VISUALLY BEAUTIFUL ANIME RECOMMENDATIONS :)

Recommending  7 visually beautiful animes  

Hello internet , in this entry I will talk about some of my favorite anime when it comes to visuals :) . As an artist and animation enthusiast , it is a very important part of the watching experience and I pay a lot of attention to it , so I will kind info dump about it here :)  

 * somewhat spoiler warning * 

Puella magi Madoka Magica & Rebellion Movie 

I think I’ve made it clear that Puella Magi Madoka Magica is my favorite anime , but it is not just because of the cute pink anime girl , it is a very beautiful visual experience , the colors , angles , shadows , etc are so well thought of , the witch mazes are so so detailed it is hard to appreciate them all on the relatively small screen time they get , the character design , made by Ume Aoki is so good it really matches the characters personalities , their witch forms , settings , everything is so well made , specially in the Rebellion movie , the amount of detail put into it is amazing and every time I watch it , I end up finding new references to lots of things in the madoka lore , their transforming sequence ,for example ,  I am someone who LOVES researching and finding out stuff , so this sequence was big fun to me , finding out different symbolisms and more , so it really is very very well made . 

the music is great too , Yuki Kajiura managed to completely capture the essence of the scenes , the battles , the sentimental moments , every sound makes it a more enjoyable and great sensorial experience and I wouldn’t doubt on recommending it to those who are looking for an interesting and intense anime , or to those who haven’t watched it in general , even if magical girl shows aren’t your thing , I am sure you will enjoy its visuals , the original anime that streamed 10 years ago got a render for the movie , making it look MUCH better .

So yeah , if you haven’t watched it yet , consider giving it a chance :) 

Clannad  

Clannad by Kyoto Animation, based on the visual novel with the same name  is definitely one of my favorite animes of all times , it even became the most popular visual novel in Japan around 2004 .

This anime consists of two parts , Clannad and Clannad: After Story , and it is in this one that the story line starts really interesting , it follows the story of Tomoya Okasaki and Nagisa Furokawa , I must admit it gave me such a heartbreaking empty pit after I watched it , but the ending feels like a bittersweet hug . The visuals are warm and soft and during the first episodes it really does feel like a basic group of teenagers having fun , letting you get close to the characters, specially Nagisa , so that when        [SPOILERS AHEAD ??]   

 She is missing you really feel her presence gone , if you like heartwarming and dramatic anime with fun characters with backstories I really recommend watching this one . I was able to relate to them in various occasions , and I constantly think about its messages and lessons to this day . ( not that I watched it when it first came out …I’m not that old ) 

I am aware that KyoAni ´s art back back in the early 2000s wasn’t the prettiest and it does make some people uncomfortable , but I can assure you that you will get used to it and won’t mind it after a couple episodes . The foreshadowing details are so good , even if I quickly picked them up , the “plot twists” didnt feel forced and I enjoyed them .  

The soundtrack is very good and adequate to the situations ..

Its ending was really good in my opinion , it gives an important message about life , and not gonna lie , it low-key made me cry , and I am not someone who usually cries while watching shows or movies . It manages to make you empathize with Tomoya , and even though it has some sad and sentimental moments , I bet you will find some funny moments too . 

It might be confusing at first but if you pay enough attention it will start to make sense , and honestly , I believe it is one of the classics that every anime enjoyer or otaku should watch . Please consider giving it a try :) . 

Kanon 

Kanon by Kyoto Animation, based on a KeyVisual arts visual novel  as well is part of the “trilogy” also formed by Clannad and Air . It maintains the same vibe as Clannad , though I think Kanon has deeper and darker topics , it has really interesting characters too , which is something that KyoAni is really good at doing . Our protagonist is a simple guy who meets a bunch of girls after moving in with his cousin and aunt to their cold and lonely town ,  making deep connections with those around him . It may sound cliché , but I promise there is nothing too forced , it has various sets of “arcs” that talk about the different routes you takes on the VN , but it starts getting much deeper towards the end , I think the ending was nice although it could have been better ..

but the environment and context around it makes you want to keep watching nonstop ( though I had to take a few breaks because I was getting emotional .) 

Its use of angles and music is also very good , and I know I have been talking about angles and sounds a lot but it is one of the things that matter the most to me while watching something , and It makes the watching experience way better . If you watch Clannad , consider watching this one too because it truly is a UNDERRATED HIDDEN GEM  . 

