The idol scene in Japan has become imo SO much worse than it was portrayed in PB (which was really fucking bad. Unwritten and documented non dating agreements. Multiple suicides. Stalking off the charts. All worse with the blooming of the internet
One aspect of Mima's life that made me a little sad was how the group she performed with started becoming more popular after she left. Combined with her deteriorating mental health, that had to be a blow.
I admire you for putting aku no hana here. It may not be your typical horror anime, but it was one of the most disturbing things I've ever watched and the fact that it was so realistic scared me the most.
it looks “realistic” because they used an animation technique called rotoscoping, where basically they filmed real actors doing a whole live action and then animated over the live action footage. It really stained Aku No Hana’s reputation because rotoscoping is usually not well received and it upsets me because I really like the manga (up to the first half, second half shouldn’t have existed imo) The only media where rotoscoping actually made sense was on the Faith games, because it’s a horror game and the uncanny look of rotoscoped animation adds to the “creepiness” of it. I think some manga just shouldn’t be animated. Oyasumi Punpun being the number one manga that comes to mind. I can’t think of any kind of adaptation that can make the manga justice.
Im so sad you guys dont think Shiki is scary 😭 i watched it first when I was probably about 12 and its stuck with me ever since. When that guy experiments on his wife, that scene where that guy is sad that his friend as a vampire is able to resist eating but he wasnt able to, that girl who killed her whole family in an attempt to be with them only for them to not turn into vampires. Its all so sad and scary. The idea of dying a horrible death and then being forced to become this monster who has to kill the ones you love to live. All they wanted was a community of their own, they wanted everyone in the town to be with them and they all got violently murdered for it 💔
Also, watching Flowers of Evil rn it sounded really interesting and is the first rotoscope project I've seen that actually looks like. Present to look at. At least imo.
To me it was more of a slap with reality than scary. I mean sure it’s very scary to think and know that similar situations happen in real life, but it just left me feeling empty afterwards knowing i can’t do anything about it. I’m just a fellow villager that can watch at the sides.
Shiki is the underappreciated GOAT with a stellar dub to match. Unlike the doo-doo water anime adaptation of Deadman Wonderland that idiots gas up for no reason.
I love horror and anything related, but i think anime shines most with Psychologycal Horror. Perfect Blue is an amazing example of that and it's surprising to see its themes still hold up to today's era and age Great video, will add your recommendations to my list
Texhnolyze is the most emotional draining anime out there. First time I watched when I was a kid left me so sad. There’s a piano ost that’s so incredible
@@MrHunteru Considering you like Higurashi When They Cry, are you hyped for/planning to make any video's on Silent Hill F when it comes out, considering the story of Silent Hill F is being written by Higurashi's author?
That first note from the Song of the Witch gave me chills like it was the first time all over again. I love Re:Zero. It triggers such a visceral response and is more thought provoking than people sometimes give it credit for. I can watch it over and over and still be effected by it.
I’m actually happy to see Perfect Blue is mentioned. I have that movie in two copies. A regular blu-ray and 4K ultra blu-ray steel book. Fair to say I really love the movie. Still unnerves me to hear the famous Mima’s Room theme, love it so much the harmonic tones of it still gives little shivers of “someone can be watching you, you just don’t know it.” Back to the video.
i watched flowers of evil during its original run. Its cool seeing someone talk about it again. And Omg hearing the ending play again sent shivers down my spine. It was so freaky but i couldn't stop listening to it. I was so intrigued by the show because I had not seen anything like it at the time. After the anime, I went on to read the rest of the story in the manga.
Even though Higurashi have some aspects that didn't age well, it remains one of my fav anime (Top 5 Anime) of all time; and Re:Zero is an amazing series to fill in that void for this; the closest being Summertime Render.
Finally someone said it, Re:Zero is a psychological horror and I don't care what people say otherwise, as someone whose a caught up to the source material I cannot wait for you to experience Arc 6.
I gotta say it was really cool seeing aku no hana here. I watched it maybe 7 years ago? And I still know the lyrics of the outro song. It scared me but a better way to explain it was that it made me sick with anxiety. It pulls you in by being nervous with Takao taking the gym clothes and really locks you in with nakamura always on him. It felt like being locked in a room with her and you weren't sure what's she'd do 😂 I remember having to take a break at one point just because of how uncomfortable it made me
5:40 My god that music from Re:zero _"Oooouuuuwwwaaaaaaahhhhh"_ very unnerving, gives me chills... I'll probably add these to my to watch list for when I have access to stuff
The fact that the tragedy and horror was able to shine through some of the flat out FUNNIEST hairdos in all of animie (which is an achievement in itself!) is a testament to it's power. I just wish the Shiki and the humans could have reached an agreement....
Thank god someone else finds Aku No Hana horrifying. I read the manga and had to suppress a panic attack reading it. I have only ever had one real panic attack in my life, so it was pretty unusual for me. It was just so goddamn uncomfortable. It made me feel like I needed to go scrub my skin off in the shower. It was so so so icky. Everyone thinks I’m nuts when I say it’s one of the most truly disturbing things I’ve ever read/watched, considering I consume an ungodly amount of horror media.
I think another (possible) honorable mention could be Tomie. It is a fact that Tomie is basically the queen of manga horror, she is indeed pretty iconic, even if the horror of it has been toned down because of the popularity, but it is still the first thing that pops up (at least for me) when "horror manga" is mentioned. But well, it is just my opinion.
I usually refer people to the Ninja Scroll where ninjas at the start the movie investigate and are ambushed by supernatural beings. Probably THE best horror moment done in anime EVER. You can legit feel the horror of every moment. Oh yeah and Genocyber, true horror done in anime. 80s/90s and early 2000s anime could do horror perfectly
Heh. I was 12 in 2001, and that when more adult anime started to become mainstream and available with better translation and localization. I remember renting Perfect Blue from Blockbuster at around that time and watched it with a friend. At the end of it, we both looked at each other and went, "What the hell was that?" But Perfect Blue has stuck with me, so I'm glad I watched it when I did. I think I tend to be more forgiving and sympathetic of celebrities and the regular TH-cam creators that I watch because of how it impacted me.
