Interest Stacks

The first episode has got to be the most gory and brutal first episode of any anime I have seen. But after that, it gets better. The characters progress through the series as unaware of the brutality of the girl they are keeping safe, as well as showing the dark side of humans as well as split personality (not in a human). The OST is also beautiful and fitting, and the ending is good.

Also, there's an absolutely horrifying scene in this anime which literally had me scarred, if you like horror.

Serial Experiments Lain is a paragon of many dimensions, and completely unrivaled in many more. It's a masterpiece of intellectuality, and utterly unparalleled in providing a mind-warping trip into extreme psychological and philosophical themes whose impact lingers and haunts like nothing I've ever experienced.

Paranoia Agent, despite being extremely short, is a very intriguing series to watch. Its disturbing imagery plays upon our innermost fears and the characters we’re introduced to show the various forms fear can take.

Evangelion has long been taken as a deeply personal expression of Hideaki Anno's (the director of this series) personal struggles and his long battle with depression. From the start, Evangelion invokes many psychological themes.

This show is definitely psychological. It's zany and action-packed and loud, but you can't take any of that at face value. All the wackiness you see on screen isn't really how things are, so much as it's how the main character comprehends the things that are going on around him. You've got to get inside his head to really understand everything.

the show is a parody of going through puberty, exaggerated to the point where the characters are psychologically unstable.

The theme of this anime is that there’s no single theme. Everything is complex and made of many elements, people, places, emotions, and circumstances.

The narrative is truly unsettling, and deals with an array of heavily traumatic themes, ranging from mental and psychological disorders, to stalking, and exploitation, with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and Imposter Syndrome being the most prevalent. While such themes might be common topics of film and popular media for us, this was most certainly not the case for Japanese society in the late 1990’s.

Tatsuhiro Satō is the protagonist of this anime who stopped attending college and hasn’t found work in all the years since. He is a hikikomori, which is much like a very isolated social hermit. So much so that he begins to develop a kind of conspiracy for why this has occurred. He then meets Misaki Nakahara who tells him she can offer a cure to his lonely ways.

Did you like the battle of wits in death note? Did the strategy in code geass exite you? Did you like the twisted tricks in one outs? Did you enjoy one or two games from no game no life? Then watch Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor, an anime that you'll not be able to put down.

Kaiji is intense and pulls off 300IQ twists like no other show.

I personally found Shiki to be a more psychological anime than horror. It does have elements of supernatural and gore, but I was more focused on the mindsets of the characters.

Personally, Shiki was very thought provoking to me. I was more focused on the villager's mindsets. Their mindsets changed drastically from the beginning of the anime to the end.

Texhnolyze is definitely not for everyone. It is a slow paced anime filled with a lot of violence and heavy symbolism. I’d classify Texhnolyze as a dark, abstract action-drama-psychological series. It’s quite depressing if you take the time to think about what happened after each episode, and you have to focus and think about every part if you want to enjoy the full experience Texhnolyze has to offer. The show questions the extent to what humans will do and take to progress the human psyche and how they react to it, given a city loosely characteristic of organized crime.

Higurashi does what psychological horror does best: it plays off the characters’ mental anguish and creates an unsettling atmosphere where just enough little things are off to make the whole experience feel terrifying. With its complex cast of characters and critical tone, it questions the rationality of fear and explores the fragile nature of trust. While the ending can be a bit disappointing for viewers hoping to uncover the mystery of its plot, the remarkable pacing and ambiguous atmosphere make for a chilling experience that delivers as many shudders as it does questions.

Is there someone you hate? And if yes, do you hate them enough that you would send them to hell if you could? And would you accept an afterlife in hell as a price to pay for your revenge?

Jigoku Shoujo deals with those, who would answer "yes" if you asked them this simple yet complicated question. It shows you true human nature and gives you the tools to understand the internal turmoil of those whose life is already hell.

Haibane Renmei is a philosophical thought experiment in anime form. There is definitely some obvious religious imagery – the Haibane are grey winged angels after all – but the narrative itself never directly refers to any one religion and completely abstains from preaching or even offering moral guidance. There are no allusions to a God or higher power at all, in fact. Rather, layers of symbolism, both visual and textual, are slowly presented and the viewer is left to draw their own conclusions and impressions based on personal experience. As you can imagine, your mileage will vary and Haibane Renmei is a very different series from one viewer to the next.

Monster is very much the definition of psychological anime. It deals with a vast number of philosophical/psychological principles, it makes you think about things you might not even want to think about. Topics like nihilism, psychopathy, psychosis and other elements are explored in this show.

