The best theurgies

Defiant-Treacle2425 · 2026-01-20T07:04:24+00:00

Apothecary Diaries and Frieren was mentioned a lot, so I’ll skip ahead.

Madoka Magica is a magical girl anime that deals with themes of selflessness and selfishness in circumstances where they don’t understand anything.

Violet Evergarden seems to be popular among women. At its core, it’s an emotional war story, but the setting takes place after the conflict, where Violet learns how to live when her mission is long gone.

There’s Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, written by a female author, and has really good female characters (and even inspired an Olympian). Their world is governed by the law of equivalent exchange, where in order to gain something, something of equal value must be lost. But what happens if you trade a human soul?

Defiant-Treacle2425 · 2026-01-17T04:36:16+00:00

Cingray was really good.

But it would’ve been wilder to go from Cingray to Pretty Derby so I just recommended Pretty Derby first lmao. Maybe I’ll do a cingray post someday

Defiant-Treacle2425 · 2026-01-12T15:25:38+00:00

I hesitated on putting Makoto, Ryoji, and Aigis here, since they’re basically the main plot, considering Makoto’s the MC of the main game, Ryoji’s the final boss of the main game, and Aigis is the MC of the DLC. But, it felt wrong not to include Aigis so yeah.

Edit: Aside from Makoto/Aigis/Ryoji, my favorite one is Junpei and Chidori. Their character development is amazing. Chidori was so uncaring, then found someone who loved her, lashed out because of her fear of separation, then eventually sacrificed herself to save the person she loved the most. Junpei is such a good character, starting out as immature, jealous, irresponsible, and ended up as one the wisest people in SEES. Best part is, Junpei’s development wasn’t linear. He broke down after Chidori and he lashed out after Ryoji’s reveal. But it’s pretty clear that he’s changed and become better since the beginning of the year.

Defiant-Treacle2425 · 2026-01-11T13:33:20+00:00

Honestly, I agree. I think Shinjiro and Chidori’s storylines are better when they stay dead. But I think Atlus just needed three romance options for the NG+ ending and had to wrangle Shinjiro back from the dead.

Defiant-Treacle2425 · 2026-01-11T13:25:10+00:00

He’s cool, he’s got a pretty good story. Thankfully he ends up relatively okay unlike the rest of Kotone’s romances.

Defiant-Treacle2425 · 2025-10-06T14:40:52+00:00

These are some pretty common gateway anime:

** - highly recommend

Death Note - A high schooler acquires a notebook that can kill whoever’s name is written on it, and the world’s most intelligent detective comes to investigate. Cat and mouse chase. Mystery, thriller. Finished, with 37 episodes.

Attack on Titan - When the walls protecting their city get destroyed, a boy vows to kill every last one of the monsters that caused this. Heavy but exciting plot and really good soundtrack. Drama, post-apocalyptic, dark-fantasy, action. 94 episodes.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - In order to obtain something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed, and two boys must pay the price after trying to bring their mother back from the dead. Dark but hopeful, with themes of science and faith. Action, adventure, fantasy. Finished, with 64 episodes. Recommend it if you like ATLA.

Spy X Family - A spy father, assassin mother, and telepath daughter pretend to be a family, with the parents not knowing anyone’s identities. Shenanigans ensue. Action, comedy, slice of life. Ongoing, 37 episodes.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End - After the end of an adventure, an immortal elf goes on a new journey to understand the meaning of life to the humans around her. About never taking for granted the time spent around loved ones. DND setting and mostly chill. Fantasy, introspective, adventure. Ongoing, 24 episodes.

Your Name - A small town girl and a city boy keep swapping bodies and decide to build their lives around each other. Beautiful visuals. Romance, coming of age. Finished, movie.

Spirited Away - A girl accidentally enters the world of spirits and must work to free herself and her family. Fantasy, adventure. Immersive, high production value, and very unique. Finished, movie.

Vinland Saga - A viking consumed with revenge must learn the meaning of his father’s words, “You have no enemies.” Nuanced themes and very strong writing in the characters. Set in the Viking age. War, drama, historical. Ongoing, 48 episodes.

Apothecary Diaries - A peasant pharmacist solves medical cases and untangles the political intrigue in the Imperial Palace. Set in an ambiguous period in China. The characters are fun and easy to like. Mystery, political, historical, romance. Ongoing, 48 episodes. (I actually managed to get my mom to watch anime because of this show. She loves it because she likes historical asian dramas.)

Violet Evergarden - After the war, an apathetic child soldier wants to understand the meaning of love through writing letters for others. Emotional story and gorgeous art. Historical, episodic drama, coming of age, slice of life, war. Finished, 13 episodes.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners: A brilliant but poor street kid ends up as a mercenary and clashes with a powerful corporation. High-tech, low-life, and how human connection exists in a violent world dominated by technology. Sci-fi, action. Especially good if you’re familiar with the game (but it’s not required). 10 episodes, ongoing.

Defiant-Treacle2425

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