I recommend the anime Now and Then, Here and There, while I don’t think it technically counts as a horror anime, it does have some scenes that are genuinely scary and disturbing!
Dark gathering was imo a sleeper hit that is genuinely scary at many many different moments while also being able to make you laugh and or smile just as much
anybody who finds the aku no hana animation weird - i get it, it's strange and unlike typical anime. BUT TRUST ME, as well as what hunter says, the story suits the rotoscoping insanely well. i've studied baudelaire's poetry (if you have an interest in literature, i highly recommend the poems morning twilight and evening twilight) , and his poetry very much focuses on crude realism, another reason why this animation style works. also don't watch the live action movie - it's bad lol
FLOWERS OF EVIL NOT GETTING IT’S SEASON 2 WAS A MASSIVE BUMMER 😭 THE END OF SEASON 1 HAD SET IT UP PERFECTLY AS WELL! THE SECOND HALF OF THE MANGA IS BRILLIANT!
Pretty much every anime on this list is one I really enjoy so I’m a little sad that there isn’t anything new to watch. (I’m so glad Aku no Hana is getting it’s flowers finally, it’s one of my favorite anime that I can never truly recommend) but I’ve never seen Re:Zero bc in the surface it looks like a typical isekai harem anime and that just not to my taste but your recommendation has intrigued me. I love Higurashi but I don’t consider the anime scary, what actually scared me was the visual novel and it’s a shame that none of the anime adaptations can capture that horror.
Seeing Texknolyze in the list makes me really happy. I remember buying the DVDs for a lot of money and obly watching the show once. I liked the experience but never touched the DVDs again. Glad to hear someone else has the feeling not wanting to watch the show again, even when they say they enjoyed it. 😬
That’s so true. It reminds me a lot of this French film called Martyrs. The story and message are genius, but holy shit is the journey so rough. Also I love the Barbara pfp
for YEARS ive been trying to remember Texhnolyze and you just fixed my over ten year brain fuck of never being able to find it again omfg. I specifically remember having the dvd for it and being obsessed with the opening but never actually understanding the show itself bc i was so young but MAN, now i can finally remember and watch it :D
There is only one anime that has been able to scare me - Shinreigari (Ghost Hound). Also, this anime touches on topics of psychology. I'd even say it's like a puzzle, because you're given the necessary information and some sort of end result, but no one is going to chew it up for you. You are expected to think about it yourself and fill in the gaps.
Aku no Hana is masterful, so it’s refreshing to hear someone talk about such an underrated series so passionately. Something I love about it that I don’t believe you touched on is how reflective the story and themes are of the works of Baudelaire. Many of his works, including the original collection of poems under the same name as this series, tackle themes of beauty and romance often through a lens of decay, corruption, and self-destruction. The collection that this series is named after in particular brilliantly captures this idea that a cyclical form of erotic desire can take over one’s mind and lead someone to become intoxicated by their own self-destruction. There’s this looming theme of moral corruption in which a human will deny their own responsibility in succumbing to moral corruption at first but be overtaken by it as it becomes more intoxicating and luring. In Aku no Hana, so many themes, episodes, and characters mirror these ideas flawlessly. Takao gives into immoral desire and is caught by Nakamura who quickly becomes a vehicle for corruption that allows Takao to give into his own self-destruction. While he shuns the idea of being culpable at first, he is eventually intoxicated with the immoral nature that Nakamura allows him to see in himself. No better scene captures this better than the infamous classroom paint scene. I was just blown away by how well this series was able to capture and express the essence of Baudelaire’s works and philosophies. Such a fantastic series.
First off, fantastic to see another comment from you again! Your comment on the RAG video was one I was thinking about most of yesterday. Secondly, I both am surprised and not surprised that the series takes so much influence from Baudelaire’s works. I’ve been planning to make a much larger video about the series because the manga blew me out of the water and is currently one of my favorites ever made, and now I know that if I do I should look more into Baudelaire for said video. I’ll be sure to give you credit too because you’ve got me very interested! Sounds like the themes perfectly match up, and it’s a very interesting exploration of morality
@@MrHunteru I really appreciate that. I have a lot of passion for the series since it is one of my favorites and I am a huge fan of the works of Baudelaire. It would be great if you made a full video on the series. I’d definitely be tuning in. I’m interested to hear what other insights you have about the series as a whole and its many themes. Keep up the great work though! I found your channel yesterday and your videos instantly had me hooked. You offer some genuinely new and interesting commentary on many series that I feel like either aren’t being talked about enough or are so over saturated with critiques that everyone comes off as repetitive. I have been impressed with all the videos I have seen of yours so far. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next!
What are your thoughts on Berserk and Made in Abyss? Also while not an anime it's a game World of Horror is heavily inspired/homage to Junji Ito and the late HP Lovecraft.
I’ve never heard of this game before but you’ve definitely caught my attention. Personally I’ve stayed away from Made in Abyss because some aspects with the children make me feel deeply uncomfortable, and Berserk is depressing lmao I’ve been trying to read it but I keep taking breaks cause it’s a lot
Amazing list! This has some of my favorite anime ever. The very fact that Texhnolyze is the only one I have not seen now makes me want to watch it! I definitely will have to check out more of your videos!
