Elfen Lied is more focused on setting up a male fantasy for Kouta at pretty much every possible turn than actually being a deep study on Lucy's character. I'm also not much a fan of Evangelion either, decent episode-to-episode show until it goes completely off-the-rails at the end.
I can't even remember what Kouta looks like, much less his name. Lucy was the star of the show, and what I really wanted was Lucy to have her memory back and live with Kouta on some remote island. But we can't always have what we want, especially with Kouta being such an incestuous bastard.
Evangelion is weird because it starts of strong and makes no sense at the end. There's like no animation at the end, just storyboard sketches. It's incoherent and I had no idea what was going on. I guess that's what happens when you run out of money.
End of Evangelion was even more confusing, and it requires some /a/ image guide to actually comprehend the visual nonsense. It's a masterpiece for the wrong reasons, because it was 2deep4u. Evangelion is a cool show, really nice design and imagery, I'll give it that credit.
I've watched about half of those. Some of were disturbing to me back then, not so much now. They are better than Elfen Lied sure, but Elfen Lied has the most throwup inducing scene, not just "oh look at all this gore", but like morally throw up inducing that bothers me to this day.
That how it felt to me with Elfen Lied. They were literally doing "oh, look at all this gore" happening to "cute" looking characters, while trying act like it's saying something important, but not without any actual effort. And you know the best part about my examples? Most of the shows didn't need excessive gore to get the point across as their violence and blood was more realistic by comparison (FMA, Monster, and Princess Mononoke for example). If anything, those shows had more impact due to the realistic nature of the violence. Elfen Lied tried to be serious while using gore from Mortal Kombat or Happy Tree Friends. It's weird disconnect that does not work and your reason is a contradiction. The anime/manga is nothing more than shock value, while pretending it has a "deep" message. I don't mind gory shows, but I hate works that think it has an important message while hiding behind gore, gross out humor , or vulgarity.
The anime/manga is nothing more than shock value, while pretending it has a "deep" message. I don't mind gory shows, but I hate works that think it has an important message while hiding behind gore, gross out humor , or vulgarity.
Elfen Lied isn't disturbing because of the gore. It's disturbing because a whole bunch of innocent people die for no reason, and in a gruesome fashion. Also fuck those little kids, it's all their fault.
The theme of the show, which a few liberties may have been taken in the anime adaptation, is that Lucy was symbolically an angel, and that means Lucy pretty much is incapable of sin. She's just some kind of freaky divine automaton carrying out God's final judgement. It's all mankind's fault. Even the main character was kind of a prick.
There's no important message, it's just misanthropy. Everyone gets to die because God doesn't like his creation. Do stupid shit to his angels, and you get Sodom and Gomorrah'ed. That might not be the point of the manga, as I never read it, but that's what I got from the show.
I said something like that once on here, and then people were telling me how Elfen Lied is shit. It's a good show, it's just misunderstood.
He's been ill and working a lot. Luckily for him, he's got his first week of paid time off in 7 years starting this week.
OT:
I mostly like series rather than movies so unfortunately my suggestions are going to be coming from there. I'll try not to pick any long series.
Claymore
Claymore is about a band of warrior women who basically get demon bits put inside them as young children and fight said demons as half demons that are mostly hated and distrusted by the rest of the world. I'd defiantly give Claymore a recommendation.
I will say however that the manga is better[footnote]When is it not?[footnote]Stiens;Gate & One Punch Man are the first two to come to mind.[/footnote].[/footnote], the anime rushes to have a final confrontation with the big bad that wouldn't happen for years later in the story in the manga.
Blue Submarine No 6
This one is kind of nostalgic for me and to me I place it in the same kind of spot as Akira or Ghost In The Shell, I feel it has Similar art style, though the CGI is kinda dated these days. Its a 4 ep OVA which I remember watching as a movie when it aired on TV[footnote]About 2hrs.[/footnote].
Basically its a post apocalyptic water world deal where fish people are trying to kill all humans.
Darker Than Black
Another series, but one of my favourite. What if Batman was Chinese, had electricity powers and didn't have any issues with killing people[footnote]And also doesn't have a fetish for bats?[/footnote]?
After a weird event happens[footnote]About as much information as you're going to get regarding that[/footnote] some people become 'contractors', people with all kinds of strange abilities, like gravity nullification, blood based teleportation, controlling bugs, cryokinesis and generating an anti-tank rifle at will. These abilities come with a complete change in the way they think, caring only about themselves and having no sense of morality, and also with a payment that must be completed after using their powers, such as folding the paper in a book, braking your own fingers, writing poetry or drinking a beer.
