Top Mixed Media Anime Recommendations

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Also known as Gurren Lagann.

Studio: Gainax
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Mecha , Romance , Sci-Fi

In a far away future, mankind lives underground in huge caves, unknowing of a world above with a sky and stars.

In the small village of Jiha, Simon, a shy boy who works as a digger discovers a strange glowing object during excavation. The enterprising Kamina, a young man with a pair of rakish sunglasses and the passion of a firey sun, befriends Simon and forms a small band of brothers, the Gurren Brigade, to escape the village and break through the ceiling of the cave to reach the surface, which few believe exist.

The village elder won't hear of such foolishness and punishes the Brigade. However, when disaster strikes from the world above and the entire village is in jeopardy, it's up to Simon, Kamina, a girl with a big gun named Yoko, and the small yet sturdy robot, Lagann, to save the day.

The new friends journey to the world above and find that the surface is a harsh battlefield, and it's up to them to fight back against the rampaging Beastmen to turn the tide in the humans' favor! Pierce the heavens, Gurren Lagann!

Tags: Super Robot , Coming of Age , Dystopian , Found Family , Male Protagonist , Post-Apocalyptic , Primarily Adult Cast , Space Opera , Tragedy , Travel , War , Space , Time Skip , Aliens , Class Struggle , Politics , Desert , Anthropomorphism , Heterosexual , Outdoor Activities , Henshin , Military , Mixed Media , Animals , Guns , Alternate Universe , Urban , Nudity , Love Triangle , Cosmic Horror , Suicide , Swordplay , CGI , Boys' Love

Bakemonogatari

Also known as Bakemonogatari.

Studio: Shaft
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Romance , Supernatural

First season of the Monogatari Series, part 1/6. Contains the arcs Hitagi Crab, Mayoi Snail, Suruga Monkey, Nadeko Snake, and Tsubasa Cat from the Bakemonogatari light novels.

Thanks to Meme Oshino, Koyomi Araragi, a high school student, is able to remain a human after coming across a female vampire... However, since the incident, Koyomi seems to meet girls who have an apparition-related issue. Hitagi Senjougahara doesn’t weigh anything, Suruga Kanbaru’s right arm becomes like that of a monkey’s, and a young girl, Mayoi, cannot find her way home no matter how many times she tries. Koyomi, a Mr. Nice Guy, ends up helping each and every girl solve her problem with the help of Meme Oshino.



Tags: Youkai , Ensemble Cast , Urban Fantasy , Kuudere , Surreal Comedy , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Vampire , Ghost , Coming of Age , Primarily Female Cast , Satire , Primarily Teen Cast , Meta , Heterosexual , Dissociative Identities , Curses , Monster Girl , Psychosexual , Yandere , Female Harem , Love Triangle , Tomboy , Parody , Gore , Rotoscoping , Nekomimi , Gods , Mixed Media , LGBTQ+ Themes , Tsundere , CGI , School , Amnesia , Rehabilitation , Aliens

Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica

Also known as Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Studio: Shaft
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo , Psychological , Thriller

One night, 14-year-old Madoka Kaname has a terrible nightmare - against the backdrop of a devastated city, she witnesses a girl fight a losing battle against a dreadful being lingering above, while a cat-like magical creature tells Madoka the only way to change such tragic outcome is for her to make a contract with him and become a magical girl.

The next day, the teen's dream seemingly becomes reality as the girl she saw in her dream - Homura - arrives at Mitakihara Middle School as a transfer student, mysteriously warning Madoka to stay just the way she is; but when later on she and her best friend Sayaka encounter the same cat-like magical creature from her dream - who introduces himself as Kyubey - the pair discovers that magical girls are real, and what's more, they can choose to become one. All they must do is sign a contract with Kyubey and agree to take on the duty to fight abstract beings called 'witches' that spread despair to the human world, and in return, each one of them will be granted any single wish they desire. However, as Homura's omen suggests, there might be far more to becoming a magical girl than Madoka and Sayaka realize...

Notes:
- Due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the broadcasts of episodes 11 and 12 were delayed and were later aired as a double feature on April 21, 2011.

Tags: Magic , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Witch , Primarily Female Cast , Time Manipulation , Urban Fantasy , Philosophy , Alternate Universe , Primarily Teen Cast , Kuudere , Time Loop , Coming of Age , Henshin , Survival , Aliens , Yuri , Urban , Primarily Child Cast , Ensemble Cast , Gods , Anti-Hero , Spearplay , Suicide , Achronological Order , Love Triangle , Guns , Archery , LGBTQ+ Themes , Heterosexual , Mixed Media , School , Tomboy , Anthropomorphism

Shin Seiki Evangelion Movie: Air / Magokoro wo, Kimi ni

Also known as Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion.

