Fantastic Worlds (No Game Mechanics, No Reincarnations)
Anime
A collection of fantasy or otherwise speculative fiction works including fanciful worldbuilding, without the utilization of the "Game mechanics verse" trope or the "Person from our world is reincarnated here" setup. (I would have said "no Isekai" but I'm open to stranger Isekai like Escaflowne being on the list). Earthlike worlds (including purported futures/histories) are allowed if they have something fanciful and distinctive. Only one entry per series/franchise.
TV, 2023,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Magic and technology in a world unlike our own or the "standard" fantasy setting, sometimes even reaching a ghibli-esque flair.
TV, 2016,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:7
Alternate Earth, integrates strange alien mechas, a flying island, and all sorts of beautiful weirdness.
TV, 2020,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:-
Modernesque styles in an absolutely fantastical and strange world. Grim and grisly, but beautiful in its own way.
TV, 2002,
13 eps
Me:-
Author:10
Much lower key, but in a sense the show is all about learning about its world.
TV, 2023,
13 eps
Me:-
Author:7
Purports to be historical, but mostly features a horrific, otherworldly setting of delightfully twisted magical biology.
Movie, 1984,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
Technically "post-apocalyptic", but really presents its own world of xenobiology.
TV, 2005,
50 eps
Me:-
Author:7
Vaguely futuristic, exploring the world is what much of the show hinges on.
TV, 2017,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:5
The show is bad, watch only for the LeGuin-esque worldbuilding.
TV, 2003,
26 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Techist, yet strange and unfamiliar, blending the common sense of "time periods" freely.
TV, 2012,
25 eps
Me:-
Author:8
A realized and refined take on "Arabian Nights" style fantasy.
Movie, 1989,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:9
Could be seen as alt-history, but witches are a known and accepted detail, meaning it feels like its own little place.
TV, 2016,
13 eps
Me:-
Author:8
A world of period warfare and limited magic, but we get to explore the cultures.
TV, 2023,
11 eps
Me:-
Author:7
Nausicaa-esque in a lot of ways, but with a very different environment that, while often bleak, is still allowed to provide visual wonder at times.
TV, 2022,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:6
Barely makes the list but its dedication to bizarre entities in the fungal desert future is at least inclusion-worthy, possibly even praiseworthy.
TV, 2014,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:7
A played-straight fantasy world given enough time and focus to feel like a living and breathing place.
TV, 2013,
13 eps
Me:-
Author:9
Another fantastical future, this one technically based on science-fiction premises; but also another case where the scenery and culture are costars.
TV, 1996,
26 eps
Me:-
Author:7
Normal girl visits fantasy world... and boy does it go out there when it wants to!
Movie, 1986,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:9
Ghibli's timeless fantastical with an action/adventure vibe.
