History NeedsMoreLove / AnimeAndManga

* ''Manhwa/CielTheLastAutumnStory'' is a Korean manhwa that takes place in a fantasy world similar to 18th/19th century Europe. The main character is Yvienne Magnolia, a 15 year old girl who was accepted into a government run school for witches and sorcerers. Though I say 'main character', she shares her screentime pretty equally with three others she befriends- [[TheOjou Lariatte Kingdiamond]], [[TheWisePrince January Lightsphere]], and Daughter. It's a clever, engaging series that enjoys poking fun at and deconstructing the various cliches involved with the romance genre, and the growing relationships between the four main characters are entertaining and heartwarming. And if it sounds a little too lighthearted for you, in volume 14 CerebusSyndrome sets in and all the darker elements that have been brimming under the surface regarding the characters and their world in general finally start to come to the forefront.

* ''Manhwa/{{Laon}}'' is a {{manhwa}} about a Gumiho (Korean version of the AsianFoxSpirit) who is sent to earth as punishment and has to seek out its missing tails. In the process lots of people die, demons attempt to invade our world, and a poor young man who lost his true love long ago and yet can't remember how or why gets mixed up in the meddling. The page only has tropes and description up to about the third volume at best, and since all six have been localized in a number of countries by now it definitely deserves more attention than it's been getting, if only because it's pretty informative about certain Korean myths.

* ''Manga/{{Beck}}'' is an excellent story that just didn't get enough love in the West. It's a coming-of-age story about a high school boy who ends up joining an indy rock band just starting up and trying to make it big. Throughout the story we see the band grow as a group and as individuals, as well as a harsh look at the seedy side of the music business. Nearly a third of the original's dialogue was in English due to the large number of American characters. Unfortunately, Creator/{{Tokyopop}} only put out about a third of the series in English before [[ScrewedByTheLawyers losing the license]]. It got a 26-episode anime that was also quite good… but it got ScrewedByTheLawyers stateside due to the main character singing a [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles]] song at the series' climax – despite Creator/{{Funimation}} creating a pretty decent substitute in their fantastic English dub, purists still boycotted it.

* ''Anime/ShinguSecretOfTheStellarWars''. It's like ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny before]] ''Azumanga Daioh'' ever existed. It also has aliens and a HumongousMecha. But everyone was expecting loads of HumongousMecha/alien fights instead of SliceOfLife which is why you've never heard of the show. Though the [=DVDs=] are fairly cheap now and it has an English dub.

* ''Manga/{{Claudine}}'' is a manga by Creator/RiyokoIkeda about a young trans man who tries to find a good life while feeling conflicted over his female body. This manga is awesome, simply for its respectful portrayal of transsexuality and the sympathetic lead character. It's a bit melodramatic with some love triangles and strange twists. You'll be very surprised at this gem of a manga!

* ''Manga/HareGuu''. A funny, weird (and I [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs mean]] [[MindScrew weird]]) and cute little comedy anime that sadly is a bit obscure, despite it ''and'' the first of its two OVA sequels getting dubbed into English.

* ''Manga//MagusOfTheLibrary'', an ongoing seinen manga by Mitsu Izumi. It has intricate worldbuilding, beautiful artwork, and a story about the power of books and knowledge, starring a cast of [[BadassBookworm badass bookworms]].

* ''Manga/TheFiveStarStories'' is an epic, and I mean ''epic'', manga. It's weird and wonderful, with [[RobotGirl artificial humans]] and [[RealRobot giant robots]] and [[DudeLooksLikeALady traps]]. So far, only the first 10 volumes have been released in English, and scanlation efforts are sparse for the last two volumes. But for those who don't want their RealRobot stories to be angsting about war while killing people left and right, it's a welcome breath of fresh air.

* ''Anime/HareGuu''. A funny, weird (and I [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs mean]] [[MindScrew weird]]) and cute little comedy anime that sadly is a bit obscure, despite it ''and'' the first of its two OVA sequels getting dubbed into English.

* As it says on the page ''Literature/ScrappedPrincess'' is an absolutely fantastic show... and yet no one ever talks about it. Perhaps the title has something to do with it. It's pretty much Creator/StudioBones' forgotten masterpiece, airing between ''Anime/WolfsRain'' and ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' in 2003. With an absolutely ''epic'' storyline combining fantasy and science fiction, interesting characters, strong production values, and an excellent dub including the likes of Creator/KariWahlgren, Creator/MichelleRuff, Creator/YuriLowenthal, and ''Creator/CrispinFreeman'', this truly is one of the better shows you're probably not watching.

