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ANIME FOR SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T REALLY 'LIKE' ANIME.
Posts
Feldschlacht IV
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CloseSomeone, as in myself. I guess it's less accurate to say I don't like anime, and more that I don't like most anime as presented.
Growing up I liked a lot of anime; like most, Outlaw Star and Dragonball Z was a cultural fave. But as I grew up, my interest in anime faded more or less, even though I still like western animation. I guess it seems that from my view, the popular consumption and direction of anime shifted primary to weird, distorted face, tear drop, trope-ish, giant eyed, moe schoolgirl upskirt pedophile looking shit.
It would be horribly unfair to categorize an entire section of media and an extension of Japanese culture (which is what anime is) on these traits, but as I got older, that's all I saw, even in mundane observations of anime, the manga section of bookstores.
When I think to anime titles I do enjoy, I think of Cowboy Bebop, Sword of the Stranger, Jin-Roh, and Ghost in the Shell. Things that are still distinctly Japanese, but are grounded and well produced and though out enough, made for adults to enjoy.
I'm coming into a lot more time lately, and I want to explore some cool anime like the ones I listed above. Help me find some!
Growing up I liked a lot of anime; like most, Outlaw Star and Dragonball Z was a cultural fave. But as I grew up, my interest in anime faded more or less, even though I still like western animation. I guess it seems that from my view, the popular consumption and direction of anime shifted primary to weird, distorted face, tear drop, trope-ish, giant eyed, moe schoolgirl upskirt pedophile looking shit.
It would be horribly unfair to categorize an entire section of media and an extension of Japanese culture (which is what anime is) on these traits, but as I got older, that's all I saw, even in mundane observations of anime, the manga section of bookstores.
When I think to anime titles I do enjoy, I think of Cowboy Bebop, Sword of the Stranger, Jin-Roh, and Ghost in the Shell. Things that are still distinctly Japanese, but are grounded and well produced and though out enough, made for adults to enjoy.
I'm coming into a lot more time lately, and I want to explore some cool anime like the ones I listed above. Help me find some!
Milennin
2060
-Seirei no Moribito. It's done by the same team that did Ghost of the Shell.
-One Punch Man. If you want something flashy and action-packed.
-Death Note. Is about a guy that finds a book that lets him kill people.
-Hajime no Ippo. Even if you don't like sports, this is pretty great.
-Death Parade. An interesting take on the afterlife.
-One Punch Man. If you want something flashy and action-packed.
-Death Note. Is about a guy that finds a book that lets him kill people.
-Hajime no Ippo. Even if you don't like sports, this is pretty great.
-Death Parade. An interesting take on the afterlife.
I share your boat, as a guy who really doesn't like the entire medium, but rather very specific examples and feature films. So I have a couple of my favourites that I could recommend:
First of all there's The Big O. It's basically a Batman-inspired story about a city with no memories from beyond 40 years ago. It centres around the idea of what happened before then, why everyone forgot, what memories mean, etc. It's interesting as an example of a giant robot show with semi-realistic depictions of said robots as lumbering, slow machines instead of lightning fast physics defying nonsense.
Also, it's on YT in its entirety, in 720p.
Then there's Trigun, which I assume you've probably heard of. A sci-fi western type show about a legendary outlaw. It was one of the first animes that I ever saw, and I think it really codified the sort of style I like.
In terms of anime feature films, there's the obviously Akira (which I only mention because you didn't), but there's also Steamboy, by the same creator, which is a really interesting steampunk story about technology & war.
Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis is a beautiful and mindfucking movie based on Fritz Lang's silent film of the same name. It's sort of hard to understand (or at least it was for me), but it was beautiful to look at and had a great soundtrack, so. Satoshi Kon's Paprika falls into the same category of a mindtrip, and is worth mentioning as well.
Redline comes to mind, although it might not be exactly what you're looking for. It's a sci-fi racing movie which is oddly reminiscent of a darker, grittier Wacky Races type deal which I feel is worth mentioning because of the stellar art, animation, and soundtrack.
I assume you already know about the Ghibli movies, and the more adult fare among them.
That's about all I can think of at the moment. I'll probably watch this thread myself, since we seem to share some tastes.
First of all there's The Big O. It's basically a Batman-inspired story about a city with no memories from beyond 40 years ago. It centres around the idea of what happened before then, why everyone forgot, what memories mean, etc. It's interesting as an example of a giant robot show with semi-realistic depictions of said robots as lumbering, slow machines instead of lightning fast physics defying nonsense.
