Let's ignore the mainstream stuff, what lesser known series or film or OVA from any point in Anime history do you really love and wish got more attention?

For me, Oban Star Racers, a Japanese/French co-production, has a special place in my heart. It's seriously a wonderful show which I highly recommend. Fuck Disney for screwing it over in America.

For horror fans interested in classic Japanese ghost stories, I'd recommend you check out Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, a horror anthology with a story being told across 4 episodes (3 for the last arc), all of which are tragic, bittersweet stories. It also had a spinoff called Mononoke, which has come back into the spotlight with a new series of movies, which I'd also recommend.

There's also Samurai Champloo, from the makers of Cowboy Bebop. It's not obscure by any means, but it's not as highly regarded or as beloved as Cowboy Bebop, which is a shame because it's almost as amazing.

I really love konjiki no gash bell very underrated series has a fantastic ending as well

Zatch Bell! Man, I haven't thought about that in years, I don't remember much about it other than I really enjoyed it when it aired on Toonami. Thanks for the reminder it exists, gonna have to refresh my memory and give the whole series a watch one day.

I'm not sure if Aeon Flux would count as lesser known (or even anime) considering it had a mid-2000s movie adaptation, but it's one of the first trippy "anime" series I ever saw as a kid without cable tv.

I remember seeing it on MTV2 and being so fascinated by just how strange it was, I really need to check it out again later. I can't remember anything about the live action movie besides how the characters looked so it must of been kinda meh.

I don't think Aeon Flux counts since it was an American show and wasn't a co-production with Japan, but was clearly one of the first American shows heavily influenced by Anime, predating Avatar by a long time.

And yeah, the live action movie was apparently really crap, to the point that the creator, Peter Cheung, admitted to feeling humiliated at the film's premier and disowning it right away, saying that hated what they did to the character Aeon Flux herself. Though apparently the film had half an hour taken out of it, so maybe its not on the writer and director, but on the studio.

when I think of obscure anime, at the top of my head is currently Cyborg Kuro-chan...a rare early 2000s anime and manga series, only a few have seen it on an actual tv channel, it didn't last long however,because the studio and its publisher that made this went bust,and the IP was taken down with it.

I have heard of all of these.

I gotta bring up Powerpuff Girls Z, of course. It's not a perfect show, by any means, and many people actually hate it, in fact, but by golly, I love it.

I also gotta bring up Sgt. Frog, especially its English dub from Funimation. Hilarious show.

That's a tough one, cause people could be naming anime that was popular decades ago, from Gatchaman (1970s) to Gintama (that show is now 2 decades old, lmaoooooo), etc. But now with the height of popularity in MHA, Demon Slayer, etc audience, those older shows are all relatively unknown now for the most part. Seen threads where people have no idea what Haruhi, Lucky Star or Rozen Maiden is. Desu.

For the question, Mars of Destruction would fit it. Was it popular, well received and well written? No. Was it also very funny? Yes

Great teacher onizuka
I'm not sure if it was popular at some point but when i watched it about 11 years ago, i really liked it and up till today i have never met anyone that have watched it

I don't know if it really counts as obscure since western viewership managed to get it a second season, but The Big O was great. The first season, anyway. The second season was kinda meh.

Also, the 2003 version of Fullmetal Alchemist, which has become obscure now because everybody and their mother sucks off Brotherhood and it's become the anime associated with the name. Meanwhile, I actually prefer 2003 to Brotherhood and the manga.

Then there's probably s-CRY-ed, an anime that nobody really talks about. The manga was way weirder and far more sexual, but I love the anime to death.

Reckless Fire is a banging OP, by the way; www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVH66YvV9W8