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- Toei Animation
18 Criminally Underrated Anime That Don't Get Talked About Enough
With so much anime out there, it's hard to tell what's good or what's not unless you do a bit of digging and research. In the process, there are tons of great anime series that get overlooked or don't get as much credit as they deserve. This list is full of underrated anime that doesn't get brought up enough, even though they're all fantastic series that deserve your viewing time.
Good anime can get outshined and overshadowed by other creations from the same studio, or just plain forgotten about or overlooked. These underrated anime series range from older series to like Satoshi Kon's Paranoia Agent to more modern hits like Shinichiro Watanabe's Space Dandy. Vote up the overlooked anime series on this list that you've seen and want others to watch too!
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- Eden of the East
- Production I.G
Eden of the East is suspense, drama, and romance all bundled up into 11 episodes of psychological awesome. A mysterious man has his memories erased, and discovers that he's part of a game where he has to save Japan with only ¥10 billion (about $93,109,000 USD.) If all the money gets used up, his game is over. Eden of the East is accompanied by 3 films, Air Communication (a compilation film), The King of Eden, and Paradise Lost, which accompany the series beautifully. Fans of thrillers, mysteries, and high tech will really enjoy this one.
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- Mushi-shi
- Artland
Mushi-shi is a collection of stories following Ginko, who can see ethereal beings called Mushi. A lot of people can not see or interact with Mushi, so Ginko employs himself as a traveling "Mushi Master" in order to aid people who are disturbed by their presence.
The paranormal and surreal experiences Ginko goes through while dealing with the Mushi are cool insights on Japanese superstition, and very enticing to follow. It's a tad bit slow, but well worth the watch.
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- Ergo Proxy
- Manglobe
Ergo Proxy is beautifully animated and deals with philosophical subjects in an ominous, cyberpunk future setting. Robots and cybernetic beings called AutoReivs are slowly being infected by a virus which causes them to become self-aware. If you've ever seen a dark cyberpunk film, you know that robots gaining sentience starts to throw off the balance of society.
As the story progresses, you begin to learn just how messed up things in this dystopian world really are.
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- Last Exile
- Gonzo
Last Exile was well received in America, but isn't often talked about. The series has a steampunk theme, with a lot of the deigns being a wonderful fusion of Europe's rising industrial period and German inter-war technology and mechanics. With flying ships, WWII-era fashion, and an amazing storyline, this anime is basically candy for people who are into science fiction, steampunk, and adventure genres.
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- Paranoia Agent
- Madhouse
Paranoia Agent involves street assaults, victims, detectives, and a mysterious "Bat Boy" (AKA "Lil' Slugger") that brings them all together. The anime has a lot of satirical and existential paranormal aspects and is very enjoyable to follow if you're a fan of dark thrillers.
Although Paranoia Agent had a brief run on Adult Swim, it's not an anime that would come up in casual conversation or really gets as much attention as it deserves.
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- Btooom!
- Madhouse
This Battle Royale style anime follows Ryōta Sakamoto who seems to have fallen into the world of Btooom!, a combat video game which he holds the title as one of the world's top players. Everything in this world is exactly like his game, and he is forced to kill other players in the "game" in order to make it out, and even meets up his in-game wife.
It's very psychological and impactful, and is filled with tons of gritty action scenes. If you love bombs and survival game anime, this one is definitely for you.
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