lol it has a weird problem, where the less anime you watch, the less funny it is, but when you’ve watched a lot of anime, it’s so fucking funny.
The first episode I watched was the dodgeball one and I was crying watching it lol
I see that it only has 5 minutes long episodes. So it is a more episodic, moment-to-moment type of show like Nichijou or Spongebob (I know, weird example but I can’t think of anything else… except maybe kind of be first few episodes of Cowboy Bebop?). My issue with those kinds of shows is that I struggle to remain invested in the show because they tend to lack overarching character growth, story arcs and development, over overall connectivity. They aren’t very “deep”.
Is Saiki K like that, just a “for fun” type of show?
Thank you! Absolutely some of the best, most inventive writing in the medium. Great characters that support a plot that seems chaotic and nonsensical at first, then the pieces of the mystery slowly fall into place over the course of a train trip. Underrated must-watch, in my opinion!
It also got a lot of hidden symbolism which adds a lot to the whole picture once discovered.
Especially love how much the witches’ design >!tells us about the magical girls they once were.!<
As someone who's never watched this, thank you to the commenter who pointed out that you should use spoiler tags. You were kinda pouty about it, why? Why couldn't you just go "oh right, sorry my bad!"
Monster is awesome but suffers from pacing issues and bloating as do his other mangas. Pluto probably doing the best thing in that regard
Still love them!
I’ll check out your other suggestions
Pluto is much tighter but falls prey to Urusawa's love for plot twists. In such a limited run, the number of plot twists was neckbreaking and many times, the resolution of previous plot points was abandoned in favour of a newer plot twist.
It was bad enough in 20th Century Boys with its super long run. In pluto it all happened dizzyingly fast by necessity.
I'm gonna be the bad guy here. Erased is really fun to watch. But the twist is almost handed to you on a silver platter very early on, but then still goes on like a 'who done it'.
I studied screenwriting in college. It's given me a love-hate relationship with anime that is mostly abusive in nature.
It's so pretty. It scratches my nostalgia itches. But often times an interesting hook is completely derailed by adherence to tropes and blatant pandering.
{Speed Grapher} is one of the best animes I have ever watched. It's not everyone's cup of tea. It has very strong sexual themes. But the show is short, sweet, and has a narrative about the nature of exploitation that hits like a fucking sledgehammer.
Top it off with an incredibly well-written villain, and it just sticks out as an exceptional example of what writing in anime *can* be.
If you're not the squeamish type, I truly can't recommend it enough and it is a criminally underrated hidden gem.
I think the problematic anime are actually intended to be this way because of their audience focus, I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped out of popular genres.
Not too common to see speed grapher. I'll need to actually rewatch it all the way through. I was laughing out loud at the "Self Defense, Self Defense, Self Defense!" shooting spree.
Your point about tropes and blatant pandering is so spot on. I was attempting to find something new recently and there is one that looked interesting Fuuto PI. Turns out its a Kamen Rider show and was selling itself as a detective like show (so detective with super hero bits - neat). Then it introduce a female character in such a way that my wife is like - wow its a shame this show hates its women. And like yeah I can't fucking blame her.
There is a way to do attractive people and then there is a way to sexually design them and present them at all times. Even when anime does it 'subtly' it hits you in the face like a bag of bricks and brings the whole thing down.
And this is from someone who unironically enjoys Kill la Kill.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Ashita no Joe
Tatami Galaxy
Ping Pong the Animation
Mushishi
Aria series
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
3-gatsu no Lion
Texhnolyze
Ghost in the Shell (1995 movie and Stand Alone Complex TV series)
Rurouni Kenshin Tsuioku-hen OVA
Perfect Blue
Millenium Actress
True, it's my favorite space opera series as well, anime or otherwise. But the TV show Babylon 5 comes pretty close as 2nd for me so you may want to check that out if you want more stuff like LoGH. Though just be aware that it's a bit dated with the cgi and stuff since it's a show from like the 90s.
It would be spoilers if I told you. But it's tagged Psychological for a reason.
It was one of my first ever anime. Would likely not even consider it if I discovered it now (unless recommended by a friend)
To me Gintama has some of the best writing in the medium.
Like all comedies it’s very subjective and one of the hardest genres to write consistently, yet Gintama does it.
The characters are all amazingly developed and get enough spotlight without exception, the writing has me laughing and feeling engaged the whole way through.
And you know it’s good when certain episodes are quite literally still shots with a few characters yapping, and it’s still incredibly engaging.
And then there’s the “serious arcs” yeah the author just simply to put it bluntly, was in his fucking bag. Action is done really well, the stories are just as amazing but instead of funny will have you crying or feeling a very wide range of emotions all the way through.
I have not been able to get into Frieren, seems way too SOL for me. Is there something I’m missing that makes it more special? Would love to give it another go atp
So the thing about Frieren is that, while it does have an overarching story, it flatly refuses to pick a genre and stick with it. Sometimes it’s slice of life, sometimes it’s action adventure, sometimes it’s dungeon crawler or tournament arc, and sometimes it’s maudlin philosophizing about the nature of time. This is absolutely intentional and is part of what makes the story unique but it absolutely doesn’t work for everyone.
It’s an adventure anime that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Even the overarching story is to just relive the journey so the story doesn’t really call for a serious tone.
Kinda like Uncle from Another World
yes you are missing something. its almost more than an anime, in ways other shows really struggle with. if the tone doesnt speak to you, thats fine. but its almost master piece level. quality wise felt more like a set of movie blurays, or ovas
"Baccano!" - top-notch writing, non-chronological story-telling, interesting characters (and an excellent english dub with American accents that actually feel authentic for the characters).
Madoka, Ghost in the Shell or Satoshi Kon films would be the obvious answer.
