Looking for a specific type of anime.

[Coruptin]

While I would agree that several things suggested are not what ninja is looking for, I'd also point out that describing something as "full of crap" is not actually meaningful criticism.

I think he'd probably like anything by Satoshi Kon.

Alternatively, there's an anime that's airing right now called Ping Pong that's pretty good.

Captcha: health food. No, most anime is certainly not that.

Good thing it's not my intention to get op to watch more japanese cartoons. Not having to convince anyone of anything affords me the luxury of not being critical.

 

[Fox12]

I want to watch an anime of a type I'm not sure even exists. I want an anime that is as far from a typical portrayal of anime as possible. I want a show with a serious, ambitious, multi-plot storyline, non-annoying, likable characters, jokes that are actually funny and aren't dragged on throughout the whole series, gray morality, and as little badassery as it's humanly possible. So basically, I'd like an anime that's like "western" shows. Why so many requirements? Cause I really want to watch some japanese animated piece of work, but hate that all of them are extremely cheesy and over the top. The preferred setting would be either fantasy or something stylized off medieval/ancient Japan, but generally everything but sci-fi will do. Thanks in advance for suggestions.

PS. It has to be a TV show. Feature movies are out.

Oh, my friend, you are looking for Berserk. A dark low fantasy epic that puts Game of Thrones to shame. There is action, but it's well paced and serves the story, so that when something happens it has weight. The characters are badass, but not for the typical reasons. They're not bad ass because they're stronger than everybody, they're badass because they're horribly outmatched and keep fighting anyway. There's also a creepy aura of mystery to the whole thing, since the fantasy aspects of the shoe are actually few and far between. As for humor, it does exist, but it's pretty organic and natural, and actually funny. I love the show because the creators actually know how to restrain themselves in terms of action and pacing in order to create a proper story. There are not multiple story lines, however, as the show chooses to focus on a small cast of extremely well developed characters, which I would argue works towards its advantage, since it makes the story feel more intimate and deep. The show is, frankly, my favorite anime of all time, which is impressive because the manga is far better. In fact, the manga goes out of its way to make fun of or to deconstruct common anime tropes. If you watch one anime in your life, watch this. It starts of slow, but believe me, if you stick with it then it's worth it. The Manga is nothing short of ambitious.

Otherwise, most Seinen. Cowboy Bebop is a decent noir story. It has a very western feel to it. There's no real overarching plot, it's just a down to earth show about a band of outcasts. It meets most of your criteria. You may like Monster, about a doctor who saves the life of a little boy, only to discover he's the antichrist. Saikano was an interesting love story centered around a third world war. Take your pick.

Anything by Studio Ghibli. Princess Mononoke is a great fantasy epic

 

[Scars Unseen]

Serial Experiments Lain [http://myanimelist.net/anime/339/Serial_Experiments_Lain] might work for you. Also, The Last Exile. [http://myanimelist.net/anime/97/Last_Exile]

 

[gagagaga]

While I would agree that several things suggested are not what ninja is looking for, I'd also point out that describing something as "full of crap" is not actually meaningful criticism.

I think he'd probably like anything by Satoshi Kon.

Alternatively, there's an anime that's airing right now called Ping Pong that's pretty good.

Captcha: health food. No, most anime is certainly not that.

Good thing it's not my intention to get op to watch more japanese cartoons. Not having to convince anyone of anything affords me the luxury of not being critical.

That's all well and good, but if your intention was to get him to watch less Japanese cartoons, some guy on the internet thinking they're shit seem like it would be ineffective in dissuading him. But I guess you weren't going for that, and just wanted to express your opinion on those shows in this thread.

 

[zegram33]

I'd also put my vote behind Kiba
alternatively, "Darker than Black" might be your kinda thing, though that might be a bit too MUCH thought for what your looking for, but its bloody good (where bloody is....not JUST for emphasis)

my personal favourite anime (and what got me into it as a thing)is "Kaze no Stigma"
Think, traditional shounen anime, but with slightly more messed up characters, and with the main charater just being kinda a terrible person