* ''LightNovel/GroundControlToPsychoelectricGirl'': Given that the anime only covered 3 out of 8 volumes with literally no questions answered, there really needs to be a second season in the future. The fact that the last episode that ties everything in the anime was not aired, and was left only as a BD bonus, doesn't help at all.

* ''LightNovel/{{Kieli}}'' is terribly obscure. It started as a light novel and was adapted into a wonderful manga. Definitely worth reading.

* ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh'' is extremely well written and detail, with huge amounts of thought going in to every tiny aspect of the plot and the world it is set in, Additionally, all of the characters are amazing, and it's got a perfect balance of humor and seriousness. This is another series that had a great English dub that will never get finished, and that just generally doesn't have nearly as large a fanbase as a show of this caliber deserves.

* ''LightNovel/TheLegendOfTheLegendaryHeroes'' was betrayed by its redundant name and NonIndicativeFirstEpisode. Initial problems with the sub didn't help either. Despite the popularity of the original {{Light novel}}s, the anime is practically unknown.

* ''Manga/StealthSymphony'' is an epic/urban Fantasy written by ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'''s writer Narita Ryougo, which has an awesome cast, artwork and a storyline that is much more complex than it initially offers. Unfortunately, it had a low ranking, and the magazine it was published in decided to stop it in favour of more popular mangas, forcing it to end in a rather abrupt and hurried manner.

* ''Kidou Senshi Gundam-san'', from the author of ''Manga/TheLegendOfKoizumi'' and ''Manga/GundamSousei''. It is an ''absolutely hilarious'' take on the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Universal Century]]. It features, for example, Char as a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, Lalah as a [[BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine Tsukkomi to Char's Boke]], Amuro as a HormoneAddledTeenager, Sayla as a sadistic DoctorJerk and [[TeamPet Haro]] as actually being operated by some guy ''from the inside''. It also features the inspiring tale of [[TheHerosJourney The Hero's Journey]] of a lowly [[MechaMooks Zaku II]] (in which the original Gundam plays the role of the BigBad) and the surprisingly emotional story ([[BetterThanCanon which should totally be canon!]]) of the humble origins of the Zabi family, in which we can see young Garma as a CheerfulChild and young Gihren as a {{NEET}}. And all this is ''just the tip of the iceberg!''

* ''LightNovel/ElegantYokaiApartmentLife'' is frequently seen as incredibly and unfairly underrated. While it ''is'' somewhat of a ClicheStorm, it handles its tropes very well and as such can be taken as a good example of Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, not to mention that it has several lovable and quirky characters among its main cast.

* ''Anime/MagicalStageFancyLala'': At first it doesn't look like anything but a sugary and overly saccharine kids' anime, but don't be fooled by this show's looks. It's about a girl who receives a magic sketchbook from two dinosaur-like fairies which not only makes her drawings come to life, but turns her into a grown up version of herself, and she becomes a model/singer in the process. Sure, it's nothing new, but the show is just beautiful in the way it accurately portrays the idol business, the characters are charming and actually act like real people you've seen before, it makes use of its simple premise (and great things come out of it), and best of all, it has, what I think, the single BEST, most fulfilling, and most COMPLETE ending EVER. No anime I've seen has wrapped itself up so wonderfully as Fancy Lala does. Think you're gonna complain about the ending of this anime like you do with 99% of other anime out there? PREPARE TO BE PROVEN WRONG!!! The only reason this anime isn't more well-known is that it aired around the same time ''Manga/CardCaptorSakura'' did, and that show trumped every over magical girl show during its run, so it's no surprise you didn't hear about this.

* ''Anime/CelestialMethod'' had a bit of a mixed reception back when it originally ran during [[Fall2014Anime The Anime Season of Fall 2014.]] If you watch the show what you will find is a rather bittersweet story involving friendship, misunderstandings and a mystorius alien girl that may make you [[TearJerker shed a few tears]] towards the end.

* ''Anime/LikeTheCloudsLikeTheWind'' is an anime movie so obscure that most anime fans have never even heard of it. (Those that have often confuse it for a work by Studio Ghibli, thanks to its character design, its high quality, and the fact that the plot features a plucky young girl facing challenge and adversity. The film was actually animated by Studio Pierrot.) The plot is simple: a poor country girl is recruited (along with a bunch of other girls) to travel to the capital of Ancient China so she can be trained to become one of his concubines (and possibly, his head wife.) Reasons this film has remained in obscurity vary (it may have a lot to do with the film's bittersweet [[spoiler:HerHeartWillGoOn]] ending, or maybe the subject matter just doesn't appeal to anyone outside of Japan.) Regardless, this movie is definitely worth watching if you can hunt down a copy (There is at last one English fansub out there, floating around on some video sites...)