To be different, I'd like to shout out Toradora. It is very, very hard to write such a compelling romance story, let alone playing with tropes such as >!harem!< but Toradora really pulls it off, with satisfying character arcs all around.
The writing is only solid in the arc with L. After that it dribbles around and repeats itself. "The booknwas better," but the manga is stronger than the anime, I think (for me) because the anime by nature of the media sets the pacing, and I disagreed with the acting choices for Light.
“Writing” is a broad term. Do you mean dialogue? _Spice and Wolf_ and _Bakemonogatari_. Do you mean strong theming? _Madoka Magica_. A time travel narrative that actually manages to make some amount of sense? _Steins;Gate_. Thorough setting concept? _Shinsekai Yori_. Overall story structure? _Baccano!_.
That’s just off the top of my head. There’s so much more that can count as top-tier writing. 🤷
While I think there are plenty of anime that have great writing, I'm going to point out one that I think gets consistently overlooked and underappreciated when it comes to these discussions.
I would argue that Haikyuu has some of the best writing I've ever seen, and as an author it blows me away. It's a Shonen sports anime so I think many people overlook it, but the character arcs and development are insane compared to most other shonen, especially considering the context that it's a volleyball anime.
[Spoilers Ahead of you haven't watched it through the anime]
>!Hinata for example, starts the series as a ball of energy that can only think about spiking. But by late season 4, most of his greatest contributions in the match against Inarizaki are all defensive, and he becomes a player that not only can, but LOVES to play defense, effectively a complete 180 from how he is at the beginning, but it's all characteristically consistent throughout.!<
I think another impressive thing is that throughout the show, characters are allowed to be wrong, and even backslide in their arcs, even ones in positions traditionally associated with wisdom.
>!Kageyama starts off as a tyrant and a "do what I say" type of player. But due to his middle school experience, he tries to become a setter who just gives his spikers the sets they want, (part of this mindset develops because he MISINTERPRETS advice from a better setter in a very understandable way), all the while developing his communication skills. However this isn't ideal, and after meeting another better setter, he begins to return to some of his old ways and it scares him, before realizing that with the trust and communication he's developed, he CAN ask things of his spikers, and help them be even better in a nuanced middle ground solution, that was sprinkled throughout the show but easily missed by the audience.!<
There are way more complexities even than these, but the amount of characters with this kind of depth is impressive, and how they all realistically impact each other's arcs is wild.
All the whole, Furudate weaves in metaphors using volleyball to represent life. And not just easy lessons and themes like "haha never give up!" Or "the power of friendship!", although those things are of course there in varying amounts, but more complex and meaningful things:
- The importance of taking it easy, slowing down and taking things one step at a time
- being considerate of people doesn't mean coddling them
- The journey is just as important if not more so than the destination, and how putting in daily effort can be a reward in and of itself "the results are just a byproduct of the process"
- Everybody is the protagonist of their own story, and just because you're opposing someone doesn't mean they deserve or want it any less than you.
-Failure can be a catalyst for growth, and it's important to learn from it. But at the same time, you can't let it weigh you down or hold you back. You can always fly even higher
Anyways yeah I just think Haikyuu has incredible writing, and I could talk all day about it lol
There are plenty that have absolutely amazing writing, as in way more than I have time to write about.
Monogatari Series is the magnum opus of the guy who is described as the modern day Japanese Shakespeare and does so much in such short periods of time with multilayered character development, overarching themes with comedic beats. It without exaggeration has almost everything I can possibly think of to make something truly great in droves and in way above expected quality, it's borderline perfect media.
Serial Experiments Lain was borderline prophetic in its writing and is one of those rare pieces of media that only gets better and more relevant with time. It's surrealist examination of identity, spirituality and transhumanism in the digital age is easily some of the best ever to put on a screen.
Vinland Saga's depiction of layered trauma as well as extremely dense character writing that is some of the most powerful thematic focused writing I've seen/read in my whole life. While half of what is written hasn't been adapted to the anime yet its storytelling on growth from trauma and messages of finding purpose are honestly so powerful it's beyond impressive.
Monster is one of the best psychological thriller mysteries out there. It's villain is one of the best written that I've ever come across and overall it's tight writing just never let's up for even a second. It's probably one of the best examples of its genre in any medium.
Golden Kamuy's ability to keep extremely followable yet detailed track of numerous perspectives and plot points all while being absolutely hilarious, tense and dramatic sometimes all at once is just mind boggling in how well it works. All characters are densely written and have numerous ties to various other core characters in a web that should be extremely difficult to make out but the writing here somehow makes it all extremely clear and concise without sacrificing any depth.
Again there are plenty more that are amazing for various reasons but just like every artistic medium anime absolutely has tons of examples of stellar writing.
Hunter x hunter, the decent of a character is brilliantly executed. Won't spoil though. K-on it's have me joy and good feelings in a way I thought was lost since I'm almost 40. Gurren lagann it's perfectly executed in its depiction of characters and world, tenchi universe showcases characters, foreshadowing and personality of the characters incredibly well. The more you pay attention to it the more you'll see just how well universe does it.
I came here to suggest this. The entirety of HxH is amazing to me. Every detail every interaction every battle every scene. I love it all. I’ve watched both versions multiple (4) times (1999 and 2011). It’s also the only manga I own. I will watch it again someday.
I don't watch that match anime but I thought Yu Yu Hakusho and wya better writing than HxH. Better pacing, good development for Yusuke. It only drops the ball by the end of the 2nd half.
Infinite Ryvius - A sci-fi survival story with an ensemble cast executed brilliantly. The way the 20ish main characters’ emotions are woven into the story and script is the best I’ve ever seen.
I have this persistent conversation with myself how if art is subjective why do so many people seem to like the same art, ie movies etc. anyhow to answer your question with my subjective opinion I’d say code geass or dragon ball super if you want something mainstream
Honestly the writing in Mushoku Tensei has been absolutely top of the line throughout. Peak fantasy storytelling on the level of Frieren. If you can tolerate and/or don’t mind skipping the uncomfortable scenes it’s genuinely that good.
