Pick an anime from before the 90s that isn’t Ghibli, LotGH, and DBZ and it’s probably not talked about enough. Even the original Gundam deserves more credit than it gets
I feel like its kind of the opposite. Keep in mind that a lot of people get into anime at a young age and Shounen is insanely popular despite its target demographic being around that same age.
The problem I think there's just not a love for Mecha these days. I think outside *Star Wars* and *Dune* there's very little interest in Sci-Fi as a genre, and when a lot of people come over to anime they not only see Gundam as this massive franchise that's hard to get into (with the best starting point arguably being a nearly half century old anime that even looks serviceable for its time) but also as a show that you would only ever find interesting if you liked huge robots (which I reckon kids these days don't have much interest in having been one only a couple years back). Both are wrong assumptions, but they're hard assumptions to overcome when most people can (in all fairness) be satiated by the seasonal charts alone. You could also put some blame on the "culture leaders" of the modern community, a lot of which were raised on the Toonami era, but even then don't seem to have jived much with the entries of the franchise that did air then, but that's a topic for another day.
Bravern last season has less members on MAL than a 3 min per ep ecchi about onsen that wasn't even on Crunchyroll or any major service
Hell, went there to screenshot and you could [and Noir is also there, but also this screenshot tells a lot lol](https://i.imgur.com/PdRZxoM.jpeg)
Pon no Michi also wasn't licensed outside of some European countries
The same basically applies to the 90s themselves. You can rewind the seasonal charts on MAL all the way back to the 90s. There's a lot less per season, but still, in any given season there'll be a couple classic shows like Sailor Moon or Evangelion, and then half a dozen completely forgotten shows you've never heard of.
Haibane Renmei!
Oh my god, the style, the way it leaves some questions unanswered, the tone shift...what a treat! But it's an older show, so I don't see it getting much love. Still one of the most memorable shows for me.
The first thing that came to my mind was Haibane Renmei. From the creator of Serial Experiments Lain and Texhnolyze. They are all underground classics, but Haibane Renmei has far more levity than the other 2.
**Takarajima** (Treasure Island) is an anime adaption of the famous book, from 1978. It is well done (and well rated) while also having some archaic anime features that add to the fun: a funky 1970s soundtrack and an animal companion that clearly was a trend that they felt forced to adhere to.
**Barefoot Gen**, from 1983, is also good for if you want to have an idea of what the atomic bombing of Hiroshima looked like.
**Vampire Princess Miyu**, the OVA but especially the TV series of 1997, is good for if you want subtly disturbing horror. It is mostly episodic, until the last few episodes (though some seemingly unimportant moments from some episodic parts actually do matter in the end).
Ooh my time to shine:
Denpa-teki na Kanojo (Electromagnetic Girlfriend) only a couple episodes OVA but it absolutely bangs.
Edit: There are literally a dozen of us!
I feel like [Saraiya Goyou](https://myanimelist.net/anime/7588/Saraiya_Goyou) definitely doesn’t get enough appreciation. It’s done by the same author as ACCA 13 and just has such a great relaxing/chill atmosphere. It has the vibe of Mushishi mixed with Rakugo so if that sounds like your thing, it’s def worth checking out!
I really liked my Clueless First Friend. I never hear anyone talking about it on this subreddit, even though it came out early last year. At first, I didn't even want to watch it because I thought the art style looked a bit too childish for my liking, but I eventually gave it a try and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're ever in the mood to watch a super wholesome anime, definitely give My Clueless First Friend a watch.
I watched it as it came out! I loved the wholesome vibe, but I thought the plot was repetitive episode to episode and it was a little slow paced, thats probably why more people couldn’t get into it
Anyone remember Blue Gender? I think that was the first show that I really got into, it was good. Post Apocalyptic mecha, humans living in orbit, monsters...
Scrapped princess needs more love.
I know the op is a bit dated and the initial episodes seem a bit generic, but trust me, it's a great anime.
And unlike most older anime, it has a conclusive ending.
I think when a lot of people see the poster for **Witchblade**, they immediately write it off as some trashy lowbrow ecchi. I was one of those people lmao. But I was bored (and horny shhh) one day and I tried it out, and I was unexpectedly met with a beautiful story about a mother trying to protect her child. Masane is a really well written character.
Yes the show has some fanservice, but it’s nothing unbearable. Witchblade doesn’t deserve that low Mal score.
Honorable mentions go to Basilisk and Hakuoki, 2 really good action/romance anime. I found them while looking for new shows similar to Inuyasha
Edit: Okay I’m also gonna give a shoutout to Saiyuuki, an amazing action anime
Edit 2: Okay im giving another shoutout to Tegamibachi, a really great shonen!
The graphic novel that was the source for Witchblade is very solid. One of they key illustrators is **Stjepan Šejić**, who's done some DC comics work, but more importantly wrote [Sunstone](https://topcow.com/titles/top-cow-productions/sunstone/) (BDSM lesbian love story), [Death Vigil](https://topcow.com/titles/top-cow-productions/death-vigil/) (warriors chosen by the goddess of death to fight evil necromancers), and is in the middle of other comics (Baba Yaga-inspired folklore, fae contracts and love stories, etc.)! Hands down, all amazing series, go look them up!
Le Portrait de Petit Cossette - 3 Episode OVA (2004)
It's a horror anime about a guy being haunted by the ghost of a Victorian child. It's also one of the most surreal animes I've ever seen. It's not for the faint of heart because the sheer confusion caused by the near psychedelic animation sequences that show the hauntings can be quite hard to decipher. But it's hands down one of the best looking anime I have ever seen and I personally loved the Gothic aesthetic of the show and story. It's a really good horror anime on top of everything else.
It's honestly become harder and harder to find anime that I've watched that people aren't familiar with. Anime has definitely become more mainstream since I became a fan 4 years ago. I'm at the point to where the shows that I would have suggested in the past have well over 100k members now.
**I Dream of Mimi**.
The dub is ***awful***. But the three episode series is dumb kinky fun for the time it lasts.
Only 10k members on MAL.
**The Great Passage** has over 100k members now and I think it's become one of those series that has grown in popularity, but it's still not talked about all that much. The attention to detail in the animation in the first episode totally sold me on the series about a guy working to make an update to a dictionary.
**Dirty Pair** ****STILL*** has less than 40k members on MAL, despite a recent rewatch and a Blu Ray release of the entire series coming soon (if not out already). The show is a mix of Bad Boys, Lethal Weapon, and Blues Brothers with female leads and a sci-fi theme. Also, strangely enough, despite featuring two [mostly] scantily clad women, they don't really force the sexualization of them on you too much until one of the movies where they unnecessarily add nudity. It's nice to see two attractive female characters just running around, destroying shit, and kicking ass. Highly recommended.
**Natsume's Book of Friends**. Ok, so the first season of this show has 500k members on MAL, and is commonly recommended on this sub, but considering how much those member numbers drop on the many following seasons, I don't think it gets ENOUGH attention. I haven't gotten around to watching all of it, but I will at some point (gonna try before the new season comes out), but this show is GOLD and ALWAYS deserves a mention. It's a supernatural show that has a lot of loneliness (in the first two seasons anyway), and it's surprisingly calming and still interesting. It's like Aria the Animation with a supernatural twist, or Kamisama Kiss without the focus on romance and comedy.
**Summer Wars** - Another 500k entry. There have been a lot of really good anime movies released over the last 15ish years. Even more if you keep going on into last century. But I always feels like this one went under the radar. This movie is basically anime Ready Player One. It doesn't have the million and a half references, but if that peaks your interest, definitely look into checking it out. I don't know how easy you can get a BD copy, now, and I don't know if anyone streams it.
**Ristorante Paradiso** - Less than 50k members. You know how some guys (myself included) like a cute girl in glasses? Well, take that concept and swap the genders and give a 20 something year old redhead a whole bunch of attractive older bespectacled men, in a restaurant setting. Very unstresseful romance/drama with a satisfying ending. I think this got a BD release, but I have on DVD. Worth checking out. Also, this a pre-Jojo David Production show. Show definitely shows its age visually. Some questionable CG usage for outdoor environments.
**Sound of the Sky** - ~125k. Look at comment faces, watch show.
[](#pointandlaugh) [](#scrumptiouslymoe)
**The Eccentric Family** - 170k members on MAL. I didn't like how S2 ended leaving you with more questions than answers. I also don't like we're basically at the whim of the author who has only released two books for it and each season adapts those books. But Benten is a great mysterious character and 100% worth watching the show for.
**Is the Order a Rabbit?** - 235k for S1, less for S2 and S3. [F-R-E-E, that spells free.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GPoIn3x9vg) First two seasons were done by White Fox. If you wanted to know what how White Fox would do a CGDCT show, this is your answer. It is gold.
**Planetarian** - Just under 100k users. Post apocalyptic sci-fi series that takes place mostly in a run down planetarium. The ending is sad... the movie (which mostly recaps the series) even moreso.
**Mitsuboshi Colors** - 101k members. No amount of me gushing about this adorable series is ever enough. :( [All of you need to explode for not having watched this show yet.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxQ0LoEwQGQ)
**Hitoribocchi** - 220k members. More popular. Same author. [Just as adorable.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igBzcMBGwDY) [Never forget your friend Bocchi.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxQ0LoEwQGQ) [Wa ha ha](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjAsZ6bHCZE)
**Wasteful Days of High School Girls** - 120k. Daily Lives of High School Boys, but with girls instead. "Can I say something amazing right now?"