** It's a shame that these shows don't have enough interest in the anglosphere for them to get licensed. The ''Anne of Green Gables'' adaptation has never been aired for English Canadians![[note]]There's an English dub produced in South Africa for SABC, and the French dub has been aired on Radio-Canada.[[/note]] But one thing you have to appreciate about WMT series (and anything made by Nippon, for that matter, see the original ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' adaptation) is how they can stretch the premise and plot of a single novel/manga for 52 episodes while actually [[AdaptationExpansion enhancing the source material's characters and world]] and even giving some secondary characters more screentime as opposed to dropping in a quickly-written filler arc. The best example would be ''Anime/ThreeThousandLeaguesInSearchOfMother'', which took ''a single chapter'' of the Italian novel ''Cuore (Heart)'' and turned it into an entire show.

* ''Anime/MagicalWitchPuniechan'' is not nearly as popular as ''[[LightNovel/BludgeoningAngelDokuroChan Dokuro-chan]]'', perhaps because the latter contains more explicit {{gorn}}.

* ''Manga/{{Oldboy}}'' is a "revenge story" comic series that you've probably seen [[Film/{{Oldboy 2003}} the movie of]]. Bearing parallels to ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'', ''Oldboy'' is about a Japanese man who, after being imprisoned without provocation, is finally released after ten years; setting out to find out why he was kidnapped, Mister/"Yamashita"[[note]] (You don't find out about his past or real name until later when it's relevant)[[/note]] soon finds himself making [[AbsurdlyHighStakesGame the ultimate gamble]]. Outshone by its DarkerAndEdgier Korean adaptation by Creator/ParkChanWook, ''Oldboy'' is still pretty darn good in itself; however, since the movie chose [[TheToothHurts tooth pulling with a claw hammer]], [[{{Squick}} eating a real living squid]] and a more extreme ending, the manga that relies more on drama, tension and reveals appears [[LighterAndSofter pretty light-hearted by comparison]], and continues somewhat unnoticed.

* As it says on the page ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'' is an absolutely fantastic show... and yet no one ever talks about it. Perhaps the title has something to do with it. It's pretty much Creator/StudioBones' forgotten masterpiece, airing between ''Anime/WolfsRain'' and ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' in 2003. With an absolutely ''epic'' storyline combining fantasy and science fiction, interesting characters, strong production values, and an excellent dub including the likes of Creator/KariWahlgren, Creator/MichelleRuff, Creator/YuriLowenthal, and ''[[Creator/CrispinFreeman Crispin Freeman]]'', this truly is one of the better shows you're probably not watching.

* ''LightNovel/ShonenOnmyouji'': The first episode may be a bit cliche, and the premise itself is rather off-putting, but don't you dare pass this off as another monster fighting show. It delves into some pretty deep stuff, especially in that ungodly awesome second half, where everything, even the smallest of details nobody would even notice, come together in the most awesome way possible. It also has one of the best, most bittersweet endings I've ever seen.

* ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'', while beloved in its homeland of Japan, definitely needs more love in the rest of the world. Aside from the unique concept of hunting food in away similar to VideoGame/MonsterHunter, there's several chapters devoted to eating the captured ingredients and not only is it delicious, it's insane. It will make you want to eat while reading the series or watching the anime. Not to mention the action in the series is fantastic. It starts off a bit slow, but if you grind through it, it ends up being an awesome read.

* Virtually ANYTHING in the Anime/WorldMasterpieceTheater, especially ''Anime/LesMiserablesShojoCosette''. A lot of people think it's a moe-fied and kiddiefied version of the books they're based on. I have seen the entire series, and while it has been made kid friendly, it is ANYTHING BUT a moefied production. The anime still retains the dark atmosphere, the characters are amazing, and while some important parts were cut out, others were left intact. Of course, this also applies to every other anime in the World Masterpiece Theater too, even though they're becoming more well known. Also, NO anime in the WMT has any of the things modern anime do(except maybe LWAAS) like over-exaggerated expressions (creepy or chibi), none of the characters have rainbow colored hair or disproportionate body parts (especially boobs), and the stories of all the shows are actually simple, but are executed so wonderfully.

* ''Manhwa/{{Laon}}'' is a {{manhwa}} about a Gumiho (Korean version of ''FantasticFoxes'') who is sent to earth as punishment and has to seek out its missing tails. In the process lots of people die, demons attempt to invade our world, and a poor young man who lost his true love long ago and yet can't remember how or why gets mixed up in the meddling. The page only has tropes and description up to about the third volume at best, and since all six have been localized in a number of countries by now it definitely deserves more attention than it's been getting, if only because it's pretty informative about certain Korean myths.