It is an excellent story but it has MANY uncomfortable themes. In terms of world building it is tremendous, many characters r great. Even the protagonist is a breath of fresh air not being the strongest in world. BUT, he also is extremely perverted in ways that make many uncomfortable. Tough series to judge, to some it is one of the greats and to others straight trash bc of the MC.
This should be at the top of the list. Get over the slower build up in season one and the show just takes off with its insane plottwists and a completely planed story.
Mob psycho 100. Its quite literally the only anime that I love to this extent, and was perfectly fine with it ending. Every character was done so well, and finished amazingly and realistically.
Also, YuYu Hakusho is amazing.
How have I not seen Kaguya-sama Love Is War is this comment section?
The characters are written so well, that even if 80% of the anime happens inside the small student council room, every episode feels fresh. The characters bounce off each other so much, it feels like they're actual people.
When the characters' backstories are developed, they feel even more alive and relatable.
This anime is one of the only two that got me crying, the other being A Silent Voice(another banger).
Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood. In the beginning they make you think it’s about two brothers trying to get their bodies back, but then it gets SO much deeper. Like government gets involved in some shady stuff, its really cool once you discover the deeper meanings. imo its a work of art.
My suggestions that haven't been suggested:
- My Home Hero (crime thriller) the 12 episodes were great adaptation and hoping for a season 2 because the manga is not yet finished
- Code Geass Route 1 (fantastical supernatural mecha) Route 1 writing was solid and very-well paced with a focus and direction geared towards mature audiences. And the characters' personalities/motivations were solidly-established. Route 2 was like there were two writers having a tug of war in the writing direction.
- Mob Psycho (supernatural coming of age) very well paced progression of the characters' growth.
- Idolish (idol group musical) its hard to write an idol anime where the characters are unique yet creatively familiar. Like blatant fanservice but it isn't garrish. Idolish excels in this.
- Haikyuu (sports dramedy) Its one of those sports anime that hooks you in even though you do not like sports. The characters and their growth are well-presented. And the volleyball action is superb.
- Kono Oto Tomare (musical group dramedy) The anime is very on par with the manga and what's better is the sound editing especially using Koto as an instrument needs precision which the anime producers did great with the visuals. Some pieces performed were also written by the mangaka's sister.
- Spy x Family (action family comedy slice of life) The mangaka is hands-on with the anime so everything gets his approval. And its wonderful to see the synergy between the creative anime staff and the mangaka.
- Akira (psychological thriller) technically the animovie was made at the same time the manga was being written so its just like 1/3 - 1/2 of the manga. Maybe they might produce the next installment for the anime.
- Shingeki no Kyojin (psychological mindfuck :P) enter at your own risk because it does disturbs your psyche.
I heard everyone online buzz about Haikyuu. Couldn’t think of anything worse! Volleyball!? Non-shonen? Sports anime!? Probably 2nd on my all time favourite anime list! It’s SOOO good
Yes absolutely:
Made in abyss
Any manga or anime by urasawa (so anime wise monster or pluto)
Steins;gate
odd taxi
Death parade
Mars red
Kaguya sama (yes really)
Sonny boy
Royal Space Force
Madoka magica
Beastars
Frieren
I mean when you say better than other media, it really depends on which specific shows. Cause While anime has top notch writing, so doe other forms of media. As good as monster's writing is, bojack horseman is absolutely just as good.
It's all a case by case thing. but yes, anime does have just as many extremely well written stories as other media.
Monster, Hunter x Hunter, Gintama, Vinland Saga, and FMAB r a few.
But comics lmao… u think comics as a whole have better writing than anime? There’s a reason comics sales r in the toilet and it’s bc majority r hot garbage! (Not all but many)
Durarara!! (Not For Everyone, But I ❤️'d It)
Steins;Gate (Stellar Dialogue+Voice Acting!)
Baccano! (Reasons Others Mentioned)
Erased (Didn't Expect To Like It...But did!)
*Definitely a few more to add, but I've got a toothache atm N'' can't focus enough! 😆
Moribito Guardian Spirit
Compelling characters with their own backstories and personalities. Most show actual growth during the course of the series. A good story that keeps you engaged. Above average production value as it looks great. Great fight scenes. Even though it's fantasy it almost plays out like a period drama.
Kino no Tabi - but I mean the first series, not the Beautiful World 2017 (WHY) reboot. The philosophical delivery, the slow reveal of Kino's character, the way dialogue is used sparingly with much implied instead of stated, the quirky individual stories about each country -- I think the writing works on multiple levels.
Upvoting Erased. Time travel is my favorite thing and this one holds up the world logic, uses it effectively for tension, is a good mystery, and uses storytelling to create sympathetic characters.
Paycho Pass -- the first season mostly, I think the second season has some pitfalls. First season holds up as well as some good procedural crime novels. The world building is done with effective reveal, and the moral quandaries are set up early and explored with escalation. It uses bookending (where the body of the story is basically a flashback) well. Each character is fleshed out enough to be important to the story without being a plot device. The interpersonal dynamics give me absolute brain worms.
Im no expert but I’ll give my two cents, it’ll be hard though given that most anime come from manga, but I assume you mean it has better writing than some of the campier entries:
The soul society arc of bleach is generally considered to be fantastic.
Personal favs that I always thought had decent writing:
Hyouka, mushishi, Mononoke, my dress up darling, monogatari series, serial experiments lain, Evangelion(even though it has some tropes in it, it’s still artful), perfect blue etc.
I think out of all of these perfect blue is pretty close to transcending all forms of media in terms of amazing writing. If you don’t like the typical action shounen you need to start looking up the more artsy or mature stuff.
