Preferably anime that are intelligent / mature. When I say that, I'm thinking of Monster, Rurouni Kenshin Tsuiokuhen (Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal), Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Juuni Kokki, Mushishi, Planetes, Master Keaton, Haibane Renmei, Millennium Actress, GitS:SAC / 2nd GiG, Gankutsuou, * of the Stars, etc. I am not thinking of things like Death Note.
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Anime recommendations wanted.
- Thread starter Mumei
- Start date
- Status
Mirimar said:
:lol
I put in the "intelligent" qualifier just because I was afraid of that.
Jirotrom said:
I've seen both, and loved them, but they aren't really the sort of show I'm talking about, either.
Xabora said:My List:
Iria: Zeiram
Steamboy [Its good and has Patrick Stewart voice acting.]
Princess Mononoke
Macross [ALL OF THEM!]
Vampire Hunter D
Xam'd [PSN]
I'll check out Iria, Xam'd and some of the Macross I haven't seen (seen the others).
Mistouze said:
Thanks.
intelligent/mature? I think these two fit:
Kurenai
Dennou Coil
Though I'm not a fan of the intelligent/stupid or mature/immature dichotomy. It depends a lot on the viewer himself, you can watch The Dark Knight as a popcorn movie or as an art movie. Sometimes I'm shocked how the people totally miss the point, it's like they haven't seen the movie at all.
Kurenai
Dennou Coil
Though I'm not a fan of the intelligent/stupid or mature/immature dichotomy. It depends a lot on the viewer himself, you can watch The Dark Knight as a popcorn movie or as an art movie. Sometimes I'm shocked how the people totally miss the point, it's like they haven't seen the movie at all.
DEAD RABBIT
Member
Baccano may be in your line of current interest. It's a reasonably complex series with quite complex characters.
Neo C. said:
Ohhhh.
Sorry, I misunderstood what you meant.
jvalioli said:
Of course.
To be honest, I didn't enjoy Akira at all; I never really felt involved in it. It had some cool whizbang effects, and I'm still not sure exactly how some plot elements work out, but I never really got beyond feeling completely uninvolved.
And TokiKake is indeed charming.
HUELEN10 said:
It might, if I hadn't seen it. =P
Mumei said:
I think you missed the point of what Neo C was saying. I believe Neo C was expressing a dislike that the habit/trend of breaking down something into "mature/immature" or "stupid/intelligent" categories at all.
In other words, expressing a desire for something "intelligent" without giving any real criteria, setting yourself up as the sole judge of what anime is intelligent. The idea being "what makes Hanbane Renmei mature/intelligent?" because I'm guessing a fair portion of people did not find it necessarily intelligent.
For example, you mention Death Note is not what you are looking for. Last I checked, the receiver of the Death Note wants to create a 'new world', setting himself as the god-figure; he postulates that justice is not absolute and that individuals will alter their own sense of justice to fit his, so long as he has the power to carry out said justice. The conflict that arises is one that is a complex game of cat-and-mouse, with a lot of heavy reasoning. In fact, many/most of the issues are pretty much all mono/dialogues. It's also a series where people are routinely killed (sometimes gruesomely). The main character twists the devotion others feel for him to his own advantage.
It struck me both as a "mature" series and an "intelligent" one. The only grounds I see for it being "stupid" is arguably the initial plot (that there are such demons with death notes, etc). Hence, Neo C probably feels (as I do) that calling something "intelligent" is no different than "I'm looking for something cool." - i.e. a no-content statement as it varies so wildly from person to person.
My suggestion for a series would be Code Geass, but given your appraisal of Death Note, it might not be for you.
Rahxephon91
Banned
LOLPepboy said:
Anyway
Giant Robo
FLCL
Big O
Pepboy said:
:lol
You know what's amusing? I typed a response, hit "Submit Reply," and got the "You aren't logged in" response that GAF does sometimes when I take too long on a post. I go back just to make sure it didn't post, and I see this.
I hope you don't mind if I post it, anyway, because I wasted too much time not to.
