Have you ever watched the anime and thought "What the hell?", but not in a bad way? The anime that was so weird that it was good? So weird that somehow all the weirdness felt organic, but still confusing? So weird that you were watching it with a perpetual puzzled frown on your face — or just with a constant grin?
The animation industry has given us some shows that fit this premise, and Redditors named some of the most notable ones. We gathered them in a list with our commentaries — trust us, they deserve your attention. Even if only to expand your overall knowledge of the anime industry.
Punch Line
What would you do if you ended up losing your body and started roaming the world as a soul? You'd get a side effect: if you see a girl's panties, you'll destroy the world. So the main character of this anime needs to get into his body as soon as possible, because the world is filled with girls, and panties wait for him at every corner. There's also a huge conspiracy tangled in this plot somehow that also has the potential to destroy the planet, but trust us, this premise works insanely well. Sure, pacing may seem off, but wait until Episode 5 to get a lot of development.
KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World (Kaminaki Sekai no Kamisama Katsudou)
In a world where there are no gods and no religions, you can introduce this concept to those who live there and become one. That's exactly what happens in this isekai show. And if you thought it would be deep and thought-provoking, then no: it's pure junk, from the premise and the story and to the animation (yes, CGI is deliberately bad, too). The authors decided that the phrase "it's so bad that it's good" is exactly what they should follow while making KamiKatsu, and they delivered.
Bobobo-bo bo-bobo
Hair. Hair is the answer. Hair is the resource, the power, the money. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo is a hero who uses the power of his afro and nose hair to help those in need and save them from a military organization that wants to steal everyone's hair and freedom. The premise itself is hilarious, the show is stupidly fun, and the main character is voiced by Takehito Koyasu, who shines in the current season by voicing Toji Fushiguro in Jujutsu Kaisen. Talk about the range!
Sarazanmai
This show is not as popular as some others on this list, and its weirdness may be the reason for that. But those who stuck with it and were enthralled by its bizarre and hilarious story rank it pretty high. In one way, the story is straightforward and simple: it's something like a zombie apocalypse story but with kappas as its main characters, but the specifics of zombie-defeating are quite questionable. The main wonder of this show, however, is its characters: they are not three-dimensional, they are four-dimensional, with their secrets adding another layer to them.
Penguindrum (Mawaru Penguindrum)
The weirdness of this show cannot be easily explained and probably we need a full article to talk about it, as it follows a few storylines that seem barely connected together at the beginning yet entwine perfectly in the end. Still confusing as hell, though. There are gods, fates, abstract concepts that depict the real ones, and a lot of symbolism that makes you remember all these literature lessons with blue curtains. You think that nothing serious is happening, while in reality there are layers upon layers in this story.
The premise itself is weird: a high-school boy will commit a crime 20 years in the future, as he'd make all the women stop aging past 12 and make them immortal, and to prevent that an angel is sent from the future to kill him. But the angel decides to spare his life and instead just stop him from developing this technology. It's violent and nonsensical, but that's what makes it entertaining. And, well, it's pretty short, so you can just binge it in one sitting.
The strangeness of the Monogatari Series comes from the original light novels: the way Nisio Isin writes them is quite obscure, the way he uses his medium to convey the story and emotions is pretty unique, and his storytelling seems jumbled and weird, but comes together at the end in a very organic and thought-through picture. The anime adaptation translates this very well, although for those who are just jumping into the series the timeline may seem a bit confusing, as the series consists of a lot of seasons, spin-offs, movies, and OVAs. But the experience is worth it: SHAFT did a great job with using all the quirks of the animation medium and their signature style to properly portray Nisio Isin's stories on the screen.
Cat Soup (Nekojiru-sou)
A cat tries to save his sister's soul that's been ripped in two pieces and embarks on a journey with her mindless body in tow. Seems like something simple, but the story is deeper than it looks, filled with questionable and bizarre imagery and odd events that seem completely plausible in the story's universe. The combination of a basic premise and an insane world is what makes this short anime so captivating. The lack of dialogue, the animation style — everything adds a little bit to that feeling of weirdness that just oozes from this show.
