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[shuri]

I know that there's a lot of feature films (wonderful days, akira, bla bla bla), but most anime defenders always say that there's a lot of mature animes shows, yet they never really name them. Other than Berserk. And that's a strech

I kinda want to invest myself into animes, but I cant find anything worth watching that wont piss me off in less than 10 minutes.

Criterias:
1- No cute fuzzy creature that does cute things
2- no crap about 15 years old girls saving the world using her telekenetic connection to a giant robot
3- No annoying j-pop 5 minutes break in every show
4- No worthless love drama stuff. I dont need to watch that trip.
5- No hentai.
6- Keep the cheesy stuff to a minimum

WELL?

 

[metsallica]

Check out Lain (WARNING: stars a 14-year-old girl, but don't let that put you off), Haibane-Renmai, or anything by Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers or the upcoming Paranoia Agent).

 

[SolidSnakex]

Paranoia Agent
Perfect Blue
Tokyo Godfathers
Millenium Actress
Texhnolyze
ect

Paranoia Agent does have "Marumi" which is a stuffed fluffy toy, but it's not shoved in your face all the time. You see it every now and then and it's usually for a good reason.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

His or Her Circumstances
Monster
X tv series
Kenshin(samuriax) Trust/ Betrayal Ovas
Evagelion
Now and Then Here and There
Blue Gender


thats just off the top of my head ill post more as i think of them

 

[Meier]

Best examples for a recent show is Monster. There is no fluff in this. It's cold, calculated, and as the series progresses -- VERY exciting. Check it out:

http://a.scarywater.net/soldats/

Paranoia Agent is another great example, but licensed so I can't link to it.

 

[Justin Bailey]

Cowboy Bebop.

It has Ein, but he cool, so it's ok.

 

[Drexon]

I consider all of these the more mature of the current anime series airing:

Kurau: Phantom Memory
Full Metal Alchemist
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alond Complex/2nd Gig
Paranoia Agent

Atleast check 'em out.

 

[Bebpo]

you might want to check out Otogi Zoushi when it gets subbed in a few days. Seems to fit most of your categories.

 

[Matlock]

Lupin the IIIrd. Greatest anime ever.

 

[Drexon]

you might want to check out Otogi Zoushi when it gets subbed in a few days. Seems to fit most of your categories.

There a RAW out?

 

[rastex]

His or Her Circumstances

4- No worthless love drama stuff. I dont need to watch that trip.

Shuri, you've effectively cut off 98% of all anime. There are some shows that break the mold, but most of them are just all the same tired crap over and over again. That's why I barely watch any anime anymore.

 

[Meier]

you might want to check out Otogi Zoushi when it gets subbed in a few days. Seems to fit most of your categories.

This will be the best show of the season, I'm sure of it. Holy fuck it looks awesome. <3 Production IG

 

[Bebpo]

There a RAW out?

Yep.

Though it uses semi-classical speech (classical enough to recognize the naunces of Heian time, but modern enough for current Japanese to understand), which makes it a decent amount tougher to fully understand raw (at least for me).

 

[Chrono]

edit: uh never mind...

 

[metsallica]

you might want to check out Otogi Zoushi when it gets subbed in a few days. Seems to fit most of your categories.

Didn't this just get licensed? Also, can someone give me a plot synopsis or point me in the direction of more information?

 

[DrForester]

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Basic Story: As a young girl Utena's parents were killed and she was alone. A prince came and saved her, and gave her a ring that would one day lead her back to him. Utena was so impressed with the Prince she wanted to be a Prince herself. Fast forward to high school where Utena now attends Ohtori Accademy. She's a tomboy who is drawn into a stange ritual of sword dueling by members of the student council who all have a ring like the one she recieved as a child. The winner is given the Rose Bride, a girl named Anthy, and the sword of Dios which has the power to revolutionize the world. It's not dark (At least at the beginning), but the story is quite deep and the animation is fantasic. Show is 39 episodes, and there is a movie (Though movie is like the Escaflowne movie, different take on the same story).



Saikano.

Baisc Story: Chise and Shuji are in high school and have recently started going out. The world is being destroyed by war and Shuji soon learns that his new girlfriend is reall a weapon for the government. This is only a 13 episode show and deals with Shuji and Chise's relationship as he deals with her being a machine for killing. It also deals with those of the people arround them durring this war that could destroy the world.



IRIA: Zeiram The Animation

Basic Story: Iria is a bounty hunter learnign under her brother. When her brother is killed by a stange monster known as Zeiram, Iria is out for revenge. It's a 6 episode OVA and the entire series is on 1 DVD set. Nice short, and fun.