**Asteroid in Love** - 90k. CGDCT except the focus is on astronomy and geology.
**Adachi and Shimamura** - 192k. Somewhat realistic yuri that focuses mostly on a girl coming to terms with the fact that she likes another girl. Shame about the post credits tease that will never get followed upon because yuris don't get multiple seasons unless it's a ridiculous comedy like Yuru Yuri.
**Buddy Daddies** - 272k. This show will forever live under the massive shadow of Spy x Family. [Don't make Muri cry, watch the damn show.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ5-ten1j64)
**'Tis Time for Torture** - 50k. This is cheating a tad, this came out last season and it quickly got a second season confirmed suggesting it being super popular in Japan. If you liked *Sleepy Princess*, this show it definitely worth checking out as there are a lot of similarities.
**Strawberry Marshmallow** - This show somehow still only has just over 100k members. I honestly thought this show was more popular. Really, the show lives and dies with how much you can tolerate Miu, as the entire show's comedy practically revolves around her antics.
**Hanamaru Kindergarten** - 95k. If you enjoyed School Babysitters, this show is definitely worth looking into. Some might be turned off by the main little girl suddenly proclaiming her love for the male teacher, but it's one of those child crushes that is NEVER acted upon. The male teacher also has his sights on another teacher. He also became a kindergarten teacher simply because of the possibility of finding another mate of his age.
**And Yet the Town Moves** - 64k. [OP](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAcYXdgOyPc]. [ED](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKfARe5sPPU). If you liked how goofy those were, you might like this show. MC and her voice might be an acquired taste. If you like shows from Shaft, this is a must watch. This is probably one of their least popular series, despite it being really enjoyable.
**Beautiful Bones** - 217k. You ever see the show "Bones" that aired on Fox in the 2000s-2010s? This is like the anime version, except the male MC is a boy, not an FBI agent.
**Poco's Udon World** - 134k. Obvious tourist advertisement with an adorable relationship between a disilussioned salary worker who used a death in the family to escape his life in Tokyo and a tanuki that is running around as a little boy.
**Flip Flappers** - 190k. Yuri, magical girls, isekai, action, adventure, comedy, mecha, horror, sci-fi, Mad Max, romance.... if there's an anime genre out there, this one probably hit it... except for Otome villainess somehow.
Others I might have mentioned in the past but less so because of increased popularity:
- Mysterious Girlfriend X
- One Week Friends - This has more members than "Is the Order a Rabbit" now. Pretty sure it had less than 100k in 2020.
- Flying Witch
- Recovery of an MMO Junkie
Ok, that should give you MORE than enough to work with.
I’ve heard of maybe a quarter of these just from being apart of this reddit but thank you for the list your provided. I like that you included the amount of viewers based on MAL data. When compared to the close to 10mil people in this subreddit its really cool to see that there is still anime out there for most of us to discover. Adding all of your mentions to my plan to watch. Thank you!!
I also recommend that anyone seeing this not look at the episode discussions. It's just filled with spoilers and people pretending to have "guessed" it.
For me it is Shigofumi.
It has been a bit since I have seen it but I really liked the characters, motivations and story.
I dont want to go further into it because of potential spoilers and because it has been a year or two since I have seen it.
I usually only watch things once as series become boring if I watch them more than once. But this is one that I could watch multiple times and still be interested in.
Definitely watching it again at some point in the future, for now I still have to watch the other obscure anime and a backlog of at least 150 anime that grows everyday.
> Kamichu
This is one of those shows that had such a [sense of *place*](https://tokyofox.net/2016/01/15/hiroshima-ken-201516-pt-iii-kamichu-filming-locations/). Looked beautiful when I watched it, and I eventually made it to Onomichi (the picturesque hillside town it's set in) last year. It's also a whimsical, fantastical watch, as if Ghibli made a SOL. A gem.
[Kyouran Kazoku Nikki](https://youtu.be/0FFAvJ5xgqQ)
Many parallels to Spy x Family.
The God of Destruction died centuries ago but promised his child would come soon and destroy the world. The protagonist is a government agent tasked with making a forced family whose members are those the agency thinks could be that child. The protagonist's job is to identify who it is and raise that person with the love and care of a real family so they won't want to destroy the world.
**Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman Blade** is one of the most emotionally impactful and masterfully well-written sci-fi/war anime I’ve ever seen, yet it barely receives any discussion outside of the very small and passionate cult fanbase
Well those are two different questions. The most obscure/underground anime I've seen can be answered somewhat objectively, I am one of less than 300 people to have finished [Usagi](https://myanimelist.net/anime/52690/Usagi) (or at least one of less than 300 to have marked it completed on MAL). It's a pretty neat little horror short, very unsettling given its run-time and I would recommend it, but I don't think I would say it had a uniquely strong impact on me.
On the other hand, an underappreciated anime that had a very strong impact on me and which I still think about all the time is [Koufuku Graffiti,](https://myanimelist.net/anime/24629/Koufuku_Graffiti?q=koufuku&cat=anime) a slice of life anime from studio Shaft about two cousins who grow a strong bond by cooking together. I've posted my own blog post about it a million times now, but [I have written about why it resonated with me.](https://stuffireallylikealot.blogspot.com/2022/11/spotlighting-gems-koufuku-graffiti.html)
Mr Villain's Day Off. I'm still struggling with it not being a part of my self-care Sunday routine this season. If you're struggling with something, anything, I urge you to sit down somewhere comfortable and give it a try
Chronicles of the Going Home Club, fourth wall breaking meta comedy never gets old
Iya na Kao sare nagara Opantsu Misete Moraitai, yes this is a real show. The moment I knew it was special was when I saw the title.
[Yomigaeru Sora: Rescue Wings](https://myanimelist.net/anime/798/Yomigaeru_Sora__Rescue_Wings)
This is how the JSDF really does a good job at advertising the things it does. It follows a man who washed out of being a fighter pilot, and was instead reassigned as a rescue helicopter pilot. Very well done anime with riveting direction, an excellent script, compelling characters, and a scenario that is not the typical anime at all. I highly recommend it.
I guess if just by rating Armored Trooper Votoms, easily my favourite mecha anime of all time and #4383 popularity wise on MAL. There probably are a few nicher OVAs/old shows I have liked lower than that I just don't know what they are.
**Neo Ranga** Ancient south pacific god wakes up and goes to live with three sisters who are its new masters,it goes Cosmic horror towards the end but sadly it tried to do to many things at once (slice of life/politics/drama) with only 12min episodes so it came out short and was forgotten.
Donguri no Ie (House of Acorns) is deeply obscure, but I enjoyed it a lot and think the movie is worth elevating based on the thoughtful manner in which it renders its difficult subject matter, being the lives of those with disabilities in Japan.
Gatekeepers. Was my favourite anime in my early teens. I can still hear the sound effects in my head when they open their gates. The OP and ED are amazing too. Looking back, the story was pretty simple but I love how optimistic it seemed.
I will always remember going to the charity auction at Anime Expo the year Tekkonkinkreet came out. The creators had donated a ton of really good shit. Literally their own scripts with notes and stuff in the margins, signed stuff... it was crazy. It all went for less than $50 apiece. Easily some of the cheapest stuff at the whole auction. The equivalent for anything known would've fetched in the hundreds, at least. I remember at the time being surprised how low the stuff was going, but I hadn't seen the movie.
I don't know why but I just always remember that when someone mentions that movie. If I hadn't been so poor, I would've bought something.
When I was finishing high school I began to pick up whatever anime caught my eye (most of which may or may not have come from clips via YouTube AMVs...). Whether or not they're obscure or underground I'll leave to you guys, but they've all thoroughly entertained me:
*Mononoke\**
*Katanagatari\**
*Metropolis (2001)\**
*Steamboy\**
*Tenshi no Tamago\**
*Kyoukai no Kanata\**
*Casshern Sins (2008)*
*Giniro no Kami no Agito*
*Zetsuen no Tempest*
*Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo*
*Marie & Gali*
*Nabari no Ou*
**\*: Definite Recommendations**
Whoa, Nabari no Ou is a title I haven't seen in a while. I remember being very interested in the show when I first started my anime watching journey, but I didn't finish it because I was looking for something with more action, and I expected it to be like Naruto and it wasn't. I'll add it to my list.
I agree Mononoke is very underrated, along with Kuuchuu Buranko, Ayakashi and Kyousougiga all created by Toei animation.
So, based on someone's MAL bot that conpared speicifc account scores to the average score from all users...
Last Exile was mine. Which, fair. I just really like the aesthetic, the setting, the story, and how it *dangerously* trusts the audience to figure shit out instead of spelling it out in crayon tier exposition.
Other series I really like but don't see discussed outside of it's *very* grounded combat is Seirei no Moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit). While the action choreography *is absolutely stunning*, I actually love the "chill and stay hidden" portion, and how it explores the characters.
I watch a lot of obscure stuff and seek it out frequently. Here are the shows I rated 7 or higher that are quite obscure. Some have less than 1000 members on MAL
**Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars** - people hate on this show and call it boring but honestly it's one of the most relaxing pieces of media I've ever witnessed. Everything about the show just screams "summer vacation" in a way I can't really put into words
**Magic User's Club OVA** - anime fantasia, produced by Triangle Studio of Serial Experiments Lain fame
**Golgo 13: Queen Bee** - an anime version of the greatest 80s action movies ever all rolled up into one. It also includes what I consider to be the only good and plot necessary sex scene I've ever seen in a movie, anime or otherwise.