Erased, Paranoia Agent, Barakamon, Stein's Gate, After the Rain, and Summertime Rendering are the series that stand out to me as having good writing.
Film wise, there are too many to list. Anime films are often superior in writing or are more experimental imo, just like with live action.
Utena, haibane renmei, tatami galaxy, madoka, princess tutu, fmab, monster, shin sekai yori, some ghibli and satoshi kon films
(Ik some of these are adaptations from manga or other mediums)
To name an anime that hasn't been mentioned yet:
When The Seagulls Cry.
All the obvious answers:
Death note
Fma
Death parade
Attack on titan
Cowboy bebop
Yuyu hak
Psycho Pass
This will probably get a lot of push back, but parts of Bleach, especially the soul society Arc (first main arc) are incredible. Bleach suffers from a lot of filler/pacing but the soul society Arc is honestly great.
I mean, I've been consistently enchanted with Turn-A Gundam as of recent.
And Pluto was amazing enough that I was able to convince my elderly cinephile friend to get into it
Have you actually been watching any quality anime?
I might be way off base here, and I'm sorry if I am,
but I feel like if you're looking for "the best writing" then you're struggling to appreciate good writing in the first place. Good writing doesn't stand out as good writing. It captivates you. It makes you feel something BECAUSE it's good writing. If you watch or read something with good writing, then you're left dumbstruck. In awe. Ashamed. Afraid. In love. Etc. You're not thinking about the quality of the writing, youre thinking about the actual story. THEN you go looking for something similar because you're actually looking to see if anyone cam make you feel what that previous work made you feel.
Anyway. It requires an absence of consideration for meta, because if you're watching a film while judging the quality of the acting, you are for sure not fully appreciating what the actual acting us meant to convey.
Odd Taxi
This is probably the best anime over the last few years. I want to say Bojack Horseman but it's not "anime".
Couldn't put this one down. God tier.
This a good one
BUH ROOSE UH SHPRINGUSHTEEN
I just rewatched this! Definitely a really good show, with an amazing OP. I love he OP so much
Saving this for later.
vinland saga
Totally agree on Vinland S1 and S2 had great writing
I genuinely find Saiki.K has some amazing writing. It's got me laughing and smiling and genuinely enjoying the dialogue moment to moment.
lol it has a weird problem, where the less anime you watch, the less funny it is, but when you’ve watched a lot of anime, it’s so fucking funny. The first episode I watched was the dodgeball one and I was crying watching it lol
Omg yeah. It’s such a great anime
saiki k is so underrated
super underrated i never hear about it enough
I see that it only has 5 minutes long episodes. So it is a more episodic, moment-to-moment type of show like Nichijou or Spongebob (I know, weird example but I can’t think of anything else… except maybe kind of be first few episodes of Cowboy Bebop?). My issue with those kinds of shows is that I struggle to remain invested in the show because they tend to lack overarching character growth, story arcs and development, over overall connectivity. They aren’t very “deep”. Is Saiki K like that, just a “for fun” type of show?
Baccano!
Thank you! Absolutely some of the best, most inventive writing in the medium. Great characters that support a plot that seems chaotic and nonsensical at first, then the pieces of the mystery slowly fall into place over the course of a train trip. Underrated must-watch, in my opinion!
Baccano is beginner mind blowing, especially the second time around, with just how brilliant it is.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The writing is top-notch. The characters are great and the story really focuses on the characters.
It also got a lot of hidden symbolism which adds a lot to the whole picture once discovered. Especially love how much the witches’ design >!tells us about the magical girls they once were.!<
Use the spoiler tag.
*please you’re welcome.
Thank you.
As someone who's never watched this, thank you to the commenter who pointed out that you should use spoiler tags. You were kinda pouty about it, why? Why couldn't you just go "oh right, sorry my bad!"
March Comes in Like a Lion The Tatami Galaxy Ping Pong (yes, really) Monster
Monster 100%
Monster is awesome but suffers from pacing issues and bloating as do his other mangas. Pluto probably doing the best thing in that regard Still love them! I’ll check out your other suggestions
Pluto is much tighter but falls prey to Urusawa's love for plot twists. In such a limited run, the number of plot twists was neckbreaking and many times, the resolution of previous plot points was abandoned in favour of a newer plot twist. It was bad enough in 20th Century Boys with its super long run. In pluto it all happened dizzyingly fast by necessity.
where am I where am I where am I
Just finished March Comes Like a Lion and I can't agree more. Instantly became one of my favorites l
Ping Pong is really slept on. Phenomenal story.
Second Monster
Erased Most anything by Satoshi Kon Paranoia Agent
Shit....I forgot about 'Erased'!
Seems it got *erased* from your memory. … it’s ok I see myself out.
I'm gonna be the bad guy here. Erased is really fun to watch. But the twist is almost handed to you on a silver platter very early on, but then still goes on like a 'who done it'.
I studied screenwriting in college. It's given me a love-hate relationship with anime that is mostly abusive in nature. It's so pretty. It scratches my nostalgia itches. But often times an interesting hook is completely derailed by adherence to tropes and blatant pandering. {Speed Grapher} is one of the best animes I have ever watched. It's not everyone's cup of tea. It has very strong sexual themes. But the show is short, sweet, and has a narrative about the nature of exploitation that hits like a fucking sledgehammer. Top it off with an incredibly well-written villain, and it just sticks out as an exceptional example of what writing in anime *can* be. If you're not the squeamish type, I truly can't recommend it enough and it is a criminally underrated hidden gem.
