Life's Punchline 2021

Kamen Rider (1971 - 2023)

0 /10

Hongo Takeshi is a promising young man with a passion for motorcycle racing. However, his dreams are suddenly ruined when he gets kidnapped by Shocker, the evil secret organisation planning to dominate the world. After being remodeled into a cyborg, Takeshi escapes and swears to protect the world from the inhuman monsters.

Average Episode Run Time: 30` . Year(s): 1971 - 2023

Director: Masataka Takamaru , Kyouhei Yamaguchi , Katsuhiko Taguchi

Producer: Takahiro Ono , Takayuki Taniguchi

Stars: Junsei Motojima , Reiyo Matsumoto , Yasunari Fujibayashi , Oto Abe , Rikiya Tomizono , Kumaki Rikuto

Alice in Borderland (2020 - 2022)

0 /10

With his two friends, a video-game-obsessed young man finds himself in a strange version of Tokyo where they must compete in dangerous games to win.

Average Episode Run Time: 56` . Year(s): 2020 - 2022

Director: Shinsuke Sato , Yoshiki Watanabe , Yasuko Kuramitsu

Producer: Kaata Sakamoto

Stars: Kento Yamazaki , Tao Tsuchiya , Nijiro Murakami , Aya Asahina , Ayaka Miyoshi , Dori Sakurada

Tokyo Revengers (2021 - 2023)

0 /10

Takemichi Hanagaki is a freelancer that’s reached the absolute pits of despair in his life. He finds out that the only girlfriend he ever had, in middle school, Hinata Tachibana, had been killed by the ruthless Tokyo Manji Gang. The day after hearing about her death, he’s standing on the station platform and ends up being pushed over onto the tracks by a herd of people. He closes his eyes thinking he’s about to die, but when he opens his eyes back up, he somehow had gone back in time 12 years. Now that he’s back living the best days of his life, Takemichi decides to get revenge on his life.

Average Episode Run Time: 24` . Year(s): 2021 - 2023

Director: Kana Kawana , Masato Tamagawa , Yu Harima

Producer: Hiroaki Matsuura , Yoshio Kaneko , Hiroo Maruyama

Stars: Yuuki Shin , Azumi Waki , Ryota Osaka , Yuu Hayashi , Tatsuhisa Suzuki , Takuma Terashima

Shakugan no Shana (2005 - 2012)

7 /10

The world has become a slaughtering ground for the Crimson Denizens, mysterious beings from a parallel universe who thrive on the life energy of humans. These merciless murderers only leave behind scant remainders of souls called "Torches," which are mere residues that will eventually be destroyed, along with the very fact of the victims' existence from the minds of the living. In an ambitious endeavor to put an end to this invisible, hungry massacre, warriors called Flame Hazes relentlessly fight these monsters. One fateful day, Yuuji Sakai ceases to be a regular high schooler—he becomes trapped in a crevice of time and is suddenly attacked by a Denizen. Coming to his rescue just in the nick of time is a nameless hunter who seems no different from an ordinary young girl except for her blazing eyes and burning crimson hair. However, before Yuuji can learn anything more about his situation, he discovers that he has already been reduced to a Torch—merely a scrap of memory waiting to be extinguished.

Average Episode Run Time: 25` . Year(s): 2005 - 2012

Director: Shigeru Ueda , Youhei Suzuki , Noriaki Akitaya

Stars: Satoshi Hino , Rie Kugimiya , Masashi Ebara , Hitomi Nabatame , Mitsuo Iwata , Mamiko Noto

Monogatari (2009 - 2019)

4.9 /10

Although there are still traces of the brief period he became a vampire, third-year high school student Koyomi Araragi is human again. He happens upon others with their own supernatural problems and finds that he can empathize. Koyomi becomes involved in their lives, seeking to help them and occasionally asking for advice from Meme Oshino, the homeless man who helped him become human again.

Average Episode Run Time: 25` . Year(s): 2009 - 2019

Director: Yoshito Mikamo , Sumito Sasaki , Akiyuki Simbo

Producer: Akiko Yoda , Atsuhiro Iwakami , Tomoyo Kamiji

Stars: Yui Horie , Maaya Sakamoto , Satsuki Yukino , Miyuki Sawashiro , Marina Inoue , Saori Hayami

My Happy Marriage (2023 - 2024)

0 /10

Miyo's abusive family deems her worthless – but together with her powerful husband-to-be, her true self and hidden powers slowly begin to shine.

Average Episode Run Time: 24` . Year(s): 2023 - 2024

Director: Teppei Takeya , Yuki Koike , Takushi Koide

Producer: Masayasu Ogiso , Ryuji Abe , Manabu Kimura

Stars: Reina Ueda , Kaito Ishikawa , Ayane Sakura , Koutaro Nishiyama , Hiro Shimono , Houko Kuwashima

The Quintessential Quintuplets (2019 - 2021)

7.7 /10

Fuutarou Uesugi is a poor, antisocial ace student who one day meets the rich transfer student Itsuki Nakano. They argue but when Uesugi realizes he is to be her tutor, he tries to get on better terms. While trying to do so he meets four other girls.

