10 Underrated Anime that Deserve Bigger Audiences

The anime industry is always growing with the release of major franchises like Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer. While all the popular anime are always talked about in the communities, a lot of the incredible series fail to catch the public eye. Several series fail to catch the public eye due to poor marketing, availability, or niche appeal. Even if the show has exceptional storytelling, animation, or characters, it isn’t guaranteed success. Many amazing anime have been overlooked simply because they didn’t receive the hype or media coverage that bigger titles did.

Oftentimes, genre and audience appeal further determine an anime’s success. While these shows may be masterpieces in their own right, they often don’t gain the same level of recognition as more accessible genres like shonen action. The depth and variety of the anime world are too vast to comprehend properly with just a few globally popular franchises. Once hooked, you’ll find yourself sliding through an unlimited collection of series and movies that’s difficult to wrap your head around. Here’s a list of the ten most underrated anime shows that deserve bigger audiences.

Barakamon

Barakamon is a perfect blend of humor, personal growth, and heartwarming moments as it follows Sei Handa, a calligrapher. After hitting an elderly art critic for criticizing his work, Handa is punished by his father to move to a rural island. After arriving in the countryside, Handa struggles to adapt to the lifestyle since the people there are loud, nosy, and unbothered by personal space. However, it doesn’t take long for him to get entangled in the daily lives of the villagers.

Naru Kotoshi, a playful young girl constantly barges into his house. Through interacting with her and the villagers, Handa begins to rediscover his passion for calligraphy and regrets his past actions. The anime was released in 2014, covering up to six volumes of the manga, leaving a majority of the story uncovered. Even so, the anime itself has a satisfying conclusion, capturing the main themes almost completely. If you want to see how Handa’s journey continues, it’s definitely worth reading the manga, as it further develops his character, relationships, and career.

Hyouka

This underrated anime gem follows Hotaro Oreki, a genius high school student who prefers to conserve energy and avoid unnecessary effort. He lives by the motto, “If I don’t have to do something, I won’t. If I have to, I’ll do it quickly.” However, his peaceful life is shattered when his older sister prevents the Classic Literature Club from disbanding by forcing him to join it. After entering the club room, he meets Eru Chitanda, a curious and cheerful girl fascinated by mysteries. The club is lively yet again after Oreki’s friends Fukube Satoshi and Ibara Mayaka join as well. Oreki finds him solving small and intriguing mysteries every day.

As the story continues, Oreki slowly starts finding meaning in engaging with those around him rather than being laid back as he used to be. The anime blends mystery, slice-of-life, and character development, with visually stunning animation by Kyoto Animation, making even simple scenes feel immersive and engaging. Unfortunately, the manga or light novel isn’t fully adapted into the anime. If you plan to continue the story after watching the anime, the best option is to read the light novels (starting from Volume 5). The manga is also a good alternative but is not as far ahead as the light novels.

Kids on the Slope

This heartfelt coming-of-age story has beautiful animation and a touching soundtrack that elevates the emotional depth of the anime. Directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, best known for directing Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, Kids on the Slope is a hidden gem for fans who love music and romance genres. The story is set in 1960s Japan, following Kaoru Nishimi, a shy and introverted high school student. He recently moved to a small seaside town to live with his relatives. Kaoru kept moving to new places since he was a child and felt like an outsider everywhere he went.

As he struggles to fit in the seaside town, he meets Sentaro Kawabuchi, a lively and rebellious student with a passion for jazz music. Despite having opposite personalities and tastes in music, the two become unlikely friends. After convincing Kaoru how amazing jazz is, the duo will often hold practice sessions in the basement of Rtisuko Murae’s record shop. However, they soon face the complexities of growing up, unspoken feelings, and personal struggles as the story explores themes of friendship, love, family, and the pressures of youth.

Ghost Hunt

This supernatural comedy anime follows Mai Taniyama, a high school student who loves telling ghost stories with her friends after school. One day, while curious about the abandoned school building, she accidentally damages some expensive equipment from Kazuya Shibuya, who was in school with his assistant to investigate the rumors about the haunted building. In order to repay the debut, she works for him as an assistant. Kazuya is the young and mysterious head of the Shibuya Psychic Research Center and a professional ghost hunter.

He investigates supernatural cases using scientific methods, psychic abilities, and folklore knowledge. Mai soon joins his company permanently and the story follows them in several cases, along with a team of specialists. Unlike typical horror anime, Ghost Hunt blends supernatural elements with detective work and comedy making it both eerie and entertaining. The anime covers a total of eight cases, ranging from possessions and poltergeists to terrifying urban legends.

