Nonlinear anime tell their stories in pieces. They often jump between different time periods, locations, or perspectives to create a sense of intrigue. Although anime of any genre could use the technique to pull viewers in, nonlinear storytelling works particularly well for high-stakes anime with mysteries or secrets behind every corner. In these tense narratives, a nonlinear style helps maintain tension while allowing viewers to put everything together at their own pace.
Anime with nonlinear plots aren’t very common, since they risk being too disorienting for viewers to enjoy on their first watch. However, the movies, series, and franchises that pull off the technique are an even more engaging watch for fans of the narrative style because of its rarity and charm.
7The Tatami Galaxy
The Tatami Galaxytells the story of a young man who receives the opportunity to go back in time and relivehis college daysafter realizing they were riddled with regrets. Each episode follows his attempts to perfect his college experience by making new friends, joining clubs, and trying to confess to his crush, an underclassman named Akashi.
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Due to its various timelines and fast-paced dialogue, The Tatami Galaxycan be a confusing watch at first. Still, the young man remains hopeful that he can find his ideal path forward through trial and error. Over the course of his journey, the show comes together to be a powerful and engaging experience.
6Durarara!!
Set in Ikebukuro,Durarara!!isan urban fantasy animethat features complex, intersecting plot lines told through the perspectives of various characters. The main players include an unsuspecting gang leader stepping into his power; an information broker who enjoys abusing his knowledge to stir the pot; and a mythical Dullahan who rides her motorcycle through the night.
As the mysteries in the city unwind and everything comes together piece by piece, each character inDurarara!!adds their own layer to its unpredictable story. This storytelling style helps to introduce the series’ more supernatural aspects with curiosity and ease.
5The Garden Of Sinners
Adaptedfrom light novelspublished by Type-Moon,The Garden of Sinnersis an anime movie series set in the world that inspiredFate/stay nightandTsukihime.Its story follows the recipient of the “Mystic Eyes of Death Perception,” a teenage girl named Shiki Ryouji, as she solves supernatural mysteries as part of a detective agency.
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Like the light novels, the movie series tells Shiki’s story out of order, beginning with what would chronologically be the fifth installment. Whether fans enjoy the eight films in release or chronological order, the supernatural thriller series is an engaging action-packed watch.
4Boogiepop Phantom
One day, a strange pillar of light briefly illuminates the sky and causes a blackout.Boogiepop Phantomtells the story of what happens one month later. There have been many disappearances rumored to be caused by the personification of Death,an urban legendnamed Boogiepop.
As the primary witnesses to the strange events in the city, different high school students narrate each episode ofBoogiepop Phantom.Individually, they process their experiences and encounters with the light and Boogiepop to find meaning in the past. While many scenes are retold from different points of view, each version introduces new elements, timelines, and ideas to the story that allow viewers to piece together the truth in time.
3Baccano!
Primarily setin Prohibition-era America,Baccano!uses its charismatic cast of characters to navigate the connections between immortality, alchemy, the mafia, serial killers, and other organized crime. No matter where or when a character’s story takes place, small details help piece together the overlaying narrative about morality, companionship, and desire.
Filled with centuries of fragile alliances, betrayal, and drama,Baccano!often questions the value and beauty of human life. While the series has no official main character, its charming, action-packed cacophony of a story is worth every minute of its complexity.
2The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiyais one of the best-known anime with nonlinear storytelling. The show follows the members of a clubcalled the SOS Brigadeand their efforts to entertain the enigmatic and god-like Haruhi Suzumiya without destroying the world around them. The series originally aired out of order in 2006, saving the most climatic episodes for the end.
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To help viewers piece together the series’ plot, the original broadcasts would announce each episode’s chronological place in the story after it aired. While fans of the anime can enjoy it in whichever order they prefer, there is something rewarding about watching it out of chronological order, considering the show’s supernatural aspects.
1The Monogatari Series
Known forits distinct art styleand supernatural mysteries, theMonogatariseries is one of the longest and most popular anime franchises with a disjointed plot. Similar toThe Melancholy of Haruhi SuzumiyaandThe Garden of Sinners,the anime was originally released out of chronological order.
In broadcast order, the series begins withBakemonogatari,using short arcs to establish the world while only briefly introducing its most important characters, conflicts, and themes to make itself more accessible to new fans while building toward more dramatic reveals later in its story. While theMonogatariseries is a grand undertaking with over 10 installments, its use of nonlinear storytelling makes it a captivating watch that comes together in its own time.
