Summary

• Sonny Boy is an underrated anime with stunning animation and an engaging story that deserves more attention.
• Kaiba is a profound series that explores identity and class disparity, and is a masterpiece that more anime fans should watch.
• Wolf's Rain is an underrated anime with beautiful animation, a compelling cast, and dark storytelling, making it one of Adult Swim's hidden gems.

Not every anime show can achieve the mainstream success of some of the most popular anime like One Piece, My Hero Academia, or Attack on Titan, even if they truly deserve it. As a result, there are a lot of underrated anime gems waiting for fans to discover and enjoy them.

There seems to be an almost constant stream of highly acclaimed anime series these days, more than anyone interested in the art form will have enough time to consume, in fact.

This inevitably causes a lot of anime to slip through the cracks and go unnoticed, even though there are a good deal of niche anime that are more than worth someone's time due to their writing, animation, or a combination of the two. Those types of anime often end up being the best shows a person can watch, and there are plenty of them worth highlighting.

25 AnoHana: The Flower We Saw That Day (2011)

Original Anime Series By Mari Okada

After the tragic death of their friend Menma when they were kids, Jinta Yadomi and his friends have grown apart. Jinta himself has become a recluse until the ghost of an older Menma comes to him one summer day, asking for his help in granting her "wish." AnoHana is a touching coming-of-age story that deals with grief and growing up, and the Super Peace Busters are all well-written characters whose individual experiences of grief are just as heartwrenching as their collective experience.

Watch On Crunchyroll

24 Sonny Boy (2021)

Original Anime Series By Shingo Natsume

Few anime are as beautiful to watch in motion as Sonny Boy. The series is ostensibly about a class of high schoolers who are one day transported to a featureless world. While the students bicker and form hierarchies, the series' main character Nagara shuts himself off to everyone except for his only friend, Nozomi.

Sonny Boy didn't receive as much attention as other anime released in 2021 like Odd Taxi and Ranking of Kings, but with Sonny Boy's engaging story and stellar animation and direction, it's more than worth any anime fan's time. The series was directed and created by acclaimed One-Punch Man director Shingo Natsume, so anyone impressed by the animation in that or Space Dandy should give Sonny Boy a try.

Watch On Crunchyroll

23 Kaiba (2008)

Original Anime Series By Masaaki Yuasa

Coming from acclaimed animator Maasaki Yuasa of The Tatami Galaxy and Devilman: Crybaby fame, Kaiba is a profound series that deserved more attention when it was released. The series follows a young man named Kaiba who wakes up one day with a hole in his chest and his memories missing. What follows in Kaiba is a beautiful exploration of identity and class disparity as Kaiba travels around an imaginative science-fiction universe.

Fans of Kaiba may want to check out Masaaki Yuasa's Five Film Collection.

Yuasa is a masterful animator whose unique style is always incredible. Though Kaiba might not be his earliest work, it is a hallmark title that contains many of the themes Yuasa has explored constantly throughout his work. While Kaiba might not have received as much acclaim as it deserved, it's truly a masterpiece that more anime fans should watch.

Watch On Amazon Prime

22 Wolf's Rain (2003)

Original Anime Series By Keiko Nobumoto

Not every Adult Swim anime has gone on to be a major hit, and Wolf's Rain is a prime example of that. The series is about the last group of wolves trying to find paradise before the world ends. With a bleak premise and a bleaker plot, it's easy to see how the series got lost in the shuffle. Despite the series' darker elements though, Wolf's Rain is ultimately about hope in the face of impossible odds. With beautiful animation, a compelling cast, and dark storytelling, Wolf's Rain is easily one of Adult Swim's most underrated anime.

Watch On Crunchyroll

21 Yurikuma Arashi (2015)

Original Anime Series By Kunihiko Ikuhara

Yurikuma Arashi is a wild anime series from Kunihiko Ikuhara that's focused entirely on exploring what it means to be a lesbian in Japan. The series has an absolutely ridiculous plot about a society where a race of alien bears who can transform into people are separated from society for fear of the danger they pose to the social order.

Anime fans may recognize Kunihiko Ikuhara, as he is the acclaimed director behind Revolutionary Girl Utena and many episodes of the original Sailor Moon anime.

Despite how goofy the series often is, Yurikuma Arashi is a surprisingly thoughtful exploration into LGBTQ+ issues in Japan, and fans of LGBTQ anime will definitely want to give Yurikuma Arashi a try.

