Naota Nandaba’s ordinary life becomes anything but ordinary when Haruko Haruhara, a mysterious girl wielding a guitar as a weapon, runs him over with her Vespa. Up to that point, Naota had nothing much to do besides looking after his brother’s bed and Mamimi Samejima, his brother’s girlfriend, after he left Japan to go play baseball in America. Ever since then, Mamimi has been clinging inappropriately to Naota and has remained a handful all on her own. After his fateful run-in with Haruko, a horn appears on his forehead and transforms into a robot, from there on out it’s clear that Naota’s life will never return to its original mundanity and that Mamimi will be the least of his worries.

This short OVA has long divided its viewers due to its unusual story and art. The narrative isn’t clear, and the story is zany and insane, while the art style can get outlandish and experimental. There’s quite a bit of slapstick humor on top of a ton of symbolism and imagery to dig through in FLCL. Even if you’ve watched it once, you’re bound to discover something else with each subsequent viewing. One thing’s for sure, you aren’t likely to ever find something like FLCL again, that is until you check out its recent sequels.

Chagum, the second son of the emperor of Shin Yogo, has been possessed by an evil water spirit, and now the emperor wants him dead. One of the assassination attempts on the prince is foiled by a wandering bodyguard called Balsa Yonsa. After she’s protected the lives of seven other people, Balsa has only one more life to protect to redeem herself from her past. Chagum’s mother hires Balsa to protect the prince from the emperor’s assassins while the people of the court enter a conflict over the fate of the spirit and the emperor’s decision to kill Chagum.

Moribito’s premise guarantees two things: some incredible fights and deep questions on morality. Thanks to Balsa’s refusal to kill, we get some especially creatively and beautifully animated fights between her and the many assassins out to get Chagum. Furthermore, thanks to the complex situation the court is involved in between killing the prince or possibly risking a drought, the show deals with a lot of questions on the greater good. Production I.G delivers with this fantasy series and provides us with one of the most badass women in all of anime.

NERV, a paramilitary organization responsible for the deployment of Evangelions, has finally killed the last Angel, a race of supernatural beings. Unfortunately, NERV still has to fend off the secret organization called SEELE, but their defeat seems all but certain under the weight of a fatal attack. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion provides an alternate take on the last two episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion, answering many of the questions the polarizing final episodes left behind.

The End of Evangelion is presented as two 45-minute episodes intended to make up for what fans perceived as the original TV series’ incomplete ending. This film provides many of the highs from the original series by combining intensely emotional and psychological narratives with Neon Genesis Evangelion’s typically great mecha fights. Widely regarded as a classic, Neon Genesis Evangelion’s only blemish was its ending, and The End of Evangelion helped remove that blemish and elevate it to a masterpiece.

In a distant future where cybernetic implants are widely used, a hacker called “The Puppetmaster” has been taking over people’s bodies and implanting false memories to manipulate them into committing crimes. Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg working as the leader of Public Security Section 9, is tasked with hunting down “The Puppetmaster” and bringing him to justice. Of course, things are never as they seem and the nature of “The Puppetmaster” will lead Motoko to important questions about her own identity.

Frequent Production I.G collaborator Mamoru Oshii brought to life the Ghost in the Shell manga with an adaptation that would go on to influence anime and cinema for years to come. Ghost in the Shell provides viewers with incredible animation but isn’t ever afraid to take a step back and give viewers a moment to simply ponder its world and enter a philosophical discussion about the nature of identity. Somehow, with each passing year and the evolution of technology, Ghost in the Shell manages to become increasingly more relevant to our current society and worthy of a rewatch.

Erin’s mother Soyon is a beastinarian who takes cares of the Touda, a race of war-lizards used by the Grand Duke Taikou to defend the kingdom. Misfortune befalls Taikou’s greatest and favorite Touda under the care of Soyon, and she is sentenced to death by being eaten by the Touda. Erin’s desperate attempt to save her mother gets her swept in a river towards a neighboring province called Shin-Ou. Now stranded from everything she’s ever known, Erin will need to learn to adapt to her new environment with only the lessons her mother taught her remaining from her past life.

Nahoko Uehashi is fortunate enough to have not only one successful adaption of her work in Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit but two with Erin. This adaption features much of what made Moribito great, a strong female protagonist, an interesting fantasy world, and Production I.G’s great visual storytelling. Thanks to being based on a fantasy novel and given 50 episodes to explore the world and characters, Erin provides even more depth and complexity to its world than Moribito did and will satisfy any fantasy fan’s cravings.

