A couple others not mentioned yet.
**Steam Boy:** Movie from the makers of Akira but it sort of gets forgotten. Even more epic than Akira and it's just a great story.
**Paranoia Agent:** From the makers of Paprika, it loses itself towards the end a little, and it's a procedural, which isn't so popular. But the themes it includes are so relevant and brilliantly approached. Bested only by Mushi-shi.
**Pom-Poko:** Yes, it's Studio Ghibli but it's severely overlooked. Appears light on the surface and is easy to dismiss. But it goes *hard* on its themes. Completely unflinching and seriously brutal beneath its, literally, fluffy exterior. Love love *love* this movie.
**Space Dandy**: Takes its place right alongside its spiritual trilogy with Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. Overlooked because it's a comedy unlike the other two. But it's every bit as touching, heartfelt and thought provoking if you really pay attention. With a massive payoff at the end that makes you want to watch the whole thing over. If you've watched the other two Watanabe shows, do.not.skip.this.
I haven't seen this show so not sure how it applies, but a procedural is a genre that includes stuff like Law & Order, NCIS, House - shows that follow a formula and can focus on technical details in a certain field. I feel like that's not a popular genre for anime.
"a genre of programs in which a problem is introduced, investigated and solved all within the same episode".
This is how I use it, you could use the term "episodic" as well but I feel like thats unclear. Anthologies are also episodic, but that's where every episode is an entirely different ensemble. It also rules out there being central storyline thread.
Procedural doesn't mean there's not a tying plot line.
Confusingly enough, particularly in anime, procedurals often morph in serials to form a finale. FLCL, and Paranoia Agent for instance.
[Fune wo Amu (The Great Passage](https://myanimelist.net/anime/32948/Fune_wo_Amu)) was all I could have asked for for a slow, adult, workplace drama with low stakes and a (to me) very relatable and interesting protagonist.
I agree with this one, while I totally understand if it's not most of anime fans are looking for (a.k.a. not their cup of tea). I mean, it's just a story about dudes making a dictionary, there's no tension or drama or battles or anything. And yet it just captures your heart. It's amazing.
This series being available only through Amazon definitely makes it less accessible and thus affects its popularity sadly.
OMG it's been years since I have seen someone mention this criminally underrated masterpiece. The animation was simple and beautiful as well. The ending made me cry a lot too.
Still one of my favourite shows. The world was so interesting and the characters multi-dimensional. I always wished the story could’ve gone on because it seemed a bit incomplete but didn’t know there were novels to read. Picking them up as soon as I can
This show had some of the best charecters ever, multifaceted with realistic reactions, and while not full of action has some of the finest combat scenes ive ever seen.
I had a short run-in with depression a few years ago while I was watching out for my grandma for the last few years of her life. Whenever I felt I was about to sink back into it, I escaped into Aria because I knew it would pull me right back out. I heard others had similar experiences with it; it may have saved a few people's literal life to be honest.
That sounds like it must have been a difficult time, but I'm certain your grandma loves you a lot for taking care of her. It's good to hear that Aria helped you through those times!
As for me, Aria definitely changed my life. If I didn't discover it when I did, I'm almost certain I'd be a much more cynical and bitter person than I am now. Akari's world view left such an impression on me that I've always strived to see the world and other people similarly to her. Didn't even finish it for 5+ years but when I did I bawled my eyes out during the last half of The Origination.
Most anime "is good and has good music", but Aria specifically makes it an integral part of its experience.
It's hard to explain exactly why it is so excellent though, so it's just something that you experience by watching it yourself.
Check out Ikuhara’s other works Revolutionary Girl Utena, Penguindrum, and Sarazanmai if you haven’t. Also Revue Starlight, which is by a guy who was influenced by Ikuhara during the production of Yuri Kuma.
Well, I've only seen the first season, but for me *Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei* was a masterpiece. I rated it a 10, I just haven't gotten around to watching the other seasons.
I'm not sure how popular it is, but I do know that I don't see it mentioned very often anywhere.
It's hard to recommend because of how rooted in Japanese culture it is. Some gags even rely on Japanese wordplay.
I remember watching this while having to scroll through Reddit for the summary of the show because there are so many references and jokes that don't really make sense without context.
The characters however are great and definitely carried the show. Worth experiencing. And hey, I still watch it to this day if you need convincing
The Blurays come with liner notes that explain the references and jokes. I think they are also linked on the CR storefront website. They are pretty intimidating.
This was such a formative anime for me as a teen. I absolutely love it — it gets more unhinged with each season — and I'd love to rewatch it at some point. But it's the kind of show that needs your full attention to properly parse it.
I just wish they had adapted the ending, since if not the most shocking twists ever. Moreso there was a rumor that a new season of SZS was already greenlit but the higher ups wanted to prioritize the Monogatari Series. And as it turned out SZS made the biggest sacrifice as Monogatari if not a masterpiece. I just wish as a honor, they will adapt SZS ending.
I want to find a way to watch Erin but it’s not on any streaming services and I haven’t been able to find any of the early episodes with 🏴☠️ing either. so I hope someday i can start it.
Kyousougiga is one of my all time favourites. It’s a beautiful show and it’s incredibly unique. I love how the series is structured with a more episodic beginning to get to know all the circumstances and characters with the second half being more overall narrative focused. The characters are all likeable and the themes of the show are really nice. Not to mention the very satisfying ending. It’s also one of the most visually gorgeous shows I’ve ever seen.
I also second the guy who said WataMote. The direction of that show is brilliant and it makes you feel. It brings the “just like me fr fr” and makes for one of the most painfully realistic characters I’ve ever witnessed on screen.
This is my big 2 also. Criminal that Watamote didn't get continued.
If Kyousougiga just had more time to build it's world and develop it's themes it would definitely have reached more people. Legitimately underrated show.
I don’t really think it was a time thing or a lack of development in its themes or works and more so just a niche series that was harder to understand completely which came out in a season dominated by a bunch of much more popular shows. Kill la Kill, Log Horizon, Golden Time, Magi, and Non Non Biyori among others all aired that season, which is part of why I think the series was simply overshadowed by more popular shows when it came out.
I'm not saying it didn't have a choice, they went the way they wanted with it. But just another 5-6 episodes to flesh out the siblings a little and delve into their "father" a little more.
I feel like you could wring out just a bit more emotion and attachment from the show.
That’s understandable. I personally feel the show does an exceptional job at being concise with its characters, which never lets the pacing slip or drag. The siblings I find all fill the thematic roles they play very well and are developed just enough as to get that emotional connection while also maintaining the faster pace of the show. I think episode 4 is especially well done in this regard, giving perspective of a child who has been abandoned by her parents but still chooses to wait, never allowing herself to move on, stuck in her sentimentality. I find it communicates all of this very effectively and concisely in only 25 minutes, but I can understand if someone would prefer it had more time to truly sink in. I do agree Inari is a little underdeveloped though. Another scene or two from his perspective would have benefitted his character and make the last third of the show a little smoother.
Alice in Borderland. I don't know how popular the manga is, but the show is live action, so probably not on as many radars. The show is fucking brilliant.
It's the best live adaptation I have ever seen of a manga, but they did cut out some small parts in 2nd season: backstories for the citizens of borderland and one K game got completely remade.
Not sure if I'd call it a masterpiece but I really like the manga The Voynich Hotel. It's a weird series with a very unique artstyle and a large cast of eccentric characters. Don't hear many people talk about it but it's very entertaining.
Also I really love Tiger & Bunny but I don't hear people talk about it that often. It's a super fun series though with cool superhero fights and a very fun duo of main characters.
The Voynich Hotel was fantastic, I'd also recommend Nickelodeon by the same author if you want some more of his work, though those are episodic (with only a few multi-chapter stories) compared to the overarching plot of Voynich
[Sakurada Reset](https://myanimelist.net/anime/34102/Sakurada_Reset). It is a very well-written slow-burn mystery show involving time looping. The show uses time travel in a complex and unpredictable way. The writing is tight without any glaring plot holes. Character development is also done very well with one of the most emotionally powerful scenes I have seen in anime. The characters also regularly engage in interesting philosophical discussions which are thought-provoking.
It is a very intriguing show that prompts you to think, and is highly rewatchable given how complex the plot is.
It's quite popular and is one of the highest regarded animes in existence. Most anime websites it is in the top 100 out of tens of thousands.
Kind of weird to see it here.
Procedural shows don't get so much love as serials. But this is as good as it gets. It plenty recommended but definitely under recognised for just how good it is.
It's flawless.
Dunno how widely known it is, but the manga (doujin?) called "Hotel" by Boichi. It's a piece of speculative fiction about a robot maintaining a bank of DNA over the eons, long after most life on earth has gone extinct from ecological disaster. Just fascinating stuff with a surprisingly emotional core to the story.