Watch On Funimation

20 RahXephon (2002)

Original Anime Series By Yutaka Izubuchi

Many mecha anime made in the wake of Neon Genesis Evangelion attempted to replicate that series' mix of mech action and deep psychology, but few made that combination look better than RahXephon. The series follows a man named Ayato whose normal life in Tokyo is disrupted by a sudden invasion of aircraft. What follows is a whirlwind as Ayato comes into contact with the series' titular mech, and pilots it to take down giant beings made of clay named Dolems. RahXephon stands out for its beautiful animation and unique focus on music, and overall, it's a highly underrated mecha anime.

Watch On HIDIVE

19 Hell Girl (2005)

Original Anime Series By Takahiro Omori & Kenichi Kanemaki

Hell Girl is an episodic series revolving around people who reach out to the mysterious Hell Girl, Ai Enma, for help with their various tormentors. Ai offers to send their tormentors to Hell if they enter into a contract with her, though the price is steep, as they also condemn their own souls to Hell once they die. Hell Girl is an amazing series that shows the hold vengeance can have on a person; there's some dark satisfaction in seeing some genuinely evil people getting "what they deserve," but it also questions one's morality and the nature of revenge.

18 Skip Beat! (2008)

Based On The Manga By Yoshiki Nakamura

Kyoko Mogami lives to support her boyfriend, an up-and-coming pop star. However, once his stardom begins to manifest, he betrays Kyoko, abandoning her in spite of her years of total support. She then vows revenge and embarks on a quest to become a star renowned enough to eclipse her former lover. While the anime is relatively short, Skip Beat! also has Drama CDs that continue the story, but if the show had been less underrated these could have been additional seasons. An engaging and humorous tale of love, loss, and revenge, Skip Beat! deserved more attention than it got.

Watch On Crunchyroll

17 Haganai (2011)

Based On The Light Novel By Yomi Hirasaka

A group of wayward, socially inept high school students comes together to form a club with the goal of teaching one another how to make friends. Full of fanservice and dark humor, it's not exactly the most approachable series, but it's maintained a passionate fanbase over the years, and it's way more underrated than it deserves to be. Haganai features a dry, sarcastic sort of humor that contrasts strongly with many of its very loud contemporaries, and while it's certainly not for everyone, those who value humor above all else may want to give Haganai a go.

Watch On Crunchyroll

16 Hikaru No Go (2001)

Based On The Manga By Yumi Hotta & Takeshi Obata

Anime series based on card games are pretty common, but one notable anime based on a board game is Hikaru no Go. This series puts an interesting and entertaining spin on the game, as it follows middle schooler Hikaru as he enters the world of professional Go players under the guidance of a ghost from the Heian era. Hikaru no Go is probably the most in-depth look into the sport of Go in any anime, and the fact that it makes it interesting through its cast and writing makes it a great sports anime.

Watch On Hulu

15 The Twelve Kingdoms (2002)

Based On The Light Novel By Fuyumi Ono

The Twelve Kingdoms is an underrated gem that's based on the manga with the same name that stars Yoko Nakajima, a red-haired girl who discovers that she's an empress after she finds herself transported from Japan to another world.

Inspired by Chinese mythology, this underrated isekai anime series is a bit on the eccentric side, but with great character writing and stellar direction courtesy of Tsuneo Kobayashi, The Twelve Kingdoms has a lot to offer fans of high fantasy in terms of both writing and visuals.

Watch On Crunchyroll

14 Kaleido Star (2003)

Original Anime Series By Junichi Sato & Reiko Yoshida

Everyone has a dream, and Sora Naegino, a teen from Japan, dreams of being a top performer at the world-famous Kaleido Stage. Though she dreams big, she finds that realizing her ambitions of becoming a world-renowned performer will take blood, sweat, and tears.

While Kaleido Star has the vibrance of a typical shoujo anime, it has a fairly down-to-earth story that really makes fans empathize with all the trials and tribulations Sora and the other characters endure. For fans of Oshi no Ko wanting something less dark, Kaleido Star is a perfect pick.

Watch On Crunchyroll

13 Mushi-Shi (2005)

Based On The Manga By Yuki Urushibara

Mushi-Shi is a slow-paced anthology series following the travels of a man named Ginko who can see ethereal spirits called Mushi, and he makes it his occupation to help people besieged by their negative effects. There isn't much of an overarching plot, and the series instead focuses on the lives of the people Ginko helps. Mushi-Shi trades action and suspense for beautiful animation and small-scale storytelling, and the series proceeds at an unhurried pace that lets fans soak in the atmosphere. Its unique style may make it underrated, but this is exactly why anime fans should watch it.

