Serial Experiments Lain

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 1: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/324
Manga Relation List: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/334

Anime that contain the otherworldly and enigmatic beings from space!
Even if it's just for a single scene, if it has 'em, it's here.


Feel free to DM or message me about any questions, suggestions, or opinions about this stack!

Anime Unleashed was an anime block that was broadcast on the American cable TV network G4. Anime Current is its Canadian counterpart. The block is notable for having a unique catalog of sci-fi anime including popular titles such as Serial Experiments Lain and rather obscure titles such as Betterman. In my opinion, this is one of the strangest but also coolest block of anime to air on American TVs.

Full of despair and disturbing are understatements when it comes to these anime.

Warning: if you're not a hardcore horror/psychological fan, watching these may leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Anime that either employ a cyberpunk style or contain elements of it, and are dark, moody, grimy and/or nihilistic.

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.

This collection was composed of mystery and horror animes. Some of animes were purely mystery and some of them were combination of both. They are great shows that will make your mind blown and thrilled at the same time. It may be the animes aren't meant for everyone but I still hope you'll give it a try. They are still enjoyable to watch.

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.

anime with dark and psychological themes (ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ)♡

This list consists of psychological titles, which helped me to accept inevitability and cope with fears, thus affected my personality above all others. Anime that makes you realise a lot about the meaning of human life and death, relationships, principles and most important: "self-concept".

Nearly all of them induce depressive thoughts, portray social problems that we face IRL, have biblical references and slow pacing. So be sure that you are in the right mood and prepared to face dark side of reality.

P.S. Despite the hopelessness and predestination you may feel while watching, these works of art still bestow warmth and hope through understanding the uniqueness of existence. The world is truly a cruel place and life is lacking meaning and purpose, yet we got the flustering chance to experience ourselves and the universe we share.

List of Original Anime Series' (not including sequels/specials/movies)
Original Anime are anime without source material

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.

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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!

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.

Series that emphasise the presentation of struggle and dramatic event(s) through culminating the portrayal of the experience to that point visually or by some other means.