Whether you’re stepping into a video rental store (remember those?), scrolling through Crunchyroll, or browsing the shelves of a Kinokuniya, the sheer volume of anime and manga available today can be overwhelming. Over 50 years of modern serialization have produced tens of thousands of titles. Where do you start? What comes after the mainstream giants?

And remember: When an anime ends and you need to know what happens next, the manga is almost always ahead and often better paced.

Happy watching and reading. Your next favorite story is just a first chapter away.