You know the quote from the Supreme Court obscenity case regarding pornography, where Potter Stewart said, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced . . . but I know it when I see it . . . "? That's basically it for me and this. I don't really know how to define what it is I'm looking for; the best I can do is say that I recognize it when I see it, and give examples of things I thought fit the vague criteria I had in my head.
I agree with just about all that; it's in the details of how it actually did it (not the premise so much) that it annoys me. I disliked the "I Know You Know I Know" exchanges, I disliked Light's philosophizing (his plan of "ruling" as Kira was absolutely ridiculous; who is to say that
Ryuk wouldn't have killed him anyway if he had defeated Near; he would still be bored by the fact that Light is no longer challenged by anyone, would he not? And he also assumes that somehow his criminality is not a part of human nature, but something that will somehow go away if he keeps killing people... the premise was ridiculous. What he said was merely an excuse for his megalomania, I think.)
I don't dislike Death Note; I actually really enjoyed it... but it isn't really what I'm looking for.
Hopefully that made some sense. :lol
That's why I made an attempt to give examples of what it is I'm looking for.
And I'll accept suggestions for anything cool you can think of, too.
Yeah, seen it, nothing like what I'm looking for.
Dabookerman
Member
GURREN LAGANN
I'm currently watching it now.
Fucking Badass!
I'm currently watching it now.
Fucking Badass!
Mr. Spinnington
Banned
plusMistouze said:
and
the only two anime series i actually own (next to cromartie high school and azumanga daioh-- but those are so far into the comedy genre that they're on their own in my eyes)
hidepsyence
Member
Dascu said:
This.
This.
This.
Baccano and Gankutsuou also.
Mistouze said:
Sexy Commando is amazing.
I'd like to reinforce the recommendation for Kino's Journey, a philosophical and intelligent anime. I love the way it presents its themes, each city the traveler visits working as an archetype for some human characteristic.
Boogiepop Phantom is another one that was very satisfying on a more intellectual level. This one might take more than one viewing to piece the narrative together (it did for me), but in the end I liked a lot the messages it transmits.
I wouldn't like to get into discussions about labels, these two titles made me think after watching them, so that's why I recommend them as "intelligent".
Cowboy Bebop and Baccano! are good examples of anime that I found to be extremely well put together.
DonasaurusRex
Online Ho Champ
Nana
GTO
Wallflower (Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge)
Golden Boy
GTO
Wallflower (Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge)
Golden Boy
A few suggestions:
Now and Then, Here and There - Short TV series about a boy who finds himself in another world. Usually this premise is your gateway to bog standard shounen adventure, but in this case it turns out to be a rather grim tale about child soldiers. It ain't perfect - the main villian is too over the top for my tastes - but it's still pretty darn good.
Moonlight Mile - Hard SF about a couple of guys who go off to work in space. I haven't seen enough of this to offer an unqualified recommendation, but for the Planetes fan it looks to be a safe bet.
Serial Experiments Lain - Probably the best of all cyberpunk anime. Admittedly, Lain is probably a bit too obtuse for it's own good, but it makes up for that with style and intriguing writing. Also, it has an episode that namechecks Ted Nelson, which is awesome.
Yawara - This isn't particularly serious and may not be what you're looking for, but if you're a fan of Monster and Master Keaton, why not wrap up the Urasawa anime trifecta with this delightful story of a teenage girl who just wants to live a ordinary life while her grandfather pushes her to be a judo champion. Wonderful fun.
Maison Ikkoku - Another recommendation with a caveat, because MI features Takahashi's penchant for wacky hijinx and comedy built around misunderstandings that could generally be worked out with a minute long conversation. However, in addition to the goofy aspects, MI also has this wonderful melancholy atmosphere while also capturing the feel of urban life in Tokyo in the early 80s. It's certainly worth your giving it a few episodes to see if the dichotomy isn't too much for your mood.
