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

Scars Unseen

^ ^ v v < > < > B A
May 7, 2009
3,028
0
0
Fappy said:
One day you will cave and read Berserk. You will look back on this thread in regret and despair!
One day I'll get back to reading the manga when Miura Kentaro stops competing with George R.R. Martin to see who can be the least productive author.
 

ninja666

New member
May 17, 2014
898
0
0
Thanks for giving me even more suggestions, folks. You're being of great help. I'll check them out once I'm done with Texhnolyze and (possibly) Garo and Mushishi.
 

FalloutJack

Bah weep grah nah neep ninny bom
Nov 20, 2008
15,489
0
0
DoPo said:
FalloutJack said:
No mention of Hellsing (either of them)?
I don't think it's what OP's after. It's pretty much just action all the time, not much darkness in it. Sure, it's not like it's bright colourful and humorous, erm, all the time, but it has those sections which definitely brighten it up. And then it follows up with throwing gallons of blood everywhere and tons of dudes at Alucard to slaughter with glee.
I feel as though any anime where the good guys are horrible and the bad guys are anywhere from monstrous to Nazis fits just fine. Even still, I'm calling it viable.
 

DoPo

"You're not cleared for that."
Jan 30, 2012
8,665
0
0
FalloutJack said:
DoPo said:
FalloutJack said:
No mention of Hellsing (either of them)?
I don't think it's what OP's after. It's pretty much just action all the time, not much darkness in it. Sure, it's not like it's bright colourful and humorous, erm, all the time, but it has those sections which definitely brighten it up. And then it follows up with throwing gallons of blood everywhere and tons of dudes at Alucard to slaughter with glee.
I feel as though any anime where the good guys are horrible and the bad guys are anywhere from monstrous to Nazis fits just fine. Even still, I'm calling it viable.
Eh, I love Hellsing myself - it's my second favourite anime (first being Darker than Black which I watched relatively recently) - I watched the initial anime twice, second time around about when the first OVA was already out, then stareted getting into those and whenever a new episode was out, I've been rewatching everything up to it. I read the manga as well - first one (and one of the very few) I got into.

I don't think it's really striving for "dark", though, it's almost cartoony in terms of the "evils" - the bad guys are literally Nazi zombies who just really, really like fighting, hence why they got immortality, so they can have an eternity of it. There was even a scene, if I recall, where one was eating a baby (or at least threatening to). The other bad guys include the Vatican, of all people, and they have on their side a katana wielding nun with split personality (the other one being quite timid). She switched personalities when she took off her glasses, too.

It's, overall, similar to Bleach, but for a more mature audience because a) it doesn't have nearly as much inane crap in it 2) there is a lot of on screen deaths and tons and tons of blood. But other than that - lots of fights, and the main characters beat everybody using badassery.
 

ProtoChimp

New member
Feb 8, 2010
2,236
0
0
Fappy said:
One day you will cave and read Berserk. You will look back on this thread in regret and despair!
Because its good or because its never going to be finished?
 

Fappy

\[T]/
Jan 4, 2010
12,010
0
41
Country
United States
ProtoChimp said:
Fappy said:
One day you will cave and read Berserk. You will look back on this thread in regret and despair!
Because its good or because its never going to be finished?
Can't it be both? :p
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
Legacy
Jul 18, 2009
19,570
4,374
118
You poor stubborn fool, you have no idea how close to greatness you are. It's right there for the taking if you but read the manga.
 

ninja666

New member
May 17, 2014
898
0
0
Out of curiosity I checked how much does Berserk manga cost. Turns out it's not even available in my country past the third issue, so I won't read it either way.
 

Dansen

Master Lurker
Mar 24, 2010
932
39
33
ninja666 said:
Out of curiosity I checked how much does Berserk manga cost. Turns out it's not even available in my country past the third issue, so I won't read it either way.
just read scans dude, its not that hard.
Not sure about where you live or if this site is region locked but here, hope this works.
http://www.mangareader.net/96-1121-1/berserk/chapter-1.html
 

thoughtwrangler

New member
Sep 29, 2014
138
0
0
Solaire of Astora said:
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.
The most recent "Reboot" film *did* fix the ending in the OVA though so the Eclipse turns out more or less the way it did in the Manga.

Still, the sheer f'ed-upness of the Eclipse seems a bit watered down in the films, compared to the original anime series and the manga. I'm not sure why, it just doesn't seem quite as shocking, though it's MUCH better animated this time around.
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
Legacy
Jul 18, 2009
19,570
4,374
118
thoughtwrangler said:
The most recent "Reboot" film *did* fix the ending in the OVA though so the Eclipse turns out more or less the way it did in the Manga.

Still, the sheer f'ed-upness of the Eclipse seems a bit watered down in the films, compared to the original anime series and the manga. I'm not sure why, it just doesn't seem quite as shocking, though it's MUCH better animated this time around.
Everything in the new Berserk movies feels watered down compared to the manga. I'd go as far to say they feel more like a cliffsnote version of the manga, they leave some much important character building out.
 

Lost In The Void

When in doubt, curl up and cry
Aug 27, 2008
10,128
0
0
Casual Shinji said:
thoughtwrangler said:
The most recent "Reboot" film *did* fix the ending in the OVA though so the Eclipse turns out more or less the way it did in the Manga.

