In the vast world of anime, fans are always looking for series with the most unique storylines. However, finding shows that truly excel in character development and deliver unexpected plot twists is a rare delight.
Driven by the desire to discover these hidden gems, I embarked on a journey to find anime that offers viewers exceptional storytelling. My mission was to seek out lesser-known series, avoiding the mainstream hits that have already captured widespread attention.
Before we dive into my recommendations, I welcome any suggestions you might have—every great storyline deserves to be celebrated. Now, let’s get straight to the list of these remarkable anime.
Anime With Best Storyline
1. Legend of the Galactic Heroes
To begin this blog, let me introduce you to the main characters of “Legend of the Galactic Heroes” (LOGH): Reinhard von Lohengramm and Yang Wen-li. This anime takes a unique narrative approach, giving every character their own story, beliefs, and motivations.
What makes this anime stand out with one of the best storylines is its massive, large-scale battle that has been raging for centuries. Amidst this power struggle between the autocratic Galactic Empire and the democratic Free Planets Alliance, the intricate politics and mind games are the cherry on top.
Watching this anime feels like witnessing a real war, with all the struggle, tactics, foul plays, and mind games beautifully portrayed.
But that’s not all. The unique storyline, with its in-depth psychological perspectives, will make you question various moralities established in our world.
The well-written dialogue, infused with numerous real-life historical references, makes the anime even more interesting to watch. And as every coins has two side LOGH have its praises for the same reason which made it popular.
As every viewer is different and have different way of watching an anime some like fast- paced good animation, political unbaised and many pther things like this which is opposite in case of LOGH.
2. March Comes in Like a Lion
If you are looking for an anime that gives you a sense of realism by touching on the dark aspects of life, which are very sensitive parts of everyone’s experience and something everyone goes through at some point, then “March Comes In Like A Lion” might be the anime for you.
The anime portrays the story of Rei Kiriyama, a 17-year-old professional shogi player who is going through a really dark phase of his life, facing loneliness, depression, and isolation. The story depicts how he starts fighting his inner demons after meeting the Kawamoto sisters.
The anime takes you on a deep emotional journey of the protagonist, beautifully portrayed using high-quality animation. Its unique choice of shogi as the central sport, complex character development, and amazing storyline make it one of the best anime in terms of storyline.
3. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
Similar to how “March Comes In Like a Lion” follows shogi as the central sport for storytelling, “Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu” revolves around rakugo, a traditional Japanese form of storytelling. The story takes you on a journey of a former delinquent who wants to become a famous rakugo storyteller.
The anime takes you on a journey of a rakugo storyteller and their struggles. I think stories like these give anime its true essence. Yes, all action and adventure anime are great for a mass audience, but these types of anime, which are based on reality, hit differently as people tend to connect with them instantly.
They resonate because viewers have been through similar struggles or are struggling in their lives to achieve what they want. Because of this, I think the stories of these anime tend to be more appealing than others.
On top of this, if the anime has an authentic and detailed setting, proper narrative structure, and emotional depth, it becomes much more worthy of watching, which “Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu” delivers perfectly.
4. Mushishi
Before diving into the anime itself, let’s learn about Mushi. According to this anime, Mushi are beings that exist somewhere between living and non-living. They are present but simultaneously not present.
Like other amazing anime on this list, this one also explores a unique theme and is written in an absolutely fantastic way. Though this anime doesn’t have in-depth side character development like other series, this is due to the format of the anime.
But that doesn’t mean it is boring. The plot twists, philosophical and reflective themes, stunning visuals and soundtrack, and atmospheric storytelling make up for that.
Episode 20 was my personal favorite. I love how the plot twist turned out to be both unexpected and satisfying. Now, allow me to give you a brief overview of this anime: the story follows Ginko, who is a Mushi Master always on an adventure looking for Mushi.
I think this introduction is enough; any more than this will spoil the story for you.
5. Monster
One of the best psychological thriller anime out there is “Monster.” And it is not just me; many people consider it one of the best anime in its genre. The story follows Dr. Kenzo Tenma, who, after a surgery, is put in a dilemma. After making a firm decision, he embarks on a dangerous journey.
You might be curious about what makes this anime one of the best in terms of storyline. Well, I would say it’s the complex character development. For example, in episode 37, we witness the intricate development of Johan Liebert. You get to see what goes on inside a criminal’s mind, and it’s a terrifying experience. But at the same time, I enjoyed it.
What makes this episode stand out from others is the suspense that is created. At the same time, it exposes the thin line between what is good and what is bad, forcing viewers to question various moralities.
This is what this anime does best: going out of the comfort zone of viewers, introducing them to new ideas, and giving enough reasons to convince them that the reasoning was good enough for the character to take a particular action.
6. The Tatami Galaxy (Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei)
“The Tatami Galaxy” is one of the few anime that I personally believe takes a different approach to narration. Written by Tomihiko Morimi and produced by Madhouse in 2010, it follows an unnamed protagonist referred to as Watashi (which means “I” or “myself”).
Watashi is a third-year college student who regrets every decision and wants to change his past. Especially the tenth episode really stands out to me. It showcases the depth of the anime and how much the writer planned ahead before starting to write this story.
In Episode 10, Watashi is stuck in a place for quite a long time. This episode forces him to recall his previous experiences from the past nine episodes and use them to find a pattern, eventually helping him come out of the situation.
I won’t reveal any more details; you have to watch the anime to learn more. But as I mentioned earlier, this anime takes a different approach to narration, so you can expect something that deviates from the mainstream narrative style.
7. Erased (Boku dake ga Inai Machi)
The plot of this anime is a mix of modern anime, which uses time travel or reincarnation as themes, and 20th-century anime, which often used a killer as a theme. This combination helps it stand apart from the crowd.
The story kicks off with Satoru Fujinuma being accused of murdering his mother. At that time, he had an ability called revival ( basically what it does was it help him travel back a little back in time when something major mishap happen) that allows him to travel 18 years back. From there, he must change the fate of himself, his friends, and his neighborhood, who are soon to experience hell due to a killer.
You might ask what makes this different from other names in this blog. For this, I would like to point you to episode 10 of the series. In this episode, Satoru wants to save his classmate, who has long been neglected and constantly abused.
What makes this episode special are the stakes. The stakes are very high in this episode, and the execution made it possible for viewers like me to understand and literally feel how high the stakes are. To me, this was the moment that made me think this might be one of the anime with the best storyline.
8. Shinsekai Yori (From the New World)
I will begin with what I loved most about this anime. Just like how One Piece has its own universe and everything has its own story, this is just a mini version of that. This anime has a highly detailed and immersive world encircled around dystopia and utopia.
This anime takes you on a journey through a utopian land and explores how it came into being. With Saki Watanabe and her friends as central characters, they accidentally come across information that they shouldn’t have known.
This exploration leads them into trouble—not just any small trouble but a big problem. Through its thought-provoking style, Shinsekai Yori introduces various concepts of social manipulation, how the world runs, and how some powerful individuals abuse their power.
Through its beautiful non-linear and layered narrative style, Yusuke Kishi takes you into a world full of suspense created with the help of various back-and-forth flashbacks and revelations, ultimately creating a masterpiece.
9. Paranoia Agent (Mousou Dairininh)
I think it is better to read the story synopsis than explaining it myself. So the story goes like this: quite a few individuals in Tokyo fall victim to assaults committed by a young boy on rollerblades wielding a golden baseball bat, dubbed “Shounen Bat” (Lil’ Slugger).
The first victim, Tsukiko Sagi, is a stressed-out character designer who claims to have been attacked by this boy. Each episode focuses on individuals who were attacked by Shounen Bat, and the common thread is that these individuals are highly stressed and live very pressurized lives.
The series explores how these individuals’ delusions and psychological struggles manifest into the attacks, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. My personal favorite is Episode 8. Although the episode is titled “Happy Family Planning,” it delves into something much deeper. You have to watch it to understand what I mean.
10.Made in Abyss
Intricate World-Building, Emotional Depth, Beautiful and Haunting Visuals, and Mature Themes with Dark Undertones: these are the elements that make “Made in Abyss” stand out, despite its child-like characters. While the story’s theme is not entirely unique, the use of children instead of adults, combined with mature storytelling and character development, creates a perfect blend.
The story unfolds in the city of Orth, which surrounds a mysterious and perilous Abyss. Explorers, known as Cave Raiders, regularly venture into the depths on expeditions. A young girl named Riko dreams of becoming a legendary White Whistle Cave Raider like her mother. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she stumbles upon a robot boy named Reg, setting the stage for their extraordinary journey into the Abyss.
HONERABLE MENTIONS-
- Cowboy Bebop
- Psycho-Pass
- Steins;Gate
With this let’s end this Blog and if you have any suggestion or anime that should be included in this list feel free to suggest me. Also comment your views if you have watched any of these anime.
You can also check out my other Blogs- 20 Anime Whose Animation Blew My Mind (It Might Blow Yours Too)
