Serious Animes
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godofallu said:
You gave up far too early on Trigun. FAAAAR too early. And watch it dubbed. One of the few cases where the English voice acting is far better than Japanese. It starts off seemingly as a comedy, but that doesn't stay for long. It is my favorite anime, ever, and you just talked complete bullshit. Vash acts like a goof for a very tragic reason.
Edit: Glad to see other people tried to explain this.
Let's see...I haven't actually watched Cowboy Bebop, but here we go:
I recently finished up watching Baccano! and I thought it was solid. Its biggest flaw is the characters Isaac and Miria - you'll understand about ten seconds after meeting them. They're still a dozen times better than characters of their type, and are usually actually funny, but they're still irritating. I also thought I would have enjoyed it more if it was told in more-or-less chronological order rather than bats*** insane order.
I recommend Durarara!! as well. Yes, it's about a bunch of high schoolers, but it weaves a complicated and quirky story, without as much mangling of the 4th dimension as Baccano.
Fullmetal Alchemist (both versions) is quite good, though what may turn you off is that it does have those "random anime humor" inserts. Despite the slightly inconsistent tone, both of them are very good, although the original FMA has an *ahem* unique ending. FMA: Brotherhood is just plain awesome. What I did was watch Brotherhood first, than go back and watch the original.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is...er...well, it is. It begins as a deconstruction of the mecha genre, but then - via an imperfect storm of budget running out, crazy director, and other stuff - it dips into psychotic psychological analysis. I recommend you find a professional Evangelion coach to guide you through the series. And then I think you watch Rebuild of Evangelion...which I haven't done yet.*
Code Geass is...er...well, it is. It's my all-time favorite anime, but you may find it pretty hit-or-miss. It has an absurdly varying tone, but it makes sense. About half of the anime is about the ACTUAL Japanese Batman acting as leader of a resistance movement. The other, smaller half is about Japanese Bruce Wayne, who, of course, is a high-schooler. Code Geass is basically its own High School Alternate Universe anime. They do do a pretty good job of making the lighter bits give you a stronger insight into the characters.
Basically, the show revolves around three things (in no particular order): 1) exploding mechs: this is Sunrise, what do you expect? 2) LARGE HAM: What would be melodrama in anything else is par for the course in Code Geass. Japanese Batman is a good public speaker. 3) Dramatic irony: the art of creating tension because the audience knows something about a character another character doesn't know.
In a similar vein, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, the only Gundam I've seen.
*I believe the correct way to watch Evangelion is to 1) watch the series, 2) forget episodes 25-26, 3) watch Death/Rebirth, 4) watch End of Evangelion, 5) slash your wrists, 6) drink rat poison, 7) hang yourself, and 8) shoot yourself.
I recently finished up watching Baccano! and I thought it was solid. Its biggest flaw is the characters Isaac and Miria - you'll understand about ten seconds after meeting them. They're still a dozen times better than characters of their type, and are usually actually funny, but they're still irritating. I also thought I would have enjoyed it more if it was told in more-or-less chronological order rather than bats*** insane order.
I recommend Durarara!! as well. Yes, it's about a bunch of high schoolers, but it weaves a complicated and quirky story, without as much mangling of the 4th dimension as Baccano.
Fullmetal Alchemist (both versions) is quite good, though what may turn you off is that it does have those "random anime humor" inserts. Despite the slightly inconsistent tone, both of them are very good, although the original FMA has an *ahem* unique ending. FMA: Brotherhood is just plain awesome. What I did was watch Brotherhood first, than go back and watch the original.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is...er...well, it is. It begins as a deconstruction of the mecha genre, but then - via an imperfect storm of budget running out, crazy director, and other stuff - it dips into psychotic psychological analysis. I recommend you find a professional Evangelion coach to guide you through the series. And then I think you watch Rebuild of Evangelion...which I haven't done yet.*
Code Geass is...er...well, it is. It's my all-time favorite anime, but you may find it pretty hit-or-miss. It has an absurdly varying tone, but it makes sense. About half of the anime is about the ACTUAL Japanese Batman acting as leader of a resistance movement. The other, smaller half is about Japanese Bruce Wayne, who, of course, is a high-schooler. Code Geass is basically its own High School Alternate Universe anime. They do do a pretty good job of making the lighter bits give you a stronger insight into the characters.
Basically, the show revolves around three things (in no particular order): 1) exploding mechs: this is Sunrise, what do you expect? 2) LARGE HAM: What would be melodrama in anything else is par for the course in Code Geass. Japanese Batman is a good public speaker. 3) Dramatic irony: the art of creating tension because the audience knows something about a character another character doesn't know.