The Legend Of Basara (If you can find it)

Basic Story: In the distant future the earth has been ravaged, and Japan has been reduced to a wasteland controled by a Emperor and his 4 sons that he has made Kings. A prophesy tells of a Child of Destiny who will overthrow the king and unite the land. When Tatara and his twin sister Sarasa were born, Tatara was raised as the prophesized child. When a midnight raid on the camp claims Tatara's life and his family his sister assumes his identity and tries to unite the people while trying to overthrow the Red King (named Shuri ), the one responsible for her famlies death. Show is not licenced in the USA, and teh show sadly was canned after 13 episodes (No resolution). The manga is licenced in the USA under the title Basara.

 

[Docpan]

FOR FUCKS SAKE! No more anime topics.... Please!

 

[GaimeGuy]

FOR FUCKS SAKE! No more anime topics.... Please!

Anime owns you. If you don't like it, don't look at the topics. Simple as that. Why'd you open this topic if you don't like anime?

 

[Grizzlyjin]

Monster, you just described Monster. Drama and suspense the likes of which you would see in a good Hollywood movie.

 

[Syckx]

I really don't like the majority of the anime I see, but Grave of the Fireflies was excellent. It doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator although be warned it is more than a bit depressing. Castle in the Sky was pretty good as well but a bit hackneyed.

 

[Cloudy]

Hey Shuri, name some live-action movies that are "mature" IYO. Lemme see your definition of "mature" and then I'll give you a list

 

[Docpan]

Anime owns you. If you don't like it, don't look at the topics. Simple as that. Why'd you open this topic if you don't like anime?

Who said I didn't like it? It's just there's a shitload of them, all talking about the same stuff!

Keep it all in one spot ............FOR FUCKS SAKE!

"Reccommend so and so anime!"
"Naruto rules check it out!"
"Cowboy bebop is still the best"
*insert picture here*
"Berserk!"

...
And NINETY FUCKING PERCENT of the people posting have Asian women as their avatar. Sure that's a little off topic, but can someone fill me in on that?? Everyone on GAF suddenly has an Asian fettish?

 

[SolidSnakex]

...
And NINETY FUCKING PERCENT of the people posting have Asian women as their avatar. Sure that's a little off topic, but can someone fill me in on that?? Everyone on GAF suddenly has an Asian fettish?

No one has any Asian women in their avatars in this thread..Heck no one in this thread even has a woman in their avatar. What are you talking about? If you just avoid the topic you won't be bothered by it. Don't click it.

 

[BuddyC]

And NINETY FUCKING PERCENT of the people posting have Asian women as their avatar. Sure that's a little off topic, but can someone fill me in on that?? Everyone on GAF suddenly has an Asian fettish?

seriously, step the fuck off about the asian fetish. i'm not even trying to defend it, i'm just sick of hearing the tired banter go back and forth.

 

[GaimeGuy]

Hey, if we had one huge anime thread, it would be difficult to navigate through. I'd think that an anime forum would be more effective, though I dunno if there's enough anime discussion to warrant that.

 

[Docpan]

Arr!

 

[BuddyC]

Paranoia Agent is good, I'm really enjoying it.

 

[metsallica]

No one has any Asian women in their avatars in this thread..Heck no one in this thread even has a woman in their avatar. What are you talking about? If you just avoid the topic you won't be bothered by it. Don't click it.

Samus disagrees.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Paranoia Agent is good, I'm really enjoying it.

Only 1 ep to go though. Hopefully it all comes together, even though it's structured like Boogiepop so understanding it completely the first time through really won't be possible.

 

[BuddyC]

Only 1 ep to go though. Hopefully it all comes together, even though it's structured like Boogiepop so understanding it completely the first time through really won't be possible.

I know

It seems to be coming together quite well, but there's no doubt in my mind that a bunch of stuff is flying right over my head. Thankfully, those that spend enough time watching it to fully understand every little nuance end up writing giant essays.

 

[Docpan]

Berserk!

 

[hobbitx]

Not really a show, but the Rumik World animes are some of the best and most mature animes I've seen, in fact, that one series is what go me into anime back in the day. Laughing Target and Mermaid Scar are amazing. I thought Firetripper was great too, but you said you didn't want any love stuff and that's filled with it, but it's presented in a good less juvenile way imo.

 

[ThirstyFly]

Other than Berserk. And that's a strech

I'm sorry, but Berserk a stretch for a mature anime? How exactly is it a stretch?

Here's a few off the top of my head. Clearly some are better then others (since I have no range of your taste, I can't narrow it down), so you may want to look into them a bit before diving in. I'll provide VERY BASIC plot outlines.

