Dominating the world of indie music, Detroit Metal City (DMC) is a popular death metal band known for its captivatingly dark and crude style. Its extravagant lead singer, Johannes Krauser II, is especially infamous as a demonic being who has risen from the fiery pits of hell itself in order to bring the world to its knees and lord over all mortals—or at least that's what he's publicized to be.
Unbeknownst to his many worshippers, Krauser II is just the alter ego of an average college graduate named Souichi Negishi. Although he is soft-spoken, peace-loving, and would rather listen to Swedish pop all day, he must participate in DMC's garish concerts in order to make ends meet. Detroit Metal City chronicles Negishi's hilarious misadventures as he attempts to juggle his hectic band life, a seemingly budding romance, and dealing with his incredibly obsessive and dedicated fans.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Theme:
Music
Demographic:
Seinen
Licensor:
Sentai Filmworks
OVA -
Aug 8, 2008
188,705
8.13
In the Kingdom of Midland, a mercenary named Guts wanders the land, preferring a life of conflict over a life of peace. Despite the odds never being in his favor, he is an unstoppable force that overcomes every opponent, wielding a massive sword larger than himself.
One day, Griffith, the mysterious leader of the mercenary group Band of the Hawk, witnesses the warrior's battle prowess and invites the wandering swordsman to join his squadron. Rejecting the offer, Guts challenges Griffith to a duel—and, much to the former's surprise, is subsequently defeated and forced to join.
Now, Guts must fight alongside Griffith and his crew to help Midland defeat the Empire of Chuder. However, Griffith seems to harbor ulterior motives, desiring something much larger than just settling the war...
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Demographic:
Seinen
Movie -
Feb 4, 2012
185,554
7.73
The Band of the Hawk has dwindled in the year since Guts left them on his journey to forge his own destiny. Unaware of their fate, Guts returns to the Hawks—now being led by his former ally Casca—after a rumor about them passes his way. Once the saviors of the kingdom of Midland, the Band of the Hawk are now hunted as they desperately fight for their lives while plotting to free their leader, Griffith, after he was imprisoned for committing treason. But the man they save is far from the Griffith they remember.
Griffith is a shell of his former charismatic self after a year of continuous, horrific torture. No longer able to walk, speak, or even hold a sword, he has nothing but the small, strange trinket, the Crimson Behelit, that will not leave him. The entire Band of the Hawk want to rise to greatness once more, but how much are they willing to sacrifice to return to their past glory? It doesn't seem possible, but when Griffith's heart darkens and a solar eclipse blackens the sky, the Behelit offers a choice that will leave the Band of the Hawk with a blood-soaked fate that will haunt them for the rest of their days.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Demographic:
Seinen
Movie -
Feb 1, 2013
179,232
8.20
The Band of the Hawk and their enigmatic leader Griffith continue winning battle after battle as their prestige throughout the kingdom of Midland grows. But their latest task is one that has seen failure from everyone who has attempted it: the subjugation of the impenetrable fortress of Doldrey.
But with members like Guts—the captain of the Hawks' raiders who can easily fell 100 men with his gigantic sword—such tasks prove to be trivial. However, in the aftermath of the battle, Guts decides to leave the Hawks in order to pursue his own dream and bids farewell to his companions, despite Griffith's attempts to make him stay. This single event causes Griffith to lose his composure, and leads him to make a decision that will alter his and the Hawks' fates forever.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Demographic:
Seinen
Movie -
Jun 23, 2012
170,999
7.89
The streets of Treasure Town are said to belong to "The Cats." They know everything that goes on in the city, and no one can stir up trouble without going through them first. In reality, The Cats are a pair of orphan boys called Black and White, who aren’t afraid of anything or anyone.
But their rule of the streets is challenged when the Yakuza come to town and start making changes. The wild Black and the carefree White have no one to rely on but themselves to get their Treasure Town back to the way it was. But their bond is tested as they quickly realize going back to how things were may no longer be an option.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Theme:
Psychological
Licensor:
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Movie -
Dec 23, 2006
94,671
7.97
After seeing her jump onto a subway at the last second and getting her ankle crushed between the doors, Nishi reconnects with his high school sweetheart, Myon. Nishi is still very much in love with Myon, but is shocked to learn that she is engaged to another man. Nishi agrees to meet Myon's fiancé at her family's Yakitori restaurant, but members of the Yakuza storm the joint and murder Nishi when he tries to stop them from raping Myon.
