Planetarian: Hoshi no Hito

All anime connected with Key, Tactics, and Jun Maeda, only excluding One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e - True Stories, which is a hentai.

Everyone knows Studio Ghibli's amazing work, but what about the other studios?

Most of the Top Movies are related to an anime series, so it is not too easy to find something which can be watched without any previous knowledge.

I will list those standalone movies which I enjoyed besides the Ghibli shows.

This is a part of a series of stacks that are about artistic tendencies in anime (and that border the fine line between sophisticated and pretentious).

This stack is a work in progress.

Bibliography:
Elma, Alma. “Anime Cliches 30: Nakige.” Fate. 4 April 2016.
Galbraith, Patrick W. “Bishōjo Games: ‘Techno-Intimacy’ and the Virtually Human in Japan.” [Bishōjo Games + ‘Mechanical Sex’, Unstable Gender.] Game Studies. 11:2 (2012).
Scamp. “Secret Santa review: Kanon (06).” The Cart Driver. 24 December 2013.

List of stand-alone movies

Anime adaptations of various visual novels. Their total number is clearly more than the allowable limit, so I tried to add mainly adaptations of novels by well-known brands (Key, 5pb, Aquaplus), or those with well-known adaptations. Given the many sequels, spin-offs, and versions (especially in the case of the Fate series), I added only very first anime in the franchise.

A compilation of anime that began airing during the month of September.

The month is most well known for A Silent Voice, the Violet Evergarden Movie, Shinsekai Yori and the Beginning of the Rebuild of Evangelion films.

See Also:

January: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15005
February: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15006
March: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15017
April: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15029
May: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15033
June: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15041
July: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15044
August: ttps://myanimelist.net/stacks/15051
October: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15101
November: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15102
December: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15104

This collection of series, movies and shorts represent a specific mood, expressed within the anime media. Their pace is most likely slow, and are usually focused at the complex emotional web that surrounds the worlds and characters that are within them.

In each of them the feelings which are translated onto the viewer are those of comfort, but also anxiety, affection, as well as sorrow. The balance and the depth in which they are presented varies from show to show as well as from the personal perception and worldview that each viewer has. Their main unity point is that they tuck on our heartstrings and provokes our empathy towards the unwinding chaos and turmoil.

These selected series presents us relatable, even if based on fiction stories - which even within it's bleakness and darkness, holds a silver of hope and warmth or which conceals within their bright and vivid colors sublime, gentle, but ever present feelings of despair and sadness.

Anime that features android and cyborg characters.
1 title per series

In the dawn of the digital age, many creators have expressed their hopes and fears about technology and its influence on human society through science fiction anime, creating many interesting interepretations of what our future could be (or even what our present is) with regards to the ever accelerating integration of technology into our lives.

Some of these anime may explore technological revolution in a military or political context, some others in intimate personal dramas. Some are hard, realistic, grounded sci-fi with a lo of genuine scientific backing and others are bordering in fantasy. Some of these are true cyberpunk, and others are entirely opposed to it. Some of these works are pessimistic and fearful about tecnhology, whereas others present hopeful and idealistic possibilities, and some others simply present a grey future with as many advantages as disadvantages. But the main connecting aspect here is the exploration of sci-fi as a fundamental theme and the exploration of te philosophical, sociopolitical and/or psychological consequences of technology whether directly or indirectly, seriously or lightheartedly.

Common tropes & themes: artificial intelligence & meaning of being human, technological implants/bodily enhancements, virtual/augmented reality, social media & deep internet, space travel & space war, extreme capitalism and urbanism in the digital age, personal relationships between humans and androids, discrimination and opression between humans and androids, psychological/physical deterioration due to use of experimental technology

Notes:
- For Blame! read the manga instead
- For The Animatrix, watch The Matrix movies first
- For Blade Runner: Black Out 2022, watch the Blade Runner movies first

This interest stack lists all the anime whose characters are featured in the TV short Kaginado by release order. Specials, OVAs, etc. not included.

Anime that can completely change your perspective on life.

This list will always be in alphabetical order.

If the ratings on my profile tell you nothing else it should tell you this; I am very a harsh critic. My average for animé and manga are both in the 5's and, considering how many titles I've completed, will likely always be there. If I rate something a 6 or higher I really do think it's worthwhile. So everything in this stack is something I would recommend at least trying.

