Serious Animes

[shadow_Fox81]

Check out Samurai Champloo. It's somewhat similar to the style of Bebop and not childish.

EDIT: And before you get turned off by the hip-hop theme of it: I abhor hip-hop and rap stuff, but the anime is done really well to the point that I actually like it.

Spoiler: Here's the opening credits video

theyre both Schinchiro Watanabe projects, so just look for his work.

if you like animated shorts with a lot of variety Genius Party is good or Memories.

but as for full length series Beck (about indie rock in japan, not as good as the comic), Gantz(it has childish moments and bad voice acting but is quite mature) and Planetes (this has little to no action and is about basically space junkers, it from studio sunrise which mad e bebop).

also afro samurai, animation style is unique zany and hevaily tarentino inspired with a killer hiphop soundtrack by the RZA. It also features ron pearlman and samuel l jackson and culminates in a very mature tale of vengeance in league with Kurosawa's work.

but animated features by far have most of the maturity, things like Akira, Vampire hunter D bloodlust, Ninja scroll and milenium actress are roughly the same vintage as Bebop.

also Grave of the fire flies, but you have to watch it in japenese(its studio ghibli but not miyazaki, Post Nagasaki/hiroshima japan;it dosn't pop up on anime threads often enough).

 

[Ouroboros0977]

Kino no Tabi, every episode deals with a morally gray area and has at least one life lesson and the fights are short and oft end in a single gunshot.

 

[AngelSephy]

I see no mention of Vampire Princess Miyu. It's a good, serious anime that fits into the supernatural horror genre. Tokyo Godfathers is another. Hellsing was also pretty good too. Appleseed, Golgo 13, Blue Submarine No. 6... Hmm. I'm actually having to wrack my brain here. I've seen so many I can't recount all of the good ones that were more serious off the top of my head.

 

[firelightning1]

I recommend Gungrave although the premise of episode 1 and then 18-24 is kind of... sill episodes 2-17 are pretty good as a stand alone mafia story. Also Code Geass but that has already been mentioned.

Also Chaos; Head is really crazy and serious, dealing with delusions and betrayals even if the overall plot has its head stuck in a bucket it is worth watching.

And if you want a really serious realistic anime I highly recommend Steins Gate, a really realistic look at how time travel would work and good characterization and the emotional impact of characters dying is very well done. But the main character is a little crazy at the beginning but he gets better around episode 4.

 

[Raddra]

I'd agree. Until that happens.

You know what I'm talking about.

Yeah, after that happens just stop watching and count it as the end.

Gantz, if you can deal with the gore.

Not just the gore.. the mindf***ery, sadness and all the rest. No show has disturbed me as much as Gantz. I had to stop watching.

Note though.. try the manga first. The anime takes.. err.. certain liberties with the main characters sexuality that do not exist in the manga.

 

[The Hero Killer]

Its not similar to Cowboy Bebop but I'd check out Rainbow, its about a group of guys with dark pasts who are all cellmates in a juvenile detention center that have to stick together to survive. It was probably the most "serious" anime I've seen as in it wasnt funny, colorful, or drawn unrealstically. I hear Monster is cut from the same cloth too.

 

[Ninjat_126]

I don't watch much anime but...

- Hellsing. Goes a bit weird now and again, but its overall fairly solid.
- Ghost In The Shell (film). You might not love it, and it takes a while for anything much to happen, but its definitely worth seeing.
- Death Note. Possibly one of the greatest works of fiction I have ever had the honour of partially experiencing. If you're having trouble convincing someone that not all anime is kids shows, show them this.

I've also heard good things about Neon Genesis Evangelion, Akira and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, but I can't speak for them personally.

 

[Sjakie]

man i really start to hate these "request anime" topics.
There's always a bunch of replies by users that just push for their favorite inspite of the TS wishes.

anyway here's my recommend list for the more serious anime-viewer:
Ghost in the Shell [http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=61] (watch the first movie before you decide on the rest)
Akira [http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=28] (sf anime movie)
Monster [http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=1539] (more of a horror/thriller)
Gungrave [http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=1003] (underworld, maffia, plenty of action)

to a lesser extent:
PlanetES (mostly Drama, no action but serious)
Black Lagoon (Remi is cool but over-the-top)
Crest of the stars + Banner of the stars (SF, told from a personal viewpoint)

that's about it.

If you don't mind fantasy there is: The Twelve Kingdoms [http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=26] it's about a dystopia in a fantasyworld and takes itself rather serious unlike every other fantasy-anime out there. Complex and solid backstories to everything in it.

edit: and i think Deathnote is SHIT and not relevant considering your expressed wishes..

 

[The Cor]

Seems most serious anime I watched are already mentioned. except for Ghost Hound and Shigurui: Death Frenzy.

Ghost Hound is an horror anime that also plays with psychology, I thought it was good in general but it has its bad moments. It also starts with teen/child protagonists but really you have to look past that some times Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is the best at showing you that.

Shigurui: Death Frenzy, just going to say: mature samurai on a death frenzy.

 

[astrav1]

So I just finished watching Cowboy Bebop my first trek into the anime genre and I loved it. I then went looking for anime shows supposedly similar to Bebop.

I watched the first episode of Trigun and was disgusted, it was basically everything I don't want it an anime. Bad/childish voice acting, weird anime faces, and a bunch of little kids/girls running around with guns.

Are there any serious animes out there that are similar to Cowboy Bebop?

Baccano is what you are searching for. Watch it and enjoy.

 

[Krion_Vark]

Death Note.
its about a guy who can kill anyone with their face and name.
so he kills criminals.

THEN GOES BUGFUCK CRAZY.

I'd agree. Until that happens.

