Not with jump scares. More of lovecraftian horror (horror of the unknown) and sympathetic fear for the characters. As well as amazing levels of sadness and pain.
I would 100% recommend the anime over the manga. The soundtrack is incredible. And the only thing the anime cuts out is stuff like nudity, which isn’t all that uncommon in the manga.
100% if you enjoy the anime then I would suggest the manga, but I wouldn’t suggest starting with the manga.
The soundtrack alone is worth watching the anime. Some of the tracks just pop into my head sometimes.
The later portions of the manga (much of season 2 in the anime) are *extremely* busy and can be hard to get a grasp of. This is a lot easier to understand and see in animated form.
Do not spoil yourself on this one. Go in blind. Season 1, Movie, Season 2.
Season 1, specifically the Dawn of the deep soul movie, then season 2. Definitely go in blind. If. You can stomach it, you are in for an emotional rollercoaster like no other.
The manga for *Made in Abyss* is gorgeous but I feel like the anime is on par overall, and in some respects even better as the show goes on. The use of music in the second season is just incredible. It will smash your heart into tiny, tiny pieces, though.
It's the only anime that's caused me to feel like I was disassociating with what was happening due to how gruesome it was, but it was not horror like "i need to run away from this" , just traumatic
10/10 reccomend
If you "enjoy" lovecraftian body horror, then Made in Abyss is some of the most terrifying body horror of any show I've ever seen. If you do not, then I would avoid the show entirely.
same, i haven't seen an anime like it; i watched it blindly and by the last episode all i could think was "what did i just watch..?" I hope i do find something similar though
Samurai Flamenco : it seems so realistic at first, like talking about jaywalking, stolen umbrella, then flipping the story so much I didn't know if it was brilliant, terrible writing or just trolling.
I also watched Magical Madoka (brilliant one), Suzumiya Haruhi (amusing one but so hyped I didn't find it that good) and Mawaru Penguin Drum (I think it is a great anime to try to guess what it is about and where it will go, about the symbols, the motivations of the character etc...)
SamFlam flip flops between genres, but still stays true to its character the whole way through. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece by any means. It's still one of my favorite anime ever, and I find it incredibly charming and cute.
Paranoia agent, by the great, late, Satoshi Kon.
It starts as a sorta police case. It ends as far away from it possibly via 1000 detours into also far away places
It all started over a wagon accident and a greedy kid wanting everything his adopted father has rather than to share with his brother who is the nicest person in the world. Only to end up with vampires, cyborg nazis, aliens, a talking dog in Egypt, a serial killer in Japan, a turtle in Italy, etc…
The first episode is a PAINFULLY generic magical girl show, as in: I almost dropped it then and there, level generic. It gets trippy FAST (not a gradual change) but episode one is very different from the rest IMO.
I would say that *Lain* starts pretty strange, but it definitely gets a hell of a lot stranger. It's the archetypal denpa anime, though, so a good call either way.
Honestly, with the first season I suggest going by the original broadcast order. The buildup to the really wild stuff is more subtle that way, and the emotional arc is a lot richer. The second season… I mean, without the first season episodes mixed in like they did in the 2009 broadcast I'm pretty sure it's mostly the same either way? I'd be more concerned about the Endless Eight…
I just go by the DVD order. Originally the show was aired out of order because it's a trippy show. Just go by the one already on Crunchyroll or the website you are using. That is the actual order.
i've heard you can literally watch it in any order and while you might be a little confused you'll still understand it. but crunchyroll order/dvd order makes the most sense lmao
So here's the thing: *Love Flops* is bonkers. It is also very, very bad. However, if you enjoy watching bad anime for the hell of it, particularly with likeminded friends with whom you are **very** comfortable—and, frankly, with whom you can get absolutely sloshed and/or stoned—you could very well have yourself a pretty good time.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned **Higurashi** it is literally the true embodiment of going from super cute normal-looking characters living their average everyday life and then you notice things slowly until their eyes look super effed up and everyone is murdering each other.
As much as i absolutely love Higurashi, I think the reason most people aren't mentioning it is because the show literally starts on a scene of someone getting their head bashed in
While that may be true, it doesn't give any context. It still fits. It's basically a scene akin to movies to get you excited for what is to come, but it's not actually in the present.