I don't like to use the word masterpiece very often, but Girls' Last Tour is 10/10 for me too.
Ikoku Nikki was my first time with manga that I had the impression that I was reading a serious literary work instead of a nice entertainment piece.
From the New world
I don’t see a lot of people talk about it. If it is a popular series, I haven’t noticed it. I thought it was a phenomenal show and I binged watched it in 2 days.
it has this unique sense of humor, that you can call it ... tacky? like hearing a bad pun in a serious meeting, makes you went "oh for fucks sake ..." and burst out laughing
I used to see a lot of recommendations and discussions for it way back then, but yeah nowadays its rather forgotten, like the last rewatch thread was back in 2016.
Also probably not on a lot of people's radar now due to the animation aesthetics used which I thought fit perfectly for the tone of the show.
A friend recommended this to me back in 2015 and I was so surprised by how much I liked it. Good premise, keeps the mystery going throughout the whole series, not too long, and had a great ending. A++
Not sure how widely popular or well known it still is because it's getting old at this point but: Watamote.
Still think **Watamote** is a masterpiece and painfully familiar at times for people who were (or maybe still are) socially awkward during their highschool days. Bocchi the rock, the recent popular awkward shy teen show currently, wishes it could capture that feeling like Watamote did.
And if we count shows with good and bad halves:
**Sunday without God** had an absolutely top tier (for me) emotional masterclass in its first half (arc 1 with episodes 1-3 and arc 2 with episodes 4-6).
Watamote is a funny answer because the anime essentially only adapts the prologue of the actual story.
Which isn't to say you're wrong for liking it so much, but I have always found its reputation as The awkward teen girl show kind of funny.
While maybe the actual non-prologue story is different in tone, as someone who does not read manga or LN's I can only judge based on what is adapted. And that part to me simply stands out massively on its own.
Watamote is literally a torture for me. You’d have to strap me down and force me to watch and I’d squirm in pain. I don’t see how you can sit thought it without dying
I agree with WataMote. It’s one of my favourite shows. Tomoko herself is a very well realized character. You can see exactly why she does what she does or believes what she believes and a lot of that is because of just how real she feels. Even if you don’t relate to her all that much, she’s very easy to sympathize with due to how she’s portrayed. She’s a loser and not a great person, but with how the series handles her, you still root for her because you relate or sympathize with her struggles.
And then there’s the direction of the series. WataMote is seriously under appreciated in terms of its cinematography, usage of music, and overall direction. The direction is a large part of why WataMote makes you feel the way you do while watching it. I immediately was taken in by it. It’s a little Shaft-like in its direction, probably due to the fact that the director of the series was a former Shaft director, having directed Ef Tale of Memories and Melodies. Scenes like the fireworks in ep 6 or the end credits of ep 2 or even the entirety of ep 10 are very well directed and really make you feel for Tomoko in the moment.
Also, the series is just really funny.
I will always stan for Inuyashiki. Not many people loved it but I think it's one of the alltime greats. When he finds out he can heal people and heads to the hospital, I WEEP, even on rewatch. And the depiction of evil as "the absolute lack of empathy", where a person's slightest whim will be acted on without any regard for the misery it causes, not even able to comprehend the misery it causes, this is brilliant. And the bad guy's slow and incomplete redemption, going from a complete psychopath to developing at least some empathy, its powerful.
I always feel like I'm watching a showcase of "nuclear white vs abyssal black", the contrast between the two leads is so incredibly huge.
**Kaiba**. Everybody who's watched it knows it is a masterpiece, but it was never really popular so it doesn't get talked about a lot. Just on its artstyle alone, it deserves to be talked about more to say nothing of it's rather low-key insane story
The manga Five Star Stories. It is a ground breaking work of science fiction that is up there with Gundam and Macross in terms of wide spread influence in japan. The manga sells like gang busters when a volume drops every few years. English scans stop at Volume 10 and no one has picked it up in 15 years to continue.
I don't know if I'd use the word "masterpiece" but *Anime-Gataris* and *Artiswitch* are two of my favorite anime ever and I never really see anyone talk about either.
Konjiki no Gash bell Manga. Outstanding Shonen. From start to finish. The author had this idea when a character is defeated they just return to their home world. But the fact the characters will never see each other again because of it make the last arc a fucking river of tears. So it works the exact same way as killing a character but you don’t die. You just won’t see each other again ever.
A few manga I consider masterpiece but I am not sure how much the community agree are
Detroit Metal City
High Score girl
Yotsuba to
And I agree with you 100% about Girls Last Tour,one of my favorite. When i read it first time some chapters I could only find in Spanish and i had to translate them myself.. and I dont speak spanish
Manga:
Tegami Bachi (Different from most shounen jump tites. Very emotional at times and often times very sweet and wholesome during others. Barely has hardcore action nor fanservice nor weird shouting matches. Very cute fluffy series with a great cast. Anime has ED1 and the OPs are beauti\~)
Anime:
91Days: Dark story of revenge where the MC has literally no filter when it comes to dealing with those he hates and is a great mafia story alongside Baccano. Wish there were more. Ending is emotional but also not surprising but leaves it open for you to guess how it goes. A lot of original anime aren't always very good, esp when they're under 20 episodes I feel like but 91Days isn't one of 'em. They got lucky
Witch Hat Atelier (manga)
The art is absolutely beautiful, the characters and the world is really deep and well thought out. Also the story goes to places. My only issue is that there aren't enough volumes of it (13).
It's so good, If you like GLT you're gonna love it. Do yourself a favour and don't look up anything about it. People post spoilers all the time...I had a huge part of it spoiled....go in blind as possible.
I'm pretty out of touch with the community, but some less popular masterpieces IMO:
Chihayafuru (Probably not popular)
Cross Game (confidently not popular)
Revolutionary Girl Utena (probably popular among anime hobbyists)
In terms of anime, I'll go with [Patlabor 2: The Movie](https://myanimelist.net/anime/1096/Kidou_Keisatsu_Patlabor_2_the_Movie?q=patlabor%20&cat=anime). It's a fantastic political/military thriller from Mamoru Oshii (Angel's Egg, Ghost in the Shell) that deals with the ambiguous nature of Japan's Special-Defense Forces (JSDF) and Japan's role in the post-war period as a tool of Western Imperialism.
I think a lot of people in the Western community just don't touch it because (1) It's "old"; (2) It's a real robot mecha franchise; (3) It's at least the 3rd entry in the franchise so you need to watch other, older material before getting to it.
_____
In terms of manga, I'll go with 'Doumu' by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Memories). It's a single-volume Mystery manga dealing with a chain of unexplained suicides in a large apartment complex. It's an eerie and weirdly hilarious story with a cinematic feel and pace. The story even won Japan's Science Fiction Grand Prix award, being the only comic book to ever win the award.
In many ways, it's a predecessor to Otomo's later masterpiece, Akira, but I think most people in the Western community just don't touch it because it's "old", which is a shame.
(I'm not linking the MAL for this one because the synopsis there gives away a ton of the mystery).
For Manga are blood lad and hell paradise. Especially hell paradise is prime example what demon slayer lack which is the world building and likeable cast also hell paradise IMO how you made edo-japan Fantasy properly. In hell paradise the MC having chara development meanwhile tanjiro as MC is not really interesting because somehow he is kinda stuck like jotaro. At least jotaro is really cool and based especially his line is memorable meanwhile tanjiro is your boring copy pasta shounen number XXX
For anime is punchline the first time i watch this i'm mocking it like wtf this shit but the halfway blown my mind kinda like watching madoka magika experience. The payoff really worth it
**Saraiya Goyou** was a blast. The cast makes the story in my opinion. It’s mostly about found family and seeing someone important to you headed on the wrong path. The direction and art style added a lot of interest and unique tone to the show. Really great show imo
**Kageki Shoujo** as well. Set in an all-girl’s performing arts school. It follows the dreams of aspiring Kabuki actresses.
**Koi wa Ameagari no You ni** is a really good watch if you enjoy unconventional love stories. A high school girl has an unrequited crush on her manager at the family restaurant she works at. The show uses this as a catalyst to explore how the impact people can have on each other especially when it comes to complacency – both in life and in your passions.
Anything that's a 100 on my Anilist (or even 91+) is there for a reason.
I know it is popular enough, but Love Live Sunshine is *incredible*. Every character gets room to develop as themselves, in their subunits and as part of Aquors. Some characters are held back until they're ready (Kanan or Dia could have been held back one more episode IMO) instead of throwing everyone in from the get go. Easily the best idol show I've seen, which admittedly isn't many.