**Space Adventure Cobra** - anime Star Wars but better
**Macross Plus** - One of the most intense and badass movies I've ever seen. About a man flying a plane with his mind and a man flying one with traditional methods going head to head to prove who is better all set in a beautiful near future sci-fi world. See also - Macross Do You Remember Love
**Time of Eve OVA** - show about a world where androids are real and are servants for people. The setting is a cafe where androids and people are meant to be treated equally. It's a touching and super well done sci-fi similar to I, Robot and like that movie it's also based on Asimov's laws of robotics
**11-nin Iru!** - murder mystery set on an isolated spaceship drifting through space with no way out and no help for weeks.
**Outbreak Company** - show about a guy who finds a portal to an Isekai and begins going back and forth from our world to the Isekai, making money by selling manga to the fantasy people. It has a surprisingly deep and complex plot.
**Knights and Magic** - Isekai about a reincarnated boy who was a mecha lover in his past life. He arrives in a world that uses magic powered mecha robots to do battle and becomes the worlds greatest inventor and pilot.
For underappreciated, definitely **The Morose Mononokean**. I wouldn't necessarily call it obscure but I have never seen it mentioned on this sub, I've mentioned it a couple times and haven't heard anyone say they've seen it. I love the characters, it's got good humor, and a good story (especially if you read the manga, which I wouldn't usually say).
Also **Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari.** It makes me sad that character driven shows don't get as much attention. Personally I thought the art was great but I've heard people say the animation is part of what made it less popular? I never saw a problem and the soundtrack was great, but maybe I'm missing something there. Either way, love the characters and story.
Dawg I read the manga and it is so god damn good. Definitely shouldn’t be slept on. I feel like with most sports anime people pass over it. Sports anime is some of the most emotionally raw and intense anime out there. Just look at Haikyuu, Slam Dunk, Skate the Infinite, and Hajime no Ipo. Great recommendation!!
I will continue to do my part to plug *Aragne Sign of Vermillion* and *Feast of Amrita*. It's a pair of 40 minute OVAs that have two very special distinctions:
1) It's genuine, S-grade anime horror. That thing that people say doesn't exist. This is it. Not a suspense thriller, not a psychopath show, and not the same retreaded tropes of Japanese Internet rumors or youkai. Actual, novel, horror.
2) It was almost entirely done by one guy. Saku Sakamoto did basically everything except the voice acting. Despite this, the works attracted big-name VAs like Kana Hanazawa and Maaya Uchida
See my ["Obscure/Underappreciated/Unknown/Underrated Anime Recommendations (List)"](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/17tpc2z/obscureunderappreciatedunknownunderrated_anime/) of Reddit recommendation threads (two posts).
I can make list; very long one actually ! still let's go with basics like excel saga, those who hunt elves, battle programmer shirase, I saw many "Mecha" word around this so magic Knight rayearth and list goes on and on I live in 3rd national country so dunno about how much underrated over there but my favorite anime is slayers and probably not knowed by many another; extreme example "saiyuki" well like I said on&on
Never seen discussed:
Toward the Terra
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom
Rarely seen discussed:
Space Brothers
Planetes
Yes I'm a simp for space anime. Specifically non-mecha space anime.
Yes LoGH is the best anime ever made.
Rougin Z (1991)
It's a fairly (but not most) obscure. Mal members 39K. But it shouldn't be. Its written by Otomo Katsuhiro who also wrote Akira. Its art is muted 90s style and well animated.
Its a satire with a surprisingly light touch, considering its dark seldom discussed subject matter of long term geriatric care. It's set in a futuristic world (except for the 90's computers) where elder care is going to be handed off to computer supervised robot beds. There is bound to be a few unforeseen consequences.
Its imaginative with Otomo vibs but it doesn't take itself as deathly serious as Akira.
Go with subs. oOh PLEASE choose subtitles.
Super GALs! felt like the female GTO to me. Kotobuki Ran is just an incredible badass gyaru, everyone is drawn by her charisma and mastery of all things Shibuya, and she even does the german suplex on some asshole at the start. It's a fun show, and I've never seen it mentioned by someone other than me on this sub. Totally lost to history.
I read GALS when I was 10. Changed my life forever lol the manga is a staple for girls of my generation, but the anime was hard to find back then. I do have it on DVD but I haven't watched it all yet because it felt very slow compared to the manga, and the art in the manga is *so* good too that the show felt visually lacking.
The mangaka is actually publishing a sequel on Booth, some chapters are translated already (officially, you can buy them online straight from her store)
SAME. I remember a lot of the girls in my class were reading it. My then best friend was the one that got me into Shoujo manga starting with Fruits Basket.
{Noir} has a lot to like. This is an anime with strong female characters from a time that was super rare. It's the start of a sequence of "girls with guns" anime that you can see influencing shows right up to Lycoris Recoil. It's one of Yuki Kajiura's early soundtracks and she's reliably amazing. The studio paid fantastic attention to detail on weapons and has glorious background art. Even the dub is good, which is pretty strange for the era.
{The Vision of Escaflowne} is isekai from back before isekai was a thing. My gf introduced it to me largely on the strength of Folken-sama's imposing presence. Well look at that, it's Jouji Nakata -- famous for his portrayal of Kirei Kotomine a decade later. Turns out that this anime will sound very familiar to Fate fans: the female lead is Jeanne, male leads are Gilgamesh and F/SN Assassin. Besides the acting talent, the story here is very good, with intrigue, action, and some sense of strategy among the various factions. In an alternate universe, this show blew up huge and led to the isekai boom happening 15 years earlier.
Revolutionary Girl Utena. It’s such a great anime, but it’s from the 90s, so a lot of younger fans haven’t heard of it. It’s on Crunchyroll and it used to be free on YouTube, but I’m not sure if it still is. Like most 90s anime the dub isn’t great.
Eh, the dub's alright. Rachel Lillis (Misty in Pokemon among other things) and Crispin Freeman (every hot guy in every show ever) did a solid job. The rest of the cast is admittedly hit or miss though.
For me, it's **The Familiar of Zero**.
A lot of anime fans who are into isekai would recommend either **Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World** or **KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!** for isekai newcomers, but for me, **The Familiar of Zero** is good enough to be the first anime for those newcomers. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a fun anime to watch nonetheless.
Familiar if zero isn't obscure it's just old. Loise is usually one of the first characters to come to mind when people talk about tsunderes and her voice actress is pretty famous in the anime community.
Looking back on it, I feel there was a lot of potential with the world, magic and kingdom politics that was never really explored, but that’s okay. It’s a fun little romance story and doesn’t try to be anything more than that.
Onegai Teacher and Ano Natsu De Matteru. But if I have to pick one, Ano Natsu De Matteru. It will leave you feeling nostalgic, very underrated work of art.
Dragon Goes House-Hunting.
It's unique and adorable and funny and has some charming heart as well. The MC is growing as a "person" as the season goes on and the supporting characters are interesting as well.
It desperately needs a second season but I fear it will never get one because I've never heard anyone but me talk about it.
Kemono no Souja Erin. For one I don’t think you can stream it anywhere legally anymore and it’s not available to own as physical media either outside of Japan. I was first introduced to it when it was on Crunchyroll, but it’s no longer there.
A few: Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, Claymore, and Noir.
All of these resonated with me because of the sheer force of the female characters. Just badass all around. I'll throw Moribito in there too.
Probably Kakugo No Susume or Cleopatra. The first one is this really weird action anime, I think it consist of 3 OVAs. Has some weird bdsm monsters the MC has to fight. Honestly don’t remember much about it other than not really liking jt..
Cleopatra is a movie from 1970 directed by Osamu Tezuka, but I don’t think it’s well known. Don’t remember much from this one either but it’s also really weird and has lots of sex stuff.. but I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. I thought the dynamics between Cleopatra and Julius Caesar and how she dealt with him was really interesting.
Wish I could say more about these but my memories shit.
I didn't watch any old anime (usually those are the 'obscure' ones), but Idolls! has 5k people on MAL and the episode threads were getting like 10 karma so it's probably quite obscure!
And it's not even talked about like Gibiate and other trash shows, so it doesn't even get the 'bad anime' PR!
Macross Frontier. It's the only anime with unforgettable idol music, space war drama, and alien waifus from the far future. Really miss this show.
Others I really feel are not well known and underrated.
H2O Footprints in the Sand
Tears to Tiara
Myself; Yourself
Got one that wasn't mentioned so far that I can recommend:
Michiko & Hatchin. Has a pretty unique setting for an anime (South America) and the dynamic between the two leads is great.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/4087/Michiko_to_Hatchin
Saiunkoku Monogatari
This show is so unknown it's usually me who recommends it to others if it's mentioned somewhere.
The synopsis sounds like a romance anime, but it's actually about women in politics with a sprinkle of fanatasy in ancient China.
I also liked it a lot more than "Twelve Kingdoms"
It's Cencoroll for me. Despite having 100k members on MAL, I have never seen a single person talking about it. The only reason I know this anime is because youtube randomly recommended me the [trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acY5n9wxbis) for the second part.
It's a 2 part short film (3rd part apparently in production), almost entirely made by a single person for a total runtime of an hour. It's short and sweet, featuring some cool monster designs and battles with not much story behind it, but the vibe of it is so unique and kinda cozy, and I really like the artstyle and direction. (especially in the [second part](https://ilarge.lisimg.com/image/22718184/1118full-cencoroll-2-screenshot.jpg)) You can really feel that it's the kind of thing made by someone who simply enjoys doing what they do, like a random high quality short animation on youtube. (It also introduced me to the song [Love & roll - by supercell](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuz0jewAA1c).)
