Who doesn’t crave Psychological Anime(s)? So here are my top 5s.
1. Monster(2004)
Dr. Kenzou Tenma, an elite neurosurgeon recently engaged to his hospital director’s daughter, is well on his way to ascending the hospital hierarchy. That is until one night, a seemingly small event changes Dr. Tenma’s life forever. While preparing to perform surgery on someone, he gets a call from the hospital director telling him to switch patients and instead perform life-saving brain surgery on a famous performer. His fellow doctors, fiancée, and the hospital director applaud his accomplishment; but because of the switch, a poor immigrant worker is dead, causing Dr. Tenma to have a crisis of conscience. So when a similar situation arises, Dr. Tenma stands his ground and chooses to perform surgery on the young boy Johan Liebert instead of the town’s mayor. Unfortunately, this choice leads to serious ramifications for Dr. Tenma — losing his social standing being one of them. However, with the mysterious death of the director and two other doctors, Dr. Tenma’s position is restored. With no evidence to convict him, he is released and goes on to attain the position of hospital director. Nine years later when Dr. Tenma saves the life of a criminal, his past comes back to haunt him — once again, he comes face to face with the monster he operated on. He must now embark on a quest of pursuit to make amends for the havoc spread by the one he saved.
Score: 8.82
Episodes: 74 TV
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 7, 2004 to Sep 28, 2005
Rating: R+ — Mild Nudity
Duration: 24 min per ep
Source: Manga
Studios: Madhouse
More info: MAL, AL, Simkl
2. Erased/Boku dake ga Inai Machi(2016)
When tragedy is about to strike, Satoru Fujinuma finds himself sent back several minutes before the accident occurs. The detached, 29-year-old manga artist has taken advantage of this powerful yet mysterious phenomenon, which he calls “Revival,” to save many lives. However, when he is wrongfully accused of murdering someone close to him, Satoru is sent back to the past once again, but this time to 1988, 18 years in the past. Soon, he realizes that the murder may be connected to the abduction and killing of one of his classmates, the solitary and mysterious Kayo Hinazuki, that took place when he was a child. This is his chance to make things right. Boku dake ga Inai Machi follows Satoru in his mission to uncover what truly transpired 18 years ago and prevent the death of his classmate while protecting those he cares about in the present.
Score: 8.32
Episodes: 12 TV
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jan 8, 2016 to Mar 25, 2016
Rating: R — 17+ (violence & profanity)
Duration: 23 min per ep
Source: Manga
Studios: A-1 Pictures
More info: MAL, AL, Simkl
3. Welcome to NHK!/NHK ni Youkoso!(2006)
Twenty-two-year-old college dropout Tatsuhiro Satou has been a hikikomori for almost four years now. In his isolation, he has come to believe in many obscure conspiracy theories, but there is one in particular which he holds unshakable faith in: the theory that the evil conspirator behind his shut-in NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) status is the Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai (NHK) — an evil and secret organization dedicated to fostering the spread of hikikomori culture. NHK ni Youkoso! is a psychological dramedy that follows Tatsuhiro as he strives to escape from the NHK’s wicked machinations and the disease of self-wrought isolation, while struggling to even just leave his apartment and find a job. His unexpected encounter with the mysterious Misaki Nakahara might signal a reversal of fortune for Tatsuhiro, but with this meeting comes the inevitable cost of having to face his greatest fear — society.