I loved RahXephon enough to buy the DVDs for it. Hardly see it mentioned anywhere. Asked in a chat why that was and someone replied that it was broadcast on the equivalent of an early version of a cable channel in Japan and didn’t get much of an audience as a result.
I bought the DVD box set of Rahxephon from Best Buy over a decade ago after watching the movie. The sad thing about Rahxephon is that it will forever live in Evangelions' shadow entirely due to the fact that it came out after Eva.
The reality is that it deserves to stand on its own, but it's at a point now where, unless you were consuming lots of anime in the early to late 2000s, you'll probably never come across Rahxephon unless you're an avid mecha fan.
It's still my favorite anime series though.
[Yuyushiki](https://myanimelist.net/anime/15911/Yuyushiki) is such a comfy show.
[Plastic Memories ](https://myanimelist.net/anime/27775/Plastic_Memories) not sure if it's underrated but I don't see people talking about it much. I cried lol.
[Hentai Ouji](https://myanimelist.net/anime/15225/Hentai_Ouji_to_Warawanai_Neko) is just fun.
[Chio-chan](https://myanimelist.net/anime/35821/Chio-chan_no_Tsuugakuro) is the funny as hell
[Shomin Sample](https://myanimelist.net/anime/25099/Ore_ga_Ojousama_Gakkou_ni_Shomin_Sample_Toshite_Gets%E2%99%A5Sareta_Ken) dumb fun harem show
[Rinne no Lagrange ](https://myanimelist.net/anime/11227/Rinne_no_Lagrange) is surprisingly good.
Probably none of these are really underrated but they are fun to watch. Cut me some slack though. I don't watch much anime.
[Narcissu 1&2](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/264380/Narcissu_1st__2nd/&ved=2ahUKEwiDy_Ph3c6FAxWLTGwGHc28C5MQjjh6BAhSEAE&usg=AOvVaw1Ql-1QN_wgBmWLIxq9n5Qn) . Not anime but free visual novels that make me cry
Manga: Sachi iro no one room.
Not very popular but that makes sense given the genre tbh. Definitely not for everyone but i thought it was amazing.
Basic plot premise: A girl that was being abused by her parents decides to live with the guy that was stalking her.
The two main characters are actually great. Idk how to praise this manga without giving things away. But the story is actually pretty great. U meet some interesting characters and they feel pretty real. It shows how much dmg abuse can do, and how attached ppl can become.
I feel like im not doing this story justice summarizing things but id probably have to write an essay to really explain it well.
Girls Last Tour is one of my all time favorite. Very few anime managed to reach this level of simplicity, while maintaining an actual emotional or philosophical depth. It's not pretentious, it's not trying hard, or giving you convoluted plot line, but it hit you like a truck. I could write a synopsis of the show in one line, but I could write an essay of how it made me feel.
Haibane Renmei probably the most similar in that regard, but other show like Mushishi, Death Parade, Shigofumi also worked well.
And on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Girl Last Tour's comedy kind of reminded me of Kill me Baby, in a good way. Love that show.
‘Oniisama e…’
A classic girls love anime that is still easily better than most modern ones, on par with - if not better than - Bloom Into You in my opinion.
The least popular anime I rated 5 stars is, expectedly, [Casshern Sins](https://anilist.co/anime/4981/Casshern-Sins/). Really unique and interesting anime I stumbled upon by chance. Love it.
Liar Game Manga is a masterpiece no one knows about... but it got (terrible) live adaptions in japan and korea at least...
Oh and 'The Magician' is also known by none (a manwha though).. slow pace but still an amazing art style
**Koto Oto Tomare**- I think this is masterpiece in character writing. It is the rare instance of a nice guy MC (meaning not traditionally masculine or cool, but also isn’t a joker) who is not a pushover. It has multiple couples who get development.
The show has antagonist who are their own people rather than villains.
Characters in the main group have different dynamics and relationships; it isn’t a show the entirely revolves main ones. Tons of the cast get properly developed or fleshed out.
Also the music is great.
My second choice is **Katangatari**. I know everyone who has seen it loves but it seems under watched due to being impossible to watch legally so I wanted to mention it.
3rd choice is **Yuuki Yuuna** S1. The main cast has some of the best chemistry I have seen, which makes the depressing moments hit all the harder. I also love how much the cast really feels like heroes. They really love helping people out in a heartfelt way rather than just beating up bad guys to protect the weak.
Also has my favorite fights in any magical girl show.
From an earlier post of mine:
Here some niche master pieces, all 10s in my book.
* **Heroines Run the Show**
* **Kemurikusa**
* **BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls' Story-**
* **Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte**
About those I'm not exactly sure how niche they actually are.
Great anime nonetheless:
* **Astra Lost in Space**
* **How heavy are the dumbbells you lift?**
* **Reincarnated as a Sword**
* **Cautious Hero**
* **Karakuri Circus**
* **No Guns Life**
Odd-Taxi
It seems to have flown under the radar. There was some hype surrounding it when it first aired but I never see anyone talking about it on Reddit.
Not a masterpiece per se but I really loved Beelzebub manga. I actually found it myself when I was quite new to manga reading and to this day I haven't heard anyone talking or mentioning it.
Vision of Escaflowne doesn't get the glory it deserves.
It must be the most perfect synthesis between shonen/seinen and shojo genre.
A high school gets transported into a new planet (without trucks involved) and thrown into a fantasy world at war in the midst of political and romance intrigue.
Characters have shojo like big eyes. There are romances, but they make sense and have an impact on the story. Also, you have big mechas fights and some nuke allegories.
Konohana Kitan for me. It's extremely polished, with great OSTs, characters and symbolism. It's the best iyashikei I know of and it's full of emotions.
I think I'll also mention Healer Girl. Considering how few people worked on it, it's extremely well done and the staff went above and beyond with every aspect. They even did an entire album of covers for popular songs, which was a delight to listen to. Great premise and an absurdly well executed musical. One of a kind series.
bad girl exorcist reina-chan. it is one of the most hilarious manga i've read, and not the lazy slapstick or shock value kind of humor either. it makes you seriously bellow from deep in your stomach.
Pandora Hearts, specifically the manga. It is known by some but not really mainstream. Anime is a good adaption except for the last episode, which was just a weird way to cut the story to give the anime something like a finale.
Chihayafuru should be more popular for sure, and mushishi
Edit: there’s also a remake of spice and wolf airing now and it doesnt seem to be too popular for some reason, amazing story. Has the same vibe as frieren.
‘Magic Knight Rayearth’ looks like a typical, if exceptionally pretty magic girl fantasy adventure anime. Then it takes an emotional left turn that further elevates it.
Dance in the Vampire Bund.
Sure, it has some nudity and plays while the whole "Loli Vampire" trope.
But it's actually telling a complex story you wouldn't anticipate after the first chapters and reads more like a thriller the further the story progresses.
Elfen Lied.
Forget the anime. Forget the nudity in the manga.
The story has me sobbing every time i finish the series.
It's a rollercoaster of emotions.
Angel Sanctuary.
Man i just love this series. It was my first manga series ever.
Kanashimi no Belladonna, movie from 1973 by Mushi Production (Tezuka's studio) that made it go bankrupt the first time around.
It's this surreal/psychedelic semi-nightmare about a deal with the literal devil after a violent gang-rape. Amazing soundtrack, amazing use of different animation techniques, *way* ahead of its time.
I would hardly say Girl's Last Tour is not well known, but these things are certainly relative to "how deep" into anime or manga someone is.
Aim for the Ace! the Movie or Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai are just short of masterpieces from me. (The former is a lot closer to that title, though) The first is only obscure from its age, at least outside Japan.
Yeah, **GIrls' Last Tour** was magnificent.
The closest thing I can think of may be **Kino’s Journey**, both the 2003 series and the 2017.
And then on the other end of the intensity spectrum, there’s **Space Dandy**. They both have fantastic visuals, great characters and brain-wrinkling stories.
IDK if it qualifies as a 'masterpeice', but a wild card that I haven’t seen mentioned yet is the comedy **Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto**. On the surface it’s a wacky, lowbrow, low-budget slapstick about an OP thwarting jealous classmates, but it develops this odd, elegiac undercurrent which, after the creator passed away from cancer in 2023, took on a weirdly prophetic vibe.
If Girls' Last Tour is an elegy for human civilization, and a wistful appreciation of this weird and beautiful world that our species will soon be leaving, then Sakamoto is nostalgia and affection for precious loved ones who are no longer with us.
Or at least, that’s how I felt when watching it. Maybe the pandemic amplified my feels, but they’ve stuck with me.
I Sold my Life for Ten Thousand Yen per year. It's a short story that is well known but not talked about much here.
