Best Anime for Teens on Netflix | TheReviewGeek Recommends

It’s nearly Summer and with the break coming up, there’s plenty of great series to watch on Netflix, including some intriguing anime across a myriad of different genres. Covering monsters, mystery, romance and slice of life, all of these clever stories are worthy of at least a second watch – a key to making the grade on our list.

This inventory is particularly aimed at older teens as some of the story lines are more mature, violent or cover sensitive topics. Some are included as the stories are about older teens or are just stunningly done and worthy of a re-watch.

Additionally, all of the anime have been vetted and approved by real live teenagers. Thank you to the go-to team: Obi, G-man and Rav for your recommendations. Please note *No teens (or writers) were injured during the discussion of this anime list. We’d love to catch your recommendations too, so please include them in our comment section below!

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Violet Evergarden

A child soldier loses her guardian, her arms and her sense of self in the war. She’s taken in by a friend of her guardian who, now retired, runs a post office. Violet becomes fascinated with the job of letter writer, helping customers turns their feelings into words to connect with their loved ones. With a pair of metal arms, she gradually reintegrates back into society, learning more about the human experience. Episode by episode, she uses her job to help her understand others and ultimately herself. Gorgeous.

This anime is perfect, earning a rare 10/10 from us here at TheReviewGeek. Watch the 13-chapter series and subsequent movies to follow Violet’s extremely relatable story.

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Tokyo Ghoul

In a world divided by humans and ghouls, humans really don’t have what it takes to survive. While some ghouls are seeking an easy feed, others try to deny their natural instincts to live in harmony with people. One human turned anomaly makes a choice to live peacefully, but that’s just tempting for a ghoul keen to disrupt and cause havoc. Let the battle of will vs instinct begin.

This one is definitely for older teens. It’s violent but beautifully iterated, where ideas about good and evil are explored so thoroughly, you won’t know for whom to cheer. There’s also a respectfully and romantically drawn sex scene later in the series.

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The Irregular at Magic High

Brother and sister Tatsuya and Miyuki Shiba join a high school for budding magicians. Students are divided based on their level of ability, with Miyuki elevated as a top student and her brother relegated to operator level. But as she continues to tout her brother, others begin to see Tatsuya as more than just a techie. Meet the siblings plus a whole cast of multi-powered friends as they navigate high school, competing with other magic schools and stepping in when the government needs them.

From the beginning, the friends of the Shibas realize that there’s more than meets the eye with these two. What could they be hiding?

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Erased (Boku dake ga Inai Machi)

A well-constructed murder-mystery, Satoru Fujinuma is able to go back in time. When he’s accused of murder, he leaps back to figure out what happened and ends up as far back as 18 years when a classmate was murdered. Able to remember both time periods, he realises the two murders are connected and works to set things right.

There’s a live action and anime version that are remarkably similar. Both are a compelling watch, but as the circumstance is murder, it’s probably better for older teens and adults.

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Toradora

Is about a guy with a case of ‘I’m not angry, I’m just drawn that way’ a la Jessica Rabbit. Ryuuji is a sweet guy with an intimidating look, so he’s often misunderstood. Taiga is the opposite – cute and petite – her personality is anything but, labelling her the ‘Palmtop Tiger.’ They meet and discover they’ve got crushes on each other’s best friend, so of course they align to help each other out.

This award-winning rom-com is sweet and funny. The name ‘Toradora’ is a combo of tiger (Taiga) and dragon (Ryuuji = ‘double dragon’). Just think of it like Bennifer.

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

The Elric brothers lose their parents to disaster and try to use their father’s alchemy book to restore their family. But playing with magic results in one brother losing his body while the other loses his leg. To bind his brother’s soul to a suit of armor, he gives up an arm as well. Together they travel to seek a way to restore both of their bodies.

There’s Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, similar stories told differently with alternate smaller plotlines and side characters. Brotherhood is recommended by the teens who contributed to this story.

