Mohsin Lag
If you like abstract anime that feels like a dream—kind of strange, mysterious, and makes you think—then you should check out these well picked animes. These shows are deep and imaginative, focusing more on ideas and messages than on traditional storytelling or characters. They often have really unique and vivid styles. This list ranks some of the best Abstract anime, including series and movies, both old classics and newer ones you might not have seen yet.
18. Midori
Midori, also known as Chika Gentou Gekiga: Shoujo Tsubaki, is a scary drama from the early 90s. It’s a recommended abstract movie with a great story and well-made characters. When I saw drawings from the comic it’s based on, I thought the movie really captured its spirit. The story is about Midori, a poor 12-year-old girl in Tokyo during the 1920s. She sells flowers to survive, but life is tough.
One day, a man offers to help her, but instead, he tricks her into joining his circus, Aka Neko Za, full of strange and mean performers. Midori feels like she’s in hell. She has to take care of everyone and gets treated badly. But when a magician named Wonder Masamitsu joins the circus, he takes a liking to her and tries to protect her. As they fall in love, tough times come for Midori and her circus friends.
17. Superflat Monogram
Superflat Monogram is an adorable, memorable, trippy short anime film made by Toei Animation in 2003. It’s about a girl using her phone outside a store when suddenly, something weird happens: a strange creature grabs her phone and eats it! When she tries to get it back, it eats her too! And then, she’s thrown into a crazy world of changing shapes and colors. All she wants is her phone back, but it’s not going to be easy!
16. 1001 Nights
1001 Nights is a nice fantasy romance anime movie from 1998. The best parts are the art and the music. It starts with narration but then switches to just music. You will like how it play with abstract ideas and the used cool visuals. In the story, Princess Budu is asleep and dreaming. She dreams of fairies and a scary spirit.
Her dream is kind of confusing—sometimes she’s the fairy, sometimes she’s someone else. But no matter what, she’s always thinking about her lover, Prince Kamar. The spirit wants Budu, Kamar wants Budu, and she only wants Kamar. Her dream takes her through a dreamy Arabian world with towers and mosques. These dreamy moments are really beautiful and magical.
15. SoulTaker
SoulTaker is about a guy named Kyousuke Date. One night, he comes home and finds his mom dying in a pool of blood. She stabs him before dying. Kyousuke recovers quickly and tries to figure out why his mom did this. But things get complicated when two groups, the Hospital and the Kirihara Group, start attacking him. Kyousuke learns he has a twin sister named Runa, which he didn’t know about.
Both groups want to know about her, but Kyousuke has no clue. They keep attacking him, and he discovers he can turn into a scary creature called SoulTaker. Now, with these new powers, Kyousuke wants to beat both groups, find out why his mom did what she did, and keep his sister safe. The show aired in 2001 and is kind of underrated, but I really liked it. SoulTaker is like a dark and mysterious take on superheroes. It mixes future worlds with mystery, religion, aliens, and secret plans, all in just one season.
14. Belladonna of Sadness
Belladonna of Sadness, made by Mushi Production and shown in 1973, is a movie that’s got some history. It’s said that the director of Revolutionary Girl Utena, a popular anime figure, was inspired to work in animation after seeing it. The story is set in medieval Europe and follows Jeanne and Jean, a couple in love. But when they try to get married, they’re hit with a tax they can’t afford.
Instead of paying, the baron rapes Jeanne. This awful event leads Jeanne into a dark world of power and lust, guided by the Devil. The movie gets pretty wild with witchcraft, orgies, and all sorts of surreal stuff. It’s arty, psychedelic, and full of abstract meanings.
13. Revue Starlight
Revue Starlight is a cool anime made by Kinema Citrus. It’s a musical show with a twist. The story jumps around a bit, but it’s all about showing how determined people can be. And the characters are really well-developed. At Seishou Music Academy, the girls in the 99th class are getting ready for the Seishou Festival. They’re putting on their own version of Starlight, a sad story about two goddesses. The school focuses on teaching singing, acting, and dancing.