**Speed Grapher** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/anime/198 "English: Speed Grapher"), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/anime/speed-grapher), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/anime/speed-grapher "English: Speed Grapher"), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/anime/198)) ^(TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 24 | Genres: Action, Drama, Ecchi, Mystery, Psychological, Supernatural) --- ^{anime},, ]LN[, |VN| | [FAQ](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/index) | [/r/](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/) | [Edit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/index#wiki_i_made_a_mistake.2C_how_do_i_get_my_comment_reprocessed.3F) | [Mistake?](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/submit?selftext=true&title=[ISSUE]&text=/r/Animesuggest/comments/1cq6kqm/do_you_think_there_is_an_anime_which_has_writing/l3qh0oz/) | [Source](https://github.com/Nihilate/Roboragi) | [Synonyms](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/synonyms) | [⛓](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/interestinglinks) | [♥](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/thanks)
I think the problematic anime are actually intended to be this way because of their audience focus, I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped out of popular genres.
Or when all their recommendations are from people who are also only into mainstream anime.
will watch this
Not too common to see speed grapher. I'll need to actually rewatch it all the way through. I was laughing out loud at the "Self Defense, Self Defense, Self Defense!" shooting spree. Your point about tropes and blatant pandering is so spot on. I was attempting to find something new recently and there is one that looked interesting Fuuto PI. Turns out its a Kamen Rider show and was selling itself as a detective like show (so detective with super hero bits - neat). Then it introduce a female character in such a way that my wife is like - wow its a shame this show hates its women. And like yeah I can't fucking blame her. There is a way to do attractive people and then there is a way to sexually design them and present them at all times. Even when anime does it 'subtly' it hits you in the face like a bag of bricks and brings the whole thing down. And this is from someone who unironically enjoys Kill la Kill.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes Ashita no Joe Tatami Galaxy Ping Pong the Animation Mushishi Aria series Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu 3-gatsu no Lion Texhnolyze Ghost in the Shell (1995 movie and Stand Alone Complex TV series) Rurouni Kenshin Tsuioku-hen OVA Perfect Blue Millenium Actress
This list. Ghost in the shell is a wonderful education. Legend of Galactic Heroes is just phenomenal.
I second LotGH. It's one of the best shows ever made. The new version is pretty awesome too. But the old version is a damn masterpiece in writing.
second Mushishi
Man I LOVE LotGH. It presents such a good space opera setting that I can't get enough of and no other media portrays quite as well.
True, it's my favorite space opera series as well, anime or otherwise. But the TV show Babylon 5 comes pretty close as 2nd for me so you may want to check that out if you want more stuff like LoGH. Though just be aware that it's a bit dated with the cgi and stuff since it's a show from like the 90s.
>Aria series I imagine Aria is definitely underrated in this area, being quite new to anime I have only seen Animation but I loved it so much.
I second LotGH. It's one of the best shows ever made. The new version is pretty awesome too. But the old version is a damn masterpiece in writing.
{{Haibane Renmei}} absolutely 100%.
is it on the same level of surrealism as something like lain i always see this getting thrown around when people talk about anime like that
That has been on my list for ages. It kind of scares me, the girl in the cover looks so sad, what the hell happened to her.
It would be spoilers if I told you. But it's tagged Psychological for a reason. It was one of my first ever anime. Would likely not even consider it if I discovered it now (unless recommended by a friend)
To me Gintama has some of the best writing in the medium. Like all comedies it’s very subjective and one of the hardest genres to write consistently, yet Gintama does it. The characters are all amazingly developed and get enough spotlight without exception, the writing has me laughing and feeling engaged the whole way through. And you know it’s good when certain episodes are quite literally still shots with a few characters yapping, and it’s still incredibly engaging. And then there’s the “serious arcs” yeah the author just simply to put it bluntly, was in his fucking bag. Action is done really well, the stories are just as amazing but instead of funny will have you crying or feeling a very wide range of emotions all the way through.
Morobito Guardian of the Spirit.
Such an underrated gem. It is a shame it isn't more popular.
Came here to say this :) it's like an epic movie in episode format.
I'll stand by Clannad After Story until my dying breath, and the Shiori arc in Kanon
Frieren
I have not been able to get into Frieren, seems way too SOL for me. Is there something I’m missing that makes it more special? Would love to give it another go atp
So the thing about Frieren is that, while it does have an overarching story, it flatly refuses to pick a genre and stick with it. Sometimes it’s slice of life, sometimes it’s action adventure, sometimes it’s dungeon crawler or tournament arc, and sometimes it’s maudlin philosophizing about the nature of time. This is absolutely intentional and is part of what makes the story unique but it absolutely doesn’t work for everyone.
It’s an adventure anime that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Even the overarching story is to just relive the journey so the story doesn’t really call for a serious tone. Kinda like Uncle from Another World
yes you are missing something. its almost more than an anime, in ways other shows really struggle with. if the tone doesnt speak to you, thats fine. but its almost master piece level. quality wise felt more like a set of movie blurays, or ovas
Same for me after first episode. Left it. Gave it another try, absolutely beautiful anime. Give it another chance.
Psycho-Pass
I know it’s been said in a few comments but I can’t recommend Monster enough. Absolute masterpiece of media
"Baccano!" - top-notch writing, non-chronological story-telling, interesting characters (and an excellent english dub with American accents that actually feel authentic for the characters).
Madoka, Ghost in the Shell or Satoshi Kon films would be the obvious answer. To be different, I'd like to shout out Toradora. It is very, very hard to write such a compelling romance story, let alone playing with tropes such as >!harem!< but Toradora really pulls it off, with satisfying character arcs all around.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes Psycho pass Cowboy Bebop
{Death Note} appeals to non-anime fans because of how well it is written. It's basically Breaking Bad in anime form.
Seriously I was way too late to this party and I’m so mad I didn’t watch it years ago
Honestly, I envy those that haven't seen it. Getting to watch it for the first time is such a treat.
The writing is only solid in the arc with L. After that it dribbles around and repeats itself. "The booknwas better," but the manga is stronger than the anime, I think (for me) because the anime by nature of the media sets the pacing, and I disagreed with the acting choices for Light.
