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A lot of the plot takes place underground, but Dungeon Meshi certainly has that same medieval vibe. And the indoor setting is used to great effect for both cozy and claustrophopic moments.
It does feature some more colorful locations, because the magic of the Dungeon can make some levels feel like the surface.
Too much more than that would spoil some things.
See if you like the vibe of the first opening. It features several locations (with the charachters as giants in them).
I thought it would be a dark anime since it's set in a dungeon. But after watching the opening, there were bright outdoor scenes too, so it was closer to what I imagined! Thanks!
At times it is. The story has both bright and dark parts, both visually and tonally.
It depends on the level they are on, and there is also a kind of B plot that happens above ground.
That really piqued my interest! I'll check it out on Netflix.
If you like it, you can join us over on !dungeonmeshi@ani.social.
If you're like me, you might enjoy reading the comment threads for each episode as you watch them. Each episode got a good bit of discussion when they aired.
I also posted a bunch of extras pages from the manga that didn't get an equivalent in the anime. You can find these by searching "Monster Tidbits".
I never imagined so many people would recommend such amazing anime to me—thank you so much! I'm Japanese and not very good at English, so I'm using DeepL here. Please excuse any unnatural English that might result.
Ruri Rocks.
Second Ruri Rocks, it's amazing. Also you'll learn a bunch!
I've actually seen this a few times at bookstores. The background art is truly beautiful!
Ruri Rocks… rocks.
Little Witch Academia immediately comes to mind when I hear the word colorful.
This artwork is adorable, colorful, and sophisticated! Thanks for telling me!
None of these are the same genre, but for "beautiful depictions of light and color" I don't think KyoAni can be beat, first one of theirs that comes to mind is Hibike Euphonium. Violet Evergarden would probably be the closest to Frieren.
Some off the top of my head other than KyoAni: Shoshimin Series, Yofukashi no Uta. These are decidedly darker color palettes though.
This one is "muddier", but if you like Frieren, maybe Mushishi is worth a shot.
Violet Evergarden was the first thing that came to my mind, but I don’t have a strong enough recollection of the art detail to recommend it on my own. I’m glad someone with a better memory was able to give it its due.
Hibike Euphonium. Violet Evergarden
I can second both of these.
I didn't recommend them earlier because I remember them best not for beautiful scenery, but for peak animation and story. However, I won't be surprised if they are extremely good-looking when it comes to background art too.
Thanks so much for telling me all about it! From what little I've seen, Violet Evergarden looks absolutely beautiful. I actually picked up Mushishi at a bookstore once, but since I didn't know what it was about, I ended up passing on it. It definitely is an anime that piques my interest!
Grimgar of fantasy and ash
Thank you. This looks like a watercolor painting, and the light is beautiful too!
Kimi No Na Wa
Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso
Mahoutsukai No Yome
Sora Yori Mo Tooi Basho
Tanaka-kun Wa Itsumo Kedaruge
Igirisu kara konnichiwa!
Thanks for taking the trouble to introduce five of them in Japanese! The lighting effects in Mahoutsukai No Yome (The Ancient Magus' Bride) are hard to put into words, but they're close to what I imagined and really great. Also, personally, I was really drawn to the atmosphere of Tanaka-kun Wa Itsumo Kedaruge (Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless). I'll definitely watch it! ありがとうございます！（Arigatou gozaimasu!）
Completely different Genre, but Dusk Maiden of Amnesia has beautiful artwork and a very moving story
I wasn't a huge fan of the story, but Garden of Words is worth watching just for the scenery art.
Shinkai's work is truly beautiful! Thank you!
I don't know if it's like Frieren (haven't seen it) but Aria has my favorite light and colour. Especially when golden hour hits... I also hear Frieren is supposedly a slow show. If you like slow, serene and emotional with scoops of aware no mono then Aria is peak. Here is a video with some moving shots without spoilers to gauge the vibe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQXviHhK44U
This is my first time seeing this work. The shot around 2:06 in the video is absolutely stunning the way the light streams in from above and the water is rendered is breathtaking!
One anime that I've watched very recently, and that I can recommend for its beauty, is Dragonite and the Postman (Youtube link). It is only 12 minutes long, so it is very easy to pick up.
Example screenshot:
Also, can't go wrong with Your Name and the likes.
I hadn't even considered Pokémon-related things. It really is beautiful! Thank you!
Many good recommendations here already.
I can also list some that have some good scenes:
Anything by director Naoko Yamada is amazing.
Apothecary Diaries has gorgeous looking moments too.
Houseki no Kuni. It's the best 3D I've seen in an anime and each character is colourful and light is done super well too, give it a chance and watch one episode!
What a vivid and beautiful anime world! I've heard the story gets a bit heavy, so I'm hesitant, but I think I'll give it a try! Thanks!
Violet Evergarden.
It is absolutely lovely both in terms of animation and story.
Wandering Witch
~~Bocchi the Witch~~ Silent Witch (but go ahead, try Bocchi the Rock too)
Once Upon a Witch's Death
Akebi's Sailor Uniform
The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
Tsurune S2
Vinland Saga
Violet Evergarden
Black Clover
To Your Eternity
Kino no Tabi
Thank you so much for showing me all of these! Each piece is close to what I imagined, but the top three are especially beautiful! Thank you so, so much!
Makeine has some great light and shadows, it's a beautifully directed show. Not fantasy but really well written as well.
Slice of life is the best too! The setting seems to be mainly Japanese summer, and the sky and clouds are truly beautiful! (Plus, the sun-kissed girl are adorable)
Watch out for Made In Abyss. It starts off really cheery and gets super fuckin dark. I couldn't make it past the first season.
On the “western animation” side, I can recommend DOTA: Dragon's Blood, and the Critical Role anime (Vox Machina, and possibly Mighty Nein, though I haven’t seen the later).
As a Japanese person, I hadn't really come across this work before, but looking into it, scenes like the Dota forest are incredibly beautiful. Thank you!
Ahh! Yeah, there's some great-looking 'western' animation now.
Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra is the Dota animators' claim to fame, with the same style of painted backgrounds:
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2632044/
The depiction of the harbor feels incredibly refined. The vast sea and blue sky are beautifully rendered—truly wonderful. Thank you for sharing this!
王様ランキング Ranking of the Kings. This anime has very colorful and unique looking art style.
Mushoku Tensei
Yeah but it is absolute dogshit in the character department
I really enjoyed Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.
It's similar in emotional tone to Frieren; there is a long-lived person who is remembering those she lost while finding small joys in the present.
I've only read the manga but the stills I've seen of the anime do match my expectations.