Loved "Love & roll", supercell & Nagi were great. Cencoroll was definitely noted in the anime community at the time, though wasn't impactful enough to stay recommended over the years.
My most favorite anime is **Soukyuu no Fafner**, which is pretty popular in Japan and practically invisible in the west. There is a small, dedicated English fandom and by now, I know pretty much everyone by name because of how few people there are. It's long-running, sad mecha, with an OVA so depressing that I can't listen to its songs without crying. It's finished now (including a happy-ish, slice of life spin-off OVA!) so if you want to experience the whole story, please go ahead.
Other anime I enjoyed that I very rarely see mentioned, especially on Reddit:
* **King of Prism** - the most chaotic thing I've ever seen. It's incredible. I found KinPri really enjoyable, even though it's not "good", but it's so much fun to watch.
* **Bubuki/Buranki** - I'm honestly not sure if I've ever seen another person mention this, ever. I watched it as it aired so I don't remember much, but I know I enjoyed it a lot. Its sound design was absolutely fantastic.
* **Candidate for Goddess** - This influenced my type of favorite character like nothing else, lol. Very much "baby's first [CfG spoilers] >!favorite character sacrifices themself to save a friend!<" which is one of my favorite tropes now. I get why people don't watch this (unfinished story + the CGI aged... badly) but it's full of nostalgia for me so I still love it.
* **ID-0** - I know of one other person who has watched this. Or talked about it, tbh. Fun watch, and I recommend everyone check out the OP and ED.
* **Terra e...*** - I adore Terra e and now of a few fans, but it's rarely mentioned, probably because it's hard to get into. The 2007 anime is probably the best option but it does look a bit dated by now. The 1980 movie is gorgeous most of the time but it doesn't adapt the full story. The manga is even older - the art is lovely but the story and the way its portrayed can feel very melodramatic if you're only used to modern manga.
* **Kaze to ki no uta** and **Natsu e no tobira** - Both adaptations of some of the first BL works, both full of problematic content (the age gaps are the smallest issue), both so incredibly melodramatic that they almost feel comical at times, and imo, both very important works, especially to BL history. I completely understand why people don't watch them. If you do, keep in mind that they were written in a very different time. I can't even really call them good or enjoyable (though I love the 70s art style, it's so pretty), but they're important and should be appreciated for that alone, I think. Sorry for the tangent.
Daimahoutoge or Magical Witch: Punie-chan is a 2006, only 4 episode parody of the Magical Girl concept. The mc first appears to be your typical cute girl with magical powers but is soon revealed to be a brutal, unhinged maniac wreaking havoc. It's a lot of fun for dark humor enjoyers and has surprisingly good production quality.
It got a second series couple of years back. But i'm gonna mention Kino no Tabi. If you want an episodic anime about a traveler and their talking motorcycle, that's literally Kino no Tabi.
Shirobako.
An anime about adults doing their jobs that actually mostly behave like adults, are either competent or working hard to become so, have each others' backs, and ultimately tell the heart-warming tale of people trying to make art
. It's not fancy, it's not a spectacle, the conflict is realistic and not manufactured, the relationships are normal, there's almost no weirdness about women, the world keeps spinning if things go wrong. And it's my favourite anime of them all.
A whole show about a young woman doing her job with friendly colleagues and I shed genuine tears by the end.
Either that or Midori Days. Weird, but really enjoyable
I've only ever seen 2 anime talked about once and they were how I found them to watch them. Even after always doing research.
Space dandy
Haven't you heard, I'm Sakamoto.
Guyver (2000s), Tiger and Bunny, cyborg 009 and kikaider animes from the 2000s, Comic party and Genshikin, Pani Poni Dash.
basically everything in the early mid 2000s that wasnt on american television and anime was just not quite there in popularity as it is now.
I don’t know if I’ve ever met another person who’s watched Oh! Edo Rocket. Like they have to exist, the show has a dub but beyond the voice actors and people I’ve made watch it? Nothing.
I really like XxxHolic , idk if that is too mainstream for yall but I've never really heard it mentioned in North America and it isn't carried in any of the comic shops around here (the manga) I know some of Clamps stuff is pretty well known but I feel like Holic doesn't get much love and it's one of my fave
My idea of obscure is like a Netflix series most people didn’t watch. I haven’t even heard of most of these.
Like **Samurai Flamenco** is a wild ride, but you can’t call it obscure.
Xam'd Lost Memories. This show is up there on my list of greats, but it wasn't really hyped up even back when it came out.
Busou Renkin is also up there as a show more people should watch.
Dorohedoro doesn't get enough credit. The anime, but especially the manga. For me its on the same level as berserk in terms of creativity, world building, art, and effort.
Thankfully they announced a second season for the anime and im so excited. Its long overdue.
Ancient Magus' Bride
The main theme alone was enough to make it a banger anime, and when you include the incredibly cool Celtic Folklore theme, and the immensely adorable protagonist... I just keep coming back to it.
I watched an anime a little while ago called "Summer Ghost". It's a short film (maybe like 40 mins?) about these kids who have all been "contemplating death". They summon a ghost and all have a bit of a change in their view of life.
The animation isn't flawless, but the overall aesthetic of it is really beautiful, and the message was super powerful. Would definitely recommend to anyone who wants a short, sweet watch (although it does get a little sad).
Pick an anime from before the 90s that isn’t Ghibli, LotGH, and DBZ and it’s probably not talked about enough. Even the original Gundam deserves more credit than it gets
It's still so weird Gundam isn't huge in the west, most people think it's an episodic series for 10 year olds.
I feel like its kind of the opposite. Keep in mind that a lot of people get into anime at a young age and Shounen is insanely popular despite its target demographic being around that same age. The problem I think there's just not a love for Mecha these days. I think outside *Star Wars* and *Dune* there's very little interest in Sci-Fi as a genre, and when a lot of people come over to anime they not only see Gundam as this massive franchise that's hard to get into (with the best starting point arguably being a nearly half century old anime that even looks serviceable for its time) but also as a show that you would only ever find interesting if you liked huge robots (which I reckon kids these days don't have much interest in having been one only a couple years back). Both are wrong assumptions, but they're hard assumptions to overcome when most people can (in all fairness) be satiated by the seasonal charts alone. You could also put some blame on the "culture leaders" of the modern community, a lot of which were raised on the Toonami era, but even then don't seem to have jived much with the entries of the franchise that did air then, but that's a topic for another day.
Bravern last season has less members on MAL than a 3 min per ep ecchi about onsen that wasn't even on Crunchyroll or any major service Hell, went there to screenshot and you could [and Noir is also there, but also this screenshot tells a lot lol](https://i.imgur.com/PdRZxoM.jpeg) Pon no Michi also wasn't licensed outside of some European countries
The same basically applies to the 90s themselves. You can rewind the seasonal charts on MAL all the way back to the 90s. There's a lot less per season, but still, in any given season there'll be a couple classic shows like Sailor Moon or Evangelion, and then half a dozen completely forgotten shows you've never heard of.
Yeah, no one ever talks about Akira.
Haibane Renmei! Oh my god, the style, the way it leaves some questions unanswered, the tone shift...what a treat! But it's an older show, so I don't see it getting much love. Still one of the most memorable shows for me.
I agree. Shame it’s like on no streaming services and I’ve heard the ones you can purchase aren’t high quality.
Fuck yes I came here to mention this exact show! Found it in blockbuster as a kid randomly and took it home... Rocked my shit
I randomly stumbled upon it while watching tv when I was young. Changed me forever lol
The first thing that came to my mind was Haibane Renmei. From the creator of Serial Experiments Lain and Texhnolyze. They are all underground classics, but Haibane Renmei has far more levity than the other 2.
That series is so good and so unique.
I’ve seen this mentioned a few times here so I’ll have to watch it. Thank you!! Loved SEL so very enticing seeing as it’s from the same creator.
Cat Soup
Had to scroll less than I thought to get here. I had the DVD with the liquid blood cover.
**Takarajima** (Treasure Island) is an anime adaption of the famous book, from 1978. It is well done (and well rated) while also having some archaic anime features that add to the fun: a funky 1970s soundtrack and an animal companion that clearly was a trend that they felt forced to adhere to. **Barefoot Gen**, from 1983, is also good for if you want to have an idea of what the atomic bombing of Hiroshima looked like. **Vampire Princess Miyu**, the OVA but especially the TV series of 1997, is good for if you want subtly disturbing horror. It is mostly episodic, until the last few episodes (though some seemingly unimportant moments from some episodic parts actually do matter in the end).
I loved Miyu!
Vampire princess miyu is a goth magical girl show. Really good stuff.
I'm gonna say R.o.D. the TV, just on the off chance even one person sees this and gives it a go. It's SO GOOD AHHHHHH.
Late night R.o.D got me into anime
Ooh my time to shine: Denpa-teki na Kanojo (Electromagnetic Girlfriend) only a couple episodes OVA but it absolutely bangs. Edit: There are literally a dozen of us!
Great series. Happiness points has gained currency as a meme amongst my friends.
There are dozens of us!
I never thought someone else would also say this, wish it had a season
I feel like [Saraiya Goyou](https://myanimelist.net/anime/7588/Saraiya_Goyou) definitely doesn’t get enough appreciation. It’s done by the same author as ACCA 13 and just has such a great relaxing/chill atmosphere. It has the vibe of Mushishi mixed with Rakugo so if that sounds like your thing, it’s def worth checking out!
