It's no secret that Japanese animation can go to some pretty weird places… but just
how strange does it really get?
From experimental short films to psychedelic roller coasters, here's a look at some of
the most bizarre Japanese anime ever made.
Paprika
Based on the 1993 novel of the same name, 2006's Paprika centers around Doctor Atsuko
Chiba, a research psychologist who begins testing a groundbreaking new psychotherapy
tool that allows users to enter people's subconscious minds to get glimpses at their dreams and
rewire their personalities.
When the tech is hijacked, things go haywire.
We're talking building-leaping, skin-peeling, body-morphing crazy, in a surreal setting
filled with larger-than-life creatures, half-human hybrids, and walking refrigerators.
It's a cautionary tale about meddling with the minds of mankind, told through a deeply
bizarre, nightmarish lens that erases the line between real life and pretend.
Critics have called Paprika an "eye-opening mind trip" not meant to be understood, a film
that rarely makes sense for all its unsettling elements.
Cat Soup
Cross anthropomorphic kittens and a creepy sort-of coming-of-age tale, and you've got
Cat Soup.
Inspired by the works of manga artist Nekojiru and directed by Tatsuo Satō, this bite-sized
anime from 2001 follows the relationship between two tiny, intelligent cats — Nyāko, who
is extremely ill, and Nyatta, who's rendered clinically deceased after a tragic accident.
Not willing to give up on his dying sister, Nyatta embarks on an engrossing, grotesque
voyage to rescue Nyāko's soul from a Buddha-like figure.
The pair swap bodies, split souls, shove their hands inside a giant pig, and take part in
a Noah's Ark scenario in their spirit-searching journey.
Think of it like Hello Kitty mixed with Salvador Dali… which is to say that it's very, very
strange.
Interstella 5555
If the full name of this anime alone didn't tip you off that this is something else, what
goes down in Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem will boggle your brain.
Directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi, known for his work on Dragon Ball, this anime can best
be billed as a Daft Punk Fantasia.
It has no dialogue, just retro-inspired visuals done by Toei Animation, set to an electro-punk
soundtrack.
While Interstella 5555 is essentially a music video accompaniment to Daft Punk's 2001 album
Discovery, it actually tells the pretty strange story of a rag-tag band of alien musicians
who get abducted and shipped off to Earth to play for legions of adoring fans — but
there's a catch.
Skin-altering procedures, species exploitation, and a rogue pilot who will go to the end of
the universe to save the band's female member await you in Interstella 5555, the anime that
plays out like a techno-driven fever dream you won't ever forget.
GYO: Tokyo Fish Attack
The title of 2012's Tokyo Fish Attack pretty much explains it all: fish rise from the sea
on shiny metal legs to terrorize the city of Tokyo.
As the film runs on, waves of increasingly dangerous sea creatures come crashing to the
shore.
Prepare for incredibly cheesy romance scenes, spooky circus people, power-hungry mad scientists,
mutants with bathroom-based powers, and a squid that may make you never want to eat
seafood again.
GYO: Tokyo Fish Attack, which is based on a horror manga series, has its fair share
of gory moments, but the violence doesn't seem too serious when you remember that the
bad guys are walking fish.
Mind Game
The weird work of writer and director Masaaki Yuasa, Mind Game is the story of Nishi, a
young man who dreams of one day becoming a comic book artist and winning the heart of
his childhood crush.
After the two have a brush with the Japanese mafia, Nishi gets trapped in a spiritual limbo.
Filled to the top with mind-bending existential themes and unusual animation, Mind Game soars
through Nishi's wild journey back to the living world on a road marked with giant whales,
caricatured villains, and neon car chases, which is as cool as it is bizarre.
Dead Leaves
This 2004 sci-fi anime tells the tale of two unlikely rebels, Retro and Pandy, who are
shipped off to prison after committing an insane string of crimes.
While locked up, the pair meet some out-there characters, and have their patience put to
the test.
The story only gets weirder as the plot unwinds.
Without spoiling the madcap twist, Retro and Pandy's post-prison adventures see them encountering
an oversized demon caterpillar and a mutant baby, crash-landing onto a dystopian Earth,
and possibly breaking the space-time continuum.
How's that for bizarre?
Tekkonkinkreet
The title of Tekkonkinkreet translates from Japanese to English as "reinforced concrete,"
and that concept holds true to the central vision and underlying moral tale of this anime.
An adaptation of a manga series, this film surrounds penniless orphan brothers Kuro and
Shiro in sights and sounds that dizzy and dazzle the viewer.
The pair rob their way through Treasure Town without much trouble — until the Yakuza
enter the scene.
Upon the arrival of the notorious Japanese gang, Tekkonkinkreet devolves into a disturbing,
hypnotic string of scenes that flip-flop between true crimes and the trippy world of Shiro's
mind.
As with a few other films here, Tekkonkinkreet will move you, but not before shaking you
to your core with its unsettling strangeness.
Angel's Egg
Released in 1985, Angel's Egg tells the story of a young girl who lives alone in a lair
in an abandoned city, where she serves as the sole protector of an enormous egg that
apparently holds great value.
After a mysterious boy joins her, the two witness several mystical happenings involving
orbs, goddesses, and angels, and chat briefly about philosophy and theology.
Though the film clocks in at around 80 minutes, not much of its runtime is comprised of actual
dialogue.
Instead, the avant-garde anime leans on a wispy plot and heavy, abnormal visuals, doubling
down in the final "act" to reveal a cryptic half-resolution.
So...y'know...don't forget the popcorn!
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