entertaining older kids with anime

The Japanese use the term “animation” to describe any style of such. The rest of the world uses the term “anime” to describe Japanese cartoons specifically. Anime has been around since the early 1900’s spanning years of success. Some familiar names in the style would be Astro Boy which propelled the style into the limelight as well as influenced characters with big eyes and hair that defies the laws of gravity. Some other popular names would be Mobile Suit Gundam, Captain Tsubasa which marked the way for sports anime, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind which is the first film from the prestigious Studio Ghibli, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Bleach, and more. Many anime are not geared for elementary school audiences. Please keep that in mind when surfing the list below which will be in no particular order.
 
1. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
 
Edward and Alphonse Elric’s father left when they were little and not long after lost their mother to illness. The boys first started teaching themselves the laws of alchemy eventually searching for a teacher. Their ultimate goal was to bring their mother back to life by performing the ultimate taboo, human transmutation. They paid the price with Alphonse losing his entire body and Edward losing his right arm and his left leg. To save Alphonse’s soul, Edward bound it to a suit of armor using a blood seal. The story follows their quest to find a philosopher’s stone to get their bodies back.
 
2. Naruto
 
Konohagakure, (Ko-no-ha-gah-ker-ey) the Village Hidden in the Leaves, is home to the world’s stealthiest ninjas with specialties in varying styles. Twelve years ago a tailed beast called the Nine Tailed Fox named Kurama terrorized the village. Kurama was sealed inside a baby boy named Naruto Uzumaki. The story follows Naruto and how he becomes the greatest ninja to ever live.
 
3. Fruits Basket 2019 reboot
 
Tohru (Toe-roo) Honda lost her father to illness and her mother to a car accident. She had been living with her grandfather, but when renovations were happening she went to go live in a tent on Soma property. She gets discovered by Yuki and Shigure Soma inviting her to live with them until the renovations are complete. However, the Soma clan has a bizarre secret. When hugged by the opposite gender, certain family members turn into animals from the Chinese zodiac!
 
4. My Hero Academia
 
Superpowers, dubbed Quirks, are the norm in this world. More than 80% of the population has a power. With many developing a quirk, a rise in crime could not be helped. This in turn created a new career, being a full-time hero. The story follows Izuku Midoriya. His life-long dream has been to become a hero like the number one hero, All Might. However, he was born quirkless and no one without a quirk had ever become a hero before. However, he enrolls in UA Academy, the top hero course program in the country. This is the story of how Izuku Midoriya becomes the greatest hero the world had ever known.
 
5. Sailor Moon
 
Usagi Tsukino, an 8th grader befriends a black talking cat named Luna who gives her a magical brooch that allows her to turn into Sailor Moon: a soldier destined to save Earth from the forces of evil. Luna and Usagi assemble a team of fellow Sailor Soldiers to find their princess and the Silver Crystal.
 
6. Haikyu!!
 
Shoyo Hinata loves volleyball more than anything. Inspired by a short statured pro volleyball player, he creates a volleyball team in his last year of middle school. Unfortunately, his team is matched up against “King of the Court” Tobio Kageyama’s team and ultimately lose. After being defeated, Shoyo vows to surpass Tobio. When he enters high school, Shoyo comes to find he’s on the same team as Tobio instead!
 
7. Little Witch Academia
 
Little Witch Academia takes place at Luna Nova Magical Academy, a prestigious school for young girls to become witches. Atsuko (“Akko”) Kagari was inspired by a witch named Shiny Chariot to enroll at Luna Nova Magical Academy to become a witch but struggles because of her non-magical background. This all changes when Akko discovers the Shiny Rod, a powerful magic relic left behind by Shiny Chariot.
 
8. Soul Eater
 
Soul Eater takes place at Death Weapon Meister Academy (“DWMA”) located in the fictional Death City located in Nevada. The DWMA is ran by Shinigami (a god of death) as the training facility for humans with the special ability to transform into weapons as well as their meister, the wielder of those weapons. Attending this school are Maka Albarn and her scythe partner, Soul Eater; assassin Black Star and his partner, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, who can turn into various ninja weapons; and the Shinigami’s son, Death the Kid, and his pistol partners Liz and Patty Thompson. The plan of the school's meister students is to have their weapons absorb the souls of 99 evil humans and one witch, which dramatically increases the weapon's power and turns them into "death scythes" used by Shinigami.