20 anime like Water Brain, ranked by the community. These aren't random picks — they're the shows people watch next when they want more avant garde.
Reading manga? Similar manga
A child whose head is numerals, a child who winds his own face and has it under his arm. What was left is his identity, a child whose eyes are provided by fishes, a child who lies down on the floor and head-butts his identity, a child who cannot say anything because of a zipper...
The main character, a cat named Nyatto, embarks upon a journey to save his sister's soul, which was ripped in two when Nyatto tried to save her from Death. She trails after him, brain-dead. They encounter many brilliant, mind-bending situations, beginning with a disturbing magic...
Among the high rises of steel pipes, meshed power lines, and faded neon lights, exists a game that children dare to play within the ruins of the old city. "Otokoyo," a secret game of hide-and-seek, one where all who play wear fox masks and only begins when seven have gathered....
The surrealist world of Tenshi no Tamago is desolate and devoid of the bustle of traditional everyday life. Instead, the world is filled with ominous phenomena, including floating orbs populated with statues of goddesses, gargantuan army tanks that seem to move unmanned, armies...
Containing shorts that could not be included in the original, Genius Party Beyond weaves stories that are both deep and insightful: the idea all life is relative in size, the consequences of an oppressive government, and how to deal with your darker desires, among others. From...
In the past, humanoid bears coexisted with humans. However, a meteor shower that fell onto Earth had a strange effect on bears throughout the world: they suddenly became violent and hungry for human flesh, spurring an endless cycle of bloodshed in which bear ate man and man shot...
After a stingy man eats some cherry seeds, a cherry tree grows on his head and he gets into a lot of trouble.
The Celestial Railroad is a fantastic journey of a boy, Giovanni, in a dreamscape created into a colorful full-dome CG animation picture with inspiring background music. Based on a story written in the early 20th century, KAGAYA, a digital fine artist, has breathed new life...
During the period of the 'Provinces at war', many lives were lost. A castle architect discovers the possible role of a tea room as a place for warriors to regain humanity. (Source: Vimeo)
A strange piper makes following spirits a mysterious blossom.
Music video by Tarafu Otani for Tomoyo Harada's single Kotobadori.
It's bedtime, and Nonoko is about to go to sleep. But the play of light and shadow on those objects on the wall look almost like... a person. (Source: ANN)
Music video directed by Kousuke Sugimoto for the single Mousou Teikoku Chikuonki by Eri Kitamura. The limited edition version included a DVD with this music video, a making-of, and a short version that was released on the Teichiku Records YouTube channel in December of 2017 to...
A collection of short animations, from the revelations Tomoyoshi Joko and Hiroco Ichinose. By Tomoyoshi Joko AFRO - 2006 (1:30) Kumo no Hito Ame no Hito (Mr. Cloud and Mr. Rain) - 2007 (6:35) Buildings - 2008 (5:44) Lizard Planet - 2009 (5:00) Kanagawa Dog - 2009 (00:20) By...
Music video by Kousuke Sugimoto for the title track Alice In Voodooland by RoughSketch and featuring Aikapin.
A collection of the best entries shown at the annual Inter-College Animation Festival from 2001 to 2006. For many animation students in Japan participating in the festival is a chance to start their professional careers. The entries include works made using various animation...
An animation staring Gelée, an anthropomorphic cat character created by DLE.
RIKEN's (The Incorporated Administrative Agency Rikagaku Kenkyusho) promotional video with animation by Mirai Mizue and music by twoth.
Fans who liked Water Brain tend to recommend A Child's Metaphysics, Cat Soup, Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek the most. If you're into Avant Garde and Fantasy, any of these are a solid pick.
Water Brain has a 5.91 on MAL from 1,553 ratings. Scores are mixed, but plenty of fans swear by it. Worth trying if the premise sounds interesting.
Beyond this list, you can dig deeper on MyAnimePulse. Try our browse page to filter by genre, score, and year, or check out our best anime by genre lists.
