Can you suggest any finished anime I can watch instead of Berserk to scratch my dark fantasy itch?

[ninja666]

As the title says, can you suggest anything for me? I really wanted to watch Berserk because I dig all kinds of dark themes, but gave up on that idea because of its infamous "fuck you, go read the manga" ending, so I'm looking for a suitable alternative. Can you suggest a series that's already finished, doesn't require reading any manga or playing any obscure games to enjoy it (i.e. everything that needs covering is covered within the episodes, and the series doesn't leave out any unecessary openings), is similarly story-driven, dark, grotesque, and bleak as Berserk is, and takes place in a similar setting?

I've already tried the universal go-to anime people are suggesting everywhere for folks who like Berserk - Claymore. I gave up after 4 episodes, though, as it turned out this serie literally has no depth to it and is just another run-of-the-mill "the protagonist will stay strong and won't die no matter what" shonen title, while I'm looking for something far more mature in its themes and their portrayal. I'm not expecting Game of Thrones, but at least find something that isn't naive and cringe-worthy to the core, and is actually enjoyable for an adult person.

Spoiler: The moment I've given up on Claymore. (Ep. 2-4 spoilers)

I facepalmed pretty hard after finding out Clare didn't turn into a demon because of the power of love(?) Raki had for her, despite the fact that only 2 episodes ago it was stated the process is sudden and irreversible when a Claymore overexerts herself by using her powers too much. My face still kinda hurts.

Can anybody suggest something for me or am I beyond help? Or perhaps I'm getting the wrong idea of what Berserk is? Either way, enlighten me.

Also, please refrain from convincing me to read/watch Berserk. I've made my decision and your every attempt at doing so will result in your time being wasted.

 

[Fappy]

One day you will cave and read Berserk. You will look back on this thread in regret and despair!

 

[SweetShark]

I will be honest here, I was into the Berserk manga, but at some point it get to be a little more of a.........."normal fantasy"....
Don't get me wrong, it is still dark as f*ck, but it get VERY strangely more heartwarming and beautiful to look at it.....
It is like the publishers decided to make it more "kids friendly" than it was before.
Yes, the poison is crawling in my skin and when I want to see something dark, I want to be dark as much it can.


Anyway to your request:

Not really I guess...
Sure, there must be a Anime like that, but from my memory I don't know something similar...

 

[Dansen]

I will be honest here, I was into the Berserk manga, but at some point it get to be a little more of a.........."normal fantasy"....
Don't get me wrong, it is still dark as f*ck, but it get VERY strangely more heartwarming and beautiful to look at it.....
It is like the publishers decided to make it more "kids friendly" than it was before.
Yes, the poison is crawling in my skin and when I want to see something dark, I want to be dark as much it can.


Anyway to your request:

Not really I guess...
Sure, there must be a Anime like that, but from my memory I don't know something similar...

I think its because the author gradually went insane. He spends his days playing games that feature anime girls or something like that, thats why he barely publishes chapters anymore, at least thats what I heard from disgruntled fans.


Honestly, there is nothing like Berserk out there in terms of fantasy anime. I know you don't want to hear it but you are better off just reading the manga. Not sure why you arbitrarily decided not to read it tho, seems silly to me.

Vampire Hunter D, could be worth a shot, haven't watched it myself but it might be set in the future.

If you just want a dark twisted show, you could always watch Black Lagoon.

 

[ninja666]

I know you don't want to hear it but you are better off just reading the manga. Not sure why you arbitrarily decided not to read it tho, seems silly to me.

Anime, at least for me, is easier to digest than a manga. What can I say, I have no imagination.

If you just want a dark twisted show, you could always watch Black Lagoon.

Why would a dark action comedy satisfy me when I'm searching for a serious fantasy anime?

EDIT: If there really isn't anything out there in terms of fantasy, then how about something that's still dark and relatively mature, but set in a world stylized off ancient/medieval Japan? I'm pretty sure it'll broaden my options.

 

[Fox12]

Fuck, the weren't kidding about the slanted pages. I'm not sure if this is funny or obnoxious.

Once you've read Berserk, there's nowhere left to go but down. There's nothing really like it, not just in fantasy anime, or in dark fantasy, but in all of fantasy. You can go read Game of Thrones if you want a shallow, watered down version of Berserk, but it doesn't have the anywhere near the same level of thought put into it. Alternatively you could go read The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. People unfairly claim that Tolkien's work was a simple good vs. evil story, but that's bullshit. Martin didn't do a single thing that Tolkien hadn't already done in The Silmarillion. Dark Souls is quite good.

Otherwise, yeah, it's hopeless. If Berserk is like a hard shot of whiskey then Martin and his ilk are, like, I don't know, Mike's Hard Lemonade. If you pour water into it. Just go read the series.

Edit: I guess you could go read Vinland Saga... I suppose. I mean, it's not fantasy, but it has that medieval feel to it, and it has similar art. It's not very good, in my opinion. And it's a Manga, so I- yeah, never mind, I gave up halfway through this sentence.

...

Attack on Titan.

 

[ninja666]

Attack on Titan.

Already seen it. It stopped being dark and mature and turned into another typical shonen after 10th episode IIRC.

 

[Fox12]

Attack on Titan.

Already seen it. It stopped being dark and mature and turned into another typical shonen after 10th episode IIRC.

I was actually kidding, you won't find much in the way of dark fantasy in anime. Not anything that's not juvenile, anyway. Most dark anime devolves into an angst fest.