It includes philosophies, conspiracies, ideologies, psychology, memory, psychoanalysis, robots vs. humans, freedom vs. control, surrealism/darkness/edginess/deepness/grounded-realism/goofiness/awkwardness and a mix of genres as well as an uneven episodic storyline while still keeping the linear story, experimentations and an unorthodox execution overall.

Also includes critics against the society/greed/religion/science/politic/institution/psychology/morals/technology/patriotism mix, marriage, vaccines, war, escaping, ecology.

“This world is rotten, and those who are making it rot deserve to die. Someone has to do it, so why not me? Even if it means sacrificing my own mind and soul, it’s worth it. Because the world… can’t go on like this.” – Light Yagami

Rest is for you to check this out.

Each episode is based on one or two people, sort of like mini stories about each person, and the reason why they\'ve been chosen to take their lives away is based on what they\'ve been doing, or what they wish for, or the fact it is really their time to go.

This is a psychological anime about... incest.
The plot of Koi Koze is very simple -- A brother and a sister who haven't seen each other since they were very little start living together (along with their father) when 15 year old Nanoka (who had been living with the siblings’ mother) needs to move closer to her new school. The brother, Koshiro, is 27, meaning there's a 12 year age gap between the siblings. The two instantly have a connection and feelings for each other that go above simple friendship/family feelings.

The premise of the show is really interesting and not very common. It's about a girl called Fumika who sends letters from the deceased to the living. The contents of these messages can be anything, from people telling loved ones about their emotions before death or perhaps simply exposing their murderer. As you can see, at times it can be pretty heavy and dark while at other times it can just be light hearted.

If you are into multidimensional characters or just character development then this show might interest you. Almost all of the characters have multiple sides to them and change over the course of the show. Each character has his own problems and all of them are different for each and one of them.

Aoi Bungaku Series is a twelve episode Japanese anime series featuring adaptations inspired by six short stories from Japanese literature. The six stories are adapted from classic Japanese tales.

Every single story is very thought provoking and there are a lot of psychological/depressing elements.

The Tatami Galaxy is an anime that reminds us of how important it is for humans to feel satisfied with what they’ve done throughout their lives. Whether it’s the choice of who we date, what college we go to, what friends we make or what club we join, these choices all offer different experiences that end up building our personalities. What if we could explore every possibility though?

‘Paprika’ is a Dizzily Exhilarating Psychological Thriller with Hypnotising Visuals. When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients’ dreams is stolen, all Hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it.

Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell portrays the effects that a reliance on technology can have on both the individual and society as a whole. More often than not, these effects, being both positive and negative in nature, completely defy conventional thinking. Oshii’s film encourages the viewers to question their individuality and ask themselves what it is that makes them human. Is it the fact that they were born naturally or rather that being treated as a human has made them human? On a more sociological level, the film defies the unwritten laws of society to make prejudices about a person based on gender. The film implies that a human isn’t considered a male or a female based on biology, but rather based on how they act.

Steins;Gate is a character-centered time travel story, that delves deep into the nature, paradoxes, consequences, and psychological impact of time travel. It features extremely believable characters and a self-contained story with no loose ends.

Ghost Hound is an intensely interesting anime. Something that attacks you from every angle. The director that brought you Serial Experiments Lain has something else, very different for you. The simplest way to explain this anime is that it is very similar to Stranger Things if you have watched that. Although it portrays more than just a group of kids solving a supernatural mystery. Warning though, the first 5 episodes or so are really slow and drawn out, give it until at least episode 9 to determine if you should drop it or not.

The cast is a cast of characters that have faced extreme psychological trauma and are looking for ways to alleviate themselves, they end up getting to know each other and decide to help each other somehow. But what they end up discovering is something much larger than they could ever imagine.

The world of psychology is far from strange to the unusual Dr. Ichirou Irabu, a resident psychiatrist of Irabu General Hospital. He and his charming nurse Mayumi run through several patients, each suffering from a mental illness that harms their everyday life.

Ping Pong the Animation is a tale of failure, victory, depression, happiness, nihilism, hope, belief, dream, struggle, salvation, youth and growth. It's a beautiful tale of friendship. Ping Pong The Animation is an exploration of life.

I know that this anime is about magical girls but do not be fooled by the seemingly immaculate title and cover art.. Because this anime is labeled as a dark fantasy and psychological thriller anime show for a reason — and it definitely lives up to the classification.In terms of horror it's just somewhat unsettling, but emotionally it gets negative/depressing, which makes it very dark.

This is a very dark and intense show. It's very difficult to feel much of anything besides anxiety and depression, but this story makes you feel SOMETHING UNDENIABLY REAL, at least for a few hours. It potrays the ugliness of humanity so interestingly enough, that's why the art style is "ugly" itself

Even though this show is about parasites and the fight against them. Parasyte or Kiseijuu is more so a psychological exploration of what it means to be human than a conventional story about combating an alien species.

