Tohru Honda lives in a tent in the woods. She is discovered by the mysterious Sohma family, who are cursed to turn into animals of the Chinese zodiac when hugged by the opposite sex. Recommendation: This is a tearjerker. It handles trauma (abuse, grief, abandonment) with incredible empathy. The 2019 anime adapts the entire manga faithfully. Both the anime and manga are top-tier recommendations.

The current king of modern shonen. Yuji Itadori swallows a cursed object (a demon finger) and joins a secret organization of sorcerers to exorcise monsters. Recommendation: Studio MAPPA’s animation is movie-quality (especially the Hidden Inventory arc). The power system ("Cursed Energy") is creative, and the fights are brutal. The manga is currently in its final, controversial arc.

Dark Shonen, Supernatural, Action Why watch/ret: If you want fluid, jaw-dropping fight animation, this is it. Yuji Itadori swallows a cursed object (a finger possessed by the King of Curses, Sukuna) and joins a secret organization of Jujutsu Sorcerers. Warning: The author famously does not mind killing off beloved characters. Read the manga to get ahead, but the anime’s fight choreography (especially in Shibuya Arc ) is industry-leading.