One of the best things about anime is how there is something out there for everyone. Maybe you’re the hardcore type, devoting yourself to a certain series, like Attack On Titan fans. Or maybe you’re just bored out of your mind and want an easy and comforting watch, like a Studio Ghibli feature.

I must be honest, the post-intense show slump can hit hard. Once I’m done with a show that I was following every release for, I tend to feel a little lost. And sometimes, I don’t want to think too hard about what I’m watching.

I watch a lot of anime, so naturally I have a ton of shows I save specifically for when I’m bored. A lot of these shows are genuinely comforting and slow-paced, like Blue Period, an art school anime. But some of them can also be wild and fun, Food Wars!, a show where food transforms into its own character.

There are so many shows to pick and choose from when you’re not in the mood for a long and intense binge session. However, if you’re feeling indecisive and having a problem choosing what to watch? Well, here are our top picks for anime to look into when you just want to chill!

Sasaki To Miyano is an adorable, fluffy coming-of-age story that is driven forward by how the characters interact with each other. Their dynamic brings so much life to the plot, which is just a story of two people meeting and love blossoming. Sasaki is sweet, kind, and laid back but so respectful and genuinely curious. This plays off great when it comes to Miyano and how insecure he feels about the things he enjoys.

It’s got brilliant pacing, top-tier writing, and just the most easygoing cast of characters. Also, it isn’t trope-heavy! Everyone here has a distinctive personality and so much chemistry, it’s no wonder it had me hooked.

This show is a pure serotonin shot to the brain, great for romance lovers that want something light and easy.

My Dress-Up Darling is one of those rare shows that don’t need a huge conflict or some misunderstanding to make a plot more interesting. The characters just sell the show. The plot itself is simple, just two opposites that get together to make a singular goal come true. But it’s written so well, with the way the two make up for where the other lacks. Where Marin is flighty and Gojo keeps her from flying too close to the sun, without her Gojo would never take his feet off the ground and see how lonely he had been.

This is what makes this show work: the enjoyable main leads and their dynamic together! So, if you’re bored with the typical male-female leads in high school anime, you’re going to have a lot of fun with this show.

Okay no, Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War deserves more than that. It is a rom-com with a twist, done right. It follows Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya, the President and Vice-president of the Student Council. The two are ideal students and, as many of their peers’ rumor, the ideal couple too. Of course, as smart as they are, both are incredibly dense regarding their affection for the other. Both want the other to confess first. And so, starts a series of mind games so intensely exaggerated and infuriating, you’re left blown away.

Add to this a cast of colorful side characters that are funny as well as multi-faceted, and a scathing ‘narrator’, and you have something special. Seriously, the way the narrator describes the ‘battles’ between Kaguya and Shirogane is amazing.

If you like watching high-stakes 4D chess between two smart individuals who are so emotionally stunted, it’s downright hilarious, this is the anime for you!

The story is about Yatora Yaguchi, about how he is this normal kid, with normal friends, who will go on to pursue a mundane but socially acceptable field in a good college. And how that makes him feel nothing but hollow, frustrated at how nothing motivates him to do more than just exist. That is, until one day he comes across a painting. A painting that moves him so poignantly, that it pushes him to pursue the beautiful but harsh world of art.

Blue Period is an anime about identity, finding your way, and persevering through self-doubt. It shows that things might not work out in your favor, even if it’s something you love and have worked hard for. But that doesn’t mean that they weren’t worth putting effort into.

I once jokingly called this anime ‘free therapy’ to a friend because of how I found the struggle between profession and passion so relatable. If you’re in the mood for some feels and inspiration, I highly recommend this one!

This show needs no introduction. Yumeko Jabami is a new arrival at the prestigious Hyakkaou Private Academy, the school for the nation’s elite. The hierarchy of this institute isn’t based on grades or achievements, but rather on gambling. And when Yumeko starts defeating everyone recklessly, word gets around about the demon compulsive gambler. Together with Mary Saotome, the first person she won against, and Ryouta Suzui, a former ‘pet’, she more than just shakes up at school. She starts to break down the very house of cards it stands on: The Illustrious Student Council headed by Kirari Momobami.

The show itself is very much ‘villain-of-the-day’ style episodes but the humor lies in how absolutely over the top the entire premise is. When I say this show is mindless fun, I mean it. So, if that’s your thing, go for it!

The antics of Loid Forger, his wife Yor Forger, and their daughter Anya are an engaging plot. But you add Loid being a spy, Yor being an assassin, and Anya being a telepath, with only Anya knowing everyone’s true reality? Lord, this might be my favorite show of the year. Anya is adorable, every little thing she does makes her feel so endearing. Her interactions with Loid, who adopted her for a mission, and Yor, who needed to blend in to preserve her cover, are so cute? I absolutely can’t deal!

The humor is perfect, and yet none of it seems slapstick. The characters are like the best example of a found family. And the action is top-notch. Highly recommend you check this one out!

Millionaire Detective (Balance: Unlimited) takes the normally dark detective/buddy cop genre and puts a refreshing twist on it.

We have arrogant but intelligent Daisuke Kanbe, the millionaire in question who forces his way into the Tokyo Police Department. Why? Because he was intrigued by prickly Haru Katoe, a detective he had come across while on a mission. The two are complete opposites, with Daisuke believing money solves everything and Haru exasperated by his behavior. What follows are shenanigans that leave you laughing and mysteries that they need to solve together.

This anime works, again, due to how well the main leads gel together. The chemistry between the two is outstanding. I cannot recommend this show enough.

Our protagonist is Kazuma Sato, a teenage shut-in who dies and gets stuck with a useless goddess name Aqua, solely because she taunted him in limbo. And now he must help defeat a demonic invasion in a parallel world with Aqua and a guild made up of, like, the weirdest members possible? Which include Darkness, a righteous paladin with a masochistic streak, and Megumin, a mage who gets weirdly intense about explosions.

This show is such a loving parody of the Isekai genre, with its hilarious characters and subversion of tropes. It’s an easy watch for anyone looking for a laugh.

Meet Soma Yukihira, who aims to become a better chef than his father, Jouichirou. And so, after a myriad of events, he ends up in Tootsuki Culinary Academy a.k.a. the best cooking school in Japan. The school is notorious for its Shokugeki – Extreme cooking battles that students partake in to settle arguments or rivalries. Soma must survive the next three years at Tootsuki and graduate.

As someone who loves cooking as a hobby, catching obscure cuisine-related facts is entertaining. This is a great anime for food lovers.

Shouko Komi is known across Itan Private High School as a mysterious and stoic beauty. However, things cannot be farther from the truth. Komi suffers from extreme social anxiety to the point where she can only convey herself through writing. Hitohito Tadano, the boy who sits next to her in class, figures it out and vows to help her achieve her dream of making 100 friends.

The main characters and the way they develop with each other is so interesting. It subverts the ‘ice princess’ stereotype in a fun way. This is just a heart-warming high school anime, for those days when you need a little joy and romance.

---

So, what are you putting on your ‘must watch’ list? Is there any anime you turn to during season slumps? Let us know!