classic cartoon The art style has gained near-universal recognition as the popularity of anime and manga has increased over the years. While there’s obviously a lot of variation in the realm of “typical” anime style (comparing One Piece with Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, for example), even that cannot account for the art style at work. animated in some anime. Some of them, fans may not even realize are anime until closer inspection.
This list includes ten series that fall outside the “standard” anime style. Some are beautiful, reminiscent of vintage paintings or watercolor masterpieces, and others are deliberately unattractive. Some are designed to look like Western animation, while others are in a wild new art style that doesn’t resemble Western or Eastern animation. Since they are so different, they are not placed in any particular order. They may or may not suit one’s personal taste, but rest assured – each one has a completely unique look.
10 XXXholic
XXXholic revolves around a Wishing Sorceress named Yuuko, and the protagonist and her destined follower Watanuki, as they grant wishes requested by their clients and engage evil spirits. can get in the way. Adapted from an iconic manga series by CLAMP, XXXholic uses an extremely stylized version of the typical anime style. While CLAMP has always been known for its “dumb people” – characters with very long and thin arms and legs – the XXXholic anime takes that to an extreme. Characters’ legs can take up 75% of their body in some shots, while their arms are still hanging down to their knees. The show also takes a unique approach to maintaining focus on the characters by not filling in background characters with details—anyone without a name is usually just an anonymous silhouette. Combined with the use of color, these characteristics come together to create a unique style and atmosphere that is certainly exactly what some people are looking for.
9 Shin-Chan
In Japan, Crayon Shin-Chan was a children’s series, but when it was brought to America, Funimation dubbed it making it more of an adult comedy. Shin-Chan follows the rude boy Shin, as well as his weak family and neighbors as they begin their lives. The art style of the series evokes its name, almost feeling as if it was originally sketched with crayons. The characters have strange bodies, the animation emulates the childish style, which is more suitable for its original purpose. As an adult comedy, the dubbed version isn’t likely to appeal to everyone, but there’s certainly no denying that Shin-Chan’s style is unique.
8 Mononoke
Mononoke is a series about a mysterious drug dealer who travels the countryside, defeating monsters known as mononoke. The series is inspired by classical Japanese art styles, such as Ukiyo-e paintings. Mononoke also uses a rather restrained animation style, with movements that fade across frames instead of being smooth, giving it an almost picture book feel. The series also uses a lot of complex patterns, which are projected on the image in a fixed way that can be quite odd. All of these details come together to make things feel a bit alien and rather questionable – in keeping with the tone of the series.
7 African Samurai
Based on the doujinshi, or unofficial fan comic, Afro Samurai follows the eponymous character on his quest to avenge his father and claim the #1 headband, the ultimate proof that one is a warrior. strongest soldier. The series is famous for its unusual style, which in many ways is influenced by the American art style and is particularly shaped by hip hop culture. Afro Samurai uses rather thick borders and very dynamic colors to establish a world that is a crazy mix of feudal Japan and the distant future, with swords and duels. Honor exists alongside robots and cell phones. The focus of the series is heavily on the action and the animation style is definitely designed to make these look as eye-catching as possible.
Epic Group 6 Pop
Essentially a series of animated sketches, Pop Team Epic will use any and all art styles it can do. Segments were done in live action, pixel art, CGI and a distinct, intentionally ugly art style (seen in the “Bob Team Epic” segments). The basic style of the series is extremely simple, with the main characters Popuko and Pipimi having only bean-shaped bodies with arms and legs. As a series of humorous sketches, it just uses whatever style best suits the joke – sometimes going above and beyond just for the sake of accent.
5 tatami galaxy
Tatami Galaxy (known on Hulu as The Tatami Time Machine Blues) is a series about an unnamed protagonist attending college and his life that may have changed the events that unfolded slightly. a little bit different. The anime uses a very clean style, with the characters’ skin leaving pure white and the use of light, barely visible contours. The characters also have a much more rounded and soft feel than your usual anime, with more balanced (if less detailed) features. The heavy use of black and white brings out every bit of color, emphasizing what gives the world color. Tatami Galaxy also makes occasional use of real-world photography, something that’s rare (though not entirely unheard of) in other anime.
4 Gankutsuou
Gankutsuou is actually an adaptation of the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo, adapted for Japanese culture and told from a very different perspective. As a series, it makes heavy use of CGI for most of the visual effects and backgrounds…but not all. The characters are still rendered in the traditional 2D animation way, creating a striking contrast between the characters and the background. 2D animated elements use complex but non-moving patterns, like Mononoke, and likewise give an ethereal character to interactions. The series also uses thin, light-colored borders, which make the characters blend together a bit while keeping them from standing out too much from their background.
3 Dead Leaves
Dead Leaves is like FLCL, if it’s a bit more psychotic. The story involves two creatures, Retro and Pandy, awakening with no memories, then being captured and taken to a prison colony on the moon known as Dead Leaves. Dead Leaves is a movie rather than a series, with a style closer to American adult animation than anime. Its cartoon elements match the frenetic and deranged action style, using bright colors and bold shadows. Mostly humorous, the series is actually quite unusual for anime.
2 Kaiba
Kaiba is another work by Tatami Galaxy director Masaaki Yuasa. It follows a forgetful person named Kaiba (or Warp, as he was originally named) who wakes up with a hole in his chest and must regain his memories. What unfolds is a story of haves and don’ts, and how the digitization of memory and personality has impacted the world. Kaiba has the closest resemblance to Astro Boy in style, effectively bringing the anime back to its roots. The series has slight shading, which makes the characters stand out significantly against its beautiful backdrop while returning to the simpler style used in the 1960s.
1 panties & socks
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is a comedy anime from 2010 that follows characters of the same name, angels who are banished from Heaven for being too noisy, as they complete missions and earn “Paradise Coins”. to be allowed to return. The series uses a sharp style with sturdy lines, perhaps most similar to the original Powerpuff Girls cartoon. It draws inspiration from various sources, both Japanese and Western, creating a unique blend of the two. Another adult comedy, Panty & Stocking is about pushing boundaries and not being able to be for everyone.
Anime that look a little different often have a reason to do so, and many of the works listed here stand out for other reasons as well. Try these out when normal anime gets a bit dull and rediscover cartoon in addition to those that fit the mainstream.