8 Forgotten Anime Shows That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

Image via Triangle Staff Published Aug 28, 2026, 12:07 AM EDT Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts. Sign in to your Collider account Everything changes and evolves over the course of time, sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse. Just look at anime: it was once considered a children's medium and is now one of the leading forms of entertainment, with shows such as One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen launching the medium into new heights across the globe. However, better animation and quality don't always get worse with age; some anime series only get better, aging like fine wine. Anime nowadays is all about flashy animation and badass action sequences, and while that is what viewers want to see and where the money is at, sometimes what is forgotten is what is needed. Whether they be older and irrelevant or simply overshadowed, plenty of anime have been forgotten, even if they are incredible. Ironically, these anime shows may even be better than ever, which is why this list will feature forgotten anime series that have aged like fine wine based on animation, story, art style, originality, popularity, themes, relevance, and overall quality. 'Crest of the Stars' (1999) Image via Sunrise This list features a lot of forgotten anime, but to be forgotten, they once needed to be popular; out of all the anime highlighted, Crest of the Stars was the least popular. The Abh Empire is a powerful and dangerous race of humanoid aliens that have already taken over hundreds of planets, and as they set their sights on Earth, the world forms an alliance to take down these extraterrestrial threats. A lot of space operas simply showcase a fleet of spaceships shooting at each other, especially in modern anime. But the reason why Crest of the Stars aged well is because it has a well-written plot and plenty of detail and fascinating concepts woven into the story. From the tense battles that spawn from tactical warfare and ingenious battle plans to the linguistic detail and language barriers faced in the show, Crest of the Stars is a riveting anime that most fans have never heard of. 'xxxHOLiC' (2006–2011) Image via Production I.G. A lot can happen in 20 years. For example, an anime can come out, be very popular, develop a cult following, end, and then stay forgotten for the years following. That is exactly what happened with xxxHOLiC, which follows a character with a strange connection to the supernatural. One day, a mysterious shop catches his attention, and when he becomes an assistant to an even more mysterious woman who helps those in supernatural trouble, his life gets even crazier. What was once one of the leading supernatural anime is nothing more than a legacy, but that shouldn't discount xxxHOLiC and everything it represents. The 2000s humor isn't for everyone, but it is a time capsule that holds up better against a lot of modern comedic anime. It isn't the best anime series of all time, but the profound and tragic plots in each episode hold a certain weight. Plus, this anime doesn't take itself too seriously, allowing itself to be silly, something new anime needs to learn. 'Dennou Coil' (2007) Image via Madhouse Cyberpunk is a popular anime genre, but it isn't just dark and gloomy stories; they can also be quirky and unique, as is the case with Dennou Coil. Set in a world that is embracing augmented reality, a group of children notices a handful of strange disappearances. They form a detective agency and head out into the town during their spare time to investigate the corruption of the virtual world and how it is affecting the real world. Before AI and AR became mainstream, Dennou Coil used the concept to portray a charming and whimsical, yet dystopian nightmare. Not only did it predict the way people would interact with AR technology, but it also presented a list of dangers that come with it. Dennou Coil touches on the blurring lines between reality and digital fantasy, focusing on how real this digital space can feel, and the flaws that come with it. 'Kaiba' (2008) Image via Madhouse Anime doesn't have to be old to be forgotten. Some modern classics from two years ago are already irrelevant, but the newest anime featured, Kaiba, is from 2008. Set in a sci-fi world where people can copy their consciousness and transplant it into new bodies to live forever, the titular character is one such body without any memories. This is the story of him traveling around the galaxy in order to learn the history of this body and who he really is. Avant-garde anime aren't made nowadays simply because they aren't popular, but they age better than most because of their distinct experimental style that can captivate viewers. Not only that, but Kaiba features such a fun retro art style that it visually holds up compared to new shows. As one of the best avant-garde anime series, Kaiba takes risks that paid off perfectly, making it a top-shelf classic. Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you'd actually make it out of alive. 