I have had Mononoke and flowers of evil on my watchlist for a while but I had never heard of Texhnolyze until this video, thank Thank you for convincing me to watch them and thanks for giving perfect blue the justice it deserves feels like its glossed over but its more relevant now then ever before! I have been watching your higurashi content for a while now keep up the great content! 😀
Awesome! I’m glad to see some people have stuck around from that era, makes me very happy. It really bugs me how under-appreciated Perfect Blue feels, but I’m very happy regardless that I was able to convince you to move some shows higher up in your watch list :D
Perfect Blue is more of a Psychological Thriller to me but definitely top 3 anime movies for me of all time. Hell Girl or Another wasn't mentioned which i think are horror. Honorable mention to Mieruko-chan because its hilarious but it's terrifyingly creepy too😂
@MrHunteru I can see why Another isn't scary, but I do find it good for the horror genre because of its supernatural element. Hell Girl is interesting it might not be scary either, but the concept is good. You might like it also it's kind of old. I think it came out in the early 2000s.
I've actually never heard of this before, only because of google did I find out it was related to Rurouni Kenshin lol. Interested rec, I'll look into it. Thank you!
@@MrHunteru It was a prequel to Rurouni Kenshin but the tone is completely different. Very dark, brutal and serious. Minor spoilers here, think about it as a Batman origin story because it’s a Batman origin story.
I watched with bated breath, hoping I overlooked a series…and there is! I saw every show you listed minus Texhnolyze. So I know which show to add to my watch soon list.
Oh hey, Texhnolyze and Mononoke are personal favourites of mine! :3 Maybe this is going to sound slightly unhinged, but I honestly find the ending of Texhnolyze… "hopeful" is the wrong word, but there is a sense of closure and tragic potency to how the different characters confront the futility of their actions and choose to act regardless, finding meaning in raging against the dying of the light. I will say, however, that the show is deeply unsettling in places, with the surface world being particularly nightmarish in a way that I normally only encounter in short prose fiction. In terms of what shows not listed here have truly disturbed me, the excellent if sadly truncated adaptation of Alien Nine is really something else, a real fever dream of the horrors of adolescent girlhood with some truly wild imagery and amazing sound design and music. The fact that this team never got a chance to animate some of the truly harrowing and heartbreaking material from later in the manga is a grave disappointment. On the truly obscure end of things, Nido to Mezamenu Komori Uta, a highly experimental and politically charged short film by the same director as the infamous Midori: Shoujo Tsubaki (also absolutely horrifying), ends with a lengthy, highly symbolic sequence involving a train which is one of the most frightening pieces of art which I have ever encountered in my life. And to round things off with a more recent pick, while I understand and respect your misgivings about how the series handles its child characters, the second season of Made in Abyss is a genuine tour de force of transgressive fiction of a sort rarely seen in animation, simultaneously nauseating and awe-inspiring, and admitting that I think it was possibly the best show of last year feels at once uncomfortably revealing and just kind of right.
I had two thoughts: First Texnolyze sounds like it was a prequel to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Second Flowers of Evil has an anime? Great, I had just started reading the manga!
Cat soup was terrifying and one of the only ones that just bakes in my brain even years later. Flowers of Evil was a great story. I really also loved Mushishi, it's different but unsettling nonetheless. Theres one specific episode that sticks in my mind about a child losing their eyes to an entity because it's eating them from the inside. I'd have to say it's one of my favorites and I've watched it over a few times now.
finally someone is talking about aku no hana anime being Great . what i like about it is that , it feels like its happening to you. While i has the dream of making my own manga ... i read a book called " making comics " in which it says - " the more simple a charecter is more you immerse yourself in it". and i also love how i can just imagine my classmates faces on to the anime , cause its not to detailed
I think Jojo's Bizarre adventure is the scariest anime franchise I ever seen. There are absolute nightmare fuel moments in Jojo that just plain shock me everytime. Especially Jojo part 5. Sometimes it tries too hard.
Flowers of Evil was one of the first manga series i ever read and completed. It's incredible and i cannot recommend it enough. I never watched the anime however and i believe this reminder of the series is going to be why i finally watch. Its a horribly amazing story through and through.
I think the other series rotoscoping actually works really well with is Houseki no Kuni. They’re not human, but they are human-like so the uncanniness worked well.
Higurashi was one of the first anime that i watched, and it scared me shitless as an 11 year old. Not so much these days but phew i was freaked out back then
I have a recommendation for a psychological horror anime that also finds an interesting approach for trauma. It’s called Th Lost Village I highly recommend
i been wanting to watch more horror anime, i havent seen perfect blue and flower of evil so ill watch those. and elfen lied and higurashi scare me when i was younger, rewatching them now they arent scary just the death that gets me but any thoughts on corpse party? i seen the show idk how many time and i cant help but flinch at each ep
It's probably not to scary to most, but I always really enjoyed Kakurenbo. I found the monsters to be unsettling, specially just by their names alone, and the ending fate of the children captured is just really disturbing to me. I personally love it.
The thing is there is a difference in horrors, there is the feeling of dread and unnervingness, and/or being scared out of terror or shock. The first one hits way way harder and as a whole way better. Why imo psychological thrillers tend to get under your skin way better than horrors.
I love that Mononoke was on this list, honestly thought that show was a fever dream, but had a lot of fun watching it. I’m so glad it’s getting some artistic recognition :)
Check out the creator of Flowers of Evil manga. His name is Oshimi Shuzo and he also created other masterpiece Pyschological manga like _Happiness, Boku wa Mari no Naka,_ and _Chi no Wadachi._ It's like if you know Urasawa Naoki, the creator of Psychological Mystery manga masterpieces like _Monster, Pluto,_ and _20th Century Boys._ It's just that Oshimi Shuzo is more focused on Psychological Tragedy but if you like both types then it would be cool.
I used to think future diary was eerie at the end, the mc being so depressed as a god and he just sits there moping for eternity . He stays reminiscing on the past life and leaves the universe as a void
honestly, with the "anime can't have horrifying designs" like with the junji ito stuff, I've found dark gathering from this season has some incredibly terrifying designs.