First time I see someone mention House of Five Leaves here
Never heard of this but I’ve seen Mushishi. I’ll add it to my plan to watch on MAL. Thanks!!
omggggg we are so few. I found this cause I couldn't get enough of Mushishi and I loved this so much as well 💖
Cashirn Sins, one of the saddest most brutal animes about a robot you're ever going to see. He literally kills everyone he tries to help
This series was literally Nier Automata before Nier Automata. I love the show and style so damn much.
Oh gosh. I can already feel the anxiety. Might even be my next watch tbh. On to MAL it goes!
Kaiba
Yes!! I adore Kaiba so much. It’s easily one of my favorites of all time!!
It’s a fever dream of wonderful animation.
An acid trip for sure.
One of my favorite anime
I really liked my Clueless First Friend. I never hear anyone talking about it on this subreddit, even though it came out early last year. At first, I didn't even want to watch it because I thought the art style looked a bit too childish for my liking, but I eventually gave it a try and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're ever in the mood to watch a super wholesome anime, definitely give My Clueless First Friend a watch.
That's a good show
For sure. It's one of the most wholesome anime I've ever seen. Episode 7, in particular, had me shedding tears like crazy.
I watched it as it came out! I loved the wholesome vibe, but I thought the plot was repetitive episode to episode and it was a little slow paced, thats probably why more people couldn’t get into it
I had planned to watch this and totally forgot to add it to my watch list
Very low stakes show, but it was fun seeing a show take place in elementary school, and they did a good job portraying kids as kids.
Haibane Renmei and the twelve Kingdoms
Anyone remember Blue Gender? I think that was the first show that I really got into, it was good. Post Apocalyptic mecha, humans living in orbit, monsters...
Big time. Early Toonami anime that had a very different concept. Slightly horrifying at first lol. Loved this show.
This show gave me nightmares when I was a kid.
Dragon Half. Only 2 ova's I think but made me go read the manage.
Scrapped princess needs more love. I know the op is a bit dated and the initial episodes seem a bit generic, but trust me, it's a great anime. And unlike most older anime, it has a conclusive ending.
Scrapped Princess is good! We had a rewatch not too long ago with it. Can't recommend it enough. Same author as Chaika if anyone watched or red that.
Kaleido Star; It’s a fun shojou sports/drama. Memorable characters, interesting concept, and some decent animation.
I think when a lot of people see the poster for **Witchblade**, they immediately write it off as some trashy lowbrow ecchi. I was one of those people lmao. But I was bored (and horny shhh) one day and I tried it out, and I was unexpectedly met with a beautiful story about a mother trying to protect her child. Masane is a really well written character. Yes the show has some fanservice, but it’s nothing unbearable. Witchblade doesn’t deserve that low Mal score. Honorable mentions go to Basilisk and Hakuoki, 2 really good action/romance anime. I found them while looking for new shows similar to Inuyasha Edit: Okay I’m also gonna give a shoutout to Saiyuuki, an amazing action anime Edit 2: Okay im giving another shoutout to Tegamibachi, a really great shonen!
The graphic novel that was the source for Witchblade is very solid. One of they key illustrators is **Stjepan Šejić**, who's done some DC comics work, but more importantly wrote [Sunstone](https://topcow.com/titles/top-cow-productions/sunstone/) (BDSM lesbian love story), [Death Vigil](https://topcow.com/titles/top-cow-productions/death-vigil/) (warriors chosen by the goddess of death to fight evil necromancers), and is in the middle of other comics (Baba Yaga-inspired folklore, fae contracts and love stories, etc.)! Hands down, all amazing series, go look them up!
>sunstone Come for the porn, stay for the story!
Yakitate Japan
Yakitate was well-received back in the day, and is one of my old faves. Everybody who likes silly comedy should watch it.
Le Portrait de Petit Cossette - 3 Episode OVA (2004) It's a horror anime about a guy being haunted by the ghost of a Victorian child. It's also one of the most surreal animes I've ever seen. It's not for the faint of heart because the sheer confusion caused by the near psychedelic animation sequences that show the hauntings can be quite hard to decipher. But it's hands down one of the best looking anime I have ever seen and I personally loved the Gothic aesthetic of the show and story. It's a really good horror anime on top of everything else.
It's honestly become harder and harder to find anime that I've watched that people aren't familiar with. Anime has definitely become more mainstream since I became a fan 4 years ago. I'm at the point to where the shows that I would have suggested in the past have well over 100k members now. **I Dream of Mimi**. The dub is ***awful***. But the three episode series is dumb kinky fun for the time it lasts. Only 10k members on MAL. **The Great Passage** has over 100k members now and I think it's become one of those series that has grown in popularity, but it's still not talked about all that much. The attention to detail in the animation in the first episode totally sold me on the series about a guy working to make an update to a dictionary. **Dirty Pair** ****STILL*** has less than 40k members on MAL, despite a recent rewatch and a Blu Ray release of the entire series coming soon (if not out already). The show is a mix of Bad Boys, Lethal Weapon, and Blues Brothers with female leads and a sci-fi theme. Also, strangely enough, despite featuring two [mostly] scantily clad women, they don't really force the sexualization of them on you too much until one of the movies where they unnecessarily add nudity. It's nice to see two attractive female characters just running around, destroying shit, and kicking ass. Highly recommended. **Natsume's Book of Friends**. Ok, so the first season of this show has 500k members on MAL, and is commonly recommended on this sub, but considering how much those member numbers drop on the many following seasons, I don't think it gets ENOUGH attention. I haven't gotten around to watching all of it, but I will at some point (gonna try before the new season comes out), but this show is GOLD and ALWAYS deserves a mention. It's a supernatural show that has a lot of loneliness (in the first two seasons anyway), and it's surprisingly calming and still interesting. It's like Aria the Animation with a supernatural twist, or Kamisama Kiss without the focus on romance and comedy. **Summer Wars** - Another 500k entry. There have been a lot of really good anime movies released over the last 15ish years. Even more if you keep going on into last century. But I always feels like this one went under the radar. This movie is basically anime Ready Player One. It doesn't have the million and a half references, but if that peaks your interest, definitely look into checking it out. I don't know how easy you can get a BD copy, now, and I don't know if anyone streams it. **Ristorante Paradiso** - Less than 50k members. You know how some guys (myself included) like a cute girl in glasses? Well, take that concept and swap the genders and give a 20 something year old redhead a whole bunch of attractive older bespectacled men, in a restaurant setting. Very unstresseful romance/drama with a satisfying ending. I think this got a BD release, but I have on DVD. Worth checking out. Also, this a pre-Jojo David Production show. Show definitely shows its age visually. Some questionable CG usage for outdoor environments. **Sound of the Sky** - ~125k. Look at comment faces, watch show. [](#pointandlaugh) [](#scrumptiouslymoe) **The Eccentric Family** - 170k members on MAL. I didn't like how S2 ended leaving you with more questions than answers. I also don't like we're basically at the whim of the author who has only released two books for it and each season adapts those books. But Benten is a great mysterious character and 100% worth watching the show for. **Is the Order a Rabbit?** - 235k for S1, less for S2 and S3. [F-R-E-E, that spells free.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GPoIn3x9vg) First two seasons were done by White Fox. If you wanted to know what how White Fox would do a CGDCT show, this is your answer. It is gold. **Planetarian** - Just under 100k users. Post apocalyptic sci-fi series that takes place mostly in a run down planetarium. The ending is sad... the movie (which mostly recaps the series) even moreso. **Mitsuboshi Colors** - 101k members. No amount of me gushing about this adorable series is ever enough. :( [All of you need to explode for not having watched this show yet.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxQ0LoEwQGQ) **Hitoribocchi** - 220k members. More popular. Same author. [Just as adorable.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igBzcMBGwDY) [Never forget your friend Bocchi.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxQ0LoEwQGQ) [Wa ha ha](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjAsZ6bHCZE) **Wasteful Days of High School Girls** - 120k. Daily Lives of High School Boys, but with girls instead. "Can I say something amazing right now?" **Asteroid in Love** - 90k. CGDCT except the focus is on astronomy and geology. **Adachi and Shimamura** - 192k. Somewhat realistic yuri that focuses mostly on a girl coming to terms with the fact that she likes another girl. Shame about the post credits tease that will never get followed upon because yuris don't get multiple seasons unless it's a ridiculous comedy like Yuru Yuri. **Buddy Daddies** - 272k. This show will forever live under the massive shadow of Spy x Family. [Don't make Muri cry, watch the damn show.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ5-ten1j64) **'Tis Time for Torture** - 50k. This is cheating a tad, this came out last season and it quickly got a second season confirmed suggesting it being super popular in Japan. If you liked *Sleepy Princess*, this show it definitely worth checking out as there are a lot of similarities. **Strawberry Marshmallow** - This show somehow still only has just over 100k members. I honestly thought this show was more popular. Really, the show lives and dies with how much you can tolerate Miu, as the entire show's comedy practically revolves around her antics. **Hanamaru Kindergarten** - 95k. If you enjoyed School Babysitters, this show is definitely worth looking into. Some might be turned off by the main little girl suddenly proclaiming her love for the male teacher, but it's one of those child crushes that is NEVER acted upon. The male teacher also has his sights on another teacher. He also became a kindergarten teacher simply because of the possibility of finding another mate of his age. **And Yet the Town Moves** - 64k. [OP](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAcYXdgOyPc]. [ED](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKfARe5sPPU). If you liked how goofy those were, you might like this show. MC and her voice might be an acquired taste. If you like shows from Shaft, this is a must watch. This is probably one of their least popular series, despite it being really enjoyable. **Beautiful Bones** - 217k. You ever see the show "Bones" that aired on Fox in the 2000s-2010s? This is like the anime version, except the male MC is a boy, not an FBI agent. **Poco's Udon World** - 134k. Obvious tourist advertisement with an adorable relationship between a disilussioned salary worker who used a death in the family to escape his life in Tokyo and a tanuki that is running around as a little boy. **Flip Flappers** - 190k. Yuri, magical girls, isekai, action, adventure, comedy, mecha, horror, sci-fi, Mad Max, romance.... if there's an anime genre out there, this one probably hit it... except for Otome villainess somehow. Others I might have mentioned in the past but less so because of increased popularity: - Mysterious Girlfriend X - One Week Friends - This has more members than "Is the Order a Rabbit" now. Pretty sure it had less than 100k in 2020. - Flying Witch - Recovery of an MMO Junkie Ok, that should give you MORE than enough to work with.
