Recommendations for some Adult Anime

[The Tibballs]

Urotsukidoji *snip*

This, yes totally watch this... it'll melt you brain.

 

[magicmonkeybars]

When it comes to anime, I'll admit that I can be a cynical bastard like Yahtzee and most anime i've seen have generally been more targeted to the teen audience, and I either despise them or i didn't think they were that great. I didn't think something like Haruhi was amazing, just O.K, and I though Magica Modaka was good, just not a master piece. What are some anime that are made for more of the adult audience in mind or are at least ridiculously violent. It doesn't even have to be action, it could be a comedy or a drama (No Hentai, obviously)
Just two thing:
1) Don't recommend the fallowing since i've already seem them or at least intend to check them out:
Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Shamploo
Hellsing
Afro Samurai
Elfien Lied
Ninja Scroll
Ghost in the Shell
2) I prefer a dub

Try the animated movie "Paprika", it deals with dreams in a murder mystery way, it'll make you think.

 

[Yopaz]

Welcome to the NHK. Seriously, watch that.

Myself; Yourself. I think this counts at least.

That's really all I've got. I try to find light hearted comedy when I look for anime... I failed miserably when I ended up with Myself ; Yourself...

 

[redbaron101]

Well most of my picks have been posted, but here we go.

Monster
Now and Then, Here and There
Michiko to Hatchin (Michiko and Hatchin)
Rainbow ? Nisha Rokubo no Shichinin
Higurashi Naku koro Ni (When They Cry)
Shinsekai Yori


There are a few to get you started. The last 2 are more fantasy oriented. I'm sure I could think of more, but I can't remember everything I've ever seen and would have to really think about it.

 

[Vladimir Stamenov]

Elfien Lied

If Elfen Lied is adult, then I'm a samurai.

You'll have to show me your armor sometime...that or I really don't want to know what you consider "adult". I'd imagine in the OP's case, it means "not for kids".
Elfen Lied...
Plenty of Nudity? Check.
Pedophile rape (at least in the manga)? Check.
Obscene amounts of bodies getting chopped to bits? Check.
Vicious and pointless acts of violence including bashing a little girl's puppy's brain in for no reason? Check.
I'd say that's some pretty "adult" material there...
Edit: Oh, and lets not forget "Brutal torture and subsequent murder of little girls? Check."

OT: I'm in a bit of a rush so I couldn't check every post (got about half-way through'em), but from what I could see no one offered up either of these two:

Rurouni Kenshin
Bobobo-bobo-Bobobo

The point is all that "adult" material is crammed inside in a way that the author probably thinks is mature but it's really, really not. Shiguri has a lot of gore, but it compensates or should I say uses it to show the darkness in the characters' souls and to reflect on the harsh reality of that era in japanese history through some overexaggeration. Elfen Lied is just... bland. A nude main character Diclonius, who just HAPPENS to have "horns" shaped like neko-ears?! Riiight... And kicking the puppy was SO funny I almost choked. I mean that's by the book cheesy "villainy". There's even a trope named after it: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KickTheDog. The thing is, animes like Deadman Wonderland and Elfen Lied are shonen at heart even if marketed as seinen. But they try HARD to be a seinen by having blood, gore, rape and so on. The level of characterisation and character development they're at however, corresponds more to shonen, where the auhtor often confuses character development with "New and More Powerful Attacks!". While Cowboy Bebop is marketed as shonen, its overall atmosphere and aesthetic is indubitably seinen. So there's your difference. I'm not saying one genre is better than the other, just that things aren't so clear cut. Though you say you hate teen anime, the superficial maturity Elfen Lied and such show is just as much aimed at teenagers. So it's better to be shonen and just that, than to have some pretense to be something more just because you have boobs and blood. Another genre-buster that uses tropes from both genres is Panty&Stocking With Garterbelt. You should see it.
I've hear good things about Rurouni Kenshin, too. Gonna check it out after exams.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Odd that I haven't seen Monster yet so I'll just go ahead and recommend that.

One of the best mature stories I've seen so far, although I'm only halfway through. It also has a damn fine dub. Which is nice because, in my opinion, Japanese doesn't really fit with the setting.

Yeah, but isn't the setting German? Or is the dub in a German accent or something?

The setting is German yes, but considering the whole international aspect (Japanese doctor going to Germany) it at least makes more sense that everyone just speaks English rather than everyone speaks Japanese. It doesn't feel as needed as in Steamboy, but still.

