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The best anime leave fans asking countless questions long after the credits roll. Ideally, this is a good indicator that shows how invested audiences were in the story and characters that they just saw. Sadly, too many anime leave viewers asking questions for the wrong reasons. These anime were so frustrating and almost illogical, they enraged fans who wanted a good story.

It should be noted that these anime are frustrating not because they left a lot open to audience's interpretation, or because they didn't provide easy answers. Admittedly challenging anime like Angel's Egg, Ghost in the Shell, or Serial Experiments Lain don't apply here. Rather, these anime are guilty of failing to pay off their biggest questions with satisfying answers and resolutions. To say these anime frustrated viewers is an understatement.

Stars Align Ended With Everyone in Rock Bottom Streaming on Crunchyroll

Stars Align was a great sports anime...

Love takes time and work. A lot of romance anime reflect this fact, often building up the romance between main characters over a long period of time so that it will lead to the payoff of them getting together at the end. While this long game can keep fans invested in seeing the characters finally confess their feelings, some anime have their characters take that plunge much earlier.

By having the romantic leads of a series get together near the beginning, the audience is able to witness continued character growth in the context of the relationship. This dynamic tends to get cut from anime that have the characters getting into a relationship as the end goal. However, in trading out some of the build-up time, there are plenty of series out there that give viewers an extended look at what the couple is like when they start dating.

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The shojo anime genre has been around for decades and has provided fans with some of the best series. Fan favorites like Fruits Basket and Yona of the Dawn have led many viewers to try other shojo properties as well. Newer fans typically go for more recent anime, but some old gems are just as good (if not better) than a lot of the current shojo anime series.

The best older shojo anime give audiences a feeling of nostalgia, from more fantastical plotlines to an “exaggerated realism” animation style. They also portray a wider breadth of surprisingly empowering female characters for the time of their creation. Shojo anime nowadays are great, but these lost diamonds should not be kept in the dark, either.

Related10 Most Underrated Classic Shojo Anime, Ranked

From the ‘60s to the 2000s, these underrated shojo anime classics shaped the genre but remain overlooked gems that every fan should revisit.

Premiering in 1998, Masami Tsuda’s Kare Kano (His And Her Circumstances) had all the elements of a successful adaptation. Gainax, fresh off the success of Neon Genesis Evangelion, took charge of the series, with Hideaki Anno directing the early episodes.

The anime captured the charm and emotional depth of Tsuda’s manga, offering a refreshingly honest look at teenage romance.

However, as the series progressed, cracks began to form.

The animation quality noticeably declined, episodes became more inconsistent, and by the final stretch, the show had lost much of its initial polish. Instead of a satisfying conclusion, Kare Kano ended in an unresolved state, frustrating viewers.

The reason? A behind-the-scenes struggle between Gainax and the manga’s creator.

The Rift Between Gainax and Masami Tsuda

One of the biggest issues that plagued Kare Kano’s production was a fundamental disagreement between Gainax and Masami Tsuda over the tone of the adaptation.

Today is a sad day in the animation and voice-acting community as word spreads about the untimely passing of Rachael Lillis, the iconic voice of Pokémon characters Misty and Jessie, and more. Lillis died of complications from breast cancer. She was 46.

Veronica Taylor, who voices Ash Ketchum for the long-running Pokémon franchise, shared a message with fans online about Rachael’s passing, saying, “It is with a very heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of Rachael Lillis on Saturday evening, 10 August 2024,” Taylor wrote. “Rachael was an extraordinary talent, a bright light that shone through her voice whether speaking or singing. She will be forever remembered for the many animated roles she played, with her iconic performances as ‘Pokemon’s’ Misty and Jessie being the most beloved. Rachael was so thankful for all the generous love and support that was given to her as she battled cancer.

Hundreds of new anime shows and movies arrive on screens and streaming services every season. Some of these shows quickly generate a loud and vocal following and become ingrained in the public consciousness, meaning they get talked about long after the show finishes its broadcast run.

Other shows, however, are not as lucky. Despite being high-quality, they quickly get forgotten, with many later anime fans not remembering them or writing them up as just another show, meaning they never get the credit or praise they deserve. However, those who look back into anime history will find many great series that were, for whatever reason, overlooked in their time and never got the praise they deserved. Thankfully, with modern streaming, now is the perfect time to go back in time and enjoy these overlooked and underrated modern classics.

Related 10 Most Rewatchable Retro Anime, Ranked Despite their age, these anime are still...

Anime – and, by extension, all forms of animation – has the capacity to express itself and experiment with visual storytelling in ways that other mediums can only dream of. Anime that tested the boundaries of their animation and expectations are more common than one would expect, and only the truly unique ones stood out.

Related: 10 Underrated Spring 2023 Anime Fans Need To Watch

That said, not all experimental anime were appreciated by viewers. In fact, some were hated when they were being aired. In most cases, such anime had to wait years to get the respect they deserved. These anime may have been too ahead of their times, but their creative risks paid off because they’ve since become timeless works of art.

His & Her Circumstances

Unlike other anime listed here, His and Her Circumstances had no choice but to get experimental. Director Hideaki Anno and mangaka Masami Tsuda had such...