Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor

thrills & chills guaranteed

A small collection of visually distinct anime to feast your eyes on.

Real bangers that will leave you on the edge of your seat, your mind blown or your eyes tearing up.

Anime where characters manipulate others, outwit them, mislead them for their own benefit, etc. Very often, these characters are very intelligent and great masterminds.

These anime have bizarrely unique, wildly niche, or oddly specific concepts. From sentient clothes, to vampires in space, to undead idols, some of these anime may leave you wondering, "who even came up with this idea?..."

Death game/Battle Royale anime

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

Most adaptations are, at best, on par with the original. Some aspects are better, some worse, so it's down to preference as to how to enjoy a story. There are, of course, many, *many* outright stinkers that make one think the original was far worse than it actually was. But sometimes there comes an adaptation made with such outstanding effort, it elevates the source material onto a completely new level of experience: either through masterful editing or reimagining of the original narrative, or visionary direction, or incredible sound design, or career-topping performance from animators and/or voice actors.

This list covers anime adaptations that I consider far and away superior to their printed source materials. To the point where there isn't any need at all to read the original as long as the adaptation exists because everything is just better in the latter.

Do note that I don't necessarily consider all of these shows great per se; the only condition for them to be here is to be much superior to the original work across the board. A notable example of a horribad manga somewhat saved by outstanding adaptation effort is Erased. Similarly, while Devilman: Crybaby is contentious by itself, almost all of its faults lie with Go Nagai's original, and Masaaki Yuasa's version still manages to mitigate many of them.

Also note that I'm omitting sequels, subsequent seasons, etc., to avoid clutter, and in MOST (but not all!) cases they would also apply. Notable exceptions exist, e.g. One-Punch Man season 2. In all other cases I'll either use the first installment in the series or the one I consider the best-made (for example, if it's a movie with greater production values than the rest of the series).

See also the opposite of this list: Outstanding manga with incredibly disappointing adaptations: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/2346

More entries will be added in the future. Existing entries are subject to revision.

This list constitutes my personal views and stances. If something isn't on it, it likely means I haven't watched it or am not familiar enough with the original to have a qualified opinion. Feel free to shoot me suggestions via DMs, but make sure you have a convincing argument if it's not something that's already on my main manga/anime list. I don't promise it'll end up here, but I will consider all suggestions.

This is the kind of stuff you'll want to show to your older relatives or a friend / significant other who isn't into anime in particular but is open to new experiences. Not necessarily to hook them on anime but simply to share a good time together.

What helps an anime end up on this list:
* either subdued or distinctly avant-garde appearance that transcends common anime design sensibilities;
* mature, adult-life-related themes;
* well-crafted, compelling story and character interactions;
* fresh and daring ideas or their execution;
* being otherwise remarkable as an art piece;
* moderate length.

What DOESN'T help an anime end up on the list:
* referencing or pandering to otaku culture, incessant fan service, and all that crap;
* slow-burn slice-of-life narrative;
* overly random, absurdist, reference-heavy humor;
* being too long or narratively incomplete;
* being too tropey;
* not being very good in general (regrettably, this includes bad and mediocre adaptations of good manga/LNs, so no Berserk, My Home Hero, or Golden Kamuy on the list).

These aren't absolute rules but they're hard enough that I would only consider minor exceptions. There is most certainly not enough room for every single piece that fits the bill, so take this as my personal, heavily curated top-50. If there is a sequel or a side-story that also deserves attention (or, conversely, one you should skip), I will mention it in the annotations, so please watch them.

List is subject to revisions and reordering.

Kinda unpopular anime that for some reason are unpopular and more people should watch it.

Nuff said.

Collection of psychological anime that contain interesting themes and elements that make viewers think and inquire about the characters and the complexity of the plot.

Anime featuring dysfunctional protagonists who shut ins/NEETs look up to, in other words, anime that feature "sigma" men and women. These characters can be seen as positive role models to a certain extent, given their resistance to social norms and pressures.

A great soundtrack can really set the mood and elevate your watching experience, it's one of the reasons why anime is so enjoyable to me.

Shows/Movies of all kinds that are either meant for or can be enjoyed by an older audience. A treasure trove of excellence covering a wide range. Story-driven thrillers, well researched historical shows, brilliant world-constructions, poetic narrations, gripping thrillers, dark comedies, complex future visions, tightly packed action, avant-garde art, solid entertainment, tear-jerking dramas to light-hearted slices of lives.
No big-boob dumdums, high-pitched VAs, fan-/lip-service or plot-around-the-holes-type shows. Teenage angst and school-settings are rarities in these two lists.

must have a big brain to watch this

Anime that are aimed at an adult audience.

Ending themes normally don't get the love they deserve, so this a list that consists of a variety of genres, from jazz to rap, but each of them has this strong melodic effect that will surely make you either sing, dance or, at the very least, headbanging you at the rhythm of the song.

Ordered from the most recent to oldest with links included.

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:
Sent. “Kiznaiver, Death Note, and the ‘Death Game’ Genre.” What’s wrong with just being here? 25 July 2018.
Tanaka, Motoko. “Trends of Fiction in 2000s Japanese Pop Culture.” Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies. 14:2 (2014).
Wolf, Ian. “Death Games: A New Anime & Manga Genre?” Anime UK News. 22 October 2013.