I vaguely remember an old Pewdiepie video of him recommending anime and Mononoke it was one of them, same with blame! But he said the manga was where it’s at lmao
I might be in the minority saying this: Promised Neverland S2 had a bad ending, but the episodes beforehand I think are pretty good. S1 to me remains a 10/10 S2 - 6/10 Can't wait to get cooked. 😅
The witch,s theme from re-zero alone, makes me feel very scared and uncomfortable. every. Goddamn. Time. Goodnight everyone. Im sleeping with my radio on tonight.
I am sad higurashi is not on the list, but I have watched perfect blue, and yeah the blend what is real and isn't and the difficulty to distinguish that, and also the commentary of social icons and parasocial relationships with fans and the icons or commodified is the true horror. I have not seen re zero because how bleak it seems to get among other problems. And I have not watched flowers of evil because how disturbing it looks, but that probably elevates the horror of these series
Have you heard/watched Dark Gathering?? It's still airing right now. The show starts slow with kinda episodic style, But once the plot reveal around episode 9 It's get really disturbing and dare I say Scary.
funny thing is as great as re:zero is with psychological horror the novels do the body horror more justice as you hear subaru's thought process in great detail each time and what he is feeling uh... internally in some cases and its a lot more descriptive than the anime
@@MrHunteru actually its a terminalmontage reference which in turn is I think an eric andre show reference, many layers but mainly at the time i just thought it sounded funny
You should read it if you can manage reading manga, the anime was horribly adapted. They cut 99% of the story down and then never finished it. The manga and the visual novel are perfect imo
The fact that Perfect Blue was made over 25 years ago and is more relevant than ever is insane to me
so I like peanuts
I know right 😂
The idol scene in Japan has become imo SO much worse than it was portrayed in PB (which was really fucking bad. Unwritten and documented non dating agreements. Multiple suicides. Stalking off the charts. All worse with the blooming of the internet
oshi no ko's obsessive fan in the first episode kind of reminded me of Perfect Blue when i watched it
Same with serial experiment lain
One aspect of Mima's life that made me a little sad was how the group she performed with started becoming more popular after she left. Combined with her deteriorating mental health, that had to be a blow.
Same here
I admire you for putting aku no hana here. It may not be your typical horror anime, but it was one of the most disturbing things I've ever watched and the fact that it was so realistic scared me the most.
I couldn't agree me more. This anime is so painfully overlooked
it looks “realistic” because they used an animation technique called rotoscoping, where basically they filmed real actors doing a whole live action and then animated over the live action footage. It really stained Aku No Hana’s reputation because rotoscoping is usually not well received and it upsets me because I really like the manga (up to the first half, second half shouldn’t have existed imo)
The only media where rotoscoping actually made sense was on the Faith games, because it’s a horror game and the uncanny look of rotoscoped animation adds to the “creepiness” of it.
I think some manga just shouldn’t be animated. Oyasumi Punpun being the number one manga that comes to mind. I can’t think of any kind of adaptation that can make the manga justice.
Im so sad you guys dont think Shiki is scary 😭 i watched it first when I was probably about 12 and its stuck with me ever since. When that guy experiments on his wife, that scene where that guy is sad that his friend as a vampire is able to resist eating but he wasnt able to, that girl who killed her whole family in an attempt to be with them only for them to not turn into vampires. Its all so sad and scary. The idea of dying a horrible death and then being forced to become this monster who has to kill the ones you love to live. All they wanted was a community of their own, they wanted everyone in the town to be with them and they all got violently murdered for it 💔
Also, watching Flowers of Evil rn it sounded really interesting and is the first rotoscope project I've seen that actually looks like. Present to look at. At least imo.
To me it was more of a slap with reality than scary. I mean sure it’s very scary to think and know that similar situations happen in real life, but it just left me feeling empty afterwards knowing i can’t do anything about it. I’m just a fellow villager that can watch at the sides.
I’m sorry Auggie 😭 I don’t hate it I just don’t find it scary. I think it’s very entertaining
Shiki is the underappreciated GOAT with a stellar dub to match. Unlike the doo-doo water anime adaptation of Deadman Wonderland that idiots gas up for no reason.
Shiki is one of my favorite anime but I personally found it to be more depressing than scary, the characters and their reactions felt very realistic.
I love horror and anything related, but i think anime shines most with Psychologycal Horror.
Perfect Blue is an amazing example of that and it's surprising to see its themes still hold up to today's era and age
Great video, will add your recommendations to my list
I couldn’t agree more, and it’s my pleasure to give you some new shows to check out
I know right
Agreed
Texhnolyze is the most emotional draining anime out there. First time I watched when I was a kid left me so sad. There’s a piano ost that’s so incredible
I know exactly what OST you’re talking about. Texhnolyze is a masterpiece easily but really is so hard to watch
Emotionally draining is a perfect description of texhnolyze as a whole. Beautiful, sometimes hard to sit through, experience
@@MrHunteru Considering you like Higurashi When They Cry, are you hyped for/planning to make any video's on Silent Hill F when it comes out, considering the story of Silent Hill F is being written by Higurashi's author?
Texhnolyze fucked me up.
That first note from the Song of the Witch gave me chills like it was the first time all over again. I love Re:Zero. It triggers such a visceral response and is more thought provoking than people sometimes give it credit for. I can watch it over and over and still be effected by it.
I’m actually happy to see Perfect Blue is mentioned. I have that movie in two copies. A regular blu-ray and 4K ultra blu-ray steel book. Fair to say I really love the movie. Still unnerves me to hear the famous Mima’s Room theme, love it so much the harmonic tones of it still gives little shivers of “someone can be watching you, you just don’t know it.” Back to the video.