Pale Coccoon - A short one-shot OVA about a couple of folks who, post apocalypse, live underground in an arcology and attempt to sort through the records of the past, becoming fascinated with the surface world. Short and sweet.
Black Heaven - Parts of this series get to be a bit goofy and the premise - hard rock saves us from alien invaders - is veering into Macross territory. However, the hero of the show is what really makes it: Oji Tanaka used to be Gabriel Tanaka, front man for the speed metal group Black Heaven, but now he's got an office job, a son, and a raging mid-life crisis. One of the few anime I can think of where the hero is middle-aged and having a helluva time dealing with it. Oh, another caveat: this is an early example of CG in anime, with all that entails. It ain't a deal breaker, but just so you know.
FnordChan
Now and Then, Here and There - Short TV series about a boy who finds himself in another world. Usually this premise is your gateway to bog standard shounen adventure, but in this case it turns out to be a rather grim tale about child soldiers. It ain't perfect - the main villian is too over the top for my tastes - but it's still pretty darn good.
Moonlight Mile - Hard SF about a couple of guys who go off to work in space. I haven't seen enough of this to offer an unqualified recommendation, but for the Planetes fan it looks to be a safe bet.
Serial Experiments Lain - Probably the best of all cyberpunk anime. Admittedly, Lain is probably a bit too obtuse for it's own good, but it makes up for that with style and intriguing writing. Also, it has an episode that namechecks Ted Nelson, which is awesome.
Yawara - This isn't particularly serious and may not be what you're looking for, but if you're a fan of Monster and Master Keaton, why not wrap up the Urasawa anime trifecta with this delightful story of a teenage girl who just wants to live a ordinary life while her grandfather pushes her to be a judo champion. Wonderful fun.
Maison Ikkoku - Another recommendation with a caveat, because MI features Takahashi's penchant for wacky hijinx and comedy built around misunderstandings that could generally be worked out with a minute long conversation. However, in addition to the goofy aspects, MI also has this wonderful melancholy atmosphere while also capturing the feel of urban life in Tokyo in the early 80s. It's certainly worth your giving it a few episodes to see if the dichotomy isn't too much for your mood.
Pale Coccoon - A short one-shot OVA about a couple of folks who, post apocalypse, live underground in an arcology and attempt to sort through the records of the past, becoming fascinated with the surface world. Short and sweet.
Black Heaven - Parts of this series get to be a bit goofy and the premise - hard rock saves us from alien invaders - is veering into Macross territory. However, the hero of the show is what really makes it: Oji Tanaka used to be Gabriel Tanaka, front man for the speed metal group Black Heaven, but now he's got an office job, a son, and a raging mid-life crisis. One of the few anime I can think of where the hero is middle-aged and having a helluva time dealing with it. Oh, another caveat: this is an early example of CG in anime, with all that entails. It ain't a deal breaker, but just so you know.
FnordChan
Freedom = $1.05
Banned
Now and Then, Here and There.
See it. NAO!
See it. NAO!
DrForester
Kills Photobucket
Some nice mature recommendations:
Kino's Jouney - Think Gulivers Travels. Girl travels from village to village on a motorcycle. Each village is vastly different from the other. Some are modern, some are futuristic, some are old, etc.
Nodame Cantabile - Chiaki is a gifted piano student who dreams of being a conductor, but do to childhood trauma is unable to leave Japan to study in Europe. He meets Nodame, a total slob and more of a free spirit piano player and his life beings to change.
Revolutionary Girl Utena - Utena was saved by a prince when she was a young girl and decided to become a prince too. When she starts attending a new school she discovers the student council all has rings like the one her prince gave her. She is drawn into a bizzar sword dueling ritual for the ownership of another girl, the rose bride and the power to revolutionize the world.
Kino's Jouney - Think Gulivers Travels. Girl travels from village to village on a motorcycle. Each village is vastly different from the other. Some are modern, some are futuristic, some are old, etc.
Nodame Cantabile - Chiaki is a gifted piano student who dreams of being a conductor, but do to childhood trauma is unable to leave Japan to study in Europe. He meets Nodame, a total slob and more of a free spirit piano player and his life beings to change.
