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Anime "Original" Suggestions! (Patreon)

Published:
2024-05-05 17:00:06
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Content

Hey all,

I want to ask for recommendations for series that are "anime original" or "donghua original," meaning they aren't based off a manga and are "stand alone" series.

I.E. Cowboy Bebop or Psycho-Pass!

These will be suggestions for a future poll! I have some in mind, but I'm curious which ones you like that you think would be good to react to - genre does NOT matter!

NOTE: If based on light novels, I would likely not be reading the light novels with them, just reacting to the series themselves.

I look forward to your suggestions!

<3

RB

Comments

AnNaNN

K project

Eric

Steins;Gate

Cory

Re:Zero (it is based on a light novel)

Francesca White

Revolutionary Girl Utena is an anime ordinal, though a manga was also made that's different (it's similar to Evangelion in that way) ik it was already on the polls lol, Princess Tutu is another good one, Akiba Maid War

?

The Monogatari series might be a good choice. Originally based on a novel series, with a new installment of the anime adaptation recently announced, so it could be the perfect time to get into it as well. It has a very "hallucinogenic" style of story telling, but it is also very proudly an ecchi series. So you might not like it if that’s not your cup of tea. Still very much worth considering imo

Valdinia

someone suggested steins;gate which is based on a game and I'd LOVE to see you react to that. (In the dub is my preference, there are a lot of pop culture references and such and quick banter and I love how the dub localizes that.)

Valdinia

Code guess would be my first idea for something completely anime original

Valdinia

Baccano! and Durarara! would be based on light novels if that fits the definition well enough. I love both of them as well.

Destiney Marie

91 days. When I looked i looked it up it said it’s not an adaptation of a manga or light novel. Cause I definitely thought there was a light novel😂.

L Freya

Samurai Champloo Fun timing for this question, because every time I see that Cowboy Bebop poster in the background of the videos, I keep wondering if you've ever seen Samurai Champloo. After a re-watch of Cowboy Bebop a while back I was searching for what to watch next and I saw it recommended as a Hip-Hop/Samurai spiritual sequel to Cowboy Bebop, which sounds crazy, but it does have as many or more similarities as say Chainsaw has to Evangelion. Wiki says: "Director Shinichirō Watanabe began planning for the series in 1999, creating the characters and premise during his work on Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and The Animatrix, and began pre-production in 2002..."

Valdinia

Oh and Darker than Black is anime original, form what I can remember the first season was good!

Jordan G

Sirius the Jaeger! I believe it's a Netflix Original, Def could be wrong though.

Kirsten H

Would Odd Taxi count? It technically has a manga, but the volumes were released only right before the show aired as an adaptation of the show to create buzz for the anime, and most sources state it's an original animation. I leave that distinction to your discretion.

Valdinia

I guess I'll suggest it just in case; it's live action and your post seems to be asking for animated things - but Nirvana in Fire is my favourite drama of all time, and it's based on a novel.

Pinktea

Princess tutu

Pancake

A Place Further than the Universe is one of my favorite show ever and I can suggest it to everyone. It was praised by most people who watched it. A true masterpiece in my eyes. It is not as popular as other shows but I hope you keep it in mind someday 💕

Mathπ

Deca-Dence is an underrated gem, and by underrated I mean that almost NOBODY knows about it yet it's genuinely one of the best 12 episodes anime I've ever watched. Very high concept, very original, very well executed.

Kaku 💫

I have 4 recommendation ( 3 anime originale and 1 light novel based anime ): Gurren Lagann ( 27 episodes ) / Sonny boy ( 12 episodes ) / The Heike story ( 11 episodes ) / The apothecary diaries ( 24 episodes ) Gurren lagann ( 2007 ) an absolute classic 100 % ( of course there is a manga adaptation but it was made at the same time as the anime like a lot of original anime ) this one is pretty popular, made by studio Gainax same studio that did Evangelion ect. Sonny boy ( 2021 ) same as Gurren lagann its 100% anime original its made by studio Madhouse same studio that did Frieren ect. The Heike story ( 2021 ) such a beautiful anime both visually and storywise, its such a gem made by studio science saru. The apothecary diaries ( 2023 ) , based on a famous light novel, the s1 of the anime began at the same time as frieren and had a great success, season 2 announced to be for 2025, by studio OLM and TOHO animation. My first 2 recommendations are a wild ride, you'll need white-board-kun ( same for the 3rd and 4th one but its really chill compared to the first 2 ) I recommend also Baccano and Durarara two of my favorite light novel anime adaptation but you know them.

gosher

Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight

CeruleanApple

I was just about to suggest it. :)

Sarah

Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions!

