Ryuko Matoi is on a mission fueled by hate and anger as she enters Honnouji Academy to discover her father's killer. Armed with a special scissor-shaped sword, she challenges the fearsome student council led by Satsuki Kiryuin. Unfortunately, the students wear uniforms infused with life fibers, an alien technology that grants incredible supernatural abilities to the wearer. Due to her everyday attire, Ryuko is no match for any of the council members and suffers an instant defeat. Mere moments away from falling into total despair, the hard-headed heroine discovers a one-of-a-kind sailor uniform created only with these magical threads. Dressed in her shiny new armor, Ryuko transforms into a being capable of taking down Satsuki and her goons.

Kill La Kill is pure and unfiltered madness. The premise might seem like your typical school battle anime, but that would be a disservice to the anime's creativity and uniqueness. Produced by Trigger, the animation is gorgeous and identifiable, as there is no other series that replicates this particular visual style. Despite the graphic splendor, Kill La Kill remains a character-driven series with an expansive cast that develops as they go along.

Initially, the plot is predictable and safe; as Ryuko faces four council representatives before challenging the queen bee. Thankfully, the first half is merely a facade used to lure the viewer into a false sense of familiarity, before shifting gears for the chaotic second arc.

Set in the Warring states period, Brave 10 follows the priestess Isanami, the only surviving member of the Izumo temple, as she is forced to flee her home after it is assaulted by ninjas and burned to the ground. Following her master's advice, she travels to Ueda Castle to seek assistance from Yukimura Sanada, but is unfortunately tracked by a handful of assassins. On the verge of death, Izanami is saved by Saizou Kirigakure, a wandering warrior. After annihilating her stalkers, they make their way to Yukimura's castle, who agrees to assist the young priestess. Fearing the overwhelming strength of their enemies, they set out on a mission to locate ten brave warriors who can serve by Isanami's side.

Brave 10's plot is eerily similar to Fate/Apocrypha, as it sees a multitude of warriors join together to hopefully settle a war between two opposing factions. Reminiscent of the master/servant dynamic, the generally weak Isanami needs to be protected by her companions while she gives them a reason to live. The battles are well animated and flow seamlessly, although they are nowhere near as bloody and vicious as the Fate series. Brave 10 injects a large dose of comedy into each episode, mostly through the banter between Isanami and Yukimura.

Due to the short run time, the story moves along at a frantic pace, with new characters being introduced in nearly every episode. Although this could easily work against the series, the lack of any real subplots means that there isn't any fluff to sit through.

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works stands as a prime example of how to animate a sword based action scene, with Fate/Apocrypha attempting to follow suit. Still, something would be amiss if Madhouse was not included in a discussion about animation quality. This brings us to the studio's Claymore, a dark epic set within a fantastical medieval world. In this universe, a dangerous threat emerged that challenges the very existence of humanity. These shape-shifting monstrosities, known as Yoma, see humans as food and are incredibly powerful.

In an attempt to push back the Yoma, a single warrior is assigned to each of the 47 regions. For a small fee, these female knights can be hired for protection. As their weapon of choice is a huge sword, the townsfolk dubbed them Claymores. Identical to Yoma, a Claymore uses Yoki -a demonic power- to fuel its strength. Although this grants an impressive boost to their abilities, if abused, they could end up transforming into Yoma themselves.

Claymore is a hard-hitting series that explores themes of what it means to be human. The slow moving plot is considerably more somber than Fate/Apocrypha, while still delivering well-choreographed fight scenes that never fail to thrill.

At this point, Nobunaga Oda might very well be the most used historical figure in anime history. He is everywhere. Drifters is another series that brings together a few noteworthy historical figures before placing them in the middle of a war. After the Battle of Sekigahara, a mortally wounded Shimazu Toyohisa is suddenly teleported to a mysterious corridor lined with strange doors. The only other person is a receptionist seated behind a large wooden desk. Understandably confused, Shimazu demands an explanation before being waived away into one of these doors.

Shimazu awakens in a world that is not his own as a drifter, a warrior chosen to take part in an ongoing war between humans and a powerful force called the Ends, who are inching towards victory. In a final attempt to salvage the situation, human magicians seek to recruit the drifters to help turn the tide. Besides humans, this alien land houses a few different fantastic species, including elves, dwarves, and giants.

If nothing else, Drifters has a sense of scale and grandiosity that is not easy to match. The unspectacular storyline is saved by the colorful cast, which plays well off each other, and the willingness to show the ugly side of war. While Fate/Apocrypha prioritizes one-on-one confrontations, Drifters prefers to present large scale battles from the point of view of a handful of characters. The series is also not for the faint of heart, as every cut of the blade paints the screen red.

Souta Mizushino is your average teenager. He goes to school, spends most of his time studying and enjoys reading manga and watching anime. With the exception of his desire to write his own light novel series, Souta does not stand out. One day, while watching Elemental Symphony of Vogelchevalier, his tablet begins to act strangely. As the screen turns to static, the unsuspecting teenager is dragged into the anime's world and ends up caught in the middle of a fierce fight between the protagonist, Selesia, and a girl dressed in a military uniform. After being saved by the heroine, he ends up pulling her back into his world.

Unable to return home, Selesia and Souta set out to discover what exactly happened and how the military girl might be involved. They learn that Selesia is not the only hero that was evicted from her world and forced into ours. After realizing that they need all the help they can get, the unlikely duo decides to track down the wandering heroes to create a united front.

Re: Creators knows how to keep the audience coming back for more, as the genuinely interesting plot never reveals its hand too early. The numerous fight sequences incorporate a variety of different genres, including mecha, as each hero has their own style to reflect their anime.

A summary explaining the basic premise of Nobunaga the Fool would make it sound like one of the most insane shows of all time. Okay, here goes nothing!

There exist two planets, known as the Western and Eastern respectively, which are linked together by a Dragon Pulse. Initially, both realms prospered due to a mutually beneficial relationship, before human greed and paranoia seeped in and a war broke out. Since then, they have been locked in a seemingly never ending battle for supremacy. Fearing that the only possible outcome is mutual annihilation, a girl named Jeanne D'Arc from the Western Planet travels to the East in search of the Savior-King. To assist her on this trying journey, she is accompanied by Leonardo Da Vinci and Oda Nobunaga. Also, there are a whole lot of mecha suits.

Unlike Fate/Apocrypha and Drifters, Nobunaga the Fool introduces a few of our most famous historical figures in a strange and far-fetched world. This time around, they are not outsiders who are summoned for their expertise or strength of character; in fact, their names do not hold any weight in this universe. For example, Jeanne D'Arc is merely a heretic who should not be trusted and is on her way to becoming the legendary hero that we all know.

Nobunaga the Fool excels as a silly battle anime, as the lackluster plot often seems to not know how to fully utilize its storied cast. Thankfully, the series does not take itself too seriously and dedicates the greater part of its runtime to delivering an abundance of explosive fights.