This stack is for all of the animé that made me or almost made me cry. Just because a series is listed here does not mean it was depressing. Some of these are mostly happy save for that one story or scene which made me well up. All animé in this stack are animé that I have finished and given a rating of 6 or above. This stack will be updated as I find new titles. Make sure you have lots of tissues.

My manga version of this list; https://myanimelist.net/stacks/24508

Key is a Japanese visual novel studio known for making dramatic and plot-oriented titles. It was formed on July 21, 1998, as a brand under the publisher Visual Arts, and is located in Kita, Osaka.

Some of the most popular anime by them are Clannad, Angel Beats and Charlotte.

Animé for the stargazer in all of us. Unlike my other lists this list contains series that I have not seen or rated. I am just making this list because MAL does not have one. All titles will be listed alphabetically. If I am missing something (and I probably am) let me know. Astronomy does not have to be THE theme, it just has to be A theme. Space flight and space exploration are NOT astronomy.

Underrated Anime Movies or OVA or Short Films or Short Animated Videos (could be a really great music video).
I have another Interest Stack for Underrated TV series, check 'em out: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/29279

Another Animated Music Video that I cannot include in the list is "Living in a world without magic" by Euluca Lab (an indie studio on YT). I found its page on MAL but somehow I can't add to either my watch list or this stack, kinda suck.

"Fasten your seat belt Dorothy, 'cause Kansas is going bye-bye." — The Matrix. » Unique settings that are very different from our world, or have something that radically changes the experience of them, making them unique. Compiled by someone who's seen over 200 anime. I'll add more anime once I've watched them. This list contains no spoilers.


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✮ Spoiler notice
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I don't consider "unique setting" to be a spoiler, because I'm not stating what makes the setting unique, where it's encountered, or how often; whether it happens in a dream, during a coma, within someone's imagination, or the real world.

It's all very vague. All you know is that, at some point while watching, you'll encounter a unique setting.

Most titles, synopsis, and trailers reveal more than my list does, though I've been more conservative than even those because I know some people like to watch media without knowing anything about it prior.


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✮ Notes
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— I haven't included sequels, unless the original work it's based on takes place in a mundane setting, then I've omitted that work and shared the relevant sequel. I'll mention what the original work is in the description so you can search for that if you haven't seen it, so you can avoid spoilers.

— What about anime set in space? I'm still tweaking which anime in this genre to filter out. For now I want the setting to be more interesting than just "set in space." There are other lists of anime set in space, and there's no point in duplicating them.

— If I later remove items from this list, I'll add them to this description, so you don't have to worry about losing track of something.

— You can use the list order (highest rated anime on MAL are at the top) and my score to decide whether something is worth watching. I haven't excluded "bad" anime, though if something is very bad usually I won't watch it, meaning it won't make it to this list. If it has a setting that's unique enough, maybe I'll add it to the description.


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✮ Similar lists
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Interest stacks by other people and their differences to this one:

✸ Unique Settings & World-Building
by silveraaki
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/9187

But it features examples of more mundane worlds that have good world-building.

✸ Dive Into a New world (Unique Settings)
by APolygons2
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/11626

Uses a different criteria than mine. E.g. They've included settings that are fairly mundane, but unique because of what's contained within that setting. My list focuses primarily on unique settings, not neccessarily what's happening, or who, is within it. You could remove the people or things, or most of it, and the setting would still be unique.

✸ fantasy worlds (with unique settings)
by bufi_
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/9314

Focuses on fantasy worlds. Mine includes settings that don't include fantasy settings or elements.

✸ Bizarre Worlds
by Fivegears
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/41688

Has a more specific criteria of "alien, unusual or anomalous [worlds] where the rules aren't entirely clear at first."

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✮ Related lists by me
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Coming soon!

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✮ List order
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This list is sorted by MAL score (highest at the top).

standalone anime that doesn't have sequel/prequel.

part 1: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/46011

All the anime in this stack have at least one visual novel adaptation (be it official or unofficial), sequel/prequel, or spin-off. It includes both anime adapted from VNs and adapted into VNs. This stack DOES NOT include unofficial 18+ visual novel adaptations, nor any non-distributed visual novels, nor low-quality parodies or spin-offs.

All of the visual novels mentioned for each anime are implied to have been released only in Japan and be available only in Japanese as of June 2024, unless stated otherwise.

Please, drop a comment in my profile if a VN and/or anime is missing.

This list is for extra entries that were not included in the main list, such as anime sequels and alternative anime adaptions. Go to the main list below for full details:

Anime adaption from Visual Novels with English release (PART 1)
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/50569