The psychological thriller is a new niche for the current generation, and these Japanese animes have taken horror to the next level. These animes not only speak your wits but mess with the psychology of a person and often tend to trigger emotional trauma. The narrative and the artwork define horror anime which can make anyone’s blood run cold. It is better to leave your lights on through this mysterious journey across the best-curated list of psychological thriller animes.
1. Shōjo Tsubaki (1992)
Midori is a 12-year-old girl whose life has changed by the sudden death of her mother. With the abrupt departure of her father, she has nowhere to go. After being forced into the circus, all her worst nightmares come true. The artwork in this film is so grotesque that got it banned in almost all countries, including Japan. Suehiro Maruo, the illustrator, had to put five years of his life and all his life savings into this anime, as no publication house would invest in such a riveting piece. Viewers are to watch at their discretion.
2. Pet Shop Of Horrors (1999)
A strange pet shop in the streets of Chinatown is the source of all the mysterious deaths in the town. The owner, Count D, provides a contract to the customer at every purchase of the rare pets in his store. Things turn bloody and gruesome at a contract breach by the customer as the true monster unleashes. The crucial moments blow your enthusiasm and give off an unsettling tone.
3. Serial Experiments Lain
Imagine you get an email from someone(Chisa in our case) claiming they are physically dead but exist in a virtual realm called the wired; one might think it's a petty prank played by high school students or something has gone wrong. Lain, a high school classmate of Chisa, gets tangled in the belief as she interacts with this mysterious realm putting the viewers through a rather emotionally demanding journey.
4. Ichi The Killer: Episode Zero
The history of serial killers shows us what would be the result of brutal trauma in the past and a cruel world, A monster of the world’s making. Constantly bullied by peers and severe academic pressure from parents made Ichi a beast. Ichi discovered his thirst for blood and his hidden away aggression when he had to dissect a frog in school. It was just the starting but not the end of his sadistic mind, which filled his heart with darkness. Will Ichi realize what he has become? Is there a tiny glint of light in his darkness-filled heart? The anime is a prequel to the series Ichi: The Killer.
5. Higurashi When They Cry
Maebara moves to a small village called Hinamizawa as an exchange student, and things seem normal until the Watanagashi Festival that occurs every year. Each year it is marked by the death of a person and the disappearance of another, which is called the Oyashiro Curse by the superstitious folks. The plot revolves around the mystery behind the deaths of villagers, and the anime reaches an all-time high in the genre of physiological thrillers, being one of the best yet quite disturbing for its harsh tone of violence.
6. Mononoke
Japan is plagued by spirits or Mononoke haunting the people. The protagonist, a.k.a; the medicine seller, killed these spirits with his numerous tools. One can only kill a Mononoke if he knows three things: Katachi(form), Makoto(truth), and Kotawari(reason). Mono in the title does not stand for the colors as the pastel theme serves as a highlight and looks like it is taken straight out of the mind of Van Gough.
7. Kite
Sawa is orphaned all at once when a mysterious person murders both of her parents. When the detectives arrive at the bloody scene, they show good intent and intend to adopt the girl, who is left alone. However, things change swiftly as Akai, one of the detectives, forces a relationship with Sawa, an underage girl, and trains her to be an assassin. The world is shocked that a high school girl could be capable of such brutal murders when she was just a puppet to do the dirty work. The famous men's washroom scene is one of the gut-churning scenes in the anime and is advisable only for seasoned anime viewers and veterans.
8. The Island Of Giant Insects
Crash landings are pretty unpredictable, while in some series, they can lead to love. This anime leads to graphic deaths. Students of Hosho Academy end up on a strange island after their plane crashes into it. When bodies started piling up, the students began to wonder about the mystery behind this island. Not much of a surprise, but it is home to a variety of giant flesh-eating insects. The anime's lack of dialogue is well compensated, with the gripping thriller during the attack of the insects.
9. Texhnolyze
Lux, an underground city, is on the verge of destruction and is plagued with wars. The protagonist, a fighter, loses one of his arms and legs due to the war. A scientist takes him up and does numerous experiments to develop a set of artificial, high-powered limbs. These limbs have the power to save the entire city from its fate, and their use lies with the protagonist. The anime rides through some of the most adrenaline-pumping scenes that have got you on the edge of your seats.
10. Paranoia Agent
Social anxiety and the terrible price of its repression are the main messages in Satoshi Kon’s only television series. A young assaulter is out in the streets of Musashino holding a curved golden baseball bat, the assault, however, makes the person's life better. As the assaults grow more violent with each instance, the story takes a nasty turn.
