Have you ever finished watching a show, and thought “wow this entire story was that simple?” Surely you have also come up with some fun ways to describe your favorite shows in a simple one-liner. You know the one you practice in front of a mirror and laugh endlessly. The real question is, would everyone else laugh too? Well, let’s find out. We take some of my favorite anime over the years and sum them up in one sentence.
As you might expect, to do these summaries, we have to spoil some plot points, so be warned. And if you think your one-liner is better, we want to hear it in the comments. We may feature it on our social channels too!
Naruto/Naruto Shippuden
The Village Hidden in the Leaves is home to the stealthiest ninja. But twelve years earlier, a fearsome Nine-tailed Fox terrorized the village before it was subdued and its spirit sealed within the body of a baby boy.
720 (yes, seven hundred and twenty) episodes of pure ninja recap. Sorry, Ninja storytelling in the Naruto and Naruto Shippuden series combined. That is a lot of storytelling and if you managed to either marathon your way through it later in life (like myself) or you grew up watching it as it aired. There were a few things you learned about the title character. And how you could sum up the entire series.
“Naruto just wants to eat ramen with some friends”
Damnit Danzo, 720 episodes and it had to be you being selfish and stupid to start a global war.
Neon Genesis: Evangelion
Fifteen years after the Second Impact, Shinji Ikari joins his father’s group NERV as one of several teenage mecha pilots fighting the monstrous Angels.
Such a short plot summary for a series that has so much to unpack mentally. But if nothing else, Neon Genesis is a genre-defining anime that to this day remains as controversial as it was loved. But the question of how to really sum it up to the masses is one that is hotly debated. Here is our take.
“Evangelion is about a boy, Shinji, who can’t get in the damn robot”.
Though there are a great many other things Shinji doesn’t do, this is the one that has you screaming at your screen most of the time.
Fairy Tail
The story follows a teenage girl named Lucy Heartfilla who is determined to join the notorious magical Fairy Tail Guild. During a daring rescue, she encounters Natsu who is part of the guild, and eventually offers her a place. They become teammates performing various missions for the Fairy Tail Guild. Be prepared for an action-packed adventure!
The official synopsis is pretty straightforward. The anime itself spanned over 328 episodes and several films. We followed the missions and stories of the Fairy Tail guild and its key players like Lucy, Natsu, Grey and so many more. But when it was all said and done, there was a simple summary.
“Fairy Tail is about an older brother destroying all of existence to save his younger brother.”
It seems cruel to sum up the massive story in such a short way, but it’s not wrong. The big bad this entire time was none other than Natsu’s older brother and his attempts (which failed again and again and again) to bring Natsu back, existence be damned.
To Your Eternity
To Your Eternity illustrates the story of an immortal being experiencing humanity, meeting all types of people in many places throughout time.
The synopsis of this series simply doesn’t prepare you for the emotional dirty bomb it drops on you from the first episode. If you know you know. This series has to be one of the most heart-wrenching I have watched in a while, and it continues throughout. But there is beauty in it and in so many ways it’s worth experiencing even through the heartache.
“To Your Eternity is about a being who suffers greatly to learn what it means to be human”
