I absolutely adore the sunlight in Frieren and its medieval-inspired fantasy color palette, so I’m eager to experience something like that again. Are there any other anime with beautiful artwork that could move me? (Since I’m using DeepL, the English might sound unnatural…)
A lot of the plot takes place underground, but Dungeon Meshi certainly has that same medieval vibe. And the indoor setting is used to great effect for both cozy and claustrophopic moments.
It does feature some more colorful locations, because the magic of the Dungeon can make some levels feel like the surface.
Too much more than that would spoil some things.
See if you like the vibe of the first opening. It features several locations (with the charachters as giants in them).
I thought it would be a dark anime since it’s set in a dungeon. But after watching the opening, there were bright outdoor scenes too, so it was closer to what I imagined! Thanks!
At times it is. The story has both bright and dark parts, both visually and tonally.
It depends on the level they are on, and there is also a kind of B plot that happens above ground.
That really piqued my interest! I’ll check it out on Netflix.
If you like it, you can join us over on !dungeonmeshi@ani.social.
If you’re like me, you might enjoy reading the comment threads for each episode as you watch them. Each episode got a good bit of discussion when they aired.
I also posted a bunch of extras pages from the manga that didn’t get an equivalent in the anime. You can find these by searching “Monster Tidbits”.
Thank you so much for your kind invitation! That sounds really interesting—I’d love to join! (Everyone’s illustrations are so cute!)
I never imagined so many people would recommend such amazing anime to me—thank you so much! I’m Japanese and not very good at English, so I’m using DeepL here. Please excuse any unnatural English that might result.
日本語は得意じゃないけど、ちょっと分かるから頑張ってみようと思います。
なるほど、DeepLでしたね。いまさっきRemedultさんの他のコメントを読んでいるうちに、これはAIかなと思っていました。
もう一つのアニメをすすめたいけど、「京騒戯画」と呼ばれています。どれよりも僕の気に入ったアニメなんで何回みても、色がめっちゃすぶらしい〜！と思えざるをえないんです。全くフリーレンと違っているけど、ほんの少しでもお気になったらぜひ見てください。
Your Japanese is amazing! I looked up 京騒戯画—it’s an anime with distinctive colors and artwork. Sounds interesting, I’ll give it a watch! おかしな英語でごめんなさい、僕のために日本語で教えてくれてありがとうございます！
Ruri Rocks.
I’ve actually seen this a few times at bookstores. The background art is truly beautiful!
Ruri Rocks… rocks.
None of these are the same genre, but for “beautiful depictions of light and color” I don’t think KyoAni can be beat, first one of theirs that comes to mind is Hibike Euphonium. Violet Evergarden would probably be the closest to Frieren.
Some off the top of my head other than KyoAni: Shoshimin Series, Yofukashi no Uta. These are decidedly darker color palettes though.
This one is “muddier”, but if you like Frieren, maybe Mushishi is worth a shot.
Violet Evergarden was the first thing that came to my mind, but I don’t have a strong enough recollection of the art detail to recommend it on my own. I’m glad someone with a better memory was able to give it its due.
Hibike Euphonium. Violet Evergarden
I can second both of these.
I didn’t recommend them earlier because I remember them best not for beautiful scenery, but for peak animation and story. However, I won’t be surprised if they are extremely good-looking when it comes to background art too.
Thanks so much for telling me all about it! From what little I’ve seen, Violet Evergarden looks absolutely beautiful. I actually picked up Mushishi at a bookstore once, but since I didn’t know what it was about, I ended up passing on it. It definitely is an anime that piques my interest!
Little Witch Academia immediately comes to mind when I hear the word colorful.
This artwork is adorable, colorful, and sophisticated! Thanks for telling me!
I wasn’t a huge fan of the story, but Garden of Words is worth watching just for the scenery art.
Shinkai’s work is truly beautiful! Thank you!
Completely different Genre, but Dusk Maiden of Amnesia has beautiful artwork and a very moving story
The lighting is great, of course, but the way the shadows are drawn is what really makes this piece stand out. The shading is unique and really cool. Thanks!
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Kimi No Na Wa
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Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso
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Mahoutsukai No Yome
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Sora Yori Mo Tooi Basho
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Tanaka-kun Wa Itsumo Kedaruge
Igirisu kara konnichiwa!
Thanks for taking the trouble to introduce five of them in Japanese! The lighting effects in Mahoutsukai No Yome (The Ancient Magus’ Bride) are hard to put into words, but they’re close to what I imagined and really great. Also, personally, I was really drawn to the atmosphere of Tanaka-kun Wa Itsumo Kedaruge (Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless). I’ll definitely watch it! ありがとうございます！（Arigatou gozaimasu!）
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One anime that I’ve watched very recently, and that I can recommend for its beauty, is Dragonite and the Postman (Youtube link). It is only 12 minutes long, so it is very easy to pick up.
Example screenshot:
Also, can’t go wrong with Your Name and the likes.
I hadn’t even considered Pokémon-related things. It really is beautiful! Thank you!
Anything by director Naoko Yamada is amazing.
Apothecary Diaries has gorgeous looking moments too.
I watched the first season of this anime! This artist’s work really does have an amazing art style. Thanks!
Violet Evergarden.
It is absolutely lovely both in terms of animation and story.
After looking into it, I found out the theme is love and emotions, which made me even more interested!
to say it’s absolutely amazing! And I’d totally written off Abyss as just another dark anime set in the depths—turns out I was wrong. As for Miyazaki’s work, I’ve seen plenty of Ghibli films, so I get it—his handling of light is incredible, like I felt watching Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. I didn’t know he made anime too, but I’ll check them out. Thanks!
Future Boy Conan is from my favorite era of Miyazaki’s work. You’ll see ideas that he would later use in Lupin III: Cagliostro’s Castle and Nausicaa
Wandering Witch
Bocchi the WitchSilent Witch (but go ahead, try Bocchi the Rock too)Once Upon a Witch’s Death
Akebi’s Sailor Uniform
The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
Tsurune S2
Vinland Saga
Violet Evergarden
Black Clover
To Your Eternity
Kino no Tabi
Thank you so much for showing me all of these! Each piece is close to what I imagined, but the top three are especially beautiful! Thank you so, so much!
I really enjoyed Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.
It’s similar in emotional tone to Frieren; there is a long-lived person who is remembering those she lost while finding small joys in the present.
I’ve only read the manga but the stills I’ve seen of the anime do match my expectations.
Judging by the vibe of the scooters and such, it’s got a retro and stylish feel! I hadn’t considered older works, but it seems like there are still plenty of great ones out there. Thanks!
