Time to add these to your watchlists and reading lists

Good news, anime-loving subscribers: Globe has officially partnered with Crunchyroll! The streaming platform that offers all anime, all the time is now part of Globe’s roster of apps and content partners, which means subscribers can get their anime fix whenever, wherever.

If this is your first time hearing about Crunchyroll, though, you may be wondering what all the hype is about. Luckily, the post ahead is here to get you up to speed as it also offers five of the hottest anime and manga you can get started with.

What is Crunchyroll?

Crunchyroll is dedicated to publishing, distributing, producing, and licensing anime and manga worldwide. A joint venture of US-based Sony Pictures Entertainment and Japan’s Aniplex, it’s arguably the best streaming platform for hardcore anime enthusiasts and casual watchers.

Here, you can get access to the latest and hottest shows right away. To help you get ahead of everyone else, it also broadcasts your favorite anime an hour after its Japan release. Get around the app and keep these must-watch anime and must-read manga on your list—best enjoyed with a Globe postpaid data package.

5 Anime to Add to Your Watchlist

Log Horizon

When popular MMORPG Elder Tale made the upgrade to its latest version, players found themselves enthralled by a game they found near impossible to log out of. While many are bewildered by the events that had just unfolded in this story, Shiroe, a socially awkward college student, quickly recovers and sets out to learn more about his new reality.

If you’re a big fan of the isekai genre, Log Horizon will give you a fresh and different experience.

Darling in the FranXX

The next show in the Crunchyroll anime must-watch list is set in a dystopian future where strange giant beasts called Klaxosaurus have led humankind to the brink of extinction. This forced people into building a fortress called Plantations, where pairs of boys and girls must train to fight back using giant mechas.

Darling in the FranXX sounds like your typical robots vs. monsters show, but if you were ever crazy over Evangelion and Gurren Lagann, you have to check out this one, too.

The Ancient Magus’s Bride

Japanese teenager Chise Hatori has experienced the worst of the worst. Abandoned and exiled by her family and peers, she decides to offer herself up as a slave in order to find a new home. At the auction, she encounters Elias Ainsworth, a tall and mysterious humanoid that has an animal skull for a head. This fateful encounter would mark the beginning of Chise’s story as the apprentice—and the bride-to-be—of the Ancient Magus.

Lovers of slow-paced animes with a lot of rich dialogue, you ought to add this title to your list.

Orange

Sophomore Naho Takamiya has just received a letter from her supposed future self, detailing her regrets, including one concerning transfer student Kakeru Naruse. She dismisses the letter as a prank, but when an event mentioned in the note actually happens, she begins to believe its contents. Now, she’s on a mission to help out Kakeru alongside a group of other friends.

What makes this slice-of-life anime a great addition to your Crunchyroll list is its take on friendship: how vital a great support system can be, especially for those going through a rough time. (Fair warning: Orange is bound to leave you in tears.)

ReLIFE

Have you ever thought about doing your life over and doing things differently? In ReLIFE, 27-year-old Arata Kaizaki, a deemed hopeless loser hopping from one job to another, turns his life around after a proposition from Ryo Yoake, a ReLIFE Research Institute Member.

But when he wakes up as a high school-looking student, Arata has to live through that life stage again, making sure he doesn’t follow the same path he took before.

Want to add more titles to your watch list? Take a good look at Crunchyroll's anime list here!

5 Mangas You Shouldn’t Miss

Talentless Nana

Here’s something for suspense and psychological thriller fans. Set on a secluded island, Nana Hiiragi poses as an upbeat girl who joins the class of the Talented, where students with extraordinary powers gather. Her classmates think she’s one of them, but there’s more to her than meets the eye. It seems the government has plans for the class other than training them to face off with the enemies of humanity.

In/Spectre

In/Spectre follows the story of a seemingly-ordinary university student named Kurou Sakuragawa and the Goddess of Wisdom, Kotoko Iwanaga. Together, they fight dangerous entities threatening peace between humans and youkai, keeping the world safe. Here is a duo you ought to get to know on Crunchyroll (do it using your FamSURF199).

The Morose Mononokean

The Morose Mononokean is another binge-worthy Crunchyroll manga to check out. It follows the daily life of one Ashiya Hanae as he helps the exorcist who saved his life, Abeno Haruitsuki. The manga also dabbles with youkai but with a twist: As a morose guide, Abeno helps spirits cross over into their world. Here, Ashiya and Abeno hunt down these youkais to help them return to where they belong.

Edens Zero

Fans of Fairy Tail, here’s something to look into. Edens Zero is yet another series by author Hiro Mashima that takes place in an age where people live in outer space and on planets in different galaxies. The main characters set out on an adventure to find Mother, a galactic entity who can make anyone’s wishes come true.

The protagonists here have similarities to the Fairy Tail guild, so if you find that you miss that rowdy gang, you’ll have a blast with this title.

To Your Eternity

Here’s another touching story about the journey toward discovering one’s purpose. To Your Eternity has a unique and interesting premise: the protagonist is an entity with the power to imitate anything in its surroundings. It, however, becomes a human being and learns more about mankind and the emotions that come with the race.

Explore More Anime and Manga with Crunchyroll

If you want to get started with anime but don’t know where to start, get the Crunchyroll app and subscription right here with Globe. You can also catch the hottest titles with little data consumption by powering your streaming sessions with GoWATCH.

Art Matthew Ian Fetalver