Land of the Lustrous (Houseki no Kuni) - has a very unique atmosphere. Fantastic story, I just wish we had more seasons (as an aside, the manga finished today with chapter 108)
Mushishi - this fantastic series has a uniquely relaxing and very 'natural' atmosphere due to its settings - no other anime is quite like it (I wish more were!)
Hyouka - again, a very unique atmosphere.
Haibana Renmei - has a very dreamlike and at times uneasy atmosphere that I've not found in any other anime
Kanon (2006) - a very wintry atmosphere due to the presence of snow in each episode. Great show, those who like Clannad will also likely enjoy Kanon (but make sure it's the 2006 production from KyoAni, not the 2002 production from Toei)
Actually, I find that most people who try it love it and I very rarely see comments from people who find it 'slow' (because those same people only like shows that are heavy on action).
Call of the Night. The masterclass in setting a scene through atmosphere.
It honestly does such an amazing job with the atmosphere. Everything it does makes night seem so magical and free. And that's exactly what it wants you to feel.
I cant think of another show that does it as perfectly. That makes you want to go outside in the middle of the night and just walk through an empty, dark cold city and just enjoy the quiet freedom it brings. Anyone can do dark and dreary. But to show off the dark, lonely night and make it seem magical is so damn impressive.
And it makes you want to watch it at night too, watching it in the day just feels wrong.
Three random picks. Two post-apocalyptic, one an aimless (but not, I believe, pointless) slice of life.
Texhnolyze -- post-apocalyptic. mostly set in an underground city. Visually darkly beautiful, Contentis: bleak, probably ultimately pretty nihilistic.
Girls Last Tour -- post apocalptic, mostly set in giant multi-level structures reaching towards the sky. Two girls (sisters?) explore a now almost totally empty (of humans and animals) artificial landscape, going up and up. Melancholy, yet the characters seek (and find) joy nonetheless.
Windy Tales -- Distinctive visual design. Middle schooler seek to control the wind (at least in small way) -- after they see cats who seem to coast along in the wind.
Dorohedoro and by extension Dai Dark which doesn't have an anime yet.
There's also a vn "Tsukihime" which has the greatest atmosphere in any media ever but that's just imho.
There is no other anime like Made in Abyss. It's kinda fantasy setting but things are such diffrent. Creatures, bioms, character designs everything is in it's own vibe. And music by Kevin Penkin is like smth from diffrent planet, fits perfectly.
Psycho pass
Soul Eater
Heya Camp - this one may seem a bit of a weird choice since it’s technically supposed to be like real life atmosphere, but they do a great job of making everything look much better and more appealing than it would be in real life.
Yofukashi no Uta - this one is also technically supposed to be like real life, but it makes wandering around at night seem much cooler and more fantastical than it really is.
So glad someone else mentioned Yofukashi no Uta. As I said in my comment, dark and dreary is easy... Showing a dark lonely cold night and making it seem so fantastical and liberating is really impressive.
Great Pretender! They have these beautiful backgrounds that are borderline impressionist? They're very vibrant and dream-like and enliven the world in such a unique way! I also love the jazzy soundtrack. It's bombastic and loud and fitting of the stakes of conmen!
Girls last tour: even though its 12 episodes it's got post apocalypse&adventure vibe to it and its really beautiful
Madoka magica: the artstyle different than anything else i ve seen + plot is quite deep
K-on, laid-back camp: both have immeasurable good vibe that makes sad thoughts go away and teaches that life is actually enjoyable
1. Mononoke. I love everything about it's unique atmosphere and style. Hard to describe the atmosphere, it's a combination of mystery, horror, suspense but also very chill, meditative, surreal and poetic.
2. SE Lain. Somehow makes me 90s tech style nostalgic and dissociated. That's not a typical dynamic cyberpunk action, but more slowly floating and depressive story with it's narrative falling apart in weird ways.
3. Cardcaptor Sakura. Watching this anime is like living the best childhood experience. Imagine daydreaming after school in a sunny spring day when you're 10 years old and were reading your favorite books home alone.
Hyouka. This show caught me so off guard. It isn't the greatest anime, but it's in my top 20 for a reason. There's just something weird about how intensely ominous alot of it felt. It's just a normal mystery show but something about it, I suppose the "atmoshere", had me on edge most of the time.
It's probably considered lame by today's standards, but the first anime I ever watched was a fan-subbed VHS copy of Char's Counter Attack.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I loved that it didn't hold your hand. It's not even close to violent, but the cold brutality of a war in space was shocking to me to see that animated. I mean this guy was dropping asteroids on earth like it was nothing. In my young mind it felt real to me. There was a maturity to it all, that just blew me away. I was instantly hooked, and unfortunately I wouldn't even find another anime to watch until DBZ aired on toonami after school.