Score: 8.32
Episodes: 24 TV
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jul 10, 2006 to Dec 18, 2006
Genres : Comedy, Drama, Romance, Otaku Culture, Psychological
Rating: R+ — Mild Nudity
Duration: 24 min per ep
Source: Novel
Studios: Gonzo
More info: MAL, AL, Simkl
4.Steins;Gate(2011)
The eccentric, self-proclaimed mad scientist Rintarou Okabe has become a shell of his former self. Depressed and traumatized after failing to rescue his friend Makise Kurisu, he has decided to forsake his mad scientist alter ego and live as an ordinary college student. Surrounded by friends who know little of his time travel experiences, Okabe spends his days trying to forget the horrors of his adventures alone. While working as a receptionist at a college technology forum, Okabe meets the short, spunky Maho Hiyajo, who later turns out to be the interpreter at the forum’s presentation, conducted by Professor Alexis Leskinen. In front of a stunned crowd, Alexis and Maho unveil Amadeus — a revolutionary AI capable of storing a person’s memories and creating a perfect simulation of that person complete with their personality and quirks. Meeting with Maho and Alexis after the presentation, Okabe learns that the two were Kurisu’s colleagues in university, and that they have simulated her in Amadeus. Hired by Alexis to research the simulation’s behavior, Okabe is given the chance to interact with the shadow of a long-lost dear friend. Dangerously tangled in the past, Okabe must face the harsh reality and carefully maneuver around the disastrous consequences that come with disturbing the natural flow of time.
Watch Order:
- Steins;Gate (completely)
- Optionally, the OVA (25) and the Movie (you can watch those at any point from now on, even move it to the very ending)
- Steins;Gate Episode 23b (“Missing Link”)
- Steins;Gate 0 (completely)
Score: 8.52
Episodes: 23 TV
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 12, 2018 to Sep 27, 2018
Rating: PG-13 — Teens 13 or older
Duration: 23 min per ep
Source: Visual novel
Studios: White Fox
More info: MAL, AL, Simkl
5. Zankyou no Terror/ Terror in Resonance(2014)
Painted in red, the word “VON” is all that is left behind after a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility in Japan. The government is shattered by their inability to act, and the police are left frantically searching for ways to crack down the perpetrators. The public are clueless — until, six months later, a strange video makes its way onto the internet. In it, two teenage boys who identify themselves only as “Sphinx” directly challenge the police, threatening to cause destruction and mayhem across Tokyo. Unable to stop the mass panic quickly spreading through the city and desperate for any leads in their investigation, the police struggle to act effectively against these terrorists, with Detective Kenjirou Shibazaki caught in the middle of it all. Zankyou no Terror tells the story of Nine and Twelve, the two boys behind the masked figures of Sphinx. They should not exist, yet they stand strong in a world of deception and secrets while they make the city fall around them, all in the hopes of burying their own tragic truth.
Score: 8.11
Episodes: 11 TV
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jul 11, 2014 to Sep 26, 2014
Rating: R — 17+ (violence & profanity)
Duration: 22 min per ep
Source: Original
Studios: MAPPA
More info: MAL, AL, Simkl
Honorable Mention: Neon Genesis Evangelion(1995)
Fifteen years after a cataclysmic event known as the Second Impact, the world faces a new threat: monstrous celestial beings called “Angels” invade Tokyo-3 one by one. Mankind is unable to defend themselves against the Angels despite utilizing their most advanced munitions and military tactics. The only hope for human salvation rests in the hands of NERV, a mysterious organization led by the cold Gendou Ikari. NERV operates giant humanoid robots dubbed “Evangelions” to combat the Angels with state-of-the-art advanced weaponry and protective barriers known as Absolute Terror Fields. Years after being abandoned by his father, Shinji Ikari, Gendou’s 14-year-old son, returns to Tokyo-3. Shinji undergoes a perpetual internal battle against the deeply buried trauma caused by the loss of his mother and the emotional neglect he suffered at the hands of his father. Terrified to open himself up to another, Shinji’s life is forever changed upon meeting 29-year-old Misato Katsuragi, a high-ranking NERV officer who shows him a free-spirited maternal kindness he has never experienced. A devastating Angel attack forces Shinji into action as Gendou reveals his true motive for inviting his son back to Tokyo-3: Shinji is the only child capable of efficiently piloting Evangelion Unit-01, a new robot that synchronizes with his biometrics. Despite the brutal psychological trauma brought about by piloting an Evangelion, Shinji defends Tokyo-3 against the angelic threat, oblivious to his father’s dark machinations.
Score: 8.34
Episodes: 26 TV
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 4, 1995 to Mar 27, 1996
Rating: PG-13 — Teens 13 or older
Duration: 24 min per ep
Source: Original
Studios: Gainax, Tatsunoko Production
More info: MAL, AL, Simkl
