Anime Favorite Underrated anime

[loveNtruthiness]

School Rumble immediately comes to mind. I love that series. It is criminally underrated. It is the single funniest anime I've seen. And I watch a lot of comedy anime.
Tenma + Harima= hilarity.:animesmil

[HopscotchEyelid]

I can't say I know which Anime are popular and which are not, but my favorite Anime that I never here about otherwise is History's Strongest Disciple: Kenichi. It's a good Shonen Anime with unique characters and admirable art. The story is very typical of a Shonen Anime, but the way the story progresses is somewhat unique. It's also more quirky than most other fighting based Anime I've seen. I'm not sure if the Anime will eventually extend to the length of the manga (long like Naruto and Bleach) or not, but I hope it will.

[TimeChaser]

One of my favorites that I'm certain gets underrated is [B]Maria-sama ga Miteru[/B]. It probably gets dismissed as just another yuri series by most people, and while it's still a bit of an idealized fantasy (the all-girl Catholic school), it handles the characters and their relationships in a much more believable way than something like [B]Strawberry Panic[/B], which is total soap opera.

There's also [B]Haibane Renmei[/B], which is a wonderful short series with a lot of emotional impact.

[JCBaggee]

[color=darkred][size=1]I don't know if it's underrated, but I have a rather fond recollection of [b]Pilot Candidate[/b]/[b]Candidate for Goddess[/b] back when it aired on Adult Swim. [/color][/size]

[The Spectacular Professor]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][B]Brave Story[/B] (The 2006 animated film, although the book is even better) never gets any love.

It needs all the love.[/FONT]

[Jax Rhapsody]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say D.I.C.E. I'm not even sure if the whole thing even aired but I liked it. If you don't know what it is, is about a group of kids who drive cars and fly planes that turn into dinosaurs and animals kinda like Zoids almost. I hafta find this on DVD.

[Zapcannon]

I say S-cry-Ed is my favorite. It's a hard anime to love because the setting is slow and nothing gets heated until episode 6 or so.

[rotlung]

[quote name='Magus']Agreed. I found Gungrave to be one of the best series when it came to characterization.

Speaking of which, [B]Hajime no Ippo[/B] (Fighting Spirit) is a current anime that seems to be under the radar, yet I feel that it's better than the current big 3 shonen series. I'm not into the sports genre when it comes to anime, but when the story is told as good as it is here can't help but to be drawn in. (Although story is not what I look for.) What really struck at me was the characterization that's in this series. There are a lot of great characters in this series and they interact with each other really nicely. There are no villains, but there are some that'll give you that impression.

The fighting is also handled nicely, although it can get a little over the top at times (but I have no issues with that.) Definately quite the underrated series considering all the other shonen series that seems to get people to overlook this one.[/quote]

I have to totally agree with u on this. I just got through the first season[spoiler] where he starts fightign and eventually wins the featherwieght championship[/spoiler]

Great charachter development and stories make this just a great series. I'm also a bit of a sucker when they mention old school boxers like Jack Dempsy, Mike Tyson, and the like. It interesting to see how he's taught thier techniques cause the coach doesn't say "ur learning to throw this punch" he says "go do 300 squat thrusts"

I also like how there isn't a villian. Their are other people who are striving for the same thing Ippo is. Ippo actaully become good friends or at least respects the fighters he fights. Shows good sportsmanship and leaves u feeling good after watching it. (that and ur eye isn't swollen shut...)

[Magus]

[quote name='rotlung']I have to totally agree with u on this. I just got through the first season[spoiler] where he starts fightign and eventually wins the featherwieght championship[/spoiler]

Great charachter development and stories make this just a great series. I'm also a bit of a sucker when they mention old school boxers like Jack Dempsy, Mike Tyson, and the like. It interesting to see how he's taught thier techniques cause the coach doesn't say "ur learning to throw this punch" he says "go do 300 squat thrusts"

I also like how there isn't a villian. Their are other people who are striving for the same thing Ippo is. Ippo actaully become good friends or at least respects the fighters he fights. Shows good sportsmanship and leaves u feeling good after watching it. (that and ur eye isn't swollen shut...)[/QUOTE]

[size=1][color=darkred]While I still believe Hajime no Ippo is underrated, The New Challenger almost had me changing my opinion about the entire series. The fights were still great, but I just hated how they had Ippo to just stay where he was. They could've had him go after Ricardo, or at the very least give us a rematch with Miyata. They had him doing matches against nobody worth caring about. It was like after he won the title that was it. If that were the case I would've left it alone after he beat [spoiler]Sendo for the title.[/spoiler]

I liked the focus on other characters but this is Ippo's story is it not? Having Ippo not go after Ricardo or Miyata was like a swift blow to the face. I am aware that the manga is still going, but with how NC ended I don't even have any interest in this series anymore.[/size][/color]