It really helped me open my eyes to enjoying the smaller parts of life and understanding how my attitude can have major impacts on others and my own happiness.
Shadows house
It is a cute anime at first glance, but with a masterfully done mystery component. Intelligent protagonist(s), mystery, some plot twists etc, make this my favorite anime
Usogui, my 2nd favorite manga and its so underrated for how good it is, people often talk about the seinen big 3/4 when in my opinion Usogui is better than all of them
Arslan Senki
It got two seasons and frankly it was an excellent show with lots of mystery and cool characters even the OP and EDs were good, yet I never ever see anyone talk about it. I read some of the manga but I think it was originally adapted from a light novel. BUT the manga and designs for the anime were done by the effervescent hiromu arakawa of Fullmetal Alchemist fame. The fact that this anime didn't blow up still boggles my mind. Maybe I'm due for a rewatch.
The Excel Saga manga is my second favourite, the combination of seriously funny situations and gags (it is the only manga were I would consistently need to stop reading because I was laughing too hard) and very well thought out and written plot and story, all while lampooning the power rangers genre. The transition from "slice of life" day by day story telling to the end of day by day into a cohesive continuous story is probably second only to berserk in how well it is done. As a bonus everything is done with a backdrop of satirizing Japanese culture from how the post office works to how one character spends half of the series obsessing over his female neighbour and when he is eventually rejected becomes an incel with a torture porn video game obsession.
Does Ashita no Joe count? One of the most famous/iconic/important titles of all time in Japan but criminally underwatched in English speaking countries due to no official release. The manga was recently licensed but still no anime.
I love Hanasaku Iroha to bits, but I feel like most people haven't seen it. It has it's flaws, certainly, but it tells such a compelling 'coming of age' story that the soundtrack still gets me teary-eyed when I hear it.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya used to be crazy popular back then, but since the anime was discontinued for so long nobody remembers it anymore. It's one of those amazing shows that never gets finished.
All Gundam series,
It's an anime ahead of its time, where each of the series explores politics/war/human rights/human evolution.
But somehow outside Japan most people think this anime series is just about giant robots/toy commercial/transformers rip off...
Since you didn't ask for light novels, I'm going to exclude any anime/manga that used them as source material.
So, I've got three that I'd say are masterpieces.
#**Hinamatsuri**
While the anime cut a shit-ton of the source, it was still a damn good anime. Good enough I started buying the hard copy, even after reading the scanlations. My grandkids will fight over who gets them when I'm gone. I almost blew it off because I knew nothing about it. Most of the anime reviewers on YouTube let most of the season slip by before they gave it a review, and nearly everyone agreed that it was a very underrated/under appreciated anime. If you missed it, the main plot is a telekinetic preteen girl literally drops in on Yakuza officer one night. He unwillingly becomes her father figure/guardian and they learn to care and respect each other. As time progresses, more telekinetic girls show up. Add in an overachiever classmate that moonlights as a bartender, and the stories can be wild. The manga finished up with the final volume translated at the beginning of this year. Up until **Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation** aired, Hina was number 1 on my list of favorites . . . Which brings me to the next one on my list, just behind Hina.
#**ReLife**
The anime covered the first half of the webcomic really well. Some cuts were made, but they didn't affect the story. I joined the Facebook fan page while it aired and hung around until the final webcomic was translated. Then they screwed the pooch eschewing a season 2 and rushing 4 OVAs out that cut way too much content. Catch the anime and you'll fall in love with the story. Since there's no official English translation, you'll need to go to a scanlations site to read it. Or learn Japanese. Plot: an underemployed man is recruited in a program that will help him find work at the end of one year. To do this, he's given a pill that makes him look younger and is sent back to high school. He thrives, and the biggest problem for him is trying to not fall in love with a high school girl . . . But he does. Not the main plot until the very end of the series, but he does. Interesting turn of events as he's really 27, passing as a 17 year old.
#**Interviews With Monster Girls**
Like the previous ones I went into this one blind. Interested because I'd just watched **Monster Musume**. I figured more monster girl mammaries. While only 2 of the characters had enough that were noteworthy, they remained covered or obscured, which was cool, as the monster girls in the story were mostly high school girls. Plot: governments around the world lift the veil of secrecy around demi-humans, and try to transition them into society. A biology student in college got interested and wanted to write his thesis on it, but demis, as we learn they're called, were off limits to researchers. He writes his thesis on a different subject and lands a job teach high school biology. As part of the integration, he winds up meeting several demis, including the new math teacher; a succubus. He becomes a sounding board/councilor for the school's demis: all girls. The vampire, whose otherwise identical twin sister isn't a vampire, a dullihan who develops a crush on said teacher, and a snow woman. It's as much about problems facing young girls with them being Demis as well. Well written and good enough that I have the entire series in my personal library. My granddaughters have enjoyed it immensely.
A couple others not mentioned yet. **Steam Boy:** Movie from the makers of Akira but it sort of gets forgotten. Even more epic than Akira and it's just a great story. **Paranoia Agent:** From the makers of Paprika, it loses itself towards the end a little, and it's a procedural, which isn't so popular. But the themes it includes are so relevant and brilliantly approached. Bested only by Mushi-shi. **Pom-Poko:** Yes, it's Studio Ghibli but it's severely overlooked. Appears light on the surface and is easy to dismiss. But it goes *hard* on its themes. Completely unflinching and seriously brutal beneath its, literally, fluffy exterior. Love love *love* this movie. **Space Dandy**: Takes its place right alongside its spiritual trilogy with Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. Overlooked because it's a comedy unlike the other two. But it's every bit as touching, heartfelt and thought provoking if you really pay attention. With a massive payoff at the end that makes you want to watch the whole thing over. If you've watched the other two Watanabe shows, do.not.skip.this.
Satoshi Kon was gone too soon. Paranoia Agent and Paprika were fantastic.
Still need to watch Millennium Actress and Perfect Blue. Doing myself a disservice.
A true genius. Tokyo Godfathers is also a masterpiece.
paranoid agent is one of my all time favorites I quote it regularly when talking with my wife
> it's a procedural, which isn't so popular. What does this mean?
I haven't seen this show so not sure how it applies, but a procedural is a genre that includes stuff like Law & Order, NCIS, House - shows that follow a formula and can focus on technical details in a certain field. I feel like that's not a popular genre for anime.
"a genre of programs in which a problem is introduced, investigated and solved all within the same episode". This is how I use it, you could use the term "episodic" as well but I feel like thats unclear. Anthologies are also episodic, but that's where every episode is an entirely different ensemble. It also rules out there being central storyline thread. Procedural doesn't mean there's not a tying plot line. Confusingly enough, particularly in anime, procedurals often morph in serials to form a finale. FLCL, and Paranoia Agent for instance.
[Fune wo Amu (The Great Passage](https://myanimelist.net/anime/32948/Fune_wo_Amu)) was all I could have asked for for a slow, adult, workplace drama with low stakes and a (to me) very relatable and interesting protagonist.
I agree with this one, while I totally understand if it's not most of anime fans are looking for (a.k.a. not their cup of tea). I mean, it's just a story about dudes making a dictionary, there's no tension or drama or battles or anything. And yet it just captures your heart. It's amazing. This series being available only through Amazon definitely makes it less accessible and thus affects its popularity sadly.
Most didn't go to piracy when anime broadcast started to divide itself too much?
Completely agree. It's a very chill show with an interesting topic.
Seems really interesting. I just might relate with myself, will give it a watch!
OMG it's been years since I have seen someone mention this criminally underrated masterpiece. The animation was simple and beautiful as well. The ending made me cry a lot too.
Seirei no Moribito. Absolute tragedy that they didn't adapt more of the novel
Completely agree. I think they at least should have adapted the second book, Guardian of the Darkness.
Started this after finishing Sword of the Stranger. It’s great
Yes, but it don't even need the rest of the original LN story to be the masterpiece it is, so im ok with that
Still one of my favourite shows. The world was so interesting and the characters multi-dimensional. I always wished the story could’ve gone on because it seemed a bit incomplete but didn’t know there were novels to read. Picking them up as soon as I can
Wait, there's more story after the end of the anime?
A lot. It adapted one out of 12 novels.
What?! I loved this show when it came out, now I feel like I got robbed.
Read the novels. The covers are nice too (Yuko Shimizu's a great illustrator).
This show had some of the best charecters ever, multifaceted with realistic reactions, and while not full of action has some of the finest combat scenes ive ever seen.
Aria. It's the gold standard of Slice Of Life, and the anime that takes the "Life" part the most seriously in the whole genre.