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My Hero Academia (Boku no Hīrō Akademia)

Is exactly what you think – it’s a school for budding young heroes. In a world where most have some sort of super power, a kid who doesn’t develop one longs to be a hero too. He’s found worthy by the top hero, AllMight and trains to be a contender prior to being sent to the academy. Not yet very skilled or confident, he meets up with the school bully he’d always tried to befriend.

There are over 100 episodes but so worth a watch as a cast of developing heroes test their mettle and get caught up in battles for which they’re not quite prepared. But when duty calls, that’s the job. You’ll soon be wishing they release even more eps. Also on Crunchyroll. Though this seems like one for all ages, some of the villains have some pretty heavy and abusive back stories, so probably best for older teens.

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Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso)

Sixteen-year-old Kosei Arima, former child prodigy, is a pianist who can’t perform since his mother died. Kaori, a free-spirited violinist drags him back into the music world to play together at competitions, encouraging him to play for enjoyment rather than domination. Meanwhile, Kaori must occasionally spend time in the hospital to manage her anaemia.

Without igniting any spoilers, from the title you can see that the story is a bit more complex. It’s a friendship that’s lovely to watch develop.

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March Comes in Like a Lion (Sangatsu no Lion)

Shogi-player Rei reaches professional status by the time he’s in middle school. Adopted into a family of shogi competitors, he moves out when he turns 17 to escape the family tension. He’s a loner at school, missing many classes to attend competitions. And as he’s also the youngest in his competition level, he doesn’t really fit in anywhere. Until he meets three sisters who all want to take care of him. Of course, he’s bewildered but who could say no?

It sounds like a slow mover but it really delves into emotions and is beautifully rendered.

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Code Geass (Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch)

In an alternate world, student Lelouch is an exiled prince of Britannia, the current world ruler. By day he’s a student but he’s bestowed a power that helps him secretly lead a rebellion against his own family and the Holy Britannian Empire.

Another award-winner, it’s a complex tale of misdirection and covert operations that scores high on building tension. Also on Crunchyroll, Hulu, Apple TV.

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Seraph Of the End: Vampire Reign (Owari no Seraph)

Much of humanity – anyone over 13 – is wiped out by a virus, leaving vampires in charge and not much on which to feed. They enslave humans to keep their blood supply in order, taking in the weak for a regular liquid fee. A pair of clever orphans try to make their escape, one taken in by a group fighting the vampires. The other captured and turned into a vampire.

It’s a great story about the power of friendship and upholding a promise even in the worst of circumstances.

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Blue Exorcist (Ao no Exorcist)

Adopted by a priest at a young age, twin brothers discover they are the sons of Satan. Yukio is studious while Rin, a bit of a trouble-maker, is believed to have inherited some of his father’s powers. He joins an academy, believing it’s his mission to defeat his father.

The plot touches on faith and having a purpose but also manages a good amount of humour. The ‘I am your father’ plot may sound a bit like Star Wars, but there’s a whole different thing going on here.

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One Punch Man (Wanpanman)

Saitama has the power and the skills to be an excellent hero, occasionally performing heroic deeds as a hobby. But as he can defeat ANY villain with one punch, he’s kinda bored. Until a kid begs to be his disciple and enters them both into the certified hero association. Well, there may be something in it…

One Punch is silly relatable fun. Also on Hulu and Crunchyroll.

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Donghua (Chinese anime)

The Daily Life of the Immortal King (Xian Wang de Richang Shenghuo)

This one is technically a donghua (Chinese anime) but worth a watch. High schooler Wang Ling is teeming with super powers as the immortal king. But he’s keen to keep everything on the down-low and just stay under the radar until he graduates. Unfortunately, sometimes his powers and ability to supress them gets a little out of hand. Especially when there are villains around who could use some supressing of their own. Try as he might, Wang Ling has difficulty keeping out of trouble.

A fun watch as Wang Ling is continuously pulled from his quiet life. Find Seasons 2 and 3 on Crunchyroll.

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So, there we have it, our picks for the best anime aimed at teenagers.

What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!