It's subjective, but is there a believably mature anime or cartoon in terms of themes

[YUPPIE]

Thought about this after seeing the GG.

When you demand someone demonstrate the potential maturity of anime or cartoons, that person or people will be quick to defend it obviously. But what you usually get to prove "maturity" is gratuitous violence or raunchy and outright juvenile potty humor.

You know, while the idea of "mature themes" is subjective, is there actually a cartoon that conveys themes that are *believably meaningful* in a way that people over 20+ can enjoy if they have the patience for it? It *can* be violent or disturbing, but NOTHING in a way that's for the sake of sensationalism or shock value.

I just can't stand the idea of demonstrating "maturity" through gore and sex like with that filth with the movie Sausage Party. Just give me anything that is legitimately thoughtful.

[Mysterymask]

Have you seen Erased? as far as mature anime it might be something you'd be into...

The whole concept is a dude going back in time to stop a murder of a little girl...and he's basically an adult in a child's mind...its a VERY fascinating show that does keep you guessing all the way through...no gore no violence..some nostalgia thrown in every so often...and even just the mindset of a killer....

[Zafire]

You're looking for Seinen anime.

Speed Grapher is in my top 5 favorite animes of all time due to its realism, while still having its quirky anime superpower thrown in. The ending was something I could actually see happening someday, was very bittersweet. The cool thing about Speed Grapher is the dubs are actually really good, and I can't say that about too many animes. I'm very harsh on dubs.

Kiseijuu or Parasyte. Whole thing hammers on philosophy and if humans are actually the worst creatures on earth or not, while still having edge-of-your-seat action.

Inuyashiki. This anime blew my mind. It essentially has two protagonists, but one is mentally disturbed, while the other is a father that is neglected and taken advantage of. They both get killed by mistake and reconstructed by aliens and have bodies capable of effortlessly destroying the world. Since the first protagonist spends his first day of power killing people for "fun", no matter what he tries to do to repent he is forced to retaliate to survive, because society never forgives him for his crimes. My opinion of the character changed so much throughout the anime. My brain was tugged in so many different directions, and had so many points of view at once...HIGHLY recommend.

[EntertainmentNihilist]

This thread:

"I know that it's subjective, but what color is the best color?"

[october breeze]

You are looking for subjects like philosophy or history.

I can't recall any anime which are purely about those subjects though. Full Metal Alchemist or Ghost in a Shell have a little bit of philosophy in the concept, but again, they are not completely bare of violence.

[announced]

There doesn't seem to be any specific anime to cover those subjects. Anime may have some of those elements of real life, but they do exaggerate others.

I have two examples. Black Lagoon shows you how corruption takes over areas, and how various gangs operate and how corruption runs rampant in a city.

Akame ga Kill! is very violent but it shows the consequences of war. Not very realistic though.

[Beastiel]

something like grave of the fireflies, In this corner of the world, or maybe even violet evergarden

basically any slice of life that isn't just blatant moe garbage has releatable appeal, meaning and depth to people in their 20's+. New father dealing with recent death of beloved wife is practically it's own subgenre and I feel like that's very "mature"

for non slice of life, Monster is very good.

[Selastan]

Death Note. Feels more like a western gritty supernatural cop drama, just set in Japan. It's super tense, focusing on the minutia of even the simplest conversation. The tennis match between Light and L, for example.

Someone said it before, but Akami ga Kill is actually a good example. It takes the standard over the top anime battles that are EVERYWHERE and adds consequences to them. People actually DIE in battles to the death for once, with no Deus ex Machina or taunting villains to save defeated heroes. People die. IMPORTANT people. People who, in literally any other series, would be covered in plot armor. It's still a dumb action show, but by removing plot armor, it becomes almost a satire of the dumb action show, and worth a watch. Also in this category is Made in Abyss, but I find the maturity of the series sometimes gets overshadowed by the author's lolicon and body fluid fetish. Anime tones this down a bit, I'll admit. But it's still there.

My last two recommendations represent maturity through the absence of it. FLCL and Guren Lagann. Both are about maturity and growing up, and how sometimes seeking maturity is actually the least mature thing you can do. Growing up happens as life happens, and we shouldn't force it. Be a kid when you can. Even as an adult, if the opportunity happens, take it. Be dumb, be impulsive. Don't worry about the future, because it won't come to you. YOU have to get to it, by acting in the now. We move forward, when all seems impossible, by turning just a little bit at a time. THAT's the way a drill works.

