Perfect Blue

Darker and sadder animated shows that exceeds in not being edgier. Juxtaposing the aestetic, atmosphere and theams to acomplish a broadher human perspective.

Varing trough: Mecha, Post-apocalypse, War, Psychological, Colorful, Monochrome, Fast pace, Slow burn, Methodic and Experimental.

Notorie authors: Konaka(7), Oshii(5), Yuassa(4), Kon(4), Amano(3), Choi(3), Nagahama(3), Hamasaki(2), Otomo(2), Ryuutarou(2), Nakamura(2), Yamamura(2), Oomori(1), Tomino(1), Anno(1), Takahashi(1), Harada(1), Matsumoto(1).

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.

A list of anime I believe share a similar style of storytelling to the works of highly revered author, Haruki Murakami.

I drew upon the subject matter and allegories frequently covered by Murakami in his stories. Those of escapism, eroticism, surrealism, loss, depression, loneliness, identity, and redemption.

More titles will be inducted over time, suggestions are welcome.

What I look for the most in an anime above everything else is high-quality writing. That's not to say that manga, visual novel, and light novel adaptations are written poorly; in fact, there are some that have incredible, masterfully-crafted storylines. I have simply personally found that some of the most unforgettable series for me have been novel adaptations.

Given that there currently exists no anime search option for this, the basis of this interest stack is to provide a list of full-length novels that have been adapted into series or movie format.

*Disclaimer: not enough space to add children's classics to this, go check out Nippon Animation's studio page if you want more!

A list of anime that have aesthetic appeal or have particularly distinctive art styles.

Data is from personality-database.com

The "Scotland Loves Anime" film festival takes place annually in Glasgow and Edinburgh. It was started in 2010 and includes the "Golden Partridge" jury award and audience-voted awards.

The past winners of the Golden Partridge Award are as follows.

2021: Gyokou no Nikuko-chan
2022: Goodbye, Don Glees!
2023: Hokkyoku Hyakkaten no Concierge-san.

A stack of animes with main characters battling depression, deep trauma, or other mental health conditions. These animes are often about outcasted MCs and may make you feel an alienation kinda vibe.

I have compiled the animes that have achieved a certain quality with their story and animation and are loved by the majority, with my own short titles. If you don't have much time and are looking for an anime movie, you can check this list.

(It mostly includes romance anime.)

"Elitist" has been a very generic and broad term to generalise many types of not-so-mainstream or "deep" anime, so this list is very diverse and it's criteria are not always clear cut and objective. Nonetheless I try to provide a proper explanation for why each entry is included. Generally speaking these are shows that fit one OR more of these adjectives: Experimental, Avant-Garde, Psychological, Philosophical, Obscure, Classic, Critically Acclaimed, Artsy, Old, etc...

Some shows here are not necessarily obscure or underground at all, but they are still here because they have been stereotyped as "elitist" by the community over time, due to their experimental or artsy nature. Similarly, some shows here are not necessarily artsy or experimental in nature, but their old/underwatched/obscure nature gives them a reason to be here. Not all aspects have to be checked to be included. Only one per franchise.

I have personally watched the great majority of the anime in this list, but there are a couple which I haven't. Still added them because of how strongly they are stereotyped as "elitist" or have fitting characteristics to be classified as such. I know my list still lacks many essential classics, I will continue to add and expand into this list as I watch those personally.

For more recommendations, go to my other Interest Stacks, "Elitist Anime 2" , "Elitist Anime 3" and "Elitist Anime 4", whose links are:

- https://myanimelist.net/stacks/4256
- https://myanimelist.net/stacks/4756
- https://myanimelist.net/stacks/10188
- https://myanimelist.net/stacks/15961

Anime with unique art-style/premise and or surreal/dreamlike sequences

Collection of psychological anime that contain interesting themes and elements that make viewers think and inquire about the characters and the complexity of the plot.

Denpa as a genre usually refers to Japanese artistic works with themes associated with social isolation, existentialism, insanity that stems from living modern society, and the glorification of otaku/outsider cultures. Examples of denpa in other mediums include the films of Hideaki Anno (Love and Pop, Ritual) and the films of Shunji Iwai (All About Lily Chou-Chou), as well as the visual novel Wonderful Everyday Down the Rabbit-hole.

For more about denpa, check out this excellent blogpost about the genre: https://ontheones.wordpress.com/2019/06/29/on-denpa-a-guest-article-by-kenji-the-engi/

Tired of seeing the same premise over and over again?

Do you want something that is truly unlike other anime out there?

well then my friend, these series should be perfect!


also, I have a channel named APolygons2 on YouTube. go subscribe to it if you enjoyed the stack. I'm broke, so I need help to feed my imaginary pet. I haven't fed him in the 4 years. so he's been holding my entire family hostage, with a gun!

Most good stories have this, so this is more like, anime that use show don't tell the a lot and do it effectively.

on an unrelated note, go subscribe to APolygons2 on youtube. he is.... umm... just a very cool channel I found. it's totally not my own shitty attempt at making entertainment.

List of anime for "elitist". These anime have been considered as "deep" animations by various critics and analysts.

In this compilation there are animes with quite complicated stories that are not recommended for all audiences. As they are: cult, artistic, experimental, avant-garde, underrated, psychological, philosophical, unique or mind-blowing anime.

This list has a part 2: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/4197

Mystery is my favorite genre, so trust me when I say I know what I'm talking about... kinda...

mystery is a pretty broad term, that has many different types. so I will help you by specifying what exactly is it that makes their mystery aspect good.

you will obviously not agree with every pick, but I think any mystery fan will be pleased with the overall selection.

this stack is sponsored by APolygons2 on youtube. how does a stack on mal have a sponsor?

what kind of mystery fan are you? don't ASK me, go figure it out!

Its too deep for you bro you wouldn't understand