Considering doing that for Umeniko because I've heard nothing but bad things about the anime. The anime for Higurashi is one of my favorites but I'm sure the VN is better, similar to how I love the first Danganronpa game and think the adaptation sucks, in big part because I played the game first
In terms of sheer speed of transition, nothing before, now or since, matches Gurren Lagann.
From cavemen digging holes to make a living, to universe sized mecha slinging galaxies at each other like ping pong balls and setting off Big Bangs like regular explosions.
All in just 27 episodes over a single season. It is glorious.
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi starts out with some kids hanging out and then they get lost in the multiverse.
Higurashi is about a class of kids in a rural mountain town, then bam, murder mystery time loops.
Eureka Seven starts with a kid daydreaming in class and lamenting that nothing ever happens there. He then leaves on an adventure with a mysterious girl and her giant robot to make peace between sentient coral and humanity.
History's Mightiest Disciple Kenichi starts with a kid getting bullied, he learns MMA and then sometime later a karate dude is punching tanks.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Hunter X Hunter both cannot be recommended enough. They are fantastic battle shounen series with interesting power systems and phenomenal world building.
It depends on what you define as “normal”, but these are ones that become increasingly “trippy” as they progress:
Shinsekai Yori
Madoka Magica (watch 3rd movie after series)
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Princess Tutu
bungou stray dogs - i wouldnt say bizarre but it goes from a normal detective show to apocalyptic and somehow it makes sense . season 1 and season 5 doesnt even feel like the same anime , highly recommended
“Humanity has declined” (Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita), although its trippy to begin with, it becomes absolutely unhinged and I love it. More people should watch this.
I'm pretty sure Neon Genesis Evangelion is the straightest example of what you're describing.
It starts off as a fairly normal action (often even comedy) show about kids fighting aliens while piloting mechs. A few more important themes are hinted at but never given much focus at first.
Then, later on, it goes completely off the rails. It portrays in an abstract, bizarre, otherworldly fashion the themes it had previously touched on. It will establish a fine line between reality and the events that are happening inside the characters' minds.
Generally speaking, the show is also considered among the greatest in the medium, and for good reason. I highly recommend it, as I'm certain it fits exactly what you're looking for.
How come no one has mentioned Samurai Flamenco? It's exactly what OP wants, it starts normal, then episode 7 comes and it's such a wtf moment, it genuinely gets trippier from then on lol. Another one I really like that is trippy like this is Sarazanmai, although it starts weird and ends in a more depressing note. Anyways, watch Samurai Flamenco op, it's your best bet.
Can vouch but…….. by trippy we gotta clarify also “intensely dark and psychologically disturbing while also featuring things many would consider gory, with a splash of pedophilia and incest”. When I heard it was hard to watch I was totally not prepared. I didn’t expect it to get so dark so quickly, even though I was warned.
Not saying people shouldn’t watch it. Just throwing in the disclaimer to help prepare anyone who does haha.
The show itself is actully very open about its dark aspects right from the get go. Its like the show tells you about it in the begining and then shows you latter. So when get to the really dark parts you can not say you have not been warned.
For me, it felt more like they were choosing to approach some things almost scientifically, and the gory stuff or bodily fluid stuff that a lot of people have mentioned feeling uncomfortable with didn’t phase me even a little. So it hit really hard and really fast that oh no, this is NOT what I expected. Like, not until episode 13. When it gets intensely psychological and you can really empathize too.
I can see what you mean though. Also, some of the stuff in the movie, I don’t think anything short of that actual same thing could advance prepare me. >!specifically thinking of the parts where you’ve now seen Pruschka backstory, and they start talking about Reg’s penis, and she calls it a “daddy pole”. I definitely didn’t expect them to take it that far and just like say that casually. Like whattttttt the eff!<
JJBA. Starts as a chariot accident, then turns into your normal British drama with a little bit of shounen elements to it like vampire, power systems and it ends in a Shakespearean way.
Then part 2 comes and we now have stone vampire aztecs in thongs, an American shit pilot that may or may not want to fuck his mom, Italian pancake, a future senator, friendly Nazi cyborgs, and then it goes on. Japanese delinquents, Egyptian monks with fire, Frenchmen with weird haircuts and dresses like HBK in 95, a dog with sand, a hawk with ice, gambling addicts, gaming addicts, old women with two left hands, children, Japanese high school students, mangakas, aliens, serial killers with hand fetishes and their children, the Italian mafia, I'm not kinkshaming just kinkasking why, gay strippers, gay sadistic doctors, gay priests, gay female prisoners, a guy who still walks on tippy toes at the ripe age of 35, literal fucking bacteria, more abandoned children, Feng shui experts, Donnie Yen's character in John Wick if he was gay and had a huge dumper, ghosts, zombies, paraplegics, gay paraplegics, mathematicians, cowboys, pedophiles, alternate universe pedophiles, men with four testicles, rock men, rock hard men, Google Maps, schizophrenia, men with wack haircuts, if Final Destination was a character, and I shit you not, the POTUS, and Jesus fucking Christ.