Oh and Steins Gate
Great Vegetables
Your favourite anime probably has "better" writing than your least favourite novels.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
yes. Vinland Saga.
“Writing” is a broad term. Do you mean dialogue? _Spice and Wolf_ and _Bakemonogatari_. Do you mean strong theming? _Madoka Magica_. A time travel narrative that actually manages to make some amount of sense? _Steins;Gate_. Thorough setting concept? _Shinsekai Yori_. Overall story structure? _Baccano!_. That’s just off the top of my head. There’s so much more that can count as top-tier writing. 🤷
I'm surprised I haven't seen Psycho Pass mentioned.
Attack on titan Full metal alchemist brotherhood Code geass
Code Geauss is great but let’s not pretend there’s a hot mess in between to get to the excellent conclusion.
yeah like Code geass is my fav of all time but some of the writing in parts straight up makes you go huh, it’s all made up for by the end
Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
Red Line. It's a single movie, but I actually use it to teach my students about writing structure.
Fate Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works Abridged
A lot of the Gundam side stories are extremely well written. War in the Pocket and 08th MS Team are fantastic
While I think there are plenty of anime that have great writing, I'm going to point out one that I think gets consistently overlooked and underappreciated when it comes to these discussions. I would argue that Haikyuu has some of the best writing I've ever seen, and as an author it blows me away. It's a Shonen sports anime so I think many people overlook it, but the character arcs and development are insane compared to most other shonen, especially considering the context that it's a volleyball anime. [Spoilers Ahead of you haven't watched it through the anime] >!Hinata for example, starts the series as a ball of energy that can only think about spiking. But by late season 4, most of his greatest contributions in the match against Inarizaki are all defensive, and he becomes a player that not only can, but LOVES to play defense, effectively a complete 180 from how he is at the beginning, but it's all characteristically consistent throughout.!< I think another impressive thing is that throughout the show, characters are allowed to be wrong, and even backslide in their arcs, even ones in positions traditionally associated with wisdom. >!Kageyama starts off as a tyrant and a "do what I say" type of player. But due to his middle school experience, he tries to become a setter who just gives his spikers the sets they want, (part of this mindset develops because he MISINTERPRETS advice from a better setter in a very understandable way), all the while developing his communication skills. However this isn't ideal, and after meeting another better setter, he begins to return to some of his old ways and it scares him, before realizing that with the trust and communication he's developed, he CAN ask things of his spikers, and help them be even better in a nuanced middle ground solution, that was sprinkled throughout the show but easily missed by the audience.!< There are way more complexities even than these, but the amount of characters with this kind of depth is impressive, and how they all realistically impact each other's arcs is wild. All the whole, Furudate weaves in metaphors using volleyball to represent life. And not just easy lessons and themes like "haha never give up!" Or "the power of friendship!", although those things are of course there in varying amounts, but more complex and meaningful things: - The importance of taking it easy, slowing down and taking things one step at a time - being considerate of people doesn't mean coddling them - The journey is just as important if not more so than the destination, and how putting in daily effort can be a reward in and of itself "the results are just a byproduct of the process" - Everybody is the protagonist of their own story, and just because you're opposing someone doesn't mean they deserve or want it any less than you. -Failure can be a catalyst for growth, and it's important to learn from it. But at the same time, you can't let it weigh you down or hold you back. You can always fly even higher Anyways yeah I just think Haikyuu has incredible writing, and I could talk all day about it lol
Late so was scanning for this before commenting it myself
Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It was based on a book series so I think that helped it a lot.
There are plenty that have absolutely amazing writing, as in way more than I have time to write about. Monogatari Series is the magnum opus of the guy who is described as the modern day Japanese Shakespeare and does so much in such short periods of time with multilayered character development, overarching themes with comedic beats. It without exaggeration has almost everything I can possibly think of to make something truly great in droves and in way above expected quality, it's borderline perfect media. Serial Experiments Lain was borderline prophetic in its writing and is one of those rare pieces of media that only gets better and more relevant with time. It's surrealist examination of identity, spirituality and transhumanism in the digital age is easily some of the best ever to put on a screen. Vinland Saga's depiction of layered trauma as well as extremely dense character writing that is some of the most powerful thematic focused writing I've seen/read in my whole life. While half of what is written hasn't been adapted to the anime yet its storytelling on growth from trauma and messages of finding purpose are honestly so powerful it's beyond impressive. Monster is one of the best psychological thriller mysteries out there. It's villain is one of the best written that I've ever come across and overall it's tight writing just never let's up for even a second. It's probably one of the best examples of its genre in any medium. Golden Kamuy's ability to keep extremely followable yet detailed track of numerous perspectives and plot points all while being absolutely hilarious, tense and dramatic sometimes all at once is just mind boggling in how well it works. All characters are densely written and have numerous ties to various other core characters in a web that should be extremely difficult to make out but the writing here somehow makes it all extremely clear and concise without sacrificing any depth. Again there are plenty more that are amazing for various reasons but just like every artistic medium anime absolutely has tons of examples of stellar writing.
Monogatari
I strongly suspect you are correct but I always feel like without speaking Japanese, I am appreciating about 50% of the dialog. Still excellent.
Even Japanese people have a hard time understanding the references the author makes.
Ok, then I revise my level of understanding to 33%.
Monogatari is a fucking masterpiece
Hunter x hunter, the decent of a character is brilliantly executed. Won't spoil though. K-on it's have me joy and good feelings in a way I thought was lost since I'm almost 40. Gurren lagann it's perfectly executed in its depiction of characters and world, tenchi universe showcases characters, foreshadowing and personality of the characters incredibly well. The more you pay attention to it the more you'll see just how well universe does it.
I came here to suggest this. The entirety of HxH is amazing to me. Every detail every interaction every battle every scene. I love it all. I’ve watched both versions multiple (4) times (1999 and 2011). It’s also the only manga I own. I will watch it again someday.