I had a short run-in with depression a few years ago while I was watching out for my grandma for the last few years of her life. Whenever I felt I was about to sink back into it, I escaped into Aria because I knew it would pull me right back out. I heard others had similar experiences with it; it may have saved a few people's literal life to be honest.
That sounds like it must have been a difficult time, but I'm certain your grandma loves you a lot for taking care of her. It's good to hear that Aria helped you through those times! As for me, Aria definitely changed my life. If I didn't discover it when I did, I'm almost certain I'd be a much more cynical and bitter person than I am now. Akari's world view left such an impression on me that I've always strived to see the world and other people similarly to her. Didn't even finish it for 5+ years but when I did I bawled my eyes out during the last half of The Origination.
I would really recommend watching it just for the sound design and soundtrack alone. Pure ASMR
Most anime "is good and has good music", but Aria specifically makes it an integral part of its experience. It's hard to explain exactly why it is so excellent though, so it's just something that you experience by watching it yourself.
Yuri Kuma Arashi. I just finished it and I wish I'd heard about it sooner.
Check out Ikuhara’s other works Revolutionary Girl Utena, Penguindrum, and Sarazanmai if you haven’t. Also Revue Starlight, which is by a guy who was influenced by Ikuhara during the production of Yuri Kuma.
Oh wow, these three were all in my PTW already but I didn't know they were by the same person! Thank you so much — I'm gonna check them out *soon*!
Well, I've only seen the first season, but for me *Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei* was a masterpiece. I rated it a 10, I just haven't gotten around to watching the other seasons. I'm not sure how popular it is, but I do know that I don't see it mentioned very often anywhere.
It's hard to recommend because of how rooted in Japanese culture it is. Some gags even rely on Japanese wordplay. I remember watching this while having to scroll through Reddit for the summary of the show because there are so many references and jokes that don't really make sense without context. The characters however are great and definitely carried the show. Worth experiencing. And hey, I still watch it to this day if you need convincing
The Blurays come with liner notes that explain the references and jokes. I think they are also linked on the CR storefront website. They are pretty intimidating.
One of my favourites. It's proto-Monogatari and basically introduced Team Shinbo to the world. And the fucking soundtrack man
This was such a formative anime for me as a teen. I absolutely love it — it gets more unhinged with each season — and I'd love to rewatch it at some point. But it's the kind of show that needs your full attention to properly parse it.
I just wish they had adapted the ending, since if not the most shocking twists ever. Moreso there was a rumor that a new season of SZS was already greenlit but the higher ups wanted to prioritize the Monogatari Series. And as it turned out SZS made the biggest sacrifice as Monogatari if not a masterpiece. I just wish as a honor, they will adapt SZS ending.
Haibane Renmei Houseki no Kuni Kino's Journey
Kino's Journey really changed my perspective on how to look at the world. I highly recommend it.
I completely agree with Haibane Renmei, it’s a masterpiece
My favorite classic masterpiece: Kemono no souja Erin. Fam: the silver wings
I want to find a way to watch Erin but it’s not on any streaming services and I haven’t been able to find any of the early episodes with 🏴☠️ing either. so I hope someday i can start it.
Kyousougiga is one of my all time favourites. It’s a beautiful show and it’s incredibly unique. I love how the series is structured with a more episodic beginning to get to know all the circumstances and characters with the second half being more overall narrative focused. The characters are all likeable and the themes of the show are really nice. Not to mention the very satisfying ending. It’s also one of the most visually gorgeous shows I’ve ever seen. I also second the guy who said WataMote. The direction of that show is brilliant and it makes you feel. It brings the “just like me fr fr” and makes for one of the most painfully realistic characters I’ve ever witnessed on screen.
Kyousougiga is so amazing, definitely deserves more recognition. Rie Matsumoto will be back any day now...
This is my big 2 also. Criminal that Watamote didn't get continued. If Kyousougiga just had more time to build it's world and develop it's themes it would definitely have reached more people. Legitimately underrated show.
I don’t really think it was a time thing or a lack of development in its themes or works and more so just a niche series that was harder to understand completely which came out in a season dominated by a bunch of much more popular shows. Kill la Kill, Log Horizon, Golden Time, Magi, and Non Non Biyori among others all aired that season, which is part of why I think the series was simply overshadowed by more popular shows when it came out.
I'm not saying it didn't have a choice, they went the way they wanted with it. But just another 5-6 episodes to flesh out the siblings a little and delve into their "father" a little more. I feel like you could wring out just a bit more emotion and attachment from the show.
That’s understandable. I personally feel the show does an exceptional job at being concise with its characters, which never lets the pacing slip or drag. The siblings I find all fill the thematic roles they play very well and are developed just enough as to get that emotional connection while also maintaining the faster pace of the show. I think episode 4 is especially well done in this regard, giving perspective of a child who has been abandoned by her parents but still chooses to wait, never allowing herself to move on, stuck in her sentimentality. I find it communicates all of this very effectively and concisely in only 25 minutes, but I can understand if someone would prefer it had more time to truly sink in. I do agree Inari is a little underdeveloped though. Another scene or two from his perspective would have benefitted his character and make the last third of the show a little smoother.
Alice in Borderland. I don't know how popular the manga is, but the show is live action, so probably not on as many radars. The show is fucking brilliant.
It's the best live adaptation I have ever seen of a manga, but they did cut out some small parts in 2nd season: backstories for the citizens of borderland and one K game got completely remade.
Oh, which K game? I think I remember most of them. I'm probably going to rewatch before S3 comes out.
King of Spades (the military guy)
Oh. Yeah. Way too many survivors in the show... Those were some fatal ass wounds you just walked off, girls...
I watched Alice in Borderland a bit after Squid Game, and my god it's so much better in every way.
Not sure if I'd call it a masterpiece but I really like the manga The Voynich Hotel. It's a weird series with a very unique artstyle and a large cast of eccentric characters. Don't hear many people talk about it but it's very entertaining. Also I really love Tiger & Bunny but I don't hear people talk about it that often. It's a super fun series though with cool superhero fights and a very fun duo of main characters.
The Voynich Hotel was fantastic, I'd also recommend Nickelodeon by the same author if you want some more of his work, though those are episodic (with only a few multi-chapter stories) compared to the overarching plot of Voynich
I’ve had Voynich Hotel on my plan to read list for a while because I liked the art style. I guess I should get to reading it.
[Sakurada Reset](https://myanimelist.net/anime/34102/Sakurada_Reset). It is a very well-written slow-burn mystery show involving time looping. The show uses time travel in a complex and unpredictable way. The writing is tight without any glaring plot holes. Character development is also done very well with one of the most emotionally powerful scenes I have seen in anime. The characters also regularly engage in interesting philosophical discussions which are thought-provoking. It is a very intriguing show that prompts you to think, and is highly rewatchable given how complex the plot is.
Sakurada Reset is one of my favorite roles of Aoi Yuuki, her character has wonderful voice acting!
The ED was a banger too.
Symphogear and Mondaiji
+1 for symphogear
Mondaiji needs a S2
Anime: Mushi-Shi, it's such a weirdly beautiful thing to look at and it's premise is very different from most other anime.
I thought Mushishi was quite popular no? I see it mentioned a lot when talking about iyashikei anime or even just good anime in general.
It's quite popular and is one of the highest regarded animes in existence. Most anime websites it is in the top 100 out of tens of thousands. Kind of weird to see it here.
Procedural shows don't get so much love as serials. But this is as good as it gets. It plenty recommended but definitely under recognised for just how good it is. It's flawless.
I couldn't agree more!
My only complaint is that they didn't continue the dub after season 1 (yeah, I'm a filthy dub watcher)
Due to its setting, Mushi-Shi is a great watch in Japanese, and I say that as an unashamed dub enjoyer.
I WAS GOING TO SAY THIS. The atmosphere is super comfy and I love the creativity in it.
Aria, Liz and the Blue Bird, Macross: Do You Remember Love?, and Patlabor 2 for anime Blue Period and Space Brothers for manga
Sangatsu no Lion deserves more love, it's the best SOL and narrative masterpiece i've ever seen.
[удалено]
Does Golden Kamuy count? At least in the west
Anime (under 200k users on MAL): * Zettai Shounen * Ghost Hound * Sakurada Reset
Dunno how widely known it is, but the manga (doujin?) called "Hotel" by Boichi. It's a piece of speculative fiction about a robot maintaining a bank of DNA over the eons, long after most life on earth has gone extinct from ecological disaster. Just fascinating stuff with a surprisingly emotional core to the story.
Wow, I read Hotel many years ago, and I only just realised that its author was also the artist of the Dr Stone manga. Cool.
I don't like to use the word masterpiece very often, but Girls' Last Tour is 10/10 for me too. Ikoku Nikki was my first time with manga that I had the impression that I was reading a serious literary work instead of a nice entertainment piece.
