Though fans appreciate anime that makes them think, they also enjoy a series that allows them to relax and enjoy.

There are frequently unbelievable ideas in anime that feel like they’d be impossible anywhere else, but there's also an abundance of diverse genres that give the medium even more freedom. The heights that anime is able to reach as a storytelling medium continue to push boundaries and set new standards.

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At the same time, it’s also a lot of fun when anime can function as a way to relax and get lulled into a state of ease rather than a mind-bending narrative that’s full of taxing twists. There’s no wrong way to watch anime, but some series are ideal viewing for those who don't want to be challenged and just want to have some fun.

Admittedly, any gag anime that prioritizes absurdist laughs over linear storytelling is a series that benefits from a turned off brain and an open mind. Osomatsu-san is the satirical modern update of the innocuous Osomatsu-kun anime from the 1960s and ‘80s. Osomatsu follows the Matsuno sextuplets, slacker siblings who are stuck in perpetual states of arrested development.

There’s no telling what’s on the menu on Osomatsu, whether it’s a coming of age story about responsibility or a broad genre parody of the Gundam franchise. Nothing is sacred in Osomatsu-san, which is why it’s the perfect comedy to zone out and let it wash over the audience.

Excel Saga arrives right when the 1990s transition over to the 2000s and the surreal comedy is the ideal distillation of the ambitious changes that were ahead. There’s a simple plot for city domination (the first step towards world domination), but the true appeal of Excel Saga is how each episode fearlessly transforms itself into a different anime genre.

This fluid approach helps Excel Saga mock the medium’s staples at a relentless pace. The style and speed of Excel Saga can feel a little overwhelming and so it’s best to just enjoy the anime and not question its strange decisions.

There’s a natural chemistry between shonen series and comedy anime, but Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo is essentially a love letter to nonsense and it prides itself in its off-kilter sensibilities. Hajike, the art of ridiculousness, is the core principle in Bobobo and there’s never a moment when the series lets the audience forget this.

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The titular character uses empowered nose hairs to fight off a follicle-based evil, which is the least strange detail about the series. Bobobo succeeds as a parody of battle shonen series, but it also establishes a rich universe of running jokes that will only make sense to fellow enthusiasts.

Shakespearean family tragedy fuels the action in Kill la Kill, but this is also a series where scantily-clad heroines wield giant scissors and talking garments in sanctioned displays of combat. There’s a story of substance in Kill la Kill, but it’s sometimes hard to look past all the extreme Life Fiber antics and the fan service-friendly character and costume designs.

There’s an intentional level of excess that Kill la Kill celebrates and it’s a bizarre mix of inspirations that work in spite of themselves.

The Ping Pong Club is an anime from the 1990s that delivers 52 installments of bawdy hormonal humor across 26 episodes. Ping Pong Club, to some extent, functions like Japan's answer to South Park as young characters get endlessly lost in crude content and strange situations.

Ping Pong Club is all about laughing at its eternal underdogs and how out of touch they are with anyone who's not a part of their disturbing clique. Ping Pong Club is low-hanging fruit, but it's still incredibly entertaining for those who approach it with realistic expectations.

Rumiko Takahashi is a prolific mangaka who's responsible for series like Ranma ½ and InuYasha, each of which are no strangers to comedy and surrealness, but neither can compete with Urusei Yatsura. The humble anime mixes slice-of-life silliness with exaggerated alien antics.

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Lum’s Oni alien race is full of surprises and even the anime’s more theological philosophies that the later episodes explore are a unique trip. With a modern reboot of the iconic series on the way from David Production, there's never been a better time to revisit the nonsensical '80s classic.

Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z is undeniably one of the most popular anime series of all-time and a gateway series for many audiences during the 1990s. There are nearly 300 episodes of chaotic combat spread out across Dragon Ball Z’s run, which amounts to ideal content to escape in.

Dragon Ball Z reaches genuine moments of emotional catharsis for its characters, but there are dozens of episodes that exclusively focus on battles and heightened transformations. Dragon Ball Z is an entertaining action anime, but it’s hardly high art, and watching the series with lower expectations and a turned off brain is the way to go.

Not every anime series needs to reinvent the wheel and Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! is a sublime example of how less can be more and that nothing can beat fun characters and smart writing. Uzaki becomes obsessed with Shinichi Sakurai, an introvert who decides to have a wide range of friends.

Humble misunderstandings drive forward most of the comedy and earnest romance in Uzaki-chan. The anime is well aware that it's a guilty pleasure to some extent and so it's material works best when an overly-critical mind is shut off.

Gintama is the extremely rare instance of a long-running shonen series that turns out more than 350 episodes, plus three feature films, and there’s no discernible dip in quality. If anything, Gintama actively gets better and it finds a masterful balance for serious story arcs and the most ridiculous forms of comedy.

There’s a canon to Gintama that’s respected, as well as relationships and deaths that hold genuine stakes, but the series’ self-aware meta sensibilities are truly unlike anything else. The comedy in Gintama holds nothing sacred, but episodes will also play out as storyboards, MS Paint animations, or through photographs of mannequins.

If there’s any anime that actively trolls its audience, it’s Pop Team Epic and the best approach for any troll is to not engage. Pop Team Epic delivers delirious bite-sized sketch comedy where nothing is off limits. There’s a chaotic quality that results in strange stories, genre parodies, and mixed media celebrations that continually challenge the audience’s perception of what qualifies as anime.

Each episode is even structured in a way where the whole entry repeats itself, albeit with minor changes made the second time around, like changing the voice actors.

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Daniel Kurland is a freelance writer, comedian, and critic, who lives in the cultural mosaic that is Brooklyn, New York. Daniel’s work can be read on ScreenRant, Splitsider, Bloody Disgusting, Den of Geek, and across the Internet. Daniel recently completed work on a noir anthology graphic novel titled, "Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Noir: A Rag of Bizarre Noir and Hard Boiled Tales" and he’s currently toiling away on his first novel. Daniel's extra musings can be found @DanielKurlansky on Twitter.

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