I know right
i watched flowers of evil during its original run. Its cool seeing someone talk about it again. And Omg hearing the ending play again sent shivers down my spine. It was so freaky but i couldn't stop listening to it. I was so intrigued by the show because I had not seen anything like it at the time. After the anime, I went on to read the rest of the story in the manga.
What does she make the main character do?
@@jjdoesrandomstufflol9675 unfortunately I haven't read the manga in a few years so my memory is a little foggy atm
@@jjdoesrandomstufflol9675you probably read it by now which you should, she makes him dress in the girls clothes he stole
Even though Higurashi have some aspects that didn't age well, it remains one of my fav anime (Top 5 Anime) of all time; and Re:Zero is an amazing series to fill in that void for this; the closest being Summertime Render.
Oh hell yes! I love your tastes.
Umineko when they cry. Check it out, the visual novel
I second that, Umineko (the visual/sound novel) is a masterpiece of fiction..
What didn't age well?
@@allenharper2928 It's animation
Finally someone said it, Re:Zero is a psychological horror and I don't care what people say otherwise, as someone whose a caught up to the source material I cannot wait for you to experience Arc 6.
I’m so excited for it. Waiting is so frustrating
@@MrHunteru the wait makes it hit harder when it takes you by surprise
I gotta say it was really cool seeing aku no hana here. I watched it maybe 7 years ago? And I still know the lyrics of the outro song. It scared me but a better way to explain it was that it made me sick with anxiety. It pulls you in by being nervous with Takao taking the gym clothes and really locks you in with nakamura always on him. It felt like being locked in a room with her and you weren't sure what's she'd do 😂 I remember having to take a break at one point just because of how uncomfortable it made me
5:40
My god that music from Re:zero _"Oooouuuuwwwaaaaaaahhhhh"_ very unnerving, gives me chills...
I'll probably add these to my to watch list for when I have access to stuff
"Shiki" was a nightmare. Ill never forget the girl dying in a dirt tunnel or the girl being slowly smooshed under A tractor tire
The fact that the tragedy and horror was able to shine through some of the flat out FUNNIEST hairdos in all of animie (which is an achievement in itself!) is a testament to it's power. I just wish the Shiki and the humans could have reached an agreement....
THE TRACTOR TIRE!! I STILL REMEMBER THAT TO THIS DAY
Shiki wasn't that bad.
@BorsPepsi it was great, I'm just saying some of the scenes were haunting
@@Oldanarkybob that's what i meant by "not that bad". They aren't really scary
Thank god someone else finds Aku No Hana horrifying. I read the manga and had to suppress a panic attack reading it. I have only ever had one real panic attack in my life, so it was pretty unusual for me. It was just so goddamn uncomfortable. It made me feel like I needed to go scrub my skin off in the shower. It was so so so icky. Everyone thinks I’m nuts when I say it’s one of the most truly disturbing things I’ve ever read/watched, considering I consume an ungodly amount of horror media.
I think another (possible) honorable mention could be Tomie. It is a fact that Tomie is basically the queen of manga horror, she is indeed pretty iconic, even if the horror of it has been toned down because of the popularity, but it is still the first thing that pops up (at least for me) when "horror manga" is mentioned. But well, it is just my opinion.
Oh yeah I love Tomie. If I made a video about manga, I’d mention it there for sure :0
Made in abyss definitely has some messed up/disturbing and scary moments, worth a mention
Best animee
made in abyss scares me more than all these anime combined ngl
I usually refer people to the Ninja Scroll where ninjas at the start the movie investigate and are ambushed by supernatural beings. Probably THE best horror moment done in anime EVER. You can legit feel the horror of every moment. Oh yeah and Genocyber, true horror done in anime. 80s/90s and early 2000s anime could do horror perfectly
Heh. I was 12 in 2001, and that when more adult anime started to become mainstream and available with better translation and localization. I remember renting Perfect Blue from Blockbuster at around that time and watched it with a friend. At the end of it, we both looked at each other and went, "What the hell was that?" But Perfect Blue has stuck with me, so I'm glad I watched it when I did. I think I tend to be more forgiving and sympathetic of celebrities and the regular TH-cam creators that I watch because of how it impacted me.
I recommend the anime Now and Then, Here and There, while I don’t think it technically counts as a horror anime, it does have some scenes that are genuinely scary and disturbing!
Dark gathering was imo a sleeper hit that is genuinely scary at many many different moments while also being able to make you laugh and or smile just as much
anybody who finds the aku no hana animation weird - i get it, it's strange and unlike typical anime. BUT TRUST ME, as well as what hunter says, the story suits the rotoscoping insanely well. i've studied baudelaire's poetry (if you have an interest in literature, i highly recommend the poems morning twilight and evening twilight) , and his poetry very much focuses on crude realism, another reason why this animation style works.
also don't watch the live action movie - it's bad lol
The live action is really really bad (thank you for the recommendation I’ll check it out)
Off topic but the way you pronounced Übermensch made me laugh😂 awesome vid tho, I knew about all of them but Texhnolyze
You’ve just got that big knowledge! And yes I’m an expert at pronunciation lol
FLOWERS OF EVIL NOT GETTING IT’S SEASON 2 WAS A MASSIVE BUMMER 😭
THE END OF SEASON 1 HAD SET IT UP PERFECTLY AS WELL! THE SECOND HALF OF THE MANGA IS BRILLIANT!
Pretty much every anime on this list is one I really enjoy so I’m a little sad that there isn’t anything new to watch. (I’m so glad Aku no Hana is getting it’s flowers finally, it’s one of my favorite anime that I can never truly recommend) but I’ve never seen Re:Zero bc in the surface it looks like a typical isekai harem anime and that just not to my taste but your recommendation has intrigued me. I love Higurashi but I don’t consider the anime scary, what actually scared me was the visual novel and it’s a shame that none of the anime adaptations can capture that horror.