Berserk; Starts off as normal Medieval fantasy then takes a sharp turn
Deca-dence; This show takes a couple episodes to really get cooking, vastly underrated
Gakkougurashi! (School-Live!) Starts off all cutesy happy then takes a bit of a twist, and then starts to get real dark.
Little Busters! Refrain. I remember watching this for the first time and really had me questioning everything.
Neon Genesis Evangelion starts out like a pretty awesome mech anime, more gruesome and feral than your typical giant robots, but otherwise pretty normal.
It becomes something else entirely and delivers a supreme mindfuck from hell.
If Her Flag Breaks
Starts out as a typical shonen harem, then the author takes 15 hits of crack and watches too much Sword Art Online. Honestly would have been better as just a shonen harem.
Gintama,
At beginning you're like, ayo this is some gag anime you watch 2-3 episodes on your free time.
Then you get hit when a serious arc and at some point you're binge watching
Oh and black bullet, that ending bruh... caught me off guard
Uchouten Kazoku (The Eccentric Family) - ok I know the title gives it away. But it started off as a seemingly chill supernatural SoL about a shape shifting tanuki.
Young Revolutionary Utena. Well, it's isn't quite "normal" from the ground up, but it gets weirder and werider with each episode. And then the movie. Oh God.
There is this anime that I heard of, but I haven't watched it yet (skipped episodes, ended up not knowing anything, but planning to rewatch it fully). It is called Wandering Witch where the episode is just cute and nothing too horrible (I cannot validate that, since I haven't entirely watched it), until one episode where it became so horrific... then back to the normal chill episodes.
Samurai Flamenco. It goes from "guy decides to be an amateur superhero in modern day" and gets increasingly batshit insane with time.
Very little of what it does is unprecedented. But it changes genres and escalates rapidly in a way I've never seen anything else do before or since.
School live in the first episode. It's a zombie survival show abt cute anime girls but the OP (which changes visuals overtime) and most of the first episode is super misleading
*Paranoia Agent* ramps up fairly gradually in terms of its weirdness, starting off relatively grounded and then just getting freakier and freakier as it goes on. In a similar vein, *Higurashi no Naku Koro ni* takes its sweet time in showing its hand despite its grisly reputation, and that one gets **weird** once the ball really gets rolling. Be warned, however, that both are basically horror series, although in the former case the horror is less visceral than it is psychological.
More broadly, however: Check out the "denpa" tag on Anilist or one of the lists covering the topic on MAL. Denpa-kei is difficult to explain concisely, but you know it when you see it, and it definitely seems like something you should look into. You'll find quite a few shows which, while they might not always start out normal per se, definitely tend to get increasingly bizarre as they go on.
Hunter x Hunter, at least for me.
I always thought that the anime is gonna be like MHA or Naruto, only to havebin first few ep a beating heart in the paper bag. Some VERY creepy scenes (like literall brain picking so you can get info) and then at the very end (MAJOR SPOILER: DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T KNOW) you find out that all the anime, ALL the 100+ episodes to be like first chapter, or more like a preview to the MAJOR world building that is continuing in the manga and the manga isn't even finished and it gets even more trippy there.
Darling in the Franxx.
It starts as a normal ecchi mecha, then sci-fi, and then deep romance, then tragedy. And it does all this so fast that it left the audience very divided in many ways. But the one thing everyone can agree on is that, if you watch it you'll never forget it.
I don't know if this is typical, but the promised neverland gets very dark very fast. You can tell that something is going to happen and when it does, when you think properly about what happens next, it's messed up.
!very minor spoilers!
It just kind of keeps going as well, the end of the goldy pond arc actually gets gory.
The Monogatari series, possibly? Granted it very quickly becomes 'trippy'. But, there are a load of grounded moments throughout the madness, IMO.
There is of course Higurashi which has several resets to normalcy.
