10 Weird Anime You Need To Watch Right Now

I have a special place in my heart for weird-ass anime. But if you ask anyone who isn’t a fan of anime, they’re going to tell you that “all anime is weird.”

If you ask an anime fan though, hoo boy are they going to have some suggestions for you on the actually weird animes.

Let me make this clear: weird anime does not mean bad anime. Every show on this list, I have personally watched all the way through and I am recommending you watch it, too. If you enjoy them, I will be pleased. If you don’t, at least I warned you ahead of time that they’re weird.

I’m giving you a baseline for the weirdness and a screenshot, but if you want to know more, you’ll have to watch them yourself. No spoilers here.

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Heaven’s Lost Property

Let’s start off with a heavy hitter. Heaven’s Lost Property is f***ing weird and it’s drowning in fan service. Tomoki, the teenage perv, turns into a (not always clothed) chibi at seemingly frequent rates. As the title might tell you, there’s fallen angels in the show. Our main “Angeloid,” Ikaros, falls from Heaven and becomes Tomoki’s servant.

Ikaros’ antics are honestly the reason I kept watching the show – the fact that she began quite expressionless, her trying to serve Tomoki but also not understanding human things all the time…

Ikaros and her watermelon are burned into my brain, and it seems I’m not the only one. This simply endearing quality has become a beloved memory of the story, and you’ll have to watch it to find out why. I’m not telling you.

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Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture

One of my favorite things about Moyashimon is the fact that it was recognized for its scientific accuracy (seriously, it won awards).

Tadayasu Sawaki is a freshman at an agricultural university who can see and communicate with the microorganisms. What makes this anime weird is that it’s all about the microorganisms. The characters’ designs aren’t accurate to their shape, but their story and facts are, and they’re sprinkled into the storyline to teach you exactly what they do and how they do it.

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The Devil is a Part-Timer

When you’re watching a show with a main character whose name is Devil King, you’re going to immediately assume that there’s something ominous going on with the show. Heck, even the other characters assume this.

But what’s a devil really going to do when he’s transported to modern day Japan and appears as a human? Get a job and make his name more understandable. Sadao Maou, the devil, takes on the name Satan Jacob (yes, really) because it’s similar enough to his original name (I GUESS) and gets a job at MgRonald, which bears no resemblance to any real world franchise at all. Nooooo.

If you want to, like me, mutter “what” at yourself a few times, watch this.

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Deadman Wonderland

I had no idea what I was signing up for when I watched this show, and I’m tempted to leave you in the same situation, but I won’t. Because I need you to watch this show.

Deadman Wonderland is the name of the prison “theme park” where the inmates participate in events to entertain the public, who absolutely pay to be there – the funds go to help rebuild the city where an earthquake essentially obliterated it.

And of course, what’s a prison show without jerks for guards, bloodshed, a certifiably insane sidekick, and the struggle to stay alive? Not much of a show, you are correct. Just eat your candy or you’re screwed, even before the games begin.

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Desert Punk

I just want to let you all know that my friend is insanely upset that I put this on a list about “weird-ass anime.” But it’s staying. Because I said so.

Kanto has been turned into a desert where most people are struggling to get by, both by means of success but also a blistering sun that makes it hard to even travel to another town. Desert Punk begins by following Kanta Mizuno, a mercenary with an affinity for all breasts jiggly. He’s kind of a dick but people tolerate him because he’s good at his job – kind of like a lot of people I know.

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Shimoneta

Hello, fan service! The name of the show itself is slang for vulgarity, but the first bit of weirdness actually starts before the show even does: the subtitle is “A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist.” And if you think that means there are no dirty jokes… dude, come on, how long have you been reading this list?

The show is set in the unsettlingly-close future where everyone has to wear a device that monitors you for any words or motions that could be “misconstrued.” So who else could be the heroine of this story than a pervert terrorist named Blue Snow who wears a pair of panties on her face, deactivating her devices for short periods of time so she can be lewd?

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Chi’s Sweet Home

So you might be starting to think I’m crazy. “What is ‘Chi’s Sweet Home’ doing on this list?” Hear me out.

Chi is a young kitten who gets separated from her family and finds a human one instead. Sad and cute, I know. There’s no twist. This anime is straight-up the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, and perhaps that’s what makes it weird. It’s just a good time.

Oh, but maybe it’s the fact that the entire thing is from Chi’s point of view, and you’re watching her life’s joys and fears as she experiences them. You know how a lot of pet owners will give their pet a silly voice and then sound out that pet’s thoughts and speech? Imagine that.

(Also, Chi thinks that’s her name, but she just mistakenly answered when her humans were talking about pee. Her name is urine. Awwww.)

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Angels of Death

Rachel Gardner is 13 years old. And she wants to die. How? Why? Your guess is probably as good as hers. She finds herself in the basement of a building with the mission to move up through the building and escape, but there are people waiting to kill her everywhere, an end she’d be okay with if it wasn’t for her serial killer companion not being okay with her dying.

Zack the serial killer wants out, and Rachel is the key to that, so he promises her the sweet, sweet relief of death once they reach the end.

It’s based on a video game, which I am going to thoroughly enjoy after writing the rest of this.

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Hikaru no Go

I heard this manga inspired an increase of young Go players when it released in the late 90s. I remember not wanting to play because I had very little interest in being haunted by a dramatic ghost who loses his shit every time I don’t want to play anymore.

Because that’s exactly what happens. Hikaru Shindo has no interest in the game. Fukiwara-no-Sai, the ghost in his Go board, desires one single thing in the afterlife: the Divine Move. Having the pesky trouble of not being able to touch Go pieces because… well, he’s a ghost, he attempts to live vicariously through Hikaru to achieve this goal, since he’s the only one that can see and hear him.

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Hetalia

This is probably the most well-known anime on this list. These bite-sized episodes personify countries (mainly WWII Allies and Axis powers) to teach you the interaction between these countries. Most of the show focuses on interactions during WWII, but there are storylines built in throughout history with no regards for timeline.

But it’s not all seriousness and history lessons – you have to have pasta breaks, too!