# Non-"humorous" anime geared towards teens and adults? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 8, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576 "2016-02-08T23:06:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/21 "2016-02-10T12:03:57Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I’ll nominate [Grave of the Fireflies.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies) I haven’t seen it, but from the plot description it looks very much like it’s meant for older viewers, and probably has little or no funny content. It’s a super depressing movie. It definitely has funny, uplifting moments to underscore the hopeless dramatic irony, but they’re not **anime-ish** funny moments. Like most Ghibli, despite being “anime” it doesn’t rely on most of the TV-produced mainstream anime shortcuts. Fullmetal Alchemist is one of those I wouldn’t recommend for the OP. It’s amazing, it’s serious, but when it has funny moments it’s anime as all hell. As I recall (it’s been a while), both Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and Ghost Hound (same studio, wildly different themes) are very light on anime-ness, and are pretty introspective. Maybe a little too proud of their own overestimated sense of cleverness at times, but good. Though I’m not sure how much you’ll enjoy Ghost Hound if you don’t have at least a little background on post-Aum Japanese New Religions. I didn’t dig it much until I learned about them and after that I found it fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/22 "2016-02-10T12:18:16Z")
I get the sense that what the OP is requesting is really anime that doesn’t use a lot of anime character expression tropes. Sweat drops, mouths hanging open, throbbing forehead veins, exaggeratedly falling over. Sort of the antithesis of your Azumanga Daioh and Shounen Jump fare, irrespective of its actual “humor content” (though these tropes are by far most noticeable in humor). Both Black Butler and Bleach are really, really heavily “anime” in that way. Cowboy Bebop is, of course, usually the poster child billed as “anime for people who don’t like anime.” ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/23 "2016-02-10T13:49:47Z")
**Sword Art Online** has it’s “funny” moments (I guess), but on the whole it’s more action packed and has a pseudo love story in it, which is always interesting. The third season (the gun stuff) gets pretty heavy at some points ---
**Author:** ![Galanthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Galanthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galanthus)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/24 "2016-02-10T14:56:34Z")
Another thing you could try is Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Don’t let the pastel magical girl intro put you off, It’s a work of awesomeness and subverts the trope so far it hurts. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/25 "2016-02-10T15:56:48Z")
> [@JoseB](#): > > Walk… No, _ **run** _ to the closest place where you could find it and do yourself a favor by watching **PLANETES**. > > 26 episodes of the hardest sci-fi ever put in anime form. There are a couple of humorous moments but the whole story is uplifting and magnificently told. > > Check it out. Now. You can thank me later. I need to get back to that; We watched a bunch of it for a while on Netflix and then it magically disappeared and we kinda forgot about it… it seemed really good and smart. ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/26 "2016-02-10T17:11:23Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Is it, or is that just the portion of the humor that survives translation? Maybe there are a bunch of subtle jokes there too, that are just lost on foreigners. General nonsensical wackiness, though, is pretty universal, so we still catch that. My Japanese level isn’t great, as several friends are keen to point out, and I certainly miss a lot of linguistic subtleties, but I think the things lost in translation are typically more along the lines of politeness and social hierarchy distinctions, naming conventions, and social customs. The jokes really are for the most part very direct and in your face. My criticism isn’t limited to anime, though. Japanese TV and film also tend to be dominated by rather extreme, highly standardized acting without much in the way of subtlety. I mean, I’m not exaggerating too much when I say about half of primetime TV is dominated by panel shows that are about watching minor celebrities reacting excessively to videos about food and travel. And the live action acting is so direct that even a community theater director would say to turn it down a notch. If there’s a layer of subtlety running though most of it it’s escaped me. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/27 "2016-02-10T17:25:05Z")
