Dark/mature/adult-themed anime

[Original Saku 1593]

8 hours ago, Bear said:

 

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.

 

Do yourself a favor and read the manga, ten times better than any of the adaptions. With that said, the movies are what I consider to be the best adaption of the series so far... the 90's series is good but a severely inaccurate adaption, and the newest series is just not really that good, horrible animation, shitty pacing, and skips a lot of key scenes.

[Gaz 1097]

i can live in this thread lolol

 

seconding Kara no Kyoukai(Garden of Sinners). that stuff is really good and i'd suggest not to give up after watching 1st movie unless you will completely hate it. when i rewatched these movies for 2nd time i liked this franchise even more. delicious stuff!

 

and one of my favorites - Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji. only japanese people can turn out such simple children's game as rock-paper-scissors into a thrilling gamble. though, the visuals may scare you at first but in fact they are quite unique and you'll easily get used to them. i myself even enjoy it tbh. 

 

also wanted to mention a few anime that aren't considered as dark/mature and are rather much more popular among teens, so due to this they might be overlooked by some people. but in my opinion to completely grasp all their layers you need to be an adult. such as Death Note, Code Geass, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are really ought to be checked by everyone no matter what. 

[Tokage 5930]

I watched the film Mind Game (2004) today. While it's not necessarily dark/edgy in any sense (honestly, I'd say it's more on the lighthearted side of things), I still do feel like it is, in the end, a movie that will resonate more with adults. What makes the movie unique in my eyes is that it often shifts between different art styles, usually unexpectedly so. It makes the whole experience feel a lot more psychedelic. In the end, the movie's all about second chances, about life, the interconnectedness of things, etc.. Perhaps those themes sound somewhat like standard shonen anime-tier fare, but I don't know, man.. I don't feel like kids will resonate very strongly with that whole "loser who missed a lot of opportunities but finally tries to turn things around" theme. Teenagers perhaps, but.. eh. 

Also, apparently Satoshi Kon was a fan. 

[jaymee 405]

吸血鬼美夕 / Kyuketsuki Miyu / Vampire Princess Miyu

 

I feel like this was an occult classic for many anime fans in the 90s, but not as much in Japan (or at least the manga might have been more popular). I personally prefer the TV anime series over the OVA (90s), but the OVA's anime style (80s) is quite beautiful. It also has an amazing soundtrack.

 

It's a bit hard to summarize and some aspects of the story are different from the OVA and TV anime, but Miyu is the a half-human/half-princess who guards the earth by banishing stray god-like demons called Shinma. When a Western shinma called Larva tries to kill her, she drinks his blood, and essentially turns him into her servant/slave, bound by a mask. Miya herself is an antihero. While she might protect the earth from shinma, she feels no sadness for humans and human life caught up in the process, and often chooses to let people suffer. She also offers eternal "happiness" in a unconscious, bliss-like state to people who seek it. It can be interpreted that she falls in love with Larva and Larva eventually comes to care for or at least feel sympathy for her, but the master/servant relationship between them and the fact that Miyu will forever remain (appearance-wise) a pre-teen girl are hinted at as obstacles. IMHO although Miyu has feelings for Larva, she is also dependent on him and in her loneliness is unable to set him free.

 

The TV anime one of my favorite series ever, and one of the few anime series I've encountered with moral questions and a lot of food for thought after.

 

 

ベルサイユのばら / Berusaiyu no Bara / The Rose of Versailles

 

Unhappy with the birth of a girl, Oscar François de Jarjayes' father is determined to raise her as a boy so that she may one day replace him as commander in the Royal Guards. Perhaps one of the most historically accurate re-tellings of Marie Antoinette. Perhaps not the same vein as recommendations by the OP, and not particularly violent or adult in nature, but the honorific language used in the historical information/topics presented would probably be dull for many kids. The ending of this series is ranks up there in the "right in the feels" fvck you up for days category. Although quite retro, this series has long endured in Japan, and is still used in advertising even today. It's also considered an important work for the Japanese feminist movement. Kamijo pretty much modeled his trademark look after Oscar and Lareine once covered the opening. Also, the band name Versailles.