Nishi, now dead, wakes up and meets a constantly shapeshifting god, who mocks him for dying. The god tells Nishi to walk into a portal and disappear from existence, which Nishi rejects, choosing instead to sprint past the god and reanimate. With a new outlook on life and knowledge of how the Yakuza are going to attack him, Nishi kills one of the Yakuza with his own gun, fleeing in a stolen car with Myon and her sister.
Acclaimed director Masaaki Yuasa's debut film, Mind Game's constantly shifting visuals tell a story about living one's life without regrets that is unlike any other.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Theme:
Psychological
Licensor:
GKIDS
Movie -
Aug 7, 2004
67,080
7.79
In the future, Utopia has finally been achieved thanks to medical nanotechnology and a powerful ethic of social welfare and mutual consideration. This perfect world isn't that perfect though, and three young girls stand up to totalitarian kindness and super-medicine by attempting suicide via starvation. It doesn't work, but one of the girls—Tuan Kirie—grows up to be a member of the World Health Organization. As a crisis threatens the harmony of the new world, Tuan rediscovers another member of her suicide pact, and together they must help save the planet...from itself.
(Source: Viz Media)
Theme:
Psychological
Licensor:
Funimation
Movie -
Nov 13, 2015
52,210
6.95
Sweat Punch is a series of five Studio 4°C shorts collected as a direct-to-DVD package film entitled Deep Imagination.
Themes:
Historical, Mecha
OVA -
Mar 2, 2002
35,052
7.37
Arusu believes in magic. With all her heart, she believes that magic is possible and that it can be used for good deeds and fun games. But suddenly, she finds herself transported into another world, ruled by a mysterious elite of witches—and these witches don't seem to be in it for the fun. They're hard at work capturing sprites, the native magical beings of the world, and forcing them into slavery. Once Arusu realizes that her new surroundings aren't just a dream, she sets out to change things.
(Source: ANN)
Licensor:
Media Blasters
TV -
Apr 9, 2004, 18:20 (JST)
26,657
7.08
Containing shorts that couldn't be included in the original, Genius Party Beyond weaves stories that are both deep and insightful: the idea all life is relative in size, the consequences of an oppressive government, and how to deal with your darker desires, among others.
From the directors and artists of works such as Samurai Champloo, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Akira, come a multitude of thought-provoking tales, to create a collection equalling the original in storytelling genius.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Theme:
Music
Movie -
Oct 11, 2008
17,418
7.21
Confined in the castle tower by her father, princess Arete spends her days watching the world outside her window. Sometimes she seeks out to watch the common people at work. The knights of the kingdom compete for the right to marry her and rule the land by competing to see who can find powerful magic objects made by a long dead race of sorcerers. Arete wants none of this. She longs to meet the common people and travel to exotic lands she has only seen in the books she keeps hidden under her bed. One day the sorcerer Boax arrives in a fantastic flying machine and offers to take Arete as his wife and transform her into a proper princess.
(Source: ANN)
Movie -
Jul 21, 2001
10,824
6.91
It started as a sociological experiment. Six different people were brainwashed to think that they were a family and then put in arbitrary situations to see how they would react; however, when a taping of the families conducts is sold in a desperate attempt to make a little capital, it instantly becomes a success. Now the family is a first rated show and their every move is broadcasted around the world without them knowing it. But when a clogged toilet sets off a chain of events that ultimately frees the family from the room they are confined in the broadcasters, not willing to lose their source of income, set out to hunt down and recapture every member of the Eternal family.
(Source: ANN)
Theme:
Psychological
Movie -
Apr 1, 1997
8,874
5.93
A series of short animations that show different worlds and different characters. These episodes are designed to take the viewer into a psychological world of fantasy and mystery.
(Source: ANN)
Theme:
Psychological
OVA -
Jan 25, 2002
5,813
5.55
A biographical sketch of the life and ideals of Hijikata Toshizou, Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi, fighting to uphold the Shogunate during the Meiji revolution.
(Source: ANN)
Themes:
Historical, Samurai
OVA -
Jan 12, 2004
2,933
6.17
A brilliant, slightly crazy, and extremely eccentric scientist toils away his days in his lab, creating robots to carry out different tasks. A robot to grant three wishes, a robot to help you write your diary, a robot that intentionally misbehaves in order to keep its master from becoming bored… the robots are each built for a very specific purpose, and can’t really do much of anything else. Luckily for mankind, however, these robots are much more useful than they appear to be at first glance… most of the time, anyway.
(Source: ANN)
TV -
Dec 22, 2004
2,190
6.00
Anime shorts created by Studio 4℃ as a collaboration with the Japan Kanji Aptitude Test.
Theme:
School
ONA -
Sep 14, 2015
1,777
5.49