Kelsey

Gundam Seed. The anime was released independently and then a manga was adapted afterwards

tinyTRUKK

Second to this ^^ odd taxi would be great

Frank Ace Art

Flip Flappers or The Rolling Girls are both a short 12 episode original series with some amazing and creative animation and plenty to dig deep and analyze

Eatchu

Odd Taxi, probably one of my favorite TV original recently. Zombie Land Saga, also a great one. Last but not least, Tsuki ga Kirei: As the Moon, So Beautiful.

matthew bremmer (edited)

Comment edits

2026-09-07 19:00 Flipp Flappers, A placce further than the universe
2024-05-05 18:20

Destiney Marie

The apothecary diaries is a really good one based on a light novel. It’s something right up your alley.

Andres Lozano

I recommend Odd Taxi and Deca-Dence. They both run 13ish episodes. Odd Taxi is an interesting show to watch with amazing dialpuge between characters. Deca-Dence is an action survivalish show that’s sadly underwatched.

Merfhew

Akudama Drive for sure. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the show and it's themes. It's one of my all-time favorites.

Cris

Code geass. Vivy-Flourite Eye's Song. 91 days.

Kathleen

Tiger & Bunny. It has two seasons and a movie set in between them. It's about super heroes being a commersialized reality show.

Merfhew

Tiger & Bunny is great, but I wish S2 had come out sooner. I feel like the series had a much bigger fanbase years ago. While I'm glad we got more eventually, if it happened sooner, maybe we could have seen a S3.

Merfhew

I'm really impressed by all the suggestions so far. It certainly feels like, no matter what show gets picked, Romania is in for a treat! I'll be excited to see how the future poll goes.

VinterSvart

wolfs rain (old timer, has wolves, i love it!) Wolf children (just a movie) Sirius the Jaeger

Russell Gambardella

Steins; Gate (sub), Ergo Proxy, and Darker Than Black (season 1, has a similar construction to Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo)

Sunspots

Some really excellent suggestions already here! I'll add: Michiko & Hatchin 🥰

romaniablack

Thank you for the comment and recommendation!

romaniablack

I've already seen Code Geass, so sadly I won't be reacting to it, but good to know it's anime original!

Strawberry

Just like many others, I recommend Code Geass (one of my favourite older anime) and 91 Days. Another Anime original I enjoyed is 'Zankyou no Terror', or 'Terror in Resonance' :)

romaniablack

Ahh, that's been on the polls for a while! Thank you for the recommendation!

Ralenis

Revolutionary Girl Utena! Although there is a manga & it was technically released first, the anime was conceived of & put into motion first, & the two series were produced concurrently. The manga was effectively proof of concept for the anime. The same happened with Evangelion, as far as I can tell.

romaniablack

I have NOT seen Samurai Champloo but I've heard it mentioned alongside Cowboy Bebop so that makes sense and is good to know! Thank you for the suggestion!

Luigi

idolish7! it’s based on a game & not a manga.

romaniablack

Oh cool! Thank you! I appreciate the suggestion!

romaniablack

Oh cool! Odd Taxi is definitely going to be on future polls, so that's good to know!

romaniablack

Thanks for the recommendation; I'm not planning to do any live action at the moment, but I appreciate it.

romaniablack

Oh awesome! Thank you for the recommendation!

Po-Tater

91 days is a great one. Megalo Box is another. I would highly recommend Odd Taxi and Baccano as well. Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song and Tiger & Bunny are some favorites too.

romaniablack

OH awesome! Adding to the list! I believe Trukk has recommended this as well! Thank you for the suggestion!

Bells

Kyousougiga (TV) is a short, self contained anime original. The manga is based on the anime and is not the source.

romaniablack

Thank you for the recommendation! I'm sure I'll have to ask my brother on that one! He's a huge Gundam fan!

Kelsey

It's a good one. The sequel to it, Gundam Seed Destiny, is my favourite personally but obviously you'd have to start with Gundam Seed lol

romaniablack

Oh nice!! Thank you for the recommendations!

Mildly Nuclear

Legend of the Galactic Heroes was based on a novel. Would it go here on this list of suggestions? I would definitely recommend the original series from the 80s, including watching the two movies first. It can seem a bit daunting, but it's DEFINITELY worth it. Of things that were already mentioned, Baccano (really recommend the dub for this one), Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Gankutsuou are all excellent and would love to see all of them.

romaniablack

It's definitely been a recommended one! Thank you for the recommendation!

romaniablack

I am seeing these recommendations! Thank you!!

