Dark/mature/adult-themed anime

[Bear 1817]

I couldn't find a better title for this thread, but I would like to have an own thread for anime that are suited for adults, rather than kids/teens. Because whenever I've started talking about this in the anime thread it's kinda dwoned in the talk of everything else which is probably more popular. And with "adult" I am basically thinking about anime that is much darker and psychological, more violent and gory, features erotica, or deals with themes that'll go way above the head of most teens. It's a bit vague I guess, but I think you'll get what I mean when you see the lists of examples.

 

Series:

Cowboy Bebop*

Ergo Proxy

Serial Experiments Lain

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Elfen Lied

Hellsing

Gungrave

Cyber City Oedo 808

Berserk

 

 

Films:

Perfect Blue

Akira

Ninja Scroll

Ghost in the Shell

Angel's Egg

Memories

Wicked City

Vampire Hunter D

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

 

*I understand that Cowboy Bebop might seem a bit out of place to some here, but its touches of neo-noir, sophistication, philosophical concepts of boredom and loneliness and more adult themes such as drugs and homosexuality makes it a very adult series.

 

 

Anyone ever see anime that's either Lovecraftian or very cosmic horror-inspired? Would be real cool!

Edited March 26, 2017 by Bear

[IGM_Oficial 1964]

I thought it was about hentai

Edited March 26, 2017 by IGM_Oficial

[Bear 1817]

By the way, Angel's Egg is an overlooked masterpiece. Slow-burning, surrealistic and poetic anime with barely any dialogue at all. It's not as much about plot, characters and all that, but rather an atmospheric trip, or just an experience, that offers something different. Probably the most unique anime I've ever seen. It's not even 80 minutes long, but 85% of everyone who  watch this will be bored to death and the 80 minutes will feel more like 578 minutes. But this is perfect IMO. Highly recommended for people with some patience who appreciate atmosphere, visual style and the artsy side of things.

 

[Bear 1817]

2 minutes ago, IGM_Oficial said:

I thought it was about hentai

 

If it was about hentai I'd have called the thread "hentai". But I'll change the title.

[IGM_Oficial 1964]

2 minutes ago, Bear said:

If it was about hentai I'd have called the thread "hentai". But I'll change the title.

 

Calm down, I'm kidding

[Bear 1817]

Nah, I am calm. So don't go there, brah. But you were right. It was a poor title that gave the wrong first impression and was easy to misunderstand.

Edited March 26, 2017 by Bear

[Chi 2624]

In my opinion, a title that is missing in your list is Shigurui. it could have been a great anime but its biggest flaw is that it wasn't adapted fully ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Edited March 26, 2017 by seurong

[Azaeroe 40]

Gunbuster & Mononoke, maybe.

[suji 8317]

bible black

[platy 3018]

I haven't watched this yet, but tatami galaxy came to mind when you said 'cosmic horror'. It isn't a horror series as far as I'm aware but it's complex and trippy and deals with themes your average series only look at superficially (when they do). It's visually stunning and has a cult following. 

 

Metropolis (2001) is a stunningly beautiful movie. Visually it reminds me of Astroboy and Cyborg 009. It's pretty fucking depressing and deal with themes of AI, the ecosystem, identity  and all those lovely themes people loved exploring in the early 2000's that usually hinted at humans destroying themselves. 

 

Also check out colorful (2010) you might be interested. 

[Anne Claire 392]

Monster (2004)
Texhnolyze (from the creators of Serial Experiments Lain btw)
Aku no Hana
Boogiepop Phantom
Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne
Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin


oh yea.... and boku no pico as well - adult af

[plastic_rainbow 2162]

^was about to mention Texhnolyze and Boogiepop Phantom too. They both have a very similar atmosphere to Serial Experiments Lain.

 

You might also wanna check these out:

Aoi Bungaku Series

Mermaid Forest (the OVA, i haven't watched the tv series yet)

Mermaid's Scar

Parasite Dolls

Noir

Youma (Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma)

 

I haven't seen these myself (i'm planning to) but they're definitely for a more mature audience:

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

Sword of the Stranger

Edited March 26, 2017 by plastic_rainbow

[Delkmiroph 1649]

i never hear about some titles. I will look to watch later. Thanks @Bearfor this topic.

[Original Saku 1593]

91 Days

Prohibition era mafioso revenge story, really dark and bloody and goes the extra mile in character development. perhaps the best thing about the show is it's a short series (12 episodes) and it has a definitive ending.

