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Underdog Anime


Getsuya

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I would like to take this opportunity to create a thread about some amazing anime series that have fallen by the wayside and been forgotten by the sands of time. A lot of the anime I hold in very high esteem tend to be overlooked generally due to several factors such as weak opening episodes that failed to pull people in, confusing storylines that don't show their true excellence until very late, or just plain lack of anyone even knowing they exist.

 

If you know of any series that you think are completely and utterly forgotten/overlooked but that could easily be classics that everyone can enjoy, please post about them along with reasons you think the anime deserves to be more than just an underdog! Let's get people watching new and interesting things!

 

Figure 17

The Case For: Before Nanoha or Madoka turned magical girl tropes on their heads, Figure 17 did. Figure 17 is one of the most bizarre and amazing magical girl series ever created, and the fact that it generally passes unknown while Nanoha and Madoka are household names is really sad. Figure 17 combines amazing art, a beautiful soundtrack, memorable and realistic characters, a unique episode design (30 minutes of slice-of-life, 15 minutes of sci-fi magical girl action) with one of the most bizarre premises for a magical girl show ever. The trailer sets things up better than my explanation ever could, so just take a look at that.

 

Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra

The Case For: Book of Bantorra is generally overlooked (I imagine) because the opening story arc is very obtuse and strange. This is a story where the pieces don't fall into place until well into it, and after an action-filled first episode it slows down quite a bit. However, it is also based off of a light novel series that was completed when the anime came out. Like series that have actual, satisfying conclusions and cohesive story arcs? This should be right up your alley. The amount of effort the author went into creating an interesting, dynamic fantasy world should put them up alongside Japanese fantasy greats like Uehashi Nahoko. Yes, if you enjoy things like Seirei no Moribito/Guardian of the Spirit this should be a no-brainer for you. For how good the plot is as a whole this show is criminally under-rated.

 

Zettai Karen Children

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xxpo2g_ninas-adorables-op1-y-end-1_webcam

The Case For: I think most people drop this show upon watching the first episode which involves a guy with the 'psychic' ability to turn things into metal by shooting a beam from his crotch. It's... definitely not the best way to start a series of this kind. The manga has a much smoother entry (though it is also riddled with problems, including the fact that the whole manga gets rebooted after only a volume or so). But here's the thing, Zettai Karen Children is good. Really, really good. What does it have going for it? Well you may as well call this the Japanese answer to X-Men. It deals with the same kind of themes; you've got super-powered humans popping up here and there and the ordinary people of the world don't like that. So you've got the faction of the good power users trying to use their powers to help people and defeat the prejudice against them, then you've got the 'evil' power users who are really just people who have suffered at the hands of the prejudiced humans and now want a place of their own in society, and then you've got the ordinary people, some of whom soften up to the power users and some of whom hate the power users with a passion. Throw into this mix a complicated 'surrogate family' story with a main character who has his own emotional scars trying to break three young girls who have constantly been abused by the system and society out of their shells and help them to see the good in their fellow humans. What else does it have going for it? Try 52 episodes without a single filler or recap episode. Not one. Every single episode in the 52 episode series builds upon the central plot, making the series feel very complete and cohesive. And the characters are amazing. I think anyone who spends any amount of time with this series will immediately want to also go watch the spinoff which is told from the 'villain's perspective (The Unlimited Hyobu Kyosuke).

 

Dennou Coil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWnSN-RR7dU

The Case For: Dennou Coil is weird. It combines a twisted, mysterious cyberspace plot that would put most cyberpunk novelists to shame with cartoony graphics and filler episodes that would be more at home in a Nickelodeon show. It starts off at a very slow boil, and even when things pick up the bizarrely idiotic filler episodes often throw cold water on any intensity the series has gathered. But still, this is a story worth sticking around for. There's not much else I can say about it without spoiling bits of the story, so I can only heartily recommend that you check it out if you have any interest whatsoever in mysteries or stories involving virtual reality/cyberspace.

 

Kemono no Souja Erin

The Case For: It's written by the same person who wrote Seirei no Moribito/Guardian of the Spirit. For some reason they decided to stretch the story out longer than it needed to be, insert Jar Jar Binks level useless gag characters and dumb filler eps, and give it an animation style that looks more like a PBS educational cartoon and yet... no matter how much stuff you pile on top of it, this is still a fantasy story written by one of the most famous and popular fantasy authors of Japan, and it shows. This is a highly fulfilling and satisfying fantasy epic that any fantasy fan should watch RIGHT NOW. Unless you haven't seen Seirei no Moribito yet in which case watch that and then watch this RIGHT AFTER.