[rotlung]

[quote name='Magus'][SIZE=1][COLOR=darkred]While I still believe Hajime no Ippo is underrated, The New Challenger almost had me changing my opinion about the entire series. The fights were still great, but I just hated how they had Ippo to just stay where he was. They could've had him go after Ricardo, or at the very least give us a rematch with Miyata. They had him doing matches against nobody worth caring about. It was like after he won the title that was it. If that were the case I would've left it alone after he beat [spoiler]Sendo for the title.[/spoiler][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=darkred]I liked the focus on other characters but this is Ippo's story is it not? Having Ippo not go after Ricardo or Miyata was like a swift blow to the face. I am aware that the manga is still going, but with how NC ended I don't even have any interest in this series anymore.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/quote]

well like i said I just finished the first season so I haven't gotten through the OVAs and into the New Challenger.

Going through my anime site I also forgot to mention Beck: Mongolien Chop Squad. Which is a great series of an up and coming rock band out of Japan. The Band itself reminds me of Rage against the Machine at times and Linkin Park at other times. I definatly think it qualifies as underrated.

[quote name='rotlung']well like i said I just finished the first season so I haven't gotten through the OVAs and into the New Challenger.

Going through my anime site I also forgot to mention Beck: Mongolien Chop Squad. Which is a great series of an up and coming rock band out of Japan. The Band itself reminds me of Rage against the Machine at times and Linkin Park at other times. I definatly think it qualifies as underrated.[/quote]


Yeah i just finished New Challenger and see what u mean about them making Ippo stagnit as a fighter. The ending made want to punch the writers.... "Let's just relie on the Dempsy Roll forever..." He definetly need to be able to mixe up styles of boxing depending on his opponent and rather than "It's time for the DEMPSEY ROOOOLLLL!!!!"

Hated the ending, they have enough material that another season having him go for the world championship and after Martinez would be awesome.

[FONT="Microsoft Sans Serif"][SIZE="1"]Hey rotlung, I merged your two posts together. Please try to avoid double posting in the future, as it's kinda spammy. ~ [B]Sangome[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]

[kendricktamis]

I think that elfen lied was under rated even though it is realtively new. not many people knew about it but it was still a great show.

[Pleiades Rising]

I think that [i]Alien Nine[/i] should have more viewers. I watched it not that long ago, and I wondered why it took me so long to watch it. I'm a fan of Eva, and this is similar [i]in feel[/i] to it, but it also has that "slice of life" feeling to it. That is, until it goes haywire (in a good way!), and plays with your head and heart. It convincingly made its way into my all-time top 10 list of anime favorites. Edited June 22, 2010 by Pleiades Rising

[Inuyasha Fandom]

Gunslinger Girl. Awesome anime!!!!

[The Tentacle]

If I had to list one of the most underrated animes of all time I'd have to say [b]Birdy the Mighty.  [/b]Sure we got the OVAs over here but that was back in the dark ages of VHS.  They re-released them in DVD format but they're difficult to find and pretty pricy these days.  The series was popular enough to garner a TV series in Japan but it hasn't been released here in American yet.  

More recent titles that I feel are underrated are [b]Elemental Gelade, Air Gear, Utawarerumono and Scrapped Princess[/b].  All are excellent series' that pass below the radar all too often.  

[Heaven's Cloud]

[quote name='The Tentacle' date='21 July 2010 - 06:19 PM' timestamp='1279750751' post='697621']
If I had to list one of the most underrated animes of all time I'd have to say [b]Birdy the Mighty.  [/b]Sure we got the OVAs over here but that was back in the dark ages of VHS.  They re-released them in DVD format but they're difficult to find and pretty pricy these days.  The series was popular enough to garner a TV series in Japan but it hasn't been released here in American yet.  
[/quote]

[color=indigo]Heh, I remember [b]Birdy the Mighty[/b]. My parents bought me a copy of the series back in the mid-nineties that was horribly subtitled. The spelling and grammar were terrible. It was almost as though someone translated it into another language and then translated that into English.

I can't think of a single anime that I have seen and liked that I would consider under-rated, or not mainstream. Simply the fact that I have seen it makes me think it probably isn't "underground". I liked [b]Monster[/b] and [b]Gungrave[/b] though, so I guess I'll parrot the other members that suggested those.
[/color]

[Katie!]

[quote name='Ratatosk' date='06 October 2009 - 11:36 PM' timestamp='1254886609' post='685056']
[B]Umineko[/B][/quote]

You obviously haven't met anyone on my flist.

For me, anything .hack is underrated and School Rumble. ****'s too damn cute.

