fi waves it’s created throughout the anime world in terms of backing-tracks. Some call it lo-fi Hip-Hop — I prefer to refer to it as Chill-Hop, you pick. The show follows Fuu, a waitress, an outlaw Mugen and a ronin, Jin for whom Fuu saves from execution. She then takes them on a journey to find a sunflower-scented Samurai — you’ll get the joke once you watch. It’s worth it for the vibes alone. You can catch it on Hulu. 

2. Kids on the Slope

If you’re into jazz, the 1960s, cartoons and subtitles — I’m sorry you were bullied in high school AND boy do I have a show for you…

I’m not sure how much more I should say, but — same creator as Samurai Champloo, Watanabe does it again with a coming of age story about a boy in a brand new town creating a new persona for himself through music. It’s set in 1966 and has some fabulous references to Jazz greats. Watch it on Crunchyroll.

3. Naruto

I simply couldn’t make a list without featuring everyone’s favorite as of late. For those who don’t know or are not familiar, how’s that rock felt that you’ve been under for the past 10 years? Ever see someone walking around with little red clouds all over their outfits? Now, you’ll have something to converse with them about. Those little red clouds are symbols of the rain of blood that poured during the wars in Amegakure. Now you know. Also, if you’re into coming of age ninja stories with flute tracks that’ll bring you to your knees, you’re oddly specific and — this one is for you. Stream it on Netflix.

4. Demon Slayer

No list would be complete without an ode to this show. Demon Slayer is basically a crash course in how to create a score that reflects the scene with pin-point precision or the specific mood needing to be evoked in the audience while staying true to the tonality. It’s fairy relatable in that the main character, Tanjiro’s family is brutally slaughtered and his younger sister was turned into a demon. Samesies. You’ll love it, I promise. Watch on Netflix or Crunchyroll. 

Now that you’ve got a significant amount of homework — my next article will be on finding remote jobs you can do from your basement that don’t require much movement. Till next time, folks.