Akira

These anime will immediately catch your eye when it comes to their art!


I'll add more as I remember/come across them. Suggestions are welcome too!!

Classic 20th-century series and films that most old-school otaku have heard of and many older fans will cite as the reason they became a life-long weeb in the first place. Some have gotten sequels or modern reboots, while others have been relegated to the past and stand alone as fondly-remembered products of their time. If you want to take a journey through anime history, these shows are the place to start!

Additional info as requested by MAL staff:

Definition of classic: "A work of art of recognized and established value."

Criteria for this list: Were popular or well-known at some point during the 20th century, or were based on well-known source material of the time.

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:
Broderick, Michael. “Superflat Eschatology: Renewal and Religion in anime.” Animation Studies: Animated Dialogues. 2007. 29-36.
Napier, Susan J. “Waiting for the End of the World: Apocalypctic Identity.” Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle. Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. 249-263.
Tanaka, Motoko. "Apocalypticism in Postwar Japanese Fiction." 2011. University of British Columbia, PhD thesis. 16-33.

Choujin Densetsu Urotsukidouji Movie should be included here, but is tagged as hentai on MAL, so otherwise this list couldn't be public.

Some are franchises, so only one entry per franchise.

"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

Nuff said.

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

SBS - the free to air channel with actual international content that everyone either spends 5 minutes watching or 3 hours watching, no in-between. They used to air a fair bit of anime alongside their normally scheduled programming, and you might even be able to catch a few Ghibli films every now and then today.

Animes with body horror and are gore.

Thanks to the user eblf2013 for collaborating.

these tickled my brain <3 (some more than others)

Associated words: Dark (Visually and/or Thematically), Story-centric, Atmospheric, Abstract, Psychological, Unorthodox, Nihilistic, AND/OR Avant-garde
(Emphasis on AND/OR)


Do check out the other 'half': https://myanimelist.net/stacks/4917 (Some shows could also fit here)

Anime with that old fashioned 80's and 90's animation you have to experience to appreciate.

List of obscure confusing plot-centered anime from the stone age that will automatically make you have a superior anime taste.

Stories that are set in a dystopian society, which becomes undesirable to live in: there might be tyrannical governments (with heavy censorships and corruption), environmental disasters, overpower of technology or complete ban of it, and so on.