If you want to expand your search to sci-fi, I heard texhonolyze was pretty bleak. Haven't seen it, though. You've probably seen Madoka, but if you're one of the two people who haven't, then it does have a sort of sick fairy tale feel to it. Elfen Lied was... okay. If you just want something sick, you may enjoy it. Monster is an interesting modern horror title about a dr. who saves the anti-christ during surgery.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

I'd suggest Nurarihyon no Mago (Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan in the west) Especially Demon Capital the second season, also possibly Tokyo Ravens. They're both nice and dark for fantasy set in the modern day.

 

[Lightspeaker]

If you're looking for something a bit darker in anime I can highly recommend Akame ga Kill. Quick synopsis is a bunch of assassins working with a rebel army to take down the government.

It has lighter bits in it. But to highlight what I'm trying to get at...there's a scene in it, second episode, where the audience POV character says something along the lines of "you're assassin's of justice" and everyone around him just bursts out laughing. "No matter how you spin it, we commit murder." "There's no justice in something like that."

It plays out quite well with a lot of varying shades of grey. Some characters are pretty clearly evil, but basically none of the main characters are innocent. And it has pretty much zero qualms about killing characters off.


Not entirely sure it'd be fantasy enough for your taste though.

 

[MJpoland]

I would recommend Basilisk. Lots of deaths, dark setting, two clans of ninjas forced to kill each other on some noble's whim. It wasn't maybe a great anime but good enough to entertain.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

Manga I can recommend Vinland Saga (you will love it if you like Vikings).it's not completed however. Not many great anime or manga that you are looking for are actually finished.

 

[Ikasury]

One day you will cave and read Berserk. You will look back on this thread in regret and despair!

i will never understand why if you're looking for the best seinen/gornfest/rape-world/dark-fantasy out there... people don't just READ THE FREAKIN' MANGA!! because yes... you will despair... a lot... and then some more... and more... and more... then even more when you realize it takes FOREVER to get a new chap and so beautifully gorey art you can't hate it for taking so long anyway... oh Berserk... i miss you so T.T

 

[NeutralDrow]

I can probably suggest Bastard!! if you want dark fantasy.

You'd have to tell me how it is, though, I haven't watched it yet.

 

[Spacewolf]

Mushishi Perhaps? No fighting but it is generally pretty grey, adult and is set in stylized medieval Japan so it does fit the criteria.

 

[CrazyBlaze]

Garo Honoo no Kokuin


Its based on a live action series called Garo. The enemies are monsters called Horrors that come from another world, eat people and take over their lives to kill others. It is the job of the Makki Knights (the titular Garo is a title given to one of them) to fight and protect humanity. The anime has no direct relation to the four seasons, three plus movies and one mini series beyond being set in the same world. I have not watched it personal but I've heard that it is very similar to Berserk.

 

[Ikasury]

Genocyber, Urotsukidoji, Demon Hunter Koji, Inmu, anything from the '... of darkness' series, and just about anything in the X-rated section from the 80s and early 90s... have fun with that...

otherwise, GO READ THE MANGA!! Berserk is a 'decent' anime because the manga is so BALLS-FUCKING-INSANE!!

Claymore is a good anime because the manga is BALLS-FUCKING-INSANE!! (also its finished now and OMG did it have a good ending...)


Puella Magi Madoka Magica is complete, and i believe the anime technically came first and that's done... its quite on the 'fuck your brain' side despite the utter cuteness of the style...

Mirai Nikki with its infamous Yuno Gasai... also complete...

Gantz... anime is good and gory, but again another contender for the GO READ THE MANGA!! as its better and gorier...

Elfin leid's got that whole blood fountains thing... complete...

i like Blue Gender as that has some mindrapage and the endings all sorts of screwy... plus mecha...

there's always the good ol' standby of Evangelion, no manga required, as that was made second and became the 'happier' version anyway...

Terra Formers has an anime now, first season, and its like Kaimen Raider and Berserk had a baby, on mars... delightfully gory... would suggest the manga more though...

and feh, if its shounen, just laugh in their faces about them saying is 'dark and serious' because, ***** please XD

 

[Sleepy Sol]

Nichijou is pretty dark fantasy.

...I've actually seriously got nothing. My dark fantasy itch was quite scratched with just Berserk.

Could try watching the three films that came out in the past few years? Though they've got some weird bits in the animation and don't really go that far into the manga...which is basically your stated problem.

 

[jademunky]

Yeah, I've gotta side with the OP on this one, the way the anime ended was pure bullshit. Berserk, showed some great promise in it's first and last episode, but most things in between I could've done without. "Hey, here is a dark, demon-infested world with a dude with a giant sword hunting them down, wanna see more of that? Too bad, instead you will learn the story of how a younger version of that character was the henchman for a white-haired-17-year-old-girl-mercenary captain-pretending to be a man."

I personally cannot get into manga. I love comic books but find manga to be just very poorly drawn and difficult to follow visually (and not just because of that whole right-to-left thing).

 

[EyeReaper]

Honestly, My preferences of anime leans much more towards... slice-of-life, so I honestly have no idea how far on the dark-o-meter, which, if I remember correctly, ranks from Souls to Donnie.

So, uh, Fate/Zero? That's considered dark, right? I really don't know, the darkest anime I usually go is like, Desert Punk to Ultimate Survivor: Kaiji range.

Sure, it's a prequel to Fate/Stay Night, but it's a damn good prequel, and the animation is fantastic. It's basically about a war of mages fighting each other using spirits of folklore and mythological heroes (like Hercules, or Robin Hood). Winner gets a wish from the Holy Grail. Don't want to go into too much detail, might trip a spoiler or something.