Eijun Sawamura’s middle school baseball career may not have been successful, but he still had a lot of fun with his teammates. They make plans to do better when they reach high school, but Eijun is scouted by an elite private high school to join their baseball team thanks to his unique pitching style. With encouragement from his old teammates, Eijun sets out to join Seidou High School and become the team’s ace. It won’t be an easy ride, three more first string pitchers each have the title of ace in mind as well, and none of them will relent on their goals.

A disappointing middle school career, a unique skill that makes up for average abilities, a rival at every corner, and an unmatched desire to be the best? Ace of Diamond fills out the entire sports shounen checklist and does it well. Production I.G has mastered the art of sports anime, and Ace of Diamond joins fellow Production I.G successes like Kuroko’s Basketball and Haikyuu!! in being perfect hits. Ace of Diamond is just another example of why Production I.G is the prime destination for sports shounen.

Tatara Fujita is an introverted middle school student without any hobby or activity he’s particularly good at. One day, when bullies extort him from money, he’s saved by a competitive ballroom dancer called Kaname Sengoku. He’s convinced to take a few classes at Sengoku’s dance studio and after being enamored with classmate Kiyoharu Hyoudou’s dancing displays, decides to pursue a competitive career, and uncover his own passion for ballroom dancing.

Welcome to the Ballroom should be considered a crowning achievement for Production I.G. They outdo themselves by turning ballroom dancing into the most intense sport you’ll ever find, and possibly even convincing you to try it out yourself. Welcome to the Ballroom is an incredibly gorgeous anime, and you’ll have a hard time resisting cheering for Tatara when he’s discovering his own passion in life and overcoming the trials that inevitably come his way. You might want to dismiss Welcome to the Ballroom for the sport, but trust us, this is one of the best shounen you’ll find.

Kimihiro Watanuki is haunted by spirits and supernatural beings that only he can see, and he’s desperate to get rid of this ability. One day, while running away from spirits, he ends up in the shop of Yuuko Ichihara, a witch. Yuuko makes a deal with Kimihiro, she will get rid of his ability to see spirits and be hunted by them, and in exchange, Kimihiro will work at her shop where she grants wishes.

Unlike everything that came before on this list, xxxHOLiC isn’t action heavy but it certainly borrows from a few others in taking a psychological bend and being willing to ask the hard questions. xxxHOLiC is an episodic series typically dealing with a new customer coming in to have a wish fulfilled and Kimihiro having to do the job itself, and despite the lack of obvious long-term narrative, xxxHOLiC’s customer of the week structure can be addicting. If you’re looking to step away from all the action and want a series that will get you thinking like Ghost in the Shell and Neon Genesis Evangelion did, xxxHOLiC will do that for you.

The remnants of humanity live behind giant walls meant to fend off the monstrous creatures called Titan that feed off them out of sheer pleasure. A century of relative peace and quiet is brought to an end when a Colossal Titan appears out of nowhere and destroys a part of the wall to allow other Titans inside. Eren Yeager is one of many to suffer tragedy because of the assault; however, alongside his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman and their childhood friend Armin Arlert, he’ll enlist to join the Survey Corps, a military unit that wanders beyond the walls, so he can fulfill his goal of killing every last Titan.

Attack on Titan is a darker take on the shounen genre, and perhaps because of that, it has become a huge hit for Production I.G. It stands out from the very first episode because of the lingering threat in every scene that something might go wrong, and someone might die. Besides being a very intense series, watching Attack on Titan’s humans burst across the sky while swinging from high buildings and tall trees to slay Titan provides some of the most satisfying and beautifully animated scenes you’ll find in anime.

Daikichi Kawachi’s grandfather just recently passed away, and his last gift to his family is an illegitimate child called Rin Kaga. Unfortunately, during the funeral, it becomes clear that no one in the family wants Rin, so Daikichi, employed but aimless in life, decides to take Rin in. He’s never raised a child before, and this will disrupt his otherwise mundane life, but Daikichi will grow more than ever before now that he’s entering fatherhood.

Bunny Drop is a heartwarming slice-of-life that stands in stark contrast to everything else on this list. It still measures up artistically to Production I.G’s standard but it does away with the action, intensity, and the psychological and philosophical questions for a simple, warm tale about a father and his adopted daughter learning to navigate the world together. Bunny Drop may not have you sitting at the edge of your seat but it offers a tight story at only 11 episodes, with well-written characters and a story you won’t be able to resist smiling at.