Still, the sheer f'ed-upness of the Eclipse seems a bit watered down in the films, compared to the original anime series and the manga. I'm not sure why, it just doesn't seem quite as shocking, though it's MUCH better animated this time around.
Everything in the new Berserk movies feels watered down compared to the manga. I'd go as far to say they feel more like a cliffsnote version of the manga, they leave some much important character building out.
I dunno, having watched the anime, read the manga, and watched the OVAs I think that the Advent does the Eclipse the best, at least in pure shock value. Seeing it all animated and loyal to the manga was just bonechilling.

As for the OP question, good luck finding something like Berserk in manga. Sounds harsh but it is pretty much in a class of its own. As for cyberpunk, I'll second the Psycho-Pass nomination and the F/Z nomination, even if the second season of Psycho-Pass isn't near on the level of the first [damned changing writers], those suggesting Ergo, not really sure where they think its particularly dark. Reflective? Philosophical? It is certainly those, but dark, eh I don't think so.

Serial Experiments Lain also isn't really that dark, but it does get pretty bleak, if you get what I'm saying by making a distinction between the two. I would definitely check it out, if only because of its status as one of the greats. Madoka is a nice deconstruction of the Magical Girl Genre that gets dark and bleak as hell near the end, particularly if you watch the movie after you're done the series.

And finally, although probably what you're not looking for but I consider it hella dark, Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Old as hell manga, adapted into an anime in the 80's/90's. Basically a universe where two super powers, one a dictatorship and the other a corrupt democracy, have been waged in a war for hundreds of years. Basically ships and soldiers are cannon fodder to throw at the other's fleets. Good times if you enjoy a very political anime.
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
Legacy
Jul 18, 2009
19,570
4,374
118
Lost In The Void said:
Casual Shinji said:
Everything in the new Berserk movies feels watered down compared to the manga. I'd go as far to say they feel more like a cliffsnote version of the manga, they leave some much important character building out.
I dunno, having watched the anime, read the manga, and watched the OVAs I think that the Advent does the Eclipse the best, at least in pure shock value. Seeing it all animated and loyal to the manga was just bonechilling.
I stopped watching the third movie when I got to the love scene between Guts and Caska and saw that they gimped the most important part of it. That was just the final straw after all the weak characterisation and bad CGI. As a matter of fact, they gimped most of Guts' character in the movies. His childhood is an extremely important part of his character and they never even show it.
 

Lost In The Void

When in doubt, curl up and cry
Aug 27, 2008
10,128
0
0
Casual Shinji said:
Lost In The Void said:
Casual Shinji said:
Everything in the new Berserk movies feels watered down compared to the manga. I'd go as far to say they feel more like a cliffsnote version of the manga, they leave some much important character building out.
I dunno, having watched the anime, read the manga, and watched the OVAs I think that the Advent does the Eclipse the best, at least in pure shock value. Seeing it all animated and loyal to the manga was just bonechilling.
I stopped watching the third movie when I got to the love scene between Guts and Caska and saw that they gimped the most important part of it. That was just the final straw after all the weak characterisation and bad CGI. As a matter of fact, they gimped most of Guts' character in the movies. His childhood is an extremely important part of his character and they never even show it.
Oh I completely agree on that front, the third movie fixed a lot of the CGI issues but they certainly were there nonetheless. As for the lack of characterisation, you don't really get that with the anime or the film, which is truly unfortunate, because it is as you say, really important to the plot and how Guts acts as we move through it. I do hope the films step up their game, but I feel as if the Advent was a step in the right direction.

I mean by the time we get another full volume, we might be caught up in films.
 

Fox12

AccursedT- see you space cowboy
Jun 6, 2013
4,828
0
0
ninja666 said:
Out of curiosity I checked how much does Berserk manga cost. Turns out it's not even available in my country past the third issue, so I won't read it either way.
Here's my reccomendation. Watch the show. It's far more faithful then the films. Afterwards look up the ending of the last film on YouTube, since that part was actually pretty faithful.

I really think you'd like the scanlation, but I'm not going to pester anyone on it. I would just... Wait until you've seen the show. Then decide. The book is far more complex, but not everyone can get into it.

As for alternatives, have you tried Serial Experiments Lain? It's by the same group that made Texhonolyze, though I'd say its a little bit easier to follow. It's a smart cyber punk series you might like quite a lot, though there isn't really any action. It has this weird psychedelic thing going on, though, and you're never quite sure what's real.
 

thoughtwrangler

New member
Sep 29, 2014
138
0
0
Casual Shinji said:
I stopped watching the third movie when I got to the love scene between Guts and Caska and saw that they gimped the most important part of it. That was just the final straw after all the weak characterisation and bad CGI. As a matter of fact, they gimped most of Guts' character in the movies. His childhood is an extremely important part of his character and they never even show it.
I know the part you're talking about. Another one of the few things that the OVA held true to from the Manga.

I was just thinking of the Berserk Abridged Series' take on that part: "No we can make this work! The safe-word will be 'bananas!'"
 

scotth266

Wait when did I get a sub
Jan 10, 2009
5,202
0
0
If you're okay with reading books, I'd suggest Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell. It's Three Musketeers, but a lot more fucked up thanks to the whole dark fantasy setting. No demons (unlike Berserk) but there is a small amount of magic and the bad guys are really brutal/twisted.