 

Ajin

Supernatural series about demi-humans. Has a lot of morality conflictions and goes into how demi-humans are treated in society. Dark and gory as fuck. Also It's CG animation so if you want something that looks a little different from the norm, that's a plus.

 

Claymore

Supernatural Fantasy with flesh eating demons called youma. Badass female protag with vengeance on the mind and a pension for bloddshed, very heavily inspired by Berserk (imo).

 

Death Note

It's hard to believe there are people who haven't heard of this show, but for the sake of new comers. Pretty much one of the most popular anime over here in the states. About a high schooler who finds a notebook called the death note, he soon finds out that any person who's name he writes down in this book will die mysteriously. With this power the protag decides to do good in the world and meat out "justice" as he see's fit, none the less there are other's with this power and a lot of mysterious surrounding the whole thing. Also there are demons, yes. Hands down one of the best psychological thriller series ever created, a must watch.

 

Gantz

Sci-fi series with a a lot of super natural elements. without spoiling too much, the main characters die but then are brought back to play in a "game" of sorts, along with other "dead" people. together they are forced to fight aliens and other sci-fi entities tot he death, if they are not victorious then they die for real. Deals heavily in psychological themes such as societal acceptance and what it truly means to want to die.

 

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Super natural horror mystery where... quite honestly shit just goes wrong over and over and over again for the main characters. Desperation and psychotic breakdowns, violence to the extreme, and psychological themes a plenty.

 

Mousou Dairinin (Paranoia Agent)

Possibly the weirdest series on this list. Goes into a lot of bizarre themes of paranoia and the the story can be a bit on the complicated side to follow if you're not paying extra close attention. Not gonna say anything about the actual plot because I feel it would lessen  the experience when you watch it.

 

Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor

Post apocalyptic mecha show with some serious shit going down. Hidden gem of the mecha genre in my opinion, very similar to Evangelion except you'll actually care when these characters die, and die they will, tons of them in fact, in horrifying and sick ways. Which is the problem, this show has A+ character development, you get so attached to characters but so many die that it hurts inside You want a dark mecha series with lots of gore and terrific plot? here you go.

 

just what came to mind, that's all for now.

[Tanishi 598]

6 hours ago, Bear said:

 I am basically thinking about anime that is much darker and psychological, more violent and gory, features erotica, or deals with themes that'll go way above the head of most teens

 

This description fits Texhnolyze perfectly. Especially the deals with themes that'll go way above the head of most teens part.

[For my dears 58]

The sad thing about Monster is that the series get a bit boring near the end. oh and I don't know if manga counts, but I extremely recommend Vagabond if you like Claymore/Berserk

[YuyoDrift 1540]

6 hours ago, IGM_Oficial said:

I thought it was about hentai

 

I was hoping it was.

 

Only ones on my mind (that @Original Sakuhad not already mentioned), were TOKKO and BLUE GENDER, oh and BLOOD+

Edited March 27, 2017 by YuyoDrift

[Flame-X 441]

The titles I suggest below are a bit subjective in terms of adult or mature. So hopefully, some of these have the elements you're looking for. I'll put a brief description for each but it's best to watch a couple eps since my explanation don't do justice.

 

Black Lagoon - If you like gun action, crime syndicates , mobs, and a society that works under subjective morality, then give this a shot. The violence levels are above the norms and there are a lot of comedy that doesn't have the typical anime expressions. Somewhat a Cowboy Bebop-ish. All adult main cast thankfully.

 

Jormungand - A team of mercenaries and ex-military specialists led by an arms dealer on a quest for world peace, if that makes any sense. So yes, another gun blazing anime. This show is somewhere on my top 10 list. I really like the depiction of a child soldier here and you got a cast of mostly adults. It has a similar style to Black Lagoon when it comes to characters.

 

Speed Grapher - This anime is quite depraved and sick because debauchery one of the main themes of this series. Your main character is a cameraman that's got a fetish for taking pictures of dead bodies. He sneaks into a secret cult where only rich and famous are allowed, and in that cult is where people indulge in their desires in depraved levels. The thing I like most about this series is the villain. He's sympathetic and does one of the most satisfying things in the series climax that justifies his actions.

 

Blue Gender - One of the few mecha anime that's brutally violent. Think of it as Starship Troopers but not awfully written.

 

Bubblegum Crisis - An oldie from the 80s, good one though. Cyberpunk themed. I'm not sure if the 80s had different standards for content but it was gory at times. Can't really say it's an adult type of show but borderline mature.

 

Moonlight Mile - Two men with a goal of being astronauts and womanizing.

 

Scum's Wish

 

Guardian of the Spirit

 

Baccano!

