Since the genre of anime is vast and variegated, the amount of shows that the category offers is innumerable. Recommendations for quality anime shows are no-brainer as the internet hosts many of them, but oftentimes, it so happens that shows that have a good plot strength, well-developed characters, and interesting premise often gets lost under the heat of the popular anime shows. For example, KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World perhaps got the fame for its first episode and that too for an odd animation sequence, but it doesn’t mean that the show can be called an underrated gem.
Underrated shows are often hard to describe because sometimes they grab the attention of the fandom en masse but lose their flavor soon enough. Shows like this often become a niche that cannot be explained in the same category as insanely popular shows like Chainsaw Man, but it can said with conviction that these shows would be loved regardless if anime fans give it a try. Thus, here are ten such recommendations of underrated gems that one needs to watch immediately, that is if they haven’t already.
Darker than Black and 9 other underrated gems that anime fans would love
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Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan
With sufficient background knowledge on each character, this supernatural story revolves around the master of the Nura clan, Rikuo Nura, who is ¾ human and ¼ yokai. The clan itself houses 10,000 yokai whom Rikuo treats as his family, but he soon learns that he is the only one among his classmates to treat and sees them right.
To add to that complication, Rikuo struggles with his human and yokai self as he hopes to help both of them and do good deeds. However, he eventually learns to accept his two sides and takes up the position as the Third Head of the Nura Clan. But the story is not just about acceptance of the self, as the social and clan politics come in the way of Rikuo’s goals and try to bring him down.
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Welcome to N.H.K
The anime focuses on several young adults living in Tokyo, but the large exploration is on the concept of ‘hikikomori’ (a social recluse) and psychological issues. Here, 22-year-old protagonist Tatsuhiro Satou’s life is sketched with utmost care and detail as he lives his life in isolation after dropping out of college. However, his isolation years are accompanied by his several conspiracy theories, among which he believes his ‘shut-in’ is also one.
At this point he meets a mysterious girl named Misaki Nakahara who promises to cure him of his hikikomori lifestyle. Thus, begins a drama in the line of a tragicomedy that provides a raw portrayal of problems pertaining to self-wrought isolation from society. Although the solution-finding may be a difficult thing to tackle, Welcome to N.H.K nevertheless discusses it in the right tone.
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Darker than Black
The present setting of Darker than Black is based on the events that happened 10 years ago when Heaven’s and Hell’s Gate appeared in South America and Japan, respectively. Although the exact nature of these gates remain unknown, this sci-fi thriller brings in several changes into the world, such as the shift in night sky view and the Contractors, who are people with supernatural abilities.
Within this, a Chinese Contractor named Hei takes ruthless missions that involve cold-blooded murders under the Syndicate’s orders. His mission involves uncovering the truth that threatens the existence of Contracts, but through the course of events, he also gains back his humanity – a phenomenon that even his immediate peers comment on.
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Death Parade
Death Parade is a philosophical exposé on matters of human life and death that are presented in a game style format at the Quindecim. Here, the bartender Decim acts as the arbiter but also maintains a Shinigami vibe as he makes the pair of human who end up at Quindecim to play the dangerous games, which, in turn, determine if the soul will be passed on to reincarnate or will be lost in the winds of the void.
Interestingly, the human souls who end up here are called patrons whose life story slowly comes to the forefront through these games. Following an episodic structure, Death Parade essentially deals with the darker themes of existence and morality and brings viewers to question the actions of each patron at the end of every episode.
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Lycoris Recoil
Takina Inoue is the main focus of Lycoris Recoil. She is part of an all-female government-approved undercover group who specialise in assassination of terrorists and espionage under the “Lycoris” program. During a mission to intercept an operation dealing with firearms exchange, Takina becomes entangled in a difficult situation where one of her colleagues is held hostage. However, she jeopardizes the Lycoris’ safety by indiscriminately shooting the targets.
After this, she is dismissed by the organization and transferred to work with Chisato Nishikigi, a Lycoris prodigy who was involved in the destruction of the old radio tower and operates from an undercover cafe called LycoReco. Hoping to get reinstated at Direct Attack (DA), Takina works together with Chisato and learns a great deal of things ranging from managing the cafe and doing odd jobs to handling situations that involve terrorist attacks by Majima. But amidst this, Takina also learns a few lessons about life and living.
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Mushishi
The anime explores the concept of a different kind of spirit called “Mushi,” which are described as the most primitive forms of life and can be found in various odd places like living organisms, diseases, or natural weather phenomena. Just like the kodama from Princess Mononoke, these spirits also exist without any sense of purpose and beyond the idea of morality. Since it’s an obscure being, information on these creatures remains scarce.
However, that’s what makes this anime all the more interesting. Although the anime has a slow pace, each episode uncovers details about these strange spirits through Ginko, who calls himself mushishi and travels to different places to research them and help people who suffer due to Mushi’s effect.
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91 Days
Set in 1932 (Prohibition era), the crime-drama thriller 91 Days is set in the fictional town of Lawless where the events of the present are guided by the tragedy witnessed by Angelo Lagusa. As a child, he had seen his parents and younger brother being murdered by the Italian mafia family, the Vanettis. Distraught by the loss, he abandons his name and town to become Avilio Bruno in the Midwest.
In a strange twist of fate, Avilio eventually gains the opportunity to exact revenge on the Vanetti family. Back in Lawless, he befriends the mafia leader’s son, Nero, and makes it his mission to kill each member of the family. But vengeance doesn’t come easy to the protagonist, who soon realizes that revenge killing may lead to grave consequences.
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Hell Girl
Following an episodic structure that touches upon varied ideas and psyches, Hell Girl is a horror drama based on revenge and the modern day use of the internet. With discussions on dark elements, this thought-provoking anime comments that revenge cannot exist in vacuum, as when the tormentor is condemned to Hell, the victim also marks themselves as someone who will also be dragged to the same place. According to MyAnimeList, the synopsis of the series reads:
“It is said that if someone seeks revenge, they should dig two graves—and this is especially true of those who use the Hell Correspondence website. At the stroke of midnight, this ominous web domain becomes accessible, and whoever inputs the name of their grudge will get a visit from Ai Enma, the Hell Girl. Ai explains that she will send the target’s soul to hell, but the requester will also end up in hell when they die.”
It continues:
“For some, that price is far too steep; for others, where they will spend their afterlife has no bearing on their current, day-to-day hell. But one thing is certain: the Hell Girl will always be available to those in need of revenge, while she stoically performs her duty of ferrying souls into the darkness.”
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Eternal Quon
With a futuristic premise, the story is set in Tokyo where special kinds of human beings called “Attractors” have gained supernatural abilities. However, the catch is – they are being chased by an undercover organization named Custos. To counter the hunt by Custos, the Attractors, who are led by an idealist boy named Quon, join forces with each other to resist the incoming attacks and defend themselves.
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Terror in Resonance
This crime thriller drama by MAPPA sees two boys named Nine and Twelve stealing a prototype of an atom bomb in an apparent act of terrorism, but what’s left behind is the word “VON” in red. The duo call themselves “Sphinx,” and they plot various attacks on Tokyo. However, before that, Sphinx uploads a video before every attack and challenges the police forces with a riddle, which they must solve to prevent the attack.
Within this narrative is their classmate Lisa and Detective Kenjirou Shibazaki who get caught up with Sphinx. While the latter is tasked to solve the riddles, Lisa becomes their partner-in-crime to carry out nefarious tasks. However, the story isn’t about the acts of terrorism by two teenage boys, as it is through their activities, the anime presents a socio-political commentary on Japan.
