(Nene Sakura, a newbie programmer from New Game. Image by destex on Wallhaven)
A curated list of animes every developer should watch.
Legend: 🎞 = Anime series, 📽 = Anime Movie
| TITLE | GENRE | SEASON/YEAR | MAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🎞 .hack//Sign | Game, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Mystery, Magic, Fantasy | Spring 2002 | ⭐ 7.00 |
| 🎞 Accel World | Action, Romance, Sci-Fi | Fall 2021 | ⭐ 7.27 |
| 🎞 Angel Beats! | Action, Comedy, Drama, School, Supernatural | Spring 2010 | ⭐ 8.18 |
| 📽 Battle Programmer Shirase | Comedy, Ecchi, Sci-Fi | 2004 | ⭐ 7.64 |
| 📽 Blood-C: The Last Dark | Action, Horror, Supernatural, Vampire | 2012 | ⭐ 7.21 |
| 🎞 Bokutachi no Remake | Drama, Romance, Slice of Life | 2021 | ⭐ 7.52 |
| 📽 Byousoku 5 Centimeter | Drama, Romance, Slice of Life | 2007 | ⭐ 7.78 |
| 🎞 Bungou Stray Dogs | Action, Comedy, Mystery, Seinen, Super Power, Supernatural | Spring 2016 | ⭐ 7.78 |
| 🎞 Bungou Stray Dogs 2nd Season | Action, Mystery, Seinen, Super Power, Supernatural | Fall 2016 | ⭐ 8.22 |
| 🎞 Bungou Stray Dogs 3rd Season | Action, Mystery, Seinen, Super Power, Supernatural | Spring 2019 | ⭐ 8.16 |
| 🎞 Choujigen Game Neptune The Animation | Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Supernatural | Summer 2013 | ⭐ 6.95 |
| 🎞 Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! | Drama, Comedy, Slice of Life, Romance, School | Fall 2012 | ⭐ 7.78 |
| 🎞 Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren | Drama, Comedy, Slice of Life, Romance, School | Winter 2014 | ⭐ 7.56 |
| 📽 Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Movie: Take On Me | Drama, Comedy, Slice of Life, Romance, School | Winter 2018 | ⭐ 8.17 |
| 🎞 Cowboy Bebop | Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Space | Spring 1998 | ⭐ 8.79 |
| 🎞 Dagashi Kashi | Comedy, Shounen, Slice of Life | Winter 2016 | ⭐ 6.65 |
| 🎞️ Darwin's Game | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi | Winter 2020 | ⭐ 7.27 |
| 🎞 Deca-Dence | Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure | Summer 2020 | ⭐ 7.57 |
| 🎞 Digimon Adventure | Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Kids | Spring 1999 | ⭐ 7.80 |
| 🎞 Neon Genesis Evangelion | Action, Sci-Fi, Dementia, Psychological, Drama, Mecha | Fall 1995 | ⭐ 8.31 |
| 🎞 Fugou Keiji: Balance:Unlimited | Action, Comedy, Police, Mystery | Spring 2020 | ⭐ 7.63 |
| 🎞 Godzilla: S.P | Action, Sci-Fi, Mecha | Spring 2021 | ⭐ 7.07 |
| 🎞 Guilty Crown | Action, Sci-Fi, Super Power, Drama, Romance, Mecha | Fall 2011 | ⭐ 7.55 |
| 📽 Hello World | Sci-Fi, Drama, Romance | 2019 | ⭐ 7.61 |
| 🎞 Kamisama ni Natta Hi | Drama, Fantasy | Fall 2020 | ⭐ 7.58 |
| 🎞 Kamisama no Memochou | Mystery | Summer 2011 | ⭐ 7.55 |
| 🎞 Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko | Adventure, Slice of Life, Magic, Fantasy | Fall 2020 | ⭐ 6.91 |
| 🎞 Kemono Jihen | Action, Mystery, Demons, Supernatural, Shounen | Winter 2021 | ⭐ 7.46 |
| 📽 Koukaku Kidoutai | Action, Mecha, Police, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Seinen | 1995 | ⭐ 8.30 |
| 🎞 New Game! | Game, Slice of Life, Comedy | Summer 2016 | ⭐ 7.64 |
| 🎞 New Game!! | Game, Slice of Life, Comedy | Summer 2017 | ⭐ 7.79 |
| 🎞 No Game No Life | Game, Adventure, Comedy, Supernatural, Ecchi, Fantasy | Spring 2014 | ⭐ 8.24 |
| 📽 No Game No Life: Zero | Game, Supernatural, Drama, Romance, Fantasy | Summer 2017 | ⭐ 8.38 |
| 🎞 Persona 5 the Animation | Action, Fantasy, Supernatural | Spring 2018 | ⭐ 6.51 |
| 🎞 Psycho-Pass | Action, Sci-Fi, Police, Psychological | Fall 2012 | ⭐ 8.39 |
| 🎞 Rikei ga Koi ni Ochita no de Shoumei shitemita | Comedy, Romance | Winter 2020 | ⭐ 7.35 |
| 🎞 Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata | Harem, Comedy, Romance, Ecchi, School | Winter 2015 | ⭐ 7.55 |
| 🎞 Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo | Slice of Life, Comedy, Drama, Romance, School | Fall 2012 | ⭐ 8.22 |
| 🎞 Sekirei | Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Harem, Super Power | Summer 2008 | ⭐ 7.16 |
| 🎞 Serial Experiments Lain | Dementia, Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Supernatural | Summer 1998 | ⭐ 8.02 |
| 🎞 Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san | Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life, Supernatural | Spring 2019 | ⭐ 7.38 |
| 🎞 Steins; Gate | Thriller, Sci-Fi | Spring 2011 | ⭐ 9.12 |
| 📽 Steins; Gate Movie: Fuka Ryouiki no Deja Vu | Sci-Fi, Drama | 2013 | ⭐ 8.51 |
| 🎞 Steins; Gate 0 | Sci-Fi, Thriller | Spring 2018 | ⭐ 8.52 |
| 🎞 Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) | Comedy, Mystery, Parody, School, Sci-Fi, Slice of Life | Spring 2006 | ⭐ 7.89 |
| 🎞 Sword Art Online | Action, Game, Adventure, Romance, Fantasy | Summer 2012 | ⭐ 7.30 |
| 🎞 Sword Art Online II | Action, Game, Adventure, Romance, Fantasy | Summer 2014 | ⭐ 6.86 |
| 📽 Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale | Action, Game, Adventure, Romance, Fantasy | 2017 | ⭐ 7.70 |
| 🎞 Sword Art Online: Alicization | Action, Game, Adventure, Romance, Fantasy | Fall 2018 | ⭐ 7.59 |
| 🎞 Sword Art Online: Alicization - War Of Underworld | Action, Game, Adventure, Romance, Fantasy | Summer 2020 | ⭐ 7.46 |
| 📽 Summer Wars | Sci-Fi, Comedy | 2009 | ⭐ 8.11 |
| 📽 The Animatrix | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Anime | 2003 | ⭐ 7.29 |
| 🎞 Tonikaku Kawaii | Comedy, Romance, Shounen | Fall 2020 | ⭐ 7.78 |
| 🎞 Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song | Sci-Fi, Music | Spring 2021 | ⭐ 8.04 |
| 🎞 Yu☆Gi☆Oh! Zexal | Action, Fantasy | Spring 2011 | ⭐ 6.35 |
| 🎞 Zankyou no Terror | Mystery, Psychological, Thriller | Summer 2014 | ⭐ 8.13 |
Inspired by movies-for-hackers