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I have to hand it to Perplexity: it’s one of the few AI chatbots that consistently gives me clear, specific answers with real sources attached. I prefer that over tools that spit out a confident response, then leave you juggling a pile of links just to figure out what’s actually true.
Earlier this year, I used Perplexity to build a legit reading list when I set a goal to read more books. The recommendations were so solid I decided to give it another curation challenge.
I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was: Perplexity filled my Netflix and Crunchyroll queue with movies and anime I actually want to watch, not just stuff that technically matches a genre.
Perplexity’s live-action picks were a mix of big blockbusters and underrated movies I’d never heard of
I got started by asking Perplexity this loaded question: My favorite video games are:
Devil May Cry 3
Bioshock
Split/Second
Resident Evil 2
Ghost of Tsushima
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
Can you recommend movies and anime based on each of those picks?
Perplexity took note of my six game genre interests (bombastic action, adventure games with a strong focus on deep storytelling, hyperactive racing, survival horror, samurai epics and fighting) and tailored movie and anime pairings tailored to them all.
By focusing on each of its recommendations’ mood, style and themes, it arrived with three or four cinematic choices to choose from for each game I listed:
- Devil May Cry 3 (fast, stylish, character‑driven action with a bit of edge and humor): Blade II, Constantine (2005) and Ninja Assassin
- Bioshock (atmospheric, philosophical, and tragic worlds with art-deco/dieselpunk flair and moral grayness): Dark City, Gattaca, The City of Lost Children and The Shining
- Split/Second (high-concept, explosive, visually driven action where environments constantly collapse): Speed Racer (2008), Death Race (2008), Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6
- Resident Evil 2 (survival horror with strong atmosphere, constrained spaces, and “contained outbreak” stories): 28 Days Later, Rec (2007, Spanish), Resident Evil (2002) and Resident Evil: Apocalypse
- Ghost of Tsushima (cinematic samurai drama: honor vs pragmatism, stunning landscapes, and emotional duels): Seven Samurai, Harakiri (1962), Yojimbo, Sanjuro and 13 Assassins (2010)
- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (stylish fighting game with SNK flavor, bold character signs and tournament/feud energy): Bloodsport, Warrior (2011) and Enter the Dragon
After looking through Perplexity’s movie picks, I walked away with two feelings: genuinely excited to add a bunch of new titles to my Netflix queue, and slightly deflated by a few “huh?” recommendations that didn’t really fit.
Some of the suggestions I’ve already seen include "Blade II," "Fast Five," "Fast & Furious 6," "Resident Evil" (2002), "Resident Evil: Apocalypse," "Bloodsport" and "Enter the Dragon."
To be fair, that’s a strong lineup. I love Wesley Snipes’ second run as Marvel’s resident vampire killer, "28 Days Later" is a zombie classic, and the ridiculous car chaos in Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6 never gets old. "Bloodsport" and "Enter the Dragon" are mandatory martial arts viewing too.
And yes, I’ve seen both of those early "Resident Evil" movies. The first one is putrid trash. The sequel is halfway decent, and somehow still a guilty pleasure for me (live-action Nemesis and Jill Valentine did a lot of heavy lifting).
That said, I have to give Perplexity credit: it gave me a solid mix of movies that feel like perfect off-day viewing. "Constantine" (2005) and "Ninja Assassin" should cover my action fix, while "Dark City," "Gattaca," "The City of Lost Children," and "The Shining" are exactly the kind of “sit down and actually pay attention” movies I’m in the mood for.
It’s also wild that I love the "Speed Racer" anime and have never seen the live-action adaptation. I clearly need to fix that.
And now I’ve got a whole new lane to explore with samurai epics like "Seven Samurai," "Harakiri" (1962), "Yojimbo," "Sanjuro" and "13 Assassins" (2010).
Next up: Perplexity’s anime picks, and whether they’re as strong as the movie list.
Perplexity’s anime list included familiar favorites and total unknowns
I consider myself a diehard fan of anime and am usually in tune with all the mainstream successes like "Dragon Ball," the current breakout hits such as "Gachiakuta," and more obscure ones like "Serial Experiments Lain."
Perplexity shocked me once again by making me aware of some anime based on my favorite games that I’m now excited to watch.
Here’s a look at all the anime picks Perplexity advocated for based on my gaming tastes:
- Devil May Cry 3: Devil May Cry: The Animated Series, Hellsing Ultimate and Ninja Assassin
- Bioshock: Ergo Proxy, Psycho-Pass and From the New World
- Split/Second: Redline, Initial D (First Stage through Fourth Stage) and Appare-Ranman!
- Resident Evil 2: Resident Evil: Degeneration, Resident Evil: Damnation, Resident Evil: Vendetta, Tokyo Ghoul and Parasyte -the maxim-
- Ghost of Tsushima: Samurai Champloo, Sword of the Stranger and Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal
- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves: Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture, King of Fighters: Another Day and Baki (any season)
So let’s get the anime I’ve already seen out of the way first: "Devil May Cry: The Animated Series," all three "Resident Evil" CG animated films and "Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture." Perplexity was certainly on the money with those anime picks, but I have to admit that some of them are…substandard.
The original "Devil May Cry" animated series is just okay at best, the anime based on SNK fighting games are enjoyable, while only one of the "Resident Evil" CG films is watchable (I’m talking about "Damnation," just ignore "Degeneration" and "Vendetta" if you haven’t seen them yet).
Thankfully, Perplexity made up for its lesser anime picks and blessed me with a nice selection of shows that are going to dominate my next Crunchyroll binge-watching sessions. I’ve heard great things about the likes of "Psycho-Pass," "Redline," "Initial D," "Tokyo Ghoul," "Samurai Champloo," "Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal" and "Baki," so I have even more reason to check them out now.
And judging by the preview images and descriptions I’ve seen and read about these shows, I can’t wait to check out "Hellsing Ultimate," "Ninja Assassin," "Ergo Proxy," "From the New World," "Appare-Ranman!" and "Parasyte -the maxim-."
The takeaway
Once again, Perplexity proved why it’s one of the few AI chatbots I actually trust for recommendations. It helped me build a reading list earlier this year, and now it’s stocked my queue with enough movies and anime to keep me busy for months.
What makes Perplexity work is simple: it pays attention to what you tell it, then backs up its suggestions with sources instead of vibes. If you want smarter picks for what to read, watch, listen to, play or try next, it’s a surprisingly reliable place to start.
More from Tom's guide
- I asked Perplexity for a reading list — and it outperformed every book app I use
- This Xbox Mobile App AI Feature Gave Me Shockingly Good Game Recommendations
- I asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude to summarize 'Severance' — here's the one that I'd send to my friends and family
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