I always liked reading through this thread on /r/anime. Hope I’m not breaking some sort of etiquette by creating it here. I guess if kbin keeps exploding, this will get buried in a few days anyway.
- Aku no Hana (2013) - A psychological horror/drama about a boy and a girl who commit acts of social rebellion together in order to uncover the “deviant” sides of their souls. Worth watching for: its unique rotoscoped animation, unique concept, sense of constantly impending doom, soundtrack, and its secondhand cringe that rivals and surpasses that of NHK ni Youkoso! It’s not a show you turn on to be lightly entertained by, it’s a little heavier and not good second-screen watching. Caveat: the anime adaptation is incomplete - it teases a 2nd season that presumably would have given us a proper conclusion
- Chobits (2002) - A sci-fi rom-com set in a 2002 version of Japan where lifelike androids called Persocoms are commonplace. It’s about our earnest and honest MC falling in love with a kuudere Persocom. Worth watching for: its S++++ tier OP and ED, upbeat classic pop/rock soundtrack, best mascot character Sumomo, good direction, good English dub (if you’re into that), and cheery and likable characters. Also of note, this was the following project that the director of Cardcaptor Sakura worked on immediately after finishing that series.
That thread is neat, I’ve written down a few recommendations already!
I recently finished Houseki no Kuni, it was very unique. We’re following the lives of beings made of gems, trying to live peacefully despite being attacked by strange creatures descending from the moon. The first episodes are light-hearted, but don’t let yourself be fooled lol.
I appreciate the growing contrast between the beautiful characters, wholesome interactions and the thickening layer of trauma heaped on the main character. Unfortunately it’s adapted from a manga and does not cover the whole plot.