I highly recommend Re:Zero! I’m not huge on most isekai anime, but I can guarantee and promise it is nothing like most isekai anime
Seeing Texknolyze in the list makes me really happy. I remember buying the DVDs for a lot of money and obly watching the show once. I liked the experience but never touched the DVDs again. Glad to hear someone else has the feeling not wanting to watch the show again, even when they say they enjoyed it. 😬
That’s so true. It reminds me a lot of this French film called Martyrs. The story and message are genius, but holy shit is the journey so rough. Also I love the Barbara pfp
for YEARS ive been trying to remember Texhnolyze and you just fixed my over ten year brain fuck of never being able to find it again omfg. I specifically remember having the dvd for it and being obsessed with the opening but never actually understanding the show itself bc i was so young but MAN, now i can finally remember and watch it :D
This… is actually a fantastic list. Every show you mentioned is great and fits well, not surface level pics either. Very impressed!
There is only one anime that has been able to scare me - Shinreigari (Ghost Hound). Also, this anime touches on topics of psychology. I'd even say it's like a puzzle, because you're given the necessary information and some sort of end result, but no one is going to chew it up for you. You are expected to think about it yourself and fill in the gaps.
I put this show on pause but i plan to finish it, I’ve been very much enjoying it
High five! I have forgotten how I fell into Ghost Hound but yes, definitely one of the animes that scared me and still stays with me.
to be clear, it wouldn't even be surprising to me if princess mononoke was here. scared the shit outta me when I was younger.
Aku no Hana is masterful, so it’s refreshing to hear someone talk about such an underrated series so passionately. Something I love about it that I don’t believe you touched on is how reflective the story and themes are of the works of Baudelaire. Many of his works, including the original collection of poems under the same name as this series, tackle themes of beauty and romance often through a lens of decay, corruption, and self-destruction. The collection that this series is named after in particular brilliantly captures this idea that a cyclical form of erotic desire can take over one’s mind and lead someone to become intoxicated by their own self-destruction. There’s this looming theme of moral corruption in which a human will deny their own responsibility in succumbing to moral corruption at first but be overtaken by it as it becomes more intoxicating and luring. In Aku no Hana, so many themes, episodes, and characters mirror these ideas flawlessly. Takao gives into immoral desire and is caught by Nakamura who quickly becomes a vehicle for corruption that allows Takao to give into his own self-destruction. While he shuns the idea of being culpable at first, he is eventually intoxicated with the immoral nature that Nakamura allows him to see in himself. No better scene captures this better than the infamous classroom paint scene. I was just blown away by how well this series was able to capture and express the essence of Baudelaire’s works and philosophies. Such a fantastic series.
First off, fantastic to see another comment from you again! Your comment on the RAG video was one I was thinking about most of yesterday.
Secondly, I both am surprised and not surprised that the series takes so much influence from Baudelaire’s works.
I’ve been planning to make a much larger video about the series because the manga blew me out of the water and is currently one of my favorites ever made, and now I know that if I do I should look more into Baudelaire for said video. I’ll be sure to give you credit too because you’ve got me very interested! Sounds like the themes perfectly match up, and it’s a very interesting exploration of morality
@@MrHunteru I really appreciate that. I have a lot of passion for the series since it is one of my favorites and I am a huge fan of the works of Baudelaire.
It would be great if you made a full video on the series. I’d definitely be tuning in. I’m interested to hear what other insights you have about the series as a whole and its many themes.
Keep up the great work though! I found your channel yesterday and your videos instantly had me hooked. You offer some genuinely new and interesting commentary on many series that I feel like either aren’t being talked about enough or are so over saturated with critiques that everyone comes off as repetitive. I have been impressed with all the videos I have seen of yours so far. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next!
What are your thoughts on Berserk and Made in Abyss? Also while not an anime it's a game World of Horror is heavily inspired/homage to Junji Ito and the late HP Lovecraft.
I’ve never heard of this game before but you’ve definitely caught my attention. Personally I’ve stayed away from Made in Abyss because some aspects with the children make me feel deeply uncomfortable, and Berserk is depressing lmao I’ve been trying to read it but I keep taking breaks cause it’s a lot
Dude u literally saw higurashi, what the fuck are you talking about made in abyss throws ball ofd
14:47 there’s actually ZERO dialogue in the first 2 or 3 episodes as far as I can remember
Amazing list! This has some of my favorite anime ever. The very fact that Texhnolyze is the only one I have not seen now makes me want to watch it! I definitely will have to check out more of your videos!
I have had Mononoke and flowers of evil on my watchlist for a while but I had never heard of Texhnolyze until this video, thank Thank you for convincing me to watch them and thanks for giving perfect blue the justice it deserves feels like its glossed over but its more relevant now then ever before! I have been watching your higurashi content for a while now keep up the great content! 😀
Awesome! I’m glad to see some people have stuck around from that era, makes me very happy. It really bugs me how under-appreciated Perfect Blue feels, but I’m very happy regardless that I was able to convince you to move some shows higher up in your watch list :D
The worst part about re:zero is that every time Subaru dies, he's reborn into another timeline in that world.
Ghost Hunt would be good one too. Manga and anime are both good
I’ve heard of this series before but not looked into it, I will definitely give it a go
0:15 what anime is vampire lady from?
Shiki!
@@MrHunteru thank you
Freak ahh 😂
@@FinalFrontier101rest in peace.
Perfect Blue is more of a Psychological Thriller to me but definitely top 3 anime movies for me of all time. Hell Girl or Another wasn't mentioned which i think are horror. Honorable mention to Mieruko-chan because its hilarious but it's terrifyingly creepy too😂
I’ve seen another and I personally didn’t find it scary in the slightest, I’ve never heard of Hell Girl before. Also Mieruko-Chan lmao
@MrHunteru I can see why Another isn't scary, but I do find it good for the horror genre because of its supernatural element. Hell Girl is interesting it might not be scary either, but the concept is good. You might like it also it's kind of old. I think it came out in the early 2000s.