This psychological crime thriller is a tale about the hopeful rebellious spirit of youths, and has loads of socio-political commentary on isolation, the fragility of modern society, and what defines crime. There are simply no words for me to describe this great anime. So I advise you to watch it yourself.

This anime is about a zombie apocalypse. But with far more psychological elements than the others. The main character Yuki is experiencing psychosis. The definition of this disorder is a “severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality.” In other words, Yuki was so traumatized that she lost her grip on reality.

Ryouhei Arisu is a high school student with no ambitions and just wants to escape from what he feels is a meaningless reality. One night when he is with his two friends Daikichi Karube and Chouta Segawa, they see an abnormally large firework shoot into the sky, an event which signals a permanent change in their lives. Would recommend the manga or the netflix series though because the anime isn't even finished and probably never will be...

ERASED is a good example of minimal applied time travel in a thrilling dramatic psychological series that deals with heavy subjects such as bullying, depression, kidnapping, murder, and child abuse.

Angels of Death may not fully meet expectations as a horror anime but it succeeds as an entertaining psychological thriller.. There are enough quirky and twisted characters in Angels of Death that make it enjoyable as a psychological anime. What makes Angels of Death appealing is the journey Rachel and Zack go through as they face various obstacles or “tests” in order to avoid death and move on to the next floor.

Happy Sugar Life is a psycho love horror story centered around high school girl Satou Matsuzaka who meets a mysterious little girl named Shio. She experiences a sweet feeling when she encounters her and labels it as “love”. Satou lets her stay in her apartment and vows to protect that feeling of love, even if it means committing crimes.

Death Parade focuses on people who pass through the Quindecim bar. This is where we see themes we have seen in other anime about right and wrong, or good and evil, or salvation vs. condemnation, and also, who deserves forgiveness in the audience's jury.

Mayoiga is about a group of people who were headed to the famously known, yet never seen or found Nanaki Village, a place that promises to help you lead a new, perfect life. Despite the mysteries of why this village cannot be found on any map or by any person, this group is ready to start a new life and leave behind their problems. Upon arrival, it seems the village has been abandoned and secrets start come out as some members of the group go missing upon exploration of the village. This show is hated and loved by many, but I'm leaving it to you to decide.

Classroom of the Elite is centered on the psychological thriller genre, which has dark elements to the anime that makes it all the more interesting.

Asagiri Aya is a young girl who has fallen victim to bullies at her school. Looking for a way to escape her troubles, she looks to the internet for distraction, when a mysterious website called "Magical Girl Site" appears. Simply viewing the page is all it takes to hurtle Aya headlong into the deadly world of the Magical Girl Apocalypse. There, it’s fight or die, against a seemingly endless array of savagely adorable, frilly-skirted killing machines, each armed with magical powers and an unquenchable thirst for blood and chaos.

This is a psychological horror; there is minimal gore and no cheap jumpscares. Instead, it preys on your fear with things such as the setting.

Even tho for many this anime might seem light hearted, it certainly is. But there are psychological elements more in the intense moments. Especially in the second season, there is unfortunate drama at school. (I do not want to spoil further.

Just like a lot of psychological anime out there, Tokyo Ghoul depicts humanity nature pretty well, especially in dire circumstances. But what's the difference? You can clearly relate to their decisions and their experiences. So vividly in fact that you'll be forced to think what would you have done in that situation.

Munou na Nana/Talentless is a psychological anime, with a unique storyline filled with thriller-packed events. Unlike other stories, where the righteous main character tries to overthrow villains and dark forces, Talentless Nana is told from the villain's viewpoint.

Mawaru Penguindrum discusses many social problems in the story – child abuse, child negligence, family disharmony, discrimination, among many others.

Shinsekai Yori, or From the New World, is about a group of kids growing up in a dystopian society formed after an outbreak of people developing psychic powers 1000 years ago wrecked havoc in the world. As the kids grow, they begin to discover the dark history of the world and the unsettling ways their society maintains order.

Its mysterious and enigmatic characters are able to grab viewers’ attention, wonderfully aiding the psychological narrative that this show has adopted.

It is a show that makes you want to cry, but for some reason you just wont. Not that it didn’t warrant your tears, but it made you speechless, absorbed and so invested that every plot progression dries up your throat even more.

“Wonder Egg Priority” shows that reaching out to people who are hurting, or for help when you need it, may completely change someone’s life for the better.

More strongly than anything else, “Wonder Egg Priority” emphasizes there is no situation in which victims are to blame for what has happened to them, and with the right kind of support, they can take power away from abusers.

It addresses issues honestly but with sensitivity.