[CaNz]

i agree that there is a difference between underated and mainstream. loads of people have seen .hack, but i doubt too many people spent the time to even watch all the episodes. I would much rather re-watch every .hack than Naruto, but as popularity goes Naruto always wins (i will never know why)
it seems to happen where something flashy trumps a good story.
my example would be how everyone remembers G-Gundam though the story, voice acting and character/design concepts were lame compared to virtually every other Gundam series. we then have Gundam 8th MS team... which had one of the best characters in any gundam, a great story, realism, and a fantastic ending. yet it is completely overlooked in the Gundam world.

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]The problem with .hack as an anime is that it expects you to play the games to get the full story, so on its own the anime only manages to range from decent to bad. I really wanted to love .hack since the story and setting is very interesting, but only half the story comes in animated form and I'm not willing to dump tons of hours into the games to get the rest. So when you add that on top of the other problems the anime have (mainly terrible pacing), you get a lot of negative opinions that probably wouldn't have been quite so negative if everything hadn't been split up between anime and games.

Anyway, I've come to realize that pretty much every good magical girl series that isn't Cardcaptor Sakura or Lyrical Nanoha is underrated. It seems like there's this tiny niche audience that appreciates them while everyone else ignores them completely.[/color]

[Burori]

[quote name='Desbreko' date='23 July 2010 - 07:28 AM' timestamp='1279884511' post='697691']
[color=#4B0082]The problem with .hack as an anime is that it expects you to play the games to get the full story, so on its own the anime only manages to range from decent to bad. I really wanted to love .hack since the story and setting is very interesting, but only half the story comes in animated form and I'm not willing to dump tons of hours into the games to get the rest. So when you add that on top of the other problems the anime have (mainly terrible pacing), you get a lot of negative opinions that probably wouldn't have been quite so negative if everything hadn't been split up between anime and games.

Anyway, I've come to realize that pretty much every good magical girl series that isn't Cardcaptor Sakura or Lyrical Nanoha is underrated. It seems like there's this tiny niche audience that appreciates them while everyone else ignores them completely.[/color]
[/quote]

As far as I saw it, the first season was independant from the games. I mean I watched it and it explained a bit of the game while also showing the problems, worries, and troubles of the main character. It was from this season that I grew interested in the franchise. Once I hit season two though it felt like a major if not EXTREME gap between the two. Making it feel like you HAD to play the games to get up to date on the series. It took me off a bit, I didn't even watch the 2nd season. I want to but it is a little hard NOW to find the games, play the games (which I am pretty sure each one is like a rpg length (80-100 hours) for me anyways since I am a 100% whore. (I apologize if that type of language is deemed inappropriate in that text)

But ya I like the series and I don't think it is very mainstream possibly because of the aforementioned thoughts on it.

Another series that was short that I loved and I don't think it was viewed in Mainstream now (although I might be mistaken) Trinity Blood, Bastard!!!, Beserk, and possibly the first Hellsing attempt (Not the OVA) due to the fact it went completely off course from the Manga.

[The Tentacle]

Most underrated anime?  Well maybe this one isn't so much underrated as it is disliked; [b]Samurai Gun[/b].

Personally I love Samurai Gun no matter what anyone says.  The whole premise of a feudal era setting with modern day weapons is just too awesome.  Sure it's got a lot of violence and sexuality.  So what?  That's sorta the whole frickin' POINT of the show.    

[Sangome]

[color="#9932CC"][font="Microsoft Sans Serif"]Can't say I watch a whole lot of anime anymore [ironic, ain't it], but I definitely have some series that need more love.

[b]Kannagi[/b]: Despite the crazy viral promotion Bandai did with this series on ANN, and hyping the fact that they licensed it and had it go on sale the very next day at AX last year [although I think it [i]really[/i] got licensed when the English version of the Nagi fan club went online], as well as the fact that otakus in Japan raged over the manga for really stupid reasons, I've not really heard a lot of people comment on this series. It's a fun, goofy romp [sans the next to the last episode...] that I think a lot more people should give a chance.

[b]Kure-nai[/b]: This is something that really needs to get licensed ASAP. One thing that really drew me in was the art -- it was so vivid, alive, and fluid. The show felt less like an anime and more like...well, I can't really describe it. Maybe because it escaped most stereotypical anime tropes, but the whole thing was just an utter joy to watch. Seriously, Funi, Bandai, Media Blasters...somebody license this.

And I completely agree with .hack, though I've only seen SIGN and played most of the G.U. games. Awesome series.[/font][/color] Edited July 25, 2010 by Sangome

[Nony]

Dost mine eyes deceive me? .hack has graced this thread and I haven't descended upon it like so many moths to a flame? Well I must remedy this posthaste!

