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

[Airlick]

Rakugo Shinjuu - can't ever say enough how magnificent this anime is in terms of dubbing, story-telling (which is fitting, considering it is about storytellers) and character development. There isn't much there in terms of actual action, but it certainly covers some mature themes (loneliness, social ostracism, betrayal, but also sense of duty). If you haven't watched it, do it.

Shinsekai Yori - this anime makes you THINK. I'd say you have to watch it twice in order to fully appreciate it, since it gives off so many hints for future episodes throughout the show. While I wouldn't say it's exactly philosophical, it definitely touches on some philosophical concepts, but the best thing is, it doesn't really try to give the viewers any answers. It presents the story and lets us think for ourselves, at best it gives us some questions to start with. It starts off pretty slow, but the second half of the show is an avalanche.

There's more, like Psycho-Pass or After Story, but I'd say those 2 above are unique for anime in that they really respect the viewers and their intelligence.

1. A dystopian story discussing free will and its complexity. Like a prosperous city where free will has been largely purged and you're always watched, but there is security and peace for most civilians. And that when terrorists or freedom fighters rise to cause anarchy and dismantle a dictatorship, *it's not always a good thing* with real consequences for innocents involved.

1. Yeah, that's quite literally Psycho-Pass. Ergo Proxy somewhat fits, but it's not really a great anime.

[Zantos]

True enough, virtually all adult entertainment tends to contain violence or sex of some kind, (not always but usually), however, the important word was RELY on. Take a show like sopranos, violence or sex are hardly crutches for it to stand on, they're byproducts of the narrative, In anime tv shows, violence or sex is a spectacle, often the only leg the show stands on.

Not really no. There are tons of slice of life animes that don't rely on any violence at all. Then there are deeper shows like mushishi that doesn't rely on it either. Shows like Trigun exist where violence is a byproduct of the life the main character has lived and a tool to highlight how cruel people can be for no reason.

I would honestly say a show like sopranos more heavily rely on violence then a lot of other shows. Its about a mob. Mobs and violence go hand in hand. You simply couldn't have a mob show without the violence.

[Sorshen]

Ghost in the shell: SAC

[Shiny212]

Not really no. There are tons of slice of life animes that don't rely on any violence at all. Then there are deeper shows like mushishi that doesn't rely on it either. Shows like Trigun exist where violence is a byproduct of the life the main character has lived and a tool to highlight how cruel people can be for no reason.

I would honestly say a show like sopranos more heavily rely on violence then a lot of other shows. Its about a mob. Mobs and violence go hand in hand. You simply couldn't have a mob show without the violence.

It's about the family and personal issues of a mobster. Violence is in the show, but has very little screen time overall, nor does sex, it's not why you tune in, that was the point. If people tune in for those things it's what the show uses as crutches to gain an audience. Like Spartacus, or Attack on titan, etc.

[Galathir]

Monster (LINK) The end.

This. First one I instantly thought about.

[Skizzit]

1. A dystopian story discussing free will and its complexity. Like a prosperous city where free will has been largely purged and you're always watched, but there is security and peace for most civilians. And that when terrorists or freedom fighters rise to cause anarchy and dismantle a dictatorship, *it's not always a good thing* with real consequences for innocents involved.

2. More simple: The world's literally fucking ended (like an ashen hellhole) and our protagonists are going to die from something like a plague, but they try to find meaning in their lives before the end. Think "The Road" for tone.

Being serious here.

I mean in some ways, you are describing a plot line and not really themes or topics, but a few that are along those lines would be Kabaneri (not all that good really) or Now and Then, Here and There. Ghost in the Shell has many of those elements but in a Cyberpunk setting. But if you want the ultimate, The Road but anime even though it isn't exactly dystopian look no further than Grave of the Fireflies (LINK). If you can watch that and still think anime cannot do mature and serious themes, then I don't know what else to tell you.

[Drusin]

This. First one I instantly thought about.

Yeah soon as I saw this thread I was like..Monster, it's so "mature" it's boring as shit as well lol

Also, people that use age as an insult are shit

[Galathir]

Yeah soon as I saw this thread I was like..Monster, it's so "mature" it's boring as shit as well lol

Well, the boring as shit part is a matter of opinion. I was totally immersed and enamored. I've gotta admit that I don't actually remember if I really watched the anime or just read the manga though.

