Kenpuu Denki Berserk

With the intention of keeping this as comprehensive as possible, I encourage anyone reading to help me find more anime and update the text, particularly of those anime I haven’t watched. You can comment this publication in my profile or send me suggestions/alternative text via PM.
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Para que esta lista sea lo más completa posible, animo a quien le apetezca a que me ayude a encontrar más anime y revisar/reescribir el texto que acompaña a los animes, sobre todo los que no he visto (mandadme vuestras sugerencias por MD). También podéis comentar esta lista en mi perfil.



In 1614, the Keichō Embassy arrived to Spain in their trip to Rome. When they came back after failing their mission, they came back and rested in Coria del Río (Seville) before returning to their country, and some Japanese stayed there to live. In their honour, the surname “Japón” came to be, and that marked the beginning of the good relationship between Japan and Spain, particularly Andalusia... or so we thought. Recent investigations have shown that the origin of the Japan surname doesn't come from the Keichō Embassy, but the feelings of deep friendship between the cultures was real.
Four centuries later, Spain continues to be an inspiration for the pinnacle of Japanese culture, which of course is anime. Actually… there are not that many related to Spain, are there? This stack will delve deep into anime with some sort of relationship to Spain so that you can surprise your friends with some obscure knowledge that they probably will not appreciate.
All of these anime have something to do with Spain. Due to their prevalence, references to paella specifically (it’s rice with things anyway), bullfighters with no further mention to Spain, or the simple appearance of a Spanish flag or the name of the country appearing in the background will not make it to this list. Almost every other reference is fair game.

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En 1614, la Embajada Keichō llegó a España tras su viaje a Roma. Cuando volvieron de su infructuosa conversación con el papa, se quedaron a descansar en Coria del Río (Sevilla) antes de volver a su país. Algunos japoneses se quedaron a vivir, recibiendo el apellido Japón y marcando el comienzo de las buenas relaciones entre los dos pueblos, particularmente con Andalucía... o eso se creía. Estudios recientes han determinado que el apellido Japón en España no se originó con la Embajada Keichō, pero el sentimiento de amistad entre ambas culturas sigue siendo real.
Cuatro siglos después, España sigue siendo una inspiración para el máximo exponente de la cultura nipona, que por supuesto es el anime. Aunque, pensándolo bien, no hay muchos animes que se inspiren en España. En esta lista se profundizará en aquellos que sí existen para que puedas sorprender a tus amigos con trivia que muy probablemente no les interesará.
Todos estos animes tienen algo que ver con España. Debido a lo común que es, no se incluirá anime cuyas referencias se limiten a paella (o arroz con cosas, según se mire), toreros sin mayor mención al país, o banderas y/o el nombre España en el fondo de la pantalla sin mayor relevancia. Casi cualquier otra referencia es válida.

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Thanks to Twitter user @pedro50676600 for correcting the data on the Keichō Embassy. // Gracias al usuario de Twitter @pedro50676600 por corregir la información sobre la Embajada Keichō.

Anime that involve a mature, smart and/or chill protagonist who knows what they're doing.

Critics & Connoisseurs was a club that was founded in 2008 and ended club activities on the 31st of 2022.

The goal of the club was to come up with a list of highly recommended quality shows that are exemplary either within its genre or universally. An anime needed a 70% approval rate in our voting to get on the relation list. The following anime are all part of said list.

You can see the club page here:
https://myanimelist.net/clubs.php?cid=2913

Anime Relation List Part 2: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/328
Manga Relation List: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/334

Anime with great worldbuilding, or the development of the fantastical environment and world! None of these anime take place in what you would call 'our universe', rather taking place in an alternative universe or fantasy/ sci-fi setting with amazingly well-tailored and fitting details in technologies and architecture that makes every world unique.

These anime suffer from production issues that leave the source material to be cut, rearranged or completely abandoned - rendering it not cannon at all! These decisions don't necessarily ruin the series, but its something to take into account if u are after the full plot from the original author. If u enjoy these I highly urge you to read the manga for full experience!

