Despite what we or others may think, our lives aren’t exactly perfect, or ideal. Although it’s also true that the conditions have a large part in that, we too are somewhat at fault at this as well.
In today’s list, we’ll be taking a look at not 10, not 15, but 21 anime series or movies that inspire you, and other people around you to be better people and live better lives, and grow as a person.
Table of Contents
Since this is a recommendation list, as always, a SPOILER ALERT is in effect. Read at your own risk!
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Table of Content
Anime that makes you want to turn over a new leaf (Recommendations)
21. How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift?
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
15/20 |
7/10 |
7/10 |
9/10 |
38/50 |
Although not necessarily the most realistic depiction of a good example in improving your lives, often exaggerated, depicting some body shaming at first, and unrealistic physique and physical prowess, this anime focusing around the gym and working out is a good little parody and lesson. Lessons of how people have been living unhealthily.
True, Mr. Machio’s muscles would take more than just regular working out to achieve, and Hibiki displays ridiculous capabilities at one point. Still the series does point out some interesting and true things about our lifestyles. It’s also incredibly informative, and it even teaches us the advantages of an active life and training your body, along with helpful tips for doing it at home, without having to go to a gym.
20. Naruto
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17/20 |
9/10 |
7/10 |
8/10 |
41/50 |
“I want to be Hokage!” This was Naruto Uzumaki‘s motto basically. He made himself this goal, and spent the entire series striving to fulfill this. He may have had some difficulties along the way, but in the end, his heroic deeds and efforts to restore peace in the shinobi world, have indeed earned him his dream.
The most important lesson of this anime is clear and obvious: work hard and diligently towards your goals, and you may see the day they come true.
19. My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
15/20 |
9/10 |
8/10 |
9/10 |
41/50 |
While this otherwise charmingly silly and adorable isekai story may not seem like anything inspirational, let’s try to look at it from a different perspective!
Catarina is a girl cursed to be the villain of her story and die at the end, but instead aware of this, she begins a campaign of doing anything that to get her out of this predicament, and unwittingly she succeeds, as everyone, even girls seem to fall in love with her instead.
The lesson in this is, that nothing is set into stone, and just because you see a bad example in front of you at home, at school or otherwise, you don’t need to fall into a cliché, you can always try to be yourself, and turn over a new leaf.
18. TONIKAWA
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
16/20 |
8/10 |
8/10 |
9/10 |
41/50 |
Our hero meets the love of his life by complete accident, and immediately proposes to marry her. This kind of a prologue would be surprising to anyone, especially if the girl even agrees to, and soon seeks you out to fulfill your promise to them.
The lesson here, especially for single people who are unable to pull their courage together and fess up to their special person, is that it’s worth at least trying. You can never know, it might work.
17. Anne Happy
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
15/20 |
8/10 |
10/10 |
9/10 |
42/50 |
Anne is an unlucky girl, anything she does always seems to backfire on her. Together with her newfound friends, she goes to a special class in her school for unlucky kids who suffer from similar symptoms. The difference is, while she’s unlucky, she isn’t burdened by it, unlike her schoolmates, but rather always seems to find the bright side of it, and smiles in the end, giving her friends a good example.
While Anne and her friends may just be the extreme example, it is meant to serve as a case for those looking for some motivation in difficult times, to keep going and keep trying, even if things never seem to go your way. You may feel like you’re a bit like Anne, but don’t let that discourage you from chasing your dreams and aiming high in life!
16. Rewrite
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17/20 |
9/10 |
8/10 |
8/10 |
42/50 |
Although many consider Rewrite the black sheep of all Key anime, it’s also important to note that it contains an environmental message. True enough, the example given here is quite extreme, but it speaks of a topic that is very much current and much spoken of. Our world, our very living is something we most depend on, and if the world around us dies, we’re done for as well. When the Visual Novel premiered, the matter wasn’t nearly as severe as it is nowadays, but it’s still something most people are misinformed or completely ignorant about.
15. Angel Beats
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
18/20 |
6/10 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
44/50 |
You may be asking yourselves, why is this anime even on this list? Well, let’s take a closer look at what the story is about.
For starters, every last one of our characters has something left from their lives that they couldn’t take care of, something that has been a terribly heavy burden on their soul, something that was weighing down on them for all this time.
