For my first feature article over at MAL, I thought I’d introduce myself with a partial list of some of my favorite under-appreciated anime of the last few years. Share some of yours here…
Enzo’s List: Underrated Gems
Redice
July 27, 2015 at 6:15 amGreat article, I'm going to check out R-15. You've convinced me to watch quite a few series before, like Baby Steps, Seirei no Moribito, and PetoPeto-san.
admin
July 27, 2015 at 6:24 amGive R-15 at least 2 eps to win you over. It's not slick or polished, and it tries a little hard to establish its ecchi credentials early on. But the true colors start to shine through pretty quickly.
elianthos80
July 27, 2015 at 7:40 amTalking of ecchi credential I found the worst episodes to be the two around the middle actually. They involved a certain manipulative young lady (evil lesbian trope *eyeroll*) and… wrestling was it? The rest was still outrageous but mostly in a good way imho – and I'll never forget the design of the school street lamps oh my.8D – .
segafreak2000
July 27, 2015 at 9:13 amTo be honest, most of the titles I consider underrated or underappreciated are already quite a bit older – stuff like Boogiepop Phantom to mind. Out of more recent titles, there's Kemono no Souja Erin – those who watch it usually score it highly, but the thing is that almost nobody actually does watch it. Oh, and there's also Hyouge Mono, though the release schedule from back then hurt it quite a bit, I suppose.
Nicholas Earls
July 28, 2015 at 5:29 pmErin is incredible, especially given that it was presented as a "kid's show." Anyone who likes touching, realistic interpersonal character drama, a coming of age story, and even a touch of political intrigue played out on the stage of a fantasy world, check out Kemono no Souja Erin.
admin
July 28, 2015 at 5:56 pmGiven my unconditional love of Moribito, I really did want to love Erin, and I gave it several episodes to win me over. Sadly, it never did – I found it a bit of a slog to be honest.
segafreak2000
July 28, 2015 at 6:31 pmDoesn't surprise me. Due to the fillers that they added in compared to the novels, Erin is kind of a notorious slow starter. The first real events don't start until episode 6~7, though I'd argue that the main point when it picks up is after the first cour. It's decent up to that point, but at that point it steps up its game imo. And then takes it up by another notch for the final third.
Stöt
July 27, 2015 at 9:28 amGreat stuff! There's at least four on that list that I know and love, and the rest I have yet to try. I'm definitely going to check out Nekogami Yaoyorozu, and I don't know why I keep avoiding Shirokuma Cafe. Despite the glowing reviews, I haven't even watched a full episode.
On Nekogami Yaoyorozu you write: "Of all the series I regretted not blogging, this one was very close to the head of the list". Which anime is the top of that list? Would be interesting to know
admin
July 27, 2015 at 5:15 pmHard to say. I certainly wish I'd blogged Ronja, of the recent era.
melodic thoughts
July 27, 2015 at 10:58 am> Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita
There isn't really an audience the show can target towards in the anime community. It's an oddball comedy.
I don't have many series to add here that aren't already mentioned somewhere in your blog9
gigaknight21
July 28, 2015 at 1:15 amReally liked this post – I'm trying Zettai Shonen on your recommendation…
For me, an anime that hit me at just the right time was Zegapain, an old, shitty CG mecha series. I know you're a fan of Reboot Enzo – did you ever try this kinda similar mecha offering?
For me, the best Japanese properties that go underrated with english audiences are mangas. There's just so much great manga out there that you wouldn't normally run into unless you are looking for it…some personal favorites include Angel Densetsu, Hoshi no Samidare, and the manga continuation of Kekkaishi. Great reading all around.
admin
July 28, 2015 at 5:47 amHave not seen Zegapain, actually. I'll put it on my list, thanks.
75d7b2e4-3861-11e4-9ecd-4b3610d75647
July 28, 2015 at 4:00 amTRIBE COOL CREW.
TOKYO TRIBE 2.
Ksenya
July 28, 2015 at 7:19 pmHopped over to your blog from RC some year and a change ago, and have been since mining it for the anime that tends to fly somewhat under the radar.
Thank you for getting me to see House of Five Leaves, Tonari No Kaibutsu-Kun, Kyousougiga, Tsuritama and, best of them all, Hoozuki No Reitetsu. The last three would be in my Top 10 anime of all time. Sorry for never stopping to say thank you before, but better late than ever. Your work is much appreciated. Even though our opinions sometimes don't match, one can always count on you presenting yours as a great point of discussion.
As for the unappreciated stuff:
Otona Joshi no Anime Time
Paradise Kiss (manga better than the anime, as the anime kind of leaves out the point)
Ikoku Meiro No Croizee
Katanagatari
Kuragehime
Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin
Shirobako
admin
July 28, 2015 at 9:30 pmCliche as it is, hearing stuff like that makes it all worthwhile. Thanks for chiming in.
From your list, Ikoku Meiro was my #1 show of 2011 – I thought about including it but I didn't think it was quite obscure or unheralded enough. I loved Kuragehime as well, and while it was flawed, I really thought Seikimatsu was underrated.