 

[Bombastuss]

The point is all that "adult" material is crammed inside in a way that the author probably thinks is mature but it's really, really not. Shiguri has a lot of gore, but it compensates or should I say uses it to show the darkness in the characters' souls and to reflect on the harsh reality of that era in japanese history through some overexaggeration. Elfen Lied is just... bland. A nude main character Diclonius, who just HAPPENS to have "horns" shaped like neko-ears?! Riiight... And kicking the puppy was SO funny I almost choked. I mean that's by the book cheesy "villainy". There's even a trope named after it: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KickTheDog. The thing is, animes like Deadman Wonderland and Elfen Lied are shonen at heart even if marketed as seinen. But they try HARD to be a seinen by having blood, gore, rape and so on. The level of characterisation and character development they're at however, corresponds more to shonen, where the auhtor often confuses character development with "New and More Powerful Attacks!". While Cowboy Bebop is marketed as shonen, its overall atmosphere and aesthetic is indubitably seinen. So there's your difference. I'm not saying one genre is better than the other, just that things aren't so clear cut. Though you say you hate teen anime, the superficial maturity Elfen Lied and such show is just as much aimed at teenagers. So it's better to be shonen and just that, than to have some pretense to be something more just because you have boobs and blood. Another genre-buster that uses tropes from both genres is Panty&Stocking With Garterbelt. You should see it.
I've hear good things about Rurouni Kenshin, too. Gonna check it out after exams.

Yeah, that's sort of the thing isn't it? When people ask for "mature" anime most of the recommendations tend to be for "dark" shows with lots of gore and/or nudity.
Some of the most mature animes I've seen have been marketed as shounen. There are of course a few seinen series that get it right but so many shows just try to hard and end up even more juvenile than many standard shounen ones.

Oh, and I watched Rurouni Kenshin ages ago and even then I felt it was a bit too silly at times. Don't remember a whole lot about it though except that it's very shounen. I remember the prequel OVA to be very good though (though I was like 14 so it could've just been 'cause it has more violence and blood).

As for recommendations:
I'm gonna go ahead and only recommend Basilisk. It's violent, sad, depressing, very cool and it's got a plot that's not half bad.
No idea if the dubs are any good (or if there are any) though since I mostly watch anime in Japanese with subs.

 

[Vladimir Stamenov]

It's not the blood and nudity that's the problem, a lot of great mature titles have them, it's this misconception that their presence equals maturity. I'm a big fan of gore in anime, games, books and movies, but although it's fun, if there isn't some deeper motvie to it or some narrative, character building or worldbuilding reason for it, it's just there. And it can only entertain so much. RJ-17 said it himself: "Vicious and pointless acts of violence including bashing a little girl's puppy's brain in for no reason? Check." Pointless being the key word. It still can entertain, but only if it's well done. And the one in Elfen Lied isn't - the blood looks like ketchup and people are made from plasticine. I also don't like how blood is often drawn in the Bleach anime - it drips and forms gooey puddles like it's a thick kind of tabasco or pasta sauce.

 

[Shinsei-J]

I wasn't aware it had a dub as the DVD set only has subs but I could be wrong,it's been known to happen.Either way it's great show that is defiantly worth a watch.

Oh damn, after looking around for a bit seems you're right.
Thanks for correcting me, I feel like a fool.
I'll edit my original post too.

 

[Defeated Detective]

Elfien Lied

If Elfen Lied is adult, then I'm a samurai.

You'll have to show me your armor sometime...that or I really don't want to know what you consider "adult". I'd imagine in the OP's case, it means "not for kids".
Elfen Lied...
Plenty of Nudity? Check.
Pedophile rape (at least in the manga)? Check.
Obscene amounts of bodies getting chopped to bits? Check.
Vicious and pointless acts of violence including bashing a little girl's puppy's brain in for no reason? Check.
I'd say that's some pretty "adult" material there...
Edit: Oh, and lets not forget "Brutal torture and subsequent murder of little girls? Check."

OT: I'm in a bit of a rush so I couldn't check every post (got about half-way through'em), but from what I could see no one offered up either of these two:

Rurouni Kenshin
Bobobo-bobo-Bobobo

If those are your basis for "mature" anime, then you haven't really seen that much mature anime at all.

What I consider mature are the ones that are smart, Elfen Lied has no such traits, it's senseless blood and gore which is just placed there for no reason, it's not like one of the two scenes full of gore in LoGH(in which you'd see soldiers burning, another soldier trying to gather as much intestines that has been torn off due to shrapnel, another one calling for his mother as he tries to crawl away from the flames with only half is body) which isn't senseless since it highlights the fact that war has never changed, even in the future.