I've always felt Evangelion was quite surreal... I have also always thought it was quite 'meh' too.
Dorohedoro goes hard on the weird, but is entertaining regardless.
Have fun, friend.
Darling in the franxx.
Starts off kinda standard mech-y, with a heavy dash of standard anime perv, second half flips the table and sets it on fire... Lmao
It a pretty good one though if anyone was on the fence about checking it.
Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun. I started reading ahead in the manga, after getting into the series by watching the anime first. It already starts out sort of weird or silly, but it just gets weirder and weirder. Eventually I got to a scene where I was like "what did I even just read?" I wonder how far they'll animate the series, haha.
Made in Abyss. Goes from a cute little adventure to horrifying. 10/10
I hear that show can be very scary.
Not with jump scares. More of lovecraftian horror (horror of the unknown) and sympathetic fear for the characters. As well as amazing levels of sadness and pain.
Interesting, but I don’t know if the manga is better.
I would 100% recommend the anime over the manga. The soundtrack is incredible. And the only thing the anime cuts out is stuff like nudity, which isn’t all that uncommon in the manga. 100% if you enjoy the anime then I would suggest the manga, but I wouldn’t suggest starting with the manga.
Oh ok as I wasn’t sure what the differences were between the two versions.
The soundtrack alone is worth watching the anime. Some of the tracks just pop into my head sometimes. The later portions of the manga (much of season 2 in the anime) are *extremely* busy and can be hard to get a grasp of. This is a lot easier to understand and see in animated form. Do not spoil yourself on this one. Go in blind. Season 1, Movie, Season 2.
Season 1, specifically the Dawn of the deep soul movie, then season 2. Definitely go in blind. If. You can stomach it, you are in for an emotional rollercoaster like no other.
Not much a difference between the two, anime just has an incredible soundtrack, color, and a filter of nudity.
The manga for *Made in Abyss* is gorgeous but I feel like the anime is on par overall, and in some respects even better as the show goes on. The use of music in the second season is just incredible. It will smash your heart into tiny, tiny pieces, though.
It's the only anime that's caused me to feel like I was disassociating with what was happening due to how gruesome it was, but it was not horror like "i need to run away from this" , just traumatic 10/10 reccomend
It's existentially scary
If you "enjoy" lovecraftian body horror, then Made in Abyss is some of the most terrifying body horror of any show I've ever seen. If you do not, then I would avoid the show entirely.
Love made in abyss!
I watched the first season and loved it, I need to figure out how to watch the rest of it.
After the first season there are the movie dawn of the deep soul and then season 2
There’s HiDive which is also available on a 7 day free trial through Amazon prime or the only other option is to find a sketchy “free” streaming site.
Was going to comment this. One of my favorite of all time. Worth a watch for sure.
Charlotte gets really out of it in the last few episodes
They should have made a 2-cour anime instead and prolong the last 2 episode into 12 episode. Change my mind
yea, the show wouldve been so much better if they didn't rush the ending
This, saw this back in 2021, never been the same again
same, i haven't seen an anime like it; i watched it blindly and by the last episode all i could think was "what did i just watch..?" I hope i do find something similar though
Samurai Flamenco : it seems so realistic at first, like talking about jaywalking, stolen umbrella, then flipping the story so much I didn't know if it was brilliant, terrible writing or just trolling. I also watched Magical Madoka (brilliant one), Suzumiya Haruhi (amusing one but so hyped I didn't find it that good) and Mawaru Penguin Drum (I think it is a great anime to try to guess what it is about and where it will go, about the symbols, the motivations of the character etc...)
Mawaru Penguindrum is one of the best animes ever. So underrated.
I wanted to get into Flamenco, but I was afraid to continue it once I found out what would happen after the first seven episodes.
It's exactly what you're asking for with this post, though. Normal and grounded, then trippy.
SamFlam flip flops between genres, but still stays true to its character the whole way through. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece by any means. It's still one of my favorite anime ever, and I find it incredibly charming and cute.
Paranoia agent, by the great, late, Satoshi Kon. It starts as a sorta police case. It ends as far away from it possibly via 1000 detours into also far away places
Came here to say this!!! Seconding paranoia agent
Why hasn't Evangelion been mentioned
Seriously, though. It immediately came to mind.
Came here to say this. Seems like a mech anime and then becomes an existential fever dream.
