Chores can be a pain in the butt, right? Well what if you had a cool android maid that could clean your room, cook for you and even love you!? This seemingly impossible scenario befalls junior high school student Suguru Misato as he finds a powerful android named Mahoro one day. While Mahoro was once a combat android, she now has decided to fight dust and dirty things—like Suguru’s magazine collection—living with her new master. Time for romance, comedy and drama to ensue in Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden!

Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden might not be one of the most popular anime around, but we loved it personally. Fused with comedy, drama, romance and harem elements, Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden was just one of those shows you could enjoy because all the genres meshed so well. Lasting two seasons and having several OVA, Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden lasted quite a while. Combat maids and harem elements, doesn’t that just scream GAINAX? Trust us, we know you’re nodding your heads out there in agreement.

Makina Hoshimura once was just like any high school girl. That changed abruptly one day when Makina was killed by Shikabane and found herself being resurrected as a Shikabane Hime. If Makina wishes to die and go to Heaven, she will need to eliminate 108 other Shikabane with her new powers as a Shikabane Hime. Assisted by Keisei Tagami—a Buddhist priest—the two will find horror, death and pain in their quest for Heaven. However, Makina doesn’t yet know true drama until she runs into Ouri Tagami and a new fight begins…

GAINAX is one of those studios you know what to expect from. Any anime they create is going to be filled with insanity in some form or another. That’s what makes Shikabane Hime: Aka so awesome. This is a series—which is two seasons by the way—that from beginning to end just leaves you jaw dropped with high octane battles that never stop. Shikabane Hime: Aka might end on a ho-hum note, but the series was easily one of our favorites by GAINAX nonetheless. Need a hot looking anime girl who kicks some serious demon behind? Then go check out Shikabane Hime: Aka!

What exists beyond the far reaches of space? Are there aliens in space or mystical powers? Maybe even magical girls!? What if…all those things exist in space and one young girl is about to discover that reality for herself. Enter Subaru, a young girl who is about to become a magical girl and go on a journey that will change her life forever.

When it comes to GAINAX, we’re quite use to their love of strange storytelling and odd settings. Perfect example comes in the form of Houkago no Pleiades. Originally starting off as a 4-episode OVA, Houkago no Pleiades evolved like the magical girls it has within and became a 12-episode series that aired back in 2015. Weird, silly and magical in every sense of the word, Houkago no Pleiades was easily one of the more random series made from GAINAX but in an enjoyable way. If you somehow missed Houkago no Pleiades and need more magical girls in your life—who doesn’t—then go and watch this fun 12-episode series.

In the 20th century, mankind found themselves engulfed in a war with monsters. Years pass and the monster rule the world all while hiding themselves from the view of man. Meanwhile, a young boy named Bokka wonders what happened to powerful heroes called the Meros Warriors who once stood up to the evil monsters and fought against them. Then as if destiny heard his thoughts, Bokka runs into a Kurofune who teaches the young man what he desires and leads him to discover his fate. Bokka will soon search for the Melody of Oblivion as one of the few who can hear her music and possibly lead to the power needed to defeat the monsters once and for all.

Boukyaku no Senritsu is an early 2000s anime series that seems to have been forgotten in recent times. We loved how GAINAX infused Boukyaku no Senritsu with tons of cool action and a truly interesting plot. Boukyaku no Senritsu also isn’t afraid to throw in some intriguing themes that keep the narrative from ever getting stale. Love GAINAX and its surreal way of taking the normal fantasy genre and making it something else entirely? Then we fully recommend Boukyaku no Senritsu as it’s a solid classic anime series.

Hugh Anthony Disward—better known as Huey to most—a young pilot who flew in World War I has just received word that his grandfather has passed away. In the letter, Huey obtained a strange key and was told that he must maintain his inheritance called the Biblotheca Mystica de Dantalian. Traveling to his late grandfather’s estate, Huey learns something very intriguing about his so called “inheritance”. Instead of it being a physical library, the inheritance is actually a young girl named Dalian. This young lady tells Huey that the world has powerful books called Phantom Books and they must be kept under control. However, with some unruly people having somehow obtained these Phantom Books, Huey must join Dalian in sealing the books away to prevent the world from falling into chaos.

Ever wonder how a series about books could be interesting? You aren’t alone in that thought. We remember hearing about Dantalian no Shoka and thinking, what could make this series so good? Then, we watched Dantalian no Shoka and realized if a series about mystical books could be good, it had to be done by GAINAX of all studios. Dantalian no Shoka isn’t a well-known series and we hope our Top 10 Anime Made by GAINAX article changes that. GAINAX, we applaud you for making seemingly the oddest tales into wickedly amazing anime.

