NHK ni Youkoso!

insert wojak meme

Critics & Connoisseurs was a club that was founded in 2008 and ended club activities on the 31st of 2022.

The goal of the club was to come up with a list of highly recommended quality shows that are exemplary either within its genre or universally. An anime needed a 70% approval rate in our voting to get on the relation list. The following anime are all part of said list.

You can see the club page here:
https://myanimelist.net/clubs.php?cid=2913

Anime Relation List Part 2: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/328
Manga Relation List: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/334

Anime with a loner protagonist. Well, at least at the start since introducing new characters is unavoidable. I'm only including the ones where the solitary mindset has been somewhat emphasised.

Facing reality, rejecting the fantasy, and not running away from our issues.

Still a work in progress, updated as of 4/23/2024

Slice of Life can be divide into two kinds, the fun one and the deep one. And this is my collection for truly slice of life drama animes. It represents the epitome of human nature and feelings. These animes might be inspirational ones that might hit you like a bullet to the heart.

These animes were the landmarks in anime industry. Critically acclaimed shows and popular for its story, characters, development, and the amazing experience that the audience might feel. Some of them are old and modern, but it has the same level of "masterpiece" that I've seen so far.

We've all experienced that frustrated feeling of enjoying an anime, only to find out that the rest of the show will never be fully animated or it has a horrible, rushed, incomplete, unsatisfying ending. Here is a list of anime with endings that are so fulfilling and complete that they will leave you with nothing but a heart full of contentment and/or bittersweetness. List was created through collective data from multiple websites of people's answers as to what shows are considered to have satisfying endings.

Every animated media that has been made has the idea to tell a story and to express a feeling on the watcher. But then, there are some series which has a particular way to evocate their sentiments and they use different tools to do that. Thought provoking writing, displaying the characters' internal monologues, their struggles and fears, using particular cinematographic angles and by blending contrasting styles of animation, coloring and highly symbolical and metaphorical imagery - these are some of the many hallmarks signifying the said animation has psychological themes, and that it is avant-garde in it's approach. This method of expression is not limited to any genre, as well.

I do realize that animation like this may not be for everyone, but I firmly believe in it's artistic merits and integrity. Media like this allows us to peek into the human psyche and probably our own too, and it provides us with often interesting viewpoints of our world, even if fractured through the prism of the animated fiction. Shows like that also likes to ask us questions without answers, to give us moral dilemmas without solid conclusion or in summary, to provoke us to think.

The shows that were picked follow a pattern - the ones which are more straightforward, less abstract and easier to get into will be first and the more complex and obscure the works will be at the end.

English dubs that I found to be really good and are at least comparable to (if not better than) their subbed counterparts. Part 1 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/885


PM me if there are titles that I've missed.

Large casts that are lonely, that usually comes together in a big city.
Out of 10, lonely vibe checked by yours truly.

These are some pretty good psychological anime series and movies.. Some are new and some are a little older. Enjoy!

Anime with characters who consistently show actually autistic traits - stimming, obsession with very specific things and themes, social phobia, unwillingness to change routines, monotone or stereotyped speaking, strict habits, lack of interest in personal exchanges, difficulty building/maintaining relationships, unusual manners and gestures, selective but very strong empathy etc.

Curated by yours truly, late-diagnosed autistic male in his 30's, eager to see more adult autistic representation.

⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶⩶

As this list becomes more and more popular (thanks everyone! Feedback appreciated!), I'm adding a friendly reminder: Autistic people are as diverse as neurotypical people are. This list could contain every character from every anime ever made and still be accurate as autistic rep! I just add the ones who "score higher" in showing more common autistic traits.

Are you a fellow autistic person and your most relatable ASD anime fav isn't here? PM me/comment on my profile; I'll appreciate if you add a small (4-5 lines at best) profile focusing on their neuroatypical traits. Try not to add spoilers, though!

A list of anime I believe share a similar style of storytelling to the works of highly revered author, Haruki Murakami.

I drew upon the subject matter and allegories frequently covered by Murakami in his stories. Those of escapism, eroticism, surrealism, loss, depression, loneliness, identity, and redemption.

More titles will be inducted over time, suggestions are welcome.

Characters in these anime suffer from extreme shyness or social anxiety. Their condition may be caused by past trauma, a mental disorder, or other ongoing problem or phobia that makes it difficult for them to connect with others; such as a fear of physical contact or an aversion to public speaking. Some characters may be fighting to overcome their anxiety - or at least power through it enough to get on with their daily lives - while others have given up trying to come out of their shell and feel isolated or unable to relate to other people.

This is a part of a series of stacks that are about artistic tendencies in anime (and that border the fine line between sophisticated and pretentious).

This stack is a work in progress.

Bibliography:
Napier, Susan J. “Carnival and Conservatism in Romantic Comedy.” Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle. Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. 195-205.
Plutschow, Herbert. “Matsuri in Everyday Japan.” Japan Quarterly. 44:3 (1997): 66-74.
Qiu, Huiyong. “Keroro Gunso: Carnivalization in Japanese Anime.” 2013. University of British Columbia, Master’s Thesis. 5-10.

A stack of animes with main characters battling depression, deep trauma, or other mental health conditions. These animes are often about outcasted MCs and may make you feel an alienation kinda vibe.

Comedy Anime With Great Well Written Characters...