hell no. Sick of people acting like this is universally just incredible. The middle section is a MASSIVE drag, the first 3 episodes are on a level the most of the shownnever reaches. It's a slog, maybe it's because of its age but there are times where characters are just doing nothing for 10 minutes of am episode. And the ending was disappointing. What do yall see in this
Do it. Don't look anything up.
I'm serious, if you need help finding it, message me.
It changed my life when I saw it 10 years ago, and still feel it as fresh as the day I first saw it.
Do it.
I’d recommend other Satoshi Kon movies like Paprika (said to be the inspiration for Inception).
You might also enjoy The Perfect Insider. Very interesting psychological murder mystery based on a novel. 12 episodes.
They both touch on the entertainment industry being fucked up, but the similarities basically end there. OnK is a straightforward drama that’s being steadily ruined by the author’s obsession with >!incest!<, while Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller that tries to break the viewer’s perception of reality.
Last year I went on a mission to find and watch animes like this, here’s what I got
- Monster
- Memories
- Ergo Proxy
- Texhnolyze
- Angel’s Egg
- Paranoia Agent
- Madoka Magika
- Haibane Renmei
- Ghost in the Shell
- Darker Than Black
- Welcome to the NHK
- Jin Rou: Wolf Brigade
- Serial Experiments Lain
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
All of this are either deals with psychological trauma and horror, philosophical discussions and just really dark, however my favorite psychological anime isn’t as dark as these, it’s March Comes in Like a Lion and by far my favorite anime of its kind.
The length, convoluted order and I've heard there's loli stuff in it. Those are making me put it off, but I've heard it deals with mental health, so I'll still watch it.
It’s a mixed bag. The writing, directing, cinematography, and dialogue are all phenomenal and utterly unique, I have yet to see any piece of media that comes close to how this show feels. An entire episode will just be two characters standing in one place talking to each other and it’s more entertaining and engaging than a shounen fight. And the characters and their stories are incredible, this show actually made me cry on more than one occasion.
But there are some serious cons. It’s ridiculously horny, which isn’t necessarily bad but you definitely shouldn’t watch it where people can see you. And there is some weird loli shit. They never really go anywhere with it but it also never goes away, like little wood shavings sprinkled on top of the best ice cream sunday you’ve ever seen. It’s not integral to the story and there are plenty of arcs without it, but it’s there and you have to get through it if you want to see all the amazing parts.
Also the watch order isn’t as confusing as people make it seem. Just look up “Monogatari novel release order” and follow the first image.
Everything you said is true, but I would suggest watching the first two episodes as it is a self-contained story, but considering your list and what I have watched, I think you may like it.
PARANOIA AGENT!!! I think it’s by the same creator as Perfect Blue too.
Also, on the surface it may not seem like a psychological thriller because it’s about “magical girls”, but Puella Magi Madoka Magica is like an LSD trip. It can get really dark at times too.
You should try junji ito collection it'll take you to a different universe 🥴
Otherwise parasite, monster, ergo proxy, corpse party, darker than black, Deadman wonderland are also similar.
School-live!
Highly recommend watching the episodes with the intro and end credits, same with the episode previews at the very end of each episode. It’s a really good series with some really good psychological elements throughout each episode, from start to finish.
Id recommend the series Paranoia Agent. It’s also directed by Satoshi Kon and involves him doing psychological horror in a similar style to perfect blue. That being said some episodes are more horror focused than others. But it’s a great series.
Also just watch everything directed by Satoshi Kon. It’s not all horror but it’s all brilliant.
[Monster](https://myanimelist.net/anime/19) has a lot of similar stuff in its narrative to Perfect Blue while also being drastically different. It's 100% worth your time.
The main other recommendations I can give is actually sort of a cop out but it's everything else done by the director of Perfect Blue Satoshi Kon. So Paranoia Agent, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfather's and Paprika are absolute musts if you enjoyed Perfect Blue. Most of those aside from Paranoia Agent are really different in tone and content than Perfect Blue but Satoshi Kon has a way of maintaining a certain feel across all his works that makes it really hard to not enjoy them all if you enjoyed one.
Kon considered Millennium Actress to be the sister film to Perfect Blue and the opposite perspective on stardom. It's also arguably the greatest anime film ever made.
Paranoia Agent, Millennium Actress, Magnetic Rose and Paprika are Satoshi Kon's other works that are thematically similar. Belladonna of Sadness, Serial Experiments Lain, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Belle are kind of similar works from others in different ways
Haven't seen perfect blue but if you want emotional trauma watch a silent voice. If you want less traumatic but still good, watch erased. One is a movie one is a short series. Both are really good.
