There is a lot of anime on the market. The industry is a workhorse with how much content it churns out. Of course, there is the good and the bad to sort through as hundreds of shows plead for fans each year. In fact, the number of anime series released annually is growing as roughly 300 shows were produced each year between 2010 and 2020. As our current decade moves forward, more anime is on the way, but we suggest taking a step back and looking to see what you’ve missed before now.
After all, it is easy to miss hidden gems when there is so much anime flying at you. From ghost tales to superhero stories and amnesiac dramas, some seriously good anime have been overlooked over the years. We’re here to break down 10 of them that deserve a second chance, so buckle up! Your show queue is about to get even longer!
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What do you think about these underrated series? Do you have any go-to shows to add to this list? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!
The Great Pretender
SYNOPSIS: “Edamura Makoto likes to say he’s the best con artist in Japan, but his bragging has caught the attention of another grifter. Laurent Thierry needs Makoto’s help to pull off a huge scam that will make them both rich! The plan is to fly to L.A. and sell fake goods to a shady Hollywood movie producer. But how can you trust your business partner when you’re both career criminals?”
WHERE TO WATCH: Netflix
Space Dandy
SYNOPSIS: “Space Dandy is a dandy in space! This dreamy adventurer with a to-die-for pompadour travels across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ever laid eyes on. Each new species he discovers earns him a hefty reward, but this dandy has to be quick on his feet because it’s first come-first served!”
WHERE TO WATCH: Hulu, Funimation, Tubi, Crunchyroll
Ghost Hunt
SYNOPSIS: “Mai’s fascination with the unknown leads her to join the Shibuya Psychic Research team. Using her growing psychic abilities, Mai will work with a spirit medium, a shrine maiden, an exorcist, and a monk to uncover the darkest mysteries of the unseen.”
WHERE TO WATCH: Funimation, Crunchyroll, Prime Video
Silver Spoon
SYNOPSIS: “Hachiken Yuugo enrolled in Oezo Agricultural High School for the reason that he could live in a dorm there. In some ways he chose Oezo in an effort to escape the highly competitive prep schools he had attended previously, but he was faced with an entirely new set of difficulties at Oezo, surrounded by animals and Mother Nature. After growing up in an average family, he began to encounter clubs and training the likes of which he had never seen before.”
WHERE TO WATCH: Crunchyroll, Funimation
Skip Beat
SYNOPSIS: “Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he’s casting her out now that he’s famous! Kyoko won’t suffer in silence-she’s going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!”
WHERE TO WATCH: Crunchyroll
Chihayafuru
SYNOPSIS: “Chihaya Ayase has spent most of her life supporting her sister’s model career. When she meets a boy named Arata Wataya, he thinks Chihaya has potential to become a great karuta player. As Chihaya dreams of becoming Japan’s best karuta player, she is soon separated from her karuta playing friends. Now in high school, Chihaya still plays karuta in the hope that she will one day meet her friends again.”
WHERE TO WATCH: HIDIVE, Crunchyroll
BNA
SYNOPSIS: “Morphed into a raccoon beastman, Michiru seeks refuge, and answers, with the aid of wolf beastman Shirou inside the special zone of Anima-City. In the 21st century, where the existence of humanoid animals that have been living in the darkness for centuries have been revealed to the world.”
WHERE TO WATCH: Netflix
Lovely Complex
SYNOPSIS: “Koizumi’s just started high school, and she’s got a little problem: for a girl, she’s super tall! Meanwhile, her classmate Otani’s got a big problem: he’s virtually a midget, but still wants to join the basketball team. Written off as a bickering comedy duo by their teachers and classmates, the pair can’t decide who’s less likely to find love before graduating, and ultimately bet each other on who’ll actually land a mate.”
WHERE TO WATCH: Crunchyroll
Samurai Flamenco
SYNOPSIS: “Masayoshi Hazama: a man who has become a superhero “by himself” with no superhuman powers or any sort of high-tech conversions, NONE!!Hidenori Goto: a cop who found out the true identity of “the superhero” by a strange twist of fate and thus constantly gets in trouble thanks to Hazama, the superhero.This is the story of the birth of a true hero featuring these two young men with a touch of comedy and serious drama, while they come face to face with hardships as they search for the true meaning of becoming a hero of justice in this world!”
WHERE TO WATCH: Funimation, Crunchyroll
Eden of the East
SYNOPSIS: “Akira Takizawa wakes up naked outside the White House with no memories. He’s got a gun in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and doesn’t know if he’s a good guy or one of the worst. He doesn’t remember the phone gives him instant access to ten billion yen and a woman who can make his most outlandish requests a reality. He doesn’t recall his connection to the ongoing missile attacks terrorizing the Japanese people. Or the part he played in the sudden disappearance of 20,000 shut-ins. He doesn’t even remember he’s supposed to save Japan and will be murdered if he fails. Whatever it is he’s tangled up in, Takizawa’s definitely in deep – and that’s not even scratching the surface.”
WHERE TO WATCH: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Tubi