I'm skipping fansub releases, or else I'd be listing stuff all day. These are all available on DVD, however some are in the process of being released, or will be released soon.

- Battle Angel aka Gunnm (OVA series) - Dark story about a cyborg girl and her world (not nearly as cheesy as I made it sound)

- Blood: The Last Vampire (single OVA) - Fairly weak plot, but very dark and mature.

- DevilLady aka Devilman Lady (TV series) - Horror/action with a bit of sci-fi tossed in. Battles are fairly bland due to TV quality animation but the sheer creepiness of the show makes it worth watching and it has a truly fantastic ending.

- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2 OVA series) - Not the strongest show plot-wise, but it more than makes up for that with great characters and some very interesting, clever battles.

- Macross Plus (OVA series and movie retelling) - Considered by many to be the best thing to ever come out of Macross. The Macross universe is only used as a backdrop for the mature love triangle story (not your typical cheesy anime love story either) which features some of the best dog fight scenes ever animated.

- Memories (movie) - 3 unconnected stores in one movie. 1st story is an Alien like sci-fi piece (minus the alien), 2nd story is a silly little dark comedy, and the 3rd is an semi-abstract piece about a city at war. Very interesting with some top notch animation.

- Princess Mononoke (movie) - One of many movies directed by Miyazaki. This is probably the most mature of the batch, though all are worth watching.

- Read or Die (OVA series) - Short OVA series with a huge budget resulting in some great action and memorable characters.

- Record of Lodoss War (OVA series and a TV series) - Classic fantasy series. If you're into Lord of the Rings, check this out. The semi-sequel TV series can be skipped, but watch the original OVAs.

- Samurai X aka Rurouni Kenshin (TV series and 2 OVA series) - Samurai series with characters lightly based on real historical figures. Skip the TV series, but watch the prequel OAV series and if you enjoy that, watch the second OVA which ends off the whole thing. This is probably your best bet for maximum mature enjoyment.

- Ghost in the Shell (Movie and TV series) - Sci-fi series. The movie is very mature, but I find it a little bland due to slow pacing and over use of long dialog scenes. The TV series is a mix of very good one shot episodes and a longer continued plotline.

- Ninja Scroll (movie) - Bloody ninja action. Not hentai, but it does have some sex.

- Patlabor (OVA series, TV series, 3 movies) - An older work from the director of the Ghost in the Shell movie. Skip the OVA and TV series as they are more comedy based, but the 3 movies (I haven't seen the 3rd) are very intelligent suspense/sci fi stores with an excellent blend of very realistic action and character driven dialog.

- Riding Bean (single OVA) - This may not have the look you're going for, but it's a fun little action show. Take any classic 80s action hero character and toss him into the car chase from the first Blues Brothers movie and you have Riding Bean. It's a little light hearted, but it's still not a kids show.

- Twilight of the Dark Master (single OVA) - Not the best show, but it's dark and moody sci-fi/horror. Worth a rent.

- Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (single OVA) - From the director of Ninja Scroll. Story about a half vampire-half human who hunts vampires. Based on a novel.

- Wicked City (movie) - From the director of Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. Sci-fi/horror story about a demon woman who teams up with a human cop to save the world and all that. Like Ninja Scroll, it has sex but it's not hentai.

- The Hakkenden: The Dog Warriors (OVA series) - Based on a series of classic novel series. Various samurai of different class are all connected by a mystical force. Very good stuff with different directors/art styles though the series to keep things fresh.

- The Venus Wars (movie) - About a war on Venus, go figure.

- Wings of Honneanise (movie) - An excellent story about alternate world's quest for their first flight into space. I highly recommend this one.

- A Wind Named Amnesia - A boy awakens into a world where everyone else has forgotten even the simplest tasks, such as speech - only not is all as it seems. This is an unusual sci-fi movie. If you want something a little different, here you go.

- Perfect Blue (OVA) - If Hitchcock made anime.

- Black Heaven (TV series) - A man is chosen to save the earth from an Alien attack with cheesy 80s rock. Not the best show ever, but it's done in a pretty interesting way, and it has a very original premise.

- Blue Submarine No.6 (OVA series) - Man floods earth, earth wants him dead. Etc.

- Grave of the Fireflies (movie) - The horror of war from a child's perspective (there is however, nothing childish about this movie)

- Gungrave (TV series) - Berserk meets the mob.

- Mermaid's Scar (OVA) - There's a kid in here that'll change the way you look at anime children for the rest of your life.

 

[soakrates]

Berserk and Cowboy Bebop are a couple that come immediately to mind. As has already been mentioned, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Paranoia Agent are good as well.

 

[Chrono]

I can't believe no one mentioned this...


ONE PIECE!

