Hi,

Subsequently to the Elfen Lied subject, I realize I know a bit about shonen/shojo anime, but nothing about more mature orientated productions. Could you recommend any good ones? And I'm not talking about stuff like XXXholic which are supposed to be for adults, but just plain suck (even though the movie was alright I guess). Either the scenario and/or the graphics have to be original/interesting in a mature sort of way.

This seems vague, so let me develop. We all like the feeling when Luffy punches the celestial dragon. That feeling is universal. But One Piece, in its form is clearly shonen. I'm looking for more complexity/sobriety. Death Note is a good borderline case, coming closer to my expectations.

So we can start with Elfen Lied. Okay. Possibly Kemonozume. I wouldn't know, I'm not really into classifications. Probably Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (if I had watched this as a teen, I probably would have started to stab things for fun). And we can add Texhnolyze.

Do you know any?

Thank you in advance for your eventual contribution(s).

Try a forum search.

http://forum.koohii.com/showthread.php?tid=2347

^_^

Thank you nest0r, I regularly consult this topic, but I felt most of what was there was still too young orientated. For example, I watched Lain as a teen, and it wasn't that shocking (okay maybe the first two suicides were). And Kino no tabi is for people with a brain, not especially older ones. These are just two examples, but I hope you see my point. I guess there must be something to censor about to the young in my request.

OK I'll have a go at this. I'm not sure who these anime were made for exactly, but I guess I am pretty old compared to many on this forum and I enjoyed them:

1) Ghost in the Shell (movies, plus Stand Alone Complex)
This is the only anime I ever really liked before I started learning Japanese. It is also probably still the only anime I would recommend wholeheartedly to any adult friend, even if they had no interest in Japan.

2) Sennou Chosashitsu aka "Real Drive". (RD 潜脳調査室).
Similar in ways to GiTS, but more sedate, and not quite as good (still good though). I think it was made by the same people as GiTS:SAC.

3) Kara no kyoukai - the garden of sinners (空の境界).
I have only watched the first one so far, so I don't know much about it, but it was interesting and seemed fairly "adult" / serious. There are exact subs available, too.

4) Monster.
Pretty well known, and fairly serious. Drags on a bit but is worth a watch.

5) Kaiji
Strange gambling based anime. Quite addictive.

6) Armored Trooper Votoms: Pailsen Files
Hard sci-fi - quite an interesting story. Pailsen Files is the most recent one - If you like it, there are lots of older series which look interesting but are a bit dated (I haven't watched them)

7) Ergo Proxy.
Slightly philosophical dystopian sci-fi. Relatively adult.

8) 5 centimetres per second.
This is about teenagers, but I think the melancholy nature of it makes it more suitable for adults. It is a sad love story which I personally found very moving and thought-provoking. It is also beautifully made.

That's my lot for now.

Welcome to the NHK(N・H・Kにようこそ!)

I like it..funny and has some 'grown up' topics.

Monster is a good adults' anime/manga.

If you liked Higurashi no naku koro ni, there's also Higurashi no naku koro ni kai, which really clears everything up. Umineko no naku koro ni wasn't as good, but if you're hooked on the series it's kind of interesting.

Baccano! is quite adult and a little bit crazy, but the plot unfolds in a cool way.

House of Five Leaves would be boring for teens, and is quite slow moving but probably worth a watch. It has an unusual visual style.

Hakuouki is an awesome samurai anime, quite subtle and adult, with a cool mix of history and folklore. The ending is not what I wanted, but still a nice series.

If you aren't bored by slice of life shows, I recommend 北へ。〜Diamond Dust Drops〜 (I think the dub version was called "Diamond Daydreams"). Unlike most SoL anime, its cast mostly consists of young adults and the topics are fairly mature (love triangles, adultery, terminal illness, etc.), but it still has plenty of SoL-style heart-warming moments.

Don't know about you, but I think Death Note and Code Geass are fairly grown-up. Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei also deals with some serious topics, but it approaches many of them with about as much maturity as South Park, so Your Mileage May Vary. Oh, and I definitely third the suggestion of Monster.

