The anime industry in its entirety is a great example of how the concept of "dependency" works in this world. Authors write light novels, some of which are then adapted into manga, and a select few among them reach the final stage - anime adaptation. Of course, this doesn't happen in every case, more so when it comes to manga than anime. A big portion of manga out there are original works, but it's a different story when it comes to anime. Without manga, there simply wouldn't be anything to make anime about.
Original anime shows are something of a rarity, and only a small percentage of anime released every year are not based on pre-existing material. Even such, many great original works have been produced over the years, and this list looks at some of them in detail.
10 Yuri on Ice (2016) - 7.9/10
Anime doesn't really have the best track record for portraying LGBTQ characters, there are only a handful of such examples. Lesbian couples can be found in rare numbers, and gay relationships are even more scarce. Created by Sayo Yamamoto and Mitsurou Kubo, Yuri on Ice has one of the most highly praised portrayals of same-sex relationships in animation history. Focusing on a niche sports category of ice-skating, it tells the story of a group of men who take part in an international skating competition and their experiences.
9 Terror in Resonance (2014) - 8/10
The main characters in Terror in Resonance, are in simple words, the villains, or terrorists to be more specific who wreak nuclear havoc across Tokyo. To expose a powerful organization that turns mentally disabled children into human weapons, two boys who go by the name of Nine and Twelve challenge the world into solving a riddle. From the same studio that is producing the final season of Attack on Titan, MAPPA, the anime was the studio's first original work created by Cowboy Bebop director Shinichirō Watanabe.
8 Hanasaku Iroha (2011) - 8/10
Protagonist Ohana Matsumae's mother runs away with her boyfriend forcing her into a situation where she has to leave behind her city life and go live in the countryside and earn her own living too. Taking place in the homely Kissui Inn, it is a wholesome tale of a group of characters and sometimes their not so wholesome families and circumstances, and how they are affected by it in their daily lives.
Similar to many of the shows produced by P.A.Works, it is a definitive slice of life.
7 Kill la Kill (2013) - 8.1/10
Kill la Kill is one of the most popular anime to release in recent years and one that has been met with a fair number of positive reviews. But it is not for everybody due to its unusual animation and violence-heavy style of storytelling, which makes it something of an acquired taste. Studio Trigger, the creator of Kill La Kill is known for their wacky original anime shows such as and the same eccentricity can be found in Kill la Kill.
6 Death Parade (2015) - 8.2/10
Based on an animated short by the name of Death Billiards—which in turn was an original production from the same studio—Death Parade plays around with the concept of the afterlife. It is undeniably a popular theme among many shows and movies, and what Death Parade does is represent it like a literal game of life and death.
The fictional Quindecim bar is the place people or their souls, go to after death where they are made to compete in games that will decide their fate, whether they will reincarnate or be put out of existence.
5 Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (2011) - 8.4/10
If a definitive and universal list of anime that are bound to make the audience cry is ever compiled, Anohana is surely and deservingly going to be on that list. It is a tear-jerking story of a group of friends who split apart after one of them dies, and how they come together once again years later when her ghost comes back temporarily. The character's death is at the very center of the plot, but at the end of the day the anime is not about death, but about life and how it changes people through its course.
4 Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011) - 8.4/10
Puella Magi Madoka Magica looks like just another magical girl kids anime on the surface and by its title, but the reality couldn't be further than that. To transcend the boundaries of its own genre is not something every other anime is capable of, but Madoka Magica executes the feat successfully, and all the praise it has received over the years is proof of that. A group of middle school girls is given the opportunity to become magical girls, but things take a darker turn when they realize what they have actually got themselves involved in.
3 Great Pretender (2020) - 8.4/10
Netflix has yet to achieve noteworthy success in the anime department, but that doesn't mean they've been sitting with their hands on their laps. With the name of the popular song from The Platters as its title (and the Freddie Mercury cover as its ending), Great Pretender is what can only be described as an anime adaptation of Ocean's Eleven.
With each arc taking place in a different corner of the world, it revolves around Makoto Edamura as he keeps getting involved in a number of international scams by a con man Laurent and his team.
2 Psycho-Pass (2012) - 8.4/10
Cyberpunk has always been an extremely popular sub-genre of sci-fi, and when it comes to anime it doesn't get better and more popular than Psycho-Pass. Taking place in the far future where everything is controlled by the all-governing and all-seeing Sibyl System, the anime takes place across different time periods about various law enforcement officers and their battle against criminals of all kinds. The first season aired in 2012, and since then has produced multiple sequel seasons, manga, and films.
1 A Place Further than the Universe (2018) - 8.6/10
While not actually about traveling to a place further than the universe, the characters do travel to Antarctica which is certainly a strange place for a group of high school girls to visit. Ever since her mother disappeared there, Shirase Kobuchizawa has been trying to arrange an expedition to Antarctica by herself. Now joined by her high school friends and each with their own personal ambitions, the group of four set out on an adventure that seems to be another "cute girls doing cute things" story that eventually evolves into something much more refined and complex.