Watch On Crunchyroll

12 School Rumble (2004)

Based On The Manga By Jin Kobayashi

This is a two-season romantic comedy series starring two main protagonists, Tenma and Kenji, who are entangled in a love triangle involving their enigmatic classmate Oji. It's told in a series of sketches, and it follows not only the main characters but also a wide supporting cast and their ridiculous exploits, as well. It's been described by reviewers as both shounen and shojo, so it appeals to a wide variety of audiences with its content.

Most fans agree that School Rumble's fast and fun energy and slightly surreal brand of humor succeed, and it easily stands as an underrated masterpiece.

Watch On Crunchyroll

11 Tsuritama (2012)

Original Anime Series By Kenji Nakamura & Toshiya Ono

Ostensibly a sports anime, Tsuritama focuses on the very underappreciated activity of fishing, but Tsuritama doesn't feature the same sort of bombastic drama and action sequences other sports anime favor, instead having a narrow, personal focus. It follows high school student Yuki, who has moved around all his life and has a terrible time making friends. When he and his grandmother settle in Enoshima, a transfer student named Haru shows up claiming to be an alien, and insists on living in their house. The zany setup gives way to an underrated but heartfelt series about friendship and dealing with anxiety.

10 Yakitate!! Japan (2004)

Based On The Manga By Takashi Hashiguchi

A food-based comedy series from 2004, Yakitate!! Japan is vastly underrated compared to anime titles like Food Wars! The main character, Kazuma, is pursuing his dream of making the national bread of Japan and securing a spot at the most prestigious bread bakery in the country. Kazuma also has a special power called "Solar Hands" which makes his hands slightly hotter than a normal person's. Useless as that sounds, it does help his bread to ferment faster. Yakitate!! Japan is a sweet, funny series all about making and enjoying food, and it features tons of over-the-top food-tasting reactions for fans' viewing pleasure.

Watch On Crunchyroll

9 Monster (2004)

Based On The Manga By Naoki Urasawa

Monster is a dark thriller about brain surgeon Kenzo Tenma following his decision to save the lives of two young twins instead of the mayor of his town in Germany. Nine years later, Tenma discovers one of the twins, Johan, has grown up to be a serial killer, while the other lives an oblivious life with her foster parents. The plot chronicles Tenma's attempts to undo the mistake he made when saving Johan's life. Monster is committed to reproducing the dark, cinematic atmosphere of the manga it's based on in every way, and that makes it a criminally underrated series.

Watch On Netflix

8 Samurai Flamenco (2013)

Original Anime Series By Takahiro Omori & Hideyuki Kurata

Samurai Flamenco follows the journey of protagonist Masayoshi Hazama as he undertakes his lifelong goal of being a superhero. Unfortunately for Masayoshi, he doesn't have any superpowers and simply runs afoul of both the city's rougher elements and the police over and over again until a young officer named Hidenori Goto gets involved and ends up supporting his cause.

Samurai Flamenco starts as a light-hearted superhero-themed comedy before it abruptly shifts genres halfway through, ramping up in intensity with each new episode until you can't look away. All in all, Samurai Flamenco is an underrated anime adaptation that deserves more love.

Watch On Funimation

7 Detroit Metal City (2008)

Based On The Manga By Kiminori Wakasugi

Failed musician Soichi Negishi dreams of rising to pop stardom, but, in order to pay the bills, he becomes the frontman of a notorious death metal act Detroit Metal City. As his popstar ambitions continue to flounder, his metal alter-ego grows in popularity, something he secretly resents. Desperate to escape his new role as a metal legend, Soichi's attempts to quit Detroit Metal City only result in further fame.

Despite its low budget, Detroit Metal City manages to be a hilarious celebration of music of all sorts, and it's perfect for any music fans, even if they aren't into anime.

6 Hamatora (2014)

Original Media Project By Natsu Matsumai & Yūki Kodama

Hamatora is another anime that touches on aspects of the superhero genre. The two seasons of its anime take place after the events of the manga of the same name and revolves around its two main characters, Nice and Murasaki, who run a private investigative agency and use special powers called Minimums to solve their cases.

Primarily a supernatural mystery series, Hamatora keeps the tension high through many unpredictable twists and turns. It's easy to get swept up in the plot, but the series never loses sight of the likable characters that probably drew fans in the first place.

Watch On Crunchyroll