Revolutionary Girl Utena - Utena was saved by a prince when she was a young girl and decided to become a prince too. When she starts attending a new school she discovers the student council all has rings like the one her prince gave her. She is drawn into a bizzar sword dueling ritual for the ownership of another girl, the rose bride and the power to revolutionize the world.
NaughtyCalibur
Member
Noein - Closest thing to Donnie Darko in anime form.
X-TV - Amazing character development and storytelling to be found here.
And... that's all I can think of right now that I don't think anybody here as already mentioned.
X-TV - Amazing character development and storytelling to be found here.
And... that's all I can think of right now that I don't think anybody here as already mentioned.
A lot of good ones have been mentioned so I'll throw out a couple of older series.
Please Save My Earth
A group of high school students have dreams about a past life and start up a group to discuss and try to remember their past life. It's a bit more complicated than this description, but saying any more might be considered a spoiler.
Key the Metal Idol
Dark sci-fi modern day Pinocchio story. A robot needs to make 30,000 friends to turn into a human.
Please Save My Earth
A group of high school students have dreams about a past life and start up a group to discuss and try to remember their past life. It's a bit more complicated than this description, but saying any more might be considered a spoiler.
Key the Metal Idol
Dark sci-fi modern day Pinocchio story. A robot needs to make 30,000 friends to turn into a human.
DieNgamers
Member
Yes! ...wow, I need to watch that again! *searches for the dvds*Freedom = $1.05 said:
Darker Than Black - Ten years ago, an anomaly called Hell's Gate appears in Tokyo and changes the world. A titanic wall is built separating the rest of the world from the abandoned core of the city, but in its wake, certain humans that are eventually called Contractors appear who possess powers that make them valuable to the governments that can secretly use them. Hei is one of these Contractors working in Tokyo with a human handler assigned to ensure he follows his orders and a spirit medium assisting his work as a sort of remote seer. In some ways, I guess I could say that certain episodes play out as a metaphysically charged version of GitS.
Gundam 00 - Before you think "OMG another big robot feature", it has something of a post 9/11 flavor that it plays with in making this particular series grittier in terms of characterizations and plot than what might be guessed at on the surface. Several stories are intertwined in this one to show the repercussions of an apolitical power actively intervening in global conflicts in order to force an end to war which inevitably draws comparisons to terrorism by those they strike against. The action is good, but watching how the "good guys" are perceived by everyone else is what was more interesting to me. Does boil down into your conventional "big robot battle" at the end, but the lead up to it isn't bad. The second series is due out in the Fall.
Dennou Coil - Another vote for this one. Centered around a girl moving into a new city and school with her family, the series surrounds her and the friends she makes in a time when VR is as commonplace as texting today. The series takes place in a contemporary city (does not take place in a future cyberworld) which happens to be the home of the industry responsible for the VR network that is being built. The VR aspects tied into the real world are interacted with via special glasses (which look like regular ones), although the glasses that the children in the story wear are illegally modified (by themselves), allowing them to interact with the virtual world it in ways that they shouldn't be which inevitably gets them into trouble. Very good series.
Speed Grapher - Anime with dealing with exploitation, the extreme abuses of capitalism, and bizarre powers (the main character, a former war photographer, inherits the power to destroy things with his camera). It's not hentai, although the things that the main character witnesses at the beginning come off as such (in an underground, secret club sort of way), but that's only the tip of the iceberg thanks to its characters (one of the main villains smokes cigarettes rolled in Yen). Not a bad series and the plot resolution is so completely over-the-top in its indictment (as Wikipedia describes it) of greed. I wasn't expecting the last few episodes to play out the way that they did, but it's not a bad one to stick with until the end.
I also second the suggestions for Baccano! but you definitely have to pay attention to each episode to get the most out of the 13 episode run (officially it ends at 13, but there are three more afterwards as OAVs, IIRC). It makes a lot of jumps back and forth between different years in keeping true to its namesake so it can be confusing if you are expecting it to be a linear experience. Definitely a change of pace in taking place during the 1930's with plenty of intrigue, action, and incredibly crazy characters. Fun stuff.
