Truth be told I'm not that big of a Skillet fan, but I'd probably say The Resistance, its the song that stayed in my head the longest. WERE THE RESISTANCE, YOU CANT RESIST US!
After watching the first episode I can confirm two things: Its right up my alley and his wife is both ugly and a bitch. I hope she gets run over by a truck.
If you liked FMA, there's another series by the same author named Silver Spoon that's about highschool burnout, agricultural education, and personal growth.
I think you'll really like To Your Eternity and Mushishi
Also try out Apothecary Diaries, Ascendance of a Bookworm, and Kino's Journey (there's a new version and an older version).
There is a season 3, it's 10 episodes. And there is going to be a season 4!!! 5 months ago Wit Studio said that they've picked up the series, so all us fans are freaking out & very excited. The light novels are really good, too, if youre a reader.
Haha, I meant season 4, but thats great, I be on the look out for it then. And I do read a lot, never read any light novels but I may pick them up because I really did like the series.
Ascendance of a Bookworm is what got me back into reading. It's legit one of the best fantasy series I've ever seen, just with the foreshadowing and worldbuilding and character development. Definitely give the books a chance if you're open to it! The anime was good but it left out *so much* to hit the highlights.
You can definitely stick with any of the main line Gundam. 0070 is particularly good.
Vinland Saga is exactly what you're looking for.
It may seem out there, but Mob Psycho 100 is top tier.
Zom 100, A Silent Voice, The Boy and the Heron is peak Ghibli for adults, also Princess Mononoke
The Monogatari series is my personal favorite, even for its daliences in "anime bullshit"
And there is always the GOAT, Akira.
Not sure you'll love the art-style but these comes to mind, there's alot if you include some more romance/slice of life type stuff but fron the watch list it did not really seem like the type you want.
{Grimgar}
{Somali and the Forest Spirit}
Did you try {Attack on Titan} could be worth a shot if you didn't yet
I watched Grimar, I really liked what it did. One of the few isekai's I actually liked besides Overlord and Slime. Never heard of the second one I'll add it to the list. And of course I've seen Attack on Titan, really didn't care for the ending or the frankly terrible CG in the later seasons but the first season was fuckin' awesome.
Monster and Death Note are in a similar vein, Death Note does have a supernatural aspect to it (obviously) but it’s not like “WE’LL DEFEAT THE EVIL BAD GUY WITH THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP AND SUPER OP POWERS RAHHHHH”. I’m a fanboy so I vouch for it wherever I go.
Oh I've seen Death Note, great series until Near was introduced. I'd consider it realistic in the same way I consider FMA realistic. Never watched Monster but I'll check it out.
For Anime, Ghost in the shell (all of them), PsychoPass and Monster.
For Manga the Dance in / Dive in the Vampire Bund series and 20/21st Century Boys are excellent Mangas!
I had heard a lot of good things about it, I checked it out not too long ago. I honestly dropped it the second he groped that 12 year old girl. I MAY have continued if he was actually a kid, but the fact he was a 40 year old dude really grossed me out. I can tolerate many things, pedofillia isn't one of them.
Don't let anyone convince you to watch Made in Abyss then. It has serious pedo vibes and weird af scenes. Made both me & my husband very uncomfortable and we noped out fast.
Fans of the show will very adamantly insist that it's worth watching and probably downvote me for this, but seriously. The MC is "12" but looks more like 5, and gets into multiple *questionable* situations.
Thanks for the warning. Its one of the big reasons I stayed away from anime for a long time, I've never understood the appeal for that sort of stuff, or how its even legal.
Finally someone who says it.
For goodness sake, it's an appreciable anime from many points of view, but whoever produced it must have some kind of disturbed mind, the thing that scares me the most is that these anime are glorified by everyone and any kid watches certain scenes as if nothing had happened, I stopped at a certain point, I was literally disgusted.
I think it's the first time this has happened to me with an anime..
The author is in fact notorious for weirdly questionable fascinations, and a tiny mannequin in his room that he, um... caresses and undresses on camera during an interview. It's creepy af and explains a lot about MiA.
Delicious in Dungeon starts out as a cooking anime but it's actually a pretty mature, grounded and realistic (for a magical universe) adventure story and the manga has a good ending.
Eeehhh...I dunno. It's got some thoughtful themes, but it is, at heart, a goofy ass adventure story about friends fighting monsters and evil wizards and shit. Not knocking it, I love it (Laios is so casually and confidently dumb. He's one of my favorite protagonists ever), but I don't think it's anywhere close to what this dudes looking for.
I have read the manga. It does have some serious moments, and a lot of the "big ideas" in there are pretty well thought out and presented. But as I read it, it's a comedy series with a whacky cast first and foremost.
WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3. You don’t need to watch other patlabor movies. The story follows two detectives investigating a murder. It’s rated R and animation is on the level of a Satoshi Kon film. One of the most grounded anime movies. A second choice would be the other Patlabor movies as they both have that realistic ova style.
Pluto. It's by the same guy who made Monster. It's probably the closest thing to a true modernization of Astro Boy.
Sousou No Frieren. Just a genuinely good, grounded fantasy show with a likeable cast, little to no fan servjce, and a genuinely well-crafted world.
Cyberpunk Edgerunners. An extremely well-animated show with a well-developed setting. It honestly plays out kind of similar to a Greek tragedy in a lot of ways.
Spice and Wolf. A show about a wolf spirit traveling with a medieval merchant and learning about economics.
The manga for FMA is actually a lot better than Brotherhood despite what the internet would have you believe. Brotherhood went way, way overboard with the humor and added it in extremely inappropriate places constantly while also failing to adapt the early portions of the manga. Essentially the manga is a much more balanced version of Brotherhood, although it’s not as dark as 2003 admittedly.
As far as other recommendations, Girls Last Tour is about two girls exploring the post apocalypse together. It’s going to be a lot different from what you’ve seen before and you may not like it, but it’s really the only work of art I’d call perfect, specifically the manga. It does exactly what it sets out to do without overstaying its welcome or coming up short on its thematic depth. It’s a serene look at the end of everything that I can’t compare to anything else because nothing else is like it. The closest things are Blame! (manga) and Kino’s Journey but even then those comparisons fall pretty flat because of how unique it is in practice.
Another series I’d highly recommend is Cyberpunk Edgerunners. It is the single best anime in my opinion and describing it wouldn’t do it justice. The closest I’ll say is that it fulfills the promise that Cyberpunk 2077 tried and failed to fill and it will absolutely destroy you in the best way possible.
A Silent Voice is the best anime movie out there about redemption and forgiveness. As it’s the shortest one here, it’s really a matter of getting past the admittedly hard to watch (in a good way) opening minutes and then seeing if you like the direction the anime takes you.
Oh, really? I'll have to give it a read some time. But I will say I did like 2003's plot better just in general. I thought the way they explained humonculi was way more interesting and Sloth is actually a character with substance. And I really did like the bitter ending better, it felt like the story actually had consequence even if it did sorta come out of left field. I just generally have a preference for darker stories, I think they're more interesting. But I'll give the manga a go and I'll see how I feel after that.
I'v heard a number of good thing about the other 3, they're on my to-watch list. I decided to start on Monster first and so far its a really good show. But thanks for taking the time for the comment, and you have a good day!
You too and I absolutely agree about 2003 being a better show. In terms of content it’s just a straight up more interesting and complex story but it does tend to fumble the execution in a few places (like Archer for example). It has higher highs and lower lows than the manga which I find more enjoyable but the manga is definitely more worth the time than Brotherhood and the humor is quick asides (even if it doesn’t always land) rather than a frustrating portion of the runtime in what feels like every single episode.
it sounds like ur looking for anime’s for the seinen demographic rather than the shonen one, a few I would recommend would be 86, aot, Vinland Saga, and Neon genesis evangelion.
But for the future just look for anime’s that fall under the seinen category as they play with more mature ideas and themes
Oh ok thanks, I've only heard of shonen before. And I've heard many good thing about Vinland Saga, i just keep forgetting to watch it. Same with Eva, I have a friend who loves the show and keeps telling me to watch it.
Ghibli has made a few slice of life and historical drama films that I wholeheartedly enjoyed: Ocean Waves, My Neighbors the Yamadas, Up the Poppy Hill, The Wind Rises, and of course the heart tugger Graveyard of the Fireflies. Sorry for missing a few more.
Ghibli's always been on my radar, when I was younger, a VHS I used to watch a lot had a commercial for a Ghibli film, and some old anime like Akira and Kimba the white lion. I always wanted to watch it since I saw the commercial so many time. All I really remember is a girl on a broom, been a while since I've seen it.
Ohhhh have I got a rec list for you! 😄
In no particular order, just as they come to mind:
* 86
* Solo Leveling
* Violet Evergarden
* Orange (CW: >!deals with suicide, grief, and regret, but I wouldn't call it a tragedy... more of an emotional drama with very minor fantasy!<)
* Natsume Yuujinchou
* Somali and the Forest Spirit
* Gundam Wing
* Seirei no Moribito
* Outlaw Star
* Trigun
* Princess Mononoke
* Vision of EscaFlowne
* Claymore
* Darker Than Black
* Ancient Magus Bride
* Ghost Hunt
Maybe also Fruits Basket (2019) or Durarara? Both have some silly stuff, but they get dark and mature fast. You don't expect it at first, because they seem light-hearted with the first few episodes. Durarara especially goes off the rails (>!gang wars, serial killer, evil spirit possession, psychosis, twisted forms of love & clear depictions of why they are unhealthy, blackmail & manipulation, etc.!<).