Blahah Wrote:If you liked Higurashi no naku koro ni, there's also Higurashi no naku koro ni kai, which really clears everything up. Umineko no naku koro ni wasn't as good, but if you're hooked on the series it's kind of interesting.

I'd really only recommend reading Umineko, and skipping out on the anime. It's not even because the anime version is a mostly mediocre adaptation, but because at this point it's almost guaranteed that there won't be a second season. So, you know, if you're going to have to read the second half of the story anyway, might as well read the first part too, right?

As for anime recommendations, I dunno, maybe try Durarara or Darker than Black? I don't really watch stuff that's super-serious no matter the media, but those two are definitely closer to the Death Note side of Shonen than the One Piece side.

Mcjon01 Wrote:I'd really only recommend reading Umineko, and skipping out on the anime. It's not even because the anime version is a mostly mediocre adaptation, but because at this point it's almost guaranteed that there won't be a second season. So, you know, if you're going to have to read the second half of the story anyway, might as well read the first part too, right?

Ohhh so the manga has a second part! I had no idea there was a conclusion to the story, no wonder it seemed so weird.

Mcjon01 Wrote:As for anime recommendations, I dunno, maybe try Durarara or Darker than Black? I don't really watch stuff that's super-serious no matter the media, but those two are definitely closer to the Death Note side of Shonen than the One Piece side.

So it is still shounen manga. Is there any real seinen manga or anime worth watching?

Blahah Wrote:

Mcjon01 Wrote:I'd really only recommend reading Umineko, and skipping out on the anime. It's not even because the anime version is a mostly mediocre adaptation, but because at this point it's almost guaranteed that there won't be a second season. So, you know, if you're going to have to read the second half of the story anyway, might as well read the first part too, right?

Ohhh so the manga has a second part! I had no idea there was a conclusion to the story, no wonder it seemed so weird.

Well, they're sound novels, technically. I mean, there is a manga, but they're pretty far behind -- they're just now starting to adapt the answer arcs, and I'm not sure if they've even finished up all the question arc adaptations yet. Also it's not quite concluded yet, since the last novel is being released at the end of the month.

KanjiDevourer Wrote:

Mcjon01 Wrote:As for anime recommendations, I dunno, maybe try Durarara or Darker than Black? I don't really watch stuff that's super-serious no matter the media, but those two are definitely closer to the Death Note side of Shonen than the One Piece side.

So it is still shounen manga. Is there any real seinen manga or anime worth watching?

Don't know what category is it but Cowboy Bebop is pretty adult stuff. There are lighter elements but overall I'd say the atmosphere is rather dull & hopeless despite all those spaceships and gunfights.

Its also the only anime (known to me) that even "Chinese cartoons" people watch with pleasure and respect.

Not to mention that its soundtrack is probably one of the best ever to accompany any sort of media. I doubt kids appreciate jazz.

Every one of these has already been mentioned in the atypical anime thread I linked to and with which Eratik is already familiar, so I guess we all fail. ;p

nest0r Wrote:Every one of these has already been mentioned in the atypical anime thread I linked to and with which Eratik is already familiar, so I guess we all fail. ;p

北へ and Code Geass have not been mentioned, so I guess my post is only 60% fail :p

vonPeterhof Wrote:

nest0r Wrote:Every one of these has already been mentioned in the atypical anime thread I linked to and with which Eratik is already familiar, so I guess we all fail. ;p

北へ and Code Geass have not been mentioned, so I guess my post is only 60% fail :p

hehe

80% when you add in what a forum search for anime would've turned up:

http://forum.koohii.com/showthread.php?tid=4005
http://forum.koohii.com/showthread.php?tid=6267

Edit: And Blahah's own: http://forum.koohii.com/showthread.php?tid=1823

And: http://forum.koohii.com/showthread.php?tid=4342

http://thecartdriver.com/wp-content/uplo...ter-v3.jpg
Next season doesn't look too promising as far as sophisticated anime for mature adults go. Nor have the past two seasons. Who knows, maybe the incest one will turn out to be seinen? Well, you probably know if you've read the manga, but let me hope at least.

