Mount Hood

27 animes to procrastinate with

As midterms roll around, ignore responsibilities and immerse in fantasy

Stephanie Moschella |‌ ‌Digital Media Manager

In the midst of studying and being jam packed with homework, it’s nice to take a break, sit back and start a new show. Popular streaming services such as Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, Hulu and even Netflix have adapted themselves to be more diverse in genre. With the availability of all different genres, the anime industry has prospered rapidly internationally. 

Originating as animated works from Japan, anime is a visual medium that garners a great deal of attention. Though originally voiced in Japanese, many of these shows have both subtitles in multiple different languages as well as English dubs, depending on the watcher’s preferences. 

Being stuck at home in this pandemic leaves a lot of people craving something fresh in order to distract themselves from daily stresses. 

In the list below, there are shows that have come out within the last two decades, a wide variety of classic and modern. No matter if the viewer enjoys old school or recent media, anime has historically never been bigger with the various affordable options. 

In no particular order, have some fun watching or rewatching these anime shows to ignore the anxiety of the piling assignments and impending due dates. 

“Black Clover” (2017) (Crunchyroll)

“Blue Exorcist” (2011) (Crunchyroll)

“Bungo Stray Dogs” (2016) (Crunchyroll) 

“Death Note” (2006) (Crunchyroll)

“Death Parade” (2015) (Crunchyroll) 

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (2019) (Netflix) 

“Durarara!!” (2016) (Netflix) 

“Erased” (2016) (Netflix) 

“Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma” (2015) (Crunchyroll)

“Fruits Basket” (2019) (Crunchyroll) 

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” (2009) (Crunchyroll) 

“Great Pretender” (2020) (Netflix) 

“Haikyuu!!” (2014) (Crunchyroll)

“Horimiya” (2021) (Hulu)

“Hunter x Hunter” (2013) (Netflix)

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” (2012) (Netflix) 

“Jujutsu Kaisen” (2020) (Crunchyroll) 

“Little Witch Academia” (2017) (Netflix) 

“Mob Psycho 100” (2016) (Crunchyroll) 

“My Hero Academia” (2016) (Crunchyroll) 

“Psycho Pass” (2012) (Hulu) 

“Seven Deadly Sins” (2014) (Netflix) 

“SK8 the Infinity” (2021) (Funimation) 

“The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.” (2018) (Netflix) 

“The Promised Neverland” (2019) (Netflix) 

“Tokyo Ghoul” (2014) (Crunchyroll) 

“Your Name” (2016) (Amazon Prime) 

Contact the author at howldigitalmediamanager@mail.wou.edu

Review: “Bridgerton”

Released on Netflix, upper-class society in “Bridgerton” gets saucy 

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌

Netflix’s latest hit “Bridgerton” follows the peculiar family of the same name, showcasing the adventures of the eight siblings and their search for love and happiness. Inspired by Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels, this romantic drama was released Dec. 25, 2020. Starring Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor as main leads Simon Basset and Daphne Bridgerton respectfully, the debut season ranked in Netflix’s Top 10 for good reason — imagine Gossip Girl meets Pride and Prejudice. 

Bridgerton showcases life in London’s high-society in a fictional post-racial Regency era. Audiences can find elaborate sets and costumes, quick-witted characters and steamy scenes which make it a quintessential romance drama. One of the biggest puzzles in this show is in discovering the identity of Lady Whistledown ⏤ the character narrated by Julie Andrews ⏤ who acts as the town’s anonymous author of a scandalous tabloid. 

Most of the themes present in the show were paired with fairly historic views of status and class, gender roles, marriage and love. There was plenty of humor throughout the show that kept the episodes well-paced, but there is a larger discussion to be had with certain themes that come up, and some parts where viewer discretion is advised. For example, episode six contains scenes of sexual assault and rape. 

With their high-class lifestyle comes murder and mystery ⏤ all displayed in elegant ballrooms, sprawling gardens and quaint drawing room parlors. Netflix goes one extra step by taking these details of elite life in London and pairs modern music made classical by the Vitamin String Quartet — like Billie Eilish’s “the bad guy,” Shawn Mendes’s “In My Blood” and Maroon 5’s “Girl Like You.” 

The storyline is developed enough to hold the audience’s attention while leaving wiggle room for a possible next season, and has enough gossip to keep the viewer intrigued. The big reveal of Lady Bridgerton could have been saved for future seasons, as it apparently was in the books, but it was worth it to know in the end. 

Overall Review: A strong 3.8/5 because of the wardrobe choices and the treats they eat look ridiculously good, but there’s always room for improvement.

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

Catch the latest episodes of “Big Mouth” online

December starts off with new episodes of “Big Mouth”

Natalie Dean | Entertainment Editor

“Big Mouth,” the raunchy and relatable adult-animated sitcom is returning for a fourth season, which will be available on Netflix on Dec. 4. 

Netflix released an official trailer on Youtube in mid-November, giving fans a sneak peek of Coach Steve supervising the pool, Jessi attending therapy and learning about anxiety and chaos caused by the young tweens’ Hormone Monsters. Guest stars will include Maria Bamford as Tito the “anxiety mosquito,” and Zach Galifianakis as “Gratitode.” 

Along with the latest fourth season, Netflix announced on Twitter last July that “Big Mouth” has also been confirmed for a fifth and sixth season in the near future. 

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

See what Dexter has been up to in the latest upcoming season

Get ready for Dexter’s dangerous comeback in 2021

Natalie Dean | Entertainment Editor 

Showtime surprised fans of the well-loved show “Dexter” with an announcement that the series will come back on air for 10 episodes, with the confirmed returning cast of Michael C. Hall and showrunner Clyde Phillips. Although the rest of the cast cannot be listed quite yet and people are still speculating on where the storyline will go, it’s been reported that production will begin early 2021 and the  tentative premiere date is next fall. 

Showtime originally aired “Dexter” in 2006, receiving many Emmy nominations and a Peabody Award throughout the years. In 2010, lead actor Hall received a Golden Globe for his role of Dexter.

During the eight seasons of the show ⏤ totaling 96 thrilling episodes ⏤ fans lost a lot of favorite characters and quite a few of the characters they loved to hate. This upcoming season comes as a pleasant surprise, since the last season left fans bewildered and out in the cold.

Although there’s still a decent amount of time until the newest season is released, one can bet that this series revival will most likely hold even more twists and turns. Hopefully, we can find out what the former Miami blood-spatter analyst has been up to, and see what damage has occurred since the show ended in 2013.

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu