There are a host of eclectic narrative genres that are specific to the anime industry, many of which allow for challenging subversions of the norms. Some of the most prolific anime series of recent decades are those that span dark themes and psychological deconstructions.
The most successful psychological anime series, such as the feeling Death Note, become industry staples, evolving into an illuminating examination of corruption and evil. Death Note It’s still a must-watch, but there are also plenty of psychological anime series out there that top it at its own grim game.
10 Paranoia Agent unleashes a horror that feeds on social fear
Satoshi Kon is one of the most prolific names in the anime industry and even though he sadly passed away at a young age, he is still responsible for a staggering amount of work. Feature films like perfect blue and Peppers are testaments to Kon’s skills as a psychological storyteller, but agent of paranoia is a dark 13-episode examination of identity, mob mentality, and collective consciousness.
A bully known only as Lil’ Slugger terrorizes a community, with each episode filtered through the skewed perspective of a different character. It’s a shining example of deception, and the subtle changes that are present in each episode are incredible.
9 Puella Magi Madoka Magica uses basic Magical Girl items to create a death wish
One of anime’s greatest strengths is how the medium has so many well-established genres that it becomes ripe territory for subversion and deconstruction. Magical girl series are widespread in anime, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica relies on the friendly tropes of this type of storytelling to create an absolutely haunting story.
Madoka Magica turns the exciting responsibilities of magical girls into death sentences. These witch slayers are just a means to an end and are designed to cause as much destruction as they prevent. The entire series plays on the expectation of whether Madoka will succumb to this call to action and become a magical girl.
8 Serial Experiments Lain pits the private against the public
Lain serial experiments It opened audiences’ eyes when the 13-episode series first debuted in the late ’90s, but it tells a story that has become more relevant in a world increasingly reliant on technology and the internet.
The anime reveals a dark mystery when Lain, a young girl, is drawn into a virtual world and changes into the role of martyr for a much greater cause. Lain serial experiments unravels very sophisticated ideas, but succeeds through its restricted use of exposure and how it is safe enough to let your raw imagery and cryptic symbolism speak for yourself.
7 Higurashi: When They Cry turns its characters into the punching bags of the universe
Many anime series carry their worrying tendencies in the manga and the audience immediately knows what they are about to see. There are also anime like Higurashi: when they cry which intentionally stumps the viewer with bright colors and “moe” friendly character designs, only to engage in serial killing, deadly mystery virusand an oppressive time-loop narrative.
Higurashi creates an increasingly complex lore pitting its characters against each other in a seemingly hopeless reality. People have to meet their end hundreds of times and they are still left with questions. As in Death Note, there are greater forces at play Higurashi.
6 Steins;Gate explores the complicated ramifications of time travel
Time travel is a concept that more and more stories want to address, but it’s extremely difficult to pull the material out in a way that’s satisfying and without plot holes. jugs; door it’s a fascinating foray into the subject, and Rintaro’s growing power as he experiments with his volatile science becomes increasingly tense.
jugs; door He doesn’t hide from the constant paradoxes and mental wear and tear that time travel and its consequences have on Rintaro. What begins as an exciting power fantasy becomes a depressing loss of self.
5 Elfen Lied presents differences as liabilities to be controlled
It’s a popular trope in anime for ordinary people to encounter powerful creatures or aliens, suddenly becoming responsible for their safety in a strange world they don’t understand. Elfen lied it begins in a dark and unsettling place and only turns into a darker examination of man’s inherent evil.
Lucia is a deadly alien who loses his memories and becomes dependent on some overwhelmed humans. The bloodshed and psychological torture in Elfen lied never stops, and is not afraid to go out on a nihilistic note that dooms humanity even more than Death Note.
4 Attack On Titan is a haunting look at the loss and casualties of war
the anime for attack on titan has entered its end, and many audiences are still devastated by the terrifying places the story has gone. Titan It begins in a shadowy world that is full of death, but seems to clearly pit man against monster, where the threats to the world are easy to identify.
attack on titan it moves into progressively grayer territory as man turns against man, and it’s hard to determine who the heroes really are. The slow transformation of Eren Jaeger from false warrior in the last antagonist it’s horrible and much harder to watch than Light’s corruption in Death Note.
3 Neon Genesis Evangelion descends the world in a depressing apocalypse
Few anime series have earned the totemic legacy of Neon Genesis Evangelion, and is widely regarded as essential viewing for anime fans and those new to the medium alike. At first sight, Evangelion resembles many other giant robot series, where mechanical creations wage war with kaiju-esque beasts.
Evangelion he frequently looks at the fate of the world and an impending apocalypse, but it filters through the suffocating depression that is experienced by its main character, Shinji Ikari. Evangelion‘s the themes and symbolism continue to be deconstructed, and it is a psychologically draining anime.
two Inuyashiki observes the use of the same power by two contrasting individuals
There is a simple idea at the center of inuyashikian 11-episode anime that turns an old man and a disgruntled teenager into mighty cyborgs after they both experience the same strange event. This new power reinvigorates the elderly Inuyashiki, who tries his hand at heroism.
Alternatively, Inuyashiki’s counterpoint Hiro becomes corrupted by this power and engages in a brutal slaughter that leaves the nation paralyzed with fear. inuyashiki becomes a startling examination of how the same power can push people down very different paths.
1 Monster highlights how the power to give life can have deadly consequences
Mary Shelley’s myth of Frankenstein’s Monster is over 200 years old and has had a notable influence on pop culture. Monster it is an irresistible descent into power, responsibility, and arrogance that pushes the Frankenstein story in serial killer territory.
Kenzo Tenma is a revered surgeon whose life begins to unravel after one of his former patients emerges with murderous tendencies. Tenma must consider the power of his work and the chilling realization that saving someone’s life has left many more people injured. With 74 episodes, Monster reach devastating stakes and you have the freedom to appropriately expand on your dark characters and themes.
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