7 Near-Perfect 2010s Anime Series No One Remembers

The 2010s were a fantastic time for anime, as it became more popular around the world than ever before. This meant both classic and new shows gained a lot of attention and were widely discussed online. Fans weren’t restricted to what was shown on TV anymore; thanks to growing DVD sales and the rise of streaming, anime was moving from a specialized interest to a mainstream form of entertainment.

Most anime fans remember hugely popular shows like Sword Art Online, Hunter x Hunter, and Attack on Titan that were everywhere in the 2010s and are still loved today. But with so many big hits, some excellent, but less well-known, series didn’t get the attention they deserved. These 2010s anime are truly exceptional and worth revisiting.

Bakuman Comes From the Creative Minds Behind Death Note

Given that Bakuman was created by the same team behind the popular Death Note, it’s a bit surprising the series doesn’t have a larger following. Writer Tsugumi Ohba and artist Takeshi Obata appear to have drawn on their own experiences as a manga-creating pair when developing Bakuman’s characters: Moritaka Mashiro, an aspiring artist, and Akito Takagi, a writer.

Bakuman follows two friends who team up to create a manga together. They face challenges from demanding editors at Weekly Shonen Jump and even push themselves to the point of exhaustion. With a cast including voice actors and other manga creators, the story offers a fascinating look behind the scenes of the manga industry, making it a great choice for anyone curious about how manga is made.

Yurikuma Arashi Somehow Mixes GL, Sci-Fi and Bears

Yurikuma Arashi has a wildly strange idea – it should have been a massive internet sensation in the 2010s, but somehow, almost no one talked about it. The anime takes place in a world where a meteor shower turned all the bears into aggressive, dangerous creatures, forcing humans to build a wall to protect themselves. Despite this, two bears, Ginko Yurishiro and Lulu Yurigasaki, mysteriously transform into girls and enroll in a local high school.

I recently discovered this amazing anime, and I’m completely hooked! It starts with two bear girls becoming fascinated by a human girl named Kureha Tsubaki, who, understandably, really doesn’t like bears – her mom and the guy she liked were both tragically killed by one. From there, things get wonderfully weird and funny! It’s basically a story about adorable girls living their lives, except… they also transform into bears! And get this – it’s directed by the same person who brought us classics like Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena, so it’s definitely one of the most original anime series I’ve seen from the 2010s.

Run with the Wind Should’ve Been One of the Biggest Sports Anime

The 2010s saw a surge in popular sports anime, including hits like Haikyu!!, Free!, and Yuri On Ice!!!. While these shows gained a lot of attention, Run with the Wind, a series focused on running, didn’t receive quite the same level of recognition. It’s possible people thought running wasn’t an exciting enough premise for an anime, but the strength of Run with the Wind truly lies in its memorable characters.

I’m totally obsessed with Run with the Wind! It’s about Kakeru, this incredibly talented runner who’s kind of lost his passion, and Haiji, who’s this amazing guy with a dream of getting a team to run a marathon. They team up with a bunch of their college buddies – and let me tell you, these guys are not runners! The animation is a little rough around the edges, which actually makes it even funnier, but watching this ragtag group of students pick up running for the first time is just so inspiring and hilarious. It’s a really special show!

Fans of Macabre Mysteries Will Love Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigation

Many people enjoy eccentric detectives, but Sakurako Kujo from Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigation hasn’t become as popular as characters like L from Death Note or Conan Edogawa from Case Closed. Sakurako has a peculiar obsession with bones – she prefers them to living people! Despite being a brilliant and beautiful woman who is even engaged, she’d rather spend her time alone, surrounded by her collection of animal bones in her office.

Sakurako, a forensic scientist, teams up with high school student Shotaro to investigate mysteries, which frequently involve corpses. She’s thrilled to examine the remains, hoping to add to her extensive bone collection, but Shotaro often has to prevent her from taking them home. Beautiful Bones balances dark subject matter with humor and thoughtful reflections on life and death.

After the Rain Subverts Typical Age-Gap Romances in Anime

Someone reading just the summary of After the Rain might have been surprised to learn it’s a love story with a significant age difference. The story centers on Akira Tachibana, a high school student who develops feelings for Masami Kondo, her 45-year-old manager, after he shows her kindness. Akira struggles with whether to tell him how she feels, and fans…

The heart of After the Rain is about finding lost passions. Akira rediscovers her love for running after being sidelined by an injury, while Masami starts writing again with an old friend. Importantly, the anime doesn’t focus on a romantic relationship between them; instead, it beautifully shows Akira and Masami supporting each other’s emotional healing.

Humanity Has Declined Sounds Bleak, But is Actually a Comedy

Though Humanity Has Declined takes place after a global catastrophe, its bright, colorful animation doesn’t feel bleak or depressing. The story is set in a future where the human population is dwindling and magical fairies have taken over the Earth. The main character, referred to as Watashi or Ms. Sweets, tries to bridge the gap between these fairies and the few humans left, but things aren’t always as charming as they appear.

The world of Humanity Has Declined is a strange and fantastical place where fairies appear cheerful but are actually quite troublesome and don’t care much about people’s well-being. Ms. Sweets seems nice and considerate at first, but she has a gloomy outlook on life, which makes her jokes dry and sarcastic. The series is a clever satire of society, offering surprisingly insightful and thought-provoking commentary.

91 Days is an Overlooked Mafia Drama

Popular gangster anime like Banana Fish, Bungou Stray Dogs, and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind gained prominence in the 2010s. This particular series tackles the mafia world directly, focusing on Italian families in the United States during Prohibition. The story revolves around assassinations, smuggling, and the constant betrayals within these families.

91 Days is a revenge story centered on Angelo Lagusa, who seeks to avenge the brutal murder of his family by killing the head of the Vanetti crime family. He cleverly gains the trust of the Don’s son, Nero, allowing him to infiltrate the organization and carry out his plan from the inside. Filled with violence and the criminal underworld of the Prohibition era, 91 Days feels more like a classic Shakespearean tragedy than a typical anime.

2026-04-22 06:11