Every anime fan is nostalgic. Despite the colossal amount of new premieres that arrive with each new season, the otaku never moves away from the first animations he watched. It is such an affective value that these productions become classics, regardless of their quality.
And the good news is that most of these anime are very easy to find on streams. A CrunchyRollfor example, knows very well how valuable this nostalgia is to the public and brings some of these classics in its catalog for you to see and review as much as you want.
They are titles that became famous among the Brazilian public for being shown both on open and closed TV at a time when the internet was still in its infancy (or even existed for the average consumer) and when no one dreamed of the ease of services such as Crunchyroll itself. Still, they are anime that marked generations and are now just a click away.
6. YuYu Hakusho
We start our list with one of the great classics of TV Manchete, but also with an ear pull on Mrs. Crunchyroll. That’s because she has the amazing Yu Yu Hakusho in its catalog, but only with English subtitles, which makes the content prohibitive for a good portion of fans.
This is actually a rather recurring situation. Several other older anime are available on the platform without subtitles or audio in Portuguese, which requires an additional effort to be checked out — and which, for that very reason, will be left out of this list.
The only exception is with YuYu for being too sensational an anime not to be mentioned. The story of the young delinquent who dies before his time doing an unexpected good deed and who, for that reason, receives a second chance as a spiritual detective is one of the best things he painted around here during the 1990s. With a cast of captivating characters, great action scenes and an iconic dubbing, deserves to be remembered at all times.
And it also deserves subtitles and audio in Portuguese, did you hear Crunchyroll?
5.Naruto
If you are over 30, you may find it inadmissible Naruto be present in a list of classic animes. After all, the noisy ninja saga came out yesterday — with the measly detail that this “yesterday” is already almost 20 years old.
The truth is that there is a whole generation of people who grew up watching Naruto, either when the anime was shown on SBT or Cartoon Network in the late 2000s. 40 MB with the image quality of a potato.
Wherever you came from, Naruto It’s a classic, yes. More importantly, it is a very influential anime that impacted many other anime that followed, in addition to having its own sequels that only expanded this universe.
The great merit of animation is its vast gallery of characters, which is explored in a somewhat unique way in Japanese cartoons. More than numerous, it is very well crafted and each of these supporting characters has their own personalities and unique plots, which makes it interesting to get to know each one — and the anime knows how to take advantage of this very well.
4. Cowboy Bebop
Don’t be fooled by Netflix’s live-action gimmick. Cowboy Bebop has always been one of the great classics of anime thanks to the excellent development of its characters in the midst of an apparently banal plot. In other words, something the adaptation failed to achieve.
But if you want to understand why all the fuss around this universe, anime is the best way. It will be through its episodes that we meet Jet and Spike, two bounty hunters who travel the universe in search of bounty heads. From there, new members join the team at the same time that we learn more about the past history of each one of them — which is done masterfully.
3. The Knights of the Zodiac
There is no anime fan over 30 who is not passionate about Knights of the Zodiac. The cartoon marked an entire generation when it aired on TV Manchete in the early 1990s and was largely responsible for opening the doors for other Japanese animations to arrive here. For this very reason, the level of devotion of the Brazilian public towards the saga of the Defenders of Athena is inversely proportional to the quality of the anime.
The point is that the nostalgia surrounding this story makes us overlook all the flaws that the plot may have. That’s because, despite the repetition being a little tiring, there’s no way not to get excited about all the mythological themes, the always very exciting look of the armor and the iconic moves. Not to mention that, when it comes to the soundtrack, there’s no grown man who doesn’t go back to being a kid.
And that’s the real secret of CDZ. Even though the anime has aged somewhat compared to other productions, the affective attachment that an entire generation has with this universe is unparalleled. For that very reason, Crunchyroll has the animation with both the original audio and the Brazilian dubbing — which is sensational.
2. Dragon Ball Z
Another indisputable classic, Dragon Ball Z is easily one of the most popular anime in Brazil — perhaps the most in the whole world. Just see how the world still worships Akira Toriyama’s work to the point that it is still very profitable even decades after its completion.
And although the saga of Goku is divided into several phases, it is with Dragon Ball Z that the bug really catches. Much more action-oriented, the anime features iconic villains and memorable fight sequences that marked many people’s childhood — not least because they were reprized to exhaustion here. And all this without giving up the charisma of its characters.
Another detail that makes DBZ so iconic is the way he evolves heroes. It’s fun to see Goku grow up not only as a hero, but as a family man and even a grandfather – in the same way that Gohan himself ceases to be just a child and becomes a man of responsibility. A family saga in every sense.
1. Dragon Ball
It may seem strange to put Dragon Ball again on the list, but it is an exceptional case that fully justifies this repetition. Even because, in fact, we are not talking about the same thing, but about very different products involving the same character. So much so that the nostalgic charge involved is quite another thing.
As said, Goku’s saga is divided into different phases. Meanwhile DBZ it’s this action-oriented madness with grandiose fights and increasingly megalomaniac powers, the first phase of Dragon Ball it’s something else entirely. Better known around here by the nickname “Child Goku Phase”, this beginning of the story is much more focused on humor.
With a more cartoonish style and with stories focused on the peculiarities of each of the heroes — such as Goku’s innocence and Master Roshi’s indecency —, the first Dragon Ball It’s a much lighter story. There’s still a good amount of action, but the focus is different and that’s what makes it so unique.
In addition, the Brazilian’s relationship with this anime is also different. On the contrary DBZ, the reruns were not so constant and only an older crowd got the airing on SBT. For that very reason, when Crunchyroll added this classic to its catalogue, it became cause for celebration — and rightfully so.