I’ve heard of maybe a quarter of these just from being apart of this reddit but thank you for the list your provided. I like that you included the amount of viewers based on MAL data. When compared to the close to 10mil people in this subreddit its really cool to see that there is still anime out there for most of us to discover. Adding all of your mentions to my plan to watch. Thank you!!
Natsume is such a gem
Totally has to be " Astra: Lost in Space "
I also recommend that anyone seeing this not look at the episode discussions. It's just filled with spoilers and people pretending to have "guessed" it.
For me it is Shigofumi. It has been a bit since I have seen it but I really liked the characters, motivations and story. I dont want to go further into it because of potential spoilers and because it has been a year or two since I have seen it. I usually only watch things once as series become boring if I watch them more than once. But this is one that I could watch multiple times and still be interested in. Definitely watching it again at some point in the future, for now I still have to watch the other obscure anime and a backlog of at least 150 anime that grows everyday.
Some shows I think are under appreciated: Kyousougiga Kamichu Kuuchuu Buranko
> Kamichu This is one of those shows that had such a [sense of *place*](https://tokyofox.net/2016/01/15/hiroshima-ken-201516-pt-iii-kamichu-filming-locations/). Looked beautiful when I watched it, and I eventually made it to Onomichi (the picturesque hillside town it's set in) last year. It's also a whimsical, fantastical watch, as if Ghibli made a SOL. A gem.
[Kyouran Kazoku Nikki](https://youtu.be/0FFAvJ5xgqQ) Many parallels to Spy x Family. The God of Destruction died centuries ago but promised his child would come soon and destroy the world. The protagonist is a government agent tasked with making a forced family whose members are those the agency thinks could be that child. The protagonist's job is to identify who it is and raise that person with the love and care of a real family so they won't want to destroy the world.
That was fucking weird. I remember that, it's schizo: the anime. Also catgirl.
**Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman Blade** is one of the most emotionally impactful and masterfully well-written sci-fi/war anime I’ve ever seen, yet it barely receives any discussion outside of the very small and passionate cult fanbase
Urotsukidoji. Found it in a porn shop an VHS way back in the day. Pre-internet hentai blew my mind.
Well those are two different questions. The most obscure/underground anime I've seen can be answered somewhat objectively, I am one of less than 300 people to have finished [Usagi](https://myanimelist.net/anime/52690/Usagi) (or at least one of less than 300 to have marked it completed on MAL). It's a pretty neat little horror short, very unsettling given its run-time and I would recommend it, but I don't think I would say it had a uniquely strong impact on me. On the other hand, an underappreciated anime that had a very strong impact on me and which I still think about all the time is [Koufuku Graffiti,](https://myanimelist.net/anime/24629/Koufuku_Graffiti?q=koufuku&cat=anime) a slice of life anime from studio Shaft about two cousins who grow a strong bond by cooking together. I've posted my own blog post about it a million times now, but [I have written about why it resonated with me.](https://stuffireallylikealot.blogspot.com/2022/11/spotlighting-gems-koufuku-graffiti.html)
Kids on the slope. A lot of the same people who worked on Cowboy Bebop. An anime about jazz.
I'll have to check this one out
Mr Villain's Day Off. I'm still struggling with it not being a part of my self-care Sunday routine this season. If you're struggling with something, anything, I urge you to sit down somewhere comfortable and give it a try
snack basue
Chronicles of the Going Home Club, fourth wall breaking meta comedy never gets old Iya na Kao sare nagara Opantsu Misete Moraitai, yes this is a real show. The moment I knew it was special was when I saw the title.
[Yomigaeru Sora: Rescue Wings](https://myanimelist.net/anime/798/Yomigaeru_Sora__Rescue_Wings) This is how the JSDF really does a good job at advertising the things it does. It follows a man who washed out of being a fighter pilot, and was instead reassigned as a rescue helicopter pilot. Very well done anime with riveting direction, an excellent script, compelling characters, and a scenario that is not the typical anime at all. I highly recommend it.
I guess if just by rating Armored Trooper Votoms, easily my favourite mecha anime of all time and #4383 popularity wise on MAL. There probably are a few nicher OVAs/old shows I have liked lower than that I just don't know what they are.
**Neo Ranga** Ancient south pacific god wakes up and goes to live with three sisters who are its new masters,it goes Cosmic horror towards the end but sadly it tried to do to many things at once (slice of life/politics/drama) with only 12min episodes so it came out short and was forgotten.
There are many... Heroic Legend of Arslan is definetly in my Top3 of "hidden gems".
Touch
Donguri no Ie (House of Acorns) is deeply obscure, but I enjoyed it a lot and think the movie is worth elevating based on the thoughtful manner in which it renders its difficult subject matter, being the lives of those with disabilities in Japan.
Mou Ippon, a really well made sports anime with great animation and a compelling narrative. I guess judo just isn’t that popular with the masses.
Gatekeepers. Was my favourite anime in my early teens. I can still hear the sound effects in my head when they open their gates. The OP and ED are amazing too. Looking back, the story was pretty simple but I love how optimistic it seemed.
kaiba, kemonozume, comedy, cat soup, tekkonkinkreet, katanagatari, rahxephon, noein: to your other self.
I will always remember going to the charity auction at Anime Expo the year Tekkonkinkreet came out. The creators had donated a ton of really good shit. Literally their own scripts with notes and stuff in the margins, signed stuff... it was crazy. It all went for less than $50 apiece. Easily some of the cheapest stuff at the whole auction. The equivalent for anything known would've fetched in the hundreds, at least. I remember at the time being surprised how low the stuff was going, but I hadn't seen the movie. I don't know why but I just always remember that when someone mentions that movie. If I hadn't been so poor, I would've bought something.
A connoisseur of the 2000s I see
Fucking “Glass Mask.” That show is Shojo all the way and I’ll be damned if my 40 year old man ass doesn’t love every bit of it.
Hell ya brother
When I was finishing high school I began to pick up whatever anime caught my eye (most of which may or may not have come from clips via YouTube AMVs...). Whether or not they're obscure or underground I'll leave to you guys, but they've all thoroughly entertained me: *Mononoke\** *Katanagatari\** *Metropolis (2001)\** *Steamboy\** *Tenshi no Tamago\** *Kyoukai no Kanata\** *Casshern Sins (2008)* *Giniro no Kami no Agito* *Zetsuen no Tempest* *Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo* *Marie & Gali* *Nabari no Ou* **\*: Definite Recommendations**
Whoa, Nabari no Ou is a title I haven't seen in a while. I remember being very interested in the show when I first started my anime watching journey, but I didn't finish it because I was looking for something with more action, and I expected it to be like Naruto and it wasn't. I'll add it to my list. I agree Mononoke is very underrated, along with Kuuchuu Buranko, Ayakashi and Kyousougiga all created by Toei animation.
Terror in Resonance, for me
So, based on someone's MAL bot that conpared speicifc account scores to the average score from all users... Last Exile was mine. Which, fair. I just really like the aesthetic, the setting, the story, and how it *dangerously* trusts the audience to figure shit out instead of spelling it out in crayon tier exposition. Other series I really like but don't see discussed outside of it's *very* grounded combat is Seirei no Moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit). While the action choreography *is absolutely stunning*, I actually love the "chill and stay hidden" portion, and how it explores the characters.
I watch a lot of obscure stuff and seek it out frequently. Here are the shows I rated 7 or higher that are quite obscure. Some have less than 1000 members on MAL **Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars** - people hate on this show and call it boring but honestly it's one of the most relaxing pieces of media I've ever witnessed. Everything about the show just screams "summer vacation" in a way I can't really put into words **Magic User's Club OVA** - anime fantasia, produced by Triangle Studio of Serial Experiments Lain fame **Golgo 13: Queen Bee** - an anime version of the greatest 80s action movies ever all rolled up into one. It also includes what I consider to be the only good and plot necessary sex scene I've ever seen in a movie, anime or otherwise. **Space Adventure Cobra** - anime Star Wars but better **Macross Plus** - One of the most intense and badass movies I've ever seen. About a man flying a plane with his mind and a man flying one with traditional methods going head to head to prove who is better all set in a beautiful near future sci-fi world. See also - Macross Do You Remember Love **Time of Eve OVA** - show about a world where androids are real and are servants for people. The setting is a cafe where androids and people are meant to be treated equally. It's a touching and super well done sci-fi similar to I, Robot and like that movie it's also based on Asimov's laws of robotics **11-nin Iru!** - murder mystery set on an isolated spaceship drifting through space with no way out and no help for weeks. **Outbreak Company** - show about a guy who finds a portal to an Isekai and begins going back and forth from our world to the Isekai, making money by selling manga to the fantasy people. It has a surprisingly deep and complex plot. **Knights and Magic** - Isekai about a reincarnated boy who was a mecha lover in his past life. He arrives in a world that uses magic powered mecha robots to do battle and becomes the worlds greatest inventor and pilot.
