It’s got to be Odd Taxi, though I can’t think of a lot of competition if I’m being honest. Besides, Odd Taxi is great. It’s got the lore-accurate gacha gamer and everything!
@Unboxious @mo_lave I saw odd taxi and it was great. Really wish it would get more seasons or more furry animes like that
The Apothecary Diaries is going to be hard to beat for me. It feels like a Sherlock series with how it has both mysteries of the day, but then an overall mystery that everything feeds into. Really great hooks and payoffs throughout.
Going with the assumption that mystery (whodunnit) ≠ suspense, and judging them solely by the mystery element: Hyouka for me. It’s a grounded anime with nothing crazy going on, so the focus is purely on the mysteries. (There are the usual slice-of-life, school-life stuff, but those are secondary / don’t distract from the mysteries.)
Some runner-ups:
- Oddtaxi - It has one of the strongest twist I have seen in anime.
- The Apothecary Diaries - I enjoyed the political elements in addition to the mysteries.
- Gnosia - I enjoyed playing along as though I am one of the participants.
Muishishi has an x-files mystery feel to it.
Definitely The Apothecary Diaries for me. In addition to all of the terrific elements of the series, Maomao is a detective to rival Holmes or Poirot.
Others that I just can’t pass up mentioning:
- Odd Taxi
- Kokkoku
- Hyouka
- Boku Dake ga Inai Machi
- Kaiba
- Paranoia Agent
Ohhh I feel like that’s a genre I don’t watch much! I feel like the ones I remember leaving the biggest impression on me were Durarara!!, Promised Neverland (season one only), and Erased.
My least favorite is most definitely Boogiepop. I’m not sure if it was just the time in life I watched it, but omggg I couldn’t follow what was happening at all!
The Monogatari series is one I’d love to like. I was incredibly engaged with the concept and characters, but I felt like I had to be so zoned in or else I’d miss details (big and small) and get a little lost. It was also challenging, at the time, following the suggested watch order. I need to revisit it sometime!
Those are also pretty much the only mystery anime that I have watched!
I will say, Erased’s OP is so good it turned me into an actual fan of Asian Kung Fu Generation.
Baccano! is one I’ll add to the list, though I enjoyed most of the others mentioned.
A large manor house with pure black beings paired with living dolls that act as their faces. What are the black beings? What are soot powers? Who is Lord grandfather? Why is everyone infatuated with the coffee? Why won’t the star bearers talk about ….?
don’t know if it counts since it’s based on a VN, but probably higurashi








