SHOWS YOU MIGHT'VE BEEN MISSING ON— AND WHY PIECES LIKE THIS KEEP GETTING UNDERRATED.

One of the beauties of anime is its ever growing pool of content. It’s like the universe. It never ends. No matter how much of it you consume, the flow never even deintensifies. For every proper anime you’ve seen, there are ten out there that rival it by every metric of excellence.

Therefore, in classic Animatrix style, we bring you a list, containing some shows that perhaps deserve more flowers than they currently get— next to none.

Here are some underrated shows for you to check out;

A PLACE FURTHER THAN THE UNIVERSE. (2018)

Like most female led anime, this is one of the shows that get dismissed for being “cutesy”. It’s more than just girly stuff; there’s more baggage. 

The story follows what seems to be a classic girls’ trip to Antartica, where four high school teenagers end up doing more than just unwinding. 

This trip ends up bringing more to light than any therapy session could ever. Each girl, despite how bubbly they were on the surface, has very deep emotional problems and this trip brings a much needed clarity to their problems. They are forced to face their demons, and what better place to do it than no man’s land?

It’s not your classic action special or mystical masterpiece, but sometimes, all you need is a touch of emotion.

SONNY BOY. (2021)

This is one of the most impressively unique anime pieces in recent time. I mean, who would expect a plot with such dynamic?

In a cosmic shift, an entire school finds itself existing on a different universal plane than it used to. An alternate dimension, to be more precise. 

Everything is different, like the forces of life reshuffled everything. Adaptation to this shift means that the students of this school must acquire skills and powers that defy the natural. 

They must either do this, or stand facing major threats to their existence, unarmed and unprepared. 

BARAKAMON. (2014)

For his public outburst and physical assault of an esteemed figure on an even more prestigious stage, Seishu Handa faces the music in a pretty unconventional way, by the standards of the day; an exile to a village of generally lively people. 

With every passing day in this island village, he learns not just the mistake he made that night on a dignified stage. He learns the problem with his personality. 

The raucous nature of his new found “friends” prompts him to put his character under scrutiny, and consequentially, get better at handling people.

THE ELUSIVE SAMURAI. (2024)

After seeing his family die at the hands of people who would waste no time to have his head on spike and getting usurped out of what was once his birthright, Lord Hojo Tokiyuki is under no illusion. He is alone.

Now the most wanted man by the forces that ran the country, he decides to begin the long walk to redemption. 

With his ultimate goal being to reclaim the seat of power stolen from his family and avenge their deaths, he builds slowly— joining forces with allies to achieve it. 

MEGALO BOX. (2018-2021)

This is a sports themed anime that tells the story of a city and its love for boxing, a love so strong that they rewrote the rules of the game.

In this city, boxers used gear in battle, powered exoskeletons that raised the stakes much higher and made the fights more exciting.

Everything seems lovely until Gearless Joe shows up. He works his way up from underground fights to the biggest stage, and he does it with the cards stacked against him. He does it without gear. 

The show follows his heroics at the Megalonia tournament and by extension, the story of his rise to the spotlight.

WHY ARE THESE SHOWS UNDERRATED?

These shows highlight everything expected of an anime show with potential to break ceilings, but they’re always swept under the radar. It takes digging to get to these shows. Shows like this should be promoted more, but they aren’t and that begs the question.

Why?

There are different reasons for this, some of which include;

Sentiment from fans.

Here’s the truth about a large proportion of Otaku that most people know but fail to acknowledge: they are very sentimental when it comes to rating shows, and sometimes, no matter how good a new show is, they don’t rate it high enough. 

Of course, there is a crop of fans that believe in uncovering gems like these, but they don’t hold a candle in terms of numbers to the fans that won’t hear of any anime that may be better than their favorites.

Everyone has that one show. The one that made them fall in love with anime, and yes, it deserves a special spot in the heart of a true fan, but no matter how close to perfection a work of art is, at some point, another piece will show up, that just has to be better. It’s called evolution.

Budget.

Sometimes, it is not that these stories do not have fans willing to engage in discourses for promotional purposes. Sometimes, they’re cut off at the knees by the budget put into producing the movie/series. 

There isn’t a single successful show in anime history that doesn’t have a big budget. Perfection takes time, and time takes money.

These shows, when first released, show potential, but they simply do not get better. The visuals don’t level up, and production seems stagnant. Sometimes, a bigger purse is all that’s needed.

Lack of appreciation for creativity.

Despite the large pool of anime in existence and it’s unrivalled variety, there still seems to be a lack of appreciation, by fans and creatives alike, for the writers that step out of the box and come up with unique ideas.

Shows that don’t follow the conventional “trifecta” of creativity in anime— magic, action and feminine —are not generally appreciated in the anime community. Most viewers don’t want to explore alternate options, despite the possibilites on that route and the studios have no choice but to listen.

The next step to be taken in the anime community is a step towards inclusivity. Creatives must be encouraged to bend the rules as much as possible, because there is no rigidity in the ink of the pen. 

As it flows, so should the proverbial juices flow.