Studio: Gainax , Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Psychological , Sci-Fi

NERV faces a brutal attack from SEELE, but with Asuka in a coma, and Shinji in a nervous breakdown, things soon turn into the surreal. This movie provides a concurrent ending to the final two episodes of the show Neon Genesis Evangelion.



Tags: Philosophy , Tragedy , Dystopian , Coming of Age , Post-Apocalyptic , Denpa , Meta , Body Horror , Gods , Conspiracy , Male Protagonist , Gore , Super Robot , Afterlife , Mythology , Kaiju , Robots , Cosmic Horror , Female Protagonist , Religion , Psychosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Guns , Kuudere , Nudity , Masturbation , Clone , Tsundere , Politics , Space , Mixed Media

Bocchi the Rock!

Also known as BOCCHI THE ROCK!.

Studio: CloverWorks
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Music , Slice of Life

Hitori Gotou, “Bocchi-chan,” is a girl who’s so introverted and shy around people that she’d always start her conversations with “Ah...”

During her middle school years, she started playing the guitar, wanting to join a band because she thought it could be an opportunity for even someone shy like her to also shine. But because she had no friends, she ended up practicing guitar for six hours every day all by herself. After becoming a skilled guitar player, she uploaded videos of herself playing the guitar to the internet under the name “Guitar Hero” and fantasized about performing at her school’s cultural festival concert. But not only could she not find any bandmates, before she knew it, she was in high school and still wasn’t able to make a single friend!

She was really close to becoming a shut-in, but one day, Nijika Ijichi, the drummer in Kessoku Band, reached out to her. And because of that, her everyday life started to change little by little...



Tags: Band , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Rock Music , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Coming of Age , Hikikomori , Rehabilitation , Surreal Comedy , Meta , Mixed Media , Yuri , Slapstick , Seinen , LGBTQ+ Themes , Work , School , Rotoscoping , Chibi

Houseki no Kuni

Also known as Land of the Lustrous.

Studio: Orange
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Mystery , Psychological

In the mysterious future, crystalline organisms called Gems inhabit a world that has been destroyed by six meteors. Each Gem is assigned a role in order to fight against the Lunarians, a species who attacks them in order to shatter their bodies and use them as decorations.

Phosphophyllite, also known as Phos, is a young and fragile Gem who dreams of helping their friends in the war effort. Instead, they are told to compile an encyclopedia because of their delicate condition. After begrudgingly embarking on this task, Phos meets Cinnabar, an intelligent gem who has been relegated to patrolling the isolated island at night because of the corrosive poison their body creates. After seeing how unhappy Cinnabar is, Phos decides to find a role that both of the rejected Gems can enjoy. Houseki no Kuni follows Phos' efforts to be useful and protect their fellow Gems.

Tags: Coming of Age , Full CGI , Philosophy , Agender , Tragedy , Anthropomorphism , Post-Apocalyptic , Seinen , CGI , Coastal , Memory Manipulation , Survival , Body Horror , Amnesia , Conspiracy , Time Skip , Swordplay , War , Shapeshifting , Tsundere , Language Barrier , Astronomy , Twins , Work , Slapstick , Mixed Media , LGBTQ+ Themes

Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei

Also known as The Tatami Galaxy.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Mystery , Psychological , Romance

When a college dropout stops for a late night bite at a mysterious ramen stand, he crosses paths with a self-proclaimed deity of matrimony. This bizarre meeting sends the young man hurtling through a horrifying flashback to his not-so-glorious college days when the influence of a cruel new friend turned him from a hopeless romantic into a mischievous “black cupid.”



Tags: Coming of Age , College , Time Loop , Surreal Comedy , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Alternate Universe , Primarily Adult Cast , Episodic , School Club , Time Manipulation , Achronological Order , Cult , Meta , Heterosexual , Satire , Ensemble Cast , Proxy Battle , LGBTQ+ Themes , Cowboys , Mythology , Cycling , Tennis , Gods , Mixed Media

Lucky☆Star

Also known as Lucky☆Star.

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

What’s the best way to eat dessert? Do twins really have a psychic connection? What kind of guys are into moe girls? These are the kinds of questions that float through the inquisitive mind of anime super-fan Konata Izumi. When she’s not lost in her favorite manga or logging hours in one of her online games, she’s debating the mysteries of the universe with the best friends a girl could ask for.



Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Parody , Ensemble Cast , Otaku Culture , School , Meta , Episodic , Coming of Age , Twins , Video Games , Philosophy , Tsundere , Kuudere , Cheerleading , Baseball , Shounen , Ojou-sama , Shrine Maiden , Mixed Media

Sonny Boy

Also known as Sonny Boy.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

It’s an ordinary summer vacation...except for the fact that Nagara’s high school has mysteriously drifted into another dimension. As the students begin to develop strange new powers, will they work together to survive the alien environment and find a way home, or will their newly formed factions and rivalries turn on each other?



Note: The first episode received an advance release on YouTube on June 19, 2021. The regular TV broadcast started on July 16, 2021.

Tags: Alternate Universe , Philosophy , Denpa , Super Power , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , Survival , Isekai , Meta , Achronological Order , School , Cosmic Horror , Episodic , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Mixed Media , Gods , Animals , Heterosexual , Baseball , Suicide , Desert , Unrequited Love , Wilderness , Space

Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica: Hangyaku no Monogatari

Also known as Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion.

Studio: Shaft
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo , Mystery , Psychological , Thriller

Were all the magical girls truly saved from despair? Now, the great "Law of Cycles" leads the magical girls to their new fate. Madoka Kaname, a girl who once led an ordinary life, sacrificed her very existence to set every magical girl free from their cruel destiny. Homura Akemi, another magical girl who was unable to keep her promise with Madoka, continues to fight in the world in which Madoka left her behind.
"I dream of the day when I can finally see your dear smile again."
Madoka Kaname has changed the world. In this new world, is what the magical girls see a world of hope... or despair?



Tags: Anti-Hero , Alternate Universe , Memory Manipulation , Magic , Tragedy , Witch , Cosmic Horror , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Primarily Female Cast , Gods , Yuri , Curses , Henshin , Yandere , LGBTQ+ Themes , Urban Fantasy , Time Manipulation , Aliens , Demons , Guns , Urban , Kuudere , Mythology , Mixed Media , School

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

Also known as Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt.

Studio: Gainax
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Ecchi , Supernatural

Panty and Stocking – the Anarchy Sisters – are two nasty-ass angels who got booted from the pearly gates for being foul-mouthed bitches! Now they spend their nights blowing up ghosts in the seedy abyss between Heaven and Earth. Panty likes sex, Stocking likes sweets, their afro-sporting main man Garter Belt has a fetish we can't mention. Together, they're turning the mean streets of Daten City into a buffet of bodily fluids. Ghosts don't stand a chance against their lingerie of mass destruction, and if this debaucherous duo can collect enough Heaven Coins, they just might get their halos back. It's a slim chance in hell, but anything can happen when you're rolling commando, especially with Panty and Stocking!



Tags: Parody , Female Protagonist , Episodic , Satire , Anti-Hero , Angels , Swordplay , Guns , Henshin , Nudity , Ghost , Surreal Comedy , Demons , Monster Girl , Psychosexual , Chibi , Unrequited Love , Tanned Skin , Heterosexual , Tokusatsu , CGI , Zombie , School , Aromantic , Gods , Mixed Media

Make Heroine ga Oosugiru!

Also known as Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!.

Studio: A-1 Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance

Kazuhiko Nukumizu is a high school boy content to blend in with the background mob, until he witnessed his more popular classmate Anna Yanami get dumped by her childhood friend. He felt like he had to try to comfort Yanami, but this led him to become entangled with other girls who have met defeat at love?

Tags: Unrequited Love , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Love Triangle , School Club , Female Protagonist , Satire , Tomboy , Urban , Meta , Writing , Tanned Skin , Food , Nudity , Primarily Female Cast , Shounen , Mixed Media

Mononoke

Also known as Mononoke.

Studio: Toei Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Fantasy , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

Mononoke is a spin-off of the Bakeneko story arc of Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror. It follows the Medicine Seller as he deals with various spirits or "Mononoke" in feudal Japan. Just like in the Bakeneko story, he combats with a series of tools and his vast knowledge of the supernatural on his side, but can only slay the Mononoke when he uncovers its form (Katachi), the truth behind its appearance (Makoto) and the reason for its unusual behavior (Kotowari).



Tags: Youkai , Demons , Ghost , Historical , Anthology , Detective , Philosophy , Body Horror , Gore , Exorcism , Male Protagonist , Episodic , Cosmic Horror , Primarily Adult Cast , Cult , Travel , Incest , Trains , Time Skip , Mixed Media , LGBTQ+ Themes

Poputepipikku

Also known as Pop Team Epic.

