I absolutely adore the sunlight in Frieren and its medieval-inspired fantasy color palette, so I’m eager to experience something like that again. Are there any other anime with beautiful artwork that could move me? (Since I’m using DeepL, the English might sound unnatural…)
A lot of the plot takes place underground, but Dungeon Meshi certainly has that same medieval vibe. And the indoor setting is used to great effect for both cozy and claustrophopic moments.
It does feature some more colorful locations, because the magic of the Dungeon can make some levels feel like the surface.
Too much more than that would spoil some things.
See if you like the vibe of the first opening. It features several locations (with the charachters as giants in them).
I thought it would be a dark anime since it’s set in a dungeon. But after watching the opening, there were bright outdoor scenes too, so it was closer to what I imagined! Thanks!
At times it is. The story has both bright and dark parts, both visually and tonally.
It depends on the level they are on, and there is also a kind of B plot that happens above ground.
That really piqued my interest! I’ll check it out on Netflix.
If you like it, you can join us over on !dungeonmeshi@ani.social.
If you’re like me, you might enjoy reading the comment threads for each episode as you watch them. Each episode got a good bit of discussion when they aired.
I also posted a bunch of extras pages from the manga that didn’t get an equivalent in the anime. You can find these by searching “Monster Tidbits”.
Little Witch Academia immediately comes to mind when I hear the word colorful.
I never imagined so many people would recommend such amazing anime to me—thank you so much! I’m Japanese and not very good at English, so I’m using DeepL here. Please excuse any unnatural English that might result.
日本語は得意じゃないけど、ちょっと分かるから頑張ってみようと思います。
なるほど、DeepLでしたね。いまさっきRemedultさんの他のコメントを読んでいるうちに、これはAIかなと思っていました。
もう一つのアニメをすすめたいけど、「京騒戯画」と呼ばれています。どれよりも僕の気に入ったアニメなんで何回みても、色がめっちゃすぶらしい〜！と思えざるをえないんです。全くフリーレンと違っているけど、ほんの少しでもお気になったらぜひ見てください。
Your Japanese is amazing! I looked up 京騒戯画—it’s an anime with distinctive colors and artwork. Sounds interesting, I’ll give it a watch! おかしな英語でごめんなさい、僕のために日本語で教えてくれてありがとうございます！
Completely different Genre, but Dusk Maiden of Amnesia has beautiful artwork and a very moving story
The lighting is great, of course, but the way the shadows are drawn is what really makes this piece stand out. The shading is unique and really cool. Thanks!
Many good recommendations here already.
I can also list some that have some good scenes:
- appocalypse hotel specifically episode 11
- most Makoto Shinkai works are very pretty i.e. Suzume no Tojimari
- people have already called out Kyoto Animation studios and they consistently deliver some of the most visually captivating shows
- I’ll also call out Soushimin series it’s more understated than Hyouka and Frieren but something about it is always pleasant. The aspect ratio contributes a lot.
- Chainsaw man, Reze movie specifically. The fireworks. The pool. The explosions. Much more cinematic than Frieren’s fantasy pallette but the color work is perfection.
You’re a genius! I just watched the preview for Episode 11 of Apocalypse Hotel, and this is exactly my thing! It’s not really related to the whole “light” discussion anymore, but I absolutely love that slightly chic, decayed city vibe—like in Tarkov or NieR: Automata. But there just aren’t many beautiful works set in places like that, you know? That’s what I’d been thinking! And about the light—man, it’s perfect. The scene where the sun is tilted in the evening sky, casting warm autumn-like light on the brownish trees, and the scene where someone is looking up at moonlight filtering through the branches—both are absolutely amazing! Some other people have mentioned syoushimin too, and I thought that sounded good as well. Hyouka looks promising too. I saw some images for Chainsaw Man, and it looks beautiful! It’s super popular in Japan too, so I knew the name but hadn’t watched it. I wonder if I could enjoy it even if I just watched the movie first? Either way, I think the Apocalypse Hotel is the best! Thanks!
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Kimi No Na Wa
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Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso
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Mahoutsukai No Yome
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Sora Yori Mo Tooi Basho
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Tanaka-kun Wa Itsumo Kedaruge
Igirisu kara konnichiwa!