The story itself always speaks of fulfilling those wishes, settling the unfinished business and getting that burden off their shoulders.
The moral of the whole thing is, that if you have problems, goals, dreams, that you can’t rid yourself of, don’t be afraid to talk about them, and ask for help. It may help you find some respite and grow to be a better person as well.
14. Kiznaiver
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17/20 |
9/10 |
9/10 |
10/10 |
45/50 |
The main cast of Kiznaiver are all connected by a special bond forced onto them at the start of the story. The most important thing that the story is trying to convey is actually the importance of empathy and to value your friends. Although it takes a bit of an extreme measure to do that, that is normal from the studio that made it.
13. Sword Art Online
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20/20 |
8/10 |
8/10 |
10/10 |
46/50 |
You may think that this anime is just all about gaming and entertainment, which are important and completely normal things nowadays… so, does it even have any right to be here?
What most don’t understand about it, is that it speaks of a phenomenon that has been going on for decades now. Ever since videogames and digital entertainment became a thing, more and more people have become lost in the so-called virtual world. Sword Art Online, though indirectly, is a very real criticism towards this fact. The world has come a long way from the Nintendo Entertainment System and the 8 bit sprites, and one of the possible futures of the gaming world would be full dive MMOs, that would require you to basically spend your life in the game.
Many are against this, and that’s for a reason. The current gaming world is already unhealthy if people get too carried away into it.
12. Cells at Work: Code Black
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20/20 |
9/10 |
9/10 |
9/10 |
47/50 |
A pretty cute educational anime, or at least that was the original series. This spin off however, is the real dark thing. The cells of this series live in a body that is suffering from a lot of ailments, and bad habits.
A fact is, that this kind of series also had to be made. Sadly, there are a lot of people living with a lot of bad habits, including smoking, alcohol, and illegal medicines is just the bottom of the cesspit.
There have been numerous anime and cartoon series in the past that talked about this topic, including Osmosis Jones/Ozzy & Drix, Once Upon a Time, The Human Body, just for a few examples, and it was bound to come to a series like this, when even anime starts talking about it—how damaging undisciplined practices can be.
11. Remake Our Life!
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
18/20 |
10/10 |
9/10 |
10/10 |
47/50 |
I, myself have often asked myself the question: what if I did things differently back then? This was also the question circulating around in our hero’s head at the start of the series when his entire career was slowly falling apart around him.
If we all had a time machine, or quantum leaping ability, and could go back in time by just going to sleep one night, what would we do differently? Different schools? A different career? Maybe accept the more difficult, but better paying job? There are so many options and it’s mind boggling.
Now in the case of our hero, things didn’t work out completely as planned, but in the end he did manage to solve it mostly. As one of my favorite anime heroes would say, “something will come of it.” and it did.
Moral of the story and inspirational message for you watching it: don’t be afraid to strive for your dreams. Even if the obstacle is high, you can’t know if you’ll fail, unless you try.
10. Snow White With The Red Hair
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
18/20 |
9/10 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
47/50 |
Shirayuki‘s example is one of the finest of them all. Despite being in love with prince charming and having numerous obstacles thrown in her way, she still always manages to come through and fulfill her dreams and aspirations, the main one, is becoming a doctor.
Her story is a nice example of what many have already shown us: it takes dedication and an iron will to reach your ultimate goals in life. Things won’t just drop into your lap on their own. You need to act for them.
9. ReLIFE
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17/20 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
47/50 |
Arata’s story begins with him being a complete loser, and only due to him successfully completing the ReLife program, is he able to get his life back in order. He also manages to find true love to top it all off.
Moral here is that if your life isn’t going the good way, you yourself need to do something about it, for no one else will do it for you. Arata’s example is proof to that.
8. Recovery of an MMO junkie
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
18/20 |
9/10 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
47/50 |
The main heroes of the story are actually shut-ins, people who, probably due to them experiencing traumatizing things in their lives, shut themselves away from the rest of the world. It’s thanks to an MMO game that Moriko and Yuuta got to know each other, and the lesson here is, that even if you’re a little different from others, you can still find love among them.
7. Little Busters!
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20/20 |
10/10 |
9/10 |
9/10 |
48/50 |
Some of the stories of Little Busters point towards very heavy subjects. Families falling apart, siblings being separated by their unfair families, bullying, crumbling under expectations that are unfairly high, unrequited love, losing your loved ones, and of course the importance of your family.