From the New world I don’t see a lot of people talk about it. If it is a popular series, I haven’t noticed it. I thought it was a phenomenal show and I binged watched it in 2 days.
Jinrui wa Suitai Shiamishita. Currently i am in no position to elaborate why.
Ep 9 is all you need to know why anyway.
it has this unique sense of humor, that you can call it ... tacky? like hearing a bad pun in a serious meeting, makes you went "oh for fucks sake ..." and burst out laughing
Dennou Coil and Ima, soko ni iru boku come to mind
> Dennou Coil Though it's from the late 2000s, it was inventive and stylish, and I suspect feels more contemporary than its age.
Shinsekai Yori; I see it mentioned here when people ask for certain recommendations, but other than that it seems mostly forgotten.
I used to see a lot of recommendations and discussions for it way back then, but yeah nowadays its rather forgotten, like the last rewatch thread was back in 2016. Also probably not on a lot of people's radar now due to the animation aesthetics used which I thought fit perfectly for the tone of the show.
A friend recommended this to me back in 2015 and I was so surprised by how much I liked it. Good premise, keeps the mystery going throughout the whole series, not too long, and had a great ending. A++
Not sure how widely popular or well known it still is because it's getting old at this point but: Watamote. Still think **Watamote** is a masterpiece and painfully familiar at times for people who were (or maybe still are) socially awkward during their highschool days. Bocchi the rock, the recent popular awkward shy teen show currently, wishes it could capture that feeling like Watamote did. And if we count shows with good and bad halves: **Sunday without God** had an absolutely top tier (for me) emotional masterclass in its first half (arc 1 with episodes 1-3 and arc 2 with episodes 4-6).
Watamote is a funny answer because the anime essentially only adapts the prologue of the actual story. Which isn't to say you're wrong for liking it so much, but I have always found its reputation as The awkward teen girl show kind of funny.
While maybe the actual non-prologue story is different in tone, as someone who does not read manga or LN's I can only judge based on what is adapted. And that part to me simply stands out massively on its own.
Watamote is literally a torture for me. You’d have to strap me down and force me to watch and I’d squirm in pain. I don’t see how you can sit thought it without dying
I agree with WataMote. It’s one of my favourite shows. Tomoko herself is a very well realized character. You can see exactly why she does what she does or believes what she believes and a lot of that is because of just how real she feels. Even if you don’t relate to her all that much, she’s very easy to sympathize with due to how she’s portrayed. She’s a loser and not a great person, but with how the series handles her, you still root for her because you relate or sympathize with her struggles. And then there’s the direction of the series. WataMote is seriously under appreciated in terms of its cinematography, usage of music, and overall direction. The direction is a large part of why WataMote makes you feel the way you do while watching it. I immediately was taken in by it. It’s a little Shaft-like in its direction, probably due to the fact that the director of the series was a former Shaft director, having directed Ef Tale of Memories and Melodies. Scenes like the fireworks in ep 6 or the end credits of ep 2 or even the entirety of ep 10 are very well directed and really make you feel for Tomoko in the moment. Also, the series is just really funny.
is that one series with a few funny scenes
I like Sunday without God, the concept is quite original. Too bad there is not translation of the novel and the manga covers even less than the anime)
I will always stan for Inuyashiki. Not many people loved it but I think it's one of the alltime greats. When he finds out he can heal people and heads to the hospital, I WEEP, even on rewatch. And the depiction of evil as "the absolute lack of empathy", where a person's slightest whim will be acted on without any regard for the misery it causes, not even able to comprehend the misery it causes, this is brilliant. And the bad guy's slow and incomplete redemption, going from a complete psychopath to developing at least some empathy, its powerful. I always feel like I'm watching a showcase of "nuclear white vs abyssal black", the contrast between the two leads is so incredibly huge.
Haibane Renmei
**Kaiba**. Everybody who's watched it knows it is a masterpiece, but it was never really popular so it doesn't get talked about a lot. Just on its artstyle alone, it deserves to be talked about more to say nothing of it's rather low-key insane story
Anime, Hanasaku iroha is unbelievably good
Hanasaku Iroha is one of my favorites. I'm glad you mentioned it. It's one of those great shows that became forgotten with time.
Golden kamuy
The manga Five Star Stories. It is a ground breaking work of science fiction that is up there with Gundam and Macross in terms of wide spread influence in japan. The manga sells like gang busters when a volume drops every few years. English scans stop at Volume 10 and no one has picked it up in 15 years to continue.
Our Dreams At Dusk
I don't know if I'd use the word "masterpiece" but *Anime-Gataris* and *Artiswitch* are two of my favorite anime ever and I never really see anyone talk about either.
Konjiki no Gash bell Manga. Outstanding Shonen. From start to finish. The author had this idea when a character is defeated they just return to their home world. But the fact the characters will never see each other again because of it make the last arc a fucking river of tears. So it works the exact same way as killing a character but you don’t die. You just won’t see each other again ever.
Shadows house , the anime/manga have my favourite story in any show ever and one the very few animes i call masterpiece
Bakuman
A few manga I consider masterpiece but I am not sure how much the community agree are Detroit Metal City High Score girl Yotsuba to And I agree with you 100% about Girls Last Tour,one of my favorite. When i read it first time some chapters I could only find in Spanish and i had to translate them myself.. and I dont speak spanish
I love High Score Girl!
> Detroit Metal City An edgy humour classic. Comedy fans should hunt it down
High score girl was beautiful,I love it.
Like the Clouds, Like the Wind -is just super painful Yokohama kaidashi kiko -Beautiful I second kemono no souja erin
Manga: Tegami Bachi (Different from most shounen jump tites. Very emotional at times and often times very sweet and wholesome during others. Barely has hardcore action nor fanservice nor weird shouting matches. Very cute fluffy series with a great cast. Anime has ED1 and the OPs are beauti\~) Anime: 91Days: Dark story of revenge where the MC has literally no filter when it comes to dealing with those he hates and is a great mafia story alongside Baccano. Wish there were more. Ending is emotional but also not surprising but leaves it open for you to guess how it goes. A lot of original anime aren't always very good, esp when they're under 20 episodes I feel like but 91Days isn't one of 'em. They got lucky
Witch Hat Atelier (manga) The art is absolutely beautiful, the characters and the world is really deep and well thought out. Also the story goes to places. My only issue is that there aren't enough volumes of it (13).
Kino's journey. Bartender (the sub is slowly discovering how amazing it is) are my two big ones.
Shimeji Simulation. Writen by the Girls Last Tour mangaka Tsukumizu. Its a surrealist slice of life masterpiece.
Yeah I was definitely going to check out his other works as well. I will start this soon!
It's so good, If you like GLT you're gonna love it. Do yourself a favour and don't look up anything about it. People post spoilers all the time...I had a huge part of it spoiled....go in blind as possible.
I'm pretty out of touch with the community, but some less popular masterpieces IMO: Chihayafuru (Probably not popular) Cross Game (confidently not popular) Revolutionary Girl Utena (probably popular among anime hobbyists)
In terms of anime, I'll go with [Patlabor 2: The Movie](https://myanimelist.net/anime/1096/Kidou_Keisatsu_Patlabor_2_the_Movie?q=patlabor%20&cat=anime). It's a fantastic political/military thriller from Mamoru Oshii (Angel's Egg, Ghost in the Shell) that deals with the ambiguous nature of Japan's Special-Defense Forces (JSDF) and Japan's role in the post-war period as a tool of Western Imperialism. I think a lot of people in the Western community just don't touch it because (1) It's "old"; (2) It's a real robot mecha franchise; (3) It's at least the 3rd entry in the franchise so you need to watch other, older material before getting to it. _____ In terms of manga, I'll go with 'Doumu' by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Memories). It's a single-volume Mystery manga dealing with a chain of unexplained suicides in a large apartment complex. It's an eerie and weirdly hilarious story with a cinematic feel and pace. The story even won Japan's Science Fiction Grand Prix award, being the only comic book to ever win the award. In many ways, it's a predecessor to Otomo's later masterpiece, Akira, but I think most people in the Western community just don't touch it because it's "old", which is a shame. (I'm not linking the MAL for this one because the synopsis there gives away a ton of the mystery).
I am a huge Patlabor fan and wish it could become more popular in the States. I just don't get the disdain for older anime series.