Bakemonogatari sounds right up your alley if you haven't seen it. Very unique art style.

Gankutsuou is another great one that people seem to have forgotten about. It's The Count of Monte Cristo with a crazy art style and mechs.

Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku (now and then here and there) is pretty neat too

Besides those, Katanagatari, Kaiji, and Kaiba are usually included in lists like these, but I have not personally seen them.

Personally I just think it's too complicated to parse other peoples' often very specific preferences in order to tailor recommendations to them. 'Serious' anime is a common request. In the past, I've also mentioned Gallery Fake, Moonlight Mile, FLAG, Natsume Yuujin-chou, Legend of Galactic Heroes, etc. Sometimes I think I've seen at least one episode of every anime produced since the inception of anime, but I'm not sure. ;p

You'll find good luck looking through movies, for sure, since they don't have to worry about serialization as much, i.e. finding a consistent audience via demographic, for television. Likewise with OVAs.

Also, since so many anime originated in manga, try a manga database with 'seinen' as the criteria. Such as: http://mangahelpers.com/manga/browse/?q=...g[]=Seinen (brackets broke link but you see where to copy to)

When you see something of interest, check to see if there's an anime for it.

EratiK Wrote:I realize I know a bit about shonen/shojo anime, but nothing about more mature orientated productions. Could you recommend any good ones?

'Adult anime' ranges from Honey & Clover, Bartender to Elfen Lied, Bokurano. It's such a broad category, it's barely useful. You might have a better luck asking for specific genres or themes, instead.

If you're looking for some violent anime: Akira, Baccano, Basilisk, Battle Royale (manga), Berserk, Blood+, Claymore, Doubt (manga), Jigoku Shoujo, Gantz, Hellsing OVA, Highschool of the Dead, Mnemosyne, Shigurui.

nest0r Wrote:Also, since so many anime originated in manga, try a manga database with 'seinen' as the criteria. Such as: http://mangahelpers.com/manga/browse/?q=...g[]=Seinen (brackets broke link but you see where to copy to)

When you see something of interest, check to see if there's an anime for it.

You could also check out the list of titles here, if you are not afraid of having your life ruined.

You might have a look at whether anything that's been broadcast in the Noitamina timeslot takes your fancy. (Fuji TV's aim with the slot was apparently to try to put on anime which would appeal to '普通の大人'...)

Thank you every one for your responses!

I can't believe I missed Kaiji in the non-typical thread...
I've watched Kara no Kyoukai and Monster (and have fond memories of Cowboy Bebop), but if I had listed every anime that I know, I still would be wondering wether to post or not.

I didn't specifically ask for serious anime, which are, most of the time, quite boring. Just for mature oriented plot/humour/design (Black Lagoon's 1st season, Kemonozume). For example, except for the violence, Elfen Lied really has a shonen mindset. It's a problem: most of the seinen are shonen with added violence or nudity -- that's not really satisfying -- but as someone said, it's something I'll have to sort out myself.

I'll admit it was a difficult task, but you all managed quite well.

Thanks for the various insights that shall direct my choices. And thanks for the lists that should get me going for awhile.

EratiK Wrote:It's a problem: most of the seinen are shonen with added violence or nudity -- that's not really satisfying -- but as someone said, it's something I'll have to sort out myself.

Why limit yourself to just shonen and seinen? We all know women mature faster than we do, so why not explore the most overlooked demographic - josei? Pet Shop of Horrors, Honey and Clover and Nodame Cantabile are perhaps the most famous titles.

Friend gave me a copy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seitokai_Yakuindomo

About a all girl's highschool that's slowly turning co-ed. Lots of sexually suggestive stuff and humour but without being porn. It's more a comedy of awkward situations. Fairly good so far.

Rose of Versailles

Is 5cm per second really that good? I saw the first 2 or so minutes of it. When the girl ran across the train track waving goodbye for no reason at all, to which the scene ended, I closed the window impatiently thinking it was your typical bullshit anime where the whole plot revolves around a useless feeble minded protagonist.

I'll give it another shot though.