[Dug]

Only one that comes to mind is Anohana. Friendship, death, moving on etc etc

[Sezh]

I'm having a similar issue. I love Attack on Titan but I haven't found any other anime that interests me. Basically I enjoy charactes of limited power where the stakes in combat are high and real characters can actually die.

[Rydanis]

Mushishi explores some very real emotional hardship without leaning at all on violence or sex. It has a pretty strong fantasy element, but you get immersed in what characters are going through and how they cope with pain and loss. It's also one of the most relaxing anime to watch. However I'm not sure this would qualify as being adult enough for the OP.

Berserk is not for everyone but it's not a troll recommendation, it's about as adult and serious as it gets, and things get very heavy and very dark. But it's also extremely violent and graphic.

Violet Evergarden explores emotional themes in the wake of war, and how people deal with the devastation and loss after surviving something like that. There is an emphasis on how people communicate with each other, and while that's a pretty small theme, it's beautifully depicted. The main character is a little stereotypical, but it's not all that bad imo.

Akame ga Kill is a personal favorite. Very violent show, but it makes no excuses for its characters' behaviors and every single one of them has to face the consequences of their actions. In the end, killing is murder, and they go as far as to flat out say it in the first episode.

[unbound]

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.

Keep in mind that there are literally thousands of anime out there. Depending on what you find "mature", there is certainly a lot of anime available that has much more thoughtful content aimed at mature audiences.

Some rather thoughtful anime that comes to the top of my head that I've seen include:

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Ghost in the Shell

Violet Evergarden

Your Lie in April

Spirited Away

Princess Mononoke

Serial Experiments Lain

Psycho-Pass (1st season only - 2nd season is largely redundant)

Ergo Proxy

[SirCowdog]

1. A dystopian story discussing free will and its complexity. Like a prosperous city where free will has been largely purged and you're always watched, but there is security and peace for most civilians. And that when terrorists or freedom fighters rise to cause anarchy and dismantle a dictatorship, *it's not always a good thing* with real consequences for innocents involved.

2. More simple: The world's literally fucking ended (like an ashen hellhole) and our protagonists are going to die from something like a plague, but they try to find meaning in their lives before the end. Think "The Road" for tone.

Being serious here.

1) You almost literally outlined the plot of Psycho Pass. Although "Ghost in the Shell" covers similar themes, it's less about free will, and more about what defines humanity. Does it matter that a person has a body of a machine, but the soul of a human? Or can a machine be more alive than a person? I would start with GITS: Stand Alone Complex for a series, or the original animated movies. The Scarlet Johansson movie was trash, fight me.

2) That's a tough one. "The Road" in a lot of ways is a masterpiece that is not easily re-created or matched. Viggo Mortensen's acting was especially powerful, and the cinematography was likewise excellent. However, there are a few anime that contain some similar themes, although not a single one that can match "The Road" exactly.

• Ergo Proxy contains some elements, as the two protagonists' society collapses after the first few episodes, and they have to try and make sense and survive.
• Blue Submarine Six has many similar themes to "The Island of Doctor Moreau", but is also set in a post apocalyptic world.
• Akira more a situation of many people facing an apocalyptic event rather than post-apocalyptic.
• Girls' Last Tour at first doesn't seem very dark. But it has some VERY sad undertones as two "cute" girls make their way through a broken world. I haven't finished it yet, so I don't know if it had a bad ending or not. But again, it has some similar themes as "The Road".
• Grave of the Fireflies is a super-excellent movie about two siblings trying to survive in WW2.
• Haibane Renmei. Despite being a slice of life series, the protagonists are all facing a looming fate. It does have a relatively happy ending, so I don't know if it counts.

[Skorpionss]

im super skeptical of this Berserk series often suggested. It looks like an extremely edgy male 14 year old's idea of cool. I am looking into the plausibility of the other mentions but this one makes it feel like you're being trolled and it's not even subtle about it. Not too long into investigating what Berserk is, you're quickly treated to monsters, rape, swearing, and bisection for *previews*

Like the opposite of maturity.

