The 2020s have been a phenomenal decade for anime so far, with series like Chainsaw Man and Frieren becoming instant classics. However, for every hugely popular anime like The Apothecary Diaries, there’s a series that flew under the radar despite its critical acclaim, like Sonny Boy.
Some of the best 2020s anime series don’t get the love they deserve, and they’re worth revisiting before the decade ends. Anime like MF Ghost may not be fan-favorites, but that doesn’t mean these series aren’t masterpieces.
The Tatami Time Machine Blues Tries to Change the Past
The Tatami Time Machine Blues is a spin-off of The Tatami Galaxy, one of the best anime of the 2020s. However, The Tatami Time Machine Blues is completely accessible to anyone experiencing this universe for the first time. Much like its predecessor, the series is deeply interested in both the freedom and paralyzing insecurity that accompany a future full of opportunities.
Exploring questions about the future and their identities, The Tatami Time Machine Blues engages in fantastical time travel triggered by a broken air conditioner remote on an intensely hot day. With only six episodes, The Tatami Time Machine Blues doesn’t overstay its welcome or get lost in unnecessary details. Each episode is a beautiful meditation on agency, responsibility, and confidence.
MF Ghost Is One of the Best Sports Anime of the 2020s
Initial D is still regarded as anime’s essential racing series, and yet many of its fans don’t even know that it has a perfect legacy sequel that arrived at the end of 2023. MF Ghost still features drift racing, but it’s set in the future during a time when combustion engine cars have been replaced with self-driving electric vehicles.
However, a street racing organization forms that returns to combustion engine basics, while showing off an impressive range of Japanese and European vehicles. MF Ghost‘s protagonist, Kanata, has been trained by Initial D‘s Takumi, and the sequel series excels in using legacy characters and world-building.
MF Ghost remains a touching underdog story, but there’s also a palpable human element as Kanata is even more interested in finding his father than being a world champion. MF Ghost struggled to stand out in a decade that’s been packed with flashier series, but it hits every mark. MF Ghost‘s three seasons continually raise the stakes and build upon what’s already a strong, entertaining foundation. A fourth and final season has already been confirmed, which should end the racing anime on the best note possible.
The Heike Story Is a Stunning Anime Inspired By Real History
The Heike Story is an 11-episode historical drama from 2021 that chronicles the rise and fall of the Taira clan during the 13th-century. This crushing conflict is experienced through the eyes of a young girl, Biwa, who becomes a crucial figure thanks to her prophetic visions and supernatural sight.
Although The Heike Story is rich in death and destruction, these tragedies are sanitized through Science SARU’s beautiful visuals that mimic traditional Japanese paintings. It makes sure to emphasize the painful emotions that surround the Taira’s conflict, rather than choosing to celebrate the violence. Its challenging narrative is steeped in history, patiently taking its time.
Deca-Dence Is a Monster-Slaying Anime That Feels Surprisingly Timely
Deca-Dence is only 12 episodes, but it hits the ground running with game-changing twists. The anime’s first episode suggests it will be a post-apocalyptic crusade against monsters, akin to Attack on Titan. However, the second episode reveals that the Solid Quake corporation’s stranglehold on society and their insistence on cyborgs and subservience is the real threat.
This anime has so much to say about capitalism and free will, all wrapped together in an existential package. Deca-Dence‘s world can feel suffocating, but the relationship between the cynical Kaburagi and optimistically naive Natsume makes sure that this mission to burn the world down still has plenty of heart.
Deca-Dence should be mandatory viewing for action anime fans, and it’s a series that’s only become considerably more relevant since its release, particularly in terms of corporations making bids to take over society, a push towards artificial intelligence over humans, and a general apathy toward the ways of the past.
Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story Transforms the Sport
Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story appeals to both sports and shonen fans alike. Rather than opt for grounded realism, Birdie Wing applies a heightened battle shonen approach to golf matches that transforms them into incredible displays of power. The anime’s campy, exaggerated tone easily makes it one of the most memorable golf anime, let alone a rare case in which female characters are the athletic leads.
There’s immediate chemistry between Eve and Aoi, both as rivals and friends. Birdie Wing also has a well-handled “yuri” element to the storytelling that never feels manipulative. Birdie Wing takes advantage of the fact that it’s an original anime not beholden to any manga source material, but its originality may be why it’s flown under the radar despite its quality.
Sonny Boy Is an Isekai Anime Hidden Gem
Sonny Boy, an original anime by Shingo Natsume and Madhouse, was one of the most celebrated series to come out in 2021. It combines isekai, science fiction, and death game survival elements with a suspenseful story that plays out like a more fantastical version of Lord of the Flies.
A few dozen middle school students find themselves taken to an alternate dimension, which has also rewarded some of them with superpowers. Sonny Boy becomes a mission for these displaced children to make sense of the mysterious “This World” and return home. That being said, Sonny Boy is more about the psychological fallout of these individuals as they reckon with intense intimate feelings exacerbated by this cryptic purgatory.
Sonny Boy also stands out through its unconventional storytelling, which isn’t exactly non-linear, but intentionally obfuscates some of the bigger plot points in favor of looking at how the children process these changes. It’s a coming-of-age story that consistently tests its audience, all while building toward a powerful finale about what it means to truly be alive.
Undead Girl Murder Farce Mixes Gothic Horror With Supernatural Mystery
Undead Girl Murder Farce aired a single season of 13 episodes in 2023, where a trio of intrepid detectives help solve supernatural mysteries in an alternate version of 19th-century Europe. What helps set Undead Girl Murder Farce apart from the many other supernatural detective series is that its deductive mastermind is a severed head transported around in a birdcage.
Aya is determined to recover her body, but this journey exposes her and her team to many other macabre mysteries along the way. An anime with a title like Undead Girl Murder Farce gives the impression that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but this shouldn’t be misconstrued as reckless storytelling.
All the mysteries are smart, succinct, and full of genre-bending surprises. It’s also the only detective anime that features characters like Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper, and Count Dracula.