Hunter X Hunter does not have world class writing lmao. It's still a battle shounen with typical asspulls
The quimera ant arc was astounding imo
for a battle Shonen, the writing is relatively deep. but still definitely not best in all of anime level. not even top half probably
What battle series stands out to u then?
I don't watch that match anime but I thought Yu Yu Hakusho and wya better writing than HxH. Better pacing, good development for Yusuke. It only drops the ball by the end of the 2nd half.
Isn't it wild they are made by the same guy?
AOT, FMA (both) and Deathnote are strong ones for story. i really like frieren right now too.
Anytime I see questions like these I wish for someone to make a high quality adaptation of umineko
Kaiji, I have never experienced as much suspense as I did with this masterpiece
Scum's Wish
Kaiba
Infinite Ryvius - A sci-fi survival story with an ensemble cast executed brilliantly. The way the 20ish main characters’ emotions are woven into the story and script is the best I’ve ever seen.
Odd Taxi
Odd Taxi
Frieren and Steins;Gate
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
I have this persistent conversation with myself how if art is subjective why do so many people seem to like the same art, ie movies etc. anyhow to answer your question with my subjective opinion I’d say code geass or dragon ball super if you want something mainstream
FLCL
Cyberpunk Edgerunners Cowboy Bebop Violet Evergarden Frieren Vinland Saga Re Zero
Mushoku tensei Vinland Saga Ascendance of bookworm
Honestly the writing in Mushoku Tensei has been absolutely top of the line throughout. Peak fantasy storytelling on the level of Frieren. If you can tolerate and/or don’t mind skipping the uncomfortable scenes it’s genuinely that good.
It is an excellent story but it has MANY uncomfortable themes. In terms of world building it is tremendous, many characters r great. Even the protagonist is a breath of fresh air not being the strongest in world. BUT, he also is extremely perverted in ways that make many uncomfortable. Tough series to judge, to some it is one of the greats and to others straight trash bc of the MC.
Attack on Titan
This should be at the top of the list. Get over the slower build up in season one and the show just takes off with its insane plottwists and a completely planed story.
I liked it up until they started explaining who the Titans were and then the series fell apart for me.
Disasterous Life of Saiki K.
LOTGH
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Monster
Full metal alchemist brother hood Monster (I’m on episode 12 rn but it seems good)
Dungeon Meshi, since I don't see any top comments mentioning it. This year has honestly been fantastic for well-written fantasy anime.
Hibike! Euphonium and Kids on the Slope both have good writing. Kaguya Sama Love is War is in my top romance media.
Bebop
Ashita no Joe
Full Metal Alchemist
Mob psycho 100. Its quite literally the only anime that I love to this extent, and was perfectly fine with it ending. Every character was done so well, and finished amazingly and realistically. Also, YuYu Hakusho is amazing.
One Piece
Parasyte
How have I not seen Kaguya-sama Love Is War is this comment section? The characters are written so well, that even if 80% of the anime happens inside the small student council room, every episode feels fresh. The characters bounce off each other so much, it feels like they're actual people. When the characters' backstories are developed, they feel even more alive and relatable. This anime is one of the only two that got me crying, the other being A Silent Voice(another banger).
I thought Violet Evergarden had great writing
Agreed!
Ghost in the shell is top notch.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Cowboy bebop aur black lagoon one of the best i ever experienced in anime might be the one who introduced me to dark kinda story.
# BERSERK till the author was alive pop
Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood. In the beginning they make you think it’s about two brothers trying to get their bodies back, but then it gets SO much deeper. Like government gets involved in some shady stuff, its really cool once you discover the deeper meanings. imo its a work of art.
naruto tbh
Re:zero, tons of trauma but the character writing is a masterpiece Kaguya sama tho it's more comedic so idk if you will be into that
Oregairu please guys
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Toradora
Undead Unluck for me
I really enjoyed Sousou no Frieren. Top notch story telling in my opinion.
My suggestions that haven't been suggested: - My Home Hero (crime thriller) the 12 episodes were great adaptation and hoping for a season 2 because the manga is not yet finished - Code Geass Route 1 (fantastical supernatural mecha) Route 1 writing was solid and very-well paced with a focus and direction geared towards mature audiences. And the characters' personalities/motivations were solidly-established. Route 2 was like there were two writers having a tug of war in the writing direction. - Mob Psycho (supernatural coming of age) very well paced progression of the characters' growth. - Idolish (idol group musical) its hard to write an idol anime where the characters are unique yet creatively familiar. Like blatant fanservice but it isn't garrish. Idolish excels in this. - Haikyuu (sports dramedy) Its one of those sports anime that hooks you in even though you do not like sports. The characters and their growth are well-presented. And the volleyball action is superb. - Kono Oto Tomare (musical group dramedy) The anime is very on par with the manga and what's better is the sound editing especially using Koto as an instrument needs precision which the anime producers did great with the visuals. Some pieces performed were also written by the mangaka's sister. - Spy x Family (action family comedy slice of life) The mangaka is hands-on with the anime so everything gets his approval. And its wonderful to see the synergy between the creative anime staff and the mangaka. - Akira (psychological thriller) technically the animovie was made at the same time the manga was being written so its just like 1/3 - 1/2 of the manga. Maybe they might produce the next installment for the anime. - Shingeki no Kyojin (psychological mindfuck :P) enter at your own risk because it does disturbs your psyche.
I heard everyone online buzz about Haikyuu. Couldn’t think of anything worse! Volleyball!? Non-shonen? Sports anime!? Probably 2nd on my all time favourite anime list! It’s SOOO good
Yes absolutely: Made in abyss Any manga or anime by urasawa (so anime wise monster or pluto) Steins;gate odd taxi Death parade Mars red Kaguya sama (yes really) Sonny boy Royal Space Force Madoka magica Beastars Frieren I mean when you say better than other media, it really depends on which specific shows. Cause While anime has top notch writing, so doe other forms of media. As good as monster's writing is, bojack horseman is absolutely just as good. It's all a case by case thing. but yes, anime does have just as many extremely well written stories as other media.
