I really enjoyed Ruri Rocks, and not just because of the "character designs"

It spoke to a part of me that just wants to take a walk by the river and look for cool rocks.

You might be surprised to hear that there's a lot of anime/manga about mahjong. I'm aiming to watch/read all of them (or at least what's available in English, there are even more manga series that are still untranslated).

Akagi is without a doubt the GOAT of this weird little subgenre.

Not sure exactly what is meant by "resonated with you", but I really liked Chihayafuru. It's about an old card game that's niche even in Japan where someone reads out the first half of a poem, and then each competitor tries to touch the card with the second half of that poem first. Sounds boring, but this show is proof that execution is what really matters.

Similarly, Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju is a great story about aspiring rakugoka. All you need is some good human drama and suddenly anything can be extremely interesting (no offense meant to the art of rakugo).

Ping Pong the Animation is about Ping Pong but also so much more. Fantastic characterization.

Sora No Manimani is basically propaganda for your local high school's astronomy club. You know it was made by space nerds because they get all the visuals right. Never seen a show so faithfully recreate the actual night sky

Space Brothers is all about what it takes to become an astronaut. One of my personal favorites.

The currently airing Akane-banashi is actually pretty great, gave me a new appreciation for rakugo

NegaPosi Angler - though about fishing, it's largely about forming human bonds, and plays off of the fact that people who fish tend to share an instant bond with each other.

Hanayamata -five girls who form a Yosakoi dance team - easily one of the most adorably uplifting and satisfying anime I've ever seen.

Sabagebu! - Survival Game Club - combat games with AirSoft guns - very stylized and often surreal and very funny in a sort of Nichijou vein.

I'll second Chihayafuru, and add Hikaru no Go (different game, very shounen anime, still manages a surprisingly good emotional payoff if you stick with the show long enough).

I'm going to add a couple of more dubious ones: Princess Tutu, to the extent that it's about ballet and not fairytales. And the old series Ayatsuri Sakon, which is primarily a mystery series, but often uses backdrops that relate strongly to Japanese culture (mostly bunraku, since the main character is an apprentice bunraku puppeteer, but there's also one arc that deals heavily with Noh theatre)—to be honest, those were more interesting than the whodunnit bits.

DIY is a niche topic???

If you liked My Dress-Up Darling, then you'd probably also appreciate 2.5 Dimensional Seduction.

Birdie Wing - Girls golf. It's wild and amazing at the same time.

Super Cub - Girl buys a used motor scooter and it opens up her world.

Laid-back Camp - Cozy camping vibes where buying a single lantern is a whole event because it makes camping that tiny bit more fun.

March Comes in Like a Lion - Shogi

Sk8 the Infinity - Downhill skateboarding dialed up to 11. Not at all realistic but still a fun time.

Niche anime that stuck with me for all the wrong reasons: Burning Kabaddi. The sport is so ridiculous that I can't believe it's a real thing. Only watched one or two episodes, but the incredibly niche topic stuck with me.

• Bakuon!!
• Haruka Receive
• Joshiraku
• Saekano
• Dagashi Kashi
• HaNaYaMaTa

Fune wo Amu. It's about making a dictionary.

Chihayafuru, one of the greatest anime ever.