If you asked your average anime fan to name their favorite supernatural anime fan, chances are high that they'd say something like Tokyo Ghoul, Demon Slayer, or Noragami. There's nothing wrong with loving popular anime - it's often popular for a reason - but sometimes you want to watch something that's a little bit different. Or maybe you don't care what other people are or aren't watching, but you've already watched all the shows you've heard of. That's where underrated supernatural anime comes in! Whether you want to see something dramatic like Blade of the Immortal, a slice of life like Flying Witch, or something avant-garde like Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, there's something for you to add to your watch-list.
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When Arata Miyako is assigned to the Shinjuku Ward Office of the Nocturnal Community Relations Division, he's not sure what to expect. He soon discovers that his job involves dealing with supernatural creatures that he thought were the subjects of myths - and more importantly, he's the only person who can actually communicate with them! His new role will prove to be a real challenge but with his colleagues by his side, he'll do the best he can.
Hanae Ashiya has a major problem: his health is rapidly deteriorating thanks to a strange fuzzy yokai that's attached itself to his body. When he calls an exorcist to help him, he gets what he needs, but he can't afford to pay the exorbitant fee that comes afterward. In order to work off his debt, he begins working under the irritable exorcist who helped him in the first place: Haruitsuki Abeno. This would be bad enough, but it turns out that Abeno is actually his classmate. Getting along is going to be a challenge to say the least.
When witch-in-training Makoto Kowata leaves home as part of her training, she stays with relatives in a rural community. There, she encounters everything from screaming mandrakes to fortune-telling dog people. If you're looking for an iyashikei series that's just as focused on witchy adventures as it is on the charms of everyday life in the country, you can't go wrong with this heartwarming and funny show.
For university student Tsukasa Taira, vampires were the subject of myth and rumor. But when one of her friends turns out to be one, the reality of the situation comes crashing into her life. Her friend is arrested by Yuuki Anzai, a human/vampire hybrid who handles vampiric crimes for the police department. Taira is shaken, but she's also enamoured with Yuuki, and he's just as drawn to her. But Yuuki's vampiric nature and his thirst for blood could make their burgeoning romance impossible.
Most people who do watch Mononoke think it's fantastic, so it's not underrated in that people don't realize how cool it is. But not enough people are actually sitting down and watching it. It follows the Medicine Seller, a mysterious man who travels across feudal Japan in search of spirits called Mononoke. These spirits can cause serious damage to the human realm, but they can only be defeated by those who take the time to understand their true nature. If this sounds like a rehash of Mushi-shi, it's not - Mononoke has a high-octane aesthetic that gives it a completely different vibe.
When Sora Kashiwagi's father sends him a package from his trip around the world, he's not sure what to expect, but he knows it's going to be weird. It turns out to be a tiny, adorable mummy who he names Mii-kun. Sora is nervous at first, but he quickly grows attached to Mii-kun. As he tries to figure out how to care for his new friend, he meets other people with strange companions, like Tazuki and Conny the miniature Oni.
Manji is an immortal swordsman who has slain 100 innocent men. Hoping to both redeem himself and finally bring his own life to a natural conclusion, he decides to eliminate 1000 evil men. If he does, the 800-year-old nun Yaobikuni who made him immortal will undo the curse. He ends up protecting a girl named Rin Asano whose parents were slaughtered while they look for the person who did the job. With their uneasy new bond set, the two begin their bloody journey.
Life in Hell isn't all torture and eternal damnation. Sure, that's part of it, but it's also a bureaucratic organization that takes a lot to work to keep running. Hozuki is one of the demons who gets the job done. He's King Enma's hardworking and irritable assistant, and if it weren't for him, Hell would descend into chaos. But even with him around, there's plenty of chaos going on. If you want a hilarious take on the Japanese version of the afterlife, watch this show.
When it first debuted in 2001, Hikaru no Go was a bit more well-known than it is today. You shouldn't let this one get lost in the sands of time though, because it's awesome. Hikaru Shindou has no interest in old-school games like Go, but when he discovers a possessed Go board in his attic, he ends up communicating with the ghost of Sai Fujiwara, a Go expert from the Heian period. Sai desperately wants to perfect a Go move that no one else has been able to pull off before, but the only way to do it is by using Hikaru's body. Though Sai has to basically drag Hikaru into it, little by little, he starts to experience to joys of the game for himself.
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo is a surreal, visually stunning take on the classic French novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. In the year 5053, French aristocrat Viscount Albert de Morcerf meets the Count of Monte Crisco at the festival of Carnival. At first, Albert finds the Count to be mysterious and charming, and he's excited to introduce him to French society. What the count wants isn't simply social advancement - he wants something far more complex and terrifying.
Tarou Komori has repressed most of his memories after a traumatic kidnapping, but now he's starting to have dreams that are bringing those memories back. What's more, they're illuminating some of the strange happenings in the town of Suiten. From spirits wandering the mountains to the priest's daughter getting strange visions, it's clear that something mysterious is going on.
In the ocean-side town of Sakurada, people are born with various supernatural abilities. Kei Asai's photographic memory makes him the only person who notices when Misora Haruki resets time by three days. The two combine their abilities to start helping others out with various problems, but they soon end up working for the Administration Bureau, a shadowy organization that wants to manipulate the people of the town for unknown purposes. The two of them are in over their heads, but they're also in the perfect position to figure out just what the Bureau is up to.
Ichiko Sakura has amazing luck. Beautiful, wealthy, and intelligent, she has just about everything a person could possibly want. The problem is that her good luck comes from absorbing other people's luck, leaving them with nothing but misfortune. That's where the goddess of poverty Momiji Binboda comes in. Her job is to redistribute some of that luck to the rest of the world - but Ichiko isn't going to give up her good fortune without a fight.
Fuujin Monogatari, also known as Windy Tales, is a slice of life series that uses the power to control the wind as a driving force. Nao is an 8th grader who loves taking pictures of clouds. One day while taking photos, she encounters a flying cat that's learned to control the wind. After nearly falling off the roof, she ends up landing safely, thanks to the wind. She and her friends soon discover that they can also learn wind control, and uncover the element's magical secrets.
Moyashimon is like Cells at Work crossed with Silver Spoon. It follows Tadayasu Sawaki, a student at an agricultural college with a unique ability: he can see microbes like bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Luckily for him, everyone else at his school has their own eccentricities and is accepting of his unique ability. It's also remarkably useful when it comes to things like growing crops and brewing sake. While this series doesn't take its supernatural elements as far as it could have, the comedy makes up for it.