Yes it has those, because life has monsters (well not in the same sense obviously), rape and swearing, I don't see how that's the opposite of maturity.

It deals with a lot of themes underneath those scenes of violence and rape though, too many to recall, but just off Wikipedia: "Isolation, camaraderie, and the question of whether humanity is fundamentally good or evil pervade the story, as it explores both the best and worst of human nature."

It also has a lot of parallels to real world medieval times, there's a whole arc with them being mercenaries and going to war for different kingdoms, with no (well almost) monsters or rape. This is basically what the anime adaptation is based on for the most part.

Yes on the surface level it seems edgy af, but if you actually bother to read the manga or watch the series you'll see that's just superficial shit.

[SirCowdog]

im super skeptical of this Berserk series often suggested. It looks like an extremely edgy male 14 year old's idea of cool. I am looking into the plausibility of the other mentions but this one makes it feel like you're being trolled and it's not even subtle about it. Not too long into investigating what Berserk is, you're quickly treated to monsters, rape, swearing, and bisection for *previews*

Like the opposite of maturity.

The thing about Berserk is that it's a translation of a manga into anime format. The original 1997 version does a fair job, but the more recent CGI adaptations are almost complete garbage. Either way a lot is lost in translation, and the manga is still ongoing.

But what Berserk does is contrast the difference between the antagonist(Griffith) and protagonist(Guts). Both face the horrible reality of being destroyed utterly and losing everything they care about in a VERY dark world, and yet return to power and glory, and to what ends they use that power.

It takes a LONG time to see the results of the story arcs, and there is a LOT of graphic violence and sexual content, along with many other disturbing concepts along the way. The graphic nature of those scenes are used to illustrate just how fucked up the world the story is set in is. This is why I hesitated to suggest it, since it's a style of presentation that is VERY easy to dismiss as gratuitous for the sake of it. It is absolutely, 100% not a good entry-level anime/manga.

[Littleraven]

I'm not really sure what you are looking for as you even say yourself it's subjective. That said I would give Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood a shot. Not only is it a great anime it is a great show. The end gets a little bonkers and out there but I feel like it tackles some pretty serious themes very well.

[YUPPIE]

Keep in mind that there are literally thousands of anime out there

thing i never get is why Americans look down on anime and it's seen as a SUPER niche but there are indeed thousands of anime. Who is it for? There must be an audience large enough to warrant that much production. And I don't think Japan alone has that much people for that much consumerism.

[Monster Hunter]

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.

The new harlequin cartoon is definatly aimed at over 20s

[SirCowdog]

thing i never get is why Americans look down on anime and it's seen as a SUPER niche but there are indeed thousands of anime. Who is it for? There must be an audience large enough to warrant that much production. And I don't think Japan alone has that much people for that much consumerism.

A lot of the west(USA/Europe) tends to view ANYTHING animated as a "cartoon", and thus only for children. In a lot of ways videogames are treated the same way.

But you're correct that anime is a medium that contains just about any concept or theme imaginable. Sadly, a LOT of those movies and shows really are just cartoons. But even some of the "cartoons" that appear to be childish on the surface end up having very adult themes. In the west we have shows like The Simpsons, or even My Little Pony. If you just took a cursory glance without knowing what you were looking at, you'd think it was just for kids. But get deep into those shows and you start to realize how adult they really are.

Anime is much the same, although with a cultural difference of what is and isn't taboo. Violent or Sexual themes aren't nearly as avoided, and so they'll be much more prevalent. From a western viewpoint, this might cause a reaction like the one you had towards "Berserk!", causing you to miss the powerful underlying messages and themes.

Don't judge a book by its cover, I guess would sum it up.

[SirCowdog]

Oh, have we finally given up the act of being a bastion of all that is right with the world and decrying the supposed effects of anime, Tsugunai? Have we come back around to you being the years-long anime fan that you are, now that you've changed your name?

We must have! Huzzah!


On a serious note, there are some good recommendations in this thread. Use them.

Wow....well. That sheds new light on the OP.

I can sum up the entire linked thread: Fictional works are not real. Characters doing things in a story are not the same as people doing things in real life.