Somehow, these manage to portray criminal activities in a very tasteful way.
Following criminal organizations and their inner workings is always fascinating. It’s no wonder there have been many anime about them. If you want some series like this, look no further.
Baccano! is a series of light novels by Ryohgo Narita, the same person who wrote Durarara!! (which is set in the same universe). The anime adaptation of it follows the first few volumes — and involves a clash of a couple of mafia groups.
In the middle of all that, there’s also a struggle for the immortality elixir, involving a very old conspiracy. Baccano! has a lot of plot threads, and they come together beautifully. Too bad it never got a sequel.
Reborn! (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!) was a huge hit back in the late 00s. A battle shounen manga that focused on mafia felt like a unique premise that was never done before.
It’s still remembered fondly by many for its unusual take on the genre. Sadly, the lack of a very much needed sequel has made it practically forgotten nowadays.
Banana Fish
Banana Fish adapts a classic shoujo manga into a fast-paced, incredibly entertaining action series. Due to the fact that the source material is old (and the fact that shoujo anime aren’t that popular with the general audience), it was overlooked at first only to become one of the best anime of 2018 later.
The anime deals with some heavy topics and is very tragic in nature. Despite that, it’s a great watch, where you want to continue every time you finish an episode.
91 Days is made by studio Shuka, which is made by the former staff of Brain’s Base — the people who worked on the aforementioned Baccano!. It’s somewhat similar in tone, being a mafia story set in Prohibition era America. It’s a revenge story, which is a genre many otaku seem to enjoy.
Another fun fact about the staff of 91 Days is that it was directed by Hiro Kaburagi. He would proceed to direct Great Pretender years later — which is also about crime, albeit not organized.
Black Lagoon is a classic of the 00s. Gunfights, cool characters, and violence — and beneath that, a surprisingly deep story about a diverse cast of well-written characters.
Black Lagoon focuses on a group of mercenary pirates of the Lagoon Company. Despite their occupation, they aren’t really villains — more like antiheroes. The anime is a lot of fun, and it’s too bad there aren’t many anime like it these days.
Somehow, these manage to portray criminal activities in a very tasteful way.
Following criminal organizations and their inner workings is always fascinating. It’s no wonder there have been many anime about them. If you want some series like this, look no further.
Baccano! is a series of light novels by Ryohgo Narita, the same person who wrote Durarara!! (which is set in the same universe). The anime adaptation of it follows the first few volumes — and involves a clash of a couple of mafia groups.
In the middle of all that, there’s also a struggle for the immortality elixir, involving a very old conspiracy. Baccano! has a lot of plot threads, and they come together beautifully. Too bad it never got a sequel.
Reborn! (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!) was a huge hit back in the late 00s. A battle shounen manga that focused on mafia felt like a unique premise that was never done before.
It’s still remembered fondly by many for its unusual take on the genre. Sadly, the lack of a very much needed sequel has made it practically forgotten nowadays.
Banana Fish
Banana Fish adapts a classic shoujo manga into a fast-paced, incredibly entertaining action series. Due to the fact that the source material is old (and the fact that shoujo anime aren’t that popular with the general audience), it was overlooked at first only to become one of the best anime of 2018 later.
The anime deals with some heavy topics and is very tragic in nature. Despite that, it’s a great watch, where you want to continue every time you finish an episode.
91 Days is made by studio Shuka, which is made by the former staff of Brain’s Base — the people who worked on the aforementioned Baccano!. It’s somewhat similar in tone, being a mafia story set in Prohibition era America. It’s a revenge story, which is a genre many otaku seem to enjoy.
Another fun fact about the staff of 91 Days is that it was directed by Hiro Kaburagi. He would proceed to direct Great Pretender years later — which is also about crime, albeit not organized.
Black Lagoon is a classic of the 00s. Gunfights, cool characters, and violence — and beneath that, a surprisingly deep story about a diverse cast of well-written characters.
Black Lagoon focuses on a group of mercenary pirates of the Lagoon Company. Despite their occupation, they aren’t really villains — more like antiheroes. The anime is a lot of fun, and it’s too bad there aren’t many anime like it these days.
