October is here, and so are the Halloween vibes. Fall is often related to scary movies and horror games – but it doesn’t have to be. You have probably seen many lists dedicated to horror anime over the years, especially around this time of the year. But, we decided to shake things up a little for those of us who are easily spooked or simply prefer a more “cozy, spooky fall” vibe than the horror. And so, here are some spooky yet cute anime to put on your watch list this month!
Gabriel DropOut (2017)
Gabriel, an angel-in-training, is sent down from heaven to earth to experience human life, a requirement to become a full-fledged angel. However, the human experience also brings along the peril of addiction. In Gabriel’s case, she becomes irresistibly hooked on video games, causing her to lose sight of her studies and neglect her duties as an angel. Contrary to this, Vignette, a demon, is a well-put-together girl who seems to struggle to show her demonic side. The two girls make friends with other strange figures such as a sadistic angel and an impish demon who believes she’ll be the ruler of hell.
Gabriel DropOut brings 12 episodes of comedy, moe shenanigans, and supernatural situations. The series follows these four characters as they discover that there’s more to their spiritual labels than what’s on the surface. Halloween is the best time of year to give this one a try.
Moon Phase (2004)
A young Japanese photographer named Kouhei travels to a mysterious castle in Germany to take shots of paranormal activity. There, he meets a young vampire named Hazuki who sucks his blood in hopes to turn him into her slave. For an unknown reason, Kouhei is unaffected by her bite and keeps his own free will. Hazuki takes an interest in Kouhei and escapes the castle to which she had been bound in order to go to Japan and live in his quarters.
Moon Phase is a 25-episode anime from studio Shaft that is both spooky and quite adorable. There are relaxing and slice-of-life moments, but none of them take away from the underlying backstories of these characters. Moon Phase is the perfect show to turn on during a cool October night.
Zombie Land Saga (2018)
Saga prefecture in Japan is famous for… well, being boring and lacking tourists. This is where Sakura Minamoto finds herself after getting killed in a sudden accident and losing the memories of her past. Not only does she struggle to remember her past life, but she awakes in Saga as a zombie! Sakura encounters Koutaro Tatsumi, an individual with a fervent desire to rejuvenate Saga prefecture’s tourism and financial situation. He plans to achieve this by establishing an idol group that will serve as a promotional force for the region. Sakura, along with several other zombie girls, start this idol group and hope to find out the secrets of their past.
Zombie Land Saga is a fun and unlikely clash of creepy zombies and cute Japanese idols. It’s also interesting to learn a bit about a prefecture in Japan that’s not often visited by tourists (of course until this anime was released). The original anime series has two thrilling seasons at 12 episodes each, and you can still get them both in before Halloween!
Karin (2005)
Karin Maaka is an unusual vampire who can go outside during the day and sleeps at night, just like a normal human. But her even more unusual trait is that she has polycythemia: instead of needing to suck blood from humans, she makes too much of it! Whenever Karin is embarrassed or feels negative energy around her, she loses tons of blood in the form of nosebleeds. Because of this, she actually needs to inject her own blood into humans. A schoolmate of hers, Kenta Usui, witnesses her biting a victim and learns of her vampire ways. Kenta’s blood causes a strange reaction in Karin, and she takes an interest in him.
Karin is an adaptation of the 2003 manga of the same name (known as Chibi Vampire in the West). This anime comprises 24 enthralling episodes brimming with vampires, romance, uproarious moments, and that singular enchantment that can only be found in early 2000s anime, elevating the school comedy genre. Karin is maybe not as much a spooky anime, but it’s fun to watch on a chilly fall afternoon.
Interviews with Monster Girls (2017)
Regular humans and monster girls attend Shibasaki High School where Tetsuo Takashi is a biology instructor. Tetsuo has a special interest in monster girls (known as “demi”) and how they adapt to human society. Throughout his school life, Tetsuo interacts and helps demi students adjust to a society that tends to leave out the needs of monsters. From dullahan and vampires to succubus teachers, there is hardly a dull day at Shibasaki.
The most interesting thing about Interviews with Monster Girls is seeing how each demi must adjust to life in a human world. Tetsuo is a character whose intentions are pure, and it’s nice to see how he helps these monster girls in each episode. This anime will bring you 12 episodes of laughs and wholesome moments. The numerous monsters give it that Halloween-y vibe too!
Now that you’ve got some idea of what anime to watch this October, it’s the perfect time to grab some hot cocoa, and a blanket, and cozy up on the couch for some adorably spooky anime. What shows will you be watching to start your Halloween festivities?
Featured image: Gabriel DropOut