* ''Toys/{{Jewelpet}}''. Immensely popular in Japan, virtually unknown in America. Despite its cutesy-poo looks and premise, the anime should not be underestimated, as it can show some surprisingly thoughtful writing and realistic characters. Among the anime seasons, ''Anime/JewelpetTwinkle'' is almost universally considered the high point in the series, with its moe-tastic artstyle perfectly balanced with a deep and dramatic story. Sadly, even ''Twinkle'' eventually sunk into MainstreamObscurity at best or completely forgotten at worst, though it still has a small but dedicated fanbase even a decade after its debut.

* ''Manga/MotherKeeper'', a manga that I had to make the Wiki/TVTropes page for. It starts out acting like a dystopia, introducing your teenage main character who wants to destroy the city of Eden. Why? Because his dad is in charge of the rebellion and is the one who actually cares about taking down Eden. The main character grows from being a doormat to questioning everything he was ever taught, causing him to be confused about what really is right and wrong when you can see both perspectives. The art from the end of volume 5 on wards is fantastic and the strongest man in it is disabled. The story and characters are interesting and the subtlety of some things about both make it really enjoyable.

* Please give some love for this 2006 parody anime, ''Himesama Goyoujin''. It only had 12 episodes. It never got any regonization all these years since it's been fansubbed. It also never had its Wiki/TVTropes page yet. The story was interesting, the animation is great and it's directed by the same person as Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows. So give it a try.

* While ''Manga/KindaichiCaseFiles'' has a huge following in Japan, it didn't fare too well in America due to poor marketing on Tokyopop's part. Nevertheless, this series is a very well written mystery series that actively challenges the readers using nothing but pure logic. Magic? Hi-Tech Gadgets? AWizardDidIt? Not in this series.

** If that all isn't enough to hook you, then the unceasing parade of ZettaiRyouiki, panty shots, and gratuitous {{Fanservice}} [[MostWritersAreMale probably]] [[AllMenArePerverts will]].

** If that all isn't enough to hook you, then the unceasing parade of ZettaiRyouiki, [[PantyShot Panty Shots]], and gratuitous {{Fanservice}} [[MostWritersAreMale probably]] [[AllMenArePerverts will]].

* ''Toys/{{Jewelpet}}''. Immensely popular in Japan, virtually unknown in America. Despite its cutesy-poo looks and premise, the anime should not be underestimated, as it can show some surprisingly thoughtful writing and realistic characters. Among the anime seasons, ''Anime/JewelpetTwinkle'' is almost universally considered the high point in the series, with its [[TastesLikeDiabetes moetastic artstyle]] perfectly balanced with a deep and dramatic story. Sadly, even ''Twinkle'' eventually sunk into MainstreamObscurity at best or completely forgotten at worst, though it still has a small but dedicated fanbase even a decade after its debut.

* ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear''. Read a review. It'll have you thinking its a terrible series. In reality, its amazingly well done, with gorgeous animation, in-depth characters and appears to be inspired by ''Nanoha'', and later on ''Madoka'', the two magical girl series that turned the genre on its head and kicked it sideways. Symphogear gets lumped in with things like Precure because of its plot based on the power of music. It's got a great plot, at times very dark and mature moments (child slavery and abuse is dealt with), kick-ass action, a soundtrack that belongs on the SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic page, and lovable characters. It ''was'' well known enough to get a second season, but much of the criticism is still hanging around.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}'' series of virtual pet toys got an [[Anime/{{Tamagotchi}} anime TV show]] that aired in Japan from late 2009 to early 2015. It was successful enough in Japan to sustain 271 episodes and has had decent success in some other parts of Asia, such as Hong Kong. The rest of the world, on the other hand, seems to be out of luck. The first 26 episodes have been dubbed and aired in English... [[NoExportForYou but only in Australia]]. Later, the ''Yume Kira Dream'' saga was adapted into an English-dubbed webtoon called Tamagotchi Friends... but only the first seven episodes were adapted, and the episodes were shortened to be 3-4 minutes long. The only time the series in its entirety has been dubbed was in Cantonese for the aforementioned Hong Kong, and the anime's lack of presence elsewhere has made it noticeably more obscure than the virtual pets it's based on. Which is quite a shame, as the series is actually pretty great, with charming episodes, enjoyable characters, animation and art direction that lives up to other animes, a strong balance of humor and heart, and several fantastic original songs, all with the source material being digital pet toys that don't offer much material to work with.