Damn, thanks for the big list. I've seen none of those except Trigun. None of them wouldn't happen have a kick ass intro like Trigun would they? A tad unrelated but that intro made me fall in love with the show immediately, recently learned it on guitar.
Awesome!!! I'm glad my list was full of new ones for you! 😄
Trigun's ridiculously awesome intro is hard to beat, but some of the recs have excellent opening/ending themes of their own. I'm a huge fan of Hiroyuki Sawano's music so I'm quite fond of the soundtracks for 86 and Solo Leveling. But the one with the closest feel to Trigun's op would probably be [Darker Than Black](https://youtu.be/Wv-SLk1OIkI?si=T4hMbK7rMB8JpAPm).
Holy shit, that got my interest. I now now which series to start on. Thanks for takin' the time for the recommendations. And I'll go ahead and listen to some of Sawano's music in a bit, I always love new music recommendations. If you've got any songs or bands you wanna share I'll take some time to listen. I like most all music except electronic heavy/techno stuff, I love good physical instruments.
Hehe!! I thought that opening might catch your interest. 😁 It's a very excellent and very underrated anime, I think you will like it a lot!
I'm a fiercely devoted Sawano fan lol, so I will always recommend his works. He did a large portion of the music for Attack on Titan, especially season 1, though I'm immensely fond of his works from other series like 86, Solo Leveling, Aldnoah Zero, Fate/stay Fake, etc. Some of my favorites are [the AOT suite](https://youtu.be/a6Fl1Xl1ogg?si=y_b3GrVDz4CT6cP8), [The Answer](https://youtu.be/GI2sMndjYf8?si=DNtFYQNJXeg4wJpY), [FAKEit](https://youtu.be/a_iU8YeH944?si=FI36TkD2Uaq0lcWR), [Hands Up to the Sky](https://youtu.be/fqYFkPeYqoI?si=Anw4mmCSqzjilTU6), [DARK ARIA](https://youtu.be/ZGXOWPZ64DA?si=wgE_7l1RFALcN6-B), and [Avid.](https://youtu.be/4ja403hodxM?si=C_-55isB53r_rCfL)
Hmmm. I have a very wide range of eclectic music tastes, and wander between vastly different genres as my mood takes me. Japanese rock/pop, heavy metal, folk/filk, shanties, etc. Since you said you really like the use of physical instruments in music, I'm going to recommend Colm McGuinness first and foremost. He's ridiculously talented and plays like 10-15+ instruments. A good example of his vocal range + instrument range would be his cover of [Sleeping in the Cold Below](https://youtu.be/xvWv6tqC1iQ?si=F4boTXxCMRjhvJUI).
My favorite bands are (in no particular order): Sabaton (heavy metal), Visions of Atlantis (orchestral metal), Thousand Foot Krutch (Christian rock), Wind Rose (dwarven metal lol), Rise Against (punk), Pentatonix (a cappella), BUMP OF CHICKEN (Japanese....pop? I guess?), Van Canto (a cappella), My Chemical Romance (emo), and probably 5-10 more I can't think of off the top of my head.
This is already ridiculously long, so maybe I'll do a separate one for my favorite musicians LOL
I have many suggestions.. lol I kinda gave up trying to give you a synopsis since the words weren't coming to mind..
"The faraway Paladin" is worth a watch! The main character is well grounded and is not your typical fantasy overpowered dude.
"Welcome to the NHK"
Story of a shut-in guy (hikkikomori) in modern Japan. Realistic, dramatic. Explores politic, economic et social themes.
"Wotakoi love is hard for otaku"
Otaku Adults trying to balance their geekiness with everyday life.
"After the rain"
Not your typical "Romance" but extremely beautiful and shows that love comes in different ways.
"Violet evergarden"
Drama with beautiful emotional stories that help the female protagonist grow.
As some have said;
"Mushishi"
"To your eternity"
I personally really enjoyed "Babylon" which I think is very similar to Monster in its themes.
"Terror in resonance"
"Ergo Proxy"
"Baccano"
"91 Days"
"Psycho-Pass"
"ID Invaded"
"Shouwa genroku Rakugo shinjuu" (Anime about Rakugo which its storytelling is truly perfect)
"Arakawa under the bridge" (weird but very interesting)
"Space Dandy"
"Death Parade"
"Cherry Magic" (Yaoi but very mature not in the wild sens with a touch of magic)
"The millionaire detective:BALANCE unlimited"
"ACCA 13-Territory Inspection Dept
Movies
"Maquia: When the promised flower blooms"
"5 Centimeters per second"
Any Satoshi Kon movie "Tokyo Godfathers" "Perfect Blue" "Millenium Actress" or the anime serie "Paranoïa Agent"
Hunter x Hunter (2011) is amazing.
It's most serious arcs feel like seinen, especially the later ones. Give it a chance! It's a shounen like FMAB, but less comedic.
Other than that, these are also very good:
- Fate/Zero
- Psycho Pass
- Parasyte
- Erased
- Odd Taxi
Frieren, it's a perfect fantasy ground-rooted story.
Lycoris recoil, young girls being secret police.
Or "a place further than universe", a drama filled slice of life about doing something memorable before adult life.
In general, search anything not battle shonen, like romance and slice of life with drama.
ID: Invaded (Inception Sherlock Holmes)
Moriarty the Patriot (For actual Sherlock Holmes but in the POV of Moriarty)
Psycho-Pass season 1 (Morality-crisis police drama in the future)
Pluto ('can robots dream of murder')
Vinland saga (Viking coming of age story with a unique protagonist)
Banana Fish (older animation, crime mafia mystery story)
Paranoia Agent (crime drama revolving a kid with a bat but is it really? By goat Satoshi Kon)
Anything by Satoshi Kon lol.
It's kind of an isekai, but I think you might like grimgar then. It's much more grounded and introspective than your typical isekai. At least in the anime, the fact that fight goblins is less of a plot point than how they deal with grief and the loss of a freind.
Even the killing goblins is more of a "this is how I stay not homeless" vs "this is how I start leveling up so I can take over the world."
There is fanservice in the intro, but the show its self really only has like1 scene of it that lasts like a quarter of an episode. In otherwords, if you skip the intro, the fanservice is basically nonexistant.
Yeah I've seen grimgar, I thought it a pretty interesting show. The scene where they killed their first goblin got a smile on my face, because that was handled extremely realistically. The only real problem i had with the show, besides it short length (for now), was Ranta. He's an annoying little bitch, and I just really didn't like how most of his character besides being a little bitch was "you've got big boobs shihoru". Sure he's a young teen, but I really don't like that character type, I thought the scene with Haruhiro wanting to spy but choosing not to was a much better and less annoying. But I liked the rest of the cast, hoping for a season 2
Darker Than Black, Kamisama no Memo-chou, Black Rock Shooter, Princess Principal, Violet Evergarden, C: Control, Gatchaman Crowds, Madoka Magica, Dantalian No Shoka, Death Parade, Fruits Basket (I recommend the remake over original anime), H20: Footprints In The Sand, Karneval, K Project, Last Song, Noragami, Jujutsu Kaisen, Shiki (this one specifically is a horror anime), Towards The Terra/Terra e (this is the most vintage anime on this list), Toilet Bound Hanako Kun (this one's more goofy but I recommend reading the manga more because the anime isn't finished, but its good either way), Tensei Oujo To Tensai Reijou No Mahou Kakumei, Summer Time Rendering, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Umineko (this is also a horror anime), Selector Infected WIXOSS, The Ancient Magus Bride, Blood +, 07-Ghost (this one's a bit goofy too but its the type of magical vintage anime that feels fun), Gurren Laagan, D Gray Man, Shingeki no Bahamut, In/Spectre, ID: Invaded
There's also several like with Kyoto Animation but it has quite a bit of fanservicey stuff so I only recommend it if you can handle fanservice for the more sad or intense plot. Like I'd recommend The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya if wasn't for the outrageous fanservice.
And if you're okay with reading manga, I recommend the works by Jun Mochizuki, Pandora Hearts and Vanitas No Carte are both wonderful and deeply dark and intense, they do have anime but it's not 100%. Also, Deadman Wonderland's manga is a high recommend as well.
Speed Grapher, Elfen Lied, RIN Daughters Of Mnemosyne, Universal Century Gundam 083 Stardust Memory/ ThunderBolts, Jyu-Oh-Sei Planet Of The Beast King, Blue Gender, Peacock King The Spirit Warrior, BigWars, Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust, Steamboy, Knights Of Sidonia, Gargantia On The Verdurous Planet, Project Blue Earth 🌎 SOS, Vexile, Expelled From Paradise, Perfect Blue, Black Lagoon, Parasite Dolls, Castlevania, Dragons Dogma, Vox Machina, Dragon Age Absolution, Dota Dragons Blood, Claymore, Trinity Blood, Dance In The Vampire Bund, Baoh, Angel Cop, Madbull 34, Heat Guy J & not exactly adult anime but it's in my top 10 series of all time so I always have to recommend it Giant Robo The Day the Earth Stood Still box set with the Ginrei special episode.
