8 Underrated Anime Series You Should Have Watched

[Nixou]

Wait a minute: since when Last Exile is an Utopia? The world is dying, two nations are trying to slaughter each other so the surviving faction can cling to the remaining food and the "Guild" callously allows it to happen from above like the inept, inbred, parasitic aristocrats they are.

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Crest/Banner of the Stars:

You're talking about that story about some lordling's son becoming the enthusiastic collaborateur of genetically engineered corporate space nazis because he finds their heir to the throne hot?

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Ergo Proxy? That show completely changes its focus as it moves along. It takes a while to even figure out what the series is about.

It's not much the change of focus which annoyed me: it's the episode "Ok Guys, the suits refused to fund the anime as much as we hoped, so instead of slowly unveiling the story, will just give you a big info dump wrapped into a fake gameshow"

 

[CrystalShadow]

Well... I've seen two of those...

And one of them is pretty mjch my favourite anime, so...

Yeah.

Still, that leaves quite a few things I haven't seen... So... I guess I'll go take a look.


By the way, anyone seen a series called (roughly): watamote - it's you guys fault i'm not popular!

It's brilliant. Far more so than the premise behind it woukd suggest is possible...

 

[Tanis]

Crest/Banner of the Stars:
You're talking about that story about some lordling's son becoming the enthusiastic collaborateur of genetically engineered corporate space nazis because he finds their heir to the throne hot?

Clearly, you've NEVER seen the series.

 

[Nixou]

Clearly, you've NEVER seen the series.

Indeed: I've never seen the series: I've read the manga.

 

[LysanderNemoinis]

I loved Escaflowne till the last ep pissed me off... Shoulda stayed in the other world.

Actually, I think the show totally fell apart right at the end. Granted, I hated the main male and female protagonist with a burning passion, and would have prefered if there was some kind of horrible medieval blender accident involving them...and the neko...but the ride to the ending was fantastic.

 

[Kaimax]

Where's my "Space Brothers"...Now that's Underrated as hell. Heck, it even tries to make people aware of ALS before even the Ice Bucket Challenge.

The ones that I can say is underrated from the list (disregarding quality) are only Zetsuen no Tempest and Tokyo Raves. The rest are pretty well known, especially Full Metal Panic, where people is screaming at KyoAni to stop focusing on "Moe anime titles" and adapt the newer stories.

 

[Tanis]

Clearly, you've NEVER seen the series.
Indeed: I've never seen the series: I've read the manga.

SEE: My avatar.
The manga is just, well, bad.
I mean, I guess it's okay-ish if you've seen the series or read the novels, but on its own?
Eh...nope.
.
.
.
.
.

I loved Escaflowne till the last ep pissed me off... Shoulda stayed in the other world.

There's actually a good reason for it failing towards the end.
It was SUPPOSE to be like a 30+ episode series, but their funding got cut towards episode 20 or so.

So, they had to fit in around 10+ episodes of plot int less than 6, AND rewrite the ending.
>_>

It's a shame, because I find the series to be REALLY enjoyable regardless.
But, there is that feeling of how much better it could have been.

The same thing happened to Wolf's Rain.

 

[Denamic]

Some of these are definitely not underrated, just obscure. There's a fundamental difference.

 

[-Dragmire-]

I loved Escaflowne till the last ep pissed me off... Shoulda stayed in the other world.

Actually, I think the show totally fell apart right at the end. Granted, I hated the main male and female protagonist with a burning passion, and would have prefered if there was some kind of horrible medieval blender accident involving them...and the neko...but the ride to the ending was fantastic.

It's been like, 14 years since I watched the finale and haven't rewatched it since. I vaguely recall the protagonists bickering getting them into stupid trouble but at the age of 13, it didn't get on my nerves that much. Also, I seem to recall 3 neko cat girls - 1 on the good guy team and 2 on the bad guy team[small](I'm pretty sure they kill themselves somehow relating to a bad guy they liked...)[/small].

.......

I'm not sure if I would be as positive to the show now as I was back then, so I've been leery about rewatching it. The floating rock technology they had in the other world made for neat setting dressing, I'll give it that.

Spoiler: The main power suit robot thing still looks cool too

[small]Ah, wait... that cat. Yes, I remember hating that cat. The image search I did for the suit had some with her in it and then suddenly I remember...[/small]

 

[Story]

Hmm interesting list though I don't think Gunslinger Girl or Full Metal Panic is underrated. I've honestly heard nothing but good things about them.
Also I liked Ergo Proxy, but I can see why others would not.
I might check out some of the others though.

Serious question is the anime Princess Tutu underrated? Or is it just obscure? Or neither what with that meme and all?
That's seriously my favorite anime though I find it hard to recommend to people.

 

[EyeReaper]

Saying Full Metal Panic is underrated Just seems off to me, and not only because the anime never really raises the bar past "Decent."

Then again, it really all boils down to opinions. It's hard to see the word "Underrated" and not interpret it as "I want more people to like this because I like this" unless there is some sort of proof that the series is underrated.

if this was my list, I'd say it is missing Cuticle Detective Inaba, Strange+, Mysterious Girlfriend X, Gatchaman CROWDS, and definitely Yuruyuri. Maybe Nichijou, but I know that's gotten a lot more attention over here than it did in Japan. How about Dokkoida? anyone else even ever hear of that?