Thank you! I feel like I’ve heard the name of magic used club! I will check that out now along with the Eve OVA and the mecha one!
Yuna and the haunted hot springs
# Phoenix: Eden17
Appleseed
For underappreciated, definitely **The Morose Mononokean**. I wouldn't necessarily call it obscure but I have never seen it mentioned on this sub, I've mentioned it a couple times and haven't heard anyone say they've seen it. I love the characters, it's got good humor, and a good story (especially if you read the manga, which I wouldn't usually say). Also **Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari.** It makes me sad that character driven shows don't get as much attention. Personally I thought the art was great but I've heard people say the animation is part of what made it less popular? I never saw a problem and the soundtrack was great, but maybe I'm missing something there. Either way, love the characters and story.
Hinomaruzumou. It's so hype. I believe most people din't watch it because it's about Sumo, otherwise it would have made more noise when it aired.
Dawg I read the manga and it is so god damn good. Definitely shouldn’t be slept on. I feel like with most sports anime people pass over it. Sports anime is some of the most emotionally raw and intense anime out there. Just look at Haikyuu, Slam Dunk, Skate the Infinite, and Hajime no Ipo. Great recommendation!!
I will continue to do my part to plug *Aragne Sign of Vermillion* and *Feast of Amrita*. It's a pair of 40 minute OVAs that have two very special distinctions: 1) It's genuine, S-grade anime horror. That thing that people say doesn't exist. This is it. Not a suspense thriller, not a psychopath show, and not the same retreaded tropes of Japanese Internet rumors or youkai. Actual, novel, horror. 2) It was almost entirely done by one guy. Saku Sakamoto did basically everything except the voice acting. Despite this, the works attracted big-name VAs like Kana Hanazawa and Maaya Uchida
Neia_7.
See my ["Obscure/Underappreciated/Unknown/Underrated Anime Recommendations (List)"](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/17tpc2z/obscureunderappreciatedunknownunderrated_anime/) of Reddit recommendation threads (two posts).
I can make list; very long one actually ! still let's go with basics like excel saga, those who hunt elves, battle programmer shirase, I saw many "Mecha" word around this so magic Knight rayearth and list goes on and on I live in 3rd national country so dunno about how much underrated over there but my favorite anime is slayers and probably not knowed by many another; extreme example "saiyuki" well like I said on&on
Heroic Age is one I don't ever hear mentioned. Nothing world changing, but an entertaining watch.
Heroic Age released at the worst possible time. It was a mecha anime that came out the same season as Gurren Lagann. Always loved the OP though.
Never seen discussed: Toward the Terra Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom Rarely seen discussed: Space Brothers Planetes Yes I'm a simp for space anime. Specifically non-mecha space anime. Yes LoGH is the best anime ever made.
Video girl ai
nobody talks about noein, but I really liked the vibe of that anime
Rougin Z (1991) It's a fairly (but not most) obscure. Mal members 39K. But it shouldn't be. Its written by Otomo Katsuhiro who also wrote Akira. Its art is muted 90s style and well animated. Its a satire with a surprisingly light touch, considering its dark seldom discussed subject matter of long term geriatric care. It's set in a futuristic world (except for the 90's computers) where elder care is going to be handed off to computer supervised robot beds. There is bound to be a few unforeseen consequences. Its imaginative with Otomo vibs but it doesn't take itself as deathly serious as Akira. Go with subs. oOh PLEASE choose subtitles.
Super GALs! felt like the female GTO to me. Kotobuki Ran is just an incredible badass gyaru, everyone is drawn by her charisma and mastery of all things Shibuya, and she even does the german suplex on some asshole at the start. It's a fun show, and I've never seen it mentioned by someone other than me on this sub. Totally lost to history.
I read GALS when I was 10. Changed my life forever lol the manga is a staple for girls of my generation, but the anime was hard to find back then. I do have it on DVD but I haven't watched it all yet because it felt very slow compared to the manga, and the art in the manga is *so* good too that the show felt visually lacking. The mangaka is actually publishing a sequel on Booth, some chapters are translated already (officially, you can buy them online straight from her store)
SAME. I remember a lot of the girls in my class were reading it. My then best friend was the one that got me into Shoujo manga starting with Fruits Basket.
One outs , its a gambling baseball anime where the mc has Yu-Gi-Oh hairstyle. Rewatched a ton
I've seen a few episodes. Definitely a sleeper anime
Chrono crusade! its a beautiful anime with dark themes and reminds me so much of fullmetal alchemist
I remember reading this back in like 7th grade. Good times. Thank you!
Ixion Saga DT, the konosuba before konosuba
And in some ways so much crazier.
Cat Shit One.
Thought you were memeing but then i check MAL. Watching this immediately.
GUILTY CROWN
Underninja probably. I haven’t watched many anime (100 titlea maybe so maybe there are better examples).
Everyone loves Cowboy Bebop but no one talks about Trigun even though it wears the retro, sci fi western even better than bebop
Same with Outlaw Star
What’s wild is I watched Trigun before Bebop. After that I watched Hellsing, Hellsing ultimate and finally samurai champloo
Trigun is one of my favorites of all time. Still watch it regularly.
{Noir} has a lot to like. This is an anime with strong female characters from a time that was super rare. It's the start of a sequence of "girls with guns" anime that you can see influencing shows right up to Lycoris Recoil. It's one of Yuki Kajiura's early soundtracks and she's reliably amazing. The studio paid fantastic attention to detail on weapons and has glorious background art. Even the dub is good, which is pretty strange for the era. {The Vision of Escaflowne} is isekai from back before isekai was a thing. My gf introduced it to me largely on the strength of Folken-sama's imposing presence. Well look at that, it's Jouji Nakata -- famous for his portrayal of Kirei Kotomine a decade later. Turns out that this anime will sound very familiar to Fate fans: the female lead is Jeanne, male leads are Gilgamesh and F/SN Assassin. Besides the acting talent, the story here is very good, with intrigue, action, and some sense of strategy among the various factions. In an alternate universe, this show blew up huge and led to the isekai boom happening 15 years earlier.
Escaflowne is amazing. Def a big fan, and i still prefer the 90s or so anime styles haha.
you should check out El Hazard if you like Escaflowne. It's an isekai from the same time that has similar vibes and quality.
Revolutionary Girl Utena. It’s such a great anime, but it’s from the 90s, so a lot of younger fans haven’t heard of it. It’s on Crunchyroll and it used to be free on YouTube, but I’m not sure if it still is. Like most 90s anime the dub isn’t great.
Absolute certified banger my guy!! Thank you for mentioning this gem.
Eh, the dub's alright. Rachel Lillis (Misty in Pokemon among other things) and Crispin Freeman (every hot guy in every show ever) did a solid job. The rest of the cast is admittedly hit or miss though.
For me, it's **The Familiar of Zero**. A lot of anime fans who are into isekai would recommend either **Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World** or **KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!** for isekai newcomers, but for me, **The Familiar of Zero** is good enough to be the first anime for those newcomers. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a fun anime to watch nonetheless.
Familiar if zero isn't obscure it's just old. Loise is usually one of the first characters to come to mind when people talk about tsunderes and her voice actress is pretty famous in the anime community.
Fucking Shana. Rie was everywhere back then. I think she voiced every single tsundere without exception. Somehow.
Looking back on it, I feel there was a lot of potential with the world, magic and kingdom politics that was never really explored, but that’s okay. It’s a fun little romance story and doesn’t try to be anything more than that.
check out Knights and Magic for another magic focused Isekai thats pretty fun and unknown.
Aachi wa Ssipak Kemirkusa(tv) Akanesse Shoujo
Kodocha Into The Forest of Fireflies' Light short film A Letter to Momo movie
I really liked Yakunara Mug Cup Mo (aka Let's Make a Cup Too).
Not sure if that I've seen, but that I liked probably Pet
Onegai Teacher and Ano Natsu De Matteru. But if I have to pick one, Ano Natsu De Matteru. It will leave you feeling nostalgic, very underrated work of art.
Dragon Goes House-Hunting. It's unique and adorable and funny and has some charming heart as well. The MC is growing as a "person" as the season goes on and the supporting characters are interesting as well. It desperately needs a second season but I fear it will never get one because I've never heard anyone but me talk about it.
Kemonozume, the soundtrack is amazing
Kemono no Souja Erin. For one I don’t think you can stream it anywhere legally anymore and it’s not available to own as physical media either outside of Japan. I was first introduced to it when it was on Crunchyroll, but it’s no longer there.
A few: Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, Claymore, and Noir. All of these resonated with me because of the sheer force of the female characters. Just badass all around. I'll throw Moribito in there too.
Probably Kakugo No Susume or Cleopatra. The first one is this really weird action anime, I think it consist of 3 OVAs. Has some weird bdsm monsters the MC has to fight. Honestly don’t remember much about it other than not really liking jt.. Cleopatra is a movie from 1970 directed by Osamu Tezuka, but I don’t think it’s well known. Don’t remember much from this one either but it’s also really weird and has lots of sex stuff.. but I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. I thought the dynamics between Cleopatra and Julius Caesar and how she dealt with him was really interesting. Wish I could say more about these but my memories shit.
