# Reccomend a good anime that can be enjoyed by adults
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [August 25, 2005, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532 "2005-08-25T03:36:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/1 "2005-08-25T03:36:51Z")
Good as in a good plot and characters. It doesn’t have to be hentai-(I have yet to watch a “good” hentai :rolleyes: ).
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/2 "2005-08-25T03:50:28Z")
[Ghost In The Shell](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113568/)
[Appleseed](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401233/)
[Spirited Away](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245429/)
I wont bother listing more; I’m sure others will want to give their favorites. Those 3 are all good solid stories, tho without a lot of the annoying stereotypical anime crap.
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### Author:  [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/3 "2005-08-25T04:02:29Z")
**Princess Mononoke**
**Spirited Away**
**Cowboy Bebop**
**Deep Blue**
**Castle in the Sky**
**Ghost in the Shell**
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### Author:  [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/4 "2005-08-25T04:16:23Z")
Excellent suggestions from **Bo**. My own recommends:
[Akira](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094625/)
[Patlabor 1](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100339/)
[Patlabor 2](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124770/)
[Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093207/)
[Cowboy Bebop](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0213338/) This is a six-disk, 26 episode TV series, with a feature-length movie titled [Cowboy Bebop: The Movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275277/) set between episodes 22 & 23 of the series. Bebop rules.
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### Author:  [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/5 "2005-08-25T04:20:44Z")
Oh, and the anime sequence in **Kill Bill Vol. 1**
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### Author:  [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/6 "2005-08-25T10:58:16Z")
I want to second the reccomendations for the Patlabor movies. Pretty good ‘hard’ SF. A bit of talking heads problems, but still great characters and nice action sequences.
I’ll also be mean enough to reccomend [Grave of the Fireflies](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/). It’s a great film, it’s also a tear jerker of the first water. Be warned.
Before I offer other reccomendations, can you tell us what sort of regular movies you prefer?
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### Author:  [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/7 "2005-08-25T11:08:51Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#):
>
> I want to second the reccomendations for the Patlabor movies. Pretty good ‘hard’ SF. A bit of talking heads problems, but still great characters and nice action sequences.
>
> I’ll also be mean enough to reccomend [Grave of the Fireflies](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/). It’s a great film, it’s also a tear jerker of the first water. Be warned.
>
> Before I offer other reccomendations, can you tell us what sort of regular movies you prefer?
I like Sci-Fi and Comedy movies. I also like a good thriller like Usual Suspect.
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### Author:  [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/8 "2005-08-25T11:40:13Z")
I second and third the recommendations for Spirited Away.
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### Author:  [@Corporate\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corporate_Hippie)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/9 "2005-08-25T13:32:07Z")
Are you just looking specifically for feature-length anime movies or would you be interested in watching a series? Watching a series is more of a commitment but I’d say that a good one is more engrossing and rewarding than a movie. Oh well, I’ll just list some good anime movies for now:
People have listed a couple of Hayao Miyazaki’s works, all of which are fantastic and are usually accessible even to the “not-really-into-anime” anime crowd. Here are some of his works that haven’t been mentioned yet:
[Howl’s Moving Castle](http://imdb.com/title/tt0347149/)
[Porco Rosso](http://imdb.com/title/tt0104652/)
[Kiki’s Delivery Service](http://imdb.com/title/tt0097814/)
[My Neighbor Totoro](http://imdb.com/title/tt0096283/)
[Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds](http://imdb.com/title/tt0087544/)
Those are all fantastic movies, although they’re not really geared specifically towards adults (they are kid-friendly, but most adults can appreciate them.)
If you’re looking for more mature fare, here are some other movies that haven’t been suggested yet:
[Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade](http://imdb.com/title/tt0193253/) (dark action sci-fi)
[Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence](http://imdb.com/title/tt0347246/) ( futuristic action sci-fi, sequel to Ghost in the Shell)
[Millenium Actress](http://imdb.com/title/tt0291350/) (drama)
[Tokyo Godfathers](http://imdb.com/title/tt0388473/) (drama-comedy)
[Vampire Hunter D](http://imdb.com/title/tt0090248/) & it’s sequel…
[Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust](http://imdb.com/title/tt0216651/) (both fantasy/sci-fi action)
[Metropolis](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0293416/) (sci-fi action drama)
If you’re looking for a specific genre I can list some more (there are a lot more sci-fi action animes out there), and if you’re ready to take the plunge into watching a series, I can recommend those until I’m blue in the face.
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### Author:  [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/10 "2005-08-25T13:55:02Z")
> [@BluePitbull](#):
>
> I like Sci-Fi and Comedy movies.
It’s a series, not a movie, but I’d highly recommend [Irresponsible Captain Tylor](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106076/), if you can find it. I’m not sure how much traction it’s gained in the US. It’s not hard SF by any means; the setting is more akin to Wing Commander. The writing and animation are absolutely brilliant, with some of the cleverest plot twists I’ve seen in anime. It’s a _little_ on the kiddy side, being light-hearted in tone, but the ideas and philosophies espoused are definitely mature.
If you’re looking for a thriller, [Perfect Blue](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0156887/) may be worth your while. It’s a disturbing but solid, engaging thriller. I wouldn’t watch it again, but I vastly prefer light-hearted stuff and typically avoid thrillers in general.