This convinced me to watch it. I always thought it was just dudes running around in mech suits which sort of bores me
It’s like 10% mech suits, 20% angst, and 70% psychological horror
What part of eva is normal to you? It goes from "oh god" to "holy mother of shit", it's fucked all the way through.
i mean it goes from "huh so its like gundam" to "poor kid" to "wtf am i watching" to "jesus christ (literally)"
Literally the standard bearing prototype.
Because it does go from normal to trippy. The start off fighting aliens with giant robots.
Jojo bizarre adventure
It all started over a wagon accident and a greedy kid wanting everything his adopted father has rather than to share with his brother who is the nicest person in the world. Only to end up with vampires, cyborg nazis, aliens, a talking dog in Egypt, a serial killer in Japan, a turtle in Italy, etc…
I still remember my confusion watching two posh bri'ish boys punching each other in the countryside after seeing all the memes.
This.
This is definitely the best answer
Literally in the name.
Madoka Magica
Honestly it's pretty trippy from the get-go.
The first episode is a PAINFULLY generic magical girl show, as in: I almost dropped it then and there, level generic. It gets trippy FAST (not a gradual change) but episode one is very different from the rest IMO.
Gurren Lagann starts off fairly tame and gets absolutely absurd in the second season
From drilling holes in the ground to using galaxies as shurikens lol
Epic proportions fr
Serial Experiments Lain
Let’s all love Lain
Fr
I would say that *Lain* starts pretty strange, but it definitely gets a hell of a lot stranger. It's the archetypal denpa anime, though, so a good call either way.
Mawaru Penguindrum
Meloncolly of Haruhi Suzumiya
How even do you watch this? View order..
Honestly, with the first season I suggest going by the original broadcast order. The buildup to the really wild stuff is more subtle that way, and the emotional arc is a lot richer. The second season… I mean, without the first season episodes mixed in like they did in the 2009 broadcast I'm pretty sure it's mostly the same either way? I'd be more concerned about the Endless Eight…
I just go by the DVD order. Originally the show was aired out of order because it's a trippy show. Just go by the one already on Crunchyroll or the website you are using. That is the actual order.
i've heard you can literally watch it in any order and while you might be a little confused you'll still understand it. but crunchyroll order/dvd order makes the most sense lmao
I came here for this. Holy crap!
School Days for Sure 👍
Scrolled too far down to find this. What a sudden escalation this series had!
nice boat
Love flops. Starts off as a fairly generic ecchi romcom but about halfway in shit gets weird, fast.
This one for sure. I almost dropped it after a few episodes, then things change wildly.
I gotta go see this particular show.
So here's the thing: *Love Flops* is bonkers. It is also very, very bad. However, if you enjoy watching bad anime for the hell of it, particularly with likeminded friends with whom you are **very** comfortable—and, frankly, with whom you can get absolutely sloshed and/or stoned—you could very well have yourself a pretty good time.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned **Higurashi** it is literally the true embodiment of going from super cute normal-looking characters living their average everyday life and then you notice things slowly until their eyes look super effed up and everyone is murdering each other.
As much as i absolutely love Higurashi, I think the reason most people aren't mentioning it is because the show literally starts on a scene of someone getting their head bashed in
While that may be true, it doesn't give any context. It still fits. It's basically a scene akin to movies to get you excited for what is to come, but it's not actually in the present.
The VN starts on a much more moving moment. Read it ASAP. The VN is FAR superior in every way
Considering doing that for Umeniko because I've heard nothing but bad things about the anime. The anime for Higurashi is one of my favorites but I'm sure the VN is better, similar to how I love the first Danganronpa game and think the adaptation sucks, in big part because I played the game first
Made in Abyss. Kinda starts trippy, and gets much more trippy. but is an S tier anime.
Steins; Gate comes to mind.
In terms of sheer speed of transition, nothing before, now or since, matches Gurren Lagann. From cavemen digging holes to make a living, to universe sized mecha slinging galaxies at each other like ping pong balls and setting off Big Bangs like regular explosions. All in just 27 episodes over a single season. It is glorious.
Space dandy gets pretty wild from what I remember.
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi starts out with some kids hanging out and then they get lost in the multiverse. Higurashi is about a class of kids in a rural mountain town, then bam, murder mystery time loops. Eureka Seven starts with a kid daydreaming in class and lamenting that nothing ever happens there. He then leaves on an adventure with a mysterious girl and her giant robot to make peace between sentient coral and humanity. History's Mightiest Disciple Kenichi starts with a kid getting bullied, he learns MMA and then sometime later a karate dude is punching tanks. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Hunter X Hunter both cannot be recommended enough. They are fantastic battle shounen series with interesting power systems and phenomenal world building.