Oh, and finally, Hunter X Hunter, no, it doesn't matter how popular it is/was, it deserves more attention for being the greatest Shounen this side of JOJO.

 

[cleric of the order]

heh I've watched two of those.
Oh If I could suggest another, requiem from the darkness and in the English dub, which is good
Really damn good, I love mataichi 's voice is fucking great

 

[Fox12]

ESPECIALLY RahXephon? Now those are underrated.

Ah yes, RahXephon, that's got to be one of the most underrated anime I've ever seen. God did I love that show.

OT: I'm a little upset there wasn't anything here I haven't already seen (hell, I own a copy of most of the things on this list).

I liked it more when it was called Evangelion ; )

I wouldn't call most of these underrated. With a few exceptions they seemed relatively successful, and well known. Still worth checking out, though. I wish more people would mention Saikano. I don't think I've met a single person whose seen it, and that series was soul crushing. You don't forget about it, and it stays with you long after the dust settles.

 

[Zontar]

I liked it more when it was called Evangelion ; )

I know it's a joke, but man do I hate the comparison. Other then having giant robots there's pretty little overlap between the two. RahXephone was a story about love and lose in a time of war with interdenominational human aliens from the point of view of a defector.

Eva is the story of how running out of money means you go from having a plot to having 'themes'.

 

[Dalisclock]

ESPECIALLY RahXephon? Now those are underrated.

Ah yes, RahXephon, that's got to be one of the most underrated anime I've ever seen. God did I love that show.

OT: I'm a little upset there wasn't anything here I haven't already seen (hell, I own a copy of most of the things on this list).

You are now my new favorite person EVER. Period. I've never met anyone outside my friends (who I forced to watch RahXephon at gunpoint...though they thanked me later) who has so much as heard of it, much less appreciates it.

I'm thinking the same thing. I got into that show because people were saying "It's like EVA, but not nearly as depressing"(and I like EVA). But yeah, I enjoyed the show even if I feel like I need to watch the show again to see if I makes more sense.

The Dolems were incredibly interesting though.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Favorite episode of Full Metal Panic was the football rugby episode in the fumoffu season. I cried laughing during that ep.

Fumoffu was really when the series found it stride. None of that drama, just Sagara being hilarious as an overly serious military weirdo. And yeah, the rugby episode is genius. But the hot springs episode was a gas too, just because Kurz Weber is such a fucking pimp. The fucking dramatic military bravado over spying on naked girls in that episode had me in stitches. And then that ending...

 

[Dalisclock]

Ergo Proxy? That show completely changes its focus as it moves along. It takes a while to even figure out what the series is about.

It's not much the change of focus which annoyed me: it's the episode "Ok Guys, the suits refused to fund the anime as much as we hoped, so instead of slowly unveiling the story, will just give you a big info dump wrapped into a fake gameshow"

While that was wierd, it didn't really bother me. Especially because by that point it started feeling a lot like post-apoctolpyic, cyberpunk twin peaks.

And every time I watch that show I seem to notice something else, but I'm still not sure I fully understand it.

 

[Fox12]

I liked it more when it was called Evangelion ; )

I know it's a joke, but man do I hate the comparison. Other then having giant robots there's pretty little overlap between the two. RahXephone was a story about love and lose in a time of war with interdenominational human aliens from the point of view of a defector.

Eva is the story of how running out of money means you go from having a plot to having 'themes'.

Okay, that made me laugh pretty hard.

Anyway, there's no doubt that Rahxephone was influenced by Eva, but so was 90% of the rest of anime, so its hardly alone. And frankly, several series handle Evas ideas a lot better. You may want to check out Narutaru for a similar experience that, you know, has an actual plot and an ending that makes sense. That manga was fantastic, and had a pretty tight emotional core. You may enjoy it if you liked Rahxephone.

Which reminds me, I should watch that series again sometime.

 

[Zontar]

I liked it more when it was called Evangelion ; )

I know it's a joke, but man do I hate the comparison. Other then having giant robots there's pretty little overlap between the two. RahXephone was a story about love and lose in a time of war with interdenominational human aliens from the point of view of a defector.

Eva is the story of how running out of money means you go from having a plot to having 'themes'.

Okay, that made me laugh pretty hard.

Anyway, there's no doubt that Rahxephone was influenced by Eva, but so was 90% of the rest of anime, so its hardly alone. And frankly, several series handle Evas ideas a lot better. You may want to check out Narutaru for a similar experience that, you know, has an actual plot and an ending that makes sense. That manga was fantastic, and had a pretty tight emotional core. You may enjoy it if you liked Rahxephone.

Which reminds me, I should watch that series again sometime.

As Shadow Star, now THERE's a name I haven't heard in years. My god it's been like 8 or 9 years since I read threw that. I was still a younin back in those there days. I think I might have to go re-read that now. My legally adult mind will probably appreciate it much more then my just entering highschool self.