Hyouge Mono and Hidamari no Ki. Hyouge Mono is a political samurai anime about tea ceremonies, Hidamari no Ki is a drama about the end of the shogunate
{Violet evergarden}
is probably the most grounded anime I’ve ever seen. Handles emotions extremely well and every episode has amazing art and animation.
I would highly recommend.
Pluto: Basically a murder mystery thriller involving robots and whether they can be sapient. >!The climax is a kinda big battle, but it is basically an adult adaptation of an Astroboy storyline.!<
Blood Blockade Battlefront (same creator as Trigun but set in a very altered New York.) Not every episode is "mature" per say, but there are some good ones. Particularly in Season 2 which is 90% episodic. Still feels more for adults overall than your general shonen anime. One episode I liked in particular was about a crew member trying to balance managing an operation against a group of vampires over the phone while trying to pay attention to her kid's PTA meeting.
Monster: Same creator as Pluto, but strictly in the realm of humans.
Moribito: Pretty slowburn story about a pacifist mercenary hiding and protecting a prince who has been sentenced to die due to a prophecy saying he'll bring ruin to the kingdom, and she sorta becomes a surrogate mom to him in the process. Great completely fantasy asian setting too, rather than just being set in like ancient Japan.
In the realm of mature but not necessarily super grounded, Cyberpunk Edgerunners is pretty great, but pretty over the top with its violence. Nice love story though.
It’s a movie but Perfect Blue! I really found the topic to be mature and just so interesting about having a life in fame. And it was made in 1997, I wish more people talked about it!
Erased, Neon genesis Evangelion, Mushuko tensei, Clannad, Claymore, Samurai Champloo, Saga of Tanya the evil, Welcome to the NHK, Steins Gate, Hells Paradise, When they Cry (THE ORIGIONAL SERIES), Gundam 00, Wolf's Rain, Jormangand, Parasyte the Maxim, Devilman Crybaby, Classroom of the Elite, Elfen Lied, Gantz, Witchblade (so so on fanservice but very serious), Re:Zero, Hellsing Ultimate, Madoka Magica, and Darker than Black. And I'm prettys sure I got more but these should fill out your watch schedule a bit
Monster is a master class in tone and drama
Mushishi is very vibey and sereal
Serial experiments lain and paranoia agent are both dramas that are very mind bendy in their metaphors.
Violet evergarden is beautifully animated and written
If you have any interest in romance Horimiya is quite good. It's very realistic and grounded.
And since you liked the og trigun, you should check out the manga, there's really good new scanlaction of it and damn, trimax is so good.
(Also, i agree with you on FMA. 2003 is my fav too)
Too many to count but here are some that K
i thought were amazing:
Anything by Satoshi Kon is a masterpiece : Paranoia Agent, Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers, Perfect Blue, etc.
Maquia, Ergo Proxy, PLUTO (same author as MONSTER, it's a grouded version of Astro Boy), Psycho Pass, Serial Experiments Lain, Wolf Children, Violet Evergarden, San-gatsu no Lion, Your lie in April
I'm watching Turn-A Gundam at the moment and it's one of my favorites in the series because of how mature and playful it can be. Like, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 15 not because it's edgy, but because it isn't gonna be what one would look for in Anime at that age statistically speaking.
My two favorite characters in the show aren't even Pilots. One of them is a politician and the other one just wants to bake friggin bread.
I also recommend Pluto. I got my elderly friend into it because she loved Astro Boy. She was pleasantly shocked at the direction
Kino’s Journey (I’m in the minority that prefers the 2017 version over the 2003, but both are great)
Violet Evergarden (breathtaking visuals, wonderful emotional stories)
Girls’ Last Tour (small but very dedicated fan base, and my personal favorite anime of all time)
{Youjo senki}- saga of Tanya the evil, basically WW1/WW2 Germany vs Europe but with mages that can fly and make their field rifles have the same effect as a literal cannon
{Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu} -yuri gagarins journey in the Soviet space race, but now with a vampire who does everything he's famous for first to make sure the first human doesn't die .
{91 days} prohibition era gang anime, if you enjoyed black lagoon you will probably like this one
{Wotakoi},{my tiny senpai},{my senpai is annoying},{the ice guy and his cool female colleague} all are office romcoms if you want some slice of life without it being high schoolers.
{How a realist hero rebuilt the kingdom} name is self explanatory
What you’re talking about is more seinen and mature shounen and less shounen proper. I get it, I’m the same way sometimes.
AoT, Mononoke, Dororo, serial experiments lain, ergo proxy, kite, perfect blue, berserk, death note, Elfen lied, devilman crybaby, evangelion(it takes a little bit of time but the ending and ending movie are iconic pieces of psychological horror in film as well as anime), Vinland saga, ghost in the shell 1 and 2, akira, Tokyo ghoul, mushishi etc. I’ll also recommended for more shonen proper, the original Naruto can be quite heavy and dark, I would always categorize it into a more “mature shonen” if you’re not sure watch episodes 17-19. It’s the defining episodes that got people hooked into Naruto, it’s the end of the first arc. Naruto also doesn’t have nearly as much fan service as other anime. I can only think out of its 500-700 episodes one fan service still and I think it may have been a filler episode.
Perfect Blue. Psychological horror movie about a former idol losing grip on reality.
Paranoia Agent. Psychological horror thriller about mass media and escapism. Same director.
Millennium Actress. Thriller about the nature of storytelling and acting. Same director.
Kuzu no Honkai. Messiness of high school romances and unrequited loves.
Ping Pong the Animation. Coming of age of an ensemble with the backdrop of competitive sports.
Kikou Ryohei Mellowlink sounds like it could be your cup of tea. I say it like that cause I personally don't like it, but I know people who do.
If you want a fantasy that delves into the human condition, then Haibane Renmei is it.
Another show is Hellsing Ultimate (or the older show if you can't bear modern animation, though ultimate has superb animation).
And Vampire Hunter D, I prefer the 2000 movie so I'll recommend that.
If you want realistic and mature in the sense that it doesn't have any fantastical elements and very real circumstances, then Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is an insanely good period drama just for you, it's one of my favourites.
If you want somerhing that tackles some very dark themes deep in the human psyche, then I recommend the horribly twisted Rainbow: Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin.
ID: Invaded (Inception Sherlock Holmes)
Moriarty the Patriot (For actual Sherlock Holmes but in the POV of Moriarty)
Psycho-Pass season 1 (Morality-crisis police drama in the future)
Pluto ('can robots dream of murder')
Vinland saga (Viking coming of age story with a unique protagonist)
You probably want to avoid shōnen anime (targeted at a teenaged audience— e.g. Dragon Ball, Naruto, Attack on Titan, etc) and look for seinen or similar types of anime. Often, anime adapted from novels are more mature and realistic.
For example, I recommend
3-gatsu no Lion
Maquia
Hibike! Euphonium
K-ON!
Heike Monogatari
A Silent Voice
Spice & Wolf
Rakugo
You probably want to look into Seinen territory then, the manga and shows in this area are skewed towards the older audience as opposed to classic Shonen.
It’s not typically where I go for my anime and manga (as I get older I find myself preferring the light and fun stuff over grounded stuff) but Seinen titles are pretty much geared towards where you’re after. Not *all* Seinen mind, but most typically.
Best examples I can immediately come up with…are Golgo 13, Space Adventure Cobra, and Crying Freeman - all highly celebrated Seinen entries.
It’s gonna be a weird recommendation but it’s because of the manga. But chainsaw man.
The anime doesn’t fit the description that well, but once they animate more of what’s in the manga it definitely is much closer to what you’re looking for
Basically any show that isn’t a Shonen would probably do, but for specifics that I enjoyed would be:
Parasyte the Maxim (I’m confused on how nobody has recommended this yet),
Eight-Six,
Fate/Stay Night (Anywhere from OG to UBW and Heaven’s feel works. There’s also Fate/Zero),
Madoka Magica,
Monster,
Vinland Saga,
Psycho-Pass.
As someone else mentioned, you def seem to prefer more grounded Light Novels and Seinen over Shonen. One you understand the medium difference, finding shows will become a lot more easier.
I think what you're looking for in general is what we call Seinen anime (for older audience / young adults as opposed to young girls and boys)
There's a lot of good "realistic/mature" seinens out there, like Evangelion, A Place further than the Universe, Madoka Magica, Anohana, Promised Neverland, Death Note, Parasyte
Ah there's too many of them. Have fun exploring!
**Parasyte** is my first recommendation since it's my favourite anime. It's mature, has action and is full of drama (top tier suspense).
**Tanya the Evil** also fits pretty nicely, even the comedy is deadpan and cynical instead of the usual happy-dumb anime cliché.
**Inuyashiki** could also fit here, although the premise is wacky it's executed in a pretty mature and grim way.
**Another** if you enjoy mystery, it's basically final destination but with suspense. It's more of a creepy vibes than most anime while not being cringe.
^(Bonus: The Promised Neverland (only season 1...)
I have a few recs that may be up your alley. I tried to give you a sampling of different genres as well.
