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Without a doubt, shonen is anime’s largest and most popular demographic that has been, for decades, responsible for the medium’s biggest community-sweeping hits. From bombastic action shows to heartwarming romance stories to rip-roaring comedies, shonen anime excels at tackling all genres, its multifacetedness and broad appeal resulting in the demographic’s long-standing domination over the medium.
However, while shonen anime’s prominence might somewhat overshadow other demographics, hardly all anime masterpieces of the 21st century belong to the shonen category. Of all the best anime series released since 2000, a staggering number shares nothing in common with anime’s most popular demographic, but no one would argue their status as the medium’s crème de la crème.
FLCL Rejects Conventions & Embraces a Bold, One-of-a-Kind Style
A series all about challenging norms and giving way to wild experimentation, FLCL debuted in the year 2000 and, to this day, remains a generation-defining classic. Its chaotic plot begins with a bang as a manic alien named Haruko literally hits the protagonist, an ordinary boy named Naota, with her Vespa, thus kickstarting the most turbulent and mind-boggling chapter of his adolescence.
Awe-inspiring jumps between animation styles and techniques, rip-roaring absurdist humor, striking, kinetic action, and even some genuine coming-of-age drama hidden beneath the madness – FLCL fits it all into its six-episode runtime. And yet, no matter how overwhelmed viewers might feel experiencing this unhinged celebration of eccentric creativity, they would be hard-pressed not to find FLCL impactful.
Gurren Lagann Is This Century’s Most Explosive Mecha Anime
Another 2000s classic by Studio Gainax, Gurren Lagann, like FLCL, refuses to follow the beaten path and fully embraces eccentricity. Taking inspiration from old-school “super robot” mecha of the ‘70s, Gurren Lagann chronicles the exhilarating fight between humanity, which has been living in oppression underground, and the vicious Beastmen, with the series’ plot escalating with every episode.
Gurren Lagann is a joyous celebration of the indomitable human spirit that doesn’t follow rigid logic and largely abides by the “rule of cool.” However, the show is hardly just a mindless spectacle. While it never stops being fun-loving and over-the-top, Gurren Lagann features plenty of emotional complexity and, instead of ignoring tragedy and hardship, teaches viewers how to overcome them.
Mushishi Combines Calming Atmosphere With Profound Wisdom
Unlike the aforementioned high-octane action flicks, Mushishi entices viewers with its serene atmosphere, stoic beauty, and subtle depth. A supernatural iyashikei series, it chronicles the travels of Ginko, a Mushi Master who helps humans coexist with invisible supernatural lifeforms that, despite being neither good nor evil, occasionally cause unintended trouble.
Despite its focus on the supernatural, Mushishi has much to say about the plights of ordinary people, depicting lives that, while simple, are marked by substantial tragedies and wonders. While following Ginko’s journey is undeniably relaxing, the series doesn’t shy away from asking viewers profound questions about the meaning of life, humanity’s complicated relationship with nature, and what it takes to appreciate the quiet beauty of existence.
The Tatami Galaxy Is Uniquely Relatable Despite Its Eccentric Style
The Tatami Galaxy sets itself apart from other anime at first glance with its sensational, surreal visuals and proves its uniqueness further with an equally idiosyncratic story. The series’ plot revolves around a nameless protagonist’s travels through different alternate realities, where he gets to explore various absurd directions his college experience could’ve taken, all while searching for the illusory “rose-colored campus life.”
Fast-paced, fantastical, and unexpectedly hilarious, The Tatami Galaxy, despite its avant-garde presentation, is a deeply personal, relatable story. Ultimately, it strives to express that rejecting the present in favor of grieving for unattainable “what-if” scenarios is pointless, as perfection in life is unreachable – moving forward is far more important than dwelling on missed opportunities.
Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju Is a Poignant Drama With a Unique Subject Matter
Josei is, arguably, anime and manga's most unfairly overlooked demographic; it doesn’t get enough love despite producing some of the medium’s most profound, emotionally rich, and thought-provoking stories. One such overlooked gem is 2016’s Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju – a tale told across generations of rakugo performers that intimately explores the complex bonds of its characters, as well as their relationships with history, legacy, and art.
Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju is a gorgeous character-driven drama that effortlessly entices even people without prior knowledge of or interest in rakugo. It features no typical anime tropes and, instead, develops its characters as real people with flaws, regrets, contradicting emotions, and a capacity for change and growth.
Haibane Renmei’s Eerie Beauty Is Enchanting
A gorgeous classic that was once the go-to choice for anime fans looking for something out of the ordinary, Haibane Renmei takes viewers on a somber, melancholic journey exploring grief, regret, and salvation. The titular heroines of the series, haibane, are beings with wings and halos who awaken in the mysterious town of Glie without any memories, spending their time trying to navigate a life without a past and with a very tentative future.
While mystifying, Haibane Renmei is not a conventional mystery anime set on answering all the viewers’ questions. Instead, it urges them to search for answers themselves, drinking in the series’ alluring yet eerie atmosphere and piecing together what it strives to convey.
Vinland Saga Takes Viewers to the Brutal Age of the Vikings
The most recently released show at the top of this century’s best non-shonen titles, Vinland Saga initially enticed viewers with its unique Viking Age setting and fittingly unflinching, visceral brutality. Initially, the series presents itself as a savage revenge quest set against the backdrop of warfare, political intrigue, and human cruelty.
However, what makes Vinland Saga one of the best anime of this generation is not the gore and ferocity, but its willingness to subvert expectations and prioritize thematic depth over surface-level excitement. Consequently, the second season – in which Thorfinn rejects the path of vengeance to embrace the ideals of pacifism and compassion – is where the show truly blossoms into a masterpiece.
Paranoia Agent Has Remained Relevant for Decades
Legendary director Satoshi Kon is most well-known for his feature-length masterpieces, such as Perfect Blue and Paprika. However, his filmography includes one TV anime series that's just as masterful as his peerless movies. The plot of Paranoia Agent is woven from different people’s encounters with the urban legend of Lil' Slugger – an enigmatic juvenile assailant wielding a bent golden bat.
The Lil' Slugger phenomenon, however, is used by the series to explore more all-encompassing neuroses of contemporary society – social alienation, escapistic desires, and mass hysteria. Unapologetically strange, mind-bending, and genuinely frightening, Paranoia Agent is an outstanding psychological thriller that hasn’t lost any of its relevance in the over 20 years since its premiere.
Steins;Gate Chronicles a Thrilling Battle Against the Rules of Time
Despite being an incredibly popular sci-fi theme, time travel is one of the trickiest futuristic ideas to execute without obvious plot holes. And yet, Steins;Gate’s time travel story is both exhilarating and surprisingly logically sound, which becomes even more impressive when fans realize it was adapted from a visual novel.
The story of Steins;Gate begins when a self-proclaimed mad scientist, Okabe, discovers that his makeshift lab’s newest invention can send text messages to the past. However, this method of hacking time soon sucks Okabe into a terrifying plot, where he must confront shadowy organizations and quite literally race against the clock in order to save his loved ones from certain doom – an unpredictable, thrilling adventure that keeps fans hooked from beginning to end.
Monster Is a Brilliant Slow-Burn Thriller Without a Single Low Point
A 2000s anime masterwork revered for its realism and superb philosophical depth, Monster begins with a renowned neurosurgeon, Dr. Kenzo Tenma, choosing to save a child’s life over that of an influential politician. Aside from reputational ramifications, Tenma’s noble decision backfires unexpectedly, as his patient, Johan Liebert, grows up into a ruthless serial killer – a monster of the doctor’s own making he vows to stop.
Monster is a peerless masterclass of tense psychological thriller storytelling that, despite progressing at a rather slow pace, doesn’t give viewers a single moment to relax. The slow-burn conflict between Johan and Tenma is depicted as a grounded character drama with palpable stakes and nuanced development of each person’s psychology – the kind of intricate, mature narration that attracts so many fans to the seinen demographic.