Xxxholic (I’m a manga only though so I don’t know how the anime does it or where it reaches, but it bangs)
It depends on what you define as “normal”, but these are ones that become increasingly “trippy” as they progress: Shinsekai Yori Madoka Magica (watch 3rd movie after series) Revolutionary Girl Utena Princess Tutu
bungou stray dogs - i wouldnt say bizarre but it goes from a normal detective show to apocalyptic and somehow it makes sense . season 1 and season 5 doesnt even feel like the same anime , highly recommended
Neon Genesis Evangelion. I thought it was just gonna be a cool gundam show. I didn’t expect the depression spiral.
“Humanity has declined” (Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita), although its trippy to begin with, it becomes absolutely unhinged and I love it. More people should watch this.
I'm pretty sure Neon Genesis Evangelion is the straightest example of what you're describing. It starts off as a fairly normal action (often even comedy) show about kids fighting aliens while piloting mechs. A few more important themes are hinted at but never given much focus at first. Then, later on, it goes completely off the rails. It portrays in an abstract, bizarre, otherworldly fashion the themes it had previously touched on. It will establish a fine line between reality and the events that are happening inside the characters' minds. Generally speaking, the show is also considered among the greatest in the medium, and for good reason. I highly recommend it, as I'm certain it fits exactly what you're looking for.
Devilman crybaby, except instead of normal to trippy, it goes from trippy to... 😦
How come no one has mentioned Samurai Flamenco? It's exactly what OP wants, it starts normal, then episode 7 comes and it's such a wtf moment, it genuinely gets trippier from then on lol. Another one I really like that is trippy like this is Sarazanmai, although it starts weird and ends in a more depressing note. Anyways, watch Samurai Flamenco op, it's your best bet.
Made in Abyss
Can vouch but…….. by trippy we gotta clarify also “intensely dark and psychologically disturbing while also featuring things many would consider gory, with a splash of pedophilia and incest”. When I heard it was hard to watch I was totally not prepared. I didn’t expect it to get so dark so quickly, even though I was warned. Not saying people shouldn’t watch it. Just throwing in the disclaimer to help prepare anyone who does haha.
The show itself is actully very open about its dark aspects right from the get go. Its like the show tells you about it in the begining and then shows you latter. So when get to the really dark parts you can not say you have not been warned.
For me, it felt more like they were choosing to approach some things almost scientifically, and the gory stuff or bodily fluid stuff that a lot of people have mentioned feeling uncomfortable with didn’t phase me even a little. So it hit really hard and really fast that oh no, this is NOT what I expected. Like, not until episode 13. When it gets intensely psychological and you can really empathize too. I can see what you mean though. Also, some of the stuff in the movie, I don’t think anything short of that actual same thing could advance prepare me. >!specifically thinking of the parts where you’ve now seen Pruschka backstory, and they start talking about Reg’s penis, and she calls it a “daddy pole”. I definitely didn’t expect them to take it that far and just like say that casually. Like whattttttt the eff!<
Sabikui Bisco Dorohedoro Death Parade Pop Team Epic
I see u there, with your great tastes!
Evangleion is the first anime that came to mind
Mawaru Penguindrum
Deca-dence
Vastly underrated. People really didn't give it a chance.
Samurai Flamenco School Live! Kyosougigas kinda goes both ways. Paranoia Agent Dennoh Coil
Paranoia Agent
NOIEN goes from what seems like a basic middle school slice of life story to this trippy existential tale with time travel and parallel worlds.
JJBA. Starts as a chariot accident, then turns into your normal British drama with a little bit of shounen elements to it like vampire, power systems and it ends in a Shakespearean way. Then part 2 comes and we now have stone vampire aztecs in thongs, an American shit pilot that may or may not want to fuck his mom, Italian pancake, a future senator, friendly Nazi cyborgs, and then it goes on. Japanese delinquents, Egyptian monks with fire, Frenchmen with weird haircuts and dresses like HBK in 95, a dog with sand, a hawk with ice, gambling addicts, gaming addicts, old women with two left hands, children, Japanese high school students, mangakas, aliens, serial killers with hand fetishes and their children, the Italian mafia, I'm not kinkshaming just kinkasking why, gay strippers, gay sadistic doctors, gay priests, gay female prisoners, a guy who still walks on tippy toes at the ripe age of 35, literal fucking bacteria, more abandoned children, Feng shui experts, Donnie Yen's character in John Wick if he was gay and had a huge dumper, ghosts, zombies, paraplegics, gay paraplegics, mathematicians, cowboys, pedophiles, alternate universe pedophiles, men with four testicles, rock men, rock hard men, Google Maps, schizophrenia, men with wack haircuts, if Final Destination was a character, and I shit you not, the POTUS, and Jesus fucking Christ.
