With many teens left with excessive amounts of free time during quarantine, anime has reached an even larger audience in mainstream media, officially exiting its niche origins. Here are our top picks of resurfaced classics and newer titles that captured the attention of many over a summer of social distancing:

Horimiya is a romance show that gained a lot of attention when it aired near the beginning of 2021. The show revolves around Hori and Miyamura and their relationship, with the anime’s title being an integration of both these character’s names. Hori seems like a well-composed and social girl and Miyamura has an overall gloomy facade, but both characters contrast in their physical appearance. With likable characters and immediate progression, this anime’s unconventional approach to romance has made it an instant hit. In addition, the writing is not overly predictable and the way that Hori and Miyamura act in secret is overall adorable and engaging.

From its late 2020 release to its finale in early 2021, Jujutsu Kaisen has gained large amounts of popularity. Despite following a somewhat generic storyline, the supernatural, shonen series is about highschool student Yuuji Itadori, who finds himself suddenly thrust into a world of curses, the show has many great fight scenes and other great shonen qualities as it follows the path to becoming a Jujutsu sorcerer. Similar to Attack on Titan, this show features strong female leads and avoids the stereotypical, main character romance. Instead, the two are portrayed as best friends, which adds to its quality and increases viewership.

Death Note, a horror mystery anime, has gained fans due to an interesting rivalry and its controversial dark themes. The show has received praise over the years among both avid anime watchers and casual viewers, even receiving a Netflix original film in 2017. The story revolves around high school prodigy, Light Yagami, who discovers a Death Note dropped into the human world by a god of death. Yagami uses the book’s power to kill criminals and these deaths are investigated by a detective named L. The mind games and mystery that unravel between Yagami and L are a big part of why people can’t get enough of this cult classic.