Ask John: Can John Recommend Some Serious Anime?

Question:
My favorite type of anime is the more serious types. I loved Elfen Lied and Berserk. And Black Lagoon isn’t a terrible show. But I am looking for more. I could use a break from the light hearted stories for real, gritty, and tough plot lines. Berserk had the flaw of not having been completed and Black Lagoon is gritty but doesn’t seem to have an overall story line.

Can you name some more tough and real and dark themed anime both that have and those that have not been released here in America? And I don’t mean it has to be as evil as Berserk, but just a more serious tone (Tokyo Godfathers falls into this category).

Answer:
Serious, dramatic anime has always been less prevalent in Japan than lighthearted, romantic, adventurous anime. But that’s not to say that there’s any lack of either anime filled with grim themes and violence or anime that aims for a dramatic, adult tone. An attempt to comprehensively introduce even a small portion of this type of anime is much too exhaustive for the scope of a single brief response. So rather than attempt to be comprehensive, I’ll just provide some direction for further investigation.

American anime fans that are fairly aware of the variety of anime titles available in America are likely familiar with series including Basilisk, Speed Grapher, Hellsing, Strait Jacket, Exgo Proxy, Noein, Death Note, Flag, and Witch Hunter Robin that deliver varying degrees of intelligent story and intense, graphic action. But viewers willing to invest a bit of time and effort into a treasure hunt may be rewarded with a variety of other forgotten domestic releases with similar content. It’s almost difficult to believe that series including Gankutsuou, Paranoia Agent, Texhnolyze, and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures are now out of print in America. The atmospheric and intelligent Serial Experiments Lain is likewise out of circulation on American DVD. And collectors searching for grim, grotesque, and exciting action and violence should consider tracking down former American releases including the Shadow Skill, Violence Jack, Devilman, and Angel Cop OVA series, Puppet Princess, and Baoh.

Because of the American consumer audience’s taste for anime that seems adult oriented – especially due to its inclusion of intense action and violence – most contemporary anime of this ilk do eventually reach American release. However, there are a few that haven’t yet reached America. Probably the most notable absence is Madhouse’s 2004 series Monster, based on the manga by Naoki Urasawa. American live action adaptation rights to this suspense thriller were secured in 2005, and the manga has been available in America since early 2006, yet the 74 episode anime TV series remains unavailable in America. Similarly, Madhouse’s multiple award winning 2007 television series Denno Coil remains unavailable in America. Much like Serial Experiments Lain, Denno Coil depicts a contemporary society in which the internet has permeated daily life to the extent that the two worlds literally overlap and begin to have a dangerous influence upon each other. Certain viewers may be discouraged from watching Denno Coil because of its overt appearance as a children’s anime, but that assumption belies the show’s exceptional depth of character, drama, imagination, and narrative complexity.

The 2007 Skull Man television series is another title unexpectedly absent from American circulation. With the resurgent popularity of Batman and America’s penchant for dark, gothic, anti-hero anime, I would have imagined this series to be a certain American license. The fact that it’s a Bones production further makes its absence in America inexplicable, since nearly every anime title Bones has produced has been released domestically. Skull Man is an enigmatic series that develops slowly and keeps its intentions to itself. That slow to unfold structure may partially explain why the series isn’t better known to American viewers.

The 2000 Amon: Apocalypse of Devilman OVA is also a somewhat inexplicable no-show in America. Although this single episode may be slightly confusing for viewers entirely unfamiliar with Go Nagai’s Devilman lore, the art design, spectacularly violent action, and intriguing psychological conflicts illustrated in the video still make this interesting viewing for anime fans fascinated by action and horror.

The 1986 Arion motion picture is a disappointing vacancy in American anime releasing. This big budget dramatic action epic based on Greek mythology isn’t a flawless film. It’s a bit over-long; its pacing is a bit lubrigious; and it arguably attempts to cover a bit more than would best serve the film’s structure. But the Arion movie is gorgeous, well animated, very ambitious, and sadly very under appreciated and forgotten.

2008 has provided anime viewers with an abundance of both intelligent and intense anime. In fact, there have been too many relevant TV productions just this year alone for me to cover them all. So I’ll just mention a few that I think are worthy of singular notice, beginning with Mnemosyme. This impressive six episode series updates the giddy creative excess of over-the-top 80s anime like Hagane no Oni and Battle Royal High School with contemporary animation and sophistication. The story about the struggles of immortal women to survive against opposing supernatural forces lays on plenty of sexuality & gruesome violence, but doesn’t skimp on character development or an intriguing, subtle illustration of the passage of time and its effects on society.

The current Kurozuka television series similarly deals with immortals passing through time from Japan’s feudal era to a post-apocalyptic future. Although it shares only superficial similarities to the Highlander franchise, Kurozuka both looks and feels closer to an ideal Highlander anime than the literal Highlander: Search for Vengeance anime movie does. Kurozuka has plenty of intense, graphic violence. It also has the tone of tragic romance evident in the original 1986 Highlander movie but absent from later incarnations.

The latest in a long line of gambling anime, the current One Outs television series pitches a decidedly unusual approach to betting on baseball. Rather than betting on winning or losing, One Outs focuses its gambling on the most minute specificity of a single pitcher’s ability. Serving as a sort of companion piece to the brilliant 2005 gambling anime series Akagi, One Outs generates phenomenal tension by giving viewers a look at a man with an uncanny ability to psychologically manipulate and intimidate others with his insight and knowledge. One Outs doesn’t contain any significant violence, yet it’s still just as captivating and engrossing as any breathtaking action anime.

Wolf & Spice and Kurenai are both near the top of my personal list of 2008’s best TV anime. Both series revolve around establishing then developing relationships between a young man and a girl alien to conventional society. Wolf & Spice excels at depicting a believable, functioning medieval fantasy world. Kurenai concentrates heavily on illustrating the development and maturation of its protagonists through their influence on each other. The leading ladies of both titles are exceptionally intelligent and insightful, making them a joy to watch.

There are many other unique and exceptional intelligent, dramatic, and adult oriented TV anime productions from this year including Kaiba, Nijuu Mensou no Musume, Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo, Casshern Sins, Garei -Zero-, and Mouryou no Hako, just to highlight a few. Hopefully, just mentioning some of these titles will be sufficient to serve as a guidepost for further personal investigation.