I’ll throw in 2 more I don’t think anyone mentioned yet: Trigun & X. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/28 "2016-02-10T17:37:26Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > You haven’t seen **Now and Then, Here and There**. Hmmm… and NetFlix doesn’t even have it on DVD. I will have to look around for it. > [@](#): > > Technically, I think that Patlabor is mostly comedy. But I would agree that it’s probably not the stereotypical Japanese humor that’s liable to set off the OP. Still, the OP might want to rent before he buys. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, so you could be right on that. What I saw most recently were the three standalone movies. Maybe they follow a similar pattern to the Bubblegum Crisis and the AD Police spinoffs. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/29 "2016-02-10T17:50:07Z")
> [@Dr.Righteous](#): > > I’ll throw in 2 more I don’t think anyone mentioned yet: Trigun & X. I liked Trigun, but I don’t know if a series with a main character named “Vash the Stampede” can fit the OP’s criteria. I remember it being pretty heavy on the comedy side. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/30 "2016-02-10T20:39:33Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I liked Trigun, but I don’t know if a series with a main character named “Vash the Stampede” can fit the OP’s criteria. I remember it being pretty heavy on the comedy side. It’s kinda a trojan horse. It starts out more lighthearted and comedic, but pretty much exactly halfway through it becomes rather dark (to the point that I wouldn’t recommend it to teens unless their parents think they can handle it) And yet it feels 100% natural for it to do so. The wacky comedy only exists to cover up the more weighty subject matter. And even early on it’s just used punctuate rather than the meat of the show. It’s an anime that I want everyone to watch, but the problem is that the reason why is such a complete spoiler. Heck, even mentioning the tone shift is kinda spoilery, in my opinion, since it catches you so off guard. It still bums me out that JesuOtaku wound up quitting before finishing her series on it. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/31 "2016-02-10T20:41:24Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It still bums me out that JesuOtaku wound up quitting before finishing her series on it. [His!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2He0zJgNak) Also, he left Channel Awesome and stopped doing videos largely because dear god that place is a trainwreck. E: I still wouldn’t recommend Trigun for the OP, though. Too much wacky setup. Same reason I wouldn’t recommend FMA. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/32 "2016-02-10T21:59:32Z")
> [@Garula](#): > > My Japanese level isn’t great, as several friends are keen to point out, and I certainly miss a lot of linguistic subtleties, but I think the things lost in translation are typically more along the lines of politeness and social hierarchy distinctions, naming conventions, and social customs. The jokes really are for the most part very direct and in your face. > > My criticism isn’t limited to anime, though. Japanese TV and film also tend to be dominated by rather extreme, highly standardized acting without much in the way of subtlety. I mean, I’m not exaggerating too much when I say about half of primetime TV is dominated by panel shows that are about watching minor celebrities reacting excessively to videos about food and travel. And the live action acting is so direct that even a community theater director would say to turn it down a notch. If there’s a layer of subtlety running though most of it it’s escaped me. My understanding isn’t perfect either, but my impression is that in addition to politeness/social stuff, there’s a lot of punning going on in many anime that’s hard to impossible to translate. Wordplay using two words that sound similar being replaced/confused/double entendre-d for one another as can be done in English but is really hard to translate, and similar wordplay for two words that are written with very similar kanji… which has no equivalent in English at all. Oh, and there’s a fair bit of pop culture references/parodies as humor, though in this case the pop culture being referred to is often other anime. Sometimes this is blatant enough for foreign audiences to see, but it can be more subtle as well. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/33 "2016-02-11T02:24:15Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I’ll nominate [Grave of the Fireflies.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies) I haven’t seen it, but from the plot description it looks very much like it’s meant for older viewers, and probably has little or no funny content. I’ve seen it. It’s not my favorite, but it was watchable enough. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/34 "2016-02-11T02:34:52Z")