It's no Sword of the Stranger where gore and blood is placed there to show how ruthless the Chinese were in their mission, and how immune they seem to be when it's inflicted to them due to the drugs they take, which happens to be one of the core elements of the story.

It's no Kino no Tabi either, where despite the simple plot, it's actually one of the few titles in anime I know that show us the best and the worst of humanity.

I can name more examples and as to why Elfen Lied is actually immature but I'd rather spend that time preparing my morning coffee. Ultimately, What I'd call a mature anime is an anime that is not afraid to engage. There are many other things that define what you'd call a mature anime, and Elfen Lied has none of them.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Lesseee...

I loved, loved, looooovvveeeeed Black Lagoon, deliciously fun Tarantino/John Woo style Action... it's also got an awesome dub. If you want a good primer look up "Black Lagoon: The Fucking Short Version" on Youtube, it's basically a compilation of all the "Fucks" used in the series.

Baccanno! is another good one, 1930's Gangsters, twisting plotline, a fairly mature storyline and a really great dub (Durarara!! is the spiritual sequel... sorta... also highly recommended).

Mushishi is like a cool, serene walk through Feudal Japan with the occasional bit of "What the fuck?" thrown in to keep things interesting.

I don't know if it counts as "adult" oriented but Darker Than Black Season 1 was really excellent, Super Powered Espionage, Yokko Kanno Soundtrack and animated by Bones... damn good watch.

009-1 falls into a similar category, it's Alternate Future Cold War Spy-Fi, with a wicked cool 60's Espionage Vibe and plenty of sexiness.

and I don't know if it counts as Shounen or not but Attack On Titan really hooked me with its terrifying medieval world and badass soundtrack.

 

[II2]

I'm kind surprised how many people championed/quoted my recommendations, I don't have much authority on the subject so it's edifying to know I'm on the same page.

Serious List:
- Gantz
- Ergo Proxy
- Higurashi (Whey they Cry)

Those titles are questionable

Could you elaborate? Like I said above, my experience is a bit limited, so I'm genuinely curious what your (and others) take is.

Gantz struck me as a good fit for superficially 'adult' action, well served in gore and tits, albeit aggressively juvenile.

Higurashi struck me as a very well executed atmospheric horror / mystery / drama, at least season 1 and 2. I thought it was pretty tidy for something based off a visual novel videogame. I quite liked it's cyclical plot structure and execution.

Ergo Proxy, I'll fully admit, I haven't watched a lot of, but it struck me as a kinda moody, ambient cyber-dystopia yarn. Maybe it falls fail on its face stupid and I just haven't gotten to that part?

Anyway, shed some light.

 

[RJ 17]

Snip.

Just for the record, they didn't kick the puppy, they bashed it's head in rather brutally. For the rest of my responses, see below.

Snip.

To clarify, while you can debate the level of maturity of the "mature" content in Elfen Lied, the point remains that the OP was asking for anime that's "Not For Kids". Now you can argue that the themes presented in Elfen Lied are cheesy at best in the way they're executed, but rape, torture, nudity, and massive amounts of dismemberment aren't things that I'd consider to be "kid friendly".

 

[Smertnik]

Snip.

Just for the record, they didn't kick the puppy, they bashed it's head in rather brutally. For the rest of my responses, see below.

Snip.

To clarify, while you can debate the level of maturity of the "mature" content in Elfen Lied, the point remains that the OP was asking for anime that's "Not For Kids". Now you can argue that the themes presented in Elfen Lied are cheesy at best in the way they're executed, but rape, torture, nudity, and massive amounts of dismemberment aren't things that I'd consider to be "kid friendly".

The debate is entirely pointless anyway since the OP specifically asked not to mention this series.

 

[RJ 17]

Snip.

Just for the record, they didn't kick the puppy, they bashed it's head in rather brutally. For the rest of my responses, see below.

Snip.

To clarify, while you can debate the level of maturity of the "mature" content in Elfen Lied, the point remains that the OP was asking for anime that's "Not For Kids". Now you can argue that the themes presented in Elfen Lied are cheesy at best in the way they're executed, but rape, torture, nudity, and massive amounts of dismemberment aren't things that I'd consider to be "kid friendly".

The debate is entirely pointless anyway since the OP specifically asked not to mention this series.

I wasn't the one to bring it up, just upholding the point that it's not a series that's kid friendly.