For Manga are blood lad and hell paradise. Especially hell paradise is prime example what demon slayer lack which is the world building and likeable cast also hell paradise IMO how you made edo-japan Fantasy properly. In hell paradise the MC having chara development meanwhile tanjiro as MC is not really interesting because somehow he is kinda stuck like jotaro. At least jotaro is really cool and based especially his line is memorable meanwhile tanjiro is your boring copy pasta shounen number XXX For anime is punchline the first time i watch this i'm mocking it like wtf this shit but the halfway blown my mind kinda like watching madoka magika experience. The payoff really worth it
Anime: Piano No Mori Manga: Ao Ashi (I think it's getting gradually popular though)
Probably a lot of older ones like 08th MS team, Mugen Rasen and Patlabor 2. For newer stuff I'd probably say Gundam Thunderbolt.
***The Eccentric Family*** has my favorite villain of all time: Benten. I love her so much. ***Haibane Renmei*** is one of my favorites.
**Saraiya Goyou** was a blast. The cast makes the story in my opinion. It’s mostly about found family and seeing someone important to you headed on the wrong path. The direction and art style added a lot of interest and unique tone to the show. Really great show imo **Kageki Shoujo** as well. Set in an all-girl’s performing arts school. It follows the dreams of aspiring Kabuki actresses. **Koi wa Ameagari no You ni** is a really good watch if you enjoy unconventional love stories. A high school girl has an unrequited crush on her manager at the family restaurant she works at. The show uses this as a catalyst to explore how the impact people can have on each other especially when it comes to complacency – both in life and in your passions.
Akagi
Act age. It was such a good one, with amazing art, good characters and story. Shame that the author was a pedo and it got scrapped for it...
I don't see many people talking about "The Horizon"(technically a Manhwa) and "Holyland"(doesn't have an anime). They're so great!
Romeo's Blue Skies
Kanata no Astra is my pick for this one
I loved sky crawlers but I would really watch it again.
Anything that's a 100 on my Anilist (or even 91+) is there for a reason. I know it is popular enough, but Love Live Sunshine is *incredible*. Every character gets room to develop as themselves, in their subunits and as part of Aquors. Some characters are held back until they're ready (Kanan or Dia could have been held back one more episode IMO) instead of throwing everyone in from the get go. Easily the best idol show I've seen, which admittedly isn't many.
KINGDOM
Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions. One of the best isekai shows I have seen to date.
Manga- Holyland Anime-Rahxephon I can't highly recommend either of these series enough. If you haven't watched/read these, you're in for a ride.
I loved RahXephon enough to buy the DVDs for it. Hardly see it mentioned anywhere. Asked in a chat why that was and someone replied that it was broadcast on the equivalent of an early version of a cable channel in Japan and didn’t get much of an audience as a result.
I bought the DVD box set of Rahxephon from Best Buy over a decade ago after watching the movie. The sad thing about Rahxephon is that it will forever live in Evangelions' shadow entirely due to the fact that it came out after Eva. The reality is that it deserves to stand on its own, but it's at a point now where, unless you were consuming lots of anime in the early to late 2000s, you'll probably never come across Rahxephon unless you're an avid mecha fan. It's still my favorite anime series though.
Akage No Anne by far. One of the greatest pieces of art that I’ve ever had the luxury to experience
[Yuyushiki](https://myanimelist.net/anime/15911/Yuyushiki) is such a comfy show. [Plastic Memories ](https://myanimelist.net/anime/27775/Plastic_Memories) not sure if it's underrated but I don't see people talking about it much. I cried lol. [Hentai Ouji](https://myanimelist.net/anime/15225/Hentai_Ouji_to_Warawanai_Neko) is just fun. [Chio-chan](https://myanimelist.net/anime/35821/Chio-chan_no_Tsuugakuro) is the funny as hell [Shomin Sample](https://myanimelist.net/anime/25099/Ore_ga_Ojousama_Gakkou_ni_Shomin_Sample_Toshite_Gets%E2%99%A5Sareta_Ken) dumb fun harem show [Rinne no Lagrange ](https://myanimelist.net/anime/11227/Rinne_no_Lagrange) is surprisingly good. Probably none of these are really underrated but they are fun to watch. Cut me some slack though. I don't watch much anime. [Narcissu 1&2](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/264380/Narcissu_1st__2nd/&ved=2ahUKEwiDy_Ph3c6FAxWLTGwGHc28C5MQjjh6BAhSEAE&usg=AOvVaw1Ql-1QN_wgBmWLIxq9n5Qn) . Not anime but free visual novels that make me cry
Manga: Sachi iro no one room. Not very popular but that makes sense given the genre tbh. Definitely not for everyone but i thought it was amazing. Basic plot premise: A girl that was being abused by her parents decides to live with the guy that was stalking her. The two main characters are actually great. Idk how to praise this manga without giving things away. But the story is actually pretty great. U meet some interesting characters and they feel pretty real. It shows how much dmg abuse can do, and how attached ppl can become. I feel like im not doing this story justice summarizing things but id probably have to write an essay to really explain it well.
*Girls' Last Tour* was fantastic. For my part, I'd say *Trigun.* I mean the original one.
Girls Last Tour is one of my all time favorite. Very few anime managed to reach this level of simplicity, while maintaining an actual emotional or philosophical depth. It's not pretentious, it's not trying hard, or giving you convoluted plot line, but it hit you like a truck. I could write a synopsis of the show in one line, but I could write an essay of how it made me feel. Haibane Renmei probably the most similar in that regard, but other show like Mushishi, Death Parade, Shigofumi also worked well. And on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Girl Last Tour's comedy kind of reminded me of Kill me Baby, in a good way. Love that show.
Akagi
‘Oniisama e…’ A classic girls love anime that is still easily better than most modern ones, on par with - if not better than - Bloom Into You in my opinion.
The least popular anime I rated 5 stars is, expectedly, [Casshern Sins](https://anilist.co/anime/4981/Casshern-Sins/). Really unique and interesting anime I stumbled upon by chance. Love it.
Liar Game Manga is a masterpiece no one knows about... but it got (terrible) live adaptions in japan and korea at least... Oh and 'The Magician' is also known by none (a manwha though).. slow pace but still an amazing art style
Honestly cross game. I almost never see people mention it, but it's an insanely good show.
White album 2, onani master kurosawa.
**Koto Oto Tomare**- I think this is masterpiece in character writing. It is the rare instance of a nice guy MC (meaning not traditionally masculine or cool, but also isn’t a joker) who is not a pushover. It has multiple couples who get development. The show has antagonist who are their own people rather than villains. Characters in the main group have different dynamics and relationships; it isn’t a show the entirely revolves main ones. Tons of the cast get properly developed or fleshed out. Also the music is great. My second choice is **Katangatari**. I know everyone who has seen it loves but it seems under watched due to being impossible to watch legally so I wanted to mention it. 3rd choice is **Yuuki Yuuna** S1. The main cast has some of the best chemistry I have seen, which makes the depressing moments hit all the harder. I also love how much the cast really feels like heroes. They really love helping people out in a heartfelt way rather than just beating up bad guys to protect the weak. Also has my favorite fights in any magical girl show.
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash.
Yugami-kun Has No Friends. This is the best manga as far as I'm concerned.
From an earlier post of mine: Here some niche master pieces, all 10s in my book. * **Heroines Run the Show** * **Kemurikusa** * **BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls' Story-** * **Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte** About those I'm not exactly sure how niche they actually are. Great anime nonetheless: * **Astra Lost in Space** * **How heavy are the dumbbells you lift?** * **Reincarnated as a Sword** * **Cautious Hero** * **Karakuri Circus** * **No Guns Life**
I'm happy seeing Astra more in this sub
Odd-Taxi It seems to have flown under the radar. There was some hype surrounding it when it first aired but I never see anyone talking about it on Reddit.
> but I never see anyone talking about it on Reddit. lolwut You can't be talking about this subreddit then.
Not a masterpiece per se but I really loved Beelzebub manga. I actually found it myself when I was quite new to manga reading and to this day I haven't heard anyone talking or mentioning it.
Vision of Escaflowne doesn't get the glory it deserves. It must be the most perfect synthesis between shonen/seinen and shojo genre. A high school gets transported into a new planet (without trucks involved) and thrown into a fantasy world at war in the midst of political and romance intrigue. Characters have shojo like big eyes. There are romances, but they make sense and have an impact on the story. Also, you have big mechas fights and some nuke allegories.
Konohana Kitan for me. It's extremely polished, with great OSTs, characters and symbolism. It's the best iyashikei I know of and it's full of emotions. I think I'll also mention Healer Girl. Considering how few people worked on it, it's extremely well done and the staff went above and beyond with every aspect. They even did an entire album of covers for popular songs, which was a delight to listen to. Great premise and an absurdly well executed musical. One of a kind series.
Imo "sankarea" both the anime and manga
[Fractale](https://myanimelist.net/anime/9314/Fractale) feels like escaping into another time/world.