Also, it's on YT in its entirety, in 720p.
Then there's Trigun, which I assume you've probably heard of. A sci-fi western type show about a legendary outlaw. It was one of the first animes that I ever saw, and I think it really codified the sort of style I like.
In terms of anime feature films, there's the obviously Akira (which I only mention because you didn't), but there's also Steamboy, by the same creator, which is a really interesting steampunk story about technology & war.
Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis is a beautiful and mindfucking movie based on Fritz Lang's silent film of the same name. It's sort of hard to understand (or at least it was for me), but it was beautiful to look at and had a great soundtrack, so. Satoshi Kon's Paprika falls into the same category of a mindtrip, and is worth mentioning as well.
Redline comes to mind, although it might not be exactly what you're looking for. It's a sci-fi racing movie which is oddly reminiscent of a darker, grittier Wacky Races type deal which I feel is worth mentioning because of the stellar art, animation, and soundtrack.
I assume you already know about the Ghibli movies, and the more adult fare among them.
That's about all I can think of at the moment. I'll probably watch this thread myself, since we seem to share some tastes.
-Seirei no Moribito. It's done by the same team that did Ghost of the Shell.
-One Punch Man. If you want something flashy and action-packed.
-Death Note. Is about a guy that finds a book that lets him kill people.
-Hajime no Ippo. Even if you don't like sports, this is pretty great.
-Death Parade. An interesting take on the afterlife.
Yeah, I've heard of One Punch Man and Death Note. Both look kind of interesting, but I'm not really big on the flashy, shonen, tropeish animes. I like sports and boxing, so Hajime no Ippo looks interesting.
Akira looks awesome, and is a cultural mainstay so I hear. I need to watch that! I remember Big O, but I remember being pissed that it wasn't finished. Great style though! Would have definitely stuck with that through the end.
Yeah, the lack of a good closure to The Big O is a huge shame. I still feel that the second season is really good, but it's definitely nowhere near as good as the first, and it doesn't really do justice to what had been set up by that point.
With trying to keep your tastes in mind and maybe something off the beaten path I would suggest Gasaraki
It has a darker style and robots and has Japanese cultural influence. It's an anime that always stuck with me and is one of the first ones I watched outside of like Dragon Ball and Z
It has a darker style and robots and has Japanese cultural influence. It's an anime that always stuck with me and is one of the first ones I watched outside of like Dragon Ball and Z
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Based on that list of what you'd enjoy, I'd definitely recommend Black Lagoon. I started watching it when one of my friends told me that Black Lagoon can be described exactly as this topic: "Anime for those that don't 'like' anime" and I haven't regretted it once.
For a fantasy setting, and if you don't mind subtitles, go with Rage of Bahamut: Genesis. Pretty cool story, interesting characters, and a distinct Norse setting. Plus it's got one of the most headbanging and visually striking intros I've ever seen/heard.
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a great choice if you've got the time, as it's around 60 or so episodes, but they're definitely worth it.
For a fantasy setting, and if you don't mind subtitles, go with Rage of Bahamut: Genesis. Pretty cool story, interesting characters, and a distinct Norse setting. Plus it's got one of the most headbanging and visually striking intros I've ever seen/heard.
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a great choice if you've got the time, as it's around 60 or so episodes, but they're definitely worth it.
Keeping up with anime got harder as I got older and anime became less appealing. I've largely stopped watching it years ago, but every now and then I'll get into something that doesn't follow the usual tropes. I would recommend The Tatami Galaxy and One Punch Man if you're looking for something that breaks the usual formula.
Also any Gundam series before Gundam SEED is worth a look.
Also any Gundam series before Gundam SEED is worth a look.
Milennin
2060
author=Feldschlacht IV
Yeah, I've heard of One Punch Man and Death Note. Both look kind of interesting, but I'm not really big on the flashy, shonen, tropeish animes. I like sports and boxing, so Hajime no Ippo looks interesting.
One Punch Man is somewhat of a parody on many of the classic shounen tropes, and has amazing visuals. But yeah, if you don't like flashy action, then never mind.
Death Note is nothing like the typical shounen show. It's about a psychological battle between two master minds trying to outsmart each other. You'd probably like it, I think.
author=Milenin
One Punch Man is somewhat of a parody on many of the classic shounen tropes, and has amazing visuals. But yeah, if you don't like flashy action, then never mind.
