10 beginner anime series that aren't mainstream choices

With anime's growing popularity, new anime watchers sometimes struggle to pick a beginner anime series. In the last two decades, anime has attracted a massive worldwide audience with its striking visuals, intriguing story-telling, and a wide variety of genres. Therefore, a proper list of beginner anime series is necessary to help new watchers.

While mainstream anime tends to take into consideration public opinions, and molds the story in a generic thematic structure, non-mainstream anime can surprise the audience with an unconventional approach to the storyline.

Underrated anime can attract new audiences due to their complex storyline with philosophical and theological elements. This is a list of 10 anime choices that are not mainstream and also potentially good choices for beginners.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion and is not ranked in any particular order.

Top 10 Best Beginner Anime Series That Aren't Mainstream

1) Erased (Boku Dake ga Inai Machi)

Erased is a beginner anime series fans can't miss (Image via A-1 Pictures)

Erased is a sci-fi thriller anime whose plot revolves around 29-year-old anime artist Satoru Fujinuma, who develops a mysterious power called "revival" within the first three minutes of the first episode.

Erased is a short anime series with only 12 episodes, but it has a thrilling plot of cat-and-mouse chasing of a serial killer named Yashiro. In the series, Satoru's power revival sends his future consciousness back into the past just before a life-threatening incident, which enables him to stop that incident from happening.

2) Psycho-Pass

Psycho-Pass (Image via Production I. G.)

Psycho-Pass could be a good choice as a beginner anime series for those who enjoy sci-fi or speculative fiction, like Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The anime is set in futuristic Japan in a seemingly Utopian society, where instead of humans, a biomechatronic computer system called "Sibyl" governs the citizens.

The plot follows Akane Tsunemori, an inspector in charge of Unit-1 of Enforcers. Throughout the plot, Akane and her team members, Kogami, Masaoka, Kagari, and Kunizuka, work for the "Sibyl system" to catch criminals. By the end of Psycho-Pass season 1, Akane finds out the truth behind "Sibyl" and the fallacy of a panoptic government.

3) Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits

Kakuriyo: Bread and Breakfast for Spirits (Image via Gonzo)

"Isekai anime" is one of the most popular anime categories, wherein the protagonist or other characters are transported to a different dimension. Among this bunch of mainstream isekai, Kakuriyo is an underrated option for beginner anime watchers to get the hang of the isekai style. The plot revolves around orphaned Aoi Tsubaki, who has the ability to see Ayakashis (supernatural entities).

After her grandfather's death, culinary expert Aoi is kidnapped and taken into the "hidden realm" to become the bride of the "Ogre God"— Odanna. Kakuriyo: Bread and Breakfast for Spirits is a slow-paced, soothing fantasy anime that delves into the complications of love, dreams, and responsibilities, qualifying it as a good choice for a beginner anime series.

4) Moriarty the Patriot (Yuukoku no Moriarty)

Moriarty the Patriot (Image via Production I. G.)

The name "Moriarty" in the title should be enough to attract any Sherlock Holmes fan to binge this anime. Moriarty the Patriot is an alternative narrative to the Sherlock series that focuses on James Moriarty and his motivations for becoming a criminal mastermind.

The anime offers a chilling plotline, with bouts between a gifted detective and a scheming criminal. It gets more interesting when it blurs the division between justice and crime while establishing Moriarty as an anarchist working for common people.

Moriarty the Patriot could be a top choice as a beginner anime series, as it can easily capture the audience with its alternative plot between Sherlock and his nemesis.

5) Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood

Joran can be a good choice for a new anime watcher who has watched The Man in the High Castle. The 2021 historical anime Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood is set in the 64th year of the Meiji era and provides an alternative perspective of what could have happened if Japan was still ruled under a despotic autocrat.

The plot is primarily based on Sawa Yukimura and her path of vengeance against the murderers who killed her family for "blue blood". However, her journey is entangled with political struggle, her role as a "Nue Executioner," and the truth behind her birth.

6) Toradora!

Toradora! is quite different from other slice-of-life romance anime and offers a fresh perspective to the audience. The plot is loosely based on exploring the relationship between two high school sophomores— Taiga Aisaka and Ryuuji Takasu.

Toradora! delves deep into the lives of multiple characters— Taiga, Ryuji, Kitamura, Minori, and Ami— and juxtaposes their struggles for love, family, friendship, and ambition. The anime offers a blend of humor and seriousness about teenage life, which makes it a good choice as a beginner anime series.

7) Nana

Nana is a beginner anime series good for serious fans (Image via Madhouse Production)

Nana is a unique slice-of-life drama anime that could attract anyone in their early twenties. It follows the lives of two young adult women, both named Nana, who accidentally meet on their train to Tokyo and later become flatmates.

The story is a first-person narrative from a far future told by Nana Komatsu, who reminisces about her early days in Tokyo with Nana Osaki and her band members, and the incidents that shaped their lives. Nana is a fascinating tale that delves deep into the characters' psychological development. The anime's realism makes it relatable to the audience, making it a great beginner anime series.

8) Megalobox

Megalobox is a fascinating choice as a beginner anime series if they are into speculative fiction and boxing. The anime is set in a dystopian world where people fight for legal citizenship.

The plot is based on the protagonist "Junk Dog" and his plight to get into "Megalonia" to take his revenge on Yuri. Megalobox has an intriguing plotline, with exciting fighting scenes and graphic visuals.

9) Baby Steps

Baby Steps by Hikaru Katsuki follows the life of Eiichiro Maruo, who is quite different from any other sports anime protagonist. Eiichiro, an honor student, turns to tennis as a way to relieve his boredom, but he becomes captivated by it.

What makes him appealing to the audience is that he has no distinguished physical ability but is not a dense knucklehead like other sports anime protagonists. During a match, he solely relies on his intelligence, deductive skills, and analysis of his opponents' habits and temperaments.

10) You and Me (Kimi to Boku)

You and Me is a great lighthearted beginner anime series (Image via J. C. Staff)

You and Me is a slow, humorous high-school drama about five teenagers who are not very close but hang around together— Shun Matsuoka, Kaname Tsukahara, the Asaba twins, and transfer student Chizuru Tachibana.

You and Me is a short anime series about typical adolescent students. It will make you reminisce about your student life and laugh. It is a great option for a beginner anime series to get accustomed to the stylistics of anime.

To conclude

Mainstream anime is much talked about and can unintentionally cause new watchers to come across massive spoilers, On the other hand, underrated anime, from Erased to Joran, Megalobox to You and Me, can give the new audience an unbiased experience because they have less information on social platforms.

This list's entries cover multiple genres (sci-fi, rom-com, drama, thriller, sports, and fantasy), helping it capture the essence of the anime world for the audience.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay