There is a general conformity to the art of anime that actually kind of defines it as a genre. However, as an art form, there is always a little room for experimentation. Some anime series are perfectly happy having an art style that looks like most others, but there are a few series that dare to push the boundaries of what anime can be in order to create something visually unique.
Best Anime With Unique Art
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
You maybe started watching because the title was a bit provocative, but you stayed because it was cute and intriguing. Regardless, while you were watching, you likely took note of the art style and use of color that forced the series to stand our among its peers. It definitely has a more Western feel to it it with the anatomy of some of the characters, Nene’s block-like feet, for example, but the combination isn’t a bad thing.
Demon Slayer
UFOtable, the studio behind Demon Slayer, has always had a bit of a reputation for lovely animation. Their special effects in particular were known for brilliance in series like Garden of Sinners and Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works. However, their special effects animation in Demon Slayer takes on a style uniquely its own. Inspired by the visuals from classic Japanese art, sword techniques are immediately made memorable by art style they employed here.
It, of course, mimics the art style from the manga, but the anime truly brings it to life.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
The Jojo series, both anime and manga, will always be memorable for the way the characters are designed. There isn’t anything especially remarkable (compared to other anime) about the world or even the plot, but the characters and the way they look and act will always be uniquely Jojo. You know something unique has been created when you see a random picture of a character and immediately know that its a Jojo character.
The Tatami Galaxy
If there is one anime creator that you can name from the visuals alone, it is Masaaki Yuasa. Although he moved to directing, he still very much has a finger in the pie of the animation of all his projects. The Tatami Galaxy, Kemonozume, Ping Pong, Devilman Crybaby, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, and Japan Sinks all have that same telltale visual style to them that paints the characters as realistic and surreal in the right circumstances. It isn’t an art style that is afraid of making people look ugly because, well, we ugly.
Mob Psycho 100
While Moby Psycho and One Punch Man share an author, Mob Psycho fully embraces the fluidity and randomness of art and animation while still bringing all the splendor that Studio Bones can muster for the action scenes. It is something that is proving hard to put into words, but you never forget what you see.
No Game No Life
While No Game No Life dwells in the surreal, the truly memorable part about the art is its use of color. The show augments the surreal nature of the setting with its vibrant and varied use of color. Even in something small and usually unnoticeable like the line art of the characters, you notice their unique use of color.
Flowers of Evil
Now, I never said the art styles on this list had to be good.
Like it or not, you damn well will remember the horrors brought to bear through rotoscoping in this anime. Rotoscoping is a technique that involves basically tracing over real life images. It is usually utilized in a less abrasive way than this and often is used to save time and money. However, considering the plot of Flowers of Evil is basically highlighting human ugliness, I always felt that the ugliness of unrefined rotoscoping was especially fitting.
Land of the Lustrous
Anime doesn’t always do CGI so well, and there are moments in Land of the Lustrous where that proves true still. However, there are moments where it works to the advantage in this show about bodies frequently shattering and reforming. As a show about sentient humanoid gems, the shimmering and shattering of girls is something unlike anything else you will see.
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
Never before and likely never again will you be made so hyper aware of the patterns in anime, or rather the lack thereof. Instead of just simple colors, Gankutsuou employs a wide variety of patterns instead that enhances the surreal and psychedelic nature of the show, giving it a varied textured feel.
Katanagatari
Many of the shows here are memorable because of how detailed they are. Katanagatari proves that you can be memorable with simplicity. Simple, but bright colors and simple designs animated well.
Mononoke
Like Gankutsuou uses patterns and No Game No Life uses colors, Mononoke pineapple-pen’s both into one psychedelic romp. It tells a story you’ve heard before if you are into supernatural mystery-solving anime, but the visual style it uses makes it a series that sticks in your mind.
Kill la Kill
While not the first anime series to use fast and frantic animation, Kill la Kill has celebrated great success by making their series something people will remember because it was both weird as hell and visually impressive. It looks like a series that was sloppy scribbled during a manic mental break, but the details within and even some of its more epic moments really speak to the care used. It doesn’t hurt that it is a series about magical uniforms that grow more skimpy the more powerful they are. No one will be forgetting that, either.
xxxHolic
Clamp doesn’t always do anime so well. You’ve likely seen screenshots of the characters with their overly long legs, but Clamp series all have the same sort of art style that you can recognize. Even in their collaboration series like Code Geass, you can still spot their earmarks.
Made in Abyss
The art style of Made in Abyss isn’t especially notable if you are a fan of softer slice of life series. What makes it so notable is that Made in Abyss uses that soft art style that depicts even some adults looking like children, but it follows a darker adventure story than you would typically see in a series using that style. It makes the terrible things that transpire more impactful, and that’s probably why you’ll remember it.
Do you have more anime series with memorable, albeit not necessarily good, art styles? Let fans of visual splendor know in the comments section below.