The second series isn't bad, its just not as good as the first series. If you're after something short then you can just watch the first series and be satisfied with how it ends. If you find you enjoy it then you can go on and watch the second season and the OVA, either way I highly recommend Darker Than Black
That mask is too awesome for me not to cosplay Hei.
Also just noticed Claymore poster in the background... If only I was holding my copy of Blue Submarine No 6 in that photo too.
Under The Dog
A weird little one off episode funded via Kickstarter that was supposed to be the start of an actual series but I haven't heard anything about it recently.
The single episode is interesting though and worth a watch.
Thats it for now, if those are on the right track I'll see if I can post more later.
I can't even remember what Kouta looks like, much less his name. Lucy was the star of the show, and what I really wanted was Lucy to have her memory back and live with Kouta on some remote island. But we can't always have what we want, especially with Kouta being such an incestuous bastard.
Evangelion is weird because it starts of strong and makes no sense at the end. There's like no animation at the end, just storyboard sketches. It's incoherent and I had no idea what was going on. I guess that's what happens when you run out of money.
End of Evangelion was even more confusing, and it requires some /a/ image guide to actually comprehend the visual nonsense. It's a masterpiece for the wrong reasons, because it was 2deep4u. Evangelion is a cool show, really nice design and imagery, I'll give it that credit.
Kouta from what I remember is basically the main character or at least gets the most screen time because Lucy for most of the show is Nyu. The show pretty much took every opportunity to setup of a male fantasy for Kouta (including the depiction of Nyu), even the flashbacks of him and Lucy as kids have a scene where they're both naked together.
I know they ran out of money but that's also why most movies and whatnot shoot the ending early along with many other reasons. I recall every episode was them fighting a new and different angel and having to figure out a different winning strategy. They could've not done that for every episode having more self-contained and character focused episodes every few episodes to not waste all the money plus it would most probably make for a better show as well.
Kouta from what I remember is basically the main character or at least gets the most screen time because Lucy for most of the show is Nyu. The show pretty much took every opportunity to setup of a male fantasy for Kouta (including the depiction of Nyu), even the flashbacks of him and Lucy as kids have a scene where they're both naked together.
For a male fantasy, that would be some really eccentric fetishes. It's his cousin and a mentally retarded girl/psychopathic killer.
The show has fanservice and titties, but so does GITS lol. Also I don't remember that scene at all, and I waive all that criticism away, because it's from a manga and has that early 00's anime-ness.
I know they ran out of money but that's also why most movies and whatnot shoot the ending early along with many other reasons. I recall every episode was them fighting a new and different angel and having to figure out a different winning strategy. They could've not done that for every episode having more self-contained and character focused episodes every few episodes to not waste all the money plus it would most probably make for a better show as well.
Evangelion was always a mecha show like Gundam. The plot is more surreal, but usually these shows have a mecha fight every episode. People at the time liked the mecha, not so much the "what just happened" ending or the acid trip gone wrong that was EoE.
The anime/manga is nothing more than shock value, while pretending it has a "deep" message. I don't mind gory shows, but I hate works that think it has an important message while hiding behind gore, gross out humor , or vulgarity.
Elfen Lied isn't disturbing because of the gore. It's disturbing because a whole bunch of innocent people die for no reason, and in a gruesome fashion. Also fuck those little kids, it's all their fault.
The theme of the show, which a few liberties may have been taken in the anime adaptation, is that Lucy was symbolically an angel, and that means Lucy pretty much is incapable of sin. She's just some kind of freaky divine automaton carrying out God's final judgement. It's all mankind's fault. Even the main character was kind of a prick.
There's no important message, it's just misanthropy. Everyone gets to die because God doesn't like his creation. Do stupid shit to his angels, and you get Sodom and Gomorrah'ed. That might not be the point of the manga, as I never read it, but that's what I got from the show.
I said something like that once on here, and then people were telling me how Elfen Lied is shit. It's a good show, it's just misunderstood.
If the theme is misanthropy (which is only partial, the rest can be described as don't be racist in the style of X-Men), that makes your show all the more hateful and less watchable. There is a message, it's just executed horribly, and has the subtlety of a spiked sledge hammer wrapped in barbed wire. A majority of the characters are 1 dimensional and exists either to be "justified" killing off or are hapless victims of Lucy or the evil organization. Despite what happened with those kids in the orphanage, it does not give her the right to kill others who had done nothing to her. Especially Kouta's sister and father, nor killing families just so she can have a place to stay. The ***** tried to kill Yuka (a character I dislike), just because she happened to be female. Yes, he lied about her gender, but a 5 year old would have no idea about a dicloni's powers off the bat.