The wildest journeys we had.
Have you ever watched the anime and thought "What the hell?", but not in a bad way? The anime that was so weird that it was good? So weird that somehow all the weirdness felt organic, but still confusing? So weird that you were watching it with a perpetual puzzled frown on your face — or just with a constant grin?
The animation industry has given us some shows that fit this premise, and Redditors named some of the most notable ones. We gathered them in a list with our commentaries — trust us, they deserve your attention. Even if only to expand your overall knowledge of the anime industry.
Punch Line
What would you do if you ended up losing your body and started roaming the world as a soul? You'd get a side effect: if you see a girl's panties, you'll destroy the world. So the main character of this anime needs to get into his body as soon as possible, because the world is filled with girls, and panties wait for him at every corner. There's also a huge conspiracy tangled in this plot somehow that also has the potential to destroy the planet, but trust us, this premise works insanely well. Sure, pacing may seem off, but wait until Episode 5 to get a lot of development.
KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World (Kaminaki Sekai no Kamisama Katsudou)
In a world where there are no gods and no religions, you can introduce this concept to those who live there and become one. That's exactly what happens in this isekai show. And if you thought it would be deep and thought-provoking, then no: it's pure junk, from the premise and the story and to the animation (yes, CGI is deliberately bad, too). The authors decided that the phrase "it's so bad that it's good" is exactly what they should follow while making KamiKatsu, and they delivered.
Bobobo-bo bo-bobo
Hair. Hair is the answer. Hair is the resource, the power, the money. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo is a hero who uses the power of his afro and nose hair to help those in need and save them from a military organization that wants to steal everyone's hair and freedom. The premise itself is hilarious, the show is stupidly fun, and the main character is voiced by Takehito Koyasu, who shines in the current season by voicing Toji Fushiguro in Jujutsu Kaisen. Talk about the range!
Sarazanmai
This show is not as popular as some others on this list, and its weirdness may be the reason for that. But those who stuck with it and were enthralled by its bizarre and hilarious story rank it pretty high. In one way, the story is straightforward and simple: it's something like a zombie apocalypse story but with kappas as its main characters, but the specifics of zombie-defeating are quite questionable. The main wonder of this show, however, is its characters: they are not three-dimensional, they are four-dimensional, with their secrets adding another layer to them.
Penguindrum (Mawaru Penguindrum)
The weirdness of this show cannot be easily explained and probably we need a full article to talk about it, as it follows a few storylines that seem barely connected together at the beginning yet entwine perfectly in the end. Still confusing as hell, though. There are gods, fates, abstract concepts that depict the real ones, and a lot of symbolism that makes you remember all these literature lessons with blue curtains. You think that nothing serious is happening, while in reality there are layers upon layers in this story.
The premise itself is weird: a high-school boy will commit a crime 20 years in the future, as he'd make all the women stop aging past 12 and make them immortal, and to prevent that an angel is sent from the future to kill him. But the angel decides to spare his life and instead just stop him from developing this technology. It's violent and nonsensical, but that's what makes it entertaining. And, well, it's pretty short, so you can just binge it in one sitting.
The strangeness of the Monogatari Series comes from the original light novels: the way Nisio Isin writes them is quite obscure, the way he uses his medium to convey the story and emotions is pretty unique, and his storytelling seems jumbled and weird, but comes together at the end in a very organic and thought-through picture. The anime adaptation translates this very well, although for those who are just jumping into the series the timeline may seem a bit confusing, as the series consists of a lot of seasons, spin-offs, movies, and OVAs. But the experience is worth it: SHAFT did a great job with using all the quirks of the animation medium and their signature style to properly portray Nisio Isin's stories on the screen.
Cat Soup (Nekojiru-sou)
A cat tries to save his sister's soul that's been ripped in two pieces and embarks on a journey with her mindless body in tow. Seems like something simple, but the story is deeper than it looks, filled with questionable and bizarre imagery and odd events that seem completely plausible in the story's universe. The combination of a basic premise and an insane world is what makes this short anime so captivating. The lack of dialogue, the animation style — everything adds a little bit to that feeling of weirdness that just oozes from this show.
