Anime, like many other mediums, has many specific tropes. Despite the attempts to innovate within the industry, there are clear trends in concepts and pitches that show up in anime's lineup over and over. From overdone genres to concepts and ideas that have been completely mined out, it's easy for viewers to get bored with the anime series they used to look forward to.

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There is a plethora of anime series that stick to clichés, so when a series manages to break through boundaries and creates a meaningful and memorable experience for the viewer, it can be very refreshing and make its mark on the anime community. Twist endings and the complete betrayal of expectations are some of the most notable ways a series can achieve these goals.

10 Supernatural Chaos: The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya

Haruhi Leads The SOS Brigade In The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya has long been praised for its misleading premise and the way it surprises viewers near the end of its first season. It presents itself as a relatively banal slice-of-life series, focusing on a group of students in a school club. The students follow usual anime archetypes: a ditzy shy girl, an overly energetic manic pixie dream girl, a strict book-reading girl, and an average reader-insert character of a protagonist to top it all off. However, the series has a large twist, as one of the girls happens to be unaware of the fact she has incredible supernatural powers that soon manage to turn every situation into chaos.

9 Bittersweet Tears: Assassination Classroom

Korosensei with Books in Assassination Classroom

Assassination Classroom may seem like an action-comedy about students attempting to kill the monster who calls itself their teacher, the reality of the show is actually much more heartfelt. Koro-sensei, the tentacle-wielding monster currently taking the place of the students' homeroom teacher, is actually a remarkably good guardian figure for the younger characters.

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He helps each of them grow and, in the end, reveals his true identity, a revelation that has shaken many a viewer. Fans often warn new viewers that they'll be crying throughout the last few episodes.

8 Psychological Horror: Shiki

Megumi Shimizu Kyuuketsuki Hair from Shiki

This series seems, at first, to be a classic apocalyptic horror story, where a vampiric plague spreads through a town, accompanied with all its associated horror, gore, suspicion, and terror. Although it gives the impression that it's following the script for most zombie or vampire-related stories, Shiki goes in a completely different direction. It presents a moral dilemma, forcing viewers to decide where the true villain of the story lies, and turns much more into a psychological horror experience than anything driven by jump scares and blood.

7 Politics And Deeper Meanings: Attack On Titan (Season 3)

Anime Attack On Titan Perfect Game Erwin Advances

Attack On Titan was a series that, at its start, was often criticized for its adherence to the classic tropes of horror-shounen anime. Its hallmarks include a driven and self-righteous protagonist, constant death, and an uncomplicated and clearly evil villain. This criticism quickly faded away, however, upon the release of the content that was adapted in the third season of the anime. Attack on Titan is a successful shounen series that inspired hype and attention from the community, but it's even better as a morally ambiguous and politically charged story full of symbolism and ethical dilemmas. The tension in the story became more innate and character-driven and said characters became much deeper and more interesting.

6 Surprising Emotional Depth: Cautious Hero

Seiya and Ristarte in Cautious Hero.

Cautious Hero has a seemingly simple premise. It is a comedy show about a classic isekai hero who has only one flaw.  As fans immediately deduce from the title, he is cautious to the point of absurd comedy, and it constantly causes trouble for himself and his party. The show sticks to this premise for most of its run, but in the end, the series' tone changes. The show goes from a light-hearted comedy to a more serious shounen character drama, creating some surprising tension and even pulling some tears from viewers' eyes towards the end.

5 Moral Dilemmas: Death Parade

Decim Introduces The Games To The Damned

Exploring the afterlife or the idea of what may come after death isn't a particularly fresh idea in anime. As such, Death Parade's premise doesn't seem particularly groundbreaking. The show focuses on a world beyond death, where souls must play games to decide who gets reincarnated. This show, however, changes its focus over the course of its run.

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Beyond the simple tension of the judgment of souls, Death Parade explores questions about morality and creates deep tension and high stakes for characters viewers may have barely noticed at the beginning.

4 Character Development And Stakes: Angel Beats

main group from angel beats

This show focuses on a school for people who are already dead but have not been able to move on. As they lack memories, the show starts off as a rather clichéd high school character drama. Seeing how this genre has already been milked dry by the anime industry, many in the fan community dismiss Angel Beats as a skippable show. However, this series has proven itself a cut above the rest through its ability to create meaningful stakes and it contains a huge twist ending that changes the viewer's perspective on the characters.

3 More Than Just A Yandere: Future Diary

Yuno Protects Yuki In Future Diary

Future Diary seems to have a very clear concept: a battle royale game to become god, where a weak main character is kept alive by his obsessive yandere love interest. Most of the show follows this premise, taking advantage of shock value and classic anime absurdity to create a very successful show. The end of the series, however, enters character drama territory and actually expands on the motives of its leads beyond her simple descent into madness. This made Future Diary a much more memorable series.

2 Horror Magical Girl, With Even More Twists: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Madoka In Her God Form In Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Puella Magi Madoka Magica contains one of the most notable plot twists in anime. While it presents itself as a magical girl anime, it actually was one of the first dark magical girl series.

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Viewers expecting a simple arrangement of magical girl tropes and cheap horror, as many were when the show aired, are still in for a surprise, as Madoka Magica is thoughtfully written with a solid storyline. Despite its short runtime, the story is full of twists and turns, and this series remains a classic of the genre many years after its release.

1 More Than A Cartoon About Animals: Odd Taxi

yano from odd taxi eating candy

Odd Taxi largely flew under the anime community's radar, mostly because the general public had the wrong idea about its story. The art of Odd Taxi is unusual since the characters are depicted as different animals. It looks like a light show for younger viewers. However, this series is remarkable for its real depth and darkness that doesn't resort to the gore and graphic elements common in other series. Add to that an ending that flipped the entire series on its head, and Odd Taxi turns out to be a memorable and surprisingly interesting watch.

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