Air tv 

another precious anime bye KyoAni . Following Yukito , a homeless poor guy who ends up living with a clumsy and cute high schooler ……? . BUT IT IS MUCH BETTER THAN THAT I SWEAR .  As usual in this visual novel inspired anime ..the Amin character finds interesting and cute girls and will develop a close and deep relationship with them , getting to know their stories better , this one is full of magic and “supernatural” powers , with a touch of the sad reality we all might live in . I personally relate a lot to Misuzu ( the clumsy girl ) , so getting deeper into her story was really good . It also has a beautiful soundtrack .

I find the city it is situated in to be very pretty ,  and also , it has some easy Japanese so it is nice to practice  basic Japanese listening . 

The opening sequence is so pretty as well as its theme song “Tori no uta “ composed by Jun Maeda (if I’m not mistaken) , 

It really is such a  nice anime and the ending broke my heart ….. please consider giving it a watch ;) . 

The disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya 

+ Endless eight arc 

I wasn’t originally going to include movies , but since I talked about Madoka Rebellion Movie , I thought I might as well include this one . The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was a very popular anime during the early-mid 2000s , but the reason why I chose to talk about this movie rather than the anime itself , is because this one hit me more personally than the anime did . You see , Haruhi is a very cheerful and loud girl , even maybe a little annoying , but in this movie , as the title expresses , Haruhi Disappears . Since Haruhi is such a present character in the anime , (although not the protagonist ) the movie makes it very clear that ..something is wrong . 

The use of colors and the “empty shots” make sure to let the viewer know that it is not just them that feel uneasy ..something really is going on . But once Haruhi is on again , it is like the mood changes , you can feel the protagonist ´s calmness again .  So of course , In order to watch it , you must watch the anime first , which leads me to talk about the well known “Endless eight arc” ..I will try not to spoil it much , but this is a set of 8 very similar episodes , many people skip them cause “they are the same “ , and yeah , that is true , but what makes it good is that none of the scenes were re used , every shot was animated individually , every dialogue was recorded separately , the episode ´s layout is slightly different ,  so even if it feels the same episodes over and over .. it is not .   I might do a YT video talking about it in detail ..but yeah , if you have the opportunity to watch these ..please take it ! . 

Bloom into you 

Now , this is a “Yuri” anime ,the anime doesn’t include much Yuri scenes other thank kissing ..the manga does though . . 

This is one of my favorite romance anime , as a person in the aroace spectrum , it was really easy to relate to Yuu , and even though I personally don’t relate to her , Touko is also an interesting character . 

The story follow the two as they start getting familiar with their romantic feelings towards each other , but it does have some other sub dramas that are really good , Touko´s , for example . 

The sound track really gives a vibe of that innocent yet “guilty” feeling of love , and honestly , I listen to it regularly . 

It is so well written , it maintains a soft vibe rather than one based around +18 moments , in my opinion it doesn’t have that much fan service moments like OTHER Yuri anime ..*cough cough * 

Its animation is very pretty and smooth too . 

If you like romance , summer fireworks , good characters , funny moments , student council moments AND GIRLS  , I am sure you will enjoy it .

I think the way their love story is developed is really great and it isn’t painful to watch . 

Even if you aren’t part of the  aroace spectrum , or even LGBTQ , I think it is a very simple yet intense story that will make you feel something new and maybe look at love a different way ..

Violet Evergarden 

This one is a CLASSIC, no matter who you ask , they will always agree it has some BEAUTIFUL visuals , animation , colors , music , everything . 

Is the story of Violet , a 14 year old girl who used to fight in the war , who has to learn how to interact with people , feel empathy towards them and love . It takes you through a bunch of heartbreaking and moving side stories about the people she meets , it made me cry a little bit in almost every episode . 

This one is also a Kyoto Animation production , based on the light novel with the same name , even though it doesn’t have the studio’s famous art style from the early 2000s , it does put a lot of detail and effort to their character´s eyes and facial expressions , as they’ve always done , this time adding subtle but very present lightning to their faces , making it easy to understand how they’re feeling just by looking at them without the need to dialogues explaining it , which helps empathize with them even more . 

The story is very beautiful in my opinion and I recommend it to everyone I can , it might seem “girly” , but I bet even the toughest men will like it , if you are into animation , this one is a MUST WATCH . 

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AND THAT´S BASICALLY IT FOR THIS ENTRY 

I will make a part 2 soon , please comment and let me know your thoughts about them and if you have a different opinion or want to add something please feel free to comment it :) .

THANK YOU FOR READING