@@brittney4u932 interestinggg, I’ll be sure to look into it. Thank you for the suggestion!
Surprised that you didn’t also include “Trust and Betrayal”. The story there is dark as hell and it’s one of the best prequel ever.
I've actually never heard of this before, only because of google did I find out it was related to Rurouni Kenshin lol. Interested rec, I'll look into it. Thank you!
@@MrHunteru It was a prequel to Rurouni Kenshin but the tone is completely different. Very dark, brutal and serious. Minor spoilers here, think about it as a Batman origin story because it’s a Batman origin story.
I watched with bated breath, hoping I overlooked a series…and there is! I saw every show you listed minus Texhnolyze. So I know which show to add to my watch soon list.
Yay! I’m happy I was able to give you something new to watch
Oh hey, Texhnolyze and Mononoke are personal favourites of mine! :3 Maybe this is going to sound slightly unhinged, but I honestly find the ending of Texhnolyze… "hopeful" is the wrong word, but there is a sense of closure and tragic potency to how the different characters confront the futility of their actions and choose to act regardless, finding meaning in raging against the dying of the light. I will say, however, that the show is deeply unsettling in places, with the surface world being particularly nightmarish in a way that I normally only encounter in short prose fiction.
In terms of what shows not listed here have truly disturbed me, the excellent if sadly truncated adaptation of Alien Nine is really something else, a real fever dream of the horrors of adolescent girlhood with some truly wild imagery and amazing sound design and music. The fact that this team never got a chance to animate some of the truly harrowing and heartbreaking material from later in the manga is a grave disappointment. On the truly obscure end of things, Nido to Mezamenu Komori Uta, a highly experimental and politically charged short film by the same director as the infamous Midori: Shoujo Tsubaki (also absolutely horrifying), ends with a lengthy, highly symbolic sequence involving a train which is one of the most frightening pieces of art which I have ever encountered in my life. And to round things off with a more recent pick, while I understand and respect your misgivings about how the series handles its child characters, the second season of Made in Abyss is a genuine tour de force of transgressive fiction of a sort rarely seen in animation, simultaneously nauseating and awe-inspiring, and admitting that I think it was possibly the best show of last year feels at once uncomfortably revealing and just kind of right.
As someone who absolutely adores made in abyss (from the sound track to the storytelling), I will difinently take your other suggestions on board!
17:05 that person is HIM! I believe it’s meant to represent him coming to terms with losing his old life.
Have you watched Boogiepop Phantom? If not, i recommended that for its animation style, music, and story telling.
I haven’t actually! I almost did when researching this video but decided not to, I’ll be sure to check it out
I had two thoughts:
First Texnolyze sounds like it was a prequel to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
Second Flowers of Evil has an anime? Great, I had just started reading the manga!
I always thought of it as a prequel to BLAME! And Jin Roh was a prequel to it all.
I would love that Space oddysey cosmic horror video 😮
👀
what the fuck was the music at the start of the re:zero section? i swear ive heard it before but I dont remember at all
Call of the Witch! It’s from ReZero and was a big meme so I wouldn’t be surprised if you knew it
Cat soup was terrifying and one of the only ones that just bakes in my brain even years later. Flowers of Evil was a great story. I really also loved Mushishi, it's different but unsettling nonetheless. Theres one specific episode that sticks in my mind about a child losing their eyes to an entity because it's eating them from the inside. I'd have to say it's one of my favorites and I've watched it over a few times now.
finally someone is talking about aku no hana anime being Great . what i like about it is that , it feels like its happening to you. While i has the dream of making my own manga ... i read a book called " making comics " in which it says - " the more simple a charecter is more you immerse yourself in it". and i also love how i can just imagine my classmates faces on to the anime , cause its not to detailed
Really surprised I didn't see shiki even mentioned but hey its your list
I thought you were gonna cover Shiki 😭
Thank you for making this list and video and uploading it, sir! ^^
Of course! I’m happy to help :D
I'm watching this while making dark art and i swear to God when flowers of evil's soundtrack came on, I screamed
I think Jojo's Bizarre adventure is the scariest anime franchise I ever seen. There are absolute nightmare fuel moments in Jojo that just plain shock me everytime. Especially Jojo part 5. Sometimes it tries too hard.
SpongeBob_rollercoaster.jpg
When i read satoshi kon i knew you were a man of culture. Amazing
No way, mononoke too, just finished it 2 weeks ago. And there will be a new film in 2024
New video from u yaaaaay
As for me nothing will ever comes close to usagi drop psychological damage
Though that part is only in the manga
Thank god
Oh I was about to say I didn’t know Usagi Drop had a moment like that 💀
Where is buco no pico?
Horror has been a staple in my childhood because of my dad. This and Madoka Magica really affected him since he has me, my sister and granddaughter.
Flowers of Evil was one of the first manga series i ever read and completed. It's incredible and i cannot recommend it enough. I never watched the anime however and i believe this reminder of the series is going to be why i finally watch. Its a horribly amazing story through and through.
It is, it’s SO fantastic. The manga made me sob I cannot believe or understand how overlooked the series is
Very good choices on this list man! I find them scary because of how disturbing they are to me.
I think the other series rotoscoping actually works really well with is Houseki no Kuni. They’re not human, but they are human-like so the uncanniness worked well.
Attack on Titan. Season one legitimately scared me.
Made in Abyss is another one that really got to me.