Gundam 00 - Before you think "OMG another big robot feature", it has something of a post 9/11 flavor that it plays with in making this particular series grittier in terms of characterizations and plot than what might be guessed at on the surface. Several stories are intertwined in this one to show the repercussions of an apolitical power actively intervening in global conflicts in order to force an end to war which inevitably draws comparisons to terrorism by those they strike against. The action is good, but watching how the "good guys" are perceived by everyone else is what was more interesting to me. Does boil down into your conventional "big robot battle" at the end, but the lead up to it isn't bad. The second series is due out in the Fall.
Dennou Coil - Another vote for this one. Centered around a girl moving into a new city and school with her family, the series surrounds her and the friends she makes in a time when VR is as commonplace as texting today. The series takes place in a contemporary city (does not take place in a future cyberworld) which happens to be the home of the industry responsible for the VR network that is being built. The VR aspects tied into the real world are interacted with via special glasses (which look like regular ones), although the glasses that the children in the story wear are illegally modified (by themselves), allowing them to interact with the virtual world it in ways that they shouldn't be which inevitably gets them into trouble. Very good series.
Speed Grapher - Anime with dealing with exploitation, the extreme abuses of capitalism, and bizarre powers (the main character, a former war photographer, inherits the power to destroy things with his camera). It's not hentai, although the things that the main character witnesses at the beginning come off as such (in an underground, secret club sort of way), but that's only the tip of the iceberg thanks to its characters (one of the main villains smokes cigarettes rolled in Yen). Not a bad series and the plot resolution is so completely over-the-top in its indictment (as Wikipedia describes it) of greed. I wasn't expecting the last few episodes to play out the way that they did, but it's not a bad one to stick with until the end.
I also second the suggestions for Baccano! but you definitely have to pay attention to each episode to get the most out of the 13 episode run (officially it ends at 13, but there are three more afterwards as OAVs, IIRC). It makes a lot of jumps back and forth between different years in keeping true to its namesake so it can be confusing if you are expecting it to be a linear experience. Definitely a change of pace in taking place during the 1930's with plenty of intrigue, action, and incredibly crazy characters. Fun stuff.
Whoa.
A lot to go through. I didn't plan on making this into a list topic, but because I keep getting recommended things I've seen:
1. Monster
2. Rurouni Kenshin Meiji Kenkaku Romantan Tsuiokuhen
3. Legend of the Galactic Heroes (Series) (Episode 79 / 110)
4. Juuni Kokki / The Twelve Kingdoms
5. Mushishi
6. Azumanga Daioh
7. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
8. Rurouni Kenshin (TV)
9. Seikai no ... (Series)
10. Hajime no Ippo
11. Full Metal Alchemist
12. Full Metal Panic! (Series)
13. Great Teacher Onizuka
14. Laputa: Castle in the Sky
15. Grave of the Fireflies
16. Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo / The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