Tameaw

91Days, Darker than Black and Lycoris Recoil

Pips

The apothecary diaries, and Terror in Resonance

romaniablack

I've already seen Code Geass, sadly, but I appreciate the other two suggestions! :D

romaniablack

Thank you for the recommendation! That is definitely on my list to get to!

romaniablack

SAME! I want to get into some anime original content and the recommendations are SO GOOD -- this has me very excited! :D Thank you!

romaniablack

Thank you for the recommendations! I've sadly already seen Code Geass, but I will note the others! :)

romaniablack

Awesome, thank you for recommending and spreading the information! :D

romaniablack

There shall come a day I see Idolish7! Thank you for the recommendation!

romaniablack

Megalo Box will definitely be on the sports anime poll at some point - but thank you for all the recommendations!

romaniablack

I DEFINITELY want to get to LOGH, but with it being so long, I want to get through a few of the longer series I'm doing so far, first -- but the other series you recommended definitely seem like they're making the short list! Thank you!

romaniablack

I would not have pegged you as a Gundam fan, but that is good to know! :D

Kelsey

It's one of the only shows I watched, in that time where I watched a bunch of anime really quickly and don't remember anything about, that I actually remember somewhat lmao and I had a DVD box set for them

romaniablack

Ahhh, that's really cool! My brother collects some Gundams so I will have to ask if any are from that series!

Rock

Steins in sub would be neat, or Apothecary Diaries

Nefarious Nox

i second Lycoris Recoil and Darker than Black

Julie

Samurai champloo would be great ! 26 episodes

Sense

Anohana. Worth noting this came out the same year as Madoka and Steins;Gate. 2011 was absolutely wild.

iHatePiano

"SHIROBAKO," the real world of anime production is right here.

Loken

CYBERPUNK EDGERUNNERS

Russell Gambardella

Was going to recommend Violet Evergarden too but saw you watched it and I balled my eyes out all over again rewatching haha

piano1674

Here's a hodgepodge list of some shows . Some of these I'm sure have been on prior polls. A Place Further than the Universe, Little Witch Academia, Paranoia Agent, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Mawaru Penguindrum, Serial Experiments Lain. Out of all of these, I think Paranoia Agent (Created by Satoshi Kon) and Utena and Penguindrum (created by Ikuhara) would probably be up your alley the most in regards to literary analysis, which seems to be your jam. Little Witch and A Place Further are really fun shows. And Lain is just weird, and I think you have a penchant and curiosity for weird stuff based on some of the things you've reacted to in the past XD

Cory

Oh no, she'd see where I got my Discord name lol. (ImpulseStrike00)

Cory

Potential spoiler. You should check out the remaster they did. 16:9 cutdown/removed recap episodes. and added new animations to some fights to make them cooler!

WuXian Suibian

Here are a few that cover a wide range of genres. Thise based on novels are marked as such Sirius the Jaeger, Escaflowne (Anime & Movie), Suisei no Gargantia, Housekishou Richard-shi no Nazo Kantei (Novel), Seirei no Moribito (Novel), B: The Beginning Sports Originals - Ryman's Club, Re-Main, Bakuten!! (Anime & Movie) Chinese Donghua - Jie Yao (Novel), Quanzhi Gaoshou (Web Novel), Tian Bao Fuyao Lu (Novel)

Anime Annie

Anime originals I'd recommend are: (asterisked recommendations are movies, should you be interested in any of them) Akudama Drive number24 Ryman's Club [has a single volume manga that was a spin-off created after the airing of the anime] *Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterunda/Anthem of the Heart [manga adaptation created after the creation of the movie] *Momo e no Tegami/A Letter to Momo [manga adaptation created after the creation of the movie] Anime based off of light novels/visual novels/games: Onimusha Kusuriya no Hitorigoto/The Apothecary Diaries is based on a light novel however it does also have two manga adaptations, at least one of which is still ongoing so I'm dubious about including it in my list as much as I would recommend the anime to you. Undead Murder Farce; this does have a manga adaptation but the official English translation only has three volumes currently out Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi/Campfire Cooking in Another World with my Absurd Skill is based on a light novel but does have a manga adaptation as well. IDOLiSH7 is based off of a game, however the first adaptation of it was apparently a manga, and then the anime came a couple of years later. I believe the anime though is completely based off of the game. [had to edit this a few times as I discovered some I thought were anime originals did actually have manga and/or light novel adaptations]

Death2boredom

Was going to be recommending this too haha

Lucy Richards

Samurai Flamenco and Tiger & Bunny are some of my favourite anime originals I can think off the top of my head. Both are 'Super hero' anime, but bring their own twist on the genre. They also both have canonically LGBT characters in them :D.

