So you love horror movies and you never flinched? You must be new here. Salutations once more, and today on Dateline Movies, and even though Halloween is over, we'll be tackling the weirdest, the goriest, the most bizarre, and the most downright frightening Anime Series Japanese media has to offer. Since neither of us here watch Anime, and I am merely an enthusiast, we sought the assistance of one of my classmates from Caritas Don Bosco School, my good friend and anime extraordinaire, Von Castillejos.
Von: Hey guys!
Since I myself take Japanese Language classes and it seems about everyone in the world loves them, we found this as a great opportunity to take a break from the mainstream shows or films. Now let us honor the dark side of anime in its usually deceiving disguises. Man, we are seriously diverting from the "movies only rule".
Also, please be advised that the following post will be containing horror elements, blood and gore, and some creepy images. So read at your own risk!
Von: Hey guys!
Since I myself take Japanese Language classes and it seems about everyone in the world loves them, we found this as a great opportunity to take a break from the mainstream shows or films. Now let us honor the dark side of anime in its usually deceiving disguises. Man, we are seriously diverting from the "movies only rule".
Also, please be advised that the following post will be containing horror elements, blood and gore, and some creepy images. So read at your own risk!
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10. Beruseruku/Berserk
What do you get if you add the harsh violence of a Quentin Tarantino movie and the spine-tingling atmosphere of the original version of Oldboy, multiplied by both the wonder and shear amount of bloody, gruesome deaths of Game of Thrones? You get Berserk, a knights and witchcraft anime jacked-up on Lovecraftian lore.
Guts, one of the main character in the story, later gets embroiled in an ongoing war, and soon after go on an epic journey in pursuit of the ultimate power with a band of mercenaries. This sounds like a basic Lord of the Rings inspired show, but what makes the show so terrifying? There the no holds barred blood splashes, waves of hellish creatures that will most likely haunt you in your sleep, a really wicked and twisted traitor who broke the traditional power-hungry-good-guy stereotype, and a betrayal scene that is so much more heart-wrenching than the Red Wedding, we are not allowed to show.
Von: Berserk stays where it is, or probably it should be pushed about one or two spots more. Berserk is only in part of extreme blood and gore everywhere, and I mean everywhere, but it doesn't really peak interest due to the artwork of the anime. Talk about old, but I think it does require a two-spot boost in the list. But due to the tiring length, it stays in the same spot.
Guts, one of the main character in the story, later gets embroiled in an ongoing war, and soon after go on an epic journey in pursuit of the ultimate power with a band of mercenaries. This sounds like a basic Lord of the Rings inspired show, but what makes the show so terrifying? There the no holds barred blood splashes, waves of hellish creatures that will most likely haunt you in your sleep, a really wicked and twisted traitor who broke the traditional power-hungry-good-guy stereotype, and a betrayal scene that is so much more heart-wrenching than the Red Wedding, we are not allowed to show.
Von: Berserk stays where it is, or probably it should be pushed about one or two spots more. Berserk is only in part of extreme blood and gore everywhere, and I mean everywhere, but it doesn't really peak interest due to the artwork of the anime. Talk about old, but I think it does require a two-spot boost in the list. But due to the tiring length, it stays in the same spot.
9. Shiriaru Ekusuperimentsu Rein/Serial Experiments Lain
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Von: Serial Experiment Lain gets its spot for the amazing storyline and partial slice of life (anime genre which utilizes realism) which I can compare to the real world now. I can say that Wired for me is a way of saying our lives are more virtual that real. Although there aren't that much gore, what makes it up for me is the pure weird factor. By the way, I'm not even on the third episode, and yet I am loving it. It's just that I don't have time for it.
True to what Von here just said, Serial Experiment Lain acts more as a psychological thriller than the scary paranormal stuff anime has to offer usually. This is also a very effective thriller, as viewers step into the shoes of a Lain, a high-school student, who begins receiving eerie emails from a classmate who supposedly committed suicide. Scary eh? The art style and the other psychedelic images you will be seeing in this complex masterpiece will give everyone a really severe case of paranoia, and will most likely doubt your own existence. One scene in particular is the part when Lain encounters a room full of headless people. Nothing could get any creepier than that.