Studio: Kamikaze Douga
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy

Poputepipikku turns absurdist comedy up to eleven with its pop culture references and surreal hilarity. With two bonafide high school girl protagonists—the short and exceptionally quick to anger Popuko, and the tall and unshakably calm Pipimi—they throw genres against the wall and don't wait to see what sticks. Parody is interlaced with drama, action, crudeness, and the show's overarching goal—to become a real anime.


Tags: Surreal Comedy , Episodic , Parody , Meta , Satire , Mixed Media , Female Protagonist , Seinen , Musical Theater

Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou

Also known as His and Her Circumstances.

Studio: Gainax , J.C.STAFF
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Miyazawa Yukino is the perfect student. Kind, intelligent, pretty and modest, it's unbelievable that such a person could exist. Little did everyone know Yukino's perfection was just a facade. An act to fulfill her desire for praise and admiration. Her life took a turn however, as a newcomer to their school Arima Soichiro topped the exam rankings. Arima is more than just intelligent, he's also kind, handsome and modest, an unbelievable person who can actually exist. Even worse luck, Arima found out Yukino's secret, blackmailing her to help him out. Their odd relationship soon develops into friendship and eventually into love. But can their love prevail through the many problems that come their way?

Tags: Coming of Age , Heterosexual , School , Shoujo , Male Protagonist , Meta , Primarily Teen Cast , Female Protagonist , Chibi , Surreal Comedy , Philosophy , Adoption , Tomboy , Tanned Skin , LGBTQ+ Themes , Mixed Media

Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica: Hajimari no Monogatari

Also known as Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings.

Studio: Shaft
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo , Psychological , Thriller

The first movie in the Madoka trilogy; a recap of the first eight episodes of the series.

Tags: Magic , Tragedy , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Henshin , Urban Fantasy , Aliens , Witch , Primarily Child Cast , Urban , Mixed Media , Time Manipulation , School , Kuudere

Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica: Eien no Monogatari

Also known as Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part II: Eternal.

Studio: Shaft
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo , Psychological , Thriller

The second movie in the Madoka trilogy. It is a recap of the last four episodes of the series.

Tags: Magic , Tragedy , Time Manipulation , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Primarily Female Cast , Coming of Age , Primarily Child Cast , Henshin , Cosmic Horror , Urban Fantasy , Witch , Aliens , Gods , Urban , Guns , Mixed Media , Kuudere , Anti-Hero , School

Shoushimin Series

Also known as SHOSHIMIN: How to Become Ordinary.

Studio: Lapin Track
Status: Finished
Genres: Mystery , Slice of Life

Kobato decides to become an honest, humble citizen after enduring a bitter experience known as “wisdom work.” He forms a pact with Osanai, his classmate with the same goal, and they plan to enter high school leading quiet lives. But for some reason, inexplicable events and disasters keep happening around them. Will Kobato and Osanai ever manage to live ordinary, peaceful lives?



Tags: Detective , Primarily Teen Cast , Crime , Revenge , Male Protagonist , School , Female Protagonist , Food , Episodic , Tragedy , School Club , Torture , Mixed Media

Mind Game

Also known as Mind Game.

Studio: Studio 4°C
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Psychological , Romance

Audiences will begin to grasp what they are in for early on, as loser Nishi, too wimpy to try to save his childhood sweetheart from gangsters, is shot in the butt by a soccer-playing psychopath, projecting Nishi into the afterlife. In this limbo, God - shown as a series of rapidly changing characters - tells him to walk toward the light. But Nishi runs like hell in the other direction and returns to Earth a changed man, driven to live each moment to the fullest.



Tags: Surreal Comedy , Reincarnation , Philosophy , Heterosexual , Primarily Adult Cast , Afterlife , Male Protagonist , Nudity , Seinen , Yakuza , Gods , Swimming , Mixed Media

Hidamari Sketch

Also known as Hidamari Sketch.

Studio: Shaft
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

For years, Yuno has dreamed of attending Yamabuki Arts High School, but now that she's been accepted, it means the scary prospect of moving away from her home and family for the first time! Fortunately, Yuno quickly learns that if her new neighbors at the eclectic Hidamari (Sunshine) Apartments aren't technically family, at least the majority share the bond of being fellow art students. From second year students like Hiro and Sae, who try to behave like helpful older sisters (mostly successfully) to her hyperactive new neighbor, classmate and best friend Miyako (who has the scariest apartment ever) Yuno begins to build the support network she'll need for dealing with strange characters like her oddly masculine landlady, her cosplay obsessed home room teacher, her tooth-chattering principal and all of the other odd denizens who inhabit her chosen world of art.



Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Iyashikei , Achronological Order , Chibi , Primarily Female Cast , School , Drawing , Seinen , Female Protagonist , Episodic , Primarily Teen Cast , Mixed Media