Summary
Madhouse has been producing high-quality animation for more than 50 years and has earned a reputation for creating some of the most popular series in the media. From romance to action-adventure to psychological thrillers, Madhouse has tackled a wide variety of genres and has had a lasting impact on anime history. Some of Madhouse’s standout series include Cardcaptor Sakura, One-Punch Man, Monster, Parasite: Maxim, Trigun, Hunter x Hunter and Death Note, all of which showcase the studio’s exceptional animation and storytelling skills.
Madhouse is an anime studio founded in 1972 and has been churning out some of the best stories ever in animation for over 50 years. In the year From 1972 to 2000, Madhouse was fairly active, but it seems to have had a renaissance in the new millennium, greatly increasing its output without sacrificing much on quality.
The best Madhouse anime runs the gamut from romance series to action-adventure to psychological thrillers and horror and everything in between. The names of many of these series have been etched into anime history, becoming some of the biggest names the medium has ever known. It would be hard to find an anime fan who doesn’t count at least one Madhouse series among their favorites, and that’s nothing if not a testament to their success.
10
Freezing: beyond the end of the journey
Stream it on Crunchyroll
Freren is one of Madhouse’s newest series, which begins airing in September 2023, but has already left its mark on the company’s long-running reputation. Friren tells the story of Friren, an elf who once traveled with a party of adventurers for 10 years to defeat an evil demon lord. After succeeding and disbanding, Freren reunites with the group 50 years later and realizes how much time has passed for humanity. Freren takes in an orphan girl being cared for by Fern, a member of her party, and begins a new quest to give her lost friends a fitting farewell.
9
Cardcaptor Sakura
Stream it on Crunchyroll
Cardcaptor Sakura is a classic of the Magical Girl genre, one of the series that helped redefine the tropes that come to define it. It follows young Sakura Kinomoto who discovers a book of magic cards and accidentally releases them. As the spirits in these cards wreak havoc in the town, Sakura is recruited by the book’s guardian, Kero, to collect and reseal the cards. Sakura meets Siora, a descendant of the magician who originally created the cards and competes with her to obtain them. The anime expanded greatly on the original manga, and is considered one issue where the new material really added to the experience.
8
Chobits
Stream it on Crunchyroll
Chobits is an anime series based on the manga created by Card Captor Sakura. Chobit, however, is a very different type of series. In a world where humanoid computers known as persocoms are commonplace, young cram school student Hideki Motosua takes possession of a seemingly abandoned computer, which he names Chii after the only thing it can say at first. As Hideki slowly learns about the relationship humans have with their machines, he comes to learn that Chi is not a run-of-the-mill persocom. Will Chi’s origin change how Hidiki feels about her, or can love really blossom between man and machine?
7
An agent of paranoia
Stream it on Crunchyroll
A classic, anime-original TV series by acclaimed director Satoshi Kon, Paranoia Agent is one of the most exciting and unique projects Madhouse has ever worked on. Agent Paranoia follows several characters involved in various conspiracies, for example, detectives Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa who are investigating a series of attacks by a young bat boy called “Lil Slugger” and designer Tsukiko Sagi, and develops the famous character known as Marmi. The series is almost experimental in design, with each episode very different from the last, often focusing on a unique character, each plagued by a problem… the kind of problem that only Lil Slugger can solve.
6
One-punch man
Stream on Hulu
What’s it like to be a superhero who can win any fight with just one punch? It is very boring, as it turns out. A punch man follows Saitama, to the amusement of the hero whose strength is so high that he can defeat any enemy he faces without much effort. Tired of winning every fight easily, Saitama seeks a challenge, and much of the story focuses on how Saitama deals with his boredom with his life. Madhouse produced the first season of One-Punch Man, which is incredibly well-animated. Fans agree that the first season is the best, however, due to Madhouse’s insane quality of animation.
5
Monster
Stream it on Netflix
A psychological horror series based on the theme of Dr. Kenzo, who finds himself in a difficult situation where a monster must choose between saving the mayor’s life or the child’s life. At the cost of his social standing, Tenma saves the boy, but when the boy in question, Johannes Liebert, grows up to become a serial killer who ruins Tenma’s life, he regrets his decision. Tenma learns what the monster Johannes Libert really is and vows to right the wrong he did years ago by saving his son’s life. Monster is a dark and scary series that will keep even the most hardened viewers up at night.
4
Parasite: Maxim
Stream it on Crunchyroll
Parasite is a body horror series about alien spores that rain down on Earth and grow into creatures with terrifying abilities that can take over a person’s entire body. Shinichi Izumi was “lucky” only his right hand was taken by the creature and he couldn’t take his whole body before waking up. Naming the creature Migi, Shinichi must learn to live in harmony with the alien parasite inside his body, as well as fight against those who are completely possessed as he tries to learn the secrets of the parasitic aliens. The series is known for its incredible body shocks, excellently animated by Madhouse, and has an incredibly deep message.
3
Trigun
Stream it on Crunchyroll
The original 1998 version of Trigun is a classic responsible for introducing many sci-fi fans to anime for the first time. Set in a Wild West-like culture on a desert planet, Trigun follows Meryl and Millie, two girls who work at an insurance company after the infamous Vash the Stampede, one of which is a natural disaster. While initially trying to minimize the damage, Meryl and Millie Vash discover that he is not who they thought he was. While the series only adapts the beginning of Trigun’s manga, that’s all it was at the time, the spirit of the series was perfectly captured in 26 episodes.
2
Hunter x Hunter
Stream it on Crunchyroll
Hunter x Hunter is a classic manga that has been adapted once before, but Madhouse decided to tackle it from the beginning, giving the series a modern adaptation that covers several manga. Although the manga is unfinished, Madhouse’s animated version ends on a cliffhanger, leaving the door open for more (should it ever be produced). The Chimera Ant arc of Hunter x Hunter is often considered one of the best shonen anime story arcs of all time, and despite the faltering problems the manga itself had, the anime handles it beautifully.
1
death note
Stream on Hulu
Death Note is a psychological thriller series that follows a bright young high school student who discovers a notebook called Death Note that has the power to kill anyone written on its pages. Light’s use of a diary on small-time criminals attracts the attention of world-renowned detective El, and a cat-and-mouse game begins between Light’s supernatural awareness and El’s remarkable investigative skills. Light is one of the most compelling anti-villain characters in all of anime, and the series is notorious for lacking a clear good guy or bad guy. Death Note is known for creating a killer soundtrack that fits the series perfectly, and that’s all thanks to Madhouse.
These are some of Madhouse’s absolute best projects; There are dozens of other influential series they’ve created over the years, including Overlord, Black Lagoon, Black Jack, and more. Madhouse has made a name for itself among anime fans worldwide for high-quality animation, but they are also experts in adapting manga and developing soundtracks. With 50 years of incredible success behind it, the future still looks incredibly bright for Madhouse, and anime fans can’t wait to see what the next title will be to join Madhouse’s best anime.