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### Author:  [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/11 "2005-08-25T14:06:19Z")
> [@Corporate Hippie](#):
>
> People have listed a couple of Hayao Miyazaki’s works, all of which are fantastic and are usually accessible even to the “not-really-into-anime” anime crowd. Here are some of his works that haven’t been mentioned yet:
> …
>
> …Those are all fantastic movies, although they’re not really geared specifically towards adults (they are kid-friendly, but most adults can appreciate them.)
I should point out that Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds and Princess Mononoke are actually pretty violent. Not to the extent of Kill Bill or anything, but they might not be appropriate for small kids.
I’ve started catching a show called Samurai Champloo on Cartoon Network. Its style should be familiar to Cowboy Bebop fans (same director).
Some of the shorts found in The Animatrix are pretty good.
Segments were directed by Peter Chung (Aeon Flux, Reign the Conquerer), Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Demon City Shinjuku, Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D, X), Andy Jones (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within), and Shinichirô Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus).
So in a way, it’s kind of an anime sampler.
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### Author:  [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/12 "2005-08-25T14:49:29Z")
Good hentai (they are quite rare):
Swallowtail Inn
Fencer of Minerva
Wordsworth Saga
Slave Warrior Maya Ops of Cool Devices Series
There are several others, but they don’t come to mind immediately.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/13 "2005-08-25T15:35:25Z")
\
I knew someone would eventually recommend it, and so I gotta throw my $.02 in about **Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust**. Avoid this movie. At the very least it’s a terrible place to start watching anime. I never saw the first movie, but I was told that it wasn’t necessary in order to understand this one. They were right about that much, at least.Read my review of it at [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0216651/usercomments-53](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0216651/usercomments-53). YMMV, of course.
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### Author:  [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/14 "2005-08-25T16:40:39Z")
I like the Vampire Hunter D movies. They’re much better than Blade.
Honestly, I’d avoid Ninja Scroll and Ghost in the Shell (two “classics” to watch.) Ghost in the Shell is confusing as hell, even if you’ve watched and enjoyed something like Blade Runner, and Ninja Scroll loses me somewhere with the plot and tries to make up for it with lots of nudity and blood.
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### Author:  [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/15 "2005-08-25T16:49:05Z")
I’m usually an anime-hater, but I love what I’ve seen of Cowboy Bebop and enjoyed Trigun, and the film Metropolis is excellent.
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### Author:  [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/16 "2005-08-25T17:07:45Z")
If you like comedy and SF, I’d suggest the following TV series, if you can find them:
Irresponsible Captain Tylor. Grand fun, as **BayleDomon** said. You spend about 90% of the series wondering if Tylor is really that lucky, or does he actually have a clue hiding around somewhere, after all.
I’d also like to plug the Patlabor TV series and OVAs. They have a very different feel than the two movies. The two movies are pretty much straight SF, well thought out, and good, but not much like the OVA or TV series. The easiest way I’ve heard to describe Patlabor to someone who’s not seen it before is to call it “Hill Street Blues, with giant robots.”
Another TV series that I enjoyed and believe is pretty accessible for the neophyte is Vision of Escaflowne. The ending to the series is a little weak, but overall it’s still good fun.
(Why, yes, I like giant robots. Doesn’t everyone?)
Miyazaki’s films are great fun, too. And should be relatively easy to find, these days. In addition to ones listed by **Corporate Hippie** , there is also [Castle in the Sky](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092067/), and [Castle of Cagliostro](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079833/).
A word of warning about Cagliostro - it’s actually a movie using Monkey Punch’s Lupin III (or Rupan) characters. While the character designs are recognizable, the characters in Miyazaki’s film are noticably nicer than in other Lupin movies. (Some of which are still great fun - just different. I’d reccomend [The Fuma Conspiracy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093896/), if you can find it.)
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### Author:  [@Emerald\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emerald_Hawk)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/17 "2005-08-25T17:14:57Z")
People have mentioned the Ghost in the Shell movies, but honestly I like the series, [Stand Alone Complex](http://www.ghostintheshell.tv/index2.html) even better. Some of the episodes are action, a couple comedy, and some even come close to being hard sci-fi. More than a few of the episodes had great “holy crap” moments at the end that I loved so much about the Usual Suspects. That said, it helps if you can watch them in order (or in Japanese).
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### Author:  [@Big\_Willie\_Shakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Willie_Shakes)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/18 "2005-08-25T19:24:14Z")
> [@asterion](#):
>
> I like the Vampire Hunter D movies. They’re much better than Blade.
This is said a lot about anime, but it’s especially true of Vampire Hunter D - avoid the dubbed version. It’s one of the most destructive dubbing jobs I’ve ever seen. Characters are given lines that are not in the original (i.e. at the beginning when the head vampire explains to his victim who he is), major plot points are changed or removed, bad synthesizer music is added to scenes that were silent in the original, and even the sounds that some of the monsters make are changed. Elements like implied rape and suicide are stricken from the script, yet the violence and nudity are left in.
Vampire Hunter D was a guilty pleasure because of it’s cheesiness until I saw the original, now it’s a non-guilty pleasure.
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### Author:  [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/19 "2005-08-25T20:29:05Z")
> [@asterion](#):
>
> Honestly, I’d avoid Ninja Scroll and Ghost in the Shell (two “classics” to watch.) Ghost in the Shell is confusing as hell, .
I agree with avoiding Ghost in The Shell, although not Ninja Scroll…I think it;s a great movie.
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### Author:  [@Typically\_Sunday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typically_Sunday)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-a-good-anime-that-can-be-enjoyed-by-adults/318532/20 "2005-08-25T21:23:08Z")
Another giant vote for **Cowboy Bebop**.
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