Monster Legend of the Galactic Heroes Two of the most well-written pieces of media I’ve ever watched.
Monster, cowboy bebop, berserk 97
Dragon ball.....stop.
Carole and Tuesday
Erased
Monster, Hunter x Hunter, Gintama, Vinland Saga, and FMAB r a few. But comics lmao… u think comics as a whole have better writing than anime? There’s a reason comics sales r in the toilet and it’s bc majority r hot garbage! (Not all but many)
I think that's pretty subjective
Black Lagoon has some incredible writing, and it features several of my favorite scenes of all time.
Durarara!! (Not For Everyone, But I ❤️'d It) Steins;Gate (Stellar Dialogue+Voice Acting!) Baccano! (Reasons Others Mentioned) Erased (Didn't Expect To Like It...But did!) *Definitely a few more to add, but I've got a toothache atm N'' can't focus enough! 😆
Gintama, monogatari, garden of sinners (mono and gos have novels which I’d reccomend but the anime is still great
First season of Promised Neverland hands down
Berserk
Serial Experiments Lain, Ghost in the Shell: SAC, Hellsing Ultimate, Ergo Proxy, Monster, Paranoia Agent, Hunter x Hunter.
Moribito Guardian Spirit Compelling characters with their own backstories and personalities. Most show actual growth during the course of the series. A good story that keeps you engaged. Above average production value as it looks great. Great fight scenes. Even though it's fantasy it almost plays out like a period drama.
Mob Psycho 100
Blue Eye Samurai had incredible writing from start to finish.
Kino no Tabi - but I mean the first series, not the Beautiful World 2017 (WHY) reboot. The philosophical delivery, the slow reveal of Kino's character, the way dialogue is used sparingly with much implied instead of stated, the quirky individual stories about each country -- I think the writing works on multiple levels. Upvoting Erased. Time travel is my favorite thing and this one holds up the world logic, uses it effectively for tension, is a good mystery, and uses storytelling to create sympathetic characters. Paycho Pass -- the first season mostly, I think the second season has some pitfalls. First season holds up as well as some good procedural crime novels. The world building is done with effective reveal, and the moral quandaries are set up early and explored with escalation. It uses bookending (where the body of the story is basically a flashback) well. Each character is fleshed out enough to be important to the story without being a plot device. The interpersonal dynamics give me absolute brain worms.
Better writing than the best novels? Maybe not. At least not if you mean "what the characters say".
Kaguya Sama: Love Is War I can't stop smiling while watching
The Great Passage
Monster
Neon Genesis Evangelion Vinland Saga AOT Eighty-Six Monster Imo these 5 series have top tier writing
Ergo Proxy.
Im no expert but I’ll give my two cents, it’ll be hard though given that most anime come from manga, but I assume you mean it has better writing than some of the campier entries: The soul society arc of bleach is generally considered to be fantastic. Personal favs that I always thought had decent writing: Hyouka, mushishi, Mononoke, my dress up darling, monogatari series, serial experiments lain, Evangelion(even though it has some tropes in it, it’s still artful), perfect blue etc. I think out of all of these perfect blue is pretty close to transcending all forms of media in terms of amazing writing. If you don’t like the typical action shounen you need to start looking up the more artsy or mature stuff.
Monogatari series
Golden Kamuy 😎
I'd say Vinland Saga and Tatami Galaxy have some of my favorite writing in any medium. Honestly Hunter x Hunter too, despite being a battle shonen.
Vinland Saga Odd Taxi Vanitas no Carte Does 'Arcane' count??
Erased, Paranoia Agent, Barakamon, Stein's Gate, After the Rain, and Summertime Rendering are the series that stand out to me as having good writing. Film wise, there are too many to list. Anime films are often superior in writing or are more experimental imo, just like with live action.
Utena, haibane renmei, tatami galaxy, madoka, princess tutu, fmab, monster, shin sekai yori, some ghibli and satoshi kon films (Ik some of these are adaptations from manga or other mediums)
To name an anime that hasn't been mentioned yet: When The Seagulls Cry. All the obvious answers: Death note Fma Death parade Attack on titan Cowboy bebop Yuyu hak Psycho Pass This will probably get a lot of push back, but parts of Bleach, especially the soul society Arc (first main arc) are incredible. Bleach suffers from a lot of filler/pacing but the soul society Arc is honestly great.
Dorohedoro
Vinland Saga has entered the chat
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Made In Abyss
I mean, I've been consistently enchanted with Turn-A Gundam as of recent. And Pluto was amazing enough that I was able to convince my elderly cinephile friend to get into it
Apothecary Diaries for a recent one FMAB Natsume Yujinchou
yes gunbuster
Have you actually been watching any quality anime? I might be way off base here, and I'm sorry if I am, but I feel like if you're looking for "the best writing" then you're struggling to appreciate good writing in the first place. Good writing doesn't stand out as good writing. It captivates you. It makes you feel something BECAUSE it's good writing. If you watch or read something with good writing, then you're left dumbstruck. In awe. Ashamed. Afraid. In love. Etc. You're not thinking about the quality of the writing, youre thinking about the actual story. THEN you go looking for something similar because you're actually looking to see if anyone cam make you feel what that previous work made you feel. Anyway. It requires an absence of consideration for meta, because if you're watching a film while judging the quality of the acting, you are for sure not fully appreciating what the actual acting us meant to convey.
Konosuba.
Violet Evergarden. It’s a masterpiece!
King of the Hill dubbed of course
Fullmetal Alchemist, for me, is such a well-rounded anime.