Mekakucity Actors

Shows based on Vocaloid originals or involving utaites/producers who are/have been active on Nico Nico Douga (extended to YouTube for newer gens).
While not its own genre, these compositions tend to have a recognisable feel to them.
(Updating as I come across songs, you can poke me to add stuff as well :D)

2nd stack for post-2020 anime debuts: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/26372

Actual Vocaloids:
GUMI ~ Joshikousei no Mudazukai / Agukaru: Play with Ibaraki-hen (cv: Megumi Nakajima)
IA ~ Recorder to Randoseru Mi☆ (cv: Lia)
Miku ~ Akikan / Watamote / Yami Shibai / Black Rock Shooter / Kemurikusa / ALFA-X / Aware! Meisaku / Petit Seka (cv: Saki Fujita)
MEIKA Hime & Mikoto ~ Hakata Mentai! Pirikarako-chan (cv: Kotori Koiwai)
Luka ~ Copihan (cv: Yuu Asakawa)
Meaw (possibly) ~ Honto ni Atta! Reibai Sensei
Go! Go! 575
Zunda Horizon

Prioritising first appearances/multiple artists bc of 50 limit. For composer entries, the singer is only listed if they're
At some point, I'd have been super hyped for any show with a Vocaloid producer but come late 2010s they've been popping up everywhere :')

*List is roughly sorted by anime based on Vocaloid songs > Male utaites > Female utaites > Producers

"What anime is Hatsune Miku from?" Gets asked a fair bit. And though a proper Vocaloid anime has never manifested - despite being announced in the past - the question does, surprisingly have something near an answer.

Shown below are all known anime derived from Vocaloid projects or featuring the characters of it. Animated Music Videos are not listed, as those are primarily songs themselves, nor are shows that merely reference the franchise or its characters as fictional in-universe, such as through figures or posters in the background.

Anime with the most unique art style.

anime featuring liminal spaces and which may or may not also embody the liminal. a transitional space, unsettling un-belonging, altered reality

animes i feel need to be talked about more/need more love pretty much

Some shows that give me this vague indescribable feeling. Sort of comforting, sort of not. Kind of emptyish maybe? There is just no way to say it accurately. No particular genres but they somehow have something in common. Lmk if you guys get what I mean. I'll add more once I find more. Idek what tags to put so I'll put none :)

NISIOISIN is a very hard author to find anything similar to and most shows on this list won't his style perfectly, but I think there will be certain elements in these shows that would appeal to NISIOISIN fans.

Heisei Internet Anxiety refers to a cultural phenomenon in Japan that emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s, during the Heisei era (1989-2019), characterized by a sense of unease and disconnection brought on by the rise of the internet and digital technology.

As more and more people in Japan began to use the internet and mobile devices to communicate and consume media, concerns arose about the impact of this technology on social and personal relationships, as well as on mental health. In particular, the phenomenon of "hikikomori" (social withdrawal) became a topic of public concern, with some people attributing it to the isolating effects of internet use.

At the same time, the internet was becoming a source of anxiety and uncertainty for many people, as the rapid pace of technological change and the sheer volume of information available online made it difficult to keep up and maintain a sense of control over one's online presence. This led to a sense of disorientation and disconnection from both the physical world and from one's own identity.


H.I.A anime often delve into topics such as:

1) Social Isolation: Depicting characters who struggle with feelings of loneliness and disconnection in an increasingly digitized world.

2) Identity Crisis: Exploring the blurring boundaries between the physical and digital realms, and the challenges individuals face in defining their identities in the online sphere.

3) Virtual Reality: Examining the allure and dangers of virtual spaces, as well as the consequences of becoming too immersed in digital worlds.

4) Online Communities: Portraying the dark side of internet culture, including cyberbullying, harassment, and the spread of misinformation.

5) Existential Themes: Raising questions about the nature of reality, consciousness, and the human condition in an age dominated by technology.


Here are some essential H.I.A anime:

This list covers any anime that utilizes vocal synths (VOCALOID, UTAU, CeVIO, Synthesizer-V, etc.) in some sort of way. This mostly focuses on direct usages of vocal synths within the shows, but some of the entries here are attached for more unusual reasons.

Note that I will not be counting song videos for this, nor am I cataloging simple references to Miku (so no Hyouka, for instance). I also may not have everything in-scope listed; these are just the ones I know about. If I'm missing anything, please let me know in a DM!!

The order's a bit messy due to odd overlap areas (thanks, Jashin-chan), but here's the basics:
-Shows based on Vocaloid song series [1-2]
-Shows with official, licensed voicebanks [3-5]
-Shows that utilize vocal synths in-show for non-musical purposes [3, 6-7]
-Shows with vocal synth characters (i.e., Hatsune Miku) [3, 7-11]
-Shows with vocal synths used in the music [1, 3, 9, 12-31]
-Shows that cover vocal synth songs [1-2, 32-35]
-Shows that reference vocal synth technology as a plot point [27, 35-36]

Main-main MC unless there are 2 or more who equally share the spotlight. Will not add (yet) those I'm not certain of

These are main characters that have blue hair and blue eyes, no transformation, no eye change, no hair change.

shows with a lot of personality and shows that will suck you into the story

Anime that could be seen as Josei due to their themes and tropes, but most cannot be tagged as such due to this site's restrictions. Some are tagged Josei in other pages.

These should NOT be based on a manga for other demography (e.g. Nana, Tomie and 7SEEDS wouldn't count as they are based in Shoujo manga)

Anime that suffer from a considerable drop in animation quality in at least one episode. This can vary from weird looking faces to changing animation technique, using cutouts to make up or making an episode with basically no animation.

I looked in TVtropes, CBR and AniDB for some of these.

If you know of another case, feel free to tell me!

Note
It must NOT be done on purpose, like FLCL, (most of) Shaft's anime or Masaaki Yuasa/Studio SARU anime
It will count here even if the errors were fixed in physical releases.