A lot of great recommendations have already been made, but I wanted to throw out Kuuchuu Buranko (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Welcome_to_Irabu%27s_O

A lot of great recommendations have already been made, but I wanted to throw out Kuuchuu Buranko (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Welcome_to_Irabu%27s_Office_episodes https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Welcome_to_Irabu%27s...) as a personal favorite that doesn't get named as much as I think it deserves in this sort of conversation. Much closer to Tatami than to Lain. While I'm at it: speaking of Tatami, you should also check out Yuasa's Kaiba: it's a lot more abstract than Tatami but ultimately ticks a lot of the same boxes. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descending_Stories:_Showa_Genroku_Rakugo_Shinju https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descending_Stories:_Showa_Ge... is arguably the best character-focused drama of the last few years. Satoshi Kon has also already been mentioned, but I'd specifically call out Paranoia Agent as it's often less prominent than his feature films, yet (imo) is the most incisive of his stuff.