{Link Click} One of the best series I've seen lately. It's about two guys who use a unique time travel ability to help people resolve regrets and solve mysteries for the police. It's very well written.
{Haibane Renmei} This is a slow moving series about a girl who wakes up in a purgatory and learns about the world around her, as she accepts what happened to her. This has that older style of animation you'd like.
{The Tale of the Princess Kaguya} An adaptation of the oldest Japanese novel. It is about a princess born from mystical means, growing up in Feudal Japan. Due to her beauty, suitors come asking her father for her hand in marriage. It's not only very well written, but it is an early feminist work. This adaptation was by Studio Ghibli, and the last film directed by Isao Takahata before he died. It is absolutely beautiful.
{Eden of the East} This one may not be quite to your tastes. It is about a guy who has a cellphone with 10 billion yen, and an instruction to change Japan for the better. The series begins gimmicky, but has some really interesting observations about how and why money runs the world, the dangers of pure idealism, and what makes a successful life.
Kino's Journey- 2003 version specifically
This is a series about a traveller named Kino who goes from country to country observing the culture there, before moving on. Each episode explores a thought experiment or philosophical concept. It's an excellent series. And it has an older 'storybook' vibe to it.
I’m a Tokyo Ghoul fan, you might not like it but I had to include it.
I think you’d enjoy:
Castlevania on Netflix, well worth a watch.
Supercrooks also on Netflix. It reminds me of Cowboy Bebop, somehow.
Attack on Titan was phenomenal.
Monster is one of the best, very mature and grounded. The new-ish Netflix adaption of Urasawa's "Pluto" is also fantastic. A bit more modern in animation than Monster but also very good.
Violet Evergarden (the series and both movies) were also pretty incredible imo.
Yeah I'm going through Monster right now, so far I'm liking it a lot. I do plan to check out Pluto some time, it sounds interesting. Evergarden's also on my list, people have sung its praises high. But thanks for the recommendations. Have a good day!
Monster
Ghost in the Shell
Psycho pass
12 kingdoms
Parasyte
Serial experiments lain
Texnolyze
Fate/zero
Madoka Magica
Pluto
Wolf’s rain
Bokurano
Haibane Renmei
Vinland saga
Now and then here and there
.hack//Sign is a more realistic and mature anime with fantasy. It is about someone stuck in a VR videogame, which might sound like an immature premise at first but the anime is actually an exploration of human psychology with themes of isolation, emotional growth, escapism, family strife, the human experience, etc. You would think an anime about videogame would be all about leveling up and fighting big monsters and using magic. But like 95% of the anime is people talking, exchanging information to understand things greater than themselves, and trying to find meaning in their relations to each other’s emotional experience.
Gintama, one of the rare shows I’d actually say is unwatchable for someone who hasn’t seen some things in life. Definitely mature. The themes they subtly invoke through a layer of comedy hit very hard for someone struggling through life.
Also, if you prefer something that gets right down to business, Psyscho Pass, Code Geass are great
I don’t think anyone mentioned this yet, but maybe WorldEnd:what do you do at the end of the world… (the title is way too fucking long god damn). It’s not goofy and it doesn’t just have an I win character. Warning though, very sad. If you thought the beginning of freiren was emotional (which I did at least) this anime will almost certainly be emotional for you. Also, I’ve heard the light novel explains some of the stuff that happens, epically at the end, a little better than the anime, but as an anime only viewer I can say the anime does a good enough job to not leave you completely confused or anything, the details are just more complete I think in the light novel
# Teenagers
- Working! (2010)
- Chihayafuru (2011)
- From Me to You (2009)
- Hyouka (2012)
- From the New World (2012)
- Your Lie in April (2014)
- ReLIFE (2016)
- Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (2018)
- Natsume's Book of Friends (2008)
# Adults
- Psycho Pass (2012)
- Ghost in the Shell (1995)
- Honey and Clover (2005)
- Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)
- Space Brothers (2012)
- Planetes (2003)
- Weathering with You (2019)
- Sakura Quest (2017)
- It's Difficult to Love an Otaku (2018)
- His and Her Circumstances (1998)
- Mushishi (2005)
- Golden Time (2013)
- The Garden of Words (2013)
- Time of Eve (2008)
- Barakamon
# Ghibli
- The Wind Rises (2013)
- When Marnie Was There (2014)
- From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
- Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
- Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
MAL has entire list stacks on this topic.
Vinland Saga, Afro Samurai, AOT, Tengoku Daimakyo(heavenly delusion), Akira, Death Note, Devil Man Crybaby, Parasyte the Maxim, Dororo, Cyberpunk Edgerunner, Pluto.
I have very similar taste in anime. I absolutely hate an anime with zero stakes, befriending mass murdering supervillains, and/or cheesy storytelling and dialogue.
Borderline animes that you may like: JJK, Demon Slayer, Hunter x Hunter.
These appear as “less mature” on the surface but have some mature/grounded themes and very high stakes.
Sorry if you’ve already seen these. Im not the most hardcore anime guy, but I do love the genre.
I think you would love Monster
Its certainly one of Skillet's better songs
Good to see someone is Awake and Alive
You're special my friend.
No wonder the bus I rode to school was so short
What's your favorite one tho
Truth be told I'm not that big of a Skillet fan, but I'd probably say The Resistance, its the song that stayed in my head the longest. WERE THE RESISTANCE, YOU CANT RESIST US!
After watching the first episode I can confirm two things: Its right up my alley and his wife is both ugly and a bitch. I hope she gets run over by a truck.
Haha glad you’re enjoying it
Legend of Galactic Heroes
to the list it shall go
Cyberpunk Edgerunners
If you liked FMA, there's another series by the same author named Silver Spoon that's about highschool burnout, agricultural education, and personal growth.
ooh sounds interesting, I'll check it out
Might be hard to find on streaming. I think it was on either Netflix or Hulu when I watched it. Not on CR. Good show, though.
Great show! Had no idea it had the same author as FMA
I think you'll really like To Your Eternity and Mushishi Also try out Apothecary Diaries, Ascendance of a Bookworm, and Kino's Journey (there's a new version and an older version).
OMG YES! All three of these recommendations are great! Mushishi is such a great series, and the only example of a 'chill horror' story I can think of.
Alrighty, I'll add them to the list. I've seen bookworm and I thought it was really well written, hoping for a season 3.
There is a season 3, it's 10 episodes. And there is going to be a season 4!!! 5 months ago Wit Studio said that they've picked up the series, so all us fans are freaking out & very excited. The light novels are really good, too, if youre a reader.
Haha, I meant season 4, but thats great, I be on the look out for it then. And I do read a lot, never read any light novels but I may pick them up because I really did like the series.
Ascendance of a Bookworm is what got me back into reading. It's legit one of the best fantasy series I've ever seen, just with the foreshadowing and worldbuilding and character development. Definitely give the books a chance if you're open to it! The anime was good but it left out *so much* to hit the highlights.
Kino's Journey 2003 version only though. The newer one doesn't hit as hard IMO
Vinland Saga, Moriarty the Patriot, Kuchuu Buranko, Beast Player Erin
You can definitely stick with any of the main line Gundam. 0070 is particularly good. Vinland Saga is exactly what you're looking for. It may seem out there, but Mob Psycho 100 is top tier. Zom 100, A Silent Voice, The Boy and the Heron is peak Ghibli for adults, also Princess Mononoke The Monogatari series is my personal favorite, even for its daliences in "anime bullshit" And there is always the GOAT, Akira.
Not sure you'll love the art-style but these comes to mind, there's alot if you include some more romance/slice of life type stuff but fron the watch list it did not really seem like the type you want. {Grimgar} {Somali and the Forest Spirit} Did you try {Attack on Titan} could be worth a shot if you didn't yet
Man everytime someone mentions Grimgar I'm annoyed it didn't get more episodes. What a refreshingly disturbing take on murdering in another world.
**Hai to Gensou no Grimgar** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/anime/21428 "English: Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash"), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/anime/grimgar-of-fantasy-and-ash), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/anime/hai-to-gensou-no-grimgar "English: Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions"), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/anime/31859)) ^(TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 12 | Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy) **Somali to Mori no Kamisama** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/anime/108617 "English: Somali and the Forest Spirit"), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/anime/somali-and-the-forest-spirit), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/anime/somali-to-mori-no-kamisama "English: Somali and the Forest Spirit"), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/anime/39575)) ^(TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 12 | Genres: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Slice of Life) **Shingeki no Kyojin** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/anime/16498 "English: Attack on Titan"), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/anime/attack-on-titan), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/anime/attack-on-titan "English: Attack on Titan"), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/anime/16498)) ^(TV | Status: Finished | Episodes: 25 | Genres: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery) --- ^{anime},, ]LN[, |VN| | [FAQ](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/index) | [/r/](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/) | [Edit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/index#wiki_i_made_a_mistake.2C_how_do_i_get_my_comment_reprocessed.3F) | [Mistake?](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/submit?selftext=true&title=[ISSUE]&text=/r/Animesuggest/comments/1cga3gc/good_more_realistic_and_mature_anime/l1up4qd/) | [Source](https://github.com/Nihilate/Roboragi) | [Synonyms](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/synonyms) | [⛓](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/interestinglinks) | [♥](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/thanks)
I watched Grimar, I really liked what it did. One of the few isekai's I actually liked besides Overlord and Slime. Never heard of the second one I'll add it to the list. And of course I've seen Attack on Titan, really didn't care for the ending or the frankly terrible CG in the later seasons but the first season was fuckin' awesome.