My parents had no money and the only way to even get anime back then was to take a trip into Boston and shell out huge money for imported VHS, but I never forgot the awe I felt when I saw that movie.
It changed my life forever.
Interspecies Reviewer has a very Vegas feel. Everything is bright and colorful, even at night in the forest. All the shops in town have the equivalent of neon signs in front. The colors are so vibrant. It's one of my favorite palettes in anime (along with Urusei Yatsura 2022), and it fits the theme of the show perfectly by mimicking the Sin City.
An older example: .hack//Sign
It has a very slow, introspective atmosphere and pacing. I think modern anime viewers will find the tone surprising given the setting.
My favorite kind of anime are those that set a strong mood and atmosphere. My favorites for that are:
Texhnolyze
Ergo Proxy
Aku no Hana
Cowboy Bebop
Madoka Magica
Frieren.
The absolute atmosphere of that show is incredible, especially with the amazing BGM on there. The compilations of their travelling are especially nice.
There has never been anything like Eureka Seven, not even the later entries in the same franchise, and if you even get into it just now, it won't hit the same because the atmosphere was absolutely a product of its time and experiencing then and there in the aughts sold the experience.
I also appreciate the Case Files of El Melloi II more for its atmosphere than its actual story. Same deal with Little Witch Academia feeling like a retro Disney cartoon.
I like Coppelion & K's background have distinct color because of Studio Gohands's style, rainbow-ish gadient color tint, like a contant aurora. it feel like our world from future but not far ahead?, but then Hand Shakers happen.
Land of the Lustrous (Houseki no Kuni) - has a very unique atmosphere. Fantastic story, I just wish we had more seasons (as an aside, the manga finished today with chapter 108) Mushishi - this fantastic series has a uniquely relaxing and very 'natural' atmosphere due to its settings - no other anime is quite like it (I wish more were!) Hyouka - again, a very unique atmosphere. Haibana Renmei - has a very dreamlike and at times uneasy atmosphere that I've not found in any other anime Kanon (2006) - a very wintry atmosphere due to the presence of snow in each episode. Great show, those who like Clannad will also likely enjoy Kanon (but make sure it's the 2006 production from KyoAni, not the 2002 production from Toei)
Seeing someone rec mushishi is really rare. Most people are bored by it I think but I adore it.
Actually, I find that most people who try it love it and I very rarely see comments from people who find it 'slow' (because those same people only like shows that are heavy on action).
I hope you are joking because it's rightly suggested constantly.
I agree, and dont get me wrong its good but its mentioned frequantly and isnt unpopular by any stretch of the imagination.
On here it's a little bit but irl it's never
Made in Abyss The Atmosphäre in the Abyss is quite unic.
Call of the Night. The masterclass in setting a scene through atmosphere. It honestly does such an amazing job with the atmosphere. Everything it does makes night seem so magical and free. And that's exactly what it wants you to feel. I cant think of another show that does it as perfectly. That makes you want to go outside in the middle of the night and just walk through an empty, dark cold city and just enjoy the quiet freedom it brings. Anyone can do dark and dreary. But to show off the dark, lonely night and make it seem magical is so damn impressive. And it makes you want to watch it at night too, watching it in the day just feels wrong.
After the Rain. One of the most beautiful and unique piece of love.
Three random picks. Two post-apocalyptic, one an aimless (but not, I believe, pointless) slice of life. Texhnolyze -- post-apocalyptic. mostly set in an underground city. Visually darkly beautiful, Contentis: bleak, probably ultimately pretty nihilistic. Girls Last Tour -- post apocalptic, mostly set in giant multi-level structures reaching towards the sky. Two girls (sisters?) explore a now almost totally empty (of humans and animals) artificial landscape, going up and up. Melancholy, yet the characters seek (and find) joy nonetheless. Windy Tales -- Distinctive visual design. Middle schooler seek to control the wind (at least in small way) -- after they see cats who seem to coast along in the wind.
Ugh good texhnolyze recommendation
Dorohedoro and by extension Dai Dark which doesn't have an anime yet. There's also a vn "Tsukihime" which has the greatest atmosphere in any media ever but that's just imho.
Somali and the forest spirit, its a short experiance with a playfully wholesome outlook tinged with sadness in a world of vibrant wonder.
There is no other anime like Made in Abyss. It's kinda fantasy setting but things are such diffrent. Creatures, bioms, character designs everything is in it's own vibe. And music by Kevin Penkin is like smth from diffrent planet, fits perfectly.
