Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

MBS's late night anime programming block which currently airs on Saturdays from 1:53-2:53.

This stack also includes Super Animeism TURBO (formerly Super Animeism), which currently airs on Fridays from 0:26-0:56.

Collection of anime that focus on as a main theme or include visual, performing or literary arts that are considered a part of traditional Japanese culture.

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

Bromance, Male-friendship, Ambiguous ambiance, Fujo-bait you know where it lead.
There is a ton of series non shounen-ai/BL tagged that contains "I SHIP THEM" moments.
(male) Characters have a strong moving emotional bond that fujoshi particulary enjoy.
Trying to avoid the already Boys Love tagged entries since everyone can find them.
I will create another Stack for Chineses-Korean / ONA shows (needing as much space as possible for this one)

Update note :
May 8, 2022 : 50 entries reached, I will take the time to explain for each series why I added them.

(Keyword : yaoi, shonen-ai, shounen-ai, danmei, BL, boys love, gay, fujoshi, fudanshi, fujobait, ikemen, bishounen, ambiguous)

Series that range around 11 episodes to 26 episodes and have already reached their finale. Taking into account 2nd parts for the 26 ones.

Slice of Life can be divide into two kinds, the fun one and the deep one. And this is my collection for truly slice of life drama animes. It represents the epitome of human nature and feelings. These animes might be inspirational ones that might hit you like a bullet to the heart.

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

Sometimes we get tired of the amount shows that takes place in high school and want just something different.

Most adaptations are, at best, on par with the original. Some aspects are better, some worse, so it's down to preference as to how to enjoy a story. There are, of course, many, *many* outright stinkers that make one think the original was far worse than it actually was. But sometimes there comes an adaptation made with such outstanding effort, it elevates the source material onto a completely new level of experience: either through masterful editing or reimagining of the original narrative, or visionary direction, or incredible sound design, or career-topping performance from animators and/or voice actors.

This list covers anime adaptations that I consider far and away superior to their printed source materials. To the point where there isn't any need at all to read the original as long as the adaptation exists because everything is just better in the latter.

Do note that I don't necessarily consider all of these shows great per se; the only condition for them to be here is to be much superior to the original work across the board. A notable example of a horribad manga somewhat saved by outstanding adaptation effort is Erased. Similarly, while Devilman: Crybaby is contentious by itself, almost all of its faults lie with Go Nagai's original, and Masaaki Yuasa's version still manages to mitigate many of them.

Also note that I'm omitting sequels, subsequent seasons, etc., to avoid clutter, and in MOST (but not all!) cases they would also apply. Notable exceptions exist, e.g. One-Punch Man season 2. In all other cases I'll either use the first installment in the series or the one I consider the best-made (for example, if it's a movie with greater production values than the rest of the series).

See also the opposite of this list: Outstanding manga with incredibly disappointing adaptations: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/2346

More entries will be added in the future. Existing entries are subject to revision.

This list constitutes my personal views and stances. If something isn't on it, it likely means I haven't watched it or am not familiar enough with the original to have a qualified opinion. Feel free to shoot me suggestions via DMs, but make sure you have a convincing argument if it's not something that's already on my main manga/anime list. I don't promise it'll end up here, but I will consider all suggestions.

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.

Kinda unpopular anime that for some reason are unpopular and more people should watch it.

A selection of 21st century anime series featuring characters who are adults. From ordinary office workers to traveling peddlers to superheroes, adult protagonists can have a variety of life experiences and many different ways of living. Young emerging adults may still be trying to find their path in life, while established older folks are more likely to have mastered the art of adulting - or at least learned enough to muddle by. Some adults become jaded over time from repeated exposure to the reality that life is often painful, depressing, and unfair. Others retain a more positive outlook by focusing on their dreams for the future or take a more pragmatic approach by putting all their efforts into improving their lives here and now.

history doesn't repeat itself in the anime world.

Bromance, Male friendship, Rivalry, Ambiguous ambiance, Fujo-bait you know where it lead. There is a ton of series non shounen-ai/BL tagged that contains "I SHIP THEM" or "SHIP HAS SAILED" moments.
(male) Characters have strong emotional bond that fujoshi particularly enjoy.
Trying to avoid the already Boys Love tagged entries since everyone can find them.
Linked to this stack :
• Part 2 : https://myanimelist.net/stacks/626
• Chineses / Korean/ Danmei - ONA entries : https://myanimelist.net/stacks/875

(Keyword : yaoi, shonen-ai, shounen-ai, danmei, BL, boys love, gay, fujoshi, fudanshi, fujobait, ikemen, bishounen, ambiguous, ship)

being an artist is not easy

Anime with morally gray characters

Shows/Movies of all kinds that are either meant for or can be enjoyed by an older audience. A treasure trove of excellence covering a wide range. Story-driven thrillers, well researched historical shows, brilliant world-constructions, poetic narrations, gripping thrillers, dark comedies, complex future visions, tightly packed action, avant-garde art, solid entertainment, tear-jerking dramas to light-hearted slices of lives.
No big-boob dumdums, high-pitched VAs, fan-/lip-service or plot-around-the-holes-type shows. Teenage angst and school-settings are rarities in these two lists.

Associated words: Light (Visually and/or Thematically), Character-centric, Dialogue-heavy, Personal, Artsy, Trippy, Existential, AND/OR Satiric
(Emphasis on AND/OR)



Do check out the other 'half': https://myanimelist.net/stacks/4922 (Some shows could also fit here)

This stack will balance between fairly conventional but beautiful art style -for example 3-gatsu no Lion- and unique artstyle -like Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei-, with some maybe not-so-worthy mentions in the middle.

So far I'm gonna add the ones I watched, so let's say that it's always in construction.

Oh, btw, for series with multiple entries, I'm gonna add the first one only. Enjoy!