Just because 2020 felt like an endless barrage of harsh realities and anxiety-inducing current events doesn’t mean that anime would stop. Despite some major scheduling delays and setbacks, last year was absolutely jam-packed with anime. Unsurprisingly, some fell through the cracks.
Regardless of quality, not all anime are fortunate to become surprise hits like Jujutsu Kaisen or as big a success as the record-breaking Demon Slayer movie. Here are 10 such anime that while imperfect, are all worth a watch.
10 Iwa Kakeru!: Sport Climbing Girls
What started as a curiosity for Konomi Kasahara quickly turns into her latest obsession. Before anyone realizes it, Konomi reveals herself to be a rock climbing prodigy. In less time than she expected, Konomi finds herself in the rock climbing championship with new friends and purpose.
Truth be told, Iwa Kakeru! is bad. It’s a formulaic 24-episode sports anime crammed into 12, but now with a cast of stereotypically cute anime girls and more fanservice than necessary. Worse, characters blitz through sports clichés and “climb” in barely animated still frames. That said, Iwa Kakeru! is entertainingly inept. Not every anime has to be an underrated gem, and Iwa Kakeru! is perfect for a so-bad-it’s-good binge.
9 The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED
Daisuke Kanbe is an impossibly rich man who decides to become a detective. Assigned to a dingy precinct and partnered with Haru Katou, Daisuke learns how to deal with crime with or without checks with exorbitant amounts of money written on them. Basically, this is what happens if Bruce Wayne decided to solve crime with money instead of batarangs.
Depending on your tastes, The Millionaire Detective is either a well-balanced detective anime that starts out with a few filler cases, or it’s a meandering series with a rushed conclusive arc. Another way of looking at this dilemma is that The Millionaire Detective is 11 episodes of a guy literally throwing money at his problems, and it’s undeniably entertaining to watch.
8 ID: Invaded
To understand what makes serial killers and the criminally insane tick, investigators use the Mizuhanome System to literally get into the suspect’s mind. Akihito Narihisago is used to diving into deranged ID-Wells but this time around, he finds himself finally gaining ground on John Walker, the mysterious “Creator Of Serial Killers” that he’s been hunting down for years.
While some of the cases and the overarching mystery may be easier to solve than the characters may suggest (especially to thriller veterans), ID: Invaded is a uniquely surreal and odd reimagining of the procedural yarn. For those looking for more of that early Psycho-Pass high before it dragged on, look no further than ID: Invaded.
7 Number24
Following a career-ending injury, former star rugby player Natsuza Yuzuki sticks to his passion by becoming team manager. His team is scrappy but promising, and Natsuza decides to recruit his old friend and former ace Ibuki Ueka to give them a new edge. Problem is, Ibuki quit the sport for unsaid reasons and Natsuza is determined to find out why.
Number24 is a different kind of rugby anime that trades the sport’s signature roughness for sincere emotions, with its blatant ship-teasing providing most of the anime’s fun and drama. The worst thing about Number24 is that its story is far from over and since it’s an underrated original anime, a sequel season is anything but certain.
6 Extra Olympia Kyklos
Under orders from his money hungry mayor, unremarkable vase painter Demetrios is forced to create games for the Olympics if he refuses to join them. Luckily (or otherwise), Demetrios is sent into the far future of 1964, specifically during the Tokyo Olympics, where he can get ideas.
Made to coincide with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Extra Olympia Kyklos was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if its relevance and timing were thrown asunder, the anime is a hilariously madcap look at sports brought to life through Claymation. Each episode is barely 5 minutes long and closes with a silly original song, making for a fun, quick watch.
5 Taiso Samurai
Shoutarou Aragaki, an aging Olympic gymnast and single father, seeks to give one last great performance before finally retiring from the sport. This is easier said than done, as the realities of his age and family life collide with his exhaustive training.
Taiso Samurai is admittedly better in concept than execution, with its many subplots fighting for attention. Even so, it’s an ambitiously grounded spin on the sports anime that stars an adult athlete past his prime – a white elephant in a genre dominated by rising varsity students. For all its missteps, Taiso Samurai is a sincere story of second chances that deserves a shot.
4 Smile Down the Runway
Following a chance encounter, Chiyuki Fujito (a model rejected for her short height) and Ikuto Tsumara (a financially-strapped fashion designer) decide to make their dreams come true by challenging the fashion world’s conventions. Together, they take the Paris Fashion Week by storm and break their respective glass ceilings.
Lovingly summarized by fans as “Fashion Show Shonen,” Smile Down the Runway takes an unlikely premise and turns it into a tournament arc. Aside from the novelty of being an anime about the fashion and modelling, Smile Down the Runway is as thrilling and engaging a competitive story as any fighting-centric shonen anime.
3 Adachi & Shimamura
After hanging out at the gym’s second floor more times than they could count, high school girls Adachi and Shimamura begin to feel romantic attraction towards each other. Or at least, that’s what they think is happening since they’re not sure how to tackle love just yet. That’s not to say they’re opposed to it, though.
Yuri anime hasn’t been really taken seriously for the longest time, but this mindset has been turned around as of late. Adachi & Shimamura is the latest heartwarming Shoujo Ai (i.e. Girls’ Love) anime to contribute to the subgenre’s legitimizing, and it’s a shame not many people talk about it or (serious) Yuri romances in general.
2 Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
Aspiring concept artist Midori Asakusa finally gets to see her dreams become a reality when she and her friend Sayaka Kanamori bump into Tsubame Misuzaki, an animation prodigy. The trio form the Motion Picture Club and set out to make their very own anime – for passion’s sake and some money, of course.
Hailing from the studio behind Devilman Crybaby, Keep Your Hands Of Eizouken! is a beautiful ode to art itself. Though it spawned fanart and countless recreations of its catchy opening, Eizouken was buried by heavy hitters like Dorohedoro and the much-anticipated return of Haikyuu!! Anyone who’s curious about the anime industry or is passionate about the arts needs to see this anime as soon as possible.
1 Wave, Listen To Me!
Stuck in a dead end job and reeling from a breakup, Minare Koda has no idea what to do with her life until the guy she met at a bar broadcasts her vulgar drunken rant on his radio program. Much to her surprise, listeners want to hear more from her. Thus begins her life as an early morning radio talk show host.
Because of how unexciting life in a radio station is when compared to any other anime, Wave, Listen To Me! failed to land on many ears – which is unfortunate, since it’s one of the most unique and funniest seinen of recent memory. Wave was made explicitly for 20-somethings, specifically those struggling to find themselves while balancing other responsibilities. Those looking for a more mature and sardonic brand of comedy should hear what Minare has to say.