Mushi-shi, a delightful and thoughtful show with a good "monster of the week" formula.
In a similar vein, Kino's Journey.
Serei no moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit) might be my favorite, though. I like the character of Balsa and the mentoring role she takes over the young prince.
Bang Brave Bangern! is the gayest, and probably the most fun anime I've ever seen. Even the year it came out I didn't see very many people talking about it, so shoutout to the Mother's Basement youtube channel for making me aware of its existence.
Golden Kamuy is also excellent, but a lot of people got (understandably) turned off by how bad the bears looked in the first couple of episodes. They were rendered in 3d and composited in really poorly. It was not great. And tbh while the rest of the show doesn't have anything that bad later on the animation never really becomes what I'd call "great". That said, if you want to watch a bunch of crazy dudes kill each other over some gold in Taisho-era Hokkaido this show is an incredible time.
Edit: The Elusive Samurai is also an absolutely amazing watch. You just have to be okay with a show where one moment they're making silly jokes and then 30 seconds later people are being beheaded.
The first season of Golden Kamuy was amazing but I took a break after the first episode or two of the second season and totally forgot the plot. It's pretty dense and has a lot of characters so it's easy to forget exactly what was going on last.
Tonari no Yokai-san, a slice-of-life drama with mythological elements about supernatural beings and humans peacefully co-existing in the modern world. It's sad, and beautiful, and heartwarming; one of my favourite shows of 2024. People who liked Natsume's Book of Friends might enjoy this one as well.
Christmas in January is probably one of my favorite movies ever, but it only has a 5.57 on MAL. It's only 46 minutes and it's the most densely good anime I've ever seen. As in like, it's the best anime ever per-minute.
If you have a MAL account, you can plug in your username to anime.plus and you can view a bunch of stats including what your biggest score differences are. Here's everything that I have rated around +2 points higher than the average score:
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu (2009) 10 7.24 +2.76
Paniponi Dash! 10 7.44 +2.56
1-gatsu ni wa Christmas 8 5.57 +2.43
Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou 10 7.60 +2.40
Gamers! 9 6.72 +2.28
B-gata H-kei 9 6.82 +2.18
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu 10 7.82 +2.18
Hibike! Euphonium 10 8.03 +1.97
All of these I would say are quite underrated, though Kare Kano and Hibike! Euphonium are pretty well-renowned. Haruhi is also very popular.
Idk if it's underrated but I never meet anyone, in person that likes Sgt Frog. That shit slapped and the English dub localized the jokes making it an absolute treasure.
Not only it is funny with perfect comedic timing but it also has one of the best direction for a show on a small budget that makes moving pngs work in its favour. OP and ED are fun. It's an endearing show.
It never felt like the studio cheaped out on animation. Rather, it seemed like an intentional artistic, stylistic choice (even if their actual goal was to save money).
Pumpkin Scissors. Almost entirely forgotten, possibly due to it having a case of Unfinished Manga Syndrome, but it's an entertaining not-exactly-a-war-story set in a world with WWI-level tech.
I get the impression it's still running, having resumed a couple of years ago. Monthly Shounen Magazine does seem to list it as part of their current lineup, although my Japanese isn't good enough to decipher much else from their site. The last tankoubon published was #24.
Kogepan. From 2001, ten very short episodes of about 3 minutes, 4 if you include the OP and ED. About a bread that is baked too long and is burned. Most other breads are pristine. A story about silly anthropomorphised breads but it's quite human. It is surprisingly touching, especially the last episode. Some say it is an allegory for being old in society, the burned breads being old and the nice breads being young. Personally I think it can be interpreted in many ways, and you can easily swap being old for your own way in which you are burned. I'd classify it as an SOL/Iyashikei anime. I like how the quotes roll in with the writing behind them. You can watch it on youtube.
33 Comments
fpslem@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 32d
Mushi-shi, a delightful and thoughtful show with a good "monster of the week" formula.
In a similar vein, Kino's Journey.
Serei no moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit) might be my favorite, though. I like the character of Balsa and the mentoring role she takes over the young prince.
Unboxious@ani.social · 7 pts · 32d
Bang Brave Bangern! is the gayest, and probably the most fun anime I've ever seen. Even the year it came out I didn't see very many people talking about it, so shoutout to the Mother's Basement youtube channel for making me aware of its existence.
Golden Kamuy is also excellent, but a lot of people got (understandably) turned off by how bad the bears looked in the first couple of episodes. They were rendered in 3d and composited in really poorly. It was not great. And tbh while the rest of the show doesn't have anything that bad later on the animation never really becomes what I'd call "great". That said, if you want to watch a bunch of crazy dudes kill each other over some gold in Taisho-era Hokkaido this show is an incredible time.
Edit: The Elusive Samurai is also an absolutely amazing watch. You just have to be okay with a show where one moment they're making silly jokes and then 30 seconds later people are being beheaded.
mo_lave@reddthat.com · 3 pts · 32d
Golden Kamuy's S3 is an absolutely banger watch.
::: spoiler spoiler I love seeing Hijikata in any show. Old Hijikata is just as badass as ever and I wished he lived that long. :::
Unboxious@ani.social · 2 pts · 32d
I was very amused seeing him and the other old guy he hangs out with, since I mostly knew them from Gintama!
isyasad@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 30d
The first season of Golden Kamuy was amazing but I took a break after the first episode or two of the second season and totally forgot the plot. It's pretty dense and has a lot of characters so it's easy to forget exactly what was going on last.