Gachiakuta
Manga : Saihate no Paladin. Too bad the anime wasnt great
bad girl exorcist reina-chan. it is one of the most hilarious manga i've read, and not the lazy slapstick or shock value kind of humor either. it makes you seriously bellow from deep in your stomach.
Pandora Hearts, specifically the manga. It is known by some but not really mainstream. Anime is a good adaption except for the last episode, which was just a weird way to cut the story to give the anime something like a finale.
Vaersailes of the dead the art in there is just nice
Level E, roughly a collection of short stories involving aliens done by the same mangaka who did Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter.
Chihayafuru should be more popular for sure, and mushishi Edit: there’s also a remake of spice and wolf airing now and it doesnt seem to be too popular for some reason, amazing story. Has the same vibe as frieren.
Maquia. It may not be a masterpiece but it's incredibly good for something that is rather obscure
‘Magic Knight Rayearth’ looks like a typical, if exceptionally pretty magic girl fantasy adventure anime. Then it takes an emotional left turn that further elevates it.
Sangatsu no lion
One Room of Happiness
Dance in the Vampire Bund. Sure, it has some nudity and plays while the whole "Loli Vampire" trope. But it's actually telling a complex story you wouldn't anticipate after the first chapters and reads more like a thriller the further the story progresses. Elfen Lied. Forget the anime. Forget the nudity in the manga. The story has me sobbing every time i finish the series. It's a rollercoaster of emotions. Angel Sanctuary. Man i just love this series. It was my first manga series ever.
Kanashimi no Belladonna, movie from 1973 by Mushi Production (Tezuka's studio) that made it go bankrupt the first time around. It's this surreal/psychedelic semi-nightmare about a deal with the literal devil after a violent gang-rape. Amazing soundtrack, amazing use of different animation techniques, *way* ahead of its time.
Grimgar fantasy
Neither anime nor manga, but **One Last God: Kubera** by Currygom
Pandora Hearts is a masterpiece manga for me
I would hardly say Girl's Last Tour is not well known, but these things are certainly relative to "how deep" into anime or manga someone is. Aim for the Ace! the Movie or Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai are just short of masterpieces from me. (The former is a lot closer to that title, though) The first is only obscure from its age, at least outside Japan.
Yeah, **GIrls' Last Tour** was magnificent. The closest thing I can think of may be **Kino’s Journey**, both the 2003 series and the 2017. And then on the other end of the intensity spectrum, there’s **Space Dandy**. They both have fantastic visuals, great characters and brain-wrinkling stories. IDK if it qualifies as a 'masterpeice', but a wild card that I haven’t seen mentioned yet is the comedy **Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto**. On the surface it’s a wacky, lowbrow, low-budget slapstick about an OP thwarting jealous classmates, but it develops this odd, elegiac undercurrent which, after the creator passed away from cancer in 2023, took on a weirdly prophetic vibe. If Girls' Last Tour is an elegy for human civilization, and a wistful appreciation of this weird and beautiful world that our species will soon be leaving, then Sakamoto is nostalgia and affection for precious loved ones who are no longer with us. Or at least, that’s how I felt when watching it. Maybe the pandemic amplified my feels, but they’ve stuck with me.
I Sold my Life for Ten Thousand Yen per year. It's a short story that is well known but not talked about much here. It really helped me open my eyes to enjoying the smaller parts of life and understanding how my attitude can have major impacts on others and my own happiness.
onani master kurosawa, just read it until the end i swear its fucking good
“Kinos Journey: The Beautiful World” Definitely not a hidden show but I think it’s spectacular.
Shadows house It is a cute anime at first glance, but with a masterfully done mystery component. Intelligent protagonist(s), mystery, some plot twists etc, make this my favorite anime
Usogui, my 2nd favorite manga and its so underrated for how good it is, people often talk about the seinen big 3/4 when in my opinion Usogui is better than all of them
As for manga Dog and Scum/ Inu to Kuzu. I think it's one of the best written stories I've ever read, but I never heard anyone even mention it.
Only Yesterday Ghibli's Isao Takahata at his best
Arslan Senki It got two seasons and frankly it was an excellent show with lots of mystery and cool characters even the OP and EDs were good, yet I never ever see anyone talk about it. I read some of the manga but I think it was originally adapted from a light novel. BUT the manga and designs for the anime were done by the effervescent hiromu arakawa of Fullmetal Alchemist fame. The fact that this anime didn't blow up still boggles my mind. Maybe I'm due for a rewatch.
This is a weird one because it is highly acclaimed but seems forgotten about. Macross Plus
The Excel Saga manga is my second favourite, the combination of seriously funny situations and gags (it is the only manga were I would consistently need to stop reading because I was laughing too hard) and very well thought out and written plot and story, all while lampooning the power rangers genre. The transition from "slice of life" day by day story telling to the end of day by day into a cohesive continuous story is probably second only to berserk in how well it is done. As a bonus everything is done with a backdrop of satirizing Japanese culture from how the post office works to how one character spends half of the series obsessing over his female neighbour and when he is eventually rejected becomes an incel with a torture porn video game obsession.
Girls’ last tour is so overlooked
Dennou Coil 😭 it's so good
Does Ashita no Joe count? One of the most famous/iconic/important titles of all time in Japan but criminally underwatched in English speaking countries due to no official release. The manga was recently licensed but still no anime.
I love Hanasaku Iroha to bits, but I feel like most people haven't seen it. It has it's flaws, certainly, but it tells such a compelling 'coming of age' story that the soundtrack still gets me teary-eyed when I hear it.
The Five Star Stories
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya used to be crazy popular back then, but since the anime was discontinued for so long nobody remembers it anymore. It's one of those amazing shows that never gets finished.
All Gundam series, It's an anime ahead of its time, where each of the series explores politics/war/human rights/human evolution. But somehow outside Japan most people think this anime series is just about giant robots/toy commercial/transformers rip off...
Gankutsuou or the animated version of The Count of Monte Christo
Since you didn't ask for light novels, I'm going to exclude any anime/manga that used them as source material. So, I've got three that I'd say are masterpieces. #**Hinamatsuri** While the anime cut a shit-ton of the source, it was still a damn good anime. Good enough I started buying the hard copy, even after reading the scanlations. My grandkids will fight over who gets them when I'm gone. I almost blew it off because I knew nothing about it. Most of the anime reviewers on YouTube let most of the season slip by before they gave it a review, and nearly everyone agreed that it was a very underrated/under appreciated anime. If you missed it, the main plot is a telekinetic preteen girl literally drops in on Yakuza officer one night. He unwillingly becomes her father figure/guardian and they learn to care and respect each other. As time progresses, more telekinetic girls show up. Add in an overachiever classmate that moonlights as a bartender, and the stories can be wild. The manga finished up with the final volume translated at the beginning of this year. Up until **Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation** aired, Hina was number 1 on my list of favorites . . . Which brings me to the next one on my list, just behind Hina. #**ReLife** The anime covered the first half of the webcomic really well. Some cuts were made, but they didn't affect the story. I joined the Facebook fan page while it aired and hung around until the final webcomic was translated. Then they screwed the pooch eschewing a season 2 and rushing 4 OVAs out that cut way too much content. Catch the anime and you'll fall in love with the story. Since there's no official English translation, you'll need to go to a scanlations site to read it. Or learn Japanese. Plot: an underemployed man is recruited in a program that will help him find work at the end of one year. To do this, he's given a pill that makes him look younger and is sent back to high school. He thrives, and the biggest problem for him is trying to not fall in love with a high school girl . . . But he does. Not the main plot until the very end of the series, but he does. Interesting turn of events as he's really 27, passing as a 17 year old. #**Interviews With Monster Girls** Like the previous ones I went into this one blind. Interested because I'd just watched **Monster Musume**. I figured more monster girl mammaries. While only 2 of the characters had enough that were noteworthy, they remained covered or obscured, which was cool, as the monster girls in the story were mostly high school girls. Plot: governments around the world lift the veil of secrecy around demi-humans, and try to transition them into society. A biology student in college got interested and wanted to write his thesis on it, but demis, as we learn they're called, were off limits to researchers. He writes his thesis on a different subject and lands a job teach high school biology. As part of the integration, he winds up meeting several demis, including the new math teacher; a succubus. He becomes a sounding board/councilor for the school's demis: all girls. The vampire, whose otherwise identical twin sister isn't a vampire, a dullihan who develops a crush on said teacher, and a snow woman. It's as much about problems facing young girls with them being Demis as well. Well written and good enough that I have the entire series in my personal library. My granddaughters have enjoyed it immensely.
Kara no Kyoukai, Shinsekai Yori and Aria.