8. Deddoman Wandārando/Deadman Wonderland
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You think real life prison is bad enough? Think again. Enter Deadman Wonderland, a carnival-based incarceration camp wherein the worst of the bunch are forced to kill each other in scenarios that are three part-Saw films and one part-Hunger Games. While it does rely more on fatalities, similar to Berserk, you have to admit the story is quite excellent.
Here, Ganta has been falsely accused of massacring his classmates and is forced to join in death games, in one of the most over-the-top, blood spilling violent and insidiously calculated death traps. This series is more than just an excuse to show a lot of people dying, as Ganta soon realizes he can control his blood and turn them into weapons. Yes, you read that right.
Von: The story is really good but the bad translations really kills the moments.
7. Pettoshoppu Obu Horāzu/Pet Shop of Horrors
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I have a pet pigeon and even though my sister thinks that it's cute and cuddly, I'm quite afraid of it. This anime mini-series will remind you all of the time that you should always take good care of your pets, and also following important rules that could save your lives. Pet Shop of Horrors is filled with intrigue, mystery, oddity and above all terror.
An anthology horror series set in a seemingly average pet shop, as the title suggests, the stories focus on the protagonist and the weaver of the wicked tales, Count D, and his encounters with various visitors and customers. Each episode highlight the consequences of their actions when each owner of the pets from the store have disobeyed the rules provided by the Count himself.There have been some sub-plots that come and go that may get you confused as well, including a detective hot on Count D's trail of supernatural murders.
An anthology horror series set in a seemingly average pet shop, as the title suggests, the stories focus on the protagonist and the weaver of the wicked tales, Count D, and his encounters with various visitors and customers. Each episode highlight the consequences of their actions when each owner of the pets from the store have disobeyed the rules provided by the Count himself.There have been some sub-plots that come and go that may get you confused as well, including a detective hot on Count D's trail of supernatural murders.
Von: Pet Shop of Horrors gets its place for the gore of the anime although it is only 4 episodes, so seventh place only on our list.
Regardless of the length, Pet Shop of Horrors is a bizarre, fairly disturbing and a unique entry.
Regardless of the length, Pet Shop of Horrors is a bizarre, fairly disturbing and a unique entry.
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6. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni/Higurashi When They Cry
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Don't let the "kawaii" or as I learned, "kirei-na" art style fool your vision. While one cannot resist the color scheme and its shear appeal, leading to conclude that this is a family-friendly anime, this is nothing that kids would enjoy.
Von: When They Cry gets this spot for the pure gore and many ways of deaths in the anime. One example is a scene featuring a suicide by a few knife hits to the throat.
Adapted from the video game of the same name, the show follows the new residents of Hinamizawa, Keiichi Maebara and his band of friends as they get entangled in ritualistic murders occurring in the area. Imagine if an anime was mixed with The Crazies, then you would most likely get this, as there are so much sickeningly disgusting scenes, that we lost count. Let's see, we have a girl who pierces a blade through her head several times against a wall after being injected with a mind-altering drug and as someone laughs hysterically. There is a teenager who decided to hold all her friends in a school with a ticking time bomb, and a town full of psychotic serial-killing children. Have we covered all the darker corners of the show? We're not sure.
5. Blood-C
Von: Another points for gore and disturbing scenes, but because of the lack of blood in the first few episodes, I think it went off in a slow start.
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Von: Disturbing scenes, lots of betrayal and pure gore, what more could you ask for? One scene, in particular, was the scene when that huge dog ate everyone and even ripped someone in half from the waist up. I couldn't stop laughing after I saw that.
Er, okay? Seriously, what is it with teenagers being forced every single time to combat a supernatural, possibly omnipotent and dark forces? Blood-C is about yet another super cool and stylish female protagonist chosen to defend her village from monsters.
There's nothing much else to add here, and although this is not as popular as the movie Blood: The Last Vampire, Blood-C more than makes-up for its atmosphere, colorful animation and a lot of the color red.
4. Anazā/Another
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The anime that will give anyone the fear of schools. According to a fan, this is Final Destination in anime form, and that mostly summarizes the entire series. Others say it is extremely controversial for its violence and disturbing scenes which involve a lot of people dying in the craziest of possibilities.
There are deaths range from an umbrella piercing through an eyeball, to a throat blood fountain originating from a knife thrust. There are also glass shards hitting every body part, a headfirst elevator drop, and illness. Yeah, it is best to not watch this alone.
Von: Another points for gore and disturbing scenes, but because of the lack of blood in the first few episodes, I think it went off in a slow start.
3. Mirai Nikki/Future Diary
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More teenagers engaging in a free-for-all death match? This ought to be the most used cliche in the history of anime. However, instead of being in a contest of sadistic murder in a carnival prison or townspeople obsessed with cold-blooded acts, its a competition for cosmic power with cellphones?
Von: I enjoy Future Diary for the amazing story, the amount of gore, the love story, the sad ending and of course, the funny moments.
Yes, there are plenty of blood as promised. Yet against all the relentless violence that you will be seeing again and again, there is actually a lot of heart in this story, with the conclusion being incredibly bittersweet. Also, there is the lovable and, if not, super scary Yuno, who is now every desperate boys' "waifu", or imaginary wife in a sense.
2. Kōpuusu Pati/Corpse Party
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Von: Number two in our list is Corpse Party for the hellish atmosphere and the pure gore for an adaptation of a game.
Well it couldn't be more obvious than the title itself. Once again, we return to a school where everything is anything but normal. Like what Von said, Corpse Party is a video game adaptation, similar to Higurashi When They Cry, and is popular among horror fans everywhere for its superbly terrifying set pieces and it is truly something that will keep you up at night. What makes this far more horrifying than the rest of the shows in this list is because it literally has the guts to show-off graphic dissection and a number of organs enough to supply two hospitals.
A long time ago, Heavenly Host Elementary School experienced a tragedy in the form of Sachiko Shinozaki when she decided to massacre everyone on sight. As a result, the academy was shut down and condemned in favor a brand new school known as Kisaragi Academy. When students of the school decided to do the Sachiko Ever After ritual, because the best way to keep your friendship intact is to do a ceremony named after a killer. Now trapped in the haunted version of Heavenly Host, the group must work together to escape, but not before the ghost of Sachiko stalks their every move.
Also, there is more than one entry in the Corpse Party series. So you might want to catch-up if you can. This sure does look creepy, but there is something else that will truly leave a mark on your head.
1. Erufen Rīto/Elfen Lied
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Notable for its explicit nudity in the infamous breakout scene, Elfen Lied tops this countdown of anime shows not for the faint of heart.
Von: Elfen Lied is number one for me because of the kawaii moments of Lucy and simply the purest form of gore. Plus, it's about a world of a hellish deity's chosen offspring finding her way of life. Elfen Lied. Man, so much gore, and Lucy ... whatever she says sounds like a cat's meow.
Beneath its candy crisp animation, lies a heartfelt and really tragic story about a girl named Lucy, who has telekinetic powers and after being experimented on for far too long, decides to go on a murderous rampage and escape. Although there aren't jump scares like Corpse Party, the brutal detail seen in Lucy's action when slicing and dicing all the guards and using a beheaded body as a human shield was more than what you might expect from a typical anime.
For the not-so scary moments, the sweet and romantic tales are the ones to look out for. After a shot to the head, Lucy subconsciously forms another name known as Nyu, and what follows are truly heart-wrenching/warming adventures, but of course, there are plenty of surprising deaths including a girl being torn apart in a train while a boy watches. All in all, this is truly the best of the bunch.
For the not-so scary moments, the sweet and romantic tales are the ones to look out for. After a shot to the head, Lucy subconsciously forms another name known as Nyu, and what follows are truly heart-wrenching/warming adventures, but of course, there are plenty of surprising deaths including a girl being torn apart in a train while a boy watches. All in all, this is truly the best of the bunch.
Well that's a wrap for our creepy countdown. Thank you once again Von for lending your anime expertise in this post.
Von: Hehe. Anytime, bro!
For your information, this is Von Castillejos, one of my closest friends. You'll get to know more of him and the rest of my dearest companions as we move along in future posts. But before we go, let us leave you, dear readers, this little message of concern to the unfortunate happenings around the world.
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