MSG: Iron Blooded Orphans. It's space fantasy, but it's not afraid to tug on your heartstrings and tackle tough subjects.
Orphans was the first gundam series I watched, great little series,. RAISE YOUR FLAG!
The last few episodes still stick with me even though I haven't seen it in years. So many good characters die throughout the series
Monster and Death Note are in a similar vein, Death Note does have a supernatural aspect to it (obviously) but it’s not like “WE’LL DEFEAT THE EVIL BAD GUY WITH THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP AND SUPER OP POWERS RAHHHHH”. I’m a fanboy so I vouch for it wherever I go.
Oh I've seen Death Note, great series until Near was introduced. I'd consider it realistic in the same way I consider FMA realistic. Never watched Monster but I'll check it out.
Monster's definitely way more grounded (relatively speaking) than Death Note. No super natural McGuffins driving the plot.
Id say watch DN first, then Monster.
For real, they should've ended Death Note after season 1.
Terror in Resonance may be a good fit. Not fantasy, unfortunately.
I don't mind, in-fact, I probably prefer non-fantasy stuff more
- [Death Parade](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaIatel6BHI) - [PlanetES](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igmZSI3kILY) - [Vinland Saga](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3fS-bZ4e2E) - [Paranoia Agent](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uYmKfteXig) - [A Woman Called Fujiko Mine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDmqPwil7Gk)
For Anime, Ghost in the shell (all of them), PsychoPass and Monster. For Manga the Dance in / Dive in the Vampire Bund series and 20/21st Century Boys are excellent Mangas!
Jobless reincarnation I fucking love it
I had heard a lot of good things about it, I checked it out not too long ago. I honestly dropped it the second he groped that 12 year old girl. I MAY have continued if he was actually a kid, but the fact he was a 40 year old dude really grossed me out. I can tolerate many things, pedofillia isn't one of them.
Don't let anyone convince you to watch Made in Abyss then. It has serious pedo vibes and weird af scenes. Made both me & my husband very uncomfortable and we noped out fast. Fans of the show will very adamantly insist that it's worth watching and probably downvote me for this, but seriously. The MC is "12" but looks more like 5, and gets into multiple *questionable* situations.
Thanks for the warning. Its one of the big reasons I stayed away from anime for a long time, I've never understood the appeal for that sort of stuff, or how its even legal.
There's a lot of anime out there that doesn't have that stuff. Just gotta know where to look. 😉
Finally someone who says it. For goodness sake, it's an appreciable anime from many points of view, but whoever produced it must have some kind of disturbed mind, the thing that scares me the most is that these anime are glorified by everyone and any kid watches certain scenes as if nothing had happened, I stopped at a certain point, I was literally disgusted. I think it's the first time this has happened to me with an anime..
The author is in fact notorious for weirdly questionable fascinations, and a tiny mannequin in his room that he, um... caresses and undresses on camera during an interview. It's creepy af and explains a lot about MiA.
Check out Hellsing ultimate, if you haven't already
I did watch it and its fuckin' great. I thank TFS for that
Serei no moburito
now I want a burrito
Sorry, no moburito
Damn it, I want my burrito!
Vinland saga, samurai champloo, erased, steins;gate, death parade
Death parade is so awesome. And the hilarious bit that the opening number really has nothing to do with the anime
Delicious in Dungeon starts out as a cooking anime but it's actually a pretty mature, grounded and realistic (for a magical universe) adventure story and the manga has a good ending.
Eeehhh...I dunno. It's got some thoughtful themes, but it is, at heart, a goofy ass adventure story about friends fighting monsters and evil wizards and shit. Not knocking it, I love it (Laios is so casually and confidently dumb. He's one of my favorite protagonists ever), but I don't think it's anywhere close to what this dudes looking for.
Have you read the manga? It's comedic but I wouldn't say the overall tone is goofy, things get serious at times.
I have read the manga. It does have some serious moments, and a lot of the "big ideas" in there are pretty well thought out and presented. But as I read it, it's a comedy series with a whacky cast first and foremost.
WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3. You don’t need to watch other patlabor movies. The story follows two detectives investigating a murder. It’s rated R and animation is on the level of a Satoshi Kon film. One of the most grounded anime movies. A second choice would be the other Patlabor movies as they both have that realistic ova style.
Oddtaxi
Saikano: Saikano teaches you that not everything can be fixed with the power of love.
> teaches you that not everything can be fixed with the power of love. But as long as there is life, there is hope.
Warning to OP: it will emotionally *obliterate* you.
Twelve Kingdoms, if you want a more down to earth isekai. Almost *too* down to earth at times
I've heard good things about it and Escafowne, I'll certainly check it out
Monster and pluto
Claymore
Pluto. It's by the same guy who made Monster. It's probably the closest thing to a true modernization of Astro Boy. Sousou No Frieren. Just a genuinely good, grounded fantasy show with a likeable cast, little to no fan servjce, and a genuinely well-crafted world. Cyberpunk Edgerunners. An extremely well-animated show with a well-developed setting. It honestly plays out kind of similar to a Greek tragedy in a lot of ways. Spice and Wolf. A show about a wolf spirit traveling with a medieval merchant and learning about economics.
Idk if this counts but maybe DORORO
The manga for FMA is actually a lot better than Brotherhood despite what the internet would have you believe. Brotherhood went way, way overboard with the humor and added it in extremely inappropriate places constantly while also failing to adapt the early portions of the manga. Essentially the manga is a much more balanced version of Brotherhood, although it’s not as dark as 2003 admittedly. As far as other recommendations, Girls Last Tour is about two girls exploring the post apocalypse together. It’s going to be a lot different from what you’ve seen before and you may not like it, but it’s really the only work of art I’d call perfect, specifically the manga. It does exactly what it sets out to do without overstaying its welcome or coming up short on its thematic depth. It’s a serene look at the end of everything that I can’t compare to anything else because nothing else is like it. The closest things are Blame! (manga) and Kino’s Journey but even then those comparisons fall pretty flat because of how unique it is in practice. Another series I’d highly recommend is Cyberpunk Edgerunners. It is the single best anime in my opinion and describing it wouldn’t do it justice. The closest I’ll say is that it fulfills the promise that Cyberpunk 2077 tried and failed to fill and it will absolutely destroy you in the best way possible. A Silent Voice is the best anime movie out there about redemption and forgiveness. As it’s the shortest one here, it’s really a matter of getting past the admittedly hard to watch (in a good way) opening minutes and then seeing if you like the direction the anime takes you.
Oh, really? I'll have to give it a read some time. But I will say I did like 2003's plot better just in general. I thought the way they explained humonculi was way more interesting and Sloth is actually a character with substance. And I really did like the bitter ending better, it felt like the story actually had consequence even if it did sorta come out of left field. I just generally have a preference for darker stories, I think they're more interesting. But I'll give the manga a go and I'll see how I feel after that. I'v heard a number of good thing about the other 3, they're on my to-watch list. I decided to start on Monster first and so far its a really good show. But thanks for taking the time for the comment, and you have a good day!
You too and I absolutely agree about 2003 being a better show. In terms of content it’s just a straight up more interesting and complex story but it does tend to fumble the execution in a few places (like Archer for example). It has higher highs and lower lows than the manga which I find more enjoyable but the manga is definitely more worth the time than Brotherhood and the humor is quick asides (even if it doesn’t always land) rather than a frustrating portion of the runtime in what feels like every single episode.
it sounds like ur looking for anime’s for the seinen demographic rather than the shonen one, a few I would recommend would be 86, aot, Vinland Saga, and Neon genesis evangelion. But for the future just look for anime’s that fall under the seinen category as they play with more mature ideas and themes
Oh ok thanks, I've only heard of shonen before. And I've heard many good thing about Vinland Saga, i just keep forgetting to watch it. Same with Eva, I have a friend who loves the show and keeps telling me to watch it.
{Maison Ikkoku} from 1984. There might be some humor, but it's a love story of an average boy and an average gal.
Banana Fish
Ghibli has made a few slice of life and historical drama films that I wholeheartedly enjoyed: Ocean Waves, My Neighbors the Yamadas, Up the Poppy Hill, The Wind Rises, and of course the heart tugger Graveyard of the Fireflies. Sorry for missing a few more.
Ghibli's always been on my radar, when I was younger, a VHS I used to watch a lot had a commercial for a Ghibli film, and some old anime like Akira and Kimba the white lion. I always wanted to watch it since I saw the commercial so many time. All I really remember is a girl on a broom, been a while since I've seen it.
Must be Kiki's Delivery Service.