Thanks for taking the trouble to introduce five of them in Japanese! The lighting effects in Mahoutsukai No Yome (The Ancient Magus’ Bride) are hard to put into words, but they’re close to what I imagined and really great. Also, personally, I was really drawn to the atmosphere of Tanaka-kun Wa Itsumo Kedaruge (Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless). I’ll definitely watch it! ありがとうございます！（Arigatou gozaimasu!）
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Grimgar of fantasy and ash
I really wish another season will be made, such a refreshing and mature take on isekai.
Thank you. This looks like a watercolor painting, and the light is beautiful too!
On the “western animation” side, I can recommend DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, and the Critical Role anime (Vox Machina, and possibly Mighty Nein, though I haven’t seen the later).
As a Japanese person, I hadn’t really come across this work before, but looking into it, scenes like the Dota forest are incredibly beautiful. Thank you!
Ahh! Yeah, there’s some great-looking ‘western’ animation now.
Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra is the Dota animators’ claim to fame, with the same style of painted backgrounds:
Oh! I’ve seen this on Netflix thumbnails! Judging by the screenshots, it looks pretty good (especially that second photo is amazing!).
Watch out for Made In Abyss. It starts off really cheery and gets super fuckin dark. I couldn’t make it past the first season.
Ah, I figured. I’ve heard about it a lot since it’s famous in Japan too, but I hesitated because I thought it might be scary if it was a grotesque story. But I guess I’m still curious.
to say it’s absolutely amazing! And I’d totally written off Abyss as just another dark anime set in the depths—turns out I was wrong. As for Miyazaki’s work, I’ve seen plenty of Ghibli films, so I get it—his handling of light is incredible, like I felt watching Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. I didn’t know he made anime too, but I’ll check them out. Thanks!
Future Boy Conan is from my favorite era of Miyazaki’s work. You’ll see ideas that he would later use in Lupin III: Cagliostro’s Castle and Nausicaa
Wandering Witch
Bocchi the WitchSilent Witch (but go ahead, try Bocchi the Rock too)Once Upon a Witch’s Death
Akebi’s Sailor Uniform
The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
Tsurune S2
Vinland Saga
Violet Evergarden
Black Clover
To Your Eternity
Kino no Tabi
Thank you so much for showing me all of these! Each piece is close to what I imagined, but the top three are especially beautiful! Thank you so, so much!
Ruri Rocks.
Ruri Rocks… rocks.
Second Ruri Rocks, it’s amazing. Also you’ll learn a bunch!
Houseki no Kuni. It’s the best 3D I’ve seen in an anime and each character is colourful and light is done super well too, give it a chance and watch one episode!
What a vivid and beautiful anime world! I’ve heard the story gets a bit heavy, so I’m hesitant, but I think I’ll give it a try! Thanks!
It does get sad, but you did ask for anime that could move you haha
Also, the anime never got a S2 and S1 is only a small part of the story, just a headsup. Looks amazing tho, just watch the OP, its one of the GOATs.
Even if it’s a sad story, my inner self says this stylish design is worth checking out lol. Thanks!
Hell yeah, let me know what you think!
I read the comic, where does the anime end in relation to the comic? 12 chapters for a 100+ story seems short.
I only read the manga but the anime covers just a tiny bit of the story, then the studio moved on to make Beastar which was a huge success so no S2
Violet Evergarden.
It is absolutely lovely both in terms of animation and story.
After looking into it, I found out the theme is love and emotions, which made me even more interested!
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2632044/
The depiction of the harbor feels incredibly refined. The vast sea and blue sky are beautifully rendered—truly wonderful. Thank you for sharing this!
I really enjoyed Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.
It’s similar in emotional tone to Frieren; there is a long-lived person who is remembering those she lost while finding small joys in the present.
I’ve only read the manga but the stills I’ve seen of the anime do match my expectations.
Judging by the vibe of the scooters and such, it’s got a retro and stylish feel! I hadn’t considered older works, but it seems like there are still plenty of great ones out there. Thanks!
