With January kicking off a very strong year of anime for Netflix with all sorts of new releases to check out with the streaming services this month, there are actually some major classic anime franchises that you can now check out this month as well. The streaming service has quite a few classics available in its library for fans to check out, and there are new updates to these classics every month. With the streaming service adding some major classics, there are a few in particular that you’ll want to check out first.
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There are seven major anime classics now streaming with Netflix that have either joined its streaming library for the first time, or have added new episodes to their offerings this January in particular. Some of these classics were previously available in years before, but then there are a few that have never been seen on the platform either way. Read on below for our picks of anime classics to check out in action with Netflix this month.
7). Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Puella Magi Madoka Magica was just re-added to Netflix after years of being away from the streaming platform, and it’s an example of a perfect anime to watch with the service. The anime is only a single cour of 12 episodes, and with it comes to a complete. Although the story has continued with new feature films (with another currently being in the works for a release this year), it’s still an anime that you can watch within a single weekend. Focusing on one of the strongest magical girls in all of anime, it really is a mindblower of a classic that all anime fans should see at least once.
6). Kamisama Kiss
Netflix is also a great home to major romances that anime fans should see, and one of those biggest classics is Julietta Suzuki’s Kamisama Kiss. When a young girl is forced into the streets thanks to her father’s mountain of gambling debts, she ends up living in a shrine after helping a mysterious stranger. When she suddenly starts to have an attraction to a Yokai living there, the two end up forming an unexpected romance that’s now blossoming even further with the recent addition of the second season to Netflix this month. So it’s the best time to jump into this classic romance now that the anime is completely available to watch.
5). Sonic X
Sonic X is undoubtedly a surprise as it gave Sonic fans a whole new animated take on the character, but it remains in a grey area considering that it’s one of the shows anchoring 4Kids Entertainment’s Fox Box programming block upon its original debut. It might not have been seen by fans favorably during its original run, but it’s being looked back on favorably by fans ever since. The third and final season of the anime’s run is now available for streaming with Netflix this month and it closes all of the chaos with the Metarex Saga. So with all seasons now available, it’s the perfect opportunity to jump in.
4). Gintama
Gintama‘s a rare Shonen Jump anime classic that’s finally making the jump to Netflix after being made available on other platforms throughout the years, and it’s a perfect example of a show that every anime fan needs to see at least some of the episodes from. There are now 25 episodes of the classic series now streaming with Netflix with both Japanese and English audio available. This is only a small selection of its episodes available from its vast history, but we’ll likely see much more of the series added in the future. For now, it’s a great opportunity to see why this is widely regarded as one of the funniest action series out there.
3). Detective Conan
Detective Conan is another classic anime series that has been around for a long time, but has not had as much success in the united States as it has had in other territories. For example, the anime series was first brought to the West with the new title of “Case Closed” and had to fight an uphill battle from then on. But the beauty of this classic series, however, is that the episodes are considered pretty much timeliness. You can also pretty much jump into any point in the story without much knowledge of the canon. It’s all just the titular Conan investigating various crimes, and that’s just not something any anime can do as well as it does. It’s a great watch.
2). Magic Knight Rayearth
Magic Knight Rayearth is another massive classic franchise that has finally come to Netflix nearly 30 years since its original debut. Isekai anime might be the biggest thing going on now, but this is one of those anime series that really exploded with the use of that idea. Three girls are transported to Japan to a mystery fantasy world where they need to use giant magical robots to fight, and over the course of two seasons of episodes fans are taken on a journey that fans had never expected to see. Now that it’s completely available on Netflix (with a new reboot in the works), it’s the best time to see why it’s such a classic.
1). One Piece
But as always, One Piece is still the best classic anime franchise to watch on Netflix. There might be over 1,000 episodes available across multiple arcs, but Netflix has added more of an incentive to watch these classics thanks to the upcoming premiere of the live action series’ newest season later this March.
Netflix has been steadily adding an HD remastered version of the earliest episodes, and with a new update this January there are now 51 classic episodes to watch in this format. This includes the entirety of the East Blue saga, so if you liked the live-action series take on all of that, you can now see the anime version in the best way possible.
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