Revisiting an old fantasy manga from my middle-school years, +Anima! It’s not necessarily a standout in its genre, but +Anima captures an atmosphere that feels uniquely early-2000s: earnest, imaginative, and open-hearted.
+Anima tells a lighthearted yet thoughtful fantasy story set in a world where some humans can transform parts of their bodies into animal features called “+Anima.” Because society generally fears or shuns anything “different,” +Anima must hide their powers lest they be persecuted. The main plot follows a boy with Crow +Anima powers, Cooro, who travels across continents with several fellow +Anima friends in search of a place where they truly belong.
Though +Anima may not break new ground in every aspect, it remains a compelling example of what the manga industry could do in the early 2000s; carefree creativity, original ideas, and a willingness to explore both dark and hopeful themes. Unfortunately such worldview were no longer possible after 2008 where +Anima essentially serve as Canary that cannot survive the manga environment after this period where fantasy genre are slowly filled with mass produced isekai series.
+Anima might not have much to offer but you want to see what an early 2000s series could do, this is a decent candidate to look at.
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