*Filler episodes are not labelled here, do not expect Bleach and Naruto here*

- Weebookey

If you've ever seen an anime and thought, "Wow, this anime has really good background art", and "Wow, this episode preview at the end looks amazing!" chances are it was made by Shichiro Kobayashi. An icon of Japanese animation, Kobayashi has had a fruitful career spanning over thirty years as the art director for several iconic shows. While known generally for his vibrant and highly detailed palettes, Kobayashi brought the animation technique known as "postcard memories" or "harmonies" to life alongside director and innovator Osamu Dezaki and character designer Akio Sugino, which are cels of animation superimposed with gouache to give off a lasting image.

Kobayashi's influence defined anime background art, and his output has been replicated by other art directors since—his own studio, Kobayashi Production, consists of students and proteges alike that have equally contributed to formative works in anime.

The following list is a selection of shows that contains Kobayashi's most notable and prettiest backgrounds, and I highly encourage you to check them out.

Documentary on Kobayashi: https://youtu.be/V1tiKOsCz2M
Kobayashi Production's credits: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=1460

While mostly known today as the character designer for My Hero Academia, Yoshihiko Umakoshi's recognition as one of anime's finest predates it by quite a lot. Getting his start as an animator at Toei Animation, Umakoshi was involved in some of Toei's biggest shoujo manga adaptations in the 90s, translating the shoujo aesthetic, with its quirks and all, onto the TV screen. This would culminate in Umakoshi's designs for Ojamajo Doremi, which sees his mastery of creating memorable characters, striking a fine balance between cute and cartoonish.

His versatility extends beyond cute characters, however—Umakoshi's involvement in now-iconic shows such as the first Berserk adaptation and Mushishi showcases his ability to design and appropriate serious-looking characters vastly different from his magical girl character designs. The following list is a selection of his most significant works.

Blogpost about Ojamajo Doremi: https://blog.sakugabooru.com/2020/12/05/20-years-of-ojamajo-doremi-the-ideal-kids-anime-grows-up-with-its-audience/
Umakoshi interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xix6NUavVCQ

Anime with a loner protagonist. Well, at least at the start since introducing new characters is unavoidable. I'm only including the ones where the solitary mindset has been somewhat emphasised.

Facing reality, rejecting the fantasy, and not running away from our issues.

Still a work in progress, updated as of 4/23/2024

Anime set during medieval times or with a medieval feel.

English dubs that I found to be really good and are at least comparable to (if not better than) their subbed counterparts. Part 1 - https://myanimelist.net/stacks/885


PM me if there are titles that I've missed.

Most unic anime form 1990s

Darker and sadder animated shows that exceeds in not being edgier. Juxtaposing the aestetic, atmosphere and theams to acomplish a broadher human perspective.

Varing trough: Mecha, Post-apocalypse, War, Psychological, Colorful, Monochrome, Fast pace, Slow burn, Methodic and Experimental.

Notorie authors: Konaka(7), Oshii(5), Yuassa(4), Kon(4), Amano(3), Choi(3), Nagahama(3), Hamasaki(2), Otomo(2), Ryuutarou(2), Nakamura(2), Yamamura(2), Oomori(1), Tomino(1), Anno(1), Takahashi(1), Harada(1), Matsumoto(1).

If you've gotten tired or bored with the common trope of the main character trying to get stronger to save something or somebody. If you just want to take a breather and take a break without worrying about the main character for a while - although I can't guarantee it for all of them - this list is for you (one entry per series - no sequels, etc.). These are only a few of all out there and I ran out of space, so if I missed one, I'm so sorry!

Classic 20th-century series and films that most old-school otaku have heard of and many older fans will cite as the reason they became a life-long weeb in the first place. Some have gotten sequels or modern reboots, while others have been relegated to the past and stand alone as fondly-remembered products of their time. If you want to take a journey through anime history, these shows are the place to start!

Additional info as requested by MAL staff:

Definition of classic: "A work of art of recognized and established value."

Criteria for this list: Were popular or well-known at some point during the 20th century, or were based on well-known source material of the time.

Series that emphasise the presentation of struggle and dramatic event(s) through culminating the portrayal of the experience to that point visually or by some other means.

Data is from personality-database.com