I don't mind flashy action, hell, I love action, but I guess to elaborate, I'm not a fan of the kinda corny over the top flashiness that a lot of shonen has. But; 1. I can get past if it the show itself is otherwise great, and 2. A parody/satire of common tropes is something I think I'd enjoy. I'll check out One Punch Man.
as somebody who doesn't watch much anime and likes darker, more serious stuff
psycho-pass: dytopia-disguised-as-utopia where the government can read everybody's minds. the main character is a policewoman who tracks down people who have bad thoughts so that they can be killed and/or mentally enslaved. people die. it's amazing, probably the best i've watched...
penguindrum: ...but penguindrum is my favorite. it has cute penguins, a young girl whose best friends are pop stars, an overdramatic opera singer (fabulous max~), and brothers who will do anything to protect their family.
also, it's about the sarin gas bombs released on the tokyo subways in 1995.
don't let the penguins fool you. it's incredibly dark, terrifyingly human, and deeply disturbing. while it uses fantasy to tell its story, there is no hiding that it is a show about domestic terrorism. not for anybody who has any sort of triggers with gore, rape, bombs, or abuse. if you can stomach it, there's no anime that i can recommend more highly. if you watch it with/around your girlfriend, i suggest talking with her about it because like i mentioned, it can be very disturbing.
psycho-pass: dytopia-disguised-as-utopia where the government can read everybody's minds. the main character is a policewoman who tracks down people who have bad thoughts so that they can be killed and/or mentally enslaved. people die. it's amazing, probably the best i've watched...
penguindrum: ...but penguindrum is my favorite. it has cute penguins, a young girl whose best friends are pop stars, an overdramatic opera singer (fabulous max~), and brothers who will do anything to protect their family.
also, it's about the sarin gas bombs released on the tokyo subways in 1995.
don't let the penguins fool you. it's incredibly dark, terrifyingly human, and deeply disturbing. while it uses fantasy to tell its story, there is no hiding that it is a show about domestic terrorism. not for anybody who has any sort of triggers with gore, rape, bombs, or abuse. if you can stomach it, there's no anime that i can recommend more highly. if you watch it with/around your girlfriend, i suggest talking with her about it because like i mentioned, it can be very disturbing.
Jeroen_Sol
Nothing reveals Humanity so well as the games it plays. A game of betrayal, where the most suspicious person is brutally murdered? How savage.
3885
Yeah, Death Note is a Seinen anime. It's a type of anime with a (young) male adult target audience, featuring more realistic and complex emotions, and dealing with heavier subjects than Shonen anime, which are targeted at young boys.
Corfaisus
"It's frustrating because - as much as Corf is otherwise an irredeemable person - his 2k/3 mapping is on point." ~ psy_wombats
7874
I could use some help here as well. I like watching the crime/poltical drama shows my mother watches on Netflix sometimes, but the thought of devoting a significant chunk of my own time into watching something strictly for me just sounds like a hassle. Couple this with the whole being bombarded (in the real world, I might add) "anime is for antisocial dweebs" thing and I just can't find myself going back, which is a shame because it's a whole medium that I could be enjoying. What do you look for that you can shamelessly enjoy without having to interact with it?
I can justify a lot of bullshit with video games strictly because they're games, but if I'm sitting brainlessly on a couch staring at a flickering box, it'd better be worth my time.
I can justify a lot of bullshit with video games strictly because they're games, but if I'm sitting brainlessly on a couch staring at a flickering box, it'd better be worth my time.
corf: i repeat, penguindrum. anybody walking in on you watching it is gonna be alarmed, but it's the most intelligent show i've ever watched.
also, has villains that are really good at ping-pong
also, has villains that are really good at ping-pong
Castle of Cagliostro is a Lupin III movie made by Hayao Miyazaki, it's available for free on Hulu and is an excellent heist movie which is relatively light on anime tropes.
If you like superheroes, try Tiger and Bunny.
If you like superheroes, try Tiger and Bunny.
Shangri-La is a pretty good watch. As is Scrapped Princess. Don't let their looks lead you astray - they seem like cutesy stuff but they delve pretty deep into dark stuff too.
I'll second Red Line, mainly because it's one of the few racing anime that I've actually enjoyed before and because the art and style of it is really swish. It's a movie, so it won't take long to watch and it's well worth checking out just to see the art and music.