 

[Defeated Detective]

Snip.

but rape, torture, nudity, and massive amounts of dismemberment aren't things that I'd consider to be "kid friendly".

Nor was is it presented in a way that didn't come off as immature either, it may fit your definition of "anime with adult themes" but if that were indeed the case, we might as well recommend hentai as well, shouldn't we?

I guess it was my mistake to come into this thread thinking that OP is looking for good mature anime, because titles like Elfen Lied may have mature themes but the way violence, blood and gore are mashed in there just for the sake of making it look mature without sense or purpose that serves the plot is what makes it immature.

Gantz struck me as a good fit for superficially 'adult' action, well served in gore and tits, albeit aggressively juvenile.

But that's honestly what stops it from being a good adult anime title, It shares the same problem as Ergo Proxy where it tries to preach about deep topics such as psychology, humanity and death and yet it doesn't have the steam to back it off, not to mention the anime is a really bad adaptation of the manga, which is just even more bothersome seeing that the manga isn't even stellar on it's own

Higurashi struck me as a very well executed atmospheric horror / mystery / drama, at least season 1 and 2. I thought it was pretty tidy for something based off a visual novel videogame. I quite liked it's cyclical plot structure and execution.

It's a common favorite along with Elfen Lied due to the blood and violence but just like Elfen Lied, the placement of such things come off as juvenile that, again, just like Elfen Lied, it ends up being immature, and the fact that it also tries to dabble in fanservice just makes things even worse. If I'd have to recommend a good Ryukishi title, I won't be recommending this, I'd recommend Umineko.

Ergo Proxy, I'll fully admit, I haven't watched a lot of, but it struck me as a kinda moody, ambient cyber-dystopia yarn. Maybe it falls fail on its face stupid and I just haven't gotten to that part?

Ergo Proxy falls off mainly due to the fact that the whole anime seems to be written by a college student who just got into Psychology 101 for the first time, Raison d'Etre gets so repeated again and again and off context that it ends up losing the meaning of the entire saying, and the plot of the show is so convoluted it ends up being hard to follow. It could've been better, I wouldn't recommend this mainly because Texhnolyze is a better recommendation over this title, if you're a fan of Evanessence and Radiohead, great, you might enjoy this anime for the reference and the ED, and maybe Pino, but that's the only pros I know in this series, everything else is mediocre.

 

[RJ 17]

I guess it was my mistake to come into this thread thinking that OP is looking for good mature anime, because titles like Elfen Lied may have mature themes but the way violence, blood and gore are mashed in there just for the sake of making it look mature without sense or purpose that serves the plot is what makes it immature.

Seeing as how the OP said this:

What are some anime that are made for more of the adult audience in mind or are at least ridiculously violent.

Then yeah, I guess it was your mistake.

 

[Little Woodsman]

Trying to stick to ones not previously mentioned in the thread:

Bubblegum Crisis OVA's
AD Police files
Any Lupin Movie
Any City Hunter Movie
Utawarerumono
Tsukikage Ran, Carried by the Wind
Black Magic M-66
Mermaid Forest

I'm putting the following titles in a separate category because they are *seriously* depressing.
You will want to remove all the sharp objects from the room before viewing these.
Heck, for a couple of them you will want to remove all the *blunt* objects from the room before viewing.

Ruroni Kenshin OVA's (very different from the tv series)
Grave of the Fireflies
Who's Left Behind
Voices of a Distant Star

There are actually a couple of others that I'd recommend in terms of intellectually mature themes, but
from what you said in the OP, I really don't think they are what you are looking for. {shrug}

 

[deserteagleeye]

Appleseed
Fate Zero
Black Lagoon
Mirai Nikki
Darker Than Black

Monster

I was a bit dissapointed in its ending but the journey itself was pretty good.

 

[Talaris]

An adult anime is quite subjective, as a lot of shows that don't target the seinen market are still great for adults, and from a western point of view, the amount of anime specifically for children is in the minority.

Anyway, here are a few I believe have a mature narrative to them:

Steins;Gate - Time travel drama
Shiki - Mystery horror
Umineko no Naku Koro ni - Murder mystery/Horror themed sister show to Higurashi
Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei - Eccentric comedy, but with a lot of themes/topics e.g philosophy/politics only an adult would appreciate.
Mirai Nikki - Psychological action horror, and one of my all time favourites.
Wolf's Rain - Adventure/Drama, a beautiful and sad story about 4 wolves and their journey. I would say it's too dark and depressing for younger audiences.