Yes, yes, it's quite obvious that I love .hack. To pieces, I love it. But when I say I love .hack, I'm talking about the entire franchise (minus the [b].hack//Legend of the Twilight[/b] anime), so I don't know if it's appropriate for me to go into it in this thread...
Well, there [i]is[/i] [b].hack//Roots[/b]. The people who have seen the show tend to hate on it for various reasons. One of the biggest complaints (although I've mostly heard this from a part of the .hack fandom) is that the music is bad, which I don't understand at all. Roots has great music; Ali Project really outdid themselves on the soundtracks. People like to hate 'cause their genius Yuki Kajiura didn't compose it. Whateva.
The one complaint I can understand is that Roots isn't a standalone anime, that you have to play the G.U. games to get the full story. There's always the [b].hack//G.U. Trilogy[/b] movie to help supplement that, but... it doesn't quite capture the same feeling.

[quote name='Burori' date='23 July 2010 - 05:32 AM' timestamp='1279888322' post='697694']
I want to but it is a little hard NOW to find the games, play the games (which I am pretty sure each one is like a rpg length (80-100 hours) for me anyways since I am a 100% whore.
[/quote]
Finding the games I can sympathize with, 'cause it really is hard to find them nowadays. But actually, the games aren't that long. Even when playing them your first time (which always takes longer) [i]and[/i] going for 100%, they're not so bad. I'd average it around 20-40 hours per game, with more or less depending on how much you dick around. (And it's reeeeally easy to get 100% in the G.U. games, oh my gosh is it ever easy.)

Also, what's important to note about the .hack series is that the games have always been the centerpiece. Therefore, the anime will never be able to tell the full story, because they aren't meant to be the full story. And I agree, that that's probably why the series will never be omg!popular. It's not [i]un[/i]popular, since the novels and manga keep comin' over here, but... yeah. Still not mainstream. Edited July 25, 2010 by Miss Anonymous

[Shinmaru]

What's the general opinion on calling [b]G Gundam[/b] underrated? I can't really get a grasp on what the general fandom thinks of it, because there are so many polarized opinions, haha. The only thing I really know for sure is that it is seen as the black sheep of [b]Gundam[/b] (although that's mostly considered what was released of [b]Gundam[/b] stateside); it seems to be going through a resurgence lately, but that could just be the bias of which corners of the fandom I hang around in. But even though there's a good portion of garbage in the series, [b]G Gundam[/b] has a pretty good story, and the characters are cool and memorable, if paper thin.

Along the same lines (both directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa), [b]Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-hen[/b] -- 2009's best anime, I think -- is pretty awesome ... but it was watched by next to nobody because it is based on an old super robot show that most fans could not give a crap about anymore. Pretty sad, because it's a damn good story, with lots of memorable characters and a fantastic ending.

[The Tentacle]

[b]G Gundam[/b] is just one of those quirky titles that you either love or hate depending on how you look at it.  If you're a serious Gundam fan and try to compare it to any other series it's always going to come off looking like a ridiculous series intended for little kids.  But if you're like me and just take it at face value for what it is you'll wind up really enjoying it.

Whether you like it or think it's lame you can't deny the mark G Gundam has left on the franchise.  As newer series come out you may forget about the Victory Gundam or lose interest in Gundam Deathscythe but you will NEVER be able to forget about the Nether G (even if you want to).

On a side note, if you're interested in G Gundam I highly recommend tracking down the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing pocket manga that were released by Tokyopop a few years back.  It's not the best adaptation of the series but the comics entitled [b]"Go For It Domon W!"[/b] in the back of each volume alone are worth the money.

[Magus]

G Gundam... That was such a corny series (This hand of mine shines and roars/is burning red) but it was a fun series despite me not being much of a fan of mecha. It's hard for me to call G Gundam underrated these days because it definately seems to be going through a resurgence especially at this other site I go to. Kind of makes you wish folk would shut up about it (mecha in general). If you'd ask me back in the days when it was on Toonami I'd probably say it was underrated, but then again it was the only Gundam I was familiar with back then. Now is no different outside of being familiar with Gundam 00.

Anyway, [b]Hunter x Hunter[/b] is underrated. It's kind of hard for me to understand how people could like Naruto, Bleach and One Piece but not decide to check out HxH. I won't lie, it starts off very slow (about as slow as Yu Yu Hakusho), but once it picks up it picks up big time. It's a thinking series in a sense. I love it when characters use their heads while fighting because nowadays watching people just rush in to fight either bore me or pisses me off. Hunter x Hunter is refreshing because of this one thing alone. The other strong point it has is the characterization. Sure Gon is your typical shonen protagonist, but he has some type of charm to him that makes me like him instead of all the other airheaded/knucklehead protagonists. As I was saying the characterization is strong. The way each character interacts with each other is similar to that of Yu Yu Hakusho. (None of that phony stuff like I'm fighting for the sake of my friend, or I must get stronger for the sake of my friend.. Kill that noise.. This is what makes One Piece characterization strong as well) There's no reliance on one character either, which so many shonen series is falling into these days. Everyone can fend for themselves (at least as far as I've seen so far)