“Absurd” is defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary as “Ridiculously unreasonable, unsound, or incongruous.” Depending on who you ask, all anime is a little bit weird. But some shows are simply on another level of weirdness: they are completely absurd. As a lover of the absurd, I naturally appreciate this type of anime, at least in small doses.
So what do I mean by absurd anime? Well, absurd anime series come in many shapes and sizes. When I think of this category, I have a particular type of absurdity in mind: the more light-hearted type that never becomes too dark or graphic. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, for instance, isn’t the kind that I’m thinking about. It’s too serious and violent.
You may still wonder what exactly I mean, so I’ll go over a few examples below. To start with, I’ll offer my thoughts on the new Spring 2024 anime, Train to the End of the World.
Train To the End of the World
The first episode of Train to the End of the World was released on Crunchyroll on April 1st, 2024. (How appropriate, for such a bizarre and goofy anime to begin on April Fool’s Day.) The story is set in a world where civilization collapsed two years ago due to the unleashing of 7G network technology. The entire world went insane – physics, rules of aging, structures and geography, animals and plants, and more all changed in absurd ways. There’s no telling exactly what strange phenomena now exist.
In the isolated country town of Agano, the adult residents turned into animals. Though they can still speak and think like humans, some of them are growing more animal-like as time passes. Kids and teens are still human, but once they hit age 21, they change into animal forms. There are also other mysteries, like the power system, which resembles electricity but seems to work somewhat differently. Resources in Agano are scarce, with the residents surviving on local harvests of melon and rice.
In this setting, a young girl named Shizuru still attends a tiny school with three female friends: Akira, Reimi, and Nadeshiko. The state of the world isn’t as important to Shizuru as her other concern: finding her missing friend, Yoka. This girl left for the city two years ago and never returned or made any contact. We as the audience are aware that Yoka was the one who pressed the button to officially bring the 7G network online for the first time. Shizuru doesn’t know this; she just wants to find her best friend.
In the first episode, Shizuru happens to discover a newspaper photograph of Yoka taken in Ikebukuro. The determined girl resolves to go that city and find her friend. That night, she encounters an insane old man named Zenjirou – the only adult in Agano who didn’t become an animal. Much to Shizuru’s surprise, Zenjirou occasionally assumes the form of a younger man who wants to reverse the effects of 7G. This youthful version of Zenjirou teaches Shizuru to operate the abandoned train on the edge of town.
As of the time of writing this article, only one episode of this anime has been released. But one episode was enough to set up the premise very well and draw some conclusions about the nature of this show. Shizuru sets out on a journey to Ikebukuro aboard the train. Her three friends accompany her as well. It’s very clear that Train to the End of the World is one of the anime series I would classify as delightfully absurd.
What exactly is it that makes this anime absurd? First of all, there’s the absurd premise: the idea that a new technology could result in reality being bent in such fanciful and random ways. The first few minutes of the pilot episode are also quite absurd – or at least, very goofy and over-the-top. Some dude who acts like a game show host rants about 7G for several minutes before pressuring Yoka into pressing the button. His dialogue is hilarious – especially when he says, “Fake news” in English.
It’s both funny and bizarre that the adults are all animals. Also, the changes to geography sound both absurd and interesting. According to Shizuru’s narration, train stops and cities became incredibly distant from each other after the release of 7G. Who knows how long it will take for even a fast train to cover the distance between one stop and the next? Days? Weeks? Years? The absurdities are plentiful, whether they are humorous, perplexing, or fascinating. So, if you like weird stories, check out this new anime: Train to the End of the World.
Other Absurd Anime Series
There are three older anime series I want to include as examples of the kind of absurd anime I like best. Though I can think of at least five or six good recommendations, I chose just three for today – mostly for brevity’s sake. The three shows are Gintama (2006-2021), Arakawa Under the Bridge (2010), and Sarazanmai (2019). I’ll write a bit about each of these choices and describe the type of absurd elements they feature.
Gintama follows three main characters – Gintoki, Kagura, and Shinpachi as they run a small business that does odd jobs and missions for the people of Edo-era Japan. The main difference between the setting and the real Edo Japan is that aliens have descended to Earth and space travel is possible. As a result, there are many different species and cultures one might encounter on a daily basis.
As one of the longest-running manga and anime series, Gintama is well-known and beloved by anime fans. It’s classic anime comedy. Importantly, Gintama is often classified as a “gag anime” and features many other types of humor as well – funny reaction expressions, sexual jokes, puns, parody, and even some social commentary, to name a few. But I would argue that one of the most critical elements of Gintama‘s humor is absurdity.
There is an overlap between absurd comedy and some other types of humor. A good example is the style of comedy that occasionally breaks the fourth wall. Gintama definitely does this, and it’s one of the key examples of absurdity in the anime. Another example of absurdity in Gintama is the fact that almost any situation can happen and almost imaginable creature can present itself – all due to the excuse that aliens and other planets are around. Aliens: it’s a great way to avoid explaining anything absurd. I love that.
Next is Arakawa Under the Bridge, an absurd comedy made by the iconic Studio Shaft. After his life was saved by a homeless girl named Nino, a young businessman vows to repay the debt. When he asks what he can do for Nino, she says that he should become her boyfriend and live with her in the homeless community under the bridge. The unofficial mayor of the homeless community – who believes he is a Kappa water spirit – renames the businessman “Riku” (or Recruit). Thus begins Riku’s new life under the bridge.
This anime has a serious side that isn’t obvious, mostly about mental illness and how it’s perceived by society. However, at least on the surface, Arakawa Under the Bridge is an absurd comedy featuring bizarre characters and weird situations. It’s the characters that make this anime so absurd. There is a self-proclaimed Nun who is biologically male and always carries guns for some reason. There’s the mayor, who thinks he’s a Kappa. Nino genuinely believes she is an alien from Venus. Arakawa Under the Bridge is my favorite absurd anime and I highly recommend it to those who like weird stuff.
The last example for today is an original anime called Sarazanmai. The story was created by Kunihiko Ikuhara, the same mind behind Revolutionary Girl Utena and Penguindrum. Both of these prior works contain strong elements of absurdity and comedy – however, Sarazanmai takes the cake as the weirdest Ikuhara anime. It’s about three boys who transform into little Kappas due the magic of Kappa Prince Keppi. This strange, inhuman prince demands the boy’s help to defeat malicious, spiritual entities created by the Otter Empire.
Rather than asking what makes Sarazanmai absurd, it may be more productive to ask what in Sarazanmai isn’t absurd and go from there. There are some interesting themes and discussion material for topics like human desire, family relationships, and personal redemption. By and large, though, Sarazanmai is absurd in every way. The premise is goofy. The fights, songs, and dances are funny and so random. The creatures and spirits look hilarious (and sometimes cute). Nearly every situation is absurd.
If you want further recommendations for absurd and funny anime, feel free to ask me in the comments. I also suggest using the “recommendations” tab on MyAnimeList.net. Go to the page of a series you like, go to recommendations, and you’ll see a list of similar series.
Why I Love Absurdity
There are three main reasons I can think of for why I love absurd anime, and in a broader sense, absurdity in general. First and foremost, absurd things are funny. If you’ve never looked into it, there’s some interesting hypotheses about how humor might have begun as a response to discomfort or failure to comprehend. I think that’s probably why absurd things are so damn funny to me. Want to cope with something that makes no sense? Laugh about it. It’s only natural to love a genre that makes me smile.
My second reason for enjoying absurdity is that it can be genuinely interesting and thought-provoking. When I see a story element or bit of world building that’s absurd, I often begin thinking of potential explanations for it. For example, why do the twin boys in Arakawa Under the Bridge wear helmets and claim to be space aliens? Though there is usually no objectively correct answer at which to arrive, I still enjoy thinking of reasons and solutions.
Last of all, I love absurd anime because absurdity is part of my personal life philosophy. In many cases, it’s healthy to embrace things that are weird or things that don’t seem to make sense. Importantly, I’m not saying you should stop there and avoid looking for the truth. No, you should always keep thinking and following the evidence to reach rational conclusions. What I’m saying is that there’s a lot of weird and bizarre people, places, and things in our lives, and we might as well appreciate them when they are not harmful.
Additionally, many “normal” people consider those like me to be weird, asburd, or at best, hard to understand. I mean people who fall into minority categories such as atheist, neurodivergent, or genderqueer. If I’m going to be perceived as absurd, then I want there to be some precedent for absurdity as a positive feature. Absurd we may be compared to those who are more conforming, but we still deserve to live and thrive.
~Thank you for reading~
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Anime Rants 
The more I hear about this series, the more interested I become! This sounds like a wonderfully weird romp through the countryside of Japan!
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