Interest Stacks

Starting it off strong with one of the most truly psychedelic anime out there. Its art direction is unique and may throw you off if you're more of a stickler for traditional anime, but it's an enjoyable experience nonetheless and a surprisingly insightful look into mental health. And it does this while being really friggin' bizzare, of course. The ending theme is such an earworm.
(CONTENT WARNING: Sensitive themes.)

PSYCHE SCALE:- ★★★★★

I have absolutely no concrete way to describe this anime, and that should give you an idea on how much of an acid trip it truly is. Yes, it's a kids anime. No, kids should not watch it. And that's exactly what makes it awesome.

PSYCHE SCALE:- ★★★★★

This interest stack is full circle for me on a personal level, because for over 15 years, I thought I'd hallucinated this anime after seeing it in passing in a juvenile anime fart compilation on YouTube circa 2010 and never finding it again. Thanks to the identifying threads here on MAL, I discovered it was very much real and subsequently watched the whole thing. The out-of-pocket scientific explanations don't make this thing any better, but if you've got half an hour to kill and you don't value your brain cells, give it a go. (CONTENT WARNING: Nudity / Sensitive themes.)

PSYCHE SCALE:- ★★★★

It feels like somewhat of a crime to put this work of art among some of these less than stellar entries. But, the weirdness is off the scales in Migi to Dali. Plus, when you come for the batshit insanity, you stay for the gripping story and delicious mysteries. Definitely one of the most unique and fulfilling things to come out of the current decade, the real crime is passing this up. (CONTENT WARNING: Sensitive themes.)

PSYCHE SCALE:- ★★★★★

Even the way I found this was weird. I was looking for something on the Internet Archive and somehow stumbled upon this instead and proceeded to be occupied for the next 20 minutes or so. If you've ever known someone who tends to say the wrong thing at the wrong time (or if you ARE that person) then here's something that'll make you or them feel represented, in the most unorthodox way possible. Think Nichijou, but shorter, uglier, and weirder.

PSYCHE SCALE:- ★★★★

Hotel Transylvania: The Anime! Jokes aside, I personally much prefer the manga to the anime, even though the anime is acres more popular. A lot of bizarr-o vampire/human hijinks that'll have you scratching your head at times, and comedy that can admittedly be a hit or miss. (CONTENT WARNING:- Partial Nudity / Sensitive themes.)

PSYCHE SCALE:- ★★★★

Remember that pink bloodthirsty bear that popped up in explicitly violent graphics of it biting the head off of its poor owner around the web in the mid-2000s? Well, it has its own anime. Gloomy Bear certainly isn't the weirdest thing to appear on the anime scene, but the twisted nature of what initially appears to be a cutesy pink creature turning out to be a hellspawn can be somewhat of a head spinner.

PSYCHE SCALE:- ★★

Karneval is something I like to call "pretty psychedelic" in that it won't inherently mess your brain up but the visuals are so mesmerizing and out-of-this-world that I simply couldn't not include it on this list. It's also got a circus theme, and we all know how circuses can be. It's also one of the few josei anime adaptations we have, so why not?

PSYCHE SCALE:- ★★

Am I the only one who watched this anime? And furthermore, actually kinda enjoyed it? I didn't know what was going on half the time; I just remember a lot of octopus/squid BS and rainbows and drag queens and finger-snapping and actually psychedelic idol sequences. It's based on an existing franchise from the 70s, but honestly, like that midget villain from The Lorax said, "I say let it die!" Orange Range does the OP, though, which is a total vibe, and that's enough for me.

PSYCHE SCALE:- ★★★