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Discover 8 complex anime that will test your brainpower. Explore what makes them so hard to understand and where they rank amongst others.
Anime is a medium that has a rich offering of narratives that completely immerse viewers. One method of captivating fans is through complexity, challenging audiences with intricate plots, psychological depth, and philosophical themes. While some may be disinterested in the investment required, other fans are heavily intrigued by the prospect of testing their mental prowess.
Here are 8 complex anime that will push your brainpower to its limits.
8) Wonder Egg Priority
Wonder Egg Priority is a highly underrated series that had an abrupt conclusion but is still worth watching. It follows a group of girls who enter a dream-like world where they must save other people from the manifestation of their fears and regrets.
While the plot seems simple enough, the anime’s nonlinear storytelling and abstract visuals make it a challenging watch. Each episode blends reality and fantasy, making viewers try and piece together the truth behind the main characters’ quests. The psychological impact of the series is also very deep since it covers heavy topics such as self-harm, bullying, and suicide.
Many fans may feel disappointed by the ending which feels unresolved, but it also opens the door to a lot of interpretation. Despite only being 12 episodes long, Wonder Egg Priority’s storyline and symbolism far outlast its runtime.
7) The Monogatari Series
The Monogatari Series is an anime series that you will either fully love or hate because of the way it’s made. The story revolves around Araragi, a high school student who runs into a vampire and gains superhuman abilities. In spite of trying to live a normal life, he soon becomes involved with various supernatural beings and their dilemmas.
While each mission of Araragi makes him face a difficult new task fans wonder how to solve, that is not where Monogatari’s main complexity lies. Rather, the series is renowned for its rapid-fire conversations, unique direction style, and intricate wordplay. Dialogues are dense with metaphor and subtext, often requiring viewers to pause and reflect to grasp the full scope of the narrative.
Studio Shaft’s distinctive visual style helps enhance it to much more than just another supernatural anime, making it an intellectual exercise.
6) Texhnolyze
Very few anime manage to capture the bleak and depressive nature of a dystopian world as well as Texhnolyze. Set in the underground city of Lux, this series follows Ichise, a fighter who lost his limbs and was given mechanical transplants. In a collapsed society of violence between factions, he soon gets embroiled in its chaotic series of events.
Texhnolyze is a very hard series to watch simply because of how slow it is. The narrative is extremely subtle, relying heavily on symbolism and imagery. The dialogues are sparse, creating a more oppressive atmosphere. This avant-garde work demands patience and critical thinking to fully understand and appreciate, making it a harrowing but rewarding watch.
5) Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan is very different from the other anime on this list because no one was expecting it to be complicated. During the introduction, it seemed to be a standard fighting series where humanity faced off against the monstrous Titans that were threatening them. However, as the scale of its world increased, we soon found that there was something much deeper in the works.
With each passing arc of Attack on Titan, its lore, mysteries, and political conspiracies form a web that fans need to solve. Eren’s eventual shift from the idealistic protagonist to a terrorist who had manipulated every event had viewers scratching their brains. Hence, Attack on Titan’s mirroring of the real world, shift in perspectives between nations, rich history, and plot twists need a high level of comprehension to fully appreciate.
4) Perfect Blue
Perfect Blue is the only anime movie on this list and is widely known as Satoshi Kon’s masterpiece. The story revolves around Mima, a retired idol who enters the world of acting. Her venture is fraught with challenges due to her taxing schedule, obsessive stalkers, and her own crumbling sense of identity.
This leads her down a hole of anxiety and paranoia, taking viewers through unreliable perspectives that make it hard to distinguish reality from illusion. The sequence of events is not always straightforward, and Mima’s role as a fickle protagonist leaves us wondering what to believe.
Perfect Blue is a masterpiece of the genre, influencing filmmakers worldwide with its disturbing imagery and psychological deep-dive. This makes it a complicated movie everyone needs to watch at least once.
3) Steins;Gate
The sci-fi masterpiece Steins;Gate is highly regarded for its exploration of time travel, causality, and the consequences of one’s actions. The story follows Rintaro, a mad scientist who carelessly uses the powers of a device that can send messages to the past. Unfortunately, these have long-standing effects on the future, potentially even endangering the world.
The anime starts with character exposition and time travel mechanics before ramping up the tension. Rintaro’s quest to undo the shifts in the timeline while outrunning Sern has us on the edge of our seats. Steins;Gate’s narrative complexity lies in its meticulous attention to detail; even the smallest events have far-reaching implications.
Its explanations of science and devices are relevant throughout, making it both enjoyable and educational. All these help us connect with the protagonist and his emotional state when trying to fix his mistakes. Hence, for fans of science fiction and intricate storytelling, Steins;Gate is an unforgettable experience.
2) Neon Genesis Evangelion
Decades after its release, fans are still trying to understand the complete meaning of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The story starts by following Shinji Ikari, a teenager tasked with piloting a giant robot to protect humanity from enigmatic beings known as Angels.
Soon, it transcends this description and delves into existential questions regarding purpose, identity, and connection. Shinji’s internal struggles are a highlight of the narrative, watching him gradually break down with each battle. In the background, Gendo Ikari’s plans and the truth behind the Angels only keep adding to the layers of the story.
Finally, Neon Genesis Evangelion’s ending takes its complexity to another level, with abstract visuals, cryptic dialogue, and an ambiguous conclusion. It doesn’t help that different iterations of this tale have different endings, making fans constantly debate and analyze its true nature.
1) Serial Experiments Lain
Serial Experiments Lain has formed a large cult following over the years solely for how complex it is. Even after several rewatches, many are unable to properly understand the plot, making them utterly fascinated with the series.
The story follows an introverted girl named Lain who receives an email from a dead classmate. Through this, she becomes entangled in the mysterious and interconnected world of the Wired, an advanced form of the internet. The series only gets more and more complicated from this point, as Lain is in the center of a cryptic conspiracy despite having no idea about it herself.
The anime’s narrative elevates the aura of mystery by producing disjointed episodes that present fragments of information. It covers themes of technology’s impact and the boundaries between physical and digital existence. The unsettling tone of Serial Experiments Lain, where you keep racking your brain to figure out what’s going on. It encourages viewers to rewatch it multiple times and assess its meaning on their own.
Conclusion
These eight anime exemplify the depth and complexity that the medium can achieve. Each offers a unique experience that challenges viewers to think critically and engage deeply with its themes.
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