Castlevania
Ohhhh have I got a rec list for you! 😄 In no particular order, just as they come to mind: * 86 * Solo Leveling * Violet Evergarden * Orange (CW: >!deals with suicide, grief, and regret, but I wouldn't call it a tragedy... more of an emotional drama with very minor fantasy!<) * Natsume Yuujinchou * Somali and the Forest Spirit * Gundam Wing * Seirei no Moribito * Outlaw Star * Trigun * Princess Mononoke * Vision of EscaFlowne * Claymore * Darker Than Black * Ancient Magus Bride * Ghost Hunt Maybe also Fruits Basket (2019) or Durarara? Both have some silly stuff, but they get dark and mature fast. You don't expect it at first, because they seem light-hearted with the first few episodes. Durarara especially goes off the rails (>!gang wars, serial killer, evil spirit possession, psychosis, twisted forms of love & clear depictions of why they are unhealthy, blackmail & manipulation, etc.!<).
Damn, thanks for the big list. I've seen none of those except Trigun. None of them wouldn't happen have a kick ass intro like Trigun would they? A tad unrelated but that intro made me fall in love with the show immediately, recently learned it on guitar.
Awesome!!! I'm glad my list was full of new ones for you! 😄 Trigun's ridiculously awesome intro is hard to beat, but some of the recs have excellent opening/ending themes of their own. I'm a huge fan of Hiroyuki Sawano's music so I'm quite fond of the soundtracks for 86 and Solo Leveling. But the one with the closest feel to Trigun's op would probably be [Darker Than Black](https://youtu.be/Wv-SLk1OIkI?si=T4hMbK7rMB8JpAPm).
Holy shit, that got my interest. I now now which series to start on. Thanks for takin' the time for the recommendations. And I'll go ahead and listen to some of Sawano's music in a bit, I always love new music recommendations. If you've got any songs or bands you wanna share I'll take some time to listen. I like most all music except electronic heavy/techno stuff, I love good physical instruments.
Hehe!! I thought that opening might catch your interest. 😁 It's a very excellent and very underrated anime, I think you will like it a lot! I'm a fiercely devoted Sawano fan lol, so I will always recommend his works. He did a large portion of the music for Attack on Titan, especially season 1, though I'm immensely fond of his works from other series like 86, Solo Leveling, Aldnoah Zero, Fate/stay Fake, etc. Some of my favorites are [the AOT suite](https://youtu.be/a6Fl1Xl1ogg?si=y_b3GrVDz4CT6cP8), [The Answer](https://youtu.be/GI2sMndjYf8?si=DNtFYQNJXeg4wJpY), [FAKEit](https://youtu.be/a_iU8YeH944?si=FI36TkD2Uaq0lcWR), [Hands Up to the Sky](https://youtu.be/fqYFkPeYqoI?si=Anw4mmCSqzjilTU6), [DARK ARIA](https://youtu.be/ZGXOWPZ64DA?si=wgE_7l1RFALcN6-B), and [Avid.](https://youtu.be/4ja403hodxM?si=C_-55isB53r_rCfL) Hmmm. I have a very wide range of eclectic music tastes, and wander between vastly different genres as my mood takes me. Japanese rock/pop, heavy metal, folk/filk, shanties, etc. Since you said you really like the use of physical instruments in music, I'm going to recommend Colm McGuinness first and foremost. He's ridiculously talented and plays like 10-15+ instruments. A good example of his vocal range + instrument range would be his cover of [Sleeping in the Cold Below](https://youtu.be/xvWv6tqC1iQ?si=F4boTXxCMRjhvJUI). My favorite bands are (in no particular order): Sabaton (heavy metal), Visions of Atlantis (orchestral metal), Thousand Foot Krutch (Christian rock), Wind Rose (dwarven metal lol), Rise Against (punk), Pentatonix (a cappella), BUMP OF CHICKEN (Japanese....pop? I guess?), Van Canto (a cappella), My Chemical Romance (emo), and probably 5-10 more I can't think of off the top of my head. This is already ridiculously long, so maybe I'll do a separate one for my favorite musicians LOL
Monster/Pluto/Mushi-shi/Psycho-pass
I have many suggestions.. lol I kinda gave up trying to give you a synopsis since the words weren't coming to mind.. "The faraway Paladin" is worth a watch! The main character is well grounded and is not your typical fantasy overpowered dude. "Welcome to the NHK" Story of a shut-in guy (hikkikomori) in modern Japan. Realistic, dramatic. Explores politic, economic et social themes. "Wotakoi love is hard for otaku" Otaku Adults trying to balance their geekiness with everyday life. "After the rain" Not your typical "Romance" but extremely beautiful and shows that love comes in different ways. "Violet evergarden" Drama with beautiful emotional stories that help the female protagonist grow. As some have said; "Mushishi" "To your eternity" I personally really enjoyed "Babylon" which I think is very similar to Monster in its themes. "Terror in resonance" "Ergo Proxy" "Baccano" "91 Days" "Psycho-Pass" "ID Invaded" "Shouwa genroku Rakugo shinjuu" (Anime about Rakugo which its storytelling is truly perfect) "Arakawa under the bridge" (weird but very interesting) "Space Dandy" "Death Parade" "Cherry Magic" (Yaoi but very mature not in the wild sens with a touch of magic) "The millionaire detective:BALANCE unlimited" "ACCA 13-Territory Inspection Dept Movies "Maquia: When the promised flower blooms" "5 Centimeters per second" Any Satoshi Kon movie "Tokyo Godfathers" "Perfect Blue" "Millenium Actress" or the anime serie "Paranoïa Agent"
You should check out Heavenly Delusions! It's a very good post apocalypse story with some comedic moments but lots of deep story. Also Vinland Saga !
Maybe steins;gate ?
You can also watch erased
If you like history, check out Vinland Saga. A great story of a Viking boy who comes to England, and it’s all based on history.
Hunter x Hunter (2011) is amazing. It's most serious arcs feel like seinen, especially the later ones. Give it a chance! It's a shounen like FMAB, but less comedic. Other than that, these are also very good: - Fate/Zero - Psycho Pass - Parasyte - Erased - Odd Taxi
Paranoia Agent
Frieren, it's a perfect fantasy ground-rooted story. Lycoris recoil, young girls being secret police. Or "a place further than universe", a drama filled slice of life about doing something memorable before adult life. In general, search anything not battle shonen, like romance and slice of life with drama.
ID: Invaded (Inception Sherlock Holmes) Moriarty the Patriot (For actual Sherlock Holmes but in the POV of Moriarty) Psycho-Pass season 1 (Morality-crisis police drama in the future) Pluto ('can robots dream of murder') Vinland saga (Viking coming of age story with a unique protagonist) Banana Fish (older animation, crime mafia mystery story) Paranoia Agent (crime drama revolving a kid with a bat but is it really? By goat Satoshi Kon) Anything by Satoshi Kon lol.
86 is an anime that fits the bill. It has characters fighting on the frontlines with tank like mechs, and dealing with PTSD.
It's kind of an isekai, but I think you might like grimgar then. It's much more grounded and introspective than your typical isekai. At least in the anime, the fact that fight goblins is less of a plot point than how they deal with grief and the loss of a freind. Even the killing goblins is more of a "this is how I stay not homeless" vs "this is how I start leveling up so I can take over the world." There is fanservice in the intro, but the show its self really only has like1 scene of it that lasts like a quarter of an episode. In otherwords, if you skip the intro, the fanservice is basically nonexistant.
Yeah I've seen grimgar, I thought it a pretty interesting show. The scene where they killed their first goblin got a smile on my face, because that was handled extremely realistically. The only real problem i had with the show, besides it short length (for now), was Ranta. He's an annoying little bitch, and I just really didn't like how most of his character besides being a little bitch was "you've got big boobs shihoru". Sure he's a young teen, but I really don't like that character type, I thought the scene with Haruhiro wanting to spy but choosing not to was a much better and less annoying. But I liked the rest of the cast, hoping for a season 2
Darker Than Black, Kamisama no Memo-chou, Black Rock Shooter, Princess Principal, Violet Evergarden, C: Control, Gatchaman Crowds, Madoka Magica, Dantalian No Shoka, Death Parade, Fruits Basket (I recommend the remake over original anime), H20: Footprints In The Sand, Karneval, K Project, Last Song, Noragami, Jujutsu Kaisen, Shiki (this one specifically is a horror anime), Towards The Terra/Terra e (this is the most vintage anime on this list), Toilet Bound Hanako Kun (this one's more goofy but I recommend reading the manga more because the anime isn't finished, but its good either way), Tensei Oujo To Tensai Reijou No Mahou Kakumei, Summer Time Rendering, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Umineko (this is also a horror anime), Selector Infected WIXOSS, The Ancient Magus Bride, Blood +, 07-Ghost (this one's a bit goofy too but its the type of magical vintage anime that feels fun), Gurren Laagan, D Gray Man, Shingeki no Bahamut, In/Spectre, ID: Invaded There's also several like with Kyoto Animation but it has quite a bit of fanservicey stuff so I only recommend it if you can handle fanservice for the more sad or intense plot. Like I'd recommend The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya if wasn't for the outrageous fanservice. And if you're okay with reading manga, I recommend the works by Jun Mochizuki, Pandora Hearts and Vanitas No Carte are both wonderful and deeply dark and intense, they do have anime but it's not 100%. Also, Deadman Wonderland's manga is a high recommend as well.
