Mushishi

insert wojak meme

Anime where the story takes place mostly in rural areas or far from urban cities. (In construction)

Next (Part 2): https://myanimelist.net/stacks/9968

Worldbuilding - "the process of constructing a world, originally an imaginary one, sometimes associated with a fictional universe." These kinds of shows are usually set in a fantasy and/or sci-fi world, and excel at establishing & showcasing the rules/history/economy of their fictional universe. List was created through collective data from multiple websites of people's answers as to what shows are considered to have great world building.

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

Studio Ghibli, naturalistic vibes.

This stack is a collection of anime that are either set during winter or convey winter vibes (for example are set in a cold region with snow/ice).

Tags: Anime Winter Feel, Anime Winter Feeling, Anime Winter Theme, Anime Winter Vibes

While mostly known today as the character designer for My Hero Academia, Yoshihiko Umakoshi's recognition as one of anime's finest predates it by quite a lot. Getting his start as an animator at Toei Animation, Umakoshi was involved in some of Toei's biggest shoujo manga adaptations in the 90s, translating the shoujo aesthetic, with its quirks and all, onto the TV screen. This would culminate in Umakoshi's designs for Ojamajo Doremi, which sees his mastery of creating memorable characters, striking a fine balance between cute and cartoonish.

His versatility extends beyond cute characters, however—Umakoshi's involvement in now-iconic shows such as the first Berserk adaptation and Mushishi showcases his ability to design and appropriate serious-looking characters vastly different from his magical girl character designs. The following list is a selection of his most significant works.

Blogpost about Ojamajo Doremi: https://blog.sakugabooru.com/2020/12/05/20-years-of-ojamajo-doremi-the-ideal-kids-anime-grows-up-with-its-audience/
Umakoshi interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xix6NUavVCQ

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.

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Full List Links Here ~ MyDramaList
https://mydramalist.com/list/1xrm2q93

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.

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 traditional Japanese sports, games, arts, folklore or food!

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.

A Collection of Power-Fantasy Animes where the protagonist has no equal!
Genre may vary :)
(open to additional suggestions)

This is a list of all shows that are unique or had so much suspense/action.

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.

These anime will immediately catch your eye when it comes to their art!


I'll add more as I remember/come across them. Suggestions are welcome too!!