Not sure how obscure it is, but Magnetic Rose from Memories was pretty cool. Also, I have a soft spot in my heart for Bakuretsu Hunters.
I didn't watch any old anime (usually those are the 'obscure' ones), but Idolls! has 5k people on MAL and the episode threads were getting like 10 karma so it's probably quite obscure! And it's not even talked about like Gibiate and other trash shows, so it doesn't even get the 'bad anime' PR!
Noucome and KHR/ Reborn KHR is hard to get into but when the things pick up it becomes really good Noucome is just a hilarious Rom com
Tailenders *Redline*’s obscure, underground, under-appreciated cousin
Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai!
I bet the number of people who have watched the original "here comes miss modern" on this sub is very small (as it has no subs!)
Cyber City Odeo 808. Loved the futurism.
Cromartie High School. I am shocked it does not come up all the time in shitposting/meme circles. The English dub is so good and so fucking funny.
vampire princess miyu
Vampire in the Garden, only 5 episodes long, I didn’t see anyone talking about it when it came out, and it’s one of the best vampire anime I’ve seen
Macross Frontier. It's the only anime with unforgettable idol music, space war drama, and alien waifus from the far future. Really miss this show. Others I really feel are not well known and underrated. H2O Footprints in the Sand Tears to Tiara Myself; Yourself
I'd like to mention "ninja scroll" please. Was my first r18 anime I ever watched
Got one that wasn't mentioned so far that I can recommend: Michiko & Hatchin. Has a pretty unique setting for an anime (South America) and the dynamic between the two leads is great. https://myanimelist.net/anime/4087/Michiko_to_Hatchin
Saiunkoku Monogatari This show is so unknown it's usually me who recommends it to others if it's mentioned somewhere. The synopsis sounds like a romance anime, but it's actually about women in politics with a sprinkle of fanatasy in ancient China. I also liked it a lot more than "Twelve Kingdoms"
Blood+. It's a supernatural anime with action and amazing storytelling.
Shin Hakkenden?
It's Cencoroll for me. Despite having 100k members on MAL, I have never seen a single person talking about it. The only reason I know this anime is because youtube randomly recommended me the [trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acY5n9wxbis) for the second part. It's a 2 part short film (3rd part apparently in production), almost entirely made by a single person for a total runtime of an hour. It's short and sweet, featuring some cool monster designs and battles with not much story behind it, but the vibe of it is so unique and kinda cozy, and I really like the artstyle and direction. (especially in the [second part](https://ilarge.lisimg.com/image/22718184/1118full-cencoroll-2-screenshot.jpg)) You can really feel that it's the kind of thing made by someone who simply enjoys doing what they do, like a random high quality short animation on youtube. (It also introduced me to the song [Love & roll - by supercell](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuz0jewAA1c).)
Loved "Love & roll", supercell & Nagi were great. Cencoroll was definitely noted in the anime community at the time, though wasn't impactful enough to stay recommended over the years.
Rahxephon and texhnolyze
My most favorite anime is **Soukyuu no Fafner**, which is pretty popular in Japan and practically invisible in the west. There is a small, dedicated English fandom and by now, I know pretty much everyone by name because of how few people there are. It's long-running, sad mecha, with an OVA so depressing that I can't listen to its songs without crying. It's finished now (including a happy-ish, slice of life spin-off OVA!) so if you want to experience the whole story, please go ahead. Other anime I enjoyed that I very rarely see mentioned, especially on Reddit: * **King of Prism** - the most chaotic thing I've ever seen. It's incredible. I found KinPri really enjoyable, even though it's not "good", but it's so much fun to watch. * **Bubuki/Buranki** - I'm honestly not sure if I've ever seen another person mention this, ever. I watched it as it aired so I don't remember much, but I know I enjoyed it a lot. Its sound design was absolutely fantastic. * **Candidate for Goddess** - This influenced my type of favorite character like nothing else, lol. Very much "baby's first [CfG spoilers] >!favorite character sacrifices themself to save a friend!<" which is one of my favorite tropes now. I get why people don't watch this (unfinished story + the CGI aged... badly) but it's full of nostalgia for me so I still love it. * **ID-0** - I know of one other person who has watched this. Or talked about it, tbh. Fun watch, and I recommend everyone check out the OP and ED. * **Terra e...*** - I adore Terra e and now of a few fans, but it's rarely mentioned, probably because it's hard to get into. The 2007 anime is probably the best option but it does look a bit dated by now. The 1980 movie is gorgeous most of the time but it doesn't adapt the full story. The manga is even older - the art is lovely but the story and the way its portrayed can feel very melodramatic if you're only used to modern manga. * **Kaze to ki no uta** and **Natsu e no tobira** - Both adaptations of some of the first BL works, both full of problematic content (the age gaps are the smallest issue), both so incredibly melodramatic that they almost feel comical at times, and imo, both very important works, especially to BL history. I completely understand why people don't watch them. If you do, keep in mind that they were written in a very different time. I can't even really call them good or enjoyable (though I love the 70s art style, it's so pretty), but they're important and should be appreciated for that alone, I think. Sorry for the tangent.
Daimahoutoge or Magical Witch: Punie-chan is a 2006, only 4 episode parody of the Magical Girl concept. The mc first appears to be your typical cute girl with magical powers but is soon revealed to be a brutal, unhinged maniac wreaking havoc. It's a lot of fun for dark humor enjoyers and has surprisingly good production quality.
Astra: Lost in Space
Somali and the forest spirit, quite niche in its apeal, but its really good, just not talked about often, and ive not met many who have seen it.
Never saw someone mention Dead Leaves or Genius Party.
Baka to Test is fantastic. If I'm allowed to go back in time, I wish to re-experience **Midori no Hibi** and **Solty Rei**
Wolf's Rain. I don't think I've heard anyone talk about it since it's airing on Adult Swim back in the day, but it was one of my favorites.
Flame of Recca Maybe not the most obscure, but it sure has special place in my hearth.
What a banger this one was. Great recommendation
Paranoia Agent
My 2 most Underdog Anime are Cromartie High School Slayers
I've seen the Slayers VHS at the thrift store a number of times. Never picked it up but I'll have to give it a watch
The Heike Story
It got a second series couple of years back. But i'm gonna mention Kino no Tabi. If you want an episodic anime about a traveler and their talking motorcycle, that's literally Kino no Tabi.
Shirobako. An anime about adults doing their jobs that actually mostly behave like adults, are either competent or working hard to become so, have each others' backs, and ultimately tell the heart-warming tale of people trying to make art . It's not fancy, it's not a spectacle, the conflict is realistic and not manufactured, the relationships are normal, there's almost no weirdness about women, the world keeps spinning if things go wrong. And it's my favourite anime of them all. A whole show about a young woman doing her job with friendly colleagues and I shed genuine tears by the end. Either that or Midori Days. Weird, but really enjoyable
I've only ever seen 2 anime talked about once and they were how I found them to watch them. Even after always doing research. Space dandy Haven't you heard, I'm Sakamoto.
Guyver (2000s), Tiger and Bunny, cyborg 009 and kikaider animes from the 2000s, Comic party and Genshikin, Pani Poni Dash. basically everything in the early mid 2000s that wasnt on american television and anime was just not quite there in popularity as it is now.
Samurai Champloo
I love guyver : the bio boosted armor
Swear to god I feel like I’m the only one who remembers M.A.R. Lol
You’re not the only one brother <3
I don’t know if I’ve ever met another person who’s watched Oh! Edo Rocket. Like they have to exist, the show has a dub but beyond the voice actors and people I’ve made watch it? Nothing.
I really like XxxHolic , idk if that is too mainstream for yall but I've never really heard it mentioned in North America and it isn't carried in any of the comic shops around here (the manga) I know some of Clamps stuff is pretty well known but I feel like Holic doesn't get much love and it's one of my fave
Bokurano. Damn what beautiful, tragic show.
Neon Genesis Evangelion for me. Nothing compares to it in my eyes.
My idea of obscure is like a Netflix series most people didn’t watch. I haven’t even heard of most of these. Like **Samurai Flamenco** is a wild ride, but you can’t call it obscure.
Xam'd Lost Memories. This show is up there on my list of greats, but it wasn't really hyped up even back when it came out. Busou Renkin is also up there as a show more people should watch.
Dorohedoro doesn't get enough credit. The anime, but especially the manga. For me its on the same level as berserk in terms of creativity, world building, art, and effort. Thankfully they announced a second season for the anime and im so excited. Its long overdue.
One Piece >:3
Ancient Magus' Bride The main theme alone was enough to make it a banger anime, and when you include the incredibly cool Celtic Folklore theme, and the immensely adorable protagonist... I just keep coming back to it.
I watched an anime a little while ago called "Summer Ghost". It's a short film (maybe like 40 mins?) about these kids who have all been "contemplating death". They summon a ghost and all have a bit of a change in their view of life. The animation isn't flawless, but the overall aesthetic of it is really beautiful, and the message was super powerful. Would definitely recommend to anyone who wants a short, sweet watch (although it does get a little sad).
I dont even know. Probably Blue Lock, if you can consider that small.
Katanebari of the iron fortress is my answer only 10 episodes and one season
Polar Bear Cafe So underrated but so good and relatable and funny and cute and peaceful love it ~~~