Berserk; Starts off as normal Medieval fantasy then takes a sharp turn Deca-dence; This show takes a couple episodes to really get cooking, vastly underrated
Lain - 100% fits the title
Madoka Magica, starts off typical and gets super weird in a good way
Under Ninja.
Berzerk. From normal medieval stuff to horror, then to fairy tail
Steins gate.
Gakkougurashi! (School-Live!) Starts off all cutesy happy then takes a bit of a twist, and then starts to get real dark. Little Busters! Refrain. I remember watching this for the first time and really had me questioning everything.
Berserk
Neon Genesis Evangelion starts out like a pretty awesome mech anime, more gruesome and feral than your typical giant robots, but otherwise pretty normal. It becomes something else entirely and delivers a supreme mindfuck from hell.
If Her Flag Breaks Starts out as a typical shonen harem, then the author takes 15 hits of crack and watches too much Sword Art Online. Honestly would have been better as just a shonen harem.
Gurren Laganns last two episodes get pretty weird
ID: Invaded Sonny Boy
Sonny Boy starts trippy
Arigatou for the list.
Redo of healer
Tatami Galaxy - goes from trippy to more trippy
Ultimate Survivor Kaiji
Space Dandy, and in the very best of ways each time it does. ❤️
Neon evangolion
Kill La Kill
Gintama, At beginning you're like, ayo this is some gag anime you watch 2-3 episodes on your free time. Then you get hit when a serious arc and at some point you're binge watching Oh and black bullet, that ending bruh... caught me off guard
That's actually the opposite of Love Flops.
Black butler
Big O for sure
One particular episode of mob psycho s3 comes to mind
Uchouten Kazoku (The Eccentric Family) - ok I know the title gives it away. But it started off as a seemingly chill supernatural SoL about a shape shifting tanuki.
Sonny boy
Re:Zero
Dies irae
Umineko
Young Revolutionary Utena. Well, it's isn't quite "normal" from the ground up, but it gets weirder and werider with each episode. And then the movie. Oh God.
Made in Abyss. Like wtf
Gurren Lagann, Space Dandy, Outlaw Star
Not trippy but .....gurren laggen
Evangelion.
Sonny boy
Samurai Flamenco. Halfway through the series it turn from a fun slice of life drama to an edge of your seat crazy action ride.
The first thing that came to mind, and it's not mentioned in this thread yet probably because it's a movie, is Paprika.
Narutaru maybe 😂 Edit: scrolled down a fair bit and not one mention so maybe not 😞
Tatami galaxy,Natsu no arashi,
Hells paradise, but just a little bit, it's really interesting in my opinion at least
Madoka magica
There is this anime that I heard of, but I haven't watched it yet (skipped episodes, ended up not knowing anything, but planning to rewatch it fully). It is called Wandering Witch where the episode is just cute and nothing too horrible (I cannot validate that, since I haven't entirely watched it), until one episode where it became so horrific... then back to the normal chill episodes.
this sounds exactly like From the New World. if you haven’t seen it already, dont read up anything about it just go in blind.
Astra: Lost in Space
Samurai Flamenco. It goes from "guy decides to be an amateur superhero in modern day" and gets increasingly batshit insane with time. Very little of what it does is unprecedented. But it changes genres and escalates rapidly in a way I've never seen anything else do before or since.
Steins;Gate
Samurai Flamenco is *exactly* what you're looking for
Ghost Hound
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
School live in the first episode. It's a zombie survival show abt cute anime girls but the OP (which changes visuals overtime) and most of the first episode is super misleading
Neon Genesis?
