Best Dark Anime

Shigurui (Japanese: シグルイ, lit. "Death Frenzy") is a Japanese manga series by Takayuki Yamaguchi, based on the first chapter of the novel Suruga-jō Gozen Jiai by Norio Nanjō. The series is noted for its realistic graphic violence and nudity as well as its abrupt ending. An anime television adaptation, based on the first 32 chapters (or the initial six and a half volumes) of the manga, aired on WOWOW from July 19 to October 12, 2007. The series was directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki, written by Seishi Minakami, and produced by Madhouse Studios. The anime was licensed in North America by Funimation under the fully translated title Shigurui: Death Frenzy. The licensing was announced in May 2008[2] and the full series was released on March 31, 2009 on Blu-ray and DVD.

Perfect Blue (パーフェクトブルー Pāfekuto Burū) is a 1997 Japanese psychological thriller animated film directed by Satoshi Kon and written by Sadayuki Murai. It is based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis (パーフェクト・ブルー　完全変態 Pāfekuto Burū: Kanzen Hentai) written by Yoshikazu Takeuchi. The film follows Mima Kirigoe, the member of a Japanese pop idol group who decides to retire from music to pursue an acting career. As she becomes a victim of stalking and goes deeper and deeper into her first role, she starts to lose her perception of what is real and what is fiction.

Corpse Party: Tortured Souls (コープスパーティー Tortured Souls -暴虐された魂の呪叫- Kōpusu Pātī: Tortured Souls – Bōgyaku Sareta Tamashii no Jukyō, lit. Corpse Party: Tortured Souls – The Curse of Tortured Souls) is a four-episode anime OVA based on the Japanese video game Corpse Party. It serves as a sequel to the Corpse Party: Missing Footage OVA.

Higurashi When They Cry (ひぐらしのなく頃に Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, lit. When the Higurashi Cicadas Cry), known simply as When They Cry for the North American release of the anime adaptation, is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft sound novel series produced by 07th Expansion. The games are built on the NScripter game engine and are playable on the Windows operating system. The first game in the series, Onikakushi-hen, was released on August 10, 2002, and the eighth and final game in the original PC series, Matsuribayashi-hen, was released on August 13, 2006. While the first four games carried the overall title Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, the next four games were produced under the title Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. A bonus fan disc called Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei was released on December 31, 2006. In addition to the original series, new story arcs were created in manga form and in video games for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS in order to expand upon the story. The original eight PC releases were released in English by MangaGamer in 2009 and 2010. The series focuses on a group of young friends living in the rural village of Hinamizawa and the strange events that occur in 1983.

The manga series was adapted into an anime by Madhouse, which aired between 6 April 2004 and 27 September 2005 on Nippon TV. Directed by Masayuki Kojima and written by Tatsuhiko Urahata, it features original character designs by long-time Studio Ghibli animator Kitarō Kōsaka which were adapted for the anime by Shigeru Fujita. The anime includes an instrumental theme by the Chilean folk music group Quilapayún, "Transiente", which originally appeared on their 1984 album Tralalí Tralalá. David Sylvian was commissioned to write the ending theme, "For the Love of Life", on which he collaborated with Haishima Kuniaki. In the cover notes to the official soundtrack he said, "I was attracted to the Monster material by the moral dilemma faced by its central character. The calm surface of the music giving way to darker undercurrents, signifying the conscience of the lead protagonist and the themes of morality, fate, resignation, and free will."