Underrated Anime That You Should Watch

Anime today seems to be as ubiquitous in pop culture as any other form of entertainment. These works have become almost universally celebrated by the masses, with some shows even reaching truly legendary levels of critical acclaim.

However, not all anime can achieve success. Some animes received low appreciation from viewers or reviewers, depending on everyone's hobby. They might be anime merch you can like. You want to consider giving this underrated anime from the GearOtaku list a try?

Top 10 Must-see Underrated Anime You Don’t Miss

1. Hikaru No Go

Anime based on board games, particularly trading cards and traditional games like in the cases of Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, are incredibly common. However, if your favorite pastime incorporates playing a board game, there are few shows to enjoy!

One such show based on an ancient game is Hikaru no Go, an anime that follows the life of a young boy who becomes absorbed with this daunting but strategic Chinese classic game.

Hikaru No Go is a manga about a boy who wants to be the best Go player in the world. Go is a board game played in Japan for hundreds of years.
He learns how to play from a ghost who lived in Japan in the past. The manga comes from the artist behind Death Note, Takeshi Obata. (1)

2. Horizon In The Middle Of Nowhere

Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere is an anime that follows closely with real-life insofar as it depicts a future where humanity is forced to take back control from hollowed-out people. It's also a nice introduction to space travel and exploration aspects. (2)

The idea is pretty cool. It takes place in another dimension. The author makes it seem like it could happen.

Still, if you're interested and want your mind expanded into the realms of science fiction and technology, you should check this series out!

3. Eden Of The East

Since its inception in 2010, Eden of the East has entranced viewers with a mix of psychological artistry and political intrigue. (3)

The premise takes place in pre-World War III Japan. Their government has selected twelve individuals (Selecao) to receive 10 billion yen ($110 million) to prevent a missile attack on mainland Japan.

The Selecao have to be careful as they have to have their talent or get eliminated. If they cannot win against each other, they will get eliminated by the Supporter himself.

Even after all of this is said and done, the Selecao must not forget that the Supporter is still one of their top enemies because he has harmed them. And yet, Akira does not lose hope as long as it is still possible for him and his friends to win!

If The Selecao runs out of money or spends it rashly, they are removed by a mysterious figure known only as The Supporter. Nothing else, including violence against other players, is forbidden in the game.

4. AnoHana: The Flower We Saw That Day

In the summer of 2011, a group of childhood friends comes together to fulfill one final wish. 

This tale is a retrospective of their ability to forgive and move on, taking the audience through separate moments in every boy's life leading up to the climactic event. In this film, it is all for one: one for all!

AnoHana is as heart-wrenching as it is heartwarming. The story follows a group of friends who feel they've lost touch with one another after one of their classmates passes away. (4)

This coming-of-age tale deals with the common struggles people face in the years just before adulthood through bittersweet comedy and touching drama. Even the thorniest problems can yield to the power of friendship!

5. Samurai Flamenco

Samurai Flamenco is a superhero story with an equally peculiar hero named Masayoshi Hazama. It starts like a comedic tale about a mild-mannered man's quest to follow his dreams of being a superhero. (5)

However, halfway through, it takes a rather heavy turn for the dramatic as it delves into some surprisingly dark and serious issues concerning the importance of keeping one's identity secret.

There are also problems with maintaining control over what information you give out to other people and how we can use that responsibility against you if you aren't careful.

6. Moribito: Guardian Of The Spirit

The series focuses on a wandering warrior named Balsa, who makes her way along the series' central path by using a mundane traveling device known as a Compac Drive. 

The primary aspect of this tool is that it can store and release the potential energy of a fallen human's life. Using the device, Balsa can bring defeated enemies back to life to fight again, but only after purifying them by giving their souls rest.

If they are defeated again while under her command, they will not give their spirit any additional chances at revival.

In this story, the main character has to protect a prince from assassination and Chagum from various threats found to atone for her past sins throughout their travels.

7. Hell Girl

Hell Girl is a supernatural/horror anime series based on the manga by the same name by Yoshiaki Sukeno. 

Each episode tells the story of a person having a really hard time and can't deal with what's going on in their lives. So they decide to use a website to summon Hell Girl. But when they use the website, they have to pay the price.

Hell Girl is an amazing series that accurately depicts vengeance's hold on a person, but it also questions morality and the nature of revenge.

8. Hamatora

No matter how much of a veteran anime fan you are, the chances are that if you haven't been keeping up with recent entries in the genre. Then, there's one particular title that is synonymous with any current list of must-see titles. 

There are two main characters, Nice and Murasaki. Nice is a psychic who can touch an object and get information about it. Murasaki is a human who can touch someone and see memories. They work together to solve cases.
Interesting characters, tight writing, and a healthy dose of action make it ripe for viewing for anyone looking to get into high-quality viewing material.

Or you can catch up on something awesome they might have missed, with the latter being all too common nowadays! It is the anime that might be worth your time watching.

9. Mushi-Shi

Mushishi is a meditative and atmospheric show that masterfully weaves together various vignettes surrounding the main character Ginko. 

The Mushi are spirits, seemingly from another world that exists alongside our own. They can sometimes be seen by people and interact with us in vague and mysterious ways.

Ginko himself can see them and even communicate with them on occasion, which he uses as he travels around helping out people who have been affected by the Mushi's unnatural existence.

With a near-exclusive focus on what is essentially folklore, there is little action or suspense here, but instead, beautifully animated worlds fleshed out through intimate storytelling.

10. The 12 Kingdoms

Inuyasha has often garnered a reputation as one of the most popular anime in the fantasy/historical genre. However, there is a series that deserves more credit and attention than it gets - The 12 Kingdoms. 

The manga and anime are about a girl named Yoko taken to another world. She discovers that she is an empress in that world.

Unlike Inuyasha, The 12 Kingdoms is more interested in exploring politics, court life, and intrigue set in this seemingly traditional realm.

Conclusion

The above list is a compendium of sorts for underrated anime that one can watch in their leisure time (or perhaps you might want something different if you are bored with what's being presented in categories). Thank you for reading our articles; GearOtaku hopes to see you more in the future!