Welcome to Irabu's Office - Recommendations

AirCommodore says...

Psychedelic psychology. That's the best way to summarize Paprika and Kuuchuu Buranko. Both are about psychologists, but it's the art style and general surrealism of each that really stands out. Vibrant and absolutely mesmerizing, Kuuchuu Buranko reminds me of the parade and dream sequences of Paprika, but condensed. Also they have killer soundtracks.

Suimin says...

Paprika and Kuuchuu Buranko are both very abstract works of art that deal a lot with psychology. Paprika deals mainly with the subconscious mind and dreams. Kuuchuu Buranko deals with a number of mental illness, such as obsessive compulsive disorder.

gleipnir says...

Kuuchuu Buranko and Paprika both use bright, colorful animation and various looks into individual psychoses and mentalities to weave together their stories.  While Paprika follows a single, linear storyline and Kuuchuu Buranko is more episodic, both deserve a look if you're looking for something that plays with the characters' subconcious needs and desires.

Albatross says...

Both have the same style in the sense that each episode focuses on one characters problem and ends with it being solved. Also in both, the way the characters tie into each other later on becomes prevalent. Each episode feels like an eternity. That's a very rare and good thing.

Theta says...

Both of these anime deal considerably with psychology. Kuuchuu Buranko is very light hearted compared to Paranoia Agent, but they both look at people dealing with stress and mental illness.

snivets says...

If you liked the way either show untangles the mental problems of people suffering from extreme stress, you'd probably enjoy the other. In both, seemingly unrelated characters and bizarre psychological situations will make you pick your brain for the connections, like putting together a puzzle.

AirCommodore says...

Kuuchuu Buranko and Tatami Galaxy are oddly-animated noitaminA-timeslot series in which all the episodes take place over the same time period.

KB's episodes each have a different main character and all take place over the same week (it's neat seeing ex-mains and scenes you've already seen pop up in the background of later episodes), and TG's episodes all take place over the same two years (instead of each other, if that makes sense), but in each series it's really interesting to find parallels between episodes, etc.

snivets says...

Both shows deal with time similarly. In both shows, each episode's event sequence is structured (more or less) the same. The repetition draws our attention to what changes in each episode, revealing details of the overarching plot and showing how different pieces are connected. Ultimately, they both feel like that "Aha!" moment which comes from putting a puzzle together and finding a conclusion, and they both contain unusual characters and a fairly bizarre outlook on the world.

Hinagatari says...

Two psychological series that turn towards comedy, apparently episodic, but which ultimately show a logical thread that unites each episode. Both have a particular direction and art style, making the most of the originality of the medium to get the theme across.

Verokomo says...

At first glance, those two shows seem drastically different, Mononoke being a supernatural/horror anime infused with Japanese folklore and Kuuchuu Buranko being a modern, colorful, humorous, psychological 'brain-f*ck'. But there core subjects are very similar. The main characters, the Medicine Seller and Dr. Irabu(a psychiatrist) act has the 'evoker' making the patient's/Mononoke's truth, form and reason emerge and by doing so releasing them from there psychological clutches. They are the underestimated outsiders with the knowledge and experience. Both shows are full of metaphors and symbolism and are visually bold and full of stylistic experimentation. Fundamentally they are about the human mind and our perception of reality. They're the kind of anime that might require a certain amount of attention and open-mindedness to fully appreciate.

Thiswillkillyou says...

I will only make this recommendation based on the director being the same and the animation syle (both have unique animation and blend different styles). Thats the only two things both shows have in common in my opinion. If you enjoyed Trapeze you should at least give Mononoke a try. Both are episodic anime but Trapeze has a stronger social message than Mononoke that focuses more on the horror/ supernatural side.

alphanum3ric says...

Both of these animes are horror and are similarly animated. It's clear that they share a director and art director. 

valondar says...

The first thing that comes to mind, oddly enough, is the animation style. Both Trapeze and Mind Game feature the use of actual live action footage of actors incorporated into animation (often with parts of the body still animated) at a frame rate similar to that of animation; blurring the distinction between fake and real.

Further, both are works with a mind-bending pscyhological component; a strong sense of humour, and a deranged, surreal artystyle.

VivisQueen says...

Psychedellic animation that takes art to new and unexplored levels combined with heartwarming character-focused stories full of pragmatic life lessons. If you enjoyed that about Kuuchuu Buranko, then Mind Game will be a great movie experience. Think bigger budget, funkier concept design, and a far more touching story about loving life.

cassiesheepgirl says...

Both Kuuchuu Buranko and FLCL are exceedingly high up on the WTF scale. Both are inherently bizarre, random and kind of twisted. Though FLCL is more comedic and Kuuchuu Buranko more psychological, if you like the insane nature of one, then you are likely to enjoy the other.

cassiesheepgirl says...

If you like weird and slightly messed up anime, then both of these series are for you. Both Kuuchuu Buranko and Colorful utilise a slightly odd visual style, that can almost be uncomfortable at times. While Colorful is much more ecchi focused, if you liked the bizarre nature of one, then check out the other

puolukankukka says...

Both Welcome to the NHK and Kuuchuu Buranko take serious subject matter and turn it into dark comendy. Both comment on present day urban culture and individuas experiencing clashes with it and within it, and both are loaded with wild humor. The themes of social anxiety and insecurity run deep in both.

Whereas Kuuchuu Buranko is the more pyschedelic of the two, Welcome to the NHK concerns itself more with social commentary. And both have a touch of the other aspect too.

puolukankukka says...

If you enjoyed the bizarre humor and brightness of color in either Kuuchuu Buranko or Haré+Guu, you are likely to enjoy the same aspects of the other anime too. Both stories are centered around an anarchistic, uncompromisingly weird character who creates an (un)reality of their own around them. Both are incredibly funny and suprising.

AirCommodore says...

Kuuchuu Buranko and Hakaba Kitaro are twisted comedies about subjects that aren't usually played for laughs: debilitating psychological problems and straight-up monster-based horror. Both are very quirky, story-wise and in terms of their (awesome) unique animation style. Additionally, they were both originally aired in the same timeslot, so they're geared towards similar audiences.