Most of the Studio Ghibli movies can be enjoyed by adults, even the ones with child protagonists: > **[Studio Ghibli](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_Ghibli)** > > Studio Ghibli, Inc. (Japanese: 株式会社スタジオジブリ, Hepburn: Kabushiki-gaisha Sutajio Jiburi) is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has expanded its portfolio to include various media formats, such as short subjects, television commercials, and two television films. Their work has been well-received by audiences and has even been recognized with awards. Its mascot and most recognizable symbol is a character named Totoro, a gia Fi... ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/35 "2016-02-11T04:16:49Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > [His!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2He0zJgNak) > > Also, he left Channel Awesome and stopped doing videos largely because dear god that place is a trainwreck. Huh. I’m not sure how I never heard about that. Still doesn’t change what I said, but sure puts it in perspective. And, yes, I know why he left CA. That’s part of my surprise. I keep up with all the CA alum, pretty much. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/36 "2016-02-11T15:50:09Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Huh. I’m not sure how I never heard about that. Still doesn’t change what I said, but sure puts it in perspective. > > And, yes, I know why he left CA. That’s part of my surprise. I keep up with all the CA alum, pretty much. In fairness, he came out under 2 weeks ago, I’m not that surprised if you didn’t find out. I only found out because he posts on another board I’m on. ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/37 "2016-02-11T20:22:10Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > So, can you recommend any anime meant for older viewers that isn’t supposed to have any “funny” scenes in the series? Especially childishly funny, anyway: I want to watch something with no zinging noises to indicate humor is happening, no lightening outlined characters jumping up in a humorous open mouth startle etc. I occasionally [discuss things like this here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16807953&posted=1#post16807953) at the SDMB. I concur wholeheartedly with some of the fantastic recommendations in this thread. You can’t go wrong with _ **Attack on Titan** _ or _ **Cowboy Bebop** _. _ **The Big O** _ is another great series. **dracoi** ’s suggestion of _ **Bubblegum Crisis** _ is another all-time great on my list; the original OVA series ran for eight episodes before coming to an abrupt halt. You get your answers in the follow-up series _ **Bubblegum Crash** _, which isn’t nearly as good. Do your best to see them in their original form with Kinuko Oomori’s rockin’ vocals. Watching the watered-down stuff available from iTunes is like grooving to William Shatner’s version of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” without ever realizing that the Beatles sang it first. One of Studio Gainax’s other great classics (What?!? You mean _besides_ Evangelion?!?) is _ **Gunbuster: Aim For The Top** _. By the time the OVA series reached its sixth and final episode, Gainax was out of time and money to animate and color everything, but it still stands as one of the best out there. Make sure you stick around after the first episode, as the somewhat light-hearted beginning does not really prepare you for the gravity of the remaining episodes. Some of the older _Mobile Suit Gundam_ stuff may be to your liking as well. I am particularly partial to _ **Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket** _. This is a short four-episode OVA series combines awesome classic Gundam action with a very interesting love story. There are a few other recent series that might meet the OP criteria, but I’m not sure if you would consider them “good”:[ul][_] **BTOOOM!** - Like The Hunger Games or Battle Royale, imagine waking up on a jungle island with a rack of unusual grenades strapped to your body. How did I get here? Is this some kind of sick game? Must I kill the other participants? Will they try to kill me? I just want to go home![_]_ **Terra Formars** _ - Scientists sent roaches and algae to Mars in an terraforming attempt. When the first humans arrive centuries later to examine the results, they are met by legions of 8-foot-tall roach people who hate us as much as we hate roaches![_] **Arpeggio of Blue Steel** - A mysterious armada of self-aware naval vessels, “The Fleet of Fog”, destroys the world’s navies and blockades all the oceans. When a Fog submarine defects and entrusts herself to Humanity under the command of an unconventional young cadet from Japan’s National Marine Academy, we may have an opportunity to defeat the Fog once and for all.[_]_ **Legends of the Dark King** _ - If you’re familiar with _Fist of the North Star_, you’ll understand the background to this short series and recognize some of the characters. It takes place at the same time, telling the story of Kenshiro’s older brother Raoh and his rise to power.[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/38 "2016-02-11T20:28:18Z")
If you’re willing to consider books, I’m currently reading the first [volume](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha_(manga)) of Osamu Tezuka’s _Buddha_. It has many of the usual artistic tropes, but it’s subject matter is far from humorous. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576/39 "2016-02-11T22:52:42Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I liked Trigun, but I don’t know if a series with a main character named “Vash the Stampede” can fit the OP’s criteria. I remember it being pretty heavy on the comedy side. Vash the Stampede is an awesome name and fits the character. And the comedy perfectly balances for when Vash gets all bad ass. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-humorous-anime-geared-towards-teens-and-adults/745576.md?page=1)