Higurashi was one of the first anime that i watched, and it scared me shitless as an 11 year old. Not so much these days but phew i was freaked out back then
I have a recommendation for a psychological horror anime that also finds an interesting approach for trauma. It’s called Th Lost Village I highly recommend
i been wanting to watch more horror anime, i havent seen perfect blue and flower of evil so ill watch those. and elfen lied and higurashi scare me when i was younger, rewatching them now they arent scary just the death that gets me but any thoughts on corpse party? i seen the show idk how many time and i cant help but flinch at each ep
I like Corpse Party a lot, but for me I just find it a little absurd instead of unnerving. The video games are another story though
Fantastic video, this script is great and your choices are amazing!
“Ooh-kay away” killed me every single time but great video homie
Mononoke is amazing, I find it so easy to get lost in its art style. It has a way of sucking you into its world
wow i've got a bunch of anime to watch now lol thanks for this video, great cover! Subscribed :D
It's probably not to scary to most, but I always really enjoyed Kakurenbo. I found the monsters to be unsettling, specially just by their names alone, and the ending fate of the children captured is just really disturbing to me. I personally love it.
The thing is there is a difference in horrors, there is the feeling of dread and unnervingness, and/or being scared out of terror or shock. The first one hits way way harder and as a whole way better. Why imo psychological thrillers tend to get under your skin way better than horrors.
I love that Mononoke was on this list, honestly thought that show was a fever dream, but had a lot of fun watching it. I’m so glad it’s getting some artistic recognition :)
Please do a timeline of madoka magical I need help idk what's going on anymore 😅😢
I’ll look into doing this!
Check out the creator of Flowers of Evil manga. His name is Oshimi Shuzo and he also created other masterpiece Pyschological manga like _Happiness, Boku wa Mari no Naka,_ and _Chi no Wadachi._ It's like if you know Urasawa Naoki, the creator of Psychological Mystery manga masterpieces like _Monster, Pluto,_ and _20th Century Boys._ It's just that Oshimi Shuzo is more focused on Psychological Tragedy but if you like both types then it would be cool.
Mononoke has such a great art style and story telling but my gradeschool self was NOT ready, time for a rewatch
Psychological horror is tied with body horror as my favorite manga genre.
You have good taste.
I didn't know Aku no Hana had an anime adaptation - I've only read the manga - so this is now on my evergrowing watchlist.
One of my all time fave horror anime is Corpse Party. They perfectly captured the horror from the games and it will always have a place in my heart
8:40 - Then why did you do Higurashi dirty like that!??? IT DOES THE SAME THING 😭
I felt it a lot more in ReZero than in Higurashi. I am a biased mofo lmao
Having some to add to catch up to, awesome
I used to think future diary was eerie at the end, the mc being so depressed as a god and he just sits there moping for eternity . He stays reminiscing on the past life and leaves the universe as a void
honestly, with the "anime can't have horrifying designs" like with the junji ito stuff, I've found dark gathering from this season has some incredibly terrifying designs.
Man I’m getting a lot of comments about this show, I’d never heard of it before. I’ll need to watch it soon
I vaguely remember an old Pewdiepie video of him recommending anime and Mononoke it was one of them, same with blame! But he said the manga was where it’s at lmao
I haven’t checked out the manga but so far I feel the anime could be better. The animation, sound effects and voice acting are awesome
I might be in the minority saying this: Promised Neverland S2 had a bad ending, but the episodes beforehand I think are pretty good. S1 to me remains a 10/10
S2 - 6/10
Can't wait to get cooked. 😅
No you’re right, season 1 is great. But it’s hard to think of the show without thinking of the second season, at least for me
@@MrHunteru I know. That's why I said I was in the minority 🤣
The witch,s theme from re-zero alone, makes me feel very scared and uncomfortable. every. Goddamn. Time. Goodnight everyone. Im sleeping with my radio on tonight.
HA.
An Uzumaki anime is dropping soon and it looks like the manga moving.
I can't wait.
I am sad higurashi is not on the list, but I have watched perfect blue, and yeah the blend what is real and isn't and the difficulty to distinguish that, and also the commentary of social icons and parasocial relationships with fans and the icons or commodified is the true horror. I have not seen re zero because how bleak it seems to get among other problems. And I have not watched flowers of evil because how disturbing it looks, but that probably elevates the horror of these series
i love the concept of hanazawa syndrome in higurashi
21:43 ok I had to turn my audio down and pause because I WAS NOT expecting that Holy shit, that was insanely creepy, I love it
I’m sure it didn’t help that it was super loud lmao, I’m glad you liked it! >:)
I think you should check out shin sekai yori and chaos;HEAD and chaos;CHILD. Great things that terrified me. Made in abyss gets my honorable mention.
Have you heard/watched Dark Gathering??
It's still airing right now. The show starts slow with kinda episodic style, But once the plot reveal around episode 9 It's get really disturbing and dare I say Scary.
I haven’t but I definitely will catch up to it, thank you!
You missed that first scene from Goblin Slayer💀
The one where he’s goblin these nuts
This comment is way too funny
The animation in flowers of evil looks exactly the same as the animation in the amv D.Y.E fantasy.
Dude higurashi messed me up alittle bbit. I give you props 😅😂.
9:42 Thank you for feeding us Toei animation
Love the higurashi music on the background 🙏🙏
Higurashi has the best spooky tunes
funny thing is as great as re:zero is with psychological horror the novels do the body horror more justice as you hear subaru's thought process in great detail each time and what he is feeling uh... internally in some cases and its a lot more descriptive than the anime
That’s so true. Also weird question but is your name a Yugioh reference?
@@MrHunteru actually its a terminalmontage reference which in turn is I think an eric andre show reference, many layers but mainly at the time i just thought it sounded funny
Higurashi definitely scared me. I love it so much. I’m interested in Umineko but haven’t had the chance to watch
You should read it if you can manage reading manga, the anime was horribly adapted. They cut 99% of the story down and then never finished it. The manga and the visual novel are perfect imo
Check out Dark Gathering. It’s definitely the most interesting horror anime I’ve seen in a long time.
I'm so freaking happy you included Re:Zero