 

Mardock Scramble (movie trilogy)

 

Yosuga no Sora

 

 

Sorry, I'll edit this post when I have time. Need to sleep now.

[Bear 1817]

Plenty great recommendations so far, but don't be afraid to start discussions about these type of films/series, guys.

 

Seen a lot of 'em, and while most of what I have seen are series I really like, they're different from what I'm mostly into at the moment. The visual style of them just aren't what pleases my eyes at the moment. They're a bit too flashy, too colorful and too cute looking. Metropolis, Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne and Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade however are exactly the kind I prefer myself at the moment. The way the stories are told, the visual style of them. Love it! Especially Metropolis hits the bulls eye. Brilliant film!

 

While Higurashi no Naku Koro nistory-wise has a lot of what I am into at the moment, the overall visual style is just too cute and colorful for me at the moment. The look of this series is like the upbeat, happy music of An Cafe and Sug. Personally I am looking for films and series with a darker, more gritty look.

 

Le Portrait de Petit Cossette is another one that fits my taste, especially the visual style of it. Good show, this. Seems to be very overlooked.

Edited March 27, 2017 by Bear

[lichtlune 915]

15 hours ago, Bear said:

By the way, Angel's Egg is an overlooked masterpiece. Slow-burning, surrealistic and poetic anime with barely any dialogue at all. It's not as much about plot, characters and all that, but rather an atmospheric trip, or just an experience, that offers something different. Probably the most unique anime I've ever seen. It's not even 80 minutes long, but 85% of everyone who  watch this will be bored to death and the 80 minutes will feel more like 578 minutes. But this is perfect IMO. Highly recommended for people with some patience who appreciate atmosphere, visual style and the artsy side of things.

 

 

Watched the blu-ray of this recently. Beautiful as an art film but I don't know if I would call it a masterpiece or not.

[Bear 1817]

4 hours ago, lichtlune said:

 

Watched the blu-ray of this recently. Beautiful as an art film but I don't know if I would call it a masterpiece or not.

 

Which is understandable. It's a heavy film that really requiers and asks a lot from the viewer, but I think this film is pure magic.  Repeated viewings are probably not a bad idea for a film like this.

[Koike 301]

Well, Ibara no Ou is kind of dark, and it features dystopia so I guess that could interest you, although I strongly recommend you to read the manga instead of watching the movie. It does suffer from terrible CGI, but it's manageable.

 

Ayakashi is a collection of japanese horror stories, and it also has prequel of Mononoke, which is a masterpiece IMO.

 

Kara no Kyoukai is a movie serie which is mostly fantasy/thriller/action with some romance. The quality of the movies varies quite a bit, but parts 4, 5 and 7 are great.

 

Shisha no Teikoku suffers from a shitty story, but it has one of the best artwork I've ever seen and it features zombies and steampunk. Who doesn't like those?

Edited March 27, 2017 by Koike

[The Moon 989]

I don't even know if it's considered an anime, but The Belladonna of Sadness is one of my favorite films.

[Bear 1817]

On 28.3.2017 at 8:40 AM, The Moon said:

I don't even know if it's considered an anime, but The Belladonna of Sadness is one of my favorite films.

 

It's an anime for sure and of all the anime's I've seen this is easily up there with Angel's Egg as far as originality and uniqueness, but even more so because of the striking visuals. Beautifully drawn, and the use of watercolours really sets it apart. I love the beautiful, grotesque, surreal and erotic imagery which makes the entire film somewhat nightmarish. This film more or less sums up this entire thread and its subject. A must-see for sure, but not for everyone.

 

I have not seen the two first films of the "trilogy", tho. Anyone seen A Thousand and One Nights and Cleopatra? As far as I know these two films are way different in style and tone, being very standard visually and being more regular pornographic in nature? Anyone know this?

 

 

 

 

Also, rewatched Berserk this week. It's so fucking good. Dark, grim and gritty dark fantasy. I also love how the animations are so flawed throughout the series. It just really adds to the atmosphere. Hate the intro and outro songs, tho, but the rest of the soundtrack is neat as fuck.

 

How's the films, and how's the new series?

 

I've understood it so that the two first films are basically remakes of the series, while the third offers something new? But how about the new series? Never heard about it before today. A bit sceptical because of the CG animation, tho. Not a fan of CG animations at all, unless it's used sparsely. I rarely manage to fully appreciate full CG animations.

[Licio123 181]

Yes, the third movie does change it a bit compared to the series (1996)

 

The new series is pretty good IMO (it picks up after the Eclipse), but the animation is not for everyone. That's why it got low ratings.