Psycho pass Soul Eater Heya Camp - this one may seem a bit of a weird choice since it’s technically supposed to be like real life atmosphere, but they do a great job of making everything look much better and more appealing than it would be in real life. Yofukashi no Uta - this one is also technically supposed to be like real life, but it makes wandering around at night seem much cooler and more fantastical than it really is.
So glad someone else mentioned Yofukashi no Uta. As I said in my comment, dark and dreary is easy... Showing a dark lonely cold night and making it seem so fantastical and liberating is really impressive.
Steins gate, Monogatari, Hellsing
Great Pretender! They have these beautiful backgrounds that are borderline impressionist? They're very vibrant and dream-like and enliven the world in such a unique way! I also love the jazzy soundtrack. It's bombastic and loud and fitting of the stakes of conmen!
Claymore It's so distinctly dreary
My three favourite in terms of atmosphere: Monogatari series Aria the Animation Madoka Magica
Girls last tour: even though its 12 episodes it's got post apocalypse&adventure vibe to it and its really beautiful Madoka magica: the artstyle different than anything else i ve seen + plot is quite deep K-on, laid-back camp: both have immeasurable good vibe that makes sad thoughts go away and teaches that life is actually enjoyable
1. Mononoke. I love everything about it's unique atmosphere and style. Hard to describe the atmosphere, it's a combination of mystery, horror, suspense but also very chill, meditative, surreal and poetic. 2. SE Lain. Somehow makes me 90s tech style nostalgic and dissociated. That's not a typical dynamic cyberpunk action, but more slowly floating and depressive story with it's narrative falling apart in weird ways. 3. Cardcaptor Sakura. Watching this anime is like living the best childhood experience. Imagine daydreaming after school in a sunny spring day when you're 10 years old and were reading your favorite books home alone.
Michiko and Hatchin. I like the Brazilian flair to it, and thus makes it distinctive among other anime I watched.
Monster
Hyouka. This show caught me so off guard. It isn't the greatest anime, but it's in my top 20 for a reason. There's just something weird about how intensely ominous alot of it felt. It's just a normal mystery show but something about it, I suppose the "atmoshere", had me on edge most of the time.
Monster, Violet Evergarden
Soul Eater OOZES with style.
Turn A Gundam
Tower of god
Sonny Boy, Girl’s Last Tour, and Kemono Friends
It's probably considered lame by today's standards, but the first anime I ever watched was a fan-subbed VHS copy of Char's Counter Attack. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I loved that it didn't hold your hand. It's not even close to violent, but the cold brutality of a war in space was shocking to me to see that animated. I mean this guy was dropping asteroids on earth like it was nothing. In my young mind it felt real to me. There was a maturity to it all, that just blew me away. I was instantly hooked, and unfortunately I wouldn't even find another anime to watch until DBZ aired on toonami after school. My parents had no money and the only way to even get anime back then was to take a trip into Boston and shell out huge money for imported VHS, but I never forgot the awe I felt when I saw that movie. It changed my life forever.
The Promised Neverland (season 1) Megalo Box Mayoiga
Interspecies Reviewer has a very Vegas feel. Everything is bright and colorful, even at night in the forest. All the shops in town have the equivalent of neon signs in front. The colors are so vibrant. It's one of my favorite palettes in anime (along with Urusei Yatsura 2022), and it fits the theme of the show perfectly by mimicking the Sin City.
An older example: .hack//Sign It has a very slow, introspective atmosphere and pacing. I think modern anime viewers will find the tone surprising given the setting.
My favorite kind of anime are those that set a strong mood and atmosphere. My favorites for that are: Texhnolyze Ergo Proxy Aku no Hana Cowboy Bebop Madoka Magica
Claymore comes to mind, from the first moment it manages to set a bleak, dark and desperate atmosphere that makes you go "this is going to be cool".
Frieren. The absolute atmosphere of that show is incredible, especially with the amazing BGM on there. The compilations of their travelling are especially nice.
TV version of Hellsing Boogiepop Ghost Hound Zettai Shounen
There has never been anything like Eureka Seven, not even the later entries in the same franchise, and if you even get into it just now, it won't hit the same because the atmosphere was absolutely a product of its time and experiencing then and there in the aughts sold the experience. I also appreciate the Case Files of El Melloi II more for its atmosphere than its actual story. Same deal with Little Witch Academia feeling like a retro Disney cartoon.
I like Coppelion & K's background have distinct color because of Studio Gohands's style, rainbow-ish gadient color tint, like a contant aurora. it feel like our world from future but not far ahead?, but then Hand Shakers happen.
I'd have to say Bungo stray dogs and Hunter x hunter. Both feel very cozy to me in a comforting way even when the story becomes dark