17. Ouran High School Host Club
18. Hunter x Hunter (Series)
19. Planetes
20. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex / 2nd GiG
21. Honey and Clover / Honey and Clover II
22. Master Keaton
23. Hikaru no Go
24. Voices of a Distant Star
25. One Piece
26. Cowboy Bebop
27. Berserk
28. Haibane Renmei
29. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
30. Baccano!
31. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
32. Golden Boy
33. Kiki’s Delivery Service
34. Fantastic Children
35. Chrono Crusade
36. Gunslinger Girl
37. Yu Yu Hakusho
38. Scrapped Princess
39. Universal Century Gundam [MSG, Zeta, ZZ, Char’s Counterattack, 0080, 0083, 08th MS Team]
40. Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann
41. The Vision of Escaflowne (TV Series)
42. Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture
43. Elfen Lied
44. Spirited Away
45. Full Moon wo Sagashite
46. Princess Mononoke
47. Naruto
48. Bleach
49. Black Lagoon
50. Cosmic Era Gundam [SEED, SEED Destiny]
51. Fruits Basket
52. Shura no Toki
53. Death Note
54. Record of Lodoss War OVA
55. Dragon Ball
56. Utawarerumono (Episode 13 / 26)
57. Trigun
58. Code Geass (Series)
59. Eyeshield 21
60. Porco Rosso
61. Howl’s Moving Castle
62. Millennium Actress
63. Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
64. Steamboy
65. Mai-Hime
66. Rurouni Kenshin: Ishin Shishi no Requiem
67. Dragon Ball Z
68. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
69. Samurai 7
70. Final Fantasy VII: Last Order
71. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
72. Please Save My Earth (OVA)
73. Read or Die (OVA)
74. My Neighbor Totoro
75. Infinite Ryvius
76. .hack//SIGN
77. School Rumble
78. Ghost in the Shell
79. Gungrave
80. Akira
81. Onegai Sensei
82. Excel Saga
85. Ninja Scroll
I really like the sound of more Urasawa (though I have looked in the past and couldn't find Yawara when I did), Dennou, Seirei, Last Exile (and my roommates have this on DVD, so no downloading, yay), and I've actually already downloaded NTHT, Texhnolyze (having trouble getting into it, though.), Princess Tutu, Gintama, Nodame, and Kino's Journey on other people's recomendation.
And holy crap at Maisson Ikkoku. I remember reading about it years ago, thinking it sounded awesome, but then completely forgetting about it. Thanks for the reminder!
A lot to go through. I didn't plan on making this into a list topic, but because I keep getting recommended things I've seen:
1. Monster
2. Rurouni Kenshin Meiji Kenkaku Romantan Tsuiokuhen
3. Legend of the Galactic Heroes (Series) (Episode 79 / 110)
4. Juuni Kokki / The Twelve Kingdoms
5. Mushishi
6. Azumanga Daioh
7. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
8. Rurouni Kenshin (TV)
9. Seikai no ... (Series)
10. Hajime no Ippo
11. Full Metal Alchemist
12. Full Metal Panic! (Series)
13. Great Teacher Onizuka
14. Laputa: Castle in the Sky
15. Grave of the Fireflies
16. Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo / The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
17. Ouran High School Host Club
18. Hunter x Hunter (Series)
19. Planetes
20. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex / 2nd GiG
21. Honey and Clover / Honey and Clover II
22. Master Keaton
23. Hikaru no Go
24. Voices of a Distant Star
25. One Piece
26. Cowboy Bebop
27. Berserk
28. Haibane Renmei
29. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
30. Baccano!
31. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
32. Golden Boy
33. Kiki’s Delivery Service
34. Fantastic Children
35. Chrono Crusade
36. Gunslinger Girl
37. Yu Yu Hakusho
38. Scrapped Princess
39. Universal Century Gundam [MSG, Zeta, ZZ, Char’s Counterattack, 0080, 0083, 08th MS Team]
40. Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann
41. The Vision of Escaflowne (TV Series)
42. Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture
43. Elfen Lied
44. Spirited Away
45. Full Moon wo Sagashite
46. Princess Mononoke
47. Naruto
48. Bleach
49. Black Lagoon
50. Cosmic Era Gundam [SEED, SEED Destiny]
51. Fruits Basket
52. Shura no Toki
53. Death Note
54. Record of Lodoss War OVA
55. Dragon Ball
56. Utawarerumono (Episode 13 / 26)
57. Trigun
58. Code Geass (Series)
59. Eyeshield 21
60. Porco Rosso
61. Howl’s Moving Castle
62. Millennium Actress
63. Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
64. Steamboy
65. Mai-Hime
66. Rurouni Kenshin: Ishin Shishi no Requiem
67. Dragon Ball Z
68. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
69. Samurai 7
70. Final Fantasy VII: Last Order
71. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
72. Please Save My Earth (OVA)
73. Read or Die (OVA)
74. My Neighbor Totoro
75. Infinite Ryvius
76. .hack//SIGN
77. School Rumble
78. Ghost in the Shell
79. Gungrave
80. Akira
81. Onegai Sensei
82. Excel Saga
85. Ninja Scroll
I really like the sound of more Urasawa (though I have looked in the past and couldn't find Yawara when I did), Dennou, Seirei, Last Exile (and my roommates have this on DVD, so no downloading, yay), and I've actually already downloaded NTHT, Texhnolyze (having trouble getting into it, though.), Princess Tutu, Gintama, Nodame, and Kino's Journey on other people's recomendation.
