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Seinen anime is loved for its complex storyline, graphic violence, and distinctive plot, which is why it is deemed too complicated for young boys and is targeted towards the adult male. Due to Shonen’s unceasing popularity, only a few Seinen anime like One Punch Man, Kill la Lill, and Kaguya-sama: Love is War have garnered a fair share of praise.
There is an ocean of Seinen anime that never received the attention it deserved in the first place. This article will list down some of the highly underrated Seinen anime that one should binge on right away.
From Devil’s Line to Rainbow, 10 highly underrated Seinen anime that one should not miss out on
1) Devil’s Line
22-year-old Tsukasa Taira is a graduate student at Keio University who pursued her career in humanities and geography. However, she now wants to study sociology to research on devils and their problems. The sudden transition in Tsukasa’s goal occurs the day she finds out that her best friend, Yuuki Anzai, is a human and vampire hybrid.
The vampires in this world have mastered the ability to suppress their bloodlust, but extreme emotions can bring out the real monsters within them. Devil’s Line is one of the best Seinen anime that adheres to the exploration of the nature of humans and vampires coexisting in a modern world society.
2) Hozuki's Coolheadness
Hozuki's Coolheadness is one of the most hilarious underrated Seinen gems, revolving around the underworld/hell of Japanese mythology. Hozuki works as Chief Deputy to Lord Enma, the King and Head Judge of Hell. Under his demonic efficiency, the bureaucratic system of hell is running smoother than ever before.
His analytical and impressive troubleshooting skills can solve any kind of problem arising in hell. However, he frequently loses his cool when his subordinates cause him nothing but trouble. Being a short-tempered individual, Hozuki seems to enjoy resorting to violent means to resolve problems.
Hozuki's Coolheadness is a worthwhile Seinen comedy anime that portrays hell in a more comical way.
3) Hi-score Girl
Sixth grader Harui Yaguchi is highly respected among the arcade community for his impressive gaming skills, and has earned the title of "Beastly Fingers Haruo." He has only one dream, and that is to become a professional arcade gamer. Harui remains undefeated till he meets classmate Akira Oono, the silent daughter of the rich Oono family.
After getting defeated in every single match in Street Fighter 2, Harui makes Akira his eternal rival. The latter is inept in speech, so she mostly uses gestures and facial expressions. Sometimes, she does not even hesitate in kicking or punching the former. Most anime enthusiasts may find the CGI of Hi-score Girl to be decent, but everything else from storylines to music makes up for its drawbacks.
4) Non Non Biyori
Non-Non Biyori follows Hotaru Ichijou, who has moved with her family from Tokyo to an isolated village named Asahigaoka. On her first day, Hotaru quickly gets acquainted with everything, including the only five students in the school, who all share the same class regardless of their grades.
Far from the noisy city, Hotaru is enjoying her cheerful little group in the most peaceful village of Japan. With its slice-of-life genre, Non Non Biyori is a beautifully crafted piece of art that is far from the violence that Seinen anime is known for.
5) Arakawa Under the Bridge
Born into the Ichinomiya family, Kou has to succeed his father and keep the lineage’s legacy prosperous. Moreover, Kou has to adhere to the most important law of the Ichinomiya family, and that is to never get indebted to anyone. However, everything comes down the day Kou meets a beautiful yet weird girl named Nino, who claims to be Venusian.
In the pursuit of paying Nino back to save his life, Kou becomes the former’s boyfriend and starts living on the riverbank amidst a bizarre group of people. Arakawa Under the Bridge is a hilarious rom-com slice-of-life anime that is praised for its originality and its rib-tickling comedy.
6) Jormungand
Koko Hekmatyar is an international arms dealer who sells weapons under HCLI, an international shipping corporation that also runs an illegal smuggling business. Over the years, Koko has cultivated a special crew of highly skilled bodyguards, mostly composed of former special-ops soldiers.
The most recent addition to Kokko’s crew is Jonathan Mar, commonly known as Jonah, a young blood who has an intense hatred of weapons but still works under the crew leader. In the pursuit of acquiring peace, Kokko’s crew must protect her from all the threats coming her way.
Jormungand is a unique Seinen anime loved for its impressive action sequences and fascinating characters.
7) Ah! My Goddess!
Keichi Morisato was just an ordinary student living a mundane life. However, he becomes the luckiest man overnight after the arrival of a goddess named Bellydandy. By dialing the Goddess Help Hotline, he summons inadverently Bellydandy and jokes about having her for the rest of his life. Much to Keichi’s surprise, his wish has been granted.
Bellydandy’s presence has attracted a lot of attention and all of Keichi’s peers are jealous of him. Both of them are awkward around each other, but as they have to live together, and that too forever, they must find a way to resolve the tension. Ah! My Goddess! is another underrated hilarious rom-com anime, with a rollercoaster of emotions.
8) Servant x Service
Servant x Service revolves around Lucy, whose first name has been so long that it has just been abbreviated to just “Lucy.” Her parents had a hard time picking a name for their daughter and listed all the ideas on the registration paper, which strangely got approved. Bent on payback, Lucy becomes a civil servant to exact revenge on the sloppy bureaucrat who sanctioned her lengthy first name.
Servant x Service is a slice-of-life comedy anime that shows the daily lives of government employees. The series does not follow a major plot, instead, it is based on occasional comical situations and laid-back romantic interactions between characters.
9) Bartender
Hidden in the nook of the Ginza district in downtown Tokyo is the Eden Hall, a lone bar operated by Ryuu Sasakura, a bartending prodigy who mixes the best cocktails that anyone has ever tasted. There are rumors that you simply cannot find Eden Hall. Instead, Eden Hall finds you. Everyone who wanders into this bar is plagued with nothing but trouble in their life.
However, Sasakura knows just the right drink to serve in a situation called the "Glass of the Gods." Bartender is one of the most underrated Gourmet genre anime that showcases cocktail culture in a beautiful way. Apart from being a proficient bartender, Sasakura also has the ability to help people in need by giving them the best advice of their life.
10) Rainbow
Set in 1950’s, Rainbow follows the story of six teenage delinquents who have been arrested under serious criminal charges. All six of them get assigned to the same cell where they meet an older inmate named Rokurouta Sakuragi, a former boxer with whom they develop a strong bond. The six boys made a pact with Sakuragi that after serving their sentence they’ll meet again.
However, in the meantime, all they have to do is survive the humiliation and suffering indlicted upon them by a sadistic guard and an evil doctor. Rainbow highlights the atrocities the lower class faced in post-war Japanese society. It is an absolute tearjerker that epitomizes the feeling of freedom and friendship.
Rainbow is a must-watch for those who are mostly drawn towards good dramatic/historical anime.
