Midnight Vampire

Anime featuring prominent female characters, or with a female target audience, with dark and/or edgy themes and aesthetics. Anime for your inner edgy middle-schooler

(one entry per franchise)

good or bad, I'm always down for a short animated film...



average out 10 - 35 mins... under one hour at MOST! order = my favorite to least favorite (top to bottom)

Creepy clay and petrifying puppets.

The Stop-Motion Animation Appreciation Society: https://myanimelist.net/clubs.php?cid=16200

These stacks are meant for cataloguing every stop-motion animation on Myanimelist. The list is the result of research by the Stop-Motion Animation Appreciation Society:

https://myanimelist.net/clubs.php?cid=16200

Stop-motion is a form of animation in which objects are manipulated little by little while each frame is shot separately. Puppet animation is the most common, but before 1935 cutout animation was also very common. Among other types are claymation, pixilation (now removed from the database), object and model animation. In this list also works using sand, charcoal or paint are included, since in the form they've been accepted to MAL, they also include gradual manipulation and shot by shot filming.

Part 1: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47018
Part 2: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47020
Part 3: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47021
Part 4: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47022
Part 5: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47023
Part 6: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47026
Part 7: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47027
Part 8: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47032
Part 9: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47034
Part 10: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47035
Part 11: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47036
Part 12: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47038
Part 13: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/49186

Anime that were created by a independent (indie) animator or group of animators.

Only including anime released in the modern era of anime, i.e. after the 1963 release of Astro Boy. Focusing on anime that were released after 2000. Not including music videos.

Not aiming to be comprehensive, but feel free to suggest additions.

In my research thank you to:
Callum May for his article on Anime News Network (available at https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2017-11-15/the-best-independent-anime-you-can-watch-online/.124035)
Jasper Sharp for his helpful article found at https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/beyond-anime-short-history-independent-japanese-animation
Tracy Ha for her YouTube playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC16370D5B63EB2BB)


Anime not listed on MAL
The Collision by Studio Wrong (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erULarjaRwQ)

I ran out of room. Everything on this list I rated 6 or 5/10, so these are looser recommendations.

Part 1: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/38970

Not on MAL (yet):

Saka Men (6/10)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xb6SBrjP1c


Other horror anime I've seen that I wouldn't personally recommend:

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Sotsu (4/10)

Corpse Party: Tortured Souls - Bougyakusareta Tamashii no Jukyou (4/10)

Shinsekai Yori (4/10)

Pupa (4/10)

Ao Oni the Animation (TV) (4/10)

Gendai Kibunroku Kaii Monogatari (4/10)

Kyochuu Rettou Movie (3/10)

Zetsubou no Kaibutsu (3/10)

Elfen Lied (3/10)

Narutaru: Mukuro Naru Hoshi Tama Taru Ko (2/10)