One of my favorite genres is one I call “surreal goofball comedy.” It’s gag humor in which not even the limits of reality are respected. Nichijou is the most well known example, but Pani Poni Dash is probably my favorite. Other examples include Excel Saga, Asobi Asobase, Galaxy Angel, Ueno-san wa Bukiyou, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Kill Me Baby, and most recently, CITY The Animation.
What are some of the weirdest/most niche genres (in your opinion) that you enjoyed watching?
Submitted 3 weeks ago by mo_lave@reddthat.com to anime@ani.social
Comments
Rottcodd@ani.social 3 weeks ago
CsXGF8uzUAOh6fqV@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Pani Poni Dash is underrated, good to see it mentioned. Have you seen Poputepipikku?
Rottcodd@ani.social 3 weeks ago
Poputepipikku
It’s on my “I have no doubt it’s good so I’m in no hurry to watch it” list. I should probably get on that…
flameleaf@ani.social 3 weeks ago
Medicine Man/Woman anime. Shows like Mushishi, Mononoke, Natsume Yuujinchou…
They’re typically episodic stories about a traveler who can see supernatural forces that no one else can (typically Yokai, but the Mushi in Mushishi are basically alien lifeforms) and uses their powers to help ordinary people in their struggles to live alongside or communicate with them.
I love these shows because they shine purely on their ability to create compelling drama without relying on ongoing plot lines or recurring characters. They’re just microcosms of humanity in its purest form. Mushishi is particularly impressive. Every episode feels like a short film, not a tv show.
Unboxious@ani.social 3 weeks ago
Does non-combat battle anime count? In Yakitate!! Japan the characters participate in tournaments to see who can make the best bread. It feels very much like a battle shounen at times. In Kaguya-sama: Love is War two tsundere who’ve fallen for each other try to use dumb tactics to force the other person to be the first to admit it (though the show is a lot more than just that).
HetareKing@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
If you like Yakitate!! Japan, there’s a whole genre of competitive cooking manga and anime that includes Chuuka Ichiban!/Cooking Master Boy and Shokugeki no Souma/Food Wars.
Unboxious@ani.social 3 weeks ago
I’ve heard of Food Wars, but never Chuuka Ichiban!. I’ll have to look it up sometime. Thanks!
orenj@lemmy.sdf.org 3 weeks ago
I have more than a passing absence of interest in idols, but WOW did Oshi No Ko blow me away with its first episode.
pycorax@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
That’s probably because Oshi no Ko is less of a idol anime and more of a drama that centers around the idol industry.
HetareKing@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
It’s not quite a genre per se, but I often enjoy it when there’s an educational aspect to something. Cells at Work and Ruri Rocks would be obvious examples, but I would also include, say, Golden Kamuy or (manga) A Bride’s Story. Hobby and cooking anime tend to have elements of this too, Yuru Camp, How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?, Sweetness and Lightning etc.
So not really “edutainment” in the sense of trying to trick children into learning by wrapping it in something that looks like entertainment, and more something where you can imagine the creators pointing at their work and saying “Look! This part of the world exists too! Isn’t that neat?” with stars in their eyes, if that makes sense.
Unboxious@ani.social 3 weeks ago
I absolutely get this feeling whenever we start learning random Ainu facts in Golden Kamuy.
mo_lave@reddthat.com 3 weeks ago
WTH, so that’s why I’m put off by kids-oriented media even while I was a kid. I couldn’t verbalize it then, but I felt they’re either fake (in the “plastic” sense) or condescending