It has only one cute character (chopper!) but it's not a theme in the anime. There's no 15 year old teens here or cheesy drama. Just one hell of an adventure! One Piece is just so damn fun to watch. Its creater Oda should be declared God.

EDIT:

wtf just checked Oda on the ANN encyclopedia (link) and One Piece is his only manga? He worked on kenshin but as an assistant artist. WOW! Is he planning another series? I mean do mangakas work on more then one? He is a god!

 

[Boogie9IGN]

- Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (single OVA) - From the director of Ninja Scroll. Story about a half vampire-half human who hunts vampires. Based on a novel.

- Grave of the Fireflies (movie) - The horror of war from a child's perspective (there is however, nothing childish about this movie)

IAWTP

 

[Crazymoogle]

wtf just checked Oda on the ANN encyclopedia (link) and One Piece is his only manga? He worked on kenshin but as an assistant artist. WOW! Is he planning another series? I mean do mangakas work on more then one? He is a god!

One Piece is 327 chapters right now - it's been going for a LONG time. At a week per chapter, you do the math.

The manga industry is not like american comics. In the case of One Piece, Oda has to get 18 pages written and drawn per week, which even with assistants is still a bitch to do. Then figure in few breaks per year, and really, the only other thing he can do is throw unused drawings together and release an artbook or character guide.

 

[Tabris]

2- no crap about 15 years old girls saving the world using her telekenetic connection to a giant robot

Watch Evangelion. Yes, it does feature 15 year old boy and girls saving the world using their "telekenetic connection to a giant robot". Once you get past that phase of the show, it takes a turn that no other anime or show has. Unless copying this one.

Trust me, it's the kind of show you'll either become absolutely obssessed about, or absolutely hate it. You know, if any show can get you to do either of those things, then it must be good

Also, two other STRONG recommendations are Grave of the Fireflies and Lain.

 

[Thaedolus]

Wow, first episode of Monster = Two thumbs up

Getting the rest!

 

[Defensor]

Lupin the IIIrd. Greatest anime ever.

yo.

 

[Chrono]

Watch Evangelion. Yes, it does feature 15 year old boy and girls saving the world using their "telekenetic connection to a giant robot". Once you get past that phase of the show, it takes a turn that no other anime or show has. Unless copying this one.

Trust me, it's the kind of show you'll either become absolutely obssessed about, or absolutely hate it. You know, if any show can get you to do either of those things, then it must be good

Also, two other STRONG recommendations are Grave of the Fireflies and Lain.

I don't want to start another discussion, but I have to ask: so what the hell was EVA about? and wtf happened at the end? I really believe Anno just @%# up everything but people are giving him credit cuz he "leaves it to the viewer." And we all know how many different versions of the "meaning' of EVA there are...

 

[MetatronM]

Yes, Monster is the correct answer to the question at hand.

 

[Lyte Edge]

How about Gantz? Also, I'd recommend GTO; it does have some of the typical anime cliches, but it's still different from the typical stuff, IMO. The manga is better; the anime series ends too early, but is still a good adaption overall. It's about a punk named Onizuka that winds up becoming a high school teacher, and the stuff that happens between him and his students. You also won't find any "wide-eyed anime cuteness" in this series.

 

[calder]

Jin-Roh: The Wolfs Brigade


Bring a hanky, or a suicide kit. It's not a great movie (it has some flaws yet it's very worth watching), but it's serious as a heart attack and in the end has absolutely nothing that you said you didn't want.

 

[bjork]

Midnight Sleazy Train.

 

[FortNinety]

... or anything by Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers or the upcoming Paranoia Agent).

Agreed.

BTW, does anyone know how well these films did in Japan? At the American premiere for Millennium Actress, I recall the director saying that Perfect Blue wasn't that well recieved, and neither did MA, or he wasn't expecting it to.

 

[Trevelyon]

tsk, tsk bjork!

 

[DonasaurusRex]

How did I know someone was gonna mention One Piece? My ex gf loved that dang anime so much that she bought the whole dvd collection , she even named her cat Ruphi after someone on the show. I loved the expression on her face when I told her that the name of a date rape drug lol. I hate that stupid anime.

Try Golden Boy, its funny and full of mature jokes and situations.

Also 8 Man After is pretty sweet too.

 

[belgurdo]

"mature anime" is an oxymoron

 

[belgurdo]

...
And NINETY FUCKING PERCENT of the people posting have Asian women as their avatar. Sure that's a little off topic, but can someone fill me in on that?? Everyone on GAF suddenly has an Asian fettish?

Save this comment for those "post women" threads where people complain if someone puts up a pic of anyone who isn't Asian or Brazilian