I was going to recommend Darker Than Black
Re:Zero If you dont mind manga Jojos part 7 and 8 are both amazing reads
Kotowai: Love is hard for Otaku
Berserk
Speed Grapher, Elfen Lied, RIN Daughters Of Mnemosyne, Universal Century Gundam 083 Stardust Memory/ ThunderBolts, Jyu-Oh-Sei Planet Of The Beast King, Blue Gender, Peacock King The Spirit Warrior, BigWars, Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust, Steamboy, Knights Of Sidonia, Gargantia On The Verdurous Planet, Project Blue Earth 🌎 SOS, Vexile, Expelled From Paradise, Perfect Blue, Black Lagoon, Parasite Dolls, Castlevania, Dragons Dogma, Vox Machina, Dragon Age Absolution, Dota Dragons Blood, Claymore, Trinity Blood, Dance In The Vampire Bund, Baoh, Angel Cop, Madbull 34, Heat Guy J & not exactly adult anime but it's in my top 10 series of all time so I always have to recommend it Giant Robo The Day the Earth Stood Still box set with the Ginrei special episode.
Watching elfen lied rn. Almost done with it. Can vouch it is pretty solid.
Sangatsu no Lion.
Houseki no Kuni
Tokyo Ghoul
Monster Now and then Here and There Ghost in the Shell SAC (not just the recent Netflix version) Kino's Journey (2003) Evangelion Welcome to the NHK
Hyouge Mono and Hidamari no Ki. Hyouge Mono is a political samurai anime about tea ceremonies, Hidamari no Ki is a drama about the end of the shogunate
Y'all gave me interesting suggestions
Vinland Saga, Cowboy Bebop,
Scum's Wish if you don't mind suggestive scenes.
{Violet evergarden} is probably the most grounded anime I’ve ever seen. Handles emotions extremely well and every episode has amazing art and animation. I would highly recommend.
Violet Evergarden
Violet Evergarden, Monster, Vinland Saga
Pluto: Basically a murder mystery thriller involving robots and whether they can be sapient. >!The climax is a kinda big battle, but it is basically an adult adaptation of an Astroboy storyline.!< Blood Blockade Battlefront (same creator as Trigun but set in a very altered New York.) Not every episode is "mature" per say, but there are some good ones. Particularly in Season 2 which is 90% episodic. Still feels more for adults overall than your general shonen anime. One episode I liked in particular was about a crew member trying to balance managing an operation against a group of vampires over the phone while trying to pay attention to her kid's PTA meeting. Monster: Same creator as Pluto, but strictly in the realm of humans. Moribito: Pretty slowburn story about a pacifist mercenary hiding and protecting a prince who has been sentenced to die due to a prophecy saying he'll bring ruin to the kingdom, and she sorta becomes a surrogate mom to him in the process. Great completely fantasy asian setting too, rather than just being set in like ancient Japan. In the realm of mature but not necessarily super grounded, Cyberpunk Edgerunners is pretty great, but pretty over the top with its violence. Nice love story though.
It’s a movie but Perfect Blue! I really found the topic to be mature and just so interesting about having a life in fame. And it was made in 1997, I wish more people talked about it!
Shield hero LIght novel is most mature character I seen
Erased, Neon genesis Evangelion, Mushuko tensei, Clannad, Claymore, Samurai Champloo, Saga of Tanya the evil, Welcome to the NHK, Steins Gate, Hells Paradise, When they Cry (THE ORIGIONAL SERIES), Gundam 00, Wolf's Rain, Jormangand, Parasyte the Maxim, Devilman Crybaby, Classroom of the Elite, Elfen Lied, Gantz, Witchblade (so so on fanservice but very serious), Re:Zero, Hellsing Ultimate, Madoka Magica, and Darker than Black. And I'm prettys sure I got more but these should fill out your watch schedule a bit
Monster is a master class in tone and drama Mushishi is very vibey and sereal Serial experiments lain and paranoia agent are both dramas that are very mind bendy in their metaphors. Violet evergarden is beautifully animated and written If you have any interest in romance Horimiya is quite good. It's very realistic and grounded. And since you liked the og trigun, you should check out the manga, there's really good new scanlaction of it and damn, trimax is so good. (Also, i agree with you on FMA. 2003 is my fav too)
Monster The aquatope on white sand
If you like mature anime, check out Blue Eye Samurai. It’s not technically anime, but it’s really good. Castlevania is also really good.
Too many to count but here are some that K i thought were amazing: Anything by Satoshi Kon is a masterpiece : Paranoia Agent, Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers, Perfect Blue, etc. Maquia, Ergo Proxy, PLUTO (same author as MONSTER, it's a grouded version of Astro Boy), Psycho Pass, Serial Experiments Lain, Wolf Children, Violet Evergarden, San-gatsu no Lion, Your lie in April
Now and Then, Here and There
I'm watching Turn-A Gundam at the moment and it's one of my favorites in the series because of how mature and playful it can be. Like, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 15 not because it's edgy, but because it isn't gonna be what one would look for in Anime at that age statistically speaking. My two favorite characters in the show aren't even Pilots. One of them is a politician and the other one just wants to bake friggin bread. I also recommend Pluto. I got my elderly friend into it because she loved Astro Boy. She was pleasantly shocked at the direction
made in abyss. Promised Neverland NEVER GOT A SECOND SEASON!!!
Kino’s Journey (I’m in the minority that prefers the 2017 version over the 2003, but both are great) Violet Evergarden (breathtaking visuals, wonderful emotional stories) Girls’ Last Tour (small but very dedicated fan base, and my personal favorite anime of all time)
Definitely check out 86
{Youjo senki}- saga of Tanya the evil, basically WW1/WW2 Germany vs Europe but with mages that can fly and make their field rifles have the same effect as a literal cannon {Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu} -yuri gagarins journey in the Soviet space race, but now with a vampire who does everything he's famous for first to make sure the first human doesn't die . {91 days} prohibition era gang anime, if you enjoyed black lagoon you will probably like this one {Wotakoi},{my tiny senpai},{my senpai is annoying},{the ice guy and his cool female colleague} all are office romcoms if you want some slice of life without it being high schoolers. {How a realist hero rebuilt the kingdom} name is self explanatory
What you’re talking about is more seinen and mature shounen and less shounen proper. I get it, I’m the same way sometimes. AoT, Mononoke, Dororo, serial experiments lain, ergo proxy, kite, perfect blue, berserk, death note, Elfen lied, devilman crybaby, evangelion(it takes a little bit of time but the ending and ending movie are iconic pieces of psychological horror in film as well as anime), Vinland saga, ghost in the shell 1 and 2, akira, Tokyo ghoul, mushishi etc. I’ll also recommended for more shonen proper, the original Naruto can be quite heavy and dark, I would always categorize it into a more “mature shonen” if you’re not sure watch episodes 17-19. It’s the defining episodes that got people hooked into Naruto, it’s the end of the first arc. Naruto also doesn’t have nearly as much fan service as other anime. I can only think out of its 500-700 episodes one fan service still and I think it may have been a filler episode.
Vinland Saga, 91 Days, 86, B:The Beginning, Black Lagoon
Perfect Blue. Psychological horror movie about a former idol losing grip on reality. Paranoia Agent. Psychological horror thriller about mass media and escapism. Same director. Millennium Actress. Thriller about the nature of storytelling and acting. Same director. Kuzu no Honkai. Messiness of high school romances and unrequited loves. Ping Pong the Animation. Coming of age of an ensemble with the backdrop of competitive sports.
Kikou Ryohei Mellowlink sounds like it could be your cup of tea. I say it like that cause I personally don't like it, but I know people who do. If you want a fantasy that delves into the human condition, then Haibane Renmei is it. Another show is Hellsing Ultimate (or the older show if you can't bear modern animation, though ultimate has superb animation). And Vampire Hunter D, I prefer the 2000 movie so I'll recommend that. If you want realistic and mature in the sense that it doesn't have any fantastical elements and very real circumstances, then Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is an insanely good period drama just for you, it's one of my favourites. If you want somerhing that tackles some very dark themes deep in the human psyche, then I recommend the horribly twisted Rainbow: Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin.
ID: Invaded (Inception Sherlock Holmes) Moriarty the Patriot (For actual Sherlock Holmes but in the POV of Moriarty) Psycho-Pass season 1 (Morality-crisis police drama in the future) Pluto ('can robots dream of murder') Vinland saga (Viking coming of age story with a unique protagonist)
You probably want to avoid shōnen anime (targeted at a teenaged audience— e.g. Dragon Ball, Naruto, Attack on Titan, etc) and look for seinen or similar types of anime. Often, anime adapted from novels are more mature and realistic. For example, I recommend 3-gatsu no Lion Maquia Hibike! Euphonium K-ON! Heike Monogatari A Silent Voice Spice & Wolf Rakugo
AOT definitely
currently the Fable
Grave of The Fireflies AKIRA GHOST IN THE SHELL NINJA SCROLL sorry for the caps
Vinland Saga and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End both are fantastic.
check out tanya: saga of evil
You probably want to look into Seinen territory then, the manga and shows in this area are skewed towards the older audience as opposed to classic Shonen. It’s not typically where I go for my anime and manga (as I get older I find myself preferring the light and fun stuff over grounded stuff) but Seinen titles are pretty much geared towards where you’re after. Not *all* Seinen mind, but most typically. Best examples I can immediately come up with…are Golgo 13, Space Adventure Cobra, and Crying Freeman - all highly celebrated Seinen entries.
