Top 5 Dark and Weird Retro Anime to Watch

Can’t decide which anime to watch next? How about some dark and melancholic classics to cheer you up this month?

All of these titles were chosen because of their visual aspects, as well as the powerful messages that they carry. Some are more disturbing than others, so a word of warning if you are sensitive to violence.

5. Witch Hunter Robin

Witch Hunter Robin is an occult detective series from 2002, revolving around a secret fictional organization called the SOLOMON. The witch hunters of this Roman Catholic agency track down witches, who are portrayed as evil and aggressive, and often violent towards innocent people throughout the whole series.

The main character of the series is Robin, a young witch hunter, who lives a solitary life and seems to have a mysterious past. At first the series appears to be just one of your regular Saturday night thrillers, but quite soon other elements start revealing themselves. Robin starts to question the witch hunt and her own part in it. A secret is about to unravel...

The best part of Witch Hunter Robin is the beautiful melancholy, and the unfulfilled love story between Robin and Amon, another SOLOMON employee.

Watch the trailer here:

4. Galaxy Express 999

This existential anime movie is based on Leiji Matsumoto’s award winning manga with the same title. Matsumoto’s weird imagination inspired several TV series and films on the subject, of which the anime from 1979 is being recommended here. And the best part? If you get hooked on this one, there’s a lot of content for you to consume on the topic.

So here’s the idea: a steam train is running through the stars, and picks up a boy called Tetsuo, on its way to its unrevealed destination. Along the way, Tetsuo (who wants to become a mecha), and his companion Maetel, encounter many alien species and curious things, which on the surface might seem unrelated to each other. But there is something bigger in play here. Delightfully odd, this anime will keep you busy for a long time.

3. Elfen Lied

Seriously violent and nostalgic, Elfen Lied might be too disturbing for some – just do not watch it when you are in a depressed mood already! If you manage to get over the violence, which is portrayed throughout the whole series, the ending will definitely touch you, and raise some questions.

Powerful, beautiful, and original – You will never forget this anime:

2. Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal

One of the most inexhaustible anime topics over the years has been Rurouni Kenshin. The mini series Samurai X from 1999 is among best titles revolving around this topic. It focuses on how Hitokiri Battōsai became Rurouni Kenshin and swore never to kill again. Breath taking fighting scenes and a touching love story - What more can you wish for?

Watch the beautiful trailer here:

1. Tenshi no Tamago (Angel’s Egg)

The 1985 masterpiece Tenshi no Tamago is a collaboration between the Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii and the famous artist Yoshitaka Amano. Beautiful, serene, and deeply moving, this movie will stay with you forever.

The movie, which features very little spoken dialogue, is an artistic story related to the tale of Noah’s Ark. Mythical and existential, it moves carefully and slowly towards an impressive climax and a magnificent plot twist in the end. You may think that nothing happens in the film but after watching it through, you might very well change your mind.

Here’s a little teaser:

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