Happy Thanksgiving all! Whether you’re an open anime watcher or a secret weeb, we all sometimes get the urge to watch anime on holidays (or perhaps that’s just me?). I thought I’d share my list of the five anime I’ve had to watch over this holiday week. Maybe you’ve watched them, maybe you haven’t—maybe your family will watch them with you? (What a Thanksgiving that’d be). Whether you’re watching alone or watching with family or friends, here are my five recommendations for a happy thanksgiving.
5) K
Now I know what you’re wondering: why the hell would I start off with beautiful but slight mess of a plot? Well, K, is actually one of my favorite anime’s to simply look at, and more importantly I find it resonates deeply with the idea of family and being thankful. After all, at the end of the day, this anime that has to do with kings and clans, is all about finding a clan to belong to—-a place to call home—and a table to sit around with loved ones and eat at. It explores the bonds of the clansmen, the re-connection of friends who’ve fallen out, and more. Overall, it’s a little confusing but also really nice to just relax and watch, letting the pretty images slightly makeup for the slight mess of a plot.
4) Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yes. You read that right. Top five anime to watch for Thanksgiving is indeed Yu-Gi-Oh! I think anyone familiar with Yu-Gi-Oh!—anyone who has watched just a single episode, or even someone who has just heard about it, knows that a…certain character (or rather the whole cast) sure loves to talk about friendship. If you ignore the major plot of a thousands-year-old pharaoh embodying the body of a teenager in order to play a children’s card game and send other’s to the shadow realm (sounds a lot like hell), then this is really just about friendship and card games. And hey—that sounds like every Thanksgiving I’ve ever had.
3) Violet Evergarden
Now, Violet Evergarden is if you want to cry. I feel like I don’t even need to say that because I’m sure the masses have watched Violet Evergarden. But it’s because it’s such a heartwarming story that I think it’s great for Thanksgiving (even Christmas). It shows the bonds between so many different kinds of people. Lovers, parents & children, friends, and more. The way it represents the bonds that are important to us, is kind of amazing and I think, perfect to watch with family on Thanksgiving (and also cry. Probably ugly cry. Super ugly cry.)
2) Sweetness & Lightning
THE MOST ADORABLE THING IN THE WORLD. So Swetness & Lightning is about a single father who ends up learning how to cook from one of his students. In a way they become this sort of strange but beautiful kind of family. Well, actually forget strange, it’s just fucking cute. Tsumugi (the child), as expected, represents the cutest part of this anime. You can tell just how much she loves her father, and you can literally feel her delight when Kohei and Kotori start cooking together and they eat as a “family”. This anime is a true breath of fresh air, and all about family. 10/10 recommend for good vibes.
1) March Comes in Like a Lion
Now, I’m sure this is a bit of a strange choice. Some look at this anime and think it is only about shogi and while yes, shogi is prominent in the story (I mean, Rei is a professional shogi player), I tend to find that it’s more of Rei’s growth as a person that is the most compelling part of this story. Just like in Sweetness & Lightning, March Comes in Like a Lion, shows this family that is formed between fellow fragmented souls. Rei meets the Kawamoto sisters and through spending time with them, forms relationships with them that is extremely…precious. A story that could’ve easily gotten caught in either shogi or in relationships, March Comes in Like a Lion manages to strike that perfect balance and create a beautiful story. This beautiful story–the story of Rei’s growth, to me, is what I’d personally love to watch on Thanksgiving. I don’t know why…it just reminds me of humanity. Why that is fitting of Thanksgiving, I’m not sure, but it makes sense to me.
Those are all my recommendations! Whether you’re reading this on Thanksgiving or after, Star & I hope you had an amazing one! And know that we’re extremely thankful for all of you.
Until next time!
xxx
—Luna
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