Monster can take a while to get in to but it's one of the better anime out there when it comes to dark storylines.
@Corf: If you're just after some mindless fun, may I suggest Nobunagun? It's a high-action piece that had some surprising interesting character designs. If you go into it expecting kids battling against alien invaders with various interesting weapons, then you'll be pleasantly surprised.
I'll second Red Line, mainly because it's one of the few racing anime that I've actually enjoyed before and because the art and style of it is really swish. It's a movie, so it won't take long to watch and it's well worth checking out just to see the art and music.
Monster can take a while to get in to but it's one of the better anime out there when it comes to dark storylines.
@Corf: If you're just after some mindless fun, may I suggest Nobunagun? It's a high-action piece that had some surprising interesting character designs. If you go into it expecting kids battling against alien invaders with various interesting weapons, then you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Sooz
They told me I was mad when I said I was going to create a spidertable. Who’s laughing now!!!
5354
You're generally probably interested in the seinen "genre."* A few examples I think are cool from that one:
Mushishi- It's kind of slow paced, but absolutely gorgeous and often surreal. Set of standalone stories based around a man who studies a type of being called "mushi," which are quasispiritual and tend to do weird shit. It's based on lots of old Japanese folktales, so if you want stuff that's culturally Japanese, this is def. going to give you that!
Baccano!- Madcap historical action/comedy/drama with an insane nonsequential narrative that becomes easier to follow as you go on. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. The plot itself centers around robbery, murders on a train, warring crime families, and a group of immortals. It's super duper cool.
Monster- I can't personally vouch for the anime, but the manga is incredible. (Though that sort of goes without saying for Urasawa.) A doctor saves a young boy's life, then ten years later is accused of a murder that the boy commits. Great psychological thriller combining the Fugitive with medical dramas with crazy political secrets, all set in the era of the Berlin Wall.
Planetes- Garbagemen in space! It's a super hard scifi drama about just regular joes doing their space jobs of cleaning up debris. It's quite enjoyable if you like character based stories or hard scifi.
I've heard good things about Sidonia no Kishi, Berserk, and Black Lagoon as well, though they're not really my style, so I can't offer any major recommendation.
*Japanese manga/anime are broadly slotted into "genres" in terms of what demographic they're marketed to:
Shonen- the young/teen boy stuff, and what most people think of when they think "anime"
Shojo- young/teen girl stuff, mostly romance and magical girls
Seinen- adult man stuff, has a lot of more mature action, drama, and the like
Josei- adult women, primarily drama and romance
Mushishi- It's kind of slow paced, but absolutely gorgeous and often surreal. Set of standalone stories based around a man who studies a type of being called "mushi," which are quasispiritual and tend to do weird shit. It's based on lots of old Japanese folktales, so if you want stuff that's culturally Japanese, this is def. going to give you that!
Baccano!- Madcap historical action/comedy/drama with an insane nonsequential narrative that becomes easier to follow as you go on. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. The plot itself centers around robbery, murders on a train, warring crime families, and a group of immortals. It's super duper cool.
Monster- I can't personally vouch for the anime, but the manga is incredible. (Though that sort of goes without saying for Urasawa.) A doctor saves a young boy's life, then ten years later is accused of a murder that the boy commits. Great psychological thriller combining the Fugitive with medical dramas with crazy political secrets, all set in the era of the Berlin Wall.
Planetes- Garbagemen in space! It's a super hard scifi drama about just regular joes doing their space jobs of cleaning up debris. It's quite enjoyable if you like character based stories or hard scifi.
I've heard good things about Sidonia no Kishi, Berserk, and Black Lagoon as well, though they're not really my style, so I can't offer any major recommendation.
*Japanese manga/anime are broadly slotted into "genres" in terms of what demographic they're marketed to:
Shonen- the young/teen boy stuff, and what most people think of when they think "anime"
Shojo- young/teen girl stuff, mostly romance and magical girls
Seinen- adult man stuff, has a lot of more mature action, drama, and the like
Josei- adult women, primarily drama and romance
^^^^
I haven't watched all of these myself, but otherwise ALL OF THE ABOVE. (Baccano! is also one of favorites, and so is Mushishi)
The base-marketing-genre of "shounen etc" is really most important for me when deciding stuff, or looking for interesting series. It says a lot about the handling of everything. From art-style, to character-stereotypes and plot-devices.