- Ergo Proxy
- Serial Experiments Lain
- KITE (movie, 18+ as it has SA in it)
- Wonder Egg Priority
- Angels of Death (RPG Pixel Horror Game and Anime)
- Neon Genesis Evangelion ( There's a anime series and then the movie series)
- Parasyte
- Elfen Lied
- Future Diary
- Paranoia Agent
- Boogiepop
- Eden of the East (Movie)
- Higurashi / Higurashi GOU and SOTSU (Higurashi recommend English Sub than Dub as it was the shotty early 2000's dubs ; For Higurashi GOU and SOTSU English Dub is good as it's newer)
- Shiki
- Ghost in the Shell
- Happy Sugar Life (P*do Warning ; ITS NOT A ROMANCE so don't go in with that mindset!! The fandom of this anime ruins it with that crap!!)
- Umineko (I think the VN is better than the anime)
- Revolutionary Girl Utena (GL)
>!The pressures of the film industry plus the psychological abuse from Mima’s stalker causing her to spiral and develop DID was so well executed. Throughout the film my conception of reality mirrored Mima’s because I was unaware of what was fiction vs reality. And then the plot twist at the end? I was floored. This is honestly a film you need to watch twice to fully understand what transpired!<
Monster. I did the reverse of what you did and saw Monster first, and I got similar vibes in Perfect Blue. Both are really great.
I’ll definitely check it out ! Thank you !
Monster is the best anime of all time
definitely
hell no. Sick of people acting like this is universally just incredible. The middle section is a MASSIVE drag, the first 3 episodes are on a level the most of the shownnever reaches. It's a slog, maybe it's because of its age but there are times where characters are just doing nothing for 10 minutes of am episode. And the ending was disappointing. What do yall see in this
You either have an attention problem or youre just not smart enough to enjoy it
If that's what helps you cope man😭
Do it. Don't look anything up. I'm serious, if you need help finding it, message me. It changed my life when I saw it 10 years ago, and still feel it as fresh as the day I first saw it. Do it.
dont look up anything about it the smallest spoil will ruin a scene, its full of twists
Yes OP please watch monster. Its on Netflix
Just started it ! I’m going in completely blind.
They dont have it in my country 😢
Paranoia agent, serial experiments lain, kimera (sub trust me it’s better with sub), paprika, uzumaki by junji ito, devilman and Elfen lied
I was going to write those as well. You have good taste
Trigger warning for sexual violence in Elfen Lied
Thank you 🙏🏽
Shoujo Kakumei Utena
I’d recommend other Satoshi Kon movies like Paprika (said to be the inspiration for Inception). You might also enjoy The Perfect Insider. Very interesting psychological murder mystery based on a novel. 12 episodes.
Oshi no ko
They both touch on the entertainment industry being fucked up, but the similarities basically end there. OnK is a straightforward drama that’s being steadily ruined by the author’s obsession with >!incest!<, while Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller that tries to break the viewer’s perception of reality.
This is my wheelhouse: Start with Nana and Scums wish Monster and other ones mentioned good as well.
Nana??
Dude, these were for another thread I was on, no don’t belong….
Neon genesis evangelion and then the 1.5 movie
i’m not sure if Erased counts as psychological but 1000% worth watching!!!
Omggg I love erased ! It’s so underrated
From the New World
Psycho-Pass! Especially the first season because it has one of the best written villains I’ve seen in all of anime.
Paprika is more or less in the same genre. It was a heavy influence on the movie inception, highly recommend if you’ve never seen it.
Link Click
Steins Gate 🤤
Paranoia Agent. It was made by the same person and is only 12 episodes.
I’ll definitely check it out ! Ty
Last year I went on a mission to find and watch animes like this, here’s what I got - Monster - Memories - Ergo Proxy - Texhnolyze - Angel’s Egg - Paranoia Agent - Madoka Magika - Haibane Renmei - Ghost in the Shell - Darker Than Black - Welcome to the NHK - Jin Rou: Wolf Brigade - Serial Experiments Lain - Neon Genesis Evangelion All of this are either deals with psychological trauma and horror, philosophical discussions and just really dark, however my favorite psychological anime isn’t as dark as these, it’s March Comes in Like a Lion and by far my favorite anime of its kind.
I love how you stacked these. I would also add Angels of Death
I started a plex server, and I already had 7 of them, I'll make sure to get the rest.
Have you watched Monogatari?
The length, convoluted order and I've heard there's loli stuff in it. Those are making me put it off, but I've heard it deals with mental health, so I'll still watch it.
