I thought I would post this to show to people that contrary to popular belief I am interested in what you think or your opinions.
Here is the deal. For years now I have been scared off of the Anime style of Feature Length films. You see for a while, I was quite taken with the idea of feature lenght Anime movies. A local shop had an impressive collection for rent, and I decided to give a few a try.
Problem was, I tended to select the “not suited for children” titles, since I was after something with a mature storyline, perhaps some violence, and very high quality animation. That and I was hoping to avoid all the Sailor Moon/CardCaptor types of movies that just catered to kids. Stuff like Akira and Bubblegum Crisis/Crash had this sort of rating and the Hayao Miyazaki films also made my “safe list”. Also things like Gatchaman or Macross Plus are nifty cool.
This of course lead me to discover that there is a LOT of crap out there, and even more that is not simply “not for kids” but most certainly ONLY FOR ADULTS! .. basically “adult movies” (really disturbingly creepy ones too.. aliens and animal people.. shudder)
So I stopped trying. But I have always liked that sort of film.
So here is the challenge, Anime fans. Tell me what is really worth watching.
If it falls under what most would call a film R or NC-17 rating, I am ok with that. Not porn. Keep in mind that I dislike reading a movie. English dubbed is preferred. (This is not to spark a debate about dubbing over subtitles) I like good action, detailed animation, likeable characters, and creative designs.
There you have it. So what am I renting next?
well i dont know what the other guys sed cos i didnt bother to read what they had to say, so i dont know if im repeating.
well cowboy bepop i ok.
beserk is my best folowed by trigun.
neo genisus eva is good if you wanna screw with your mind, and if you like that try furi kuri.
dont watch robotech thats shit
The best anime i have seen so far would have to be inuyasha!!!! U have got to watch the series before you can appretiate the movies…there will be 4, only 2 are out not. INUYASHA: 1)THE LOVE THAT TRANSENDS TIME and 2)CASTLE IN THE SKY…..U should also watch princess monoke and castle in the sky(but they are more “primitive”…i find it not as interesting cause im 16 and the characters are so young
ghost in the shell : SAC / dead leaves (production I.G … end sept in usa) / ninja scroll (korean dvd is cheap) / galaxy express (korean dvds of serie(S) and film(S) available) / last exile (just started watching this… nice) / pom poko (inflatable testicles / stretchy scrotums… otherwise innocent “kids film”) / rurouni kenshin (long series, jidaegeki or chambara in style… higly regarded) / patlabor (movies x 3 : nice) / now then here there (deep and solid series – out in USA) / boogiepop phantom (superb apparently) / beserk (violent with functional animation… quite good) / spriggan (great animation – out in USA) / kite (uncut dvd in USA soon) / mezzo forte (out in USA) / … wolfs rain (maybe… series, nice production values… deepish story) : apart from all these anime seems to be very derivative and cliched in approach. more likely to find solid adult stories in live actions films… but some anime is great. i am getting back into it after long break cos the production values are going up and thats a major plus in my book – i like deep stories, but i love great animation… oh and all the GHIBLI films are superb… but expensive on japanese dvd – i couldnt resist!
As far as i can see, the 13 episodes of “serial experiments lain” are not yet mentioned. if you like cyberspace themes, then this is definetly one for you.
Not an anime in the common sense is “Wonderful Days”, because it’s an korean movie. That shouldn’t bother you – wonderful days offers a nicely written, well told and grown up sf-story, massive and absolutely brillant cgi-work and a beautiful soundtrack.
I watched the first volumn of “Now And Then, Here And There” and I’m not sure if I see what you mean by “Disney innocence”. I found it pretty dark and brutal, especially considering that much of the violence takes place against children. Not trying to argue, or say you’re wrong (after all, I only saw the first 4 episodes… maybe things get better later on), but I remember being a little disturbed at how bleak things were.
I will agree, though, that the story seemed really interesting, and I keep meaning to go back and check out the rest of the series. I’m always tempted to pick up the box set whenever I see it.