In a similar vein, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, the only Gundam I've seen.
*I believe the correct way to watch Evangelion is to 1) watch the series, 2) forget episodes 25-26, 3) watch Death/Rebirth, 4) watch End of Evangelion, 5) slash your wrists, 6) drink rat poison, 7) hang yourself, and 8) shoot yourself.
Ghost in the Shell
Samurai X
Afro Samurai
Fist of the Northern Star
Samurai Champloo
And there are 3 more that i used to watch but forgot the names.... let me get back on this matter later...
Samurai X
Afro Samurai
Fist of the Northern Star
Samurai Champloo
And there are 3 more that i used to watch but forgot the names.... let me get back on this matter later...
You don't really sound a like a big anime guy, TC, and like me probably can't get into the REALLY Japanese animes. Granted, I like a lighter tone in my work than you seem to, but I'll go ahead and give my thoughts.
I agree with Samurai Champloo. I consider it every bit the equal of Bebop, only with a break-dancing samurai.
I DO NOT recommend Evangelion. Maybe you'll like it, but I fucking hated it. It's already depressing from the get go but then it goes down an infinite well of disgusting and emo and never comes back up. I've never wanted to punch a cartoon character as much as I have Shinji, and I've never wanted to admit a person to a psych ward as much as that show's creator.
Death Note I thought was pretty good. Even after the "halfway point" where many people say it sucked, I thought it did a decent job. Not as good as the beginning, but I think that was the point. The whole point of the second half of the series was to show that the protagonist is NOT SOMEONE TO ROOT FOR.
I remember good things about Outlaw Star, though admittedly I haven't seen it since I was a kid.
Another one I liked was Big O, though that show is apparently half-American, so there's that.
Oh yea, and Ghost in the Shell kicks major ass for both seasons and it's movies, so get that.
EDIT: Also forgot to mention Fullmetal Alchemist. While I've only seen the original anime series (it's one of my personal favorites), you may also want to check out FMA: Brotherhood, because from the few episodes I've seen on Adult Swim, it ain't bad either.
I agree with Samurai Champloo. I consider it every bit the equal of Bebop, only with a break-dancing samurai.
I DO NOT recommend Evangelion. Maybe you'll like it, but I fucking hated it. It's already depressing from the get go but then it goes down an infinite well of disgusting and emo and never comes back up. I've never wanted to punch a cartoon character as much as I have Shinji, and I've never wanted to admit a person to a psych ward as much as that show's creator.
Death Note I thought was pretty good. Even after the "halfway point" where many people say it sucked, I thought it did a decent job. Not as good as the beginning, but I think that was the point. The whole point of the second half of the series was to show that the protagonist is NOT SOMEONE TO ROOT FOR.
I remember good things about Outlaw Star, though admittedly I haven't seen it since I was a kid.
Another one I liked was Big O, though that show is apparently half-American, so there's that.
Oh yea, and Ghost in the Shell kicks major ass for both seasons and it's movies, so get that.
EDIT: Also forgot to mention Fullmetal Alchemist. While I've only seen the original anime series (it's one of my personal favorites), you may also want to check out FMA: Brotherhood, because from the few episodes I've seen on Adult Swim, it ain't bad either.
If you're gonna bring up 'Durarara!!', you've gotta mention 'Baccano!'.Lilani said:
Similar show as far as writing style, but way more serious and a much darker/gritty story. Plus its one of the most "western" themed animes out there, so its great for a newcomer to the medium.
To be honest there really isn't an anime I can recommend more than 'Baccano!'.
Plus, the opening is way catchier, imho.
A top favorite of mine as well. It's a very rich anime that's aged well. I feel it got alot done in 26 episodes and the characters are really fun and none of their aspects seem forced, a sign of great storytelling. The show seems to be a cousin of cowboy bebop but with a tinge of sci-fi fantasy.Daystar Clarion said:
I highly recommend it OP, it's a really fun show that knows when to take itself seriously and when to be comical. Throw in some great action and resonant themes and you're in for a real treat.
Funny story that, I got into the show BECAUSE of the hip-hop. Never looked back since.KefkaCultist said:
Anyway OT, I have no anime to offer that sedate your Mature craving. I mean, you can try Ninja scroll but I personally never watch it.
Also, Anime is plural. No need for the "S."
If you're willing to try bizarre anime, and I mean god-damned bizarre anime, I would recommend Serial Experiments Lain. You may find it pretentious, but it does get into some heavy themes...if you're willing to interpret them as that. Trust me when I say this is THE strangest anime you will see in this dimension at this current time.