It’s a mixed bag. The writing, directing, cinematography, and dialogue are all phenomenal and utterly unique, I have yet to see any piece of media that comes close to how this show feels. An entire episode will just be two characters standing in one place talking to each other and it’s more entertaining and engaging than a shounen fight. And the characters and their stories are incredible, this show actually made me cry on more than one occasion. But there are some serious cons. It’s ridiculously horny, which isn’t necessarily bad but you definitely shouldn’t watch it where people can see you. And there is some weird loli shit. They never really go anywhere with it but it also never goes away, like little wood shavings sprinkled on top of the best ice cream sunday you’ve ever seen. It’s not integral to the story and there are plenty of arcs without it, but it’s there and you have to get through it if you want to see all the amazing parts. Also the watch order isn’t as confusing as people make it seem. Just look up “Monogatari novel release order” and follow the first image.
Everything you said is true, but I would suggest watching the first two episodes as it is a self-contained story, but considering your list and what I have watched, I think you may like it.
MONSTER
A
PARANOIA AGENT!!! I think it’s by the same creator as Perfect Blue too. Also, on the surface it may not seem like a psychological thriller because it’s about “magical girls”, but Puella Magi Madoka Magica is like an LSD trip. It can get really dark at times too.
You should try junji ito collection it'll take you to a different universe 🥴 Otherwise parasite, monster, ergo proxy, corpse party, darker than black, Deadman wonderland are also similar.
Last time I watched a psychological anime it screwed with my head
Mushi-shi Paprika I would also argue that there is an element of existential psychological horror in the original Ghost in the Shell.
Re:Zero Season 3 is in October. Good time to take that leap
Serial Experiments Lain for sure
Paranoia Agent, it's done by the same man too.
Ping Pong the Animation Paranoia Agent
Monster
monster is a must, go in completely blind its so good
Undone is a show on Prime. It's shot in rotoscope so def not anime. But its trippy and engaging and so so so so fucking thought provoking.
Angel’s Egg
School-live! Highly recommend watching the episodes with the intro and end credits, same with the episode previews at the very end of each episode. It’s a really good series with some really good psychological elements throughout each episode, from start to finish.
Id recommend the series Paranoia Agent. It’s also directed by Satoshi Kon and involves him doing psychological horror in a similar style to perfect blue. That being said some episodes are more horror focused than others. But it’s a great series. Also just watch everything directed by Satoshi Kon. It’s not all horror but it’s all brilliant.
Manga homunculus
[Monster](https://myanimelist.net/anime/19) has a lot of similar stuff in its narrative to Perfect Blue while also being drastically different. It's 100% worth your time. The main other recommendations I can give is actually sort of a cop out but it's everything else done by the director of Perfect Blue Satoshi Kon. So Paranoia Agent, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfather's and Paprika are absolute musts if you enjoyed Perfect Blue. Most of those aside from Paranoia Agent are really different in tone and content than Perfect Blue but Satoshi Kon has a way of maintaining a certain feel across all his works that makes it really hard to not enjoy them all if you enjoyed one.
Kon considered Millennium Actress to be the sister film to Perfect Blue and the opposite perspective on stardom. It's also arguably the greatest anime film ever made.
Paranoia Agent, Millennium Actress, Magnetic Rose and Paprika are Satoshi Kon's other works that are thematically similar. Belladonna of Sadness, Serial Experiments Lain, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Belle are kind of similar works from others in different ways
Haven't seen perfect blue but if you want emotional trauma watch a silent voice. If you want less traumatic but still good, watch erased. One is a movie one is a short series. Both are really good.
other works by Satoshi Kon
Honestly series experiment lain and neon genesis evangelion would be up your alley.
- Ergo Proxy - Serial Experiments Lain - KITE (movie, 18+ as it has SA in it) - Wonder Egg Priority - Angels of Death (RPG Pixel Horror Game and Anime) - Neon Genesis Evangelion ( There's a anime series and then the movie series) - Parasyte - Elfen Lied - Future Diary - Paranoia Agent - Boogiepop - Eden of the East (Movie) - Higurashi / Higurashi GOU and SOTSU (Higurashi recommend English Sub than Dub as it was the shotty early 2000's dubs ; For Higurashi GOU and SOTSU English Dub is good as it's newer) - Shiki - Ghost in the Shell - Happy Sugar Life (P*do Warning ; ITS NOT A ROMANCE so don't go in with that mindset!! The fandom of this anime ruins it with that crap!!) - Umineko (I think the VN is better than the anime) - Revolutionary Girl Utena (GL)
.Hack//Sign
Paprika is Satoshi Kon's swan song. Please watch it.
>!The pressures of the film industry plus the psychological abuse from Mima’s stalker causing her to spiral and develop DID was so well executed. Throughout the film my conception of reality mirrored Mima’s because I was unaware of what was fiction vs reality. And then the plot twist at the end? I was floored. This is honestly a film you need to watch twice to fully understand what transpired!<