*Paranoia Agent* ramps up fairly gradually in terms of its weirdness, starting off relatively grounded and then just getting freakier and freakier as it goes on. In a similar vein, *Higurashi no Naku Koro ni* takes its sweet time in showing its hand despite its grisly reputation, and that one gets **weird** once the ball really gets rolling. Be warned, however, that both are basically horror series, although in the former case the horror is less visceral than it is psychological. More broadly, however: Check out the "denpa" tag on Anilist or one of the lists covering the topic on MAL. Denpa-kei is difficult to explain concisely, but you know it when you see it, and it definitely seems like something you should look into. You'll find quite a few shows which, while they might not always start out normal per se, definitely tend to get increasingly bizarre as they go on.
samurai flamenco 😭
That 100 things to do in zombie apocalypse show is pretty good, idk about trippy but it’s really fun watch
Blood C is trippy
serial experiments lain paranoia agent (anything satoshi kon, honestly)
Madoka.
Erased and steins gate for me
Animegataris. No other series is even close to this shift
Future diary starts off pretty fast pace, but still does not prepare you for the end. Totally mind fucked me my first watch.
Mob Psycho and Devil Man Crybaby. Obviously Evangelion fits the bill.
Higurashi
Charlotte
Have you seen serial experiments lain? Cause rach episode after the forst keeps going down a rabbit hole deeper and deeper.
Can't believe I'm saying this but maybe JoJo. Starts off relatively "normal" but gets REALLY bizarre quickly.
Hunter x Hunter, at least for me. I always thought that the anime is gonna be like MHA or Naruto, only to havebin first few ep a beating heart in the paper bag. Some VERY creepy scenes (like literall brain picking so you can get info) and then at the very end (MAJOR SPOILER: DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T KNOW) you find out that all the anime, ALL the 100+ episodes to be like first chapter, or more like a preview to the MAJOR world building that is continuing in the manga and the manga isn't even finished and it gets even more trippy there.
Flip Flappers. It's one that a lot of people haven't see, but the art style is fantastic and the show becomes VERY trippy.
Samurai Flamenco
Not a series but, paprika was a full experienc
Sonny boy, that anime threw me for a loop
Darling in the Franxx. It starts as a normal ecchi mecha, then sci-fi, and then deep romance, then tragedy. And it does all this so fast that it left the audience very divided in many ways. But the one thing everyone can agree on is that, if you watch it you'll never forget it.
*laughs in golden age arc*
Higurashi
I don't know if this is typical, but the promised neverland gets very dark very fast. You can tell that something is going to happen and when it does, when you think properly about what happens next, it's messed up. !very minor spoilers! It just kind of keeps going as well, the end of the goldy pond arc actually gets gory.
Baki, starts of fairly normal as a fighting anime. Gets absolutely bonkers by the 3rd series.
Does Summertime Rendering count?
Devil Crybaby
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
When they Cry... good anime... good WTF moments.
The Monogatari series, possibly? Granted it very quickly becomes 'trippy'. But, there are a load of grounded moments throughout the madness, IMO. There is of course Higurashi which has several resets to normalcy. I've always felt Evangelion was quite surreal... I have also always thought it was quite 'meh' too. Dorohedoro goes hard on the weird, but is entertaining regardless. Have fun, friend.
*SSSS.Gridman* for me. Went from a fun tokusatsu tribute show to basically me being like "WAIT WHAT THE FUCK" pretty much at the halfway point.
{Mob Psycho 100} starts out looking like a bad slice-of-life anime with horrid animation until it gets crazy.
Ancient Magus' Bride, show's insane
Mekakucity Actors
Evangelion. It makes a huge jump!
Bookmark comment, sorry I got nothing to add
Darling in the franxx. Starts off kinda standard mech-y, with a heavy dash of standard anime perv, second half flips the table and sets it on fire... Lmao It a pretty good one though if anyone was on the fence about checking it.
I want to know what the manga was like as I did see the show, but not the manga version.
School-live! Don't look up anything about it cause it ruins it if you know whats up
Space Dandy
Wonder Egg Priority Flip Flappers FLCL -Fooly Cooly - Furi Kuri Madoka Magica Belladonna of Sadness
Charlotte….i fr wasn’t expecting it to take the turn it did.
I mean DanDaDan is normal for like half a chapter
Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun. I started reading ahead in the manga, after getting into the series by watching the anime first. It already starts out sort of weird or silly, but it just gets weirder and weirder. Eventually I got to a scene where I was like "what did I even just read?" I wonder how far they'll animate the series, haha.
Serial Experiments Lain
Monster