Ok, pretty much series have been put down here, as well as movies. And most of them are good and more than good.
Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue, Vampire Hunter D:Bloodlust, all the Ghibli productions and a few more are a must see movies.
As Tracy said, although you’re not so much interested in watching long TV series, Berserk deserves to be seen, over and over other ones. Trust Tracy ;)
Moreover, there’s one mini-series (13 episodes) that i liked very much: “Now and then, here and there”. It’s english dubbed, for sure. It’s kinda of a Ghibli story mixed with some sort of Disney innocence, well animated (but no espectacular), and with a good story-telling. Don’t miss it ;)
And “Escaflowne, the Movie” is also a good option. It’s not necessary to have seen the series (the movie is an adaptation of the series), the animation is real good, and characters and story worth the watching.
PD: I’m sorry about my english XD
“BeRserk”
My apologies to da fans.
Just did a little research, and thanks to Roger Ebert, found an anime called Pom Poko where “cute little animals crush their enemies with enormous testicles.”
It’s a kids movie.
I’m hoping like hell it isn’t the one you mentioned above, Rodney.
Anyway, I’d just like to say that I thought Beserk had the worst ending EVER. (and when I say that, I mean the last episode, not the first one – non chronological.) I’m sure there might be some sadistic artistic value in it, but it still creeps me out. Very “adult”, if you’re wondering. I also heard the manga goes farther than the series, but still, I’ll never know since I don’t read manga.
Since it’s back in my memory now, I’m gonna go into a corner and cry. sniff sniff. Worst ending EVER.
yeah, its that really nasty sicko stuff that turned me off of random anime hunting to begin with.
I dont recall the name (blocked from memory due to therapy) but I saw this one that looked like such a good concept. It was a futuristic world that still held medieval traditions, and it was peaceful.
Openning scene shows just how peaceful – children running through feilds of fresh flowers, lovers having a quiet romantic walk by the clean riverside. Then starcruisers from a waring alien race cast shadows over their prestine utopia, and monster aliens with large tenticles and pointy weapons march out and proceed to kill the men and violate the women with their oversized genetalia until they tear their victims apart (with aforementioned genetalia).
Traumatized. That was no more than 3 mins past the credits. I returned it so fast just to prove I didnt watch it.
Horrified.
So does that mean you don’t want to see and Hentai movies with monsters with penis tentacles then? Shame.
NAAAAH. I kid. I kid because I love and I wouldn’t be caught dead with any of that nonsense in my home either.
Good hunting Rodney.
The animation quality in movies versus tv is true for some titles, but there are studios that buck that trend. Production IG, Clamp, Madhouse, Sunrise … there are others but those are ones I look for. If their name is on it, it’s quality regardless of what medium it was produced for.
Oh … the three episode OVA of Read Or Die is an awful lot of fun, too …
Oh.. and for the record I wish CyberSix lasted longer than one season.
If you haven’t seen this. You need to. 13 Episodes. Very cool and unique animation style.
And VERY likable characters.
Wow. You have given me a lot to look out for. I am seriously trying to see ALL of the ones that are mentioned by more than one poster (that doesnt mean post twice to make me lol)
To clarify my R/NC17 rating preference. This doesnt mean they must be that rating, I just found it a good rule of thumb to avoid the mindless bright colour flashy pokemon/beyblade/YuGiOh type shows, while still avoiding the blatant perverted psycho porn stuff. Its a general benchmark, so dont be afraid to suggest things on either side of that line. Just dont bother if its basically just porn.
As for my preference for Feature length movies, I will make the comparison of the Original Transformer series (anyone under the age of 25 might not know what I mean by original so let me say “before Transformers the movie” or 1984)
The Transformer TV series was good. Loved it. LOTS of fond memories there. But the feature length movie was SO MUCH BETTER in animation style, soundtrack and quality. I feel this tends to apply to the series vs feature film of the anime genre as well. Not to say that idea is absolute. I am sure there are acceptions.
Keep em coming.
Pretty much the best ones have all been mentioned