Some anime have a dark twist and sometimes the cover picture is just deceptive. We show you 5 anime series that are definitely not what you would expect.
If you know one, you know them all. Many anime are similar in subject matter, and certain “dramatic twists” can be smelled 20 miles upwind. But there are some anime where the first impression is more than just deceptive. Because the fact that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover also applies to anime.
We have here 5 anime for you that are not what you would expect.
Of course, we don’t want to take away the joy of finding out the “unexpected” for yourself. But if you still want to find out more about it, we have written it in “spoiler” signs in the event of a special twist – so you have to decide for yourself whether you want to reveal the special feature or not.
School Live!
Alternative names: Gakkougurashi!, Gakkou Gurashi!
Episodes: 12
Stream available on: Currently no streaming provider known. Available for purchase only.
The young, lively Yuki Takeya loves her school life. Every morning she looks forward to the new day to learn something new with her friends. A bit planned, but always kind, she stumbles through school accompanied by her best friends. She is in a very special club at school, where there is a special rule: you have to spend your whole life in school until you graduate.
Genres: Horror, Mystery, Slice of Life
Attentive viewers will already notice some strange details in the background. Stacked tables, wind in the hallway despite the windows closed. The end of the first episode then reveals: The world has ended and mankind has been almost wiped out by a zombie epidemic. Yuki lives in the delusion of a normal school day while her friends have barricaded themselves inside the school and try to ensure the survival of the group.
Ranking of Kings
Alternative names: Ousama Ranking
Genres: adventure, fantasy
Episodes: 23 (season 2 is currently running)
Stream available on: Crunchy roll
Little Bojji is a disgrace to his kingdom. As the son of the gigantic King Boss, he is not only small and slight, but also deaf and clumsy – anything but suitable to eventually rule the kingdom. He is the laughing stock of the empire and must prove himself if he is to be worthy of his task. So he embarks on a journey to become the strongest king of all – while surviving political intrigues and assassination attempts. Because his brother wants to be king too…
What to expect from Ranking of Kings: The drawing style may immediately remind many of children’s series – but that is deceptive. The story of Ranking of Kings is mature and sometimes really dark. The characters all have an amazing depth and the sometimes shown cruelty gets a very special dimension due to the style that actually seems so childish. If you just want to see a good, well thought-out adventure story with a lot of heart and seriousness, this anime is a good choice.
Talentless Nana
Alternative names: Munou na Nana
Genre: Murder Mystery, Psychological
Episodes: 13
Stream available on: Aniverse (Amazon Prime Video Channel)
50 years ago, terrible creatures appeared, the so-called “enemies of mankind”. To fight them, gifted teenagers with special powers called “Talents” were sent out. It is precisely these children who are supposed to train their skills and therefore live on a secluded island with the blessing of the governments in a special school.
Nanao Nakajiima, who doesn’t seem to have any talent at all, is also part of this school – and has to find his way around as “Talentless Nana” in order to fight for a place among his classmates. But two more students are added at different times – the mysterious Kyouya Onodera and the mind reader Nana Hiiragi.
Talentless Nana spoilers
The first episode ends with a change of protagonist. The protagonist is not the supposedly “talentless” Nanao Nakajima, but Nana Hiiragi. Hiiragi kills Nakajima and hides his body. She has one mission: kill the students with the talents one by one without being noticed. Because she has no special gift, just the knowledge and experience of her training to take out the dangerous prodigies.
Talentless Nana is a murder mystery series from the point of view of the perpetrator who tries to cover up her crimes and first has to gain the victims’ trust.
Oshi no Ko
Alternative names: My Star, My*Star
Genre: Mystery, drama, romance
Episodes: 11
Stream available on: HiDive
Ai Hoshino is an idol – quite an extraordinary one. As the star of the band “B Komachi”, she attracts fans and enchants viewers like no other idol before her. But when she is 16 years old, she hides an important detail from the public: she has already given birth to twins. Ai tries to realize both dreams at the same time: life as a successful idol and as a caring mother. There are always amazingly dark and realistic insights into the world of showbiz.
But her twins are also something very special: they are born-again people. Once stricken with cancer, Sarina and Ai’s attending physician, who was murdered before their children were born, are both reincarnated in the form of the twins.
The first episode ends with the death of Ai Hoshino, who is killed by her stalker. Aqua and Ruby’s young lives are turned upside down. While Ruby recovers from her mother’s death after a while, Aqua vows revenge. It is clear to him that only the biological father could have given the stalker Ai’s address. He plans to break into the entertainment industry once he grows up and find his father, then painfully murder him.
Despite the rather wacky theme of “reborn as a star’s child,” Oshi no Ko is refreshingly honest, dark, and amazingly realistic in its portrayal of its lovable characters.
Made in Abyss
Alternative names: /
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Episodes: 26 (2 seasons)
Stream available on: Currently no streaming provider known. Available for purchase only.
A huge hole gapes in the world: The Abyss. Unexpected creatures and secrets of long-dead civilizations await in its depths. Every day brave men and women descend into the deep reaches of the Abyss to bring precious relics and knowledge to the surface. An orphanage even sends their own children down to the safe, first levels to earn a little more money. These kids dream of going deeper into the Abyss – until they find a strange robot boy…
The joyful, colorful world of the Abyss quickly becomes darker and more violent as the children descend. Mental and physical cruelty is the order of the day and some very disturbing, stirring scenes will stay in your memory for a long time. Made in Abyss is definitely not for children and the fantastic, colorful drawing style only helps to ensure that the cruelty of the images shown lingers for a long time.
Do you know any other anime that are not what you would expect?