Death2boredom

One of the BEST dramas in anime for me-Gungrave In theme with watching Pluto as an alternative look to a legacy series- Casshern Sins Another alternative take on a legacy series with an AMAZING soundtrack- Gatchaman Crowds For some of the most early 00's edge-s.CRY.ed For a hidden gem of a space Sci-Fi- Blue Gender(the manga is an adaptation of the anime and the anime is the complete story) For some romance, drama, and angst-Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru A hidden gem for following a characters journey through life-Kemono no Souja Erin For an alternative look into a world with psychic powers- Shinsekai yori Just for something different-Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku For horror-Kemonozume To make the wheels in your brain turn-Higashi no Eden For dark comedy-Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita For music, fun, and cute girls- Hibike! Euphonium

Wong Viriya

Another vote for A Place Further than the Universe, for me

Ira

Dropping my favorite suggestion of Mawaru Penguindrum (it has a light novel published the same year as the anime and it has a manga adaptation but it came years after), Sarazanmai and Princess Tutu. There is many great suggestions already that I 100% support such as Durarara, Baccano, Steins; gate, 91 Days, Gankutsuou

Iggy

I recommend Durarara :D

Jan

I have to recommend Durarara and Steins gate as well, both great!

romaniablack

Wow, that is crazy! Thank you for the comment and suggestion!

Money Gambler

For anime original: Vivy or Place Further than the Universe, Cyberpunk all already recommended in the comments.

romaniablack

Oh! That's awesome! Thanks for the suggestions and info!

Plore

I used to campaign for three shows and you're watching two of them already, so now i have only one show to campaign for anymore, Zankyou no terror! (terror in resonance) otherwise i'd also reccomend Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress

romaniablack

That series is just HEARTBREAKING! I agree!

romaniablack

Huzzah! Thank you for the suggestions! Glad I'm watching some of your faves! :D

Gin

Fate/zero or Fate/stay night! Fate/zero is an anime original thats based on Fate/stay night and that is based on visual novels! Fate/zero is a prequel of Fate/stay night, but you could start with either bc there is no one agreed upon order to watch them! Another great one is Log Horizon! I love the story of that one soo much!

romaniablack

Yessss, I have had those recommended! I might start with smaller series for now until I get March or Natsume completed, so I can watch more series this year, but that one is on my short list eventually! :D Thank you for the suggestion!

Jan

Another light novel based anime is Monogatari series, which is a bunch of mostly short seasons and some movies but all together it's pretty long, also a great series

romaniablack

Thank you for the suggestion! I definitely want to have that one eventually in the polls! :D

DarDor

Not aware if you’ve seen it or not, but I’d suggest Angel Beats! It was an anime original, but had manga/visual novels made surrounding it afterwards. Also would suggest Durarara!, which is originally based off a light novel! :)

Dana

Mawaru Penguindrum, Gosick, Gankutsuou, and Princess Tutu are some of my absolute favorites!!

killerqueen2000

tiger and bunny is fun. still gotta watch s2

killerqueen2000

Gonna hammer in Paranoia agent again because it's a near masterpiece for me. other than that maybe Tatami Galaxy because it's one of the most unique experiences

romaniablack

Ahh, I've heard of Tatami Galaxy! Thank you for those recommendations! :D

Death2boredom

Whoa Samurai Flamenco is a name I haven't seen anyone else mention anywhere lol Such a gem from the "hero theme" days.

Liam Polzl

Heiki Monogatari is FANTASTIC. A very good historical anime based on the Tales of Genji, a very old story written and set in the Heian Period (~1000 AD). Its mostly a character drama, although there is a small amount of action in it. Its also not super long (Here is the preview trailer, its so good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OQpRQ8syqw )

Without A Net

Senki Zessho Symphogear. Or just Symphogear. It is the most Anime, anime out there. The main character is Aoi Yuki, who was also Madoka. The show is the reason Aoi Yuki is the singer she is today. Each of the seasons (except 4) were thought to be the final season. But the love of the fans, and support that the show received through merch sales, and concert tickets got them the funding they needed from investors to produce a second season. Then a third. Then finally the 4th and 5th seasons together. It has one of the most unique histories of production. One of the most unique premises of a show. And a crazy amount of ties to real world mythology. I've watched the show over a dozen times, and each time something new gets me.

Saku

Odd taxi :D The story has many mysteries and many things modern people can relate to. It's from neither a manga nor a novel, but it's completely an anime original. I think you'll enjoy it a lot!

Tarkus

I recommend lycoris recoil for a good action/thriller show. If you want something that’s more abstract/trippy and makes you think, Sonny Boy is a very unique show that I highly recommend

Nicolas

Anime original? Hmm, there’s a lot of great choices already mentioned.. I think they’re all great. Perhaps I can rec Gundam Seed like Kelsey has. I do actually have another original in mind but I think I’ll hold that one off haha. I think Gundam is cool.

Ailton

Princess Tutu, Paranoia Agent and Serial Experiments Lain.

romaniablack

Ah, Symphogear! I've heard of that one -- thank you for the recommendation! :) :)

romaniablack

Thank you so much for the recommendation! :D

romaniablack

Ahh, thank you for these recommendations! :D

romaniablack

My brother is a major Gundam fan and says you both are people of culture! :D Thank you for the suggestion!

romaniablack

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE SUGGESTIONS! :D I will have a poll to "narrow down" some options on Monday! You all are awesome! :D