Weird anime can take us where we never thought we’d go. It can break our brains with imaginative storytelling we’re not ready for or leave us soaking in a bleach bath, wondering what’s wrong with humanity. Anime is such a bountiful buffet table that it’s easy to ignore fringe shows, but can it be good to be weird?
Recently, I asked if anime could save lives, which got me thinking about how anime tells stories. If a story is going to suck us in and make an impact, it has to be conveyed well. Surely, then, a few anime went places nobody wanted to go. Oh boy, was I in for a surprise!
The Votes are In
How did I pick the weirdest anime? I reached out to fellow J-List bloggers and J-List (Official) Discord friends for their recommendations, scoured the darkest dungeons of the internet, and then sat quietly in a padded room for a few days.
I noticed some common aspects of weird anime. While not all anime on this list ticked every box, they all made me stop and scratch my head. Ultimately, opinions differ, and my weird won’t be your weird. That’s a good thing.
- Weird anime nukes our expectations. Can they do that in anime? Should they do that in anime? We’re still recovering from the shock.
- Unique animation techniques can be entertaining, but how strange is too strange for an audience to stomach? When does anime become unrecognizable?
- That icky feeling. I’m down for a thoughtful story that examines human nature, but don’t leave me wishing I could erase a show from my memory. I’m here to be entertained.
- Odd subjects and topics. If a political group funded an anime, we’d ask questions. Is it propaganda? Are they recruiting? I heard that there was an anime about gas lamps, and I’m waiting for one about belly button lint.
3) Space Battleship Tiramisu
The Gundam franchise taught us that mecha space battles are serious business. People die, so wipe that smirk off your face! Space Battleship Tiramisu flips the script with a slice-of-life comedy that follows mecha pilot Subaru Ichinose. All he wants is the sanctity of his quiet cockpit. Is that too much to ask for? If you guessed that he’s not getting that, Space Battleship Tiramisu sees you and raises you one space chihuahua.
Space Battleship Tiramisu might be a weird anime, but it’s a space-cruising ton of fun packed into a few minutes. I was hooked from Episode 1. It wins third place for mecha missile boob groping and conversations with a sentient pubic hair.
A manga originally, Space Battleship Tiramisu was created by Satoshi Miyakawa and illustrated by Kei Itō. Its ten-volume-run ended in 2020. Thank you, Space Battleship Tiramisu, for forcing me to learn how to spell “tiramisu.”
2) Nyan Koi!
A cat hater is cursed to turn into a cat unless he fulfills 100 wishes, the wishes of his neighborhood felines. And he has cat allergies, so turning into a cat would kill him.
Nyan Koi! is one of those “if it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all” stories. Homer Simpson sang “Born Under a Bad Sign,” too, back in the ’90s, and there’s a good reason we get behind him. We like to back the dark horse. I’m a fan of poor Homer. Junpei Kōsaka, Nyan Koi’s! main character, is also a dark horse. Like me, cats seem to love singling him out of a crowd. They must know about his allergies. I can relate to Junpei’s distrust of those diabolical critters. You can’t trust ’em as far as you can throw ’em (and that isn’t very far because of all the scratching).
So, Nyan Koi! was instantly relatable and entertaining. I’ll be back for more torture-by-feline, and that’s something I never thought I’d say. The series takes second place because the internet is polarized toward cat lovers. And I can’t imagine anyone else being in camp “down with cats.”
Sato Fujiwara wrote and illustrated the original Nyan Koi! manga, which went on hiatus after volume 6 was published. I’ll take that as proof that cats taint anything they’re in.
1) Migi to Dali
Of course, I had to ask Your Friend in Japan, Peter, for the weirdest anime he’d seen. Migi to Dali answers the question: what would you do if you were a twin boy with a pretty girl face who got adopted by an older couple and really wanted to impress them so you could investigate your birth mother’s murder? Yes, that important question we’ve all asked.
The Japanese have the social concept of public and private face, honne and tatemae. Essentially, this means concealing your true feelings to all but your closest friends and family. Migi and his brother Dali embody this concept to schizophrenic levels for comedic effect. As funny as it was, I felt icky watching the lying little shits weasel their way into their adoptive family’s hearts. It gets even weirder when Migi falls for his brother in drag. Migi to Dali takes first place for the twincest we didn’t need, much less want.
The original Migi & Dali manga was created by Nami Sano, her final work before she died of cancer in 2023.
Weird Anime Is for Fans
One intensely personal joy anime offers is the chance to discover unique anime. These are the unpopular shows, so far removed from Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, or One Piece, which we can connect with on our own terms. This might be why we hold anime sacred; travel deep enough into the anime archives, and you’ll discover treasures few have beheld. Lift them to the light, and you find art, art that few before have ever appreciated. You’ll also find some weird shit. Sometimes, the weirdest stuff is the best.
Let’s Chat
Also, be sure to follow J-List on these platforms!
- Twitter/X, where Peter posts anime booba for you
- Bluesky, where we post several times a day
- Facebook, where we share memes and discuss anime
- Instagram, where you can look at sterilized anime memes because it’s Instagram
- Discord, if you want to chat with other J-List customers of culture
I picked three from a massive pool of suggestions, so we’ll have to visit this topic again! What was the weirdest anime you ever saw? Do you have anime regrets? Do you think anime made you weirder? Tell us in the comments.
Let Your Freak Flag Headband Fly
I want peace between otaku and muggles, so please appreciate the humor here when we loudly shout “Death to Normies” while storming the pillow fort with our dakimakura swinging. Nothing says “I don’t get any” like bold kanji across your forehead, though, so wear it with pride. The “Death to Normies” Custom Kanji Headband Hachimaki has been available from the J-List store — along with the “Looking For A Japanese Girlfriend” and “Please Notice Me Senpai” headbands — since I joined the company. That might be why the J-List uniform consists of only a headband and shimapan. At least that’s what they told me on day one. Nobody else seems to have gotten that memo, though.