One of the students is Karen Aijou, a 16-year-old who loves performing. When her childhood friend Hikari Kagura joins the school, Karen’s passion for theater grows. They find a secret elevator that takes them to a huge theater under the school. There, a talking giraffe runs duels between classmates to decide who’s the best. The winner gets to play a lead role in Starlight. Karen wants to fulfill her promise to Hikari and become stars together. So, she joins these battles, hoping to make their dream come true.
12. Dead Leaves
Dead Leaves, made by Production I.G., is a good anime movie that stands out from the usual abstract stuff. It’s not just for smart thinkers—it’s full of wild imagination and action. The story starts with Retro and Pandy waking up on a strange street with no clothes or memories. They team up and start causing chaos everywhere they go, enjoying the thrill and violence.
But their fun ends when they accidentally get caught and sent to Dead Leaves, a super secure prison on the Moon. Inside, they find out the other inmates are clones made from experiments. Bored and ready for action, Retro and Pandy lead a prison break with their mutant buddies, ready to cause even more chaos.
11. Kemonozume
Kemonozume is one of those rare abstract anime shows that you won’t be able stop watching. The story keeps you hooked until the very end. It’s dark, mature, and full of action. The show is about creatures called Shokujinki who live among humans but can turn into dangerous beasts and eat people. The Kifuuken dojo is the only group that fights against them by cutting off their arms.
Toshihiko Momota, whose dad leads the Kifuuken, falls for a woman named Yuka Kamitsuki. But here’s the twist: Yuka is actually a Shokujinki, and Toshihiko is supposed to kill her. Meanwhile, Toshihiko’s brother Kazuma wants to change the Kifuuken’s old ways. As tensions rise and secrets come out, who will survive, and who will become dinner?
10. Welcome to Irabu’s Office
Kuuchuu Buranko, also known as Welcome to Irabu’s Office, is a strange journey through mental illness in the small world near Irabu’s hospital. If you don’t like weird art, you might not like this. But if you enjoy surreal and mysterious changes in an anime’s reality, you’ll love this. Dr. Ichirou Irabu and his nurse Mayumi help various patients dealing with mental health issues.
But be careful of Mayumi’s tempting appearance and Dr. Irabu’s multiple personalities: a child, a smart young man, and a selfish green bear. As Dr. Irabu treats his patients in unusual ways, he sometimes forgets his role as a doctor and seeks something more from them. And as each patient confronts their problems, a hidden connection links their stories together.
9. Sonny Boy
Premiered In 2021, Sonny Boy standout for its unique take on the fantasy genre and abstract themes. Aside from its understated style, the animation and artwork are top-notch with their fluidity and attention to detail. The story follows thirty-six students who suddenly find themselves and their school building transported to a strange dimension. As some of them develop supernatural powers, tension begins to brew among the group.
The student council tries to maintain order, but they clash with those who possess special abilities and resist their strict rules. This conflict forces them to realize that this new world operates by its own rules, and obeying them becomes crucial for survival. When one student takes a leap of faith, the school shifts to another dimension. As they navigate through each world’s challenges, the students must uncover the mysteries of their situation and find a way back home.
8. Blame!
BLAME! is an anime series of 6 dark and abstract short films based on Tsutomu Nihei’s manga. The story happens in a city with thousands of levels stacked on top of each other. In this city, it’s hard to tell where the sky ends and the ground begins. Everything is mixed up, and it’s easy to get lost. The main character, Kirii, is on a quest to find the “Net Terminal Genes” that are still safe from a mysterious infection. This search is the heart of the story’s mystery.
The shorts, called Log1~Log6, focus on Cibo’s story, which wasn’t fully told in the original manga. Cibo travels with Kirii and searches for answers. As Cibo explores, they come across a disc containing memories. Whose memories will they end up with?
7. Spring and Chaos
Spring and Chaos is a unique anime movie about the life of a famous Japanese poet, Kenji Miyazawa. It’s made by Grouup Tac and came out in 1996. It’s not just one type of movie—it’s a mix of drama and Slice of Life.
The film is intense and stylish, just like Miyazawa’s writing. He liked to use animals in his stories, and the director, Shoji Kawamori, does the same thing to show Miyazawa’s imaginative world. It’s a beautiful and emotional movie that honors one of Japan’s best writers.