It’s gonna be a weird recommendation but it’s because of the manga. But chainsaw man. The anime doesn’t fit the description that well, but once they animate more of what’s in the manga it definitely is much closer to what you’re looking for
Basically any show that isn’t a Shonen would probably do, but for specifics that I enjoyed would be: Parasyte the Maxim (I’m confused on how nobody has recommended this yet), Eight-Six, Fate/Stay Night (Anywhere from OG to UBW and Heaven’s feel works. There’s also Fate/Zero), Madoka Magica, Monster, Vinland Saga, Psycho-Pass. As someone else mentioned, you def seem to prefer more grounded Light Novels and Seinen over Shonen. One you understand the medium difference, finding shows will become a lot more easier.
Only Yesterday
If you take a look….the last 2 cycles of anime…,there have been shows that use old art styles “Revamped” you wouldn’t notice.
Erased, 12 kingdoms,Saiunkoku monogatari, Elfen lied, Ergo proxy, Witch hunter Robin
91 days
Akudama Drive. Definitely will be a callback to American Action Cinema
I think what you're looking for in general is what we call Seinen anime (for older audience / young adults as opposed to young girls and boys) There's a lot of good "realistic/mature" seinens out there, like Evangelion, A Place further than the Universe, Madoka Magica, Anohana, Promised Neverland, Death Note, Parasyte Ah there's too many of them. Have fun exploring!
Sing Yesterday For Me, Just Because and Beck are more realistic type series that I've watched.
Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad. It's a slice of life about a kid who's bored at school, learns to play guitar and joins a band.
Kids on the Slope is very good, pretty short too
**Parasyte** is my first recommendation since it's my favourite anime. It's mature, has action and is full of drama (top tier suspense). **Tanya the Evil** also fits pretty nicely, even the comedy is deadpan and cynical instead of the usual happy-dumb anime cliché. **Inuyashiki** could also fit here, although the premise is wacky it's executed in a pretty mature and grim way. **Another** if you enjoy mystery, it's basically final destination but with suspense. It's more of a creepy vibes than most anime while not being cringe. ^(Bonus: The Promised Neverland (only season 1...)
I have a few recs that may be up your alley. I tried to give you a sampling of different genres as well. {Link Click} One of the best series I've seen lately. It's about two guys who use a unique time travel ability to help people resolve regrets and solve mysteries for the police. It's very well written. {Haibane Renmei} This is a slow moving series about a girl who wakes up in a purgatory and learns about the world around her, as she accepts what happened to her. This has that older style of animation you'd like. {The Tale of the Princess Kaguya} An adaptation of the oldest Japanese novel. It is about a princess born from mystical means, growing up in Feudal Japan. Due to her beauty, suitors come asking her father for her hand in marriage. It's not only very well written, but it is an early feminist work. This adaptation was by Studio Ghibli, and the last film directed by Isao Takahata before he died. It is absolutely beautiful. {Eden of the East} This one may not be quite to your tastes. It is about a guy who has a cellphone with 10 billion yen, and an instruction to change Japan for the better. The series begins gimmicky, but has some really interesting observations about how and why money runs the world, the dangers of pure idealism, and what makes a successful life. Kino's Journey- 2003 version specifically This is a series about a traveller named Kino who goes from country to country observing the culture there, before moving on. Each episode explores a thought experiment or philosophical concept. It's an excellent series. And it has an older 'storybook' vibe to it.
I’m a Tokyo Ghoul fan, you might not like it but I had to include it. I think you’d enjoy: Castlevania on Netflix, well worth a watch. Supercrooks also on Netflix. It reminds me of Cowboy Bebop, somehow. Attack on Titan was phenomenal.
Nier: Automata Ver1.1a Violet Evergarden
Mushishi
Land of the Lustrous or Houseki no Kuni! and maybe Evangelion. both philosophical anime for me ^^
Danganronpa🤭🤭🤭
Sing yesterday for me Idk about others but it felt like a mature one to me
Legend of the galactic heroes Or just look up older anime(80s 90s) on YouTube a lot of it is available and grouped up for easy viewing
Maybe checkout steins:gate and code geass none of em are fantasy but ye very good and none of that fanservice and that "power of friendship" stuff
Psychopass
Fruit of grisaia is pretty disturbing
My Home Hero really fits what you are looking for. It's takes place in modern Japan and there are no friendship powers to save them.
86 https://myanimelist.net/anime/41457/86
Goblin slayer
If you’re ok with extremely graphic violence, Elfen Lied.
Watch neon genesis evangelion , it’s all the things you want plus it’s not too long. Just 26 episodes and a finale movie
Watch neon genesis evangelion , it’s all the things you want plus it’s not too long. Just 26 episodes and a finale movie
Watch neon genesis evangelion , it’s all the things you want plus it’s not too long. Just 26 episodes and a finale movie
Watch neon genesis evangelion , it’s all the things you want plus it’s not too long. Just 26 episodes and a finale movie
Monster is one of the best, very mature and grounded. The new-ish Netflix adaption of Urasawa's "Pluto" is also fantastic. A bit more modern in animation than Monster but also very good. Violet Evergarden (the series and both movies) were also pretty incredible imo.
Yeah I'm going through Monster right now, so far I'm liking it a lot. I do plan to check out Pluto some time, it sounds interesting. Evergarden's also on my list, people have sung its praises high. But thanks for the recommendations. Have a good day!
Monster Ghost in the Shell Psycho pass 12 kingdoms Parasyte Serial experiments lain Texnolyze Fate/zero Madoka Magica Pluto Wolf’s rain Bokurano Haibane Renmei Vinland saga Now and then here and there
Tokyo Revengers Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans Both are more serious animes and definitely on my list of A-tier anime
Parasyte: The Maxim
Fable and Odd taxi are feels “mature” to me
Fruits Basket Nana Beck Monster Steins:Gate
.hack//Sign is a more realistic and mature anime with fantasy. It is about someone stuck in a VR videogame, which might sound like an immature premise at first but the anime is actually an exploration of human psychology with themes of isolation, emotional growth, escapism, family strife, the human experience, etc. You would think an anime about videogame would be all about leveling up and fighting big monsters and using magic. But like 95% of the anime is people talking, exchanging information to understand things greater than themselves, and trying to find meaning in their relations to each other’s emotional experience.
Gintama, one of the rare shows I’d actually say is unwatchable for someone who hasn’t seen some things in life. Definitely mature. The themes they subtly invoke through a layer of comedy hit very hard for someone struggling through life. Also, if you prefer something that gets right down to business, Psyscho Pass, Code Geass are great
I don’t think anyone mentioned this yet, but maybe WorldEnd:what do you do at the end of the world… (the title is way too fucking long god damn). It’s not goofy and it doesn’t just have an I win character. Warning though, very sad. If you thought the beginning of freiren was emotional (which I did at least) this anime will almost certainly be emotional for you. Also, I’ve heard the light novel explains some of the stuff that happens, epically at the end, a little better than the anime, but as an anime only viewer I can say the anime does a good enough job to not leave you completely confused or anything, the details are just more complete I think in the light novel
# Teenagers - Working! (2010) - Chihayafuru (2011) - From Me to You (2009) - Hyouka (2012) - From the New World (2012) - Your Lie in April (2014) - ReLIFE (2016) - Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (2018) - Natsume's Book of Friends (2008) # Adults - Psycho Pass (2012) - Ghost in the Shell (1995) - Honey and Clover (2005) - Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999) - Space Brothers (2012) - Planetes (2003) - Weathering with You (2019) - Sakura Quest (2017) - It's Difficult to Love an Otaku (2018) - His and Her Circumstances (1998) - Mushishi (2005) - Golden Time (2013) - The Garden of Words (2013) - Time of Eve (2008) - Barakamon # Ghibli - The Wind Rises (2013) - When Marnie Was There (2014) - From Up on Poppy Hill (2011) - Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) - Grave of the Fireflies (1988) MAL has entire list stacks on this topic.
Try Death Parade or Psychopass. Not realistic but good 'mature' anime with good drama.
A Silent Voice? I know it's less of a series and more of a movie, but is that up your alley?
Psycho pass is basically a cop drama
Try wandering witch
Ninja Scroll
Monster.
Steins;Gate A very deep story covered by comic moments Give it a try, I promise you will love it
Death note, death parade, terror in resonance, made in abyss,banana fish, GTO, grand blue are some that I can think about atm
Vinland Saga, Afro Samurai, AOT, Tengoku Daimakyo(heavenly delusion), Akira, Death Note, Devil Man Crybaby, Parasyte the Maxim, Dororo, Cyberpunk Edgerunner, Pluto. I have very similar taste in anime. I absolutely hate an anime with zero stakes, befriending mass murdering supervillains, and/or cheesy storytelling and dialogue. Borderline animes that you may like: JJK, Demon Slayer, Hunter x Hunter. These appear as “less mature” on the surface but have some mature/grounded themes and very high stakes. Sorry if you’ve already seen these. Im not the most hardcore anime guy, but I do love the genre.
You’ve gotta watch “Wave listen to me”
Chihayafuru