Takeru Takemoto ad Ryou Ninomiya are two ordinary young men who go to school and work for Takeru’s grandad as delivery boys. Yet, their ordinary lives end when one night, they notice a strange light emanating from the woods. When Takeru and Ryou go to investigate, they are attacked by a strange being not from this Earth! Takeru then, without warning, transforms into a beast-like being and repels the attacker with relative ease. Though, this isn’t the last strange thing to occur that night…a young woman appears from the light and she is just a harbinger of the strange things that will befall these two men as they watch their lives go from normal to chaotic in one fell swoop.

Personally, we think that as good as the recent years of anime are, the early 2000s had some truly amazing hidden gems. One of these lesser known series is Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai. Like most of GAINAX’s series, Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai pushed the action genre to the limits with brilliant fight scenes and an unique story of extraterrestrial themes. If we had one complaint about Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai it would be this; Why couldn’t Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai be just a bit longer in terms of episode count!?

The words lust and sex don’t typically fit into how people would describe angelic beings. Yet, for two angels named Panty and Stocking these words are just a few of the reasons they found themselves kicked out of Heaven. Now in the doomed Daten City, the two angels must rely on Garterbelt as he arms them with the ability to use their lingerie as weapons. With these sexual powers, Panty and Stocking must kill “Ghosts” to obtain Heaven Coins and buy their way back home. The road back to the pearly gates is long and arduous. However, Panty and Stocking with their weird love for sinful things might just make that road ten times longer…

There’s an old saying in the world of different media. The title of a show can sometimes make or break a series. If that were true, then can that explain the success of Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt? This strange series that lasted 13 episodes, has a title that literally describes women’s undergarments. Yet, despite that strange name, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is an incredible action show with an awesome animation style and funny mature humor. If you’re one of the few who hasn’t tried out Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt then you need to fix that as even 8 years later, we still rewatch this series from time to time. That’s how good Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is.

Naota Nandaba is bored and finds his smog filled town boring just like him. The most excitement Naota finds is hanging out with a school dropout named Mamimi Samejima as he loves her despite Mamimi once loving his awesome brother. One night, when Naota is walking with Mamimi across a bridge, he finds himself coming face to face with a Vespa driving girl who immediately slams into him with an electric guitar. Naota then finds himself with a strange lump on his forehead that soon unleashes a weird creature and a robot! Naota might have hated his boring life but maybe it was better than the inanity he soon will face thanks to this strange girl from beyond the stars…

GAINAX might be known for some pretty amazing series, but easily one of their best—and most bizarre—is FLCL. At only 6 episodes long, you would think a series this short wouldn’t wow you or be something you’d talk about nearly two decades later. FLCL, however, breaks those norms to deliver easily one of the coolest anime series ever made! Go and watch FLCL as soon as you can because two new seasons are soon to air and now is the time to catch up. Trust us, 6 episodes isn’t a lot to binge and we’ve done it multiple times with FLCL.

Humanity once stood proud on the surface of the earth as leaders of the land. However, when a powerful being known as the Spiral King Lordgenome appeared, humanity was sent to forever live underground and struggle to survive. Underground, humans deal with constant earthquakes and rely on diggers to shovel out pathways to expand homes and keep those who live in the underground villages alive and safe. Simon is one of these diggers who, despite his efforts, is treated poorly by all but one man, Kamina. Told to never give up and to push to his limits, Simon uncovers a strange drill-like key and finds a mecha which leads him to a life altering event that could shatter the very rules of the world.

Do you consider yourself a mecha fan? If you do, then you most certainly have watched and heard of one of the most iconic anime series ever made, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. This 27-episode series is action packed, romance driven, sci-fi oriented and pure entertainment all the way through. There’s a reason why for some, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is the best anime series ever crafted. Amazing animation, wonderful characters and mecha themes never done before. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a series folks that we recommend to everyone and will always be one of our favorite anime of all time.

Shinji Ikari lives in a world where humanity is on the cusp of being extinct. After an event in 2015 called the Second Impact, humanity has struggled to survive against gigantic beings known as Angels. Shinji has recently found himself being summoned by his father to the facility known as NERV where he is asked to become a pilot of humanity’s last defense against the Angels, Eva Units. Despite reluctance, Shinji enters Eva Unit 01 and must defend his new home despite the hatred he has for the machines, his father and his own cowardice. Can Shinji defend the last stronghold for humanity?

At number one on our list of the Top 10 Anime Made by GAINAX, we have the legendary Neon Genesis Evangelion series. In many ways, Neon Genesis Evangelion set the foundation of what mecha anime series could do when they stepped away from the traditional formula other series had. Filled with human drama and psychological themes—as well as tons of robot action—Neon Genesis Evangelion is a deeply complex series that even today has mysteries still being unearthed by fans and theorists. Shinji might be considered one of the most annoying characters in all of anime, but the narrative around him is what matters most and that is what is amazing about Neon Genesis Evangelion. Even if you’ve seen the more recent films/reboots, we urge you all to check out Neon Genesis Evangelion. In many ways, this is the series that put GAINAX on the spotlight and will always be considered one of their best accomplishments.