They all have their own tropes and archetypes, too, of course, but overall Seinen is quite diverse.
So .. good mention, Sooz! Very good call. It's something many aren't aware of, too.
.. 90% of what I really like are seinen.
And everything of shoujo I ever tried my hands at made me want to kill myself, or the manga, or the manga characters, or burn something in a fire, or made me feel disgusted after a while. Yeah. Let's say it's not my cup of tea. There are fea exeptions of it being "alright"
I haven't watched all of these myself, but otherwise ALL OF THE ABOVE. (Baccano! is also one of favorites, and so is Mushishi)
The base-marketing-genre of "shounen etc" is really most important for me when deciding stuff, or looking for interesting series. It says a lot about the handling of everything. From art-style, to character-stereotypes and plot-devices.
They all have their own tropes and archetypes, too, of course, but overall Seinen is quite diverse.
So .. good mention, Sooz! Very good call. It's something many aren't aware of, too.
.. 90% of what I really like are seinen.
And everything of shoujo I ever tried my hands at made me want to kill myself, or the manga, or the manga characters, or burn something in a fire, or made me feel disgusted after a while. Yeah. Let's say it's not my cup of tea. There are fea exeptions of it being "alright"
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
Instead of listing a bunch of my own favorites (because, really, I don't think many of my own favorites would appeal to anyone who doesn't like anime, they're all SUPER WEEB) I will give a second opinion on some of the titles other people have mentioned.
One Punch Man - Watch this. Half of it is parody of western superhero cartoons. It's ostensibly an action show except there is absolutely zero dramatic tension in the action so really it's usually not. The other half of it is a sitcom about idiotic superheroes.
Trigun - This is the show that got me into anime. It's a classic. Animation technology has improved a fair amount in the seventeen years since it was made, but if you're not a huge anime fan you probably won't notice.
Akira - This show is the reason anime exists in the English-speaking world. That said, it's old as hell and the pacing is weird. Even if you've never seen a cartoon before, you can tell it's from the 80s when you're watching it. It's a movie, so get a friend who's never seen it and get drunk together while watching it.
Gundam - No don't watch this it's anime as fuck and the visual quality is super terrible
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood - This is good if you can get over the fact that it has a fourteen year old and his eleven year old brother as the main protagonists. It's unusually serious for a show that starts out making you wonder if it's designed for kids, though, and it's extremely well made. It has a few poorly thought out weird religious allegories that don't add much besides confusion. There's a different series just called "Full Metal Alchemist" that has the same characters and is like a far-worse-quality telling of the same story that has a different ending; make sure you don't watch that one by accident.
Those are the only ones mentioned that I'm familiar with.
Just for something different, if you want something sweet and thoughtful with no action in it, watch Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. It's a tragedy about an elementary schooler who died and comes back as a ghost to haunt one of her friends years later when he's broken down into deep depression. Everyone else is suggesting action shows; this is a quietly sad drama about coming of age.
One Punch Man - Watch this. Half of it is parody of western superhero cartoons. It's ostensibly an action show except there is absolutely zero dramatic tension in the action so really it's usually not. The other half of it is a sitcom about idiotic superheroes.
Trigun - This is the show that got me into anime. It's a classic. Animation technology has improved a fair amount in the seventeen years since it was made, but if you're not a huge anime fan you probably won't notice.
Akira - This show is the reason anime exists in the English-speaking world. That said, it's old as hell and the pacing is weird. Even if you've never seen a cartoon before, you can tell it's from the 80s when you're watching it. It's a movie, so get a friend who's never seen it and get drunk together while watching it.
Gundam - No don't watch this it's anime as fuck and the visual quality is super terrible
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood - This is good if you can get over the fact that it has a fourteen year old and his eleven year old brother as the main protagonists. It's unusually serious for a show that starts out making you wonder if it's designed for kids, though, and it's extremely well made. It has a few poorly thought out weird religious allegories that don't add much besides confusion. There's a different series just called "Full Metal Alchemist" that has the same characters and is like a far-worse-quality telling of the same story that has a different ending; make sure you don't watch that one by accident.
Those are the only ones mentioned that I'm familiar with.
Just for something different, if you want something sweet and thoughtful with no action in it, watch Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. It's a tragedy about an elementary schooler who died and comes back as a ghost to haunt one of her friends years later when he's broken down into deep depression. Everyone else is suggesting action shows; this is a quietly sad drama about coming of age.