To the main characters, a team of over a dozen friends, the titular Little Busters is like a second family. Them holding together in the hardest of times, and standing up for each other should prove as a wonderful example for people. All it takes is just a small effort, and you can change life for the better for those important to you.
6. I Shaved My Beard And Picked Up A Highschool Girl
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
19/20 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
9/10 |
48/50 |
This one was a doozy. First of all, it speaks of bullying, and the all too real effects of someone close to you commiting suicide on your mental health.
Sayu is a girl who ran away from home due to terrible things happening to her and those around her, and was falsely led to believe every man was a monster who’d abuse you and your weakness to their advantage.
Our hero did a wonderful job at presenting that chivalry is not yet dead. Well maybe it became a bit too idealistic at some point, but for a series fiction, it’s what Sayu needed in her desperate situation.
The moral is that if you meet someone in trouble, and can do something about it, you should at least try. You can help someone in trouble, and feel good yourself while doing so.
5. Somali and the Forest Spirit
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
19/20 |
9/10 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
48/50 |
Somali is an adorable small girl who was found by a golem, an artificial being, and taken in. Not even the golem himself could explain why he took pity on the orphaned, starving child, who became the light of hope in not just his life, but that of many others around them.
Although indirectly Somali and her adopted father’s adventures were mainly meant to be a moral story that speaks about the cruel reality of our world. Racism mainly, and humanity’s bad habit of destroying and killing anything they didn’t understand. This is something we should all work to get rid of some day.
4. For My Daughter, I Might Even Be Able To Defeat the Demon King
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
19/20 |
9/10 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
48/50 |
Similar to Somali’s adventures, or Uchimusume for short, is about families accepting even those different from you, and a parent’s love for their child, even if they’re not blood-related. They say true love is unconditional, and this anime is proof of that. This anime also depicts racism by a very real example, and Latina, the adorable little demon child finds respite with the most unusual people of all, kids of her age, who stand up for her. The other thing it shows very realistically is how a parent can become really scary when it comes to the happiness of their children.
3. Usagi Drop
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
18/20 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
48/50 |
What I’ve not said about family themed anime is that they are aimed towards young audiences that have yet to marry, ground a family and have children. To us, it may not seem like a sensible thing, liberalism claims that everyone deserves to decide for themselves. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
The problem with this in the case of Japan is that the average age of Japanese people has drastically increased over the course of the last two decades. This means that the population of Japan is overage, due to the fact that less and less children are born and the already present population is only becoming older.
This is a fact, and Japanese have resorted to using anime and manga—two of the most loved forms of entertainment to try motivating the new generation to grow up and have a larger family. If you pay close attention, anime nowadays depicts families with at least two children exactly for this reason. Usagi Drop was one of the first forerunners of anime like this, and more followed in the form of the likes of Sweetness and Lightning, Poco’s Udon World, Uchimusume, Somali, and Flying Witch just to enlist a few.
2. Edens Zero
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
18/20 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
48/50 |
Shiki Grandbell is one lucky guy. After living his youth and adolescence on a planet solely inhabited by machines, he finds his first human friend and decides to get a bunch more. Of course reality hits him hard when he realizes how naive he was, and how evil people can be, but he still strives to reach his ultimate goal, reach Mother, and have his wish granted, whatever it really may be.
Now in a metaphorical way, Shiki’s fight to have his greatest wish granted is basically an example of what we do—working for most of our lives. Shiki should serve as an example to keep going until we reach our respective goals, no matter how great or small it is, or how many difficulties we may face on the way.
1. A Silent Voice
| Impact | Plot | Character Writing | Animation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20/20 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
10/10 |
50/50 |
Yet another one of Kyoto Animation’s masterpieces, A Silent Voice sure speaks about some heavy subject matter. Bullying, discrimination, and handicapped people are just some of the themes spoken of in this movie, and the main point is of course, redemption and being able to forgive yourself first and foremost.
It also tells an important lesson about how you can learn a lot from people like Shouko, all you need to do is open your mind and heart to them.
Share us your thoughts!
And that is our list of 21 anime to inspire you to live better. Did you notice or know about the motifs enlisted alongside our entries? Do you think we missed any? Did you find other kinds of motivation in these we failed to notice? Let us know down in the comments!