💊The Matrix 🔥Mad Max 🌧️Blade Runner 🏜️Dune 🚀Star Wars TEST YOUR SURVIVAL → 01 You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one. APull on every thread until I understand the system — then figure out how to break it. BStop asking questions and start stockpiling — food, fuel, weapons. Questions don't keep you alive. CKeep my head down, observe carefully, and trust no one until I know who's pulling the strings. DStudy the patterns. Every system has a rhythm — learn it, and you learn how to survive it. EFind the people fighting back and join them. You can't fix a broken galaxy alone. NEXT QUESTION → 02 In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires. AKnowledge. If you understand the system, you don't need resources — you can generate them. BFuel. Everything else — movement, power, escape — runs on it. CTrust. In a world of fakes and informants, a truly reliable ally is rarer than any commodity. DWater. And after water, information — the two things empires are truly built on. EShips and credits. The galaxy is big — you survive it by being able to move through it freely. NEXT QUESTION → 03 What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of. AThat reality itself is a lie — that everything I experience has been constructed to keep me compliant. BA raid. No warning, no mercy — just the roar of engines and then nothing left. CBeing identified. Once someone with power decides you're a problem, you're already out of time. DBeing outmanoeuvred — losing a political game I didn't even know I was playing. EThe Empire tightening its grip until there's nowhere left to run. NEXT QUESTION → 04 How do you deal with authority you don't trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything. ASubvert it from the inside — learn its rules well enough to weaponise them against it. BIgnore it and stay out of its reach. The further from any power structure, the better. CAppear to comply while doing exactly what I need to do. Visibility is the enemy. DManoeuvre within it carefully. You can't beat a system you refuse to understand. EResist openly when I have to. Some things are worth the risk of being seen. NEXT QUESTION → 05 Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn't just tactical — it's physical, psychological, and very much about where you are. AUnderground bunkers and server rooms — cramped, artificial, but with access to everything that matters. BOpen wasteland — brutal sun, no shelter, constant movement. At least the threat is honest. CA dense, rain-soaked city where you can disappear into the crowd and nobody asks questions. DMerciless desert — extreme heat, no water, and something enormous living beneath the sand. EThe fringe — backwater planets and busy spaceports where the Empire's attention rarely reaches. NEXT QUESTION → 06 Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are. AA tight crew of believers who've seen behind the curtain and have nothing left to lose. BOne or two people I'd trust with my life. Any more than that and someone talks. CNobody, ideally. Alliances are liabilities. I work alone unless I have no choice. DA community bound by shared hardship and mutual survival — people who need each other to last. EA ragtag team with wildly different skills and total commitment when it counts. NEXT QUESTION → 07 Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they're actually made of. AI won't harm the innocent — even the ones who'd report me without hesitation. BI do what I have to to protect the people I've chosen. Everything else is negotiable. CThe line shifts depending on who's asking and what's at stake. DI draw a long-term line — nothing that compromises my people's future, even if it'd help now. ESome lines, once crossed, can't be uncrossed. I know which ones they are. NEXT QUESTION → 08 What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another. AWaking others up — dismantling the illusion so no one else has to live inside it. BFinding somewhere — or someone — worth protecting. A reason to keep moving. CAnswers. Understanding what I am, what any of this means, before time runs out. DLegacy — shaping the future in a way that outlasts me by generations. EFreedom — for myself, for others, for every world still living under someone else's boot. REVEAL MY WORLD → Your Fate Has Been Calculated You'd Survive In…Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for. The MatrixYou took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You're a systems thinker who can't help but notice the seams in things. You're drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it. You'd find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines' worst nightmare. You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it. The Matrix built an airtight prison. You'd be the one probing the walls for the door. Mad MaxThe wasteland doesn't reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That's you. You don't need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon. You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you're good at all three. You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider. In the wasteland, that distinction is everything. Blade RunnerYou'd survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely. You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer. In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional. You're not a hero. But you're not lost, either. In Blade Runner's world, that distinction is everything. DuneArrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards. Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they're survival tools. You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory. Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You'd learn its logic and earn its respect. In time, you wouldn't just survive Arrakis — you'd begin to reshape it. Star WarsThe galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn't have it any other way. You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion. You'd gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire's grip can be broken. You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn't something you're capable of. In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 'Ashita no Joe' (1970–1981) Image via Mushi Production A lot of old anime don't age well, whether it is their animation, outdated style, themes, or simply not resonating with modern viewers. However, despite being the oldest show on this list, Ashita no Joe hasn't gone out of style. Joe is a street punk, but when a retired boxer sees promise in him, he tries to get him into boxing. Struggle after struggle, the two finally get a match, thus starting their rocky road to becoming champions, right after Joe gets out of prison. Not everything about Ashita no Joe aged perfectly, especially the animation since it is so old, but the art style and presentation, while dated, have a certain classic feeling that everyone can appreciate. This anime didn't just pioneer the sports genre; it features a story that still hasn't been replicated because it is so unique. From flawless character development to its tragic narrative, Ashita no Joe is a true classic that, while forgotten due to its age, is still one of the most intriguing sports dramas out there. 'Paranoia Agent' (2004) Satoshi Kon is arguably the best anime film director of all time, but he also delivered one of the best avant-garde anime series with Paranoia Agent. When an overworked toy designer is brutally attacked, she falls into a reclusive state, paranoid that whoever attacked her might strike again. However, as more attacks occur, the entire world gets paranoid that they could be next. Compared to most anime on this list, Paranoia Agent is less forgotten than most, but it certainly isn't mainstream or getting the love it deserves. From the art to the animation and narrative, everything in this anime is flawless, not to mention the relevance. Representing a variety of themes, including toxic work culture and how it forces people to escape reality, idolizing cute mascots and numbing ourselves to reality, and developing main character syndrome, all of these are more present than ever in the modern age. Paranoia Agent is scarily accurate in its themes, and that is why it is one of the best thriller anime series ever. 'Legend of the Galactic Heroes' (1988–1997) Image via Kitty Films This list features many older anime, and while Ashita no Joe is the oldest, another true classic is Legend of the Galactic Heroes, a timeless sci-fi opera. After a hundred-year ceasefire is ended by two new young commanders, the galactic war has started again. Each commander has an opposing philosophy that they believe to be fact, but that fact is only proven by whoever wins, thrusting the galaxy into a long war of pain, tragedy, and hope for the future. It may be old, but some people still remember the name and the legacy attached to it; that doesn't mean it isn't forgotten by the general audience. Legend of the Galactic Heroes doesn't get the recognition it deserves despite having one of the most riveting plots that delves into politics and philosophy. Animation aside, everything about this anime is remarkable, and the story only gets better and more relevant as the years pass. Good storytelling never ages, but Legend of the Galactic Hero only gets better the older it gets. 'Serial Experiments Lain' (1998) Image via Triangle Staff Some anime on this list aged well because the style and animation hold up, but other series prove timeless because their stories grow ever more relevant, such as Serial Experiments Lain. The titular character receives an email from her dead classmate inviting her into the dark web, and when she logs on, Lain discovers a whole new world of dark truths as she establishes herself as the god of the online domain. This experimental anime came out just as technology and the World Wide Web were really taking off, and using its thematically appropriate story, it now stands as a cautionary tale that even predicted many modern events. Serial Experiments Lain can be trippy, dark, obscure, and hard to process, but it is because of that avant-garde style that it has become such a titillating experience. Outside its cultural legacy and technological accuracy, Serial Experiments Lain is simply an entertaining show, which made it an avant-garde anime blueprint that changed the way fans view the medium. Serial Experiments Lain Cast Kaori Shimizu Lain Iwakura Bridget Hoffman Lain Iwakura (English) Creator Yasuyuki Ueda Main Genre Animation Seasons 1 Studio Triangle Staff Creator(s) Yasuyuki Ueda Number of Episodes 13 MyAnimeList Score 8.09