There comes a time when you binge-watch and finish a show, you are left with a gaping void. That gaping void my friends, is the sign of you needing to watch more anime!

Back this week for another round of recommendations, we have below two top tier animes, Attack on Titan and The Rising of the Shield Hero. These two series last about 20 plus episodes (Attack on Titan has seasons broken up into two parts, but you get the idea). This results in the overall series duration being almost double the length of what we previously recommended. That being said, as a good rule of thumb, series that tend to span longer than 12 episodes are more likely than not, good quality anime to get into (as long as it does not touch in the hundreds, but that's a discussion for another article). Having the breathing space that is 20 plus episodes or so, facilitates significantly better pacing and storytelling for audiences.

Attack on Titan (Season 2 and 3)

Often dubbed as one of the many holy grails of anime, you would have heard about Attack on Titan from even non-anime watchers. And with good reason, Attack on Titan is one of those pieces that just evokes many qualities: a stellar soundtrack by Hiroyuki Sawano, amazingly fluid animation sequences, a deep plot and storyline. The story is set in a universe where huge sized humanoid monsters, known as titans, slaughtered a good chunk of humanity, forcing the remaining to hide in sheltered cities. Said cities are protected by huge walls, tall enough to deter titans entering. The tale kicks off with one of the outer city perimeter walls being breached, followed by Eren Yeager witnessing a massive slaughter in his own city. Fueled by the desire of revenge, Eren vowed to hunt and kill every last titan. His childhood mates, Mikasa and Armin Arlert join him on this arduous journey. Season 2 and 3 brings a lot of food for thought to the table, that there is more to the world that it seems. Are titans the true enemy of mankind?

The Rising of the Shield Hero

A great anime that would please fans of classic Japanese Roleplaying Games, the premise of the show revolves around the tale of Naofumi Iwatani and how he grew to become the “Shield Hero.” Naofumi is an otaku, that was summoned from modern-day Japan into the kingdom of Melromarc. He was part of The Four Cardinal Heroes, a group of ordinary men that are summoned from modern-day Japan to become the saviours of Melromarc and vanquish the Waves of Catastrophe that have repeatedly ravaged the land for centuries. Each of the four was bestowed a legendary weapon, with Naofumi winding up with a measly shield, while the others were bestowed a sword, spear and bow respectively. He was constantly belittled due to the lack of offensive prowess compared to the other three heroes. Naofumi goes through various trials and eventually meets Raphtalia, a demi-human, who goes on to accompany him on his travels.

Viewers can tune in to Aniplus and catch Attack on Titan and The Rising of the Shield Hero via Astro’s On-Demand service and Astro Go (available in Malaysia only) from now till 31 March 2021.