Top 10 underrated psychological anime

 

Looking for anime to watch? We’ve got you covered. Here’s a list of the top ten most underrated, deep, psychological and mind-bending anime to whisk away that quarantine boredom.

No. 10: Zankyou no terror/ Terror in resonance

This 2014 psychological thriller by the creator of cowboy bepop is perfect for a Saturday night binge. The animation and sound is absolutely beautiful, the plot is unique (the MCs are a pair of actual terrorists), the characters are well-written and while the show has its meh moments, it starts strong and ends strong. 

No. of ep: 11

Genre: psychological fiction, crime

No.9: Death parade

An interesting and unique series with a rather misleading opening. The visuals are stunning and the animation is silky smooth. The main plot is quite dark and discusses what makes people ‘good’ and if bringing out the darkness in people is the best (or only) way to judge them. 

No. of episodes: 12

Genre: psychological thriller, drama

No.8: Gakou gurashi/School-live!

School-live! is a horror slice of life. Yes, you heard that right. This 2015 anime written by Norimitsu Kaiho somehow manages to combine completely contrasting genres to craft something fun yet intense. It’s very unique and the closest thing to it that I can think of is Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I will not say anymore as this is a show best watched with no background knowledge.

No. of ep: 12

Genre: psychological thriller, horror fiction, slice of life

No.7: Ajin: demi-human

A great show with an intelligent, yet realistic protagonist who ends up smack dab in the middle of a mess he wants nothing to do with. He’s logical and selfish and just generally not a ‘good guy’. The antagonist, too, is highly intelligent and the plot is a sort of intellectual battle between the two. It’s only flaw is its 3D CGI though you get used to it pretty quickly. If you enjoy anime like death note and code geass, definitely give this show a try. 

No. of ep: 26 (13 in each season)

Genre: action fiction, dark fantasy, thriller

No.6: Ergo proxy

This anime is not for everyone. It’s hard to tell what exactly is going on and the plot, while interesting, doesn’t become apparent until rather late in the series. It’s a show that could benefit greatly from a more detailed storytelling taking place over multiple seasons rather than the 23 episodes it got. For a good part of the show the viewer is given little to no information. And despite all that, it’s one of my favourites. I have never seen anything else like it and if you like post apocalyptic mystery and sci-fi, definitely give this show a try. 

No. of ep: 23

Genre: cyberpunk, psychological fiction, thriller

No.5: Serial experiments lain

A very trippy anime that uses allegories and visuals to convey a story so complex it is regarded as art more than an anime. It discusses human nature and the concept of existence so if there was one anime I’d recommend to an existentialist, this would be it.

No. of episodes: 13

Genre: psychological fiction, cyberpunk 

No.4: Aku no Hana/Flowers of evil

Another anime that’s rather mind-bending and not for everyone. The characters are very realistic and the plot revolves around the emotions of the three MCs, providing some interesting insights into human nature in the process. The show uses rotoscope animation which some people do not like, but I think it adds to its uniqueness. Watch it but beware, it’ll be unlike anything you’ve watched before. 

No. of episodes: 13

Genre: psychological drama, coming-of-age, suspense

No.3: Bokurano

One of my favourite anime of all time. It’s a deconstruction of the mecha trope which discusses a wide variety of topics by following a group of middle-schoolers who sign a contract to play a ‘game’. The plot is grim and cynical as they realise what exactly they’ve signed up for and struggle with coming to terms with what is now their fate.

No. of episodes: 24

Genre: science fiction, thriller, tragedy

No.2: Paranoia agent

This anime is a straight up masterpiece and makes me regret the too early death of its creator, Satoshi Kon (who was also the mastermind behind paprika and perfect blue). This anime focuses less on telling a story and more on the realisation of an idea. And it walks the audience through that process using its characters and visuals. Definitely worth a watch. In fact, if you’re going to watch only one anime on this entire list I’d recommend you watch this. It’s a solid 10/10.

No. of episodes: 13

Genre: psychological thriller, satire

No.1: Monster

Compared to a lot of anime on this list, this show focuses more on the good in humanity than the bad. It's an anime about human nature and psychology that’s considered superior even to the likes of death note and psycho pass. Every single character is interesting and realistic and although the anime is a little slow paced, it’s definitely worth the journey.

No. of episodes: 74

Genre: psychological thriller, crime