Anime is pretty popular. In 2020, Netflix announced that over 100 million households around the world chose to watch at least one anime title on Netflix.
Most people probably have at least one or two friends that are obsessed with it. Most of my friends have watched at least one or two anime series.
Despite constant begging from my friends, I have never watched a single anime. I know the names of the popular shows, but I know next to nothing outside of that.
So, I figured that made me the most qualified person to review some of the most popular anime. You can’t be biased if you don’t know what’s going on.
Armed with nothing but the plot synopsis of each episode, I watched the highest-rated episode from five of the most popular anime series. I gave them each a score out of ten in three different categories:
Would I keep watching: How likely am I to continue watching the series.
Entertainment: How entertained I was throughout the episode.
Could I explain this to my parents: How likely would my parents be to think I need therapy after I explain the plot to them.
Feel free to yell at me for not liking your favorite show. Mild spoilers ahead.
One Piece
The highest-rated episode of “One Piece” was episode 719.  
Would I keep watching: 3/10
There was a king and a bad guy. The bad guy was trying to kill the king. A good guy was trying to stop the bad guy. I do not even care enough to Google for context.
Entertainment: 4/10
This episode was boring. At least half of the runtime was filled with characters reacting to how big the bad guy was. Yes, I get it. He is very big. Yes, I get it. You are very scared.
Could I explain this to my parents: 6/10
There’s this big stone guy and he’s bad and trying to kill a king, but this guy with swords is good and he stops him. One of the easier explanations.
Overall Score: 13/30

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 

The highest-rated episode of “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” was episode 19.
Would I keep watching: 6/10
The story seemed unique and made me interested to see more. I had no clue what was going on, but the characters seemed likable.
Entertainment: 7/10
This anime had the funniest episode out of all the episodes I watched. The fight was interesting too.
Could I explain this to my parents: 2/10
I cannot even explain this one to myself.
Overall Score: 15/30

My Hero Academia

The highest-rated episode of “My Hero Academia” was episode 11 in season three.
Would I keep watching: 4/10
It seemed interesting, but not interesting enough to invest a lot of time into.
Entertainment: 5/10
The fight was kind of entertaining, but it was only a few punches. The speeches each character delivered were interesting but got repetitive. This episode had a lot of reaction shots instead of action.
Could I explain this to my parents: 7/10
I would probably say something like, “It’s a superhero show. Yes, like Marvel. No, Tom Holland is not in it.”
Overall Score: 16/30

Hunter x Hunter

The highest-rated episode of “Hunter x Hunter” was episode 126.
Would I keep watching: 8/10
I had absolutely no clue what was going on in this episode. I loved it. I am curious about what happened both before and after this episode. I will probably be reading fan-made wikis if I never get around to watching another episode.
Entertainment: 9/10
I could not look away. Even though I didn’t know whom I was supposed to root for, the fight between Netero and King was interesting and kept me engaged the entire time.
Could I explain this to my parents: 2/10
Chimera ants? Giant Buddha attacks? A guy stabbing himself in the heart after getting his leg cut off? This is nothing like a Marvel movie. If I tried to explain this to my parents, I would end up on the prayer list at church.
Overall Score: 19/30

Attack on Titan

The highest-rated episode of “Attack on Titan” was episode 17 in season three.
Would I keep watching: 7/10
I was interested in the Titans and what the context of the battle was. There seemed to be emotional plot points that would mean more with context.
Entertainment: 8/10
The opening scene of a soldier thinking about what his wife was doing before getting killed was a great addition, even without context. The action was enough to keep me interested throughout the entire episode.
Could I explain this to my parents: 4/10
Titans eating each other to transform into other titans would not be easy to explain.
Overall Score: 19/30