Top underrated/unknown anime

[Persona]

I'm looking for some suggestions of anime to watch in my spare time. What are some of the top underrated, unknown, or otherwise unpopular anime that you've ever seen? Given those parameters, I'm excluding cult anime such as Lain, Elfen Lied, or anything from Gainax; anything that is simply old but not necessarily underrated such as Bubblegum Crisis or Macross; and anything that just tries a little too hard to be esoteric, like Texhnolyze.

What I am looking for are anime in the vein of Paranoia Agent, Boogiepop Phantom, or even The Girl Who Leaped Through Time. They don't have to be depressing, but I would prefer them to have a coherent plot that sees itself through to the end, good storytelling, little-to-no gimmicks, and sympathetic or at least identifiable characters.

And... go?

[CaptainYossarian]

I'm not sure if it's exactly what you had in mind, and you might have already seen it, but in terms of under-appreciated anime I would put Planetes head over heals over anything else. If you ask me, that show is pretty much the definition of diamond in the rough.

[PyronIkari]

I'm not sure if it's exactly what you had in mind, and you might have already seen it, but in terms of under-appreciated anime I would put Planetes head over heals over anything else. If you ask me, that show is pretty much the definition of diamond in the rough.

Planetes is pretty well known and well received.

Ah... let's see.

Mushishi is one of the best shows of the 2000s and was pretty much ignored by a good amount of the population. It's really slow paced, and there really isn't a continual story, but the adventures of a "mushishi" and the people/communities he encounters. Mushi translates to bug for the most part. Mushi in the series are spirits in the shape of bugs(for the most part) that do different things according to what kind. Most of them change things to seemingly normal events, but how the stories are told and how everything happens is just amazing.

Seto no Hanayome. It's kinda strange that this isn't that popular. It's your non-typical harem series. It's about a boy who is saved by a mermaid, and is forced to engage her so that he is allowed to live/return to the normal world. The premise sounds typical and stupid, but it's more or less a plot device and not the main premise. To expand... the mermaid is the daughter of a Yakuza boss, she has a mermaid rival whose father is (to simplify) the Terminator. They are childhood friends with a mermaid guy who... just watch it... seriously. It's one of the funniest series I've seen, and it's anything but typical. Haruko Momoi does the voice of Sun, that alone is worth it.

Manabi Straight. Slice of life-ish. It's about a group of five girls who go to highschool. It's set in the future, where growth is slowed down, so they look like lolis. It's a really cute and amusing show but it is kinda typical. It is one of the better of its genre though.

Futakoi Alternative. It's a lot better if you watched/played the original Futakoi but it's not needed. Futakoi is typical galge turned anime, but the shtick is that every girl is a twin. Alternative is more about coming to age, and how we lose sight of a lot of the things we hold dear, and how simple thoughts and actions really make life worth living. It's very calm and easy going, and pays homage to A LOT of cultural things from around the world (the op is a parody of like 15 different US movies).

Honey and Clover. If you watched Higashi no Eden/Eden of the East, it's the same art style. This is once again, a coming of age story, but the characters in this are amazing and how everything unfolds is just poetically beautiful. It really really really portrays how people are, and how people have wants... but that doesn't mean they match the wants of others. It'll make more sense as you watch more into the series. There was a live action of it as well, which wasn't nearly as good, but still pretty good. I was really surprised this series didn't pick up more hype than it got, because it really is just good.

Off the top of my head, that's all I can think of.

[CaptainYossarian]

Planetes is pretty well known and well received.

Among people who know about these thing, yes. Even then, though, I'd say it's certainly equally or more obscure than Mushashi or Honey and Clover, both of which I see around much more and I've actually met people who've watched. But I admit I might just be drawing on heuristic evidence and it's much more popular than I've seemed to caught on to. 

[LordKefka]

I would say Oh! Edo Rocket, Simoun, Fantastic Children, Twin Spica.

I don't think either Planetes or Honey and Clover is "underrated" though honestly I hate using that word. But still, these shows are excellent and I don't know why anyone should be hesitant to watch it for any silly reason such as whether or not it's underrated or not.

