The 15 Greatest Guilty Pleasure Anime You Secretly Love

It wouldn't be out of line to claim High School DxD is centered around nothing but gratuitous displays of the women in the show. However, there is a plot in there somewhere: Issei Hyoudou is slain, comes back to life as Rias's servant, and ends up locked in conflict against a series of angels and demons. High School DxD may not be a work of literary genius, but it's a surefire way to have a good time.

Fans shouldn't bother trying to convince themselves they're watching Monster Musume as fantasy aficionados. For that, they could watch a much tamer series, like A Centaur's Life or Interviews With Monster Girls. No, if they're watching Monster Musume, they're there to watch Kimihito Kurusu get dog-piled by his harem of humanoid magical creatures.

There's just enough of a plot to keep things from getting boring, but Monster Musume is probably best enjoyed in the privacy of one's own home.

If bingeing on fan service anime begins to feel more like guilt than pleasure, Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist is here to help. This anime champions the idea that repressing desires leads to disaster.

Some of it is hilarious, like Ayame Kajou's superhero outfit, which includes underwear worn as a hat. Some parts are less funny and more cringe-inducing, like when the usually straight-laced Anna Nishikinomiya forces herself on her love interest without regard for his desires. Shimoneta is a total guilty pleasure anime, and its message is that acknowledging those pleasures is important for a healthy society.

This is an insanely well-animated show with a unique and engaging plot. Unfortunately, that plot serves as one big vehicle to get the teenage characters undressed. There's also an outrageous scene in episode 16 that's drawn in a gratuitous way that's hard not to feel squeamish about. It's a wonderful show overall, but it has moments that make you feel guilty about loving it.

Keijo!!!!!!!! is about women fighting using only their chests and their rears. While there's no counterargument to this being blatant fan service, it also somehow manages to be wholesome. These ladies are serious about achieving victory in their strange sport, and it's hard not to root for them - even if the show feels cringe-worthy at times.

The much-maligned but beloved series Sword Art Online is totally a guilty pleasure viewing experience. It starts with a solid premise: A group of virtual-reality gamers is trapped in a game for well over a year, and if they are eliminated in the game, they will be eliminated in real life. It also features awesome fight scenes, an interesting romance plot between Kirito and his girlfriend, Asuna, and a fun, expansive fantasy world.

So what makes it a guilty pleasure? First of all, it's total wish-fulfillment - Kirito's in-game skills are unreasonably good, and he's attractive to every girl he comes across. It's also difficult to enjoy the part where Asuna, a formerly strong heroine, gets locked in a cage by Nobuyuki Sugou, her unwanted fiance.

Despite its sillier and more disturbing parts, it's hard not to feel affection for Sword Art Online.