I wouldn't call the following anime "Adult", but Baccano! is an absolutely fantastic thriller. It also has the best English dub I've ever heard. Seriously, go look up some clips online. It is amazing how the English dub surpasses the original Japanese by leaps and bounds.
If you're looking for something that is old-school and is absolutely fantastic in every way, go watch Now And Then, Here And There. Heck, you don't even need to buy it! You can legally go watch all 13 episodes of the English dub (which is pretty stellar) right here [http://www.hulu.com/now-and-then-here-and-there]. Trust me; it is one of the best shows you will see.
And last but not least, Satoshi Kon's only anime, Paranoia Agent. It's a really dark series at times and it's also fantastic because of it. Other than a bizarrely comedic episode (which has a dark undertone), the series stays serious at all times and ends up becoming a complicated, dark, and fascinating murder mystery because of it.
I wouldn't call the following anime "Adult", but Baccano! is an absolutely fantastic thriller. It also has the best English dub I've ever heard. Seriously, go look up some clips online. It is amazing how the English dub surpasses the original Japanese by leaps and bounds.
If you're looking for something that is old-school and is absolutely fantastic in every way, go watch Now And Then, Here And There. Heck, you don't even need to buy it! You can legally go watch all 13 episodes of the English dub (which is pretty stellar) right here [http://www.hulu.com/now-and-then-here-and-there]. Trust me; it is one of the best shows you will see.
And last but not least, Satoshi Kon's only anime, Paranoia Agent. It's a really dark series at times and it's also fantastic because of it. Other than a bizarrely comedic episode (which has a dark undertone), the series stays serious at all times and ends up becoming a complicated, dark, and fascinating murder mystery because of it.
Here's An Obscure one
uRaRaRa,A show that has come out relatively recently,I'm not much of an anime guy,but this,to me,was just perfect,because it might have one of the most stupidest fucking names in anime history (right next to BOBoBoBoBo),but it is VERY deep,and just...well interesting.I liked it,and if you like serious anime type things,you will to.
uRaRaRa,A show that has come out relatively recently,I'm not much of an anime guy,but this,to me,was just perfect,because it might have one of the most stupidest fucking names in anime history (right next to BOBoBoBoBo),but it is VERY deep,and just...well interesting.I liked it,and if you like serious anime type things,you will to.What is with this fascination with "Serious" anime and the mistaken assumption that it equals "Good"? And especially in anime, where "Serious" and "Good" tend to have an inverse relationship? Trigun is good anime. It may not be one's cup of tea, but it is good anime. I don't particularly like Halo, but that doesn't make it a bad game. (It's the sequels that do that.)
That aside, watch Baccanno! for good English dub work, watch Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu for good comedy, watch Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid for good robot battles, and watch Voices of a Distant Star for good romance... all of which are good anime. And, if you must insist on something serious, then watch Yukikaze. It's rubbish anime, but everyone in there is about as humorless as a dying zebra.
...but perhaps I'm just skewing my view towards the cynical. Here's something: Grave of the Fireflies. It's dreadfully and almost suicide-inducingly morose, and it's one of the greatest anime ever, to boot.
That aside, watch Baccanno! for good English dub work, watch Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu for good comedy, watch Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid for good robot battles, and watch Voices of a Distant Star for good romance... all of which are good anime. And, if you must insist on something serious, then watch Yukikaze. It's rubbish anime, but everyone in there is about as humorless as a dying zebra.
...but perhaps I'm just skewing my view towards the cynical. Here's something: Grave of the Fireflies. It's dreadfully and almost suicide-inducingly morose, and it's one of the greatest anime ever, to boot.
Ok wow guys you're really pouring your hearts out trying to help me! I love it, thanks.
So i've been doing my homework and have been watching a ton of first episodes, and so far I have yet to be hooked in by any of them. Ghost in the Shell I might watch a few more of however.
Still on the list to check out:
last exile
ghost hound
serial experiments lane
paprika
texhnolyze
Xam'd The Lost Memories
Outlaw star
Grave of the fireflies
I'm really hoping to run into a show that has a main character I need to see more of, or a storyline that gets me emotional/has deep meaning. So far the closet I have come was watching wolf and spice, but that just got a little too creepy and wasn't really my cup of tea.
So i've been doing my homework and have been watching a ton of first episodes, and so far I have yet to be hooked in by any of them. Ghost in the Shell I might watch a few more of however.
Still on the list to check out:
last exile
ghost hound
serial experiments lane
paprika
texhnolyze
Xam'd The Lost Memories
Outlaw star
Grave of the fireflies
I'm really hoping to run into a show that has a main character I need to see more of, or a storyline that gets me emotional/has deep meaning. So far the closet I have come was watching wolf and spice, but that just got a little too creepy and wasn't really my cup of tea.