[CaptainYossarian]

I don't think either Planetes or Honey and Clover is "underrated" though honestly I hate using that word. But still, these shows are excellent and I don't know why anyone should be hesitant to watch it for any silly reason such as whether or not it's underrated or not.

Just for the record, I'm in agreement with this statement: what Planetes is is unknown, or at lest comparably.

[Kertus]

I agree with Pyron about Mushishi  ;)



V  Also below Noein also lol

[PyronIkari]

Oh I forgot about this even though I was talking about it yesterday.

Zegapain. I really thought it was just bad marketing on behalf of Microsoft for the game... and the first like 2 eps were like that. Then they got into the story more and I was really blown away. It's a realllllllllllllly good series that was ignored for being "Just microsoft marketing".

HachiKuro gets a lot of hate, a lot of people think it's boring and pointless.

Noein also got no publicity, and most people are really turned off by the art. A lot of people over analyze it(in the way they do Eva and Lain). It follows a similar train of thought as Lain, but like 20 times better, and actually somewhat exciting instead of just being a pseudo psychological series.

[G.I.R]

Oh I forgot about this even though I was talking about it yesterday.

Zegapain. I really thought it was just bad marketing on behalf of Microsoft for the game... and the first like 2 eps were like that. Then they got into the story more and I was really blown away. It's a realllllllllllllly good series that was ignored for being "Just microsoft marketing".

HachiKuro gets a lot of hate, a lot of people think it's boring and pointless.

Noein also got no publicity, and most people are really turned off by the art. A lot of people over analyze it(in the way they do Eva and Lain). It follows a similar train of thought as Lain, but like 20 times better, and actually somewhat exciting instead of just being a pseudo psychological series.

Y'know, when I saw the name "Zegapain" it sounded really familiar. Then I realized that was one of the titles I got at "Big Lots" for $3 last year when they had all those Bandai and Funimation titles.  I have a couple of volumes, but I never got around to watching them (unfortunately like a lot of the other titles I found).  Now I'll have to get them out and watch them.

[ELDEMONIO]

Let's see....

Shinesman
Kurogane Communication
Kino's Journey

[Sunara Ishi]

hmm... I guess Towards the Terra? It is an outer space series based on a 80s (anime) movie.
I'm not sure what else to list.

[Menchi]

Bartender.  As one might imagine, it's about a bartender.  It's a pretty awesome series.  Basically people come in with problems and leave with answers found through alcohol.

[Moonblossom]

Bartender.  As one might imagine, it's about a bartender.  It's a pretty awesome series.  Basically people come in with problems and leave with answers found through alcohol.

I *love* Bartender. A lot of people I know can't get into it because there's no action, no craziness, no ongoing drama. But it's really a beautiful little slice of life in every episode.

[mDuo13]

Bartender.  As one might imagine, it's about a bartender.  It's a pretty awesome series.  Basically people come in with problems and leave with answers found through alcohol.

I *love* Bartender. A lot of people I know can't get into it because there's no action, no craziness, no ongoing drama. But it's really a beautiful little slice of life in every episode.

Yeah, basically any show that's "slice of life" and not overflowing with moeblobs is going to get very little attention.  Bartender is an especially good example of that. Another pretty solid and under-repped show, albeit with more craziness and less slice of life, is Moyashimon, the show about a guy who sees microbes with the naked eye and goes to agricultural university. At least Japan seems to like it.

Asatte no Houkou is another underappreciated show. Nothing about it really stands out, but basically everything about it is above average. Good music, good character designs, good drama and character development, and pretty funny from time to time. It was one of those shows that comes along once in a while to remind me why I watch anime, anyway.

Finally, éX-Driver is a great OVA for me at least, Cool cars chases, great character designs, and a fun plot. A perfect example of why Kosuke Fujishima is awesome even when he's not drawing Ah! My Goddess.

[Mookie1171]

Try Gall Force. Great space epic stuff.

[Loktera^2]

Finally, éX-Driver is a great OVA for me at least, Cool cars chases, great character designs, and a fun plot. A perfect example of why Kosuke Fujishima is awesome even when he's not drawing Ah! My Goddess.

Seconded.