RECS: Duo the Owl’s Top 10 Anime to Watch After Your Daily Lessons
Duolingo’s bright, wide-eyed mascot often offers his services to help us all learn whatever language we’re interested in. And with the just-announced partnership between Crunchyroll and Duolingo, it’s now even more fun to start learning a new language!
RELATED: Learn Japanese With This Crunchyroll and Duolingo Free Trial Offer!
But how much do we really know about the little green owl, Duo? Well, we know he’s always around to help – and remind us to do our daily lessons. But did you also know Duo is an anime fan? We had the chance to chat with Duo and he gave us his top ten favorite anime series of all time. Check out the full list of recommendations below, and let us know in the comments what you think Duo should watch next!
Gintama
When aliens invade all of humanity, Edo Japan’s bravest warriors immediately surrender. Only one samurai has what it takes to pick up the odd jobs scattered about the country: Gintoki Sakata.
Now, you might be thinking that Duo is into this series because of its curious bird character, Elizabeth, who is totally real and definitely not the creator of the series. Well, you’d be right, but also Gintama is way too fun of a series to pass up.
Nichijou – My Ordinary Life
Sometimes you only get one question right on your math test. Other times your school principal gets in a fight with a deer. And, maybe, you’ve gotta hide the fact that you’re a robot, or arm wrestle to see who gets to eat the rest of the snacks or learn different languages from a green owl.
Life is weird.
Watch Nichijou – My Ordinary Life on Crunchyroll!
My Hero Academia
The story of one brave bird embracing the darkness to become the hero he was always meant to be. OK, enough about Duo.
This anime series focuses on Izuku Midoriya following his dreams of becoming a hero that everyone can depend on, but to Duo it’s all about Class 1-A’s best bird boy, Tokoyami, probably. Maybe Duo has a Dark Shadow lurking about somewhere.
Watch My Hero Academia on Crunchyroll!
One Piece
Duo can’t help but admire Monkey D. Luffy. Much like learning a new language, it can take a while to accomplish the goals you’ve set out to achieve. No one knows that better than Luffy, and through all the ups and downs, he still sails the ever-expanding ocean with a smile on his face.
Duo might not be a parrot, the traditional bird that accompanies pirates, but he wouldn’t mind perching on top of Luffy’s shoulder.
Watch One Piece on Crunchyroll!
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
Duo thinks that student council president Miyuki Shirogane and vice president Kaguya Shinomiya are perfect for each other. At some point, one of them has to actually admit to their feelings, though, and that can be as tough as learning a new language.
It’s worth the effort, though, you just need an enthusiastic owl– urm, narrator to help out.
Watch Kaguya-sama: Love Is War on Crunchyroll!
Hyouka
While not quite the same as deciding to learn a language, a mystery-solving literature club is still a premise that’s piqued Duo’s interest. Hotaro Oreki decides to join his school’s literature club, but only because his sister asked him to.
Hotaro doesn’t like to waste his energy so only does things if he has to, but as he spends more time with the club, particularly Eru Chitanda, he starts to find more interesting things to focus on.
Bananya
Owls might enjoy nibbling on a piece of fruit but this is the kind of treat that Duo wouldn’t eat. That’s because the only thing better than an island full of cats is an island full of cats who are inside of bananas.
Duo can respect a series where the characters are just trying to live their best lives, besides, a protagonist wanting to bathe in chocolate with friends sounds like the perfect way to start the weekend.
Polar Bear Cafe
As the title implies, Polar Bear Cafe is about a polar bear who runs a cafe.
Out of all the places Duo could go for a snack, there’s no better spot than this. Not to mention that the pun-loving bear would be fun to strike up a conversation with, perhaps this would be a good chance to try out that new language you’re learning.
Watch Polar Bear Cafe on Crunchyroll!
NEW GAME!
While a lot of anime series focus on what the characters do as students, Duo enjoys NEW GAME! because it centers on adults in the workforce. Working adults often have to work well with their colleagues which requires a solid foundation of one of Duo’s favorite things: communication.
Like a lot of us, Aoba Suzukaze has spent a lot of time playing video games. Her favorite? Fairies Story, a game developed by Eagle Jump. Now that she’s out of high school, Aoba has decided to pursue video game design as a career and ends up working at the very company that created her favorite game.
Watch NEW GAME! On Crunchyroll!
Pop Team Epic
How does one even explain the antics of Popuko and Pipimi? They’re the type to let an entire idol anime opening play before tearing the title card apart to start their own series.
Equal parts hilarious, bizarre and a touch self-aware, Duo knew this anime was a keeper when Pipimi chose to eat beef instead of chicken.
Watch Pop Team Epic on Crunchyroll!
OK, but what anime should I watch if I’m learning Japanese?
Now that we’ve gone through Duo’s favorite anime, we’d like to offer up a few series you can watch if you’re starting to learn Japanese on Duolingo!
Duo recommends Bananya, as the series features fairly basic vocabulary and is easy to get into, Laid-Back Camp for everyday vocabulary, particularly terminology for going outdoors, and Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family for learning about different kinds of food.
Be sure to add these to your list, and let us know what you’ve learned while watching these series!
Briana Lawrence is the Senior EN Features Editor here at Crunchyroll. When she’s not writing she’s taking care of her three butthead cats and playing Hades for the 100th time. You can check out her writings and her book series over at her website and give her a shout over on Twitter.
