Sitting at home with some good weed and time to spare? Anime is always a safe bet for a satisfying high. While any anime can technically be good to watch high, some will elevate your experience so much more. From trippy visuals to flashy battle scenes, check out our top 10 recommended anime to binge while stoned.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
How far will you go to make your wish come true?
Don’t be fooled by PMMM’s pastel palette, nor be charmed by the girls’ cute dresses reminiscent of Sailor Moon. Urobuchi stays true to his penchant for macabre as we follow Madoka’s journey to confront her destiny as a magical girl. Combined with psychedelic fight scenes and an enthrallingly sinister soundtrack, you might just binge this in one go.
Akira
If you haven’t seen Akira, you’ve at least heard of it. Under the dazzling city lights of Neo-Tokyo, one red-suited biker gang leader races against time to save the world from his best friend. As the heart of the cyberpunk genre, it’s only right to give this classic a watch (or a rewatch), with a joint in hand.
Mawaru Penguindrum
Highly colourful and highly provocative, Penguindrum takes the story of a girl with terminal illness to Freudian wonderland. Alongside its coming-to-age narrative, Kunihiko Ikuhara weaves in sensitive social commentary and references to Tokyo’s 1995 subway sarin attack.
Paprika
This movie is the stuff dreams are made of, literally. Satoshi Kon welcomes us to a thrilling chase from physical world to dream world. Dream therapist Dr. Chiba, alter-ego Paprika, unravels her patients’ subconsciousness as she aids an investigation to capture a dream terrorist who threatens the bounds of reality.
If this plot sounds familiar, that’s because Inception was very liberal with taking inspirations. But rest assured, Paprika’s surreal animation cannot be found anywhere else.
Your Name
A breathtakingly beautiful romantic fantasy, Your Name tells a transcendental story of love as Mitsuha and Taki switch bodies and daily lives. Its stunning sequences of cityscape and rural scenery absolutely enchants. For those who enjoy a heavy emphasis on aesthetics, definitely give this movie a try.
Nichijou
With a serene art style to portray the daily lives of high school girls, Nichijou is everything but peaceful. Unafraid to take its jokes to the next level, its gags feature intense, action-filled animation on par with shounen giants. From a gay porn loving sixteen-year-old girl to a mad scientist and her android, you’ll find yourself laughing so hard that your stomach hurts.
Mononoke
What sets Mononoke apart from other horror anime is a vibrantly ukiyo-e animation style, transforming ghost stories to a new level of eerie. Its mysteries are as compelling as they are tragic, and you’ll find yourself coming back for more.
Tekkon Kinkreet
Sit back and let yourself drift away to a different world with this visual feast.
Tekkon Kinkreet follows orphaned boys Black and White as they earn their keep in the phenomenally animated Treasure Town. Its unconventionally stylized rustic cityscape is refreshingly unique, yet too often forgotten by the anime community.
FLCL
Hailed by its fans as the go-to stoner anime by its surreal action scenes and whimsically metaphorical dialogues, FLCL is a fever dream. But don’t expect a coherent narrative. This show prefers to express its coming-to-age elements with intoxicatingly cryptic characters, which might just be what your high needs.
Space Dandy
Bounty-hunters and aliens, need we say more? Shinichiro Watanabe recreates his beloved Cowboy Bebop as a slapstick adventure, following Dandy and crew from planet to planet. Despite its galactic empires, parallel timelines, and multiverses, this show refuses to take itself seriously. If you’re looking for some fun, Space Dandy won’t disappoint.
Well, see you, space cowboy. Wait, no. Stay dandy, baby.
Looking for more recommendations?
Check out this list for top classic stoner movies!
If you have a personal favourite anime to binge stoned, drop a comment below!