I gotta get back into it at some point
missingno@fedia.io · 6 pts · 32d
The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife was the most adorable show I watched all year. I'm a sucker for positive representation.
TheMinions@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 32d
I really liked Akudama Drive.
Anime original, and it’s only one cour, so easy to just watch in one or two sittings.
OmegaSunkey@ani.social · 3 pts · 31d
Metallic Rouge
so underrated director and whoknowswhoelse decided to give 12 chapters to a 24+ chapter plotline.
sobbing
wietach@ani.social · 3 pts · 31d
Tonari no Yokai-san, a slice-of-life drama with mythological elements about supernatural beings and humans peacefully co-existing in the modern world. It's sad, and beautiful, and heartwarming; one of my favourite shows of 2024. People who liked Natsume's Book of Friends might enjoy this one as well.
isyasad@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 30d
Christmas in January is probably one of my favorite movies ever, but it only has a 5.57 on MAL. It's only 46 minutes and it's the most densely good anime I've ever seen. As in like, it's the best anime ever per-minute.
If you have a MAL account, you can plug in your username to anime.plus and you can view a bunch of stats including what your biggest score differences are. Here's everything that I have rated around +2 points higher than the average score:
All of these I would say are quite underrated, though Kare Kano and Hibike! Euphonium are pretty well-renowned. Haruhi is also very popular.
Unboxious@ani.social · 3 pts · 30d
That anime.plus tool is super cool! Do you know if anything like that exists for anilist.co?
isyasad@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 30d
Internet search shows me this website: https://anistats.kluge-it.tech/
But I'm not sure if it includes score differences stats
Unboxious@ani.social · 2 pts · 30d
I don't see it there but cool website nonetheless; thanks for sharing!
mo_lave@reddthat.com · 2 pts · 30d
This is mine. By these metrics, Say I Love You and Akebi's Sailor Uniform are the two I love most.
tacosanonymous@mander.xyz · 3 pts · 32d
Idk if it's underrated but I never meet anyone, in person that likes Sgt Frog. That shit slapped and the English dub localized the jokes making it an absolute treasure.
MiRRoRMaN@ani.social · 2 pts · 31d
Vlhvhkctjxrhxv@ani.social · 2 pts · 32d
Shadows House
Toes@ani.social · 2 pts · 32d
Orbital Children https://anilist.co/anime/101705/Chikyuugai-Shounen-Shoujo/
I really enjoyed this story. It wasn't that popular with people and I think it gets a lot of hate for being a Netflix anime movie.
nlgranger@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 31d
Maō no Ore ga Dorei Erufu o Yome ni Shita ndaga, Dō Medereba ī? An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride
My expectations were abysmally low and it is actually cute, fun and grounded at the same time.
Endmaker@ani.social · 2 pts · 32d
Murai in Love. Comedy is subjective, and this one happened to tickle my funny bone.
Certainly didn't expect to laugh this much from a shoujo romcom.
wietach@ani.social · 2 pts · 31d
Not only it is funny with perfect comedic timing but it also has one of the best direction for a show on a small budget that makes moving pngs work in its favour. OP and ED are fun. It's an endearing show.
Endmaker@ani.social · 2 pts · 31d
I actually enjoyed the limited animation.
It never felt like the studio cheaped out on animation. Rather, it seemed like an intentional artistic, stylistic choice (even if their actual goal was to save money).
wietach@ani.social · 1 pts · 31d
Facts.
Auster@thebrainbin.org · 2 pts · 32d
Would "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" count as underrated? I rarely see people commenting about it at least.
Unboxious@ani.social · 3 pts · 32d
I think that's just because it's kinda old at this point; people don't often talk about stuff that's more than a few years old unfortunately.
reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 31d
Big O
Fxspower@ani.social · 1 pts · 29d
Keijo!!!!!!!!
nyan@lemmy.cafe · 1 pts · 32d
Pumpkin Scissors. Almost entirely forgotten, possibly due to it having a case of Unfinished Manga Syndrome, but it's an entertaining not-exactly-a-war-story set in a world with WWI-level tech.
pastermil@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 31d
Oh hey! I love this series. Is the manga finished? I remember it being stuck in a prepetual hiatus or something.
nyan@lemmy.cafe · 1 pts · 30d
I get the impression it's still running, having resumed a couple of years ago. Monthly Shounen Magazine does seem to list it as part of their current lineup, although my Japanese isn't good enough to decipher much else from their site. The last tankoubon published was #24.
pastermil@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 31d
Ergo Proxy
Also in a similar spirit: Wolf's Rain
CsXGF8uzUAOh6fqV@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 32d
Kogepan. From 2001, ten very short episodes of about 3 minutes, 4 if you include the OP and ED. About a bread that is baked too long and is burned. Most other breads are pristine. A story about silly anthropomorphised breads but it's quite human. It is surprisingly touching, especially the last episode. Some say it is an allegory for being old in society, the burned breads being old and the nice breads being young. Personally I think it can be interpreted in many ways, and you can easily swap being old for your own way in which you are burned. I'd classify it as an SOL/Iyashikei anime. I like how the quotes roll in with the writing behind them. You can watch it on youtube.
vantablack@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 32d
Chainsmoker Cat :3
MrWalrus9@ani.social · 1 pts · 30d
Krusty@quokk.au · 1 pts · 32d
Golden Boy?