And holy crap at Maisson Ikkoku. I remember reading about it years ago, thinking it sounded awesome, but then completely forgetting about it. Thanks for the reminder!
I recommended this back in the other thread, but you'll love Toward the Terra. Gurren Lagann is not an intelligent anime but it is full of kickass and manliness. I have to recommend it no matter what the personal preference may be. For me, though, Death Note and Code Geass are the most intelligent so far. A bit shounen-esque, but still the best. You should give them another try. Gantz may be worth a look-see if you're okay with all the extreme content. Nice psychological narrative entwined with a bit of philosophy. Highly recommended, if you view that sort of thing as intelligent. Also, you couldn't go wrong with RahXephon. Neon Genesis Evangelion is nice too, but I had already dabbled in a bit of the philosophy that anime explored and had prior knowledge of the themes. However unlike NGE, RahXephon is a complete mind f*ck. I still don't know what it was trying to preach the whole series, besides a few things. There, all recommended out.
You're list is never complete until you have seen The Place Promised in Our Early Days.
Koopakiller
Banned
Mistouze said:
This
Kaiba is pretty neat as well
Mumei said:
Yawara has been licensed by AnimEigo and will be coming out in the not too distant future. If you'd like a sample of the show before shelling out for the first full season, they'll send you the first four episodes for the cost of shipping.
Maison Ikkoku is totally awesome. The whole series was released in the US on DVD but has since gone out of print. Still, you can get the first season reasonably cheaply and may be able to track down the rest without too much difficulty. Either way, it's worth the effort to track down.
A couple more recommendations:
Emma - The Japanese title "Victorian Romance Emma" really sums it all up. However, despite the title and setting, this isn't a Jane Austin adaptation. It's about the cross-class love affair between a maid and a member of the nouveau rich in Victorian England. If not for the big eyes and the Japanese dialog you wouldn't necessarily think this was anime at all. The first season is a bit better than the second, but they're both terrific and can be had quite cheaply. An excellent romantic drama that has comedic moments but isn't silly in the way that MI sometimes is.
Non-Miyzaki Ghibli Films - Your list of what you've seen pegs all the Miyazaki Ghibli flicks (as well as Grave of the Fireflies), but if you haven't seen the films by the other Ghibli directors, you're really missing out. Some of them aren't as serious as you're looking for in this thread but still have mature themes, such as Pom Poko's struggle by nature to survive man's encroachment and a wistful scene near the end of My Neighbors the Yamadas about the dreams of youth passing one by. Somewhere in the middle of the scale is Whisper of the Heart, a film about youthful romance, finding one's way in life, creativity, and embracing life in the big city. It's absolutely delightful. Unfortunately, two mature Ghibli flicks that you should watch aren't commercially available. I Can Hear The Sea (aka Ocean Waves), a straight ahead romantic drama about a high school love triangle, hasn't been licensed by Disney and won't be released anytime soon, alas. However, before long there should be a DVD available of Only Yesterday, my favorite of Takahata's films. It's about an office lady who goes on an extended vacation to visit distant relatives in the countryside. As she admires the beauty of the rural lifestyle, our heroine has extended flashbacks to her childhood in Tokyo, then tries to reconcile the two. It's wonderful and it's a damn shame the US DVD still isn't available. Here's hoping it'll be released along with Tales of Earthsea (which, alas, you can safely skip).
FnordChan
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