Lucy ain't giving out God's final judgement (he wouldn't allow it), she is just another petty ***** in a box stand. She is capable of many sins and has done so. Kouta calls her out on her actions in both the manga and anime, so I don't know what show you were watching, but it obviously was not the same one. You are literally adding things that are not there. The body count is way more innocent that don't know of her existence, than the guilty. Don't ever make excuses for a character's actions. Besides, there are plenty of people, hero, villain, or in-between, that had it way worse than her, and would call her out on her bullshit. We're done here, good day.
I mean, for dark, the three darkest animes I can think of are Texhnolyze, Now and Then, Here and There, and Grave of the Fireflies.
Now and Then, Here and There is about setting the Rwanda genocide in the world of Dark Sun.
Grave of the Fireflies is about watching orphans struggle to survive in the bombed out ruins of Tokyo, based on a true story.
Texhnolyze is about the struggles of various political factions in an underground city. Mostly it's the tone of the series, which is really really grim.
Unfortunately all 3 of them are somewhat old, the most recent being Texhnolyze in 2003.
More recent and good anime, most of which don't pull punches include Devilman Crybaby, Children of the Whales, The Ancient Magus' Bride, From the New World, Time of Eve, 91 Days, Land of the Lustrous, Rage of Bahamut, and the Heroic Legend of Arslan.
Special shoutouts to the old Legend of the Galactic Heroes for being way better than most other anime, but is late 80's/early 90's. There's a recent remake and after the 3 movies they'll be releasing next year they should be a quarter of the way through the series.
EDIT: It occurs to me that if you're looking for the quintessential 90's experience brought to the modern day, there is no substitute for K I L L I N GB I T E S
For a male fantasy, that would be some really eccentric fetishes. It's his cousin and a mentally retarded girl/psychopathic killer.
The show has fanservice and titties, but so does GITS lol. Also I don't remember that scene at all, and I waive all that criticism away, because it's from a manga and has that early 00's anime-ness.
You mean like the Evangelion Rebuilds?
Evangelion was always a mecha show like Gundam. The plot is more surreal, but usually these shows have a mecha fight every episode. People at the time liked the mecha, not so much the "what just happened" ending or the acid trip gone wrong that was EoE.
Yeah, it is rather fetish-y. But the show does make it a point to up it to 11 at every possible turn (even when their kids like I mentioned).
I don't know what the Evangelion Rebuilds are. I really didn't care for the show enough to want any more of it (which is why I never saw the "ending" movies). Every good show takes an episode here and there to take a break from its normal structure to give more focus on a character or whatever. Like GITS episode CHAT!CHAT!CHAT! or the Breaking Bad fly episode or Firefly's Out of Gas. I feel interspersed episodes like that are really the glue that elevates a show to its greatness.
More recent and good anime, most of which don't pull punches include Devilman Crybaby, Children of the Whales, The Ancient Magus' Bride, From the New World, Time of Eve, 91 Days, Land of the Lustrous, Rage of Bahamut, and the Heroic Legend of Arslan.
Of those, the only one I'm more than passingly familiar with is the Ancient Magus' Bride, and I don't think that fits the stated criteria (at least the anime doesn't). Tonally, I put it in roughly the same ballpark as Mushishi, and it sounds like the OP is looking for something closer to Hellsing Ultimate, Afro Samurai, or Berserk.
More recent and good anime, most of which don't pull punches include Devilman Crybaby, Children of the Whales, The Ancient Magus' Bride, From the New World, Time of Eve, 91 Days, Land of the Lustrous, Rage of Bahamut, and the Heroic Legend of Arslan.
Of those, the only one I'm more than passingly familiar with is the Ancient Magus' Bride, and I don't think that fits the stated criteria (at least the anime doesn't). Tonally, I put it in roughly the same ballpark as Mushishi, and it sounds like the OP is looking for something closer to Hellsing Ultimate, Afro Samurai, or Berserk.
I think TC is going for more gritty just than plain dark. Like, Hotaru no Haka (grave of the fireflies) is dark and also a masterpiece but it's nothing like Hellsing or Berserk which sounds like what he's going for, you know?
Black Lagoon should be right up your alley. Especially in later arcs it can get get really dark and disturbing. Plus it has some of that 90s panage, so to speak, despite coming out somewhere in the 00s.
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