 

 

ノワール / Noir

 

I'm seconding this rec. Two female assassins (Kirika and Mireille) join forces to find clues to their past, and in the process find out they're more deeply connected to each other than they first thought. The soundtrack on this is also amazing, and a must if you're a fan of Yuki Kajiura, FictionJunction Yuuka, or Kalafina. I personally think Ali Project owes a lot of her career to performing the OP track to this series. It's a good series for binge watching, and Sailor Moon fans will quickly notice Mireille is voiced by Kotono Mitsuishi. 

 

 

 

 

Other recs:

 

- Project A-ko (cult classic!)

- Another

- Michiko to Hacchin

- Wolf's Rain

-  Ergo Proxy

- Kanashimi no Belladonna (kinda retro but...)

- Oniisama e... (by the same creator as Rose of Versailles, but darker as per a lot of the shoujo anime of the 70s and 80s)

- Orosuban Ebi-chu (I don't think this quite qualifies as hentai, but its humor sure isn't for kids...)

[Bear 1817]

Enzeru koppu aka Angel Cop was very good. The plot is awfully silly, but it does get more and more interesting and over the top as it goes, and that's something I can really enjoy. Starts off as a fairly traditional cyberpunk series, but as the series goes on it just gets crazier and crazier. Lots of violence, weirdness, good soundtrack and nice visual style and animation. I liked it a lot!

[PIZAZ 238]

On 5/23/2018 at 9:25 PM, Bear said:

Enzeru koppu aka Angel Cop was very good. The plot is awfully silly, but it does get more and more interesting and over the top as it goes, and that's something I can really enjoy. Starts off as a fairly traditional cyberpunk series, but as the series goes on it just gets crazier and crazier. Lots of violence, weirdness, good soundtrack and nice visual style and animation. I liked it a lot!

How can you bring up Angel Cop and not mention the absolutely batshit plot and hilarious english dub?? Anti-semitic conspiracy theories, 80's esp'ers and nihilistic hyper violence are a bizarre combo on their own, but then you add in lines like the infamous, "if this is justice then I'm a banana"... Angel Cop is pulpy garbage anime perfection lol

[Bear 1817]

Because I have never watched it with an English dub. Why would I even consider watching it with en English dub?

[PIZAZ 238]

2 hours ago, Bear said:

Because I have never watched it with an English dub. Why would I even consider watching it with en English dub?

It was rhetorical, I was more just trying to add to what you said about it. Also, it's one of the most notable things about Angel Cop?

[Bear 1817]

Ok.

[monkeybanana4 1732]

I saw it mentioned before, but I second Wolf's Rain. I saw this anime when I was young and it flew right over my head. Seeing it more recently, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The music was beautiful (composed by Yoko Kanno) and the story was captivating to watch unfold despite the ending. The color and scenery is dark, dank, and dismal, which perfectly fit with a world in despair. The show left with lots to ponder about, and I loved seeing the characters realistically develop without being too cheesy or cliche. The anime is far from a rosy, happy series, but it's one worth watching at least once. 

 

I saw others mention Death Note, and I agree. Despite its popularity among the younger crowd, I believe the series manages to digs deep into human psyche and examines some very dark themes encapsulated within the term, 'justice'. I saw the Ghost in the Shell movie mentioned earlier. I also think the series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, is good as well. It's not the exact same as the movie, but it has its own merits as well. It explores, more than once, what it means to be a human in a world where cybernetics and robotics become more prevalent. The series lacked characterization for many of the teammates on Sector 9, but the script was well-written and it wasn't a typical fighting/action series with tons of blood and gore everywhere. But when the fighting happened, it was exciting to watch.

[Bear 1817]

Watched Kite last night. Crazy stuff for sure. Ultra violent and dark. Deals with subject like revenge, pedophilia and loneliness. Explicit and disgusting in many way, but the action scenes are amazingly drawn, animated and directed. Two episodes around 55 minutes or so.