You know what I'm talking about. The series took a nosedive for the worst about halfway through.

Agreed, I actually couldn't finish the series because of that. I got maybe three episodes after that event and decided it sucked now.

Mhm, do not say the name "Near" around me. =3

How about Melo?

 

[Olorune]

Definitely watch Black Lagoon! It's an excellent anime with two seasons already dubbed and I believed another one going now subbed. It's very mature and has alot to offer.

Another anime I would tell you to watch is Durarara. You'll probably harbor mixed feelings for it, but it's really well done and has some of the best music I've ever heard in an anime.

FLCL is a must for anyone that watches anime. To be honest, I watched it when I was pretty young and didn't understand alot of the situations and undertones, but after I went back and watched it when I was older, I understood so much and even learned some things.

 

[doggie135]

I'd recommend Higurashi no naku koro ni (in Japanese, not English!) but you'd have to get used to its Moe presentation and sometimes arbritary plot-line.

While I think the show has depth, many watch a few episodes and label it "Attack of the killer lolis".

 

[TheBoulder]

Serious anime similar to CB? I wouldn't know.

Serious anime worth a watch? Paprika (a feature length animation). It may be a bit naive at points and inexplicably goes from sci-fi thriller to psychedelic action flick halfway through, but I still think it could eat Inception for breakfast.

I might also mention a recent guilty pleasure of mine in the form of Claymore - a grimdark fantasy series about a caste of half-demonic warrior women protecting humanity from ghoulish monsters, whilst also battling the evil within. It gets pretty messed up.

Claymore is great, but I felt that it really lost steam around 2 thirds of the way through the series.

From what I hear, it was being made while the manga was still ongoing, so that would explain the dropoff in quality.

Agreed, I noticed a rather large shift around that point.
I mean, the entire story revolves around Raki for the first half, then they drop him of the face of the earth for most of the rest?

I was thankful for that. I absolutely hate Raki. That little ***** cried in almost every episode over stupid shit.
But I agree that Claymore lost some steam towards that point, it really could of explained more about the relationships between the characters.

 

[Connorz]

Ghost in the shell
BACCANO!
Darker Than Black
Ergo Proxy
Code Geass
Welcome To the NHK
Eden Of The East

and of course
Neon Genisis Evangelion

 

[Zeekar]

So I just finished watching Cowboy Bebop my first trek into the anime genre and I loved it. I then went looking for anime shows supposedly similar to Bebop.

I watched the first episode of Trigun and was disgusted, it was basically everything I don't want it an anime. Bad/childish voice acting, weird anime faces, and a bunch of little kids/girls running around with guns.

Are there any serious animes out there that are similar to Cowboy Bebop?

I don't know if it's "similar" to Bebop as far as story and concept, but you might want to give Durarara a try. Like Bebop it has good music and the animation is gorgeous, and the story and characters are entertaining and well developed. The basic story is very hard to explain about an underground courier for gangs in Ikebukuro Japan, named Celty. The thing about Celty...she's a Dullahan--basically a headless horseman type of creature from Irish lore. It's set in the present, so the "gangs" actually communicate and operate through message boards and chat rooms on the Internet. Celty is known only as the "Black Rider" to the public of Japan, as she rides a black motorcycle with no lights (and the motorcycle is actually a modern incarnation of the horse she would have used in Ireland).

There are lots of subplots and simply awesome minor characters involved, including a few high school kids in the mix, a guy with super strength, a Russian guy who sells sushi, and the legendary sword Saika. At the very end it all comes together in an absolutely incredible finale that is both surprising and satisfying. It's a mystery, thriller, high school, horror, and romance anime all at the same time, without all the bad side effects. There are a lot of characters, but each of them is unique in their own way and actually have a reason for being there. And it's got a great sense of humor. Here's the opening (which is one of the best openings I've ever seen for an anime, in my opinion).

im always suprised when people reccomend durararararara (i dont know the spelling) over baccano, just seemes odd to me anyway.

OT The studio ghibli movies in general (specifically princess mononoke, naucissa s(sp?)) have strong adult themes and brilliant animations quality.

Also as people have said death note , samurai champloo. Both are very good picks.

And my surprise recommendation is full metal alchemist, if you do like good characterisations.

Honestly I hate children/highschoolers and just the idea of a bunch of them being in the show really kills it for me.

Samurai champloo's opening was all I needed to see before nexting it. I'm just too old for the whole hip-hop garbage.

I'm sure someone's already said this, but Champloo is not hip-hop garbage. It's soundtrack is absolutely beautiful, and you don't need to like the musical style to like it. The show does more to make fun of American hip-hop culture than anything else.

Give it a serious shot -- in some ways it's better than Cowboy Bebop. Besides, it's made by the same guy.

 

[captaincabbage]

Check out Samurai Champloo. It's somewhat similar to the style of Bebop and not childish.

EDIT: And before you get turned off by the hip-hop theme of it: I abhor hip-hop and rap stuff, but the anime is done really well to the point that I actually like it.

Spoiler: Here's the opening credits video

It's all about presentation really. I don't love hip-hop, but I'll appreciate it when it's used well.

Also, damn you, ninjaing me to Samurai Champloo.

OT: Definitely watch Samurai Champloo though, it's made by Shinichiro Watanabe, the same guy who made Cowboy Bebop, so it's got his flavor and humor about it, as well as it's own damn well fleshed out characters and plot.

Aside from that tho, I'd probably recommend pretty much everything by Studio Ghibli, and to be more specific every Studio Ghibli film by Hayao Miyazaki as they're pretty much all brilliant. My personal favorites are Howl's Moving Castle and Porco Rosso.

 

[Zeekar]

...Elfen Lied...masterpieces...

Please tell me you're joking.