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Oh Jesus Christ how could I forget. Berserk. The one from the 90's. Watch it. Please.

[Surfd]

Silly question. Anime is a MEDIUM not a GENRE. While yes, it is popularly dominated by over the top sci-fi / fantasy / rom-com / etc stuff aimed mostly at young people, there are LOADS of straight up down to earth movies and shows targeted at more "mature" audiences.

[Uriel]

The classic : Akira

Not a Show but a movie, with highly grim and philosophical story. Although old people still argue about its deeper meanings.

[SirCowdog]

Akira(frankly, this is the place EVERYONE should start with anime, IMO).

Anything from Studio Ghibli
Any Ghost in the Shell
Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Champloo
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Psycho Pass
Mushi Shi
Ergo Proxy
Attack on Titan
Grave of the Fireflies
Wolf Children
Sword of the Stranger
Vinland Saga
Last Exile
Fate: Zero followed by Fate/Stay: Unlimited Bladeworks (there's a lot of "Fate" movies/series. This is just a quality entry into them).
Darker than Black


This is a pretty wide variety of various subject matters and formats. Some movies, some series. All more or less adult, with varying degrees of violence. And while there may be some sexual innuendo or suggestive themes, none of these go into raunch or overt sex scenes.

There are, of course, many more besides these. This is just what I would generally consider to be top-notch young adult to fully adult themed shows with high quality production value as well.

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Oh Jesus Christ how could I forget. Berserk. The one from the 90's. Watch it. Please.

I hesitate to recommend Berserk! to anyone who isn't ready for extremely violent and graphic scenes. There are some VERY heavy themes in that show that don't pull their punches. If a person isn't willing to take a hard look at what the scenes mean, and really analyze the underlying message, they could very easily be turned off by the graphic nature of it.

[Super Kami Dende]

[YUPPIE]

Silly question. Anime is a MEDIUM not a GENRE. While yes, it is popularly dominated by over the top sci-fi / fantasy / rom-com / etc stuff aimed mostly at young people, there are LOADS of straight up down to earth movies and shows targeted at more "mature" audiences.

anime is not a medium

[Calfredd]

anime is not a medium

Anime is a medium.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_art_media

[SirCowdog]

Thought about this after seeing the GG.

I generally like to think of myself as pretty familiar with science fiction and anime, but..... What is "The GG" you're referring to?

[YUPPIE]

Anime is a medium.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_art_media

how? Give an explanation.

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I generally like to think of myself as pretty familiar with science fiction and anime, but..... What is "The GG" you're referring to?

golden globe

[SirCowdog]

golden globe

I see.

Well, I would hesitate to use any "official" critic-based measure of the genre. Anime/Cartoons cover such a broad spectrum of subject matter and presentation that's it almost defies definition. You wouldn't walk into a library, see a couple of porno/romance novels, and dismiss the entire selection of books, would you? It's very much the same thing with Anime. And more often than not, professional critics don't really understand or appreciate what they're judging.

And I think that's what Calfredd means by saying it's a medium. I don't know if that's the exact right word for it, but it comes pretty close.

Speaking of genre, was there a specific type of subject matter you were looking for? Sci-fi? Fantasy? Realistic? Slice of life?

[Daedius]

This thread:

"I know that it's subjective, but what color is the best color?"

Paprika, obviously.

[SirCowdog]

Paprika, obviously.

Paprika is a strange movie. I've watched it twice now, and I still haven't been able to wrap my head around everything that's going on in it.

[Calfredd]

I see.

Well, I would hesitate to use any "official" critic-based measure of the genre. Anime/Cartoons cover such a broad spectrum of subject matter and presentation that's it almost defies definition. You wouldn't walk into a library, see a couple of porno/romance novels, and dismiss the entire selection of books, would you? It's very much the same thing with Anime. And more often than not, professional critics don't really understand or appreciate what they're judging.

And I think that's what Calfredd means by saying it's a medium. I don't know if that's the exact right word for it, but it comes pretty close.

Speaking of genre, was there a specific type of subject matter you were looking for? Sci-fi? Fantasy? Realistic? Slice of life?

I was more backing up surfd's post that anime is indeed a medium same as the theater and cinematography. But yes it is a bit ridiculous to believe that every anime is similar to the banana taped to the wall and think there can't be a Da Vinci among them.