Carole & Tuesday

Carole & Tuesday is another underrated anime by Shinichirō Watanabe, following two girls in a futuristic society. It’s been 50 years since humanity moved to Mars, and AI has dominated society, including the music industry. The story follows two young girls from different backgrounds who share a passion for music. Carole is an orphaned refugee from Earth who struggles to make ends meet, while Tuesday is the daughter of a powerful politician who runs away from home to pursue her dream of making music.

The two meet by chance and decide to form a musical duo and pursue their dream of making it big in the industry. We follow the two of them as they struggle to make a name for themselves and catch the eye of a talented but unknown manager. The series tackles social issues like immigration, AI replacing artists, corporate greed in the music industry, and political rivalry. The anime features experienced musicians for the various songs played throughout the two seasons, including pop, rock, R&B, and electronic.

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Guardian of the Sacred Spirit

This historical anime follows Balsa, a wandering female warrior hired as a bodyguard of Prince Chagum to save him from assassination. Chagum is believed to be possessed by a water spirit, and imperial priests believe he would bring drought to the kingdom. Although his father, the Emperor, orders Chagum’s execution, his mother is strongly against it. As the Second Empress, all she can do is secretly hire Balsa to protect her son.

As Balsa and Chagum go into hiding and travel across the land, the truth about Chagum’s possession comes to light. The two form an unbreakable bond during their journey as we slowly learn about Balsa’s past. The series focuses on character development, philosophy, and world-building. Additionally, it blends political themes, folklore, breathtaking action scenes, and emotional storytelling, making it a hidden gem in the fantasy genre.

The Piano Forest

The story follows Kai Ichinose, a young boy from a poor background who finds solace in playing an abandoned piano in the forest. Despite having no training, Kai plays the piano beautifully as if it’s responding to him. But here’s a catch — no one else can play the piano except Kai. He meets Shuehei Amamiya one day, a transfer student from a prestigious musical family. Having been trained in classical piano, Shuhei plans to follow in his father’s footsteps.

However, after hearing Kai play the piano in the forest, the two boys form a rivalry-turned-friendship as they pursue their dreams of becoming great pianists. Intrigued by Kai’s natural talent, a former piano prodigy turned teacher, Sosuke Ajino, takes the boy under his wing and teaches him to refine his skills. As the young boys strive for success, they face challenges in the competitive music world. The story explores the themes of talent vs. hard work, passion vs. discipline, and the power of music to transcend barriers.

The Way of the Househusband

While the animation isn’t top-tier, this wholesome comedy anime has a good enough story to keep you entertained. This episodic series follows Tatsu, a former yakuza known as “The Immortal Dragon.” However, he suddenly disappears from the underworld and returns as a devoted stay-at-home husband. After living a shady life for years, Tatsu is now fully committed to supporting his wife Miku, a hardworking career woman.

Turns out, the legendary yakuza is surprisingly good at household chores like cooking gourmet meals, keeping the house spotlessly clean, and finding the best supermarket deals. However, his intense yakuza mannerisms and dead-serious attitude make even the most basic tasks seem like some sort of high-stakes operation.

Nodame Cantabile

This musical romance anime follows Shinichi Chiaki, a brilliant pianist and aspiring conductor, and Megumi Noda, a quirky and carefree pianist attending the same prestigious music academy in Japan. Although Shinichi dreams of studying in Europe, his fear of flying keeps him trapped in Japan. However, his life changes when he meets Nodame, a messy and eccentric girl but also an undeniable genius.

Despite being polar opposites of one another, the two spend more time together since they are both neighbors. As Chiaki helps Nodame refine her skills, he also begins to pursue his dream of becoming a conductor. Throughout the series, we see the two of them form friendships with other talented musicians, compete in high-level performances, and navigate their romantic relationship, which is full of comedic and heartfelt moments.

Summertime Rendering

Considering how well-crafted the story, animation, and plot twists of Summertime Rendering are, it’s unfair for this anime to be this underrated. The story follows Shinpei Ajiro, who returns to his hometown, Hitogashima, after spending two years in Tokyo to attend the funeral of his childhood friend Ushio Kofune. The village believes she drowned while saving a child, but strange details about her death make him suspicious.

As Shinpei tries to get to the bottom of this, he learns about dark supernatural forces known as Shadows lurking on the island. These mysterious doppelgängers kill and replace people. Furthermore, Shinpei learns about his ability to loop back in time every time he dies. This allows him to replay events and uncover hidden truths. With each loop, he pieces the mystery surrounding Ushio’s death, which is tied to the Shadow and their true motives.