6. Kaiba
Kaiba is an anime with abstract ideas that you’ll enjoy watching! After watching many series in a short time, this was a refreshing change from the usual anime styles. Don’t be fooled by its simple appearance—there are many small details to notice throughout. In this world, memories are stored in chips separate from the body, so even if the body dies, the soul lives on. The rich use these memory chips to live forever in different bodies, while the poor sell their bodies to survive and keep their souls in the chips.
A cloud in the sky separates the rich from the poor, making it hard for them to interact. One day, a man named Kaiba wakes up with no memories, a hole in his chest, and a locket with a woman’s picture. After escaping an attack, he discovers a village of poor people and starts a journey across different planets to learn about his past and the woman in the locket. “Kaiba” tells a story of self-discovery and acceptance, exploring the importance of memories and the soul.
5. Tatami Galaxy
Tatami Galaxy is an anime created by Madhouse in 2010. It’s unique and stands out with its unconventional and vivid visual style. The story revolves around a man who’s dissatisfied with his college life, despite his dreams of an idealized experience.
He keeps repeating the same two years of college, hoping for a better outcome each time, but without remembering his previous attempts. The anime has a solid story that delves into themes of regret, choices, and the pursuit of happiness, offering viewers a multi-layered experience with elements of science fiction, psychological introspection, and life lessons.
4. Night Is Short, Walk on Girl
Simply put! Night Is Short, Walk on Girl, is a total blast and one of the best abstract anime of all time. Made by Science SARU studio in 2017, it’s a romantic comedy that follows the story of an ordinary college guy who’s smitten with a girl with black hair. The guy tries all sorts of tricks to bump into her, hoping to win her heart. But no matter what he does, their relationship doesn’t move forward.
Meanwhile, the black-haired girl believes in fate and wants to try new things, letting destiny guide her. While walking around Kyoto, she finds a book she had as a kid in a store. When the guy hears about this, he sees it as another chance to meet her “accidentally” and maybe finally connect with her.
3. Paranoia Agent
One of the most awesome abstract anime to watch is Paranoia Agent, created by studio Madhouse and aired in 2004, the animation style and background are really well done, adding to the mystery of the story. It’s about a scary character called Shounen Bat who attacks people in Musashino City with a golden baseball bat while riding on rollerblades. The first person he attacks is Tsukiko Sagi, a character designer, who is suspected of being involved in the attacks. Only her pink stuffed animal, Maromi, believes her innocence.
Detectives Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa try to find out who Shounen Bat really is, but as more people get hurt, fear spreads through the town. Everyone starts to feel paranoid, wondering who will be attacked next. Can the detectives uncover the truth behind Shounen Bat before the fear consumes them?
2. Mononoke
Mononoke is an extraordinary abstract anime that mixes horror, mystery, and supernatural genres. Produced by Toei Animation in 2007, it’s a must-watch if you’re craving something different. The story follows the Medicine Seller, a mysterious expert in the occult who travels across feudal Japan hunting down evil spirits known as “mononoke.” But defeating them isn’t easy. First, he must understand their Form, Truth, and Reason before he can use his powerful Exorcism Sword against them.
His investigations involve intense psychological analysis and careful detective work, which can be extremely dangerous. In one episode, the Medicine Seller arrives at an old inn where a pregnant woman named Shino is staying. But her room is haunted by deadly mononoke called the Zashiki Warashi. With his keen instincts, the Medicine Seller starts investigating to uncover the secrets of the Zashiki Warashi before they strike again.
1. Gankutsuou
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo is a great philosophy anime from studio Gonzo, aired in 2004. It’s a drama mystery that you just have to watch.The story is gripping, the artwork is beautiful and vivid, as well as the characters are well-developed. Once you start watching, you’ll be hooked. The anime is set in the year 5053, where French aristocrats Viscount Albert de Morcerf and Baron Franz d’Epinay attend a festival on the moon city of Luna.
While Franz is there for fun, Albert is searching for something more meaningful. He meets The Count of Monte Cristo, a mysterious nobleman with a hidden agenda. As the story unfolds, Albert befriends the Count, unaware of his true intentions. The Count is seeking revenge on those who wronged him in the past, and his plans soon entangle Albert in a web of deceit and betrayal.
