My Favorite Horror Anime

Welcome to day 9! I did a 30-day anime challenge last year and had a blast with it. It would be fun to do it again this year. Let’s see if my tastes have changed at all in a year.

Here is day 9 in case you missed it.

The purpose of these challenges is to post a picture, but I, being the extra person I am, will write a blog about each topic.

This differs from what I am used to blogging, which excites me to test my creativity and go back to find the answers to these writing prompts.

Feel free to join me in the comments below! I’d love to hear your answers too!!

Day 10 Favorite Horror Anime

I watch an unhealthy amount of horror anime. I watched more horror this past year than any other genre, so of course I have been looking forward to writing about this day. Here is the reason I picked these anime.

1. The difference between horror and thriller. There are some great anime that I almost put on this list, however, I would consider them to be more of a thriller than horror. Both horror and thriller genres create suspense and tension, but they achieve this through different storytelling techniques and emotional triggers. Horror aims to evoke fear and dread, while thrillers focus on building anticipation and excitement. The key distinction lies in their psychological impact. Horror taps into our primal fears and survival instincts, often featuring supernatural elements or graphic violence. Thrillers engage our minds through complex plots and realistic scenarios that could happen to anyone.

2. Creativity over gore. Some anime rely too much on gore to be scary and you lose the storyline or they don’t even have a good storyline. There is gore in these anime, and also a great storyline.

3. Animation style. This could follow the same as gore. Some anime look scary and rely too heavily on the animation to be scary. You know it's true horror when they can have a cute animation style and still make your stomach turn.

Let’s get into my favorite horror anime!

Death Parade

This is one of the most underrated anime of all time!! Each episode will leave you with chills going down your spine. Ever thought about what happens when you die? This show will put a crazy spin on the afterlife and what our human nature is when put to the test.

Every time I thought I had a character figured out they would spin it around last minute. In my opinion, this isn’t a typical horror anime which is why I wanted to add it to this week. It is more psychological and will play mind games with you. There is some gore so be prepared for that. I find human nature put under pressure fascinating, Which is why I enjoy the Saw movies so much. We never really know our turn character until put under extreme pressure. The thrill of the show will make your heart pound and your stomach turn inside out.

I cannot believe this show hasn’t blown up. I have rewatched it multiple times and wished it would get a season two. I am not sure I can explain it well, there is something about the abstractness of this anime. It seems to me to be an exploration of human emotion, how it is formed, and how it shapes us as people. It looks at how beings with no emotions perceive us, and how bringing these together would influence each. If you were only to watch one anime from this week, I hope it would be this one.

Dark Gathering

There have only been 2 anime in which I had to take breaks between episodes because of how disturbing they got. This is one of them. The cute animation is a cruel joke, I was completely caught off guard by the graphic and disturbing content. For this anime to only be 25 episodes so far they jam back it with horrific stories.

Funny enough this anime reminds me a lot of Pokemon. They hunt down and capture ghosts to fight other ghosts. As well as the animation and bright colors, it made me want to watch Pokemon. It also reminded me of Demon Slayer, They aren’t just demands, they are demons with a sad backstory. Same thing here, They aren’t just ghosts they are ghosts with a sad backstory.

This anime caught me off guard. I knew I was going to be watching an anime about ghost stories but I had no idea of what was about it come. I don’t believe in ghosts and paranormal stories have never scared me. The backstories and curses of these ghosts are disturbing. I am going to put another warning here, They cover topics with suicide, Serial killers, sexual assault, cannibalism, child abuse, and more. With that being said this was an amazing anime. I was sucked into the storyline, and characters. I hope they come out with season 2 sooner rather than later.

Angels of Death

This is easily one of my favorite horror anime of all time and was the first one I thought of when creating this list. This show reminds me a lot of the Saw movies. They throw you into a story where you don’t know anything about the characters or how they got there but they need to escape fast. As they clear the levels of the building you discover more about each of the characters. The depth of each of the characters is amazing, The plot twists along the way will keep you on your toes every episode, and the ending gave me the chills. This might have had the best conclusion to a horror anime that I have ever seen.

Although this isn’t an extremely graphic show, The content covered in this anime talks a lot about murder and suicide. If those topics are triggering for you this is your warning.

The Future Diary (Mirai Nikki)

This might be one of the craziest stories ever written. I was completely hooked on episode 1. High levels of thrill and plot twists will make your head spin. It is very gory and has some very graphic and disturbing content including sexual assault and abuse, If you cannot handle these topics this show might not be for you. But if you need a thrilling, heart-racing, mind-exploding anime this is for you. You have to watch the OVA episode right after you finish or you will be left with a sour taste in your mouth. I watched this show a while ago and recently rewatched it and can confirm I didn’t see what was coming even though I had already seen it. Let me know if your jaw was on the floor the last 5 episodes.

Deadman Wonderland

If you like squid games you will love Deadman Wonderland. This is just like squid games expect in prison. Inmates are forced to play games to win money to pay for food and comforts while in prison. The games get more intense and we find out some inmates have the power to control their blood. The games are wild and creative, and then the fights between inmates with abilities are insane to watch. This is a VERY gory anime but so binge-worthy. I am currently reading the manga, Which might ruin the show for me, but we shall see once I’m done.

Wonder Egg Priority

Like dark gathering, I was completely caught off guard when I started Wonder Egg Priority. I knew it was going to be scary, however the deep storyline and graphic scenes made my stomach turn. This anime is not for the weak of the heart. This anime deals with suicide, abuse, and so much more in a creative way. For only 12 episodes it will change your few points on life.

I have written more about horror anime than any other genre, so breaking it down to my favorites was a challenge. I did have a lot of fun creating this list.

What is your favorite horror anime?

Thanks for reading!!

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Bye for now!