Average Episode Run Time: 24` . Year(s): 2019 - 2021

Director: Yoshihisa Matsumoto , Yasuo Iwamoto , Kento Shintani

Producer: Kento Yoshida , Tomoki Ueda , Shin Kato

Stars: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka , Kana Hanazawa , Ayana Taketatsu , Miku Ito , Ayane Sakura , Inori Minase

The Unfettered Shogun (1978 - 2008)

8.3 /10

Set in the 18th century, the show follows the Shogun Yoshimune, who likes to disguise himself as a low-ranking samurai and go into his capital of Edo to see the life of the common man, as well as to seek out and punish evildoers who would hurt his citizens. He is aided by Magistrate Oo'oka and a vivacious fireman, Tatsugoro, as well as a rotating cast of other recurring characters. Along with Zenigata Heiji and Mito Kōmon, it ranks among the longest-running series in the jidaigeki genre. Like so many other jidaigeki, it falls in the category of kanzen-chōaku, loosely, "rewarding good and punishing evil."

Average Episode Run Time: 45` . Year(s): 1978 - 2008

Director: Yoshihiro Tomabechi , Shôji Nagaoka , Hiroshi Morimoto

Stars: Hidetoshi Ueno , Akihiko Osada , Misaki Uchibori , Kyosnosuke Masago , Hideo Nakano , Ken Matsudaira

Hunter x Hunter (2011 - 2014)

9 /10

Twelve-year-old Gon Freecss one day discovers that the father he had always been told was dead was alive. His Father, Ging, is a Hunter — a member of society's elite with a license to go anywhere or do almost anything. Gon, determined to follow in his father's footsteps, decides to take the Hunter Examination and eventually find his father to prove himself as a Hunter in his own right. But on the way, he learns that there is more to becoming a Hunter than previously thought, and the challenges that he must face are considered the toughest in the world.

Average Episode Run Time: 24` . Year(s): 2011 - 2014

Director: Lin Mingwei , Junichi Fujise , Hiroyasu Aoki

Producer: Toshio Nakatani , Tomoko Yoshino , Akira Shinohara

Stars: Megumi Han , Mariya Ise , Miyuki Sawashiro , Keiji Fujiwara , Daisuke Namikawa , Banjo Ginga

Haikyu!! (2014 - 2020)

8.7 /10

Based off of the original Weekly Shonen Jump manga series from Haruichi Furudate, Haikyu!! is a slice-of-life sports anime revolving around Shouyou Hinata's love of volleyball. Inspired by a small-statured pro volleyball player, Hinata creates a volleyball team in his last year of middle school. Unfortunately the team is matched up against the "King of the Court" Tobio Kageyama's team in their first tournament and inevitably lose. After the crushing defeat, Hinata vows to surpass Kageyama. After entering high school, Hinata joins the volleyball team only to find that Tobio has also joined.

Average Episode Run Time: 24` . Year(s): 2014 - 2020

Director: Yoshihide Ibata , Haruo Okuno , Mariko Ishikawa

Producer: Fumi Morihiro , Hiroyuki Fujita , Akifumi Fujio

Stars: Ayumu Murase , Kaito Ishikawa , Daisuke Namikawa , Nobuhiko Okamoto , Koki Uchiyama , Miyu Irino

Kingdom (2012 - 2022)

0 /10

In the Warring States Period of ancient China (475–221 BCE), Shin and Hyou are war-orphans in the kingdom of Qin. They dream of one day proving themselves on the battlefield. One day, however, Hyou is taken to the palace by a minister. Winding up on the losing side of a power-struggle, Hyou manages to return to the village, barely alive. Shin then meets a boy who closely resembles Hyou, Ei Sei. For now he is the king of Qin; later he will become the emperor Shi Huangdi.

Average Episode Run Time: 25` . Year(s): 2012 - 2022

Director: Riki Fukushima , Kazuya Monma , Natsumi Yasue

Stars: Yutaka Nakano , Rie Kugimiya , Masakazu Morita , Jun Fukuyama , Yoko Hikasa , Toshiyuki Morikawa

Candy Candy (1975 - 1992)

7.2 /10

This story is about a girl, Candy, who is a orphan. She is a nice and optimistic girl and she has a warm heart. When she was a child, she lived in an orphanage called Pony's Home. She had a good friend called Ann. And she met the "handsome boy on the hill" who is a important person in her life, on the hill behind the orphanage. She was adopted by the Loka's family. What's awaiting her are the bad-hearted Leo and his sister, Eliza. One day, in the rose garden, she met a boy, who is identical to the "handsome boy on the hill" who she had met in her childhood. The boy is called Antony. Thereafter, a fantastic story that she has never expected begins.

Average Episode Run Time: 25` . Year(s): 1975 - 1992

Director: Hiroshi Shidara , Tetsuo Imazawa , Kyoko Mizuki

Stars: Minori Matsushima , Makio Inoue , Kei Tomiyama , Kazuhiko Inoue , Kaneta Kimotsuki , Yuji Mitsuya