Every season, dozens of anime quietly slip past mainstream attention, overshadowed by flashy shonen or trending sequels. Yet buried beneath the hype are emotional, gorgeously written series that deserve far more love. From tender romances to slice-of-life gems, these underrated shows prove that the most meaningful stories often bloom in the quietest corners of the anime world.

These series may lack blockbuster status, but what they offer is deeper: characters who feel painfully human, relationships that evolve naturally, and narratives that linger long after the credits roll. For fans looking to escape formulaic storytelling, these hidden treasures deliver heart, humor, and a surprising dose of soul.

20

Sonny Boy

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.

19

Kaiba

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.

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.

18

Wolf’s Rain

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.

17

Yurikuma Arashi

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.

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.

16

RahXephon

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.

15

Hell Girl

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.

14

Hikaru No Go

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.

13

The Twelve Kingdoms

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.

12

Princess Tutu

Written by Michiko Yokote, and Animated by Hal Film Maker

Princess Tutu is astonishingly overlooked, not only as an anime but as a magical girl series. As a partial retelling of Swan Lake, the story follows Ahiru, who is a harmless duckling in a pond, but after falling in love with a prince, she wishes to become human to save him.

The anime is a very meta piece of work, with the narrator interfering with the story as he attempts to figure out how to rewrite his story. Gifting Ahira the ability to become human as well as transform into Princess Tutu, she aims to grant the story a better ending.

11

Tsuritama

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.