Anime is a medium of entertainment with great titles spanning many genres. Most of these shows follow an established format with common themes that are explored in a variety of different ways. However, there exist some titles with distinct profiles that separate themselves from the mold, possessing many unorthodox features.
These anime are unnatural to the point of almost being bizarre. They employ unconventional methods of presentation with regard to plot, characters, animation, and sometimes overall production. Yet, despite their tendency to stray from the nature of their mainstream counterparts, they remain extremely interesting, sometimes giving a refreshing new feeling to audiences of an otherwise saturated genre. Here you’ll find some great examples of anime that perfectly fit into this category.
10 Asobi Asobase: Workshop of Fun
Asobi Asobase is a school-life comedy centered around three girls with relatively eccentric personalities. Shortly after getting acquainted, they band together and form the Pastimers Club, which, as its name suggests, is a club dedicated to engaging in pastimes.
These girls, however, do not engage in regular pastimes. They take part in silly, over-the-top, and sensitive games that one wouldn’t necessarily associate with the genre. Furthermore, their club activities are not the only focus of the show, as they constantly get caught up in many other hilarious shenanigans. There is wacky animation, exaggerated expressions, odd characters, and an endless amount of references, all culminating into a unique but extremely fun experience
9 FLCL
This anime was co-produced by both Studio Gainax and Production I.G, the former of which is not known to shy away from adapting series with avant-garde characteristics. The show follows young protagonist Naota Mandaba in this coming-of-age story mixed with many different elements.
It sets the tone early on in the series, as shown when eccentric Vespa rider Haruhara Haruko runs over Naota with her bike, gives him CPR, then proceeds to send him flying once again with her guitar. This sequence perfectly mirrors the nature of many interactions within the show. Sometimes there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the characters' actions, but they are still orchestrated entertainingly. Not only is it fast-paced, but it is also accompanied by engaging animation and sound design well ahead of its time.
8 Penguindrum
Penguindrum tells the story of three orphaned siblings and their never ending struggle against fate. The anime kicks off properly when twin brothers Kanba and Shouma take their sickly little sister Himari to an aquarium, only for her to collapse and consequently be possessed by a being who claims to be keeping her alive. However, this being requests one thing in return; for the twin brothers to locate and bring a mysterious artifact called the Penguin Drum.
This anime's presentation and imagery are what make it stand out so much. There are background characters mostly represented by white stick figures, mystical penguins only the siblings can see, and an excessively flamboyant summoning ritual performed by the unknown being inhabiting Himari's body.
7 Sarazanmai
Sarazanmai is the second Kunihiko Ikuhara directorial project on this list, and just like the first, it contains some outlandish presentation with an even more bizarre plot. A fallen Kappa prince chooses three young boys to handle the sudden emergence of Kapa-zombies, supernatural beings with the potential to cause extreme chaos.
In order to fight against these powerful enemies, the boys are turned into Kappa themselves by the Kappa prince whenever it is time to battle.
Even weirder, they must extract a ball-like object called a shirikodama from the Kapa-zombies’ backside to vanquish them. The show consists of many more whimsical features; mysterious dancing police officers, minor antagonists with socially questionable motives, and a transformation process with rather sensitive imagery.
6 Odd Taxi
Despite the anime's anthropomorphic nature, Odd Taxi characters are exceedingly grounded in reality, to the point that its viewers can't help but get invested in what the show has to offer. It tells the story of an unimpressive taxi driver named Odokawa, who eventually gets mixed up in an incident, finding himself involved with both the police and the yakuza.
The surrealness of this anime comes from the way it mixes real word personalities with animalistic individuals. Characters possess emotional and intellectual characteristics that are undeniably human but portrayed in the form of different species of animals. Ultimately, it is a thoroughly enjoyable package recognized by most of its audience as one of the best anime of 2021.
5 Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
The story follows the adventures of two former angels named Panty and Stocking. Panty is a bold blonde with an uncontrollable libido, and stocking is a sweets-loving goth-lolita with questionable taste in men. After being kicked out of heaven for improper conduct, the two were tasked with hunting ghosts and collecting heaven coins.
This is the second Studio Gainax anime on his list, and as unbelievable as it may sound, is even crazier than the previous one. Renowned for having one of the most famous anime dubs of all time, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is an anime heavily inspired by western adult cartoons. As a result, it involves extremely vulgar humor, multiple art styles, and stories told in an episodic format.
4 Beastars
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
After the success of Land of the Lustrous back in 2017, Studio Orange returned in 2019 with another fully CGI animated series in Beastars. This anime is set in an anthropomorphic world where herbivores and carnivores live as one, with the details of their co-existence fleshed out to the nth degree.
It features the coming-of-age story of a young and timid wolf named Legoshi and his journey to discover what it truly means to be a carnivore in his society. He is put through a great number of trials that challenge his reserved personality, giving his character more depth with each important event.
3 Kakegurui
Kakeguiri, simply put, is a school anime about gambling. In more explicit detail, however, it is a school anime about unnaturally high-stakes gambling. The students of Hyakkaou Private Academy are the main focus of this series. They constantly take part in risky bets, which could put them in crippling debt or make them surrender their freedom completely to another individual.
Another twisted aspect of this anime is the characters and their personalities. Take the main protagonist Yumeko Jabami for example; she is so addicted to high-stakes betting that simply taking part in one arouses her greatly. Of course, there are other characters too, but regardless, it remains an engaging anime that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
2 Monogatari
Monogatari, apart from being the anime title, is a Japanese word meaning “story.” Thus, the name serves its purpose well, as the Monogatari series is a collection of stories spread across multiple seasons, each named to match the events within them. Studio Shaft handled all seasons, and they did an outstanding job of portraying the unique brilliance of the series.
With regard to animation and dialogue, the Monogatari series is absurdly fast-paced and distinctive. There are scenes with constantly changing frames that usually include short blocks of text, surroundings with no background characters, and interactions that incorporate numerous references and witty running gags. However, at the heart of the show is a profound story sure to captivate most who come across it.
1 Gintama
Among all the popular shōnen anime, Gintama is arguably the most unconventional. The story centers around the samurai Sakata Gintoki and his companions that make up the Yorozuya, a group of individuals who take random jobs in exchange for money. On a larger scale, however, the world is governed by aliens, and the main appeal of the show for most viewers is most likely the story arcs involving the extraterrestrials.
Despite this, the anime has so much more to offer. It portrays comedy in ways unheard of with regular shōnen. It contains endless references, repeated cases of the fourth wall being broken, many running gags, and equally eccentric characters to match the pace of the series.