Summary
Anime has exploded in popularity over the last decade or so with new fans coming in all the time. It has also coincided with a time when there is more anime than ever being produced. This means that there are some anime gems that are left undiscovered except b y the most hardcore fans.
This is true ofevery anime genre, but the fantasy section deserves a deeper look. While fantasy shows likeAttack On Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist, Black Clover,and other popular fantasy anime take all the headlines and attention, there are some excellent examples of fantasy shows that haven’t even been heard of that also deserve some attention.
TheTalesseries is already a long-standing video game series with a large following who enjoy the JRPG series. What many might not have known was that it got an anime adaptation in 2016. Normally, video game series make terrible anime adaptations, butTales Of Zestiria The Xwas pretty good.
It follows Sorey, a man who had always lived with the seraphim and looked to create a world where humans and seraphim live in peace. Through circumstances, he finds himself in an adventure and must save the world. He also has companions, most notably Alisha,a human princesswho wants to save her people.
Mermaid Forestfeatures an immortal main protagonist, but rather than a heartwarming journey where an immortal meets several people and learns from them,Mermaid Forestdeals with some of the more unsavory aspects of nature.
Yuta isan immortalbecause he ate mermaid flesh, and he travels around looking to be turned human again. He meets Mana, a young girl who has also eaten mermaid flesh, and they go about looking for a way to return to normal. The show is from 2003, and while the animation might not hold up for everyone, it is a remarkable horror fantasy that few people know.
3Radiant
One Of The Most Underrated Shonen
Radiantis a 2019 show that is based on a French comic of the same name that followed Seth, a sorcerer who wants to find the elusive Nemesis liar known as Radiant and bring peace to the world. He meets new friends and ends up in a lot of fights while navigating the world around him.
Radiantgot off to aslow start, and it just never quite caught the attention of enough fans. It ran for two seasons and was pretty good, with some impressive animation from studio Lerche. Seth was a compelling character, and helped by Mellie and Doc, they make a great trio.
4The Beast Player Erin
The Art Style Hides The Depths Of This Show
Production I.G’sThe Beast Player Erinfollows Erin and her journey from orphaned child to important character within her world. The world ofErinis a lot deeper than it first appears, with a lot of political strategy and clandestine operations going on constantly.
Erin, the titular character, is a shining example of an admirable female lead in an anime. She lived with her mother, who was a caretaker of the Tohda (giant lizards used for war). Her mother eventually passed away, and and she would end up in the care of a man named John, under whom she continues to grow. The show is not shy to handle mature themes, but it is criminally underrated;The Beast Player Erindeserves more praise.
Ixion Saga DTis based on an online game (Ixion Saga), andlikeSword Art Online,it features a character who finds himself trapped in his favorite game. Kon is a regular teenager who is accompanying a princess and also trying to find a way back home since the game has now turned dangerous.
Ixion Saga DTdoesn’t take itself too seriously, and interestingly, it ties its story neatly together. It features several gags, including an unforgettable one about the crushing of an opponent’s testicles. The humor is crude, but never mean-spirited, and it’s a shame that not more people know about it.
Rokka fancies himself to be the strongest human in the world and has always dreamed of becoming a hero. He is selected to be among a team of six heroes called ‘Braves’ who are to bring an end to the Youma. When he reaches the designated meeting spot for the heroes, there are seven of them there, and chaos ensues as they attempt to figure out the impostor.
The story does a great job at combining a fantasy setting with a central mystery as to who is the fake hero, and the slew of characters featured have some nice variety to them, making for characters with some depth. The animation does fall flat from time to time, butRokka -Braves Of The Six Flowers-will keep its audience hooked from start to finish.
The Tower Of Druagais another anime based on a video game. This one is from a game fromway back in 1984, and the show makes every attempt to shower the audience with references. It follows Jil, who wants to climb the tower to suppress the demon forces and get hold of a mythical treasure.
The show has a rather odd first episode, and watchers are generally advised to push past the strange opening episode before making any decisions on what they think the show is. It’s a comedy with many serious elements that isn’t well known within the fantasy fandom.
Record Of Lodoss Waris perhaps one of the best known of the hidden fantasy anime gem stash. It is a classic show from the 90s that has all the expected tropes of a fantasy anime, including a group of heroes with different strengths looking to avert a disaster from befalling the land.
The show leans heavily into its fantasy setting and brings viewers into a dark world struggling for survival. All the heroes from Parn and Deedlit to Slayn, Ghim, and the rest are delightful and do not feel one note. The animation is great but aged, so it might not hold up for everyone.Record Of Lodoss Waris certainly one of those ‘essential’ fantasy anime shows that far too many have simply never heard of.
The Witch And The Beastcame out in 2024to a muted response, and few even knew it was a show from the winter lineup. The anime tells the story of a girl who was cursed by a witch and is on a quest to find said witch and undo the curse. She’s followed around by a mysterious man with a coffin on his back, which was sure to strike some intrigue, but the show really flew under the radar.
THe anime has a rich atmosphere and compelling characters, and it is not scared of showing off the gore. The story is fascinating, and the protagonist is a lot of fun to root for. The animation is perhaps where it was a let down, and coming from a relatively unknown studio like Yokohama Animation Laboratory, that might have contributed to its obscurity.
The world ofWolf’s Rainis dreary and is completely fitting for what it is about. Wolves are believed to have been extinct for 200 years, but as it turns out, this report of their demise has been greatly exaggerated, and the wolves simply took on human form to continue their lives.
The plot mainly follows four wolves who are on the hunt for paradise. The real star ofWolf’s Rainis the world itself, which is intricately crafted and brought to life by the incredible talents at Studio Bones. The world tells the audience its own story about what has happened, and as the audience follows these wolves searching for paradise, they become lost in an engrossing setting that tells of a bygone era.