 

 

There are several more shows I want to highlight, but I don't want to drown people in random shows right from the first post. If you'd like to post some underdog shows please do, though try to keep your reasoning behind posting it short and succinct so people can browse through the titles easily enough. Also please try to include a video, either an OP or maybe a trailer/preview that will help show off the show in some way.

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Book of Bantorra just got me in this OP. I LOVE this song of Ali Project, since I've watched her singing it live. I didn't know where it was from.

 

Anyway, I think Shinsekai Yori fits this "underdog" category. It has a great story, a great development and a lot of twists and mystery. The problem was most with the pace, that was pretty slow, and some people didn't understand a lot about it - mostly at episode 5, I guess, where the art changed and people didn't get the meaning. Oh, and also at episode 9, just because of homossexuality pfff Anyway, a lot of people that i know dropped it just because of it being hard to get.

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Thanks for this! Most of these series I have not heard of. Dennou Coil is the only one I already knew about, and you mentioning it bumped it up my priority list. I always enjoy exploring under-appreciated gems. So really, thanks for this passion filled list :D 

 

By any chance have you heard of Legendary Gambler Tetsuya? It's probably the most obscure and forgotten hidden-gem of an anime I've personally watched thus far. Admittedly I have a bias for gambling anime, but regardless I feel it is an all around good show.   

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Glad to see Erin mentioned. Its my favorite anime after K-on!! and its a shame almost no one knows of it or talks about it. I don't really agree with you saying that is has filler episodes outside of the two recaps and the one ep that focuses on the two idiots whose names I can't remember right now. The show is paced very slowly, but everything feels important and adds depth to the characters. Erin herself is such a great character and I love the way she develops throughout the series. I wish vol 3 & 4 of the LN would get adapted, but the author did originally plan to end it in vol 2, it does have a conclusive and satisfying ending. 

 

Anyways, you can clearly see that I highly rec Erin  :sachi:

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filler episodes outside of the two recaps and the one ep that focuses on the two idiots whose names I can't remember right now.

Those were the ones I meant. It's not really bad considering that's only like 3 eps across 52, but they're still bad enough to stick out in my mind. Especially the one with the stupid thief guys. Dunno why they felt they needed to forcefully insert those characters since they didn't exist in the books.

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Those were the ones I meant. It's not really bad considering that's only like 3 eps across 52, but they're still bad enough to stick out in my mind. Especially the one with the stupid thief guys. Dunno why they felt they needed to forcefully insert those characters since they didn't exist in the books.

 

Ahh, alright, then we're on the same page. It would have been great if they didn't have those thief guys in the show but eh. I don't understand why they added them either.

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I believe Shiki deserves a place here too. It's a bit like Shin Sekai Yori in how it's originally a book, slow paced at the beginning, and is rather stressful at the end. The lore, world, and themes may not be as developed or interesting as SSY, but it deserves a mention.

Ikuhara's works as well, Penguindrum and Utena are among my favorites, having a unique presentation that makes otherwise bland shows into something spectacular. Surrealism is not for everyone, but it should be given a try.

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Ikuhara's works as well, Penguindrum and Utena are among my favorites, having a unique presentation that makes otherwise bland shows into something spectacular. Surrealism is not for everyone, but it should be given a try.

 

I still have to watch Penguindrum, but Utena is my favorite anime. I've rewatched it at least over 3 times. And I first watched only a year ago. While Utena is a bit underappreciated, I feel enough hardcore anime fans praise it, so it doesn't really need an exclusive mention. Just like how Legend of the Galactic Heroes isn't well known among most anime fans, but any hardcore anime fan/critic has at least heard of it, and anyone who has watched it praises it highly.   

 

Infact, regarding Utena. Apparently a Cartoon Network cartoon referenced it rather recently. You can see the clip here:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGmvzL97H4s

 

The music was edited in, but everything else is ripped straight from the show.

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For a while I didn't enter this thread because I though it was about the Under the Dog kickstarter anime :P

 

Well we've had this thread probably twice since I've been on fuwa and it happens a lot on other forums, and I rarely see actually obscure stuff in them, but you've managed to pique my curiosity about Figure 17, which I've never heard of.

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Well we've had this thread probably twice since I've been on fuwa and it happens a lot on other forums, and I rarely see actually obscure stuff in them, but you've managed to pique my curiosity about Figure 17, which I've never heard of.

 

If Eldin and Ryoji were still here, I'm sure they could list a good amount of obscure 80's and 90's anime most of us have never heard of. 

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