No source needed: these are cool as stand-alone shows.
There are many ways to divide anime into neat groups, and tonight we present to you a pretty obvious one: a group of anime that is an adaptation of something, and a group of anime original projects that have no other media as a basis for the plot or the characters.
The differences in these approaches are understandable: shows that are based on something already have some fanbase who'd flock to the new medium just because of their love for the original. They also have some established plot points that can be used as building blocks for the anime story — or just translate it fully. Whereas in case of the original stories authors have full creative freedom. But that's also a downside: nothing to use as a crutch in order to understand the pacing and the twists of the story, nothing to use as an aid that would point the writers in the right direction.
It's always a gamble with anime original shows, but thankfully, it's not as grim as it could be: in the recent years we've got a few interesting original projects. None of them are extremely popular: sure, they have high ratings on MyAnimeList, but the amount of people who watched them is not very high. You can be next.
Link Click (Shiguang Dailiren) — 2021
A story about two young detectives who can travel into the photographs and alter the events of the present (though they really try not to). It has a lot of suspense, a lot of twists that come with this specific method of time and dimension travel, and a lot of character development, though the first season focuses on one of the characters while the second raises the stakes and forces both of them to make hard choices.
Akudama Drive — 2020
This show feels like a mix of Mission: Impossible and Suicide Squad as it follows a ragtag group of criminals (and two people who accidentally got mixed up with them but went with the flow) first doing a heist and then trying to survive. Not all of them succeed. The show has an interesting cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic lore, is very colorful and tastefully violent, and also provides solid character development. Sure, the pacing may feel chaotic, and some characters seem a bit too clichéd, but overall it's an entertaining high-octane action show.
Lycoris Recoil — 2022
If you try to make John Wick with cute girls instead, you'd get Lycoris Recoil. It's focused on an anti-terrorist squad of orphaned girls who were trained from their earliest childhood to be effective killers. But it also has an added layer of clashing personalities, of two different approaches to the same problem colliding, and the story's emphasis on characters' growth is worth some ridiculousness of the plot.
Wonder Egg Priority — 2021
A psychological drama filled with mystery, following a broken person who can't decide how to live her life and decides to follow the instructions of a weird entity. That leads to her opening up a new world (literally) full of opportunities, tempting and intriguing. The show explores some sensitive topics, and does it sometimes in a questionable way, while using a bit too much metaphors, but it looks stunning and makes you think.
Buddy Daddies — 2023
If you think that everything that can be told about two spies caring for a child was already covered by Spy x Family, you are so wrong. Buddy Daddies have a similar premise, but execute it quite differently. First, it has two men caring for one little girl. Second, it focuses more on their family dynamic, on how it affects their jobs (they are killers, after all), and how the kid in their care changes both of the adults. It's a heartwarming show with a cohesive plot and nicely wrapped story that runs for only one short season.
Sonny Boy — 2021
When people in a group were equal at first but suddenly a bunch of them gained some powers that made them cooler, the rift is incoming. That's what happened to 36 students who, with their whole school building, were transported to a different dimension, and some of these students became a bit more powerful than the others. The psychology of this situation and their attempts to get back home is what keeps the tension high and the story engaging.
Great Pretender — 2020
Another series focused on criminal underworld and heists: in a way the plot of the show can be summed up as a Robin Hood story where those who steal the money actually plan on keeping it. Our main character is a self-proclaimed Japan's Greatest Swindler who got challenged by his fellow con artist to a battle, and in their rivalry they travel the world, trying to over-swindle each other and their biggest targets. This show mixes suspense and harsh humor beautifully, keeping you on the edge of your seat.
Id:Invaded — 2020
This feels like a mix of a few earlier cyberpunk movies, as it uses certain "cognition particles" that are let on the crime scenes by perpetrators as a way into their minds. So detective can literally rummage through the heads of the criminal — or, rather, through their virtual world renditions. It's a psychological thriller that often shows the gray morality of the justice system and personal pain.
Odd Taxi — 2021
A mysterious story that has a few intertwining plots, slowly unraveling through the course of 13 episodes, one that uses animal characters to emphasize certain traits and add another layer of weirdness to the interesting pacing. It follows a walrus who works as a taxi driver and ends up at the center of a huge conspiracy. He tries to play his own game, just like every other character, and the ending feels quite cathartic. There's also a two-hour long movie in addition to that.
SK8 the Infinity (SK∞) — 2021
Reki lives and breathes skateboarding, but after an accident that leaves him without his board but with a broken arm he stops practicing. But then he ends up meeting his classmate who has some skills that may help deal with the trouble that he's facing in underground skateboarding circles. It's a bit bromancey and is just pure sporty fun that also focuses mostly on the character development. And yes, it was made for the Tokyo Olympics to promote the event to younger audiences.