Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Brothers

Discovered inside a giant peach by an elderly couple, Mario is raised as their own, and then sets off to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. If that sounds like a fever dream, that's because it kind of is. This 1989 OVA takes classic Japanese fairy tales: Momotarō, Issun-bōshi, and Snow White, and recasts them entirely with Super Mario characters. Three short episodes, each retelling a different story with Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser stepping into roles that were never meant for them but somehow fit anyway. The whole thing has this charming handmade quality to it, blending traditional Japanese art sensibilities with the bright, blocky aesthetic of the Mushroom Kingdom. It's comedic, it's earnest, and it's genuinely weird in the best way. Studio Junio animated it, and it was only ever released in Japan, which means most Mario fans have never seen it. If you enjoyed the vibe of Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach from 1986, this is in the same spirit, a strange little curiosity from an era when Nintendo let Japanese studios get creative with the license. Fans of The Legend of Snow White might also get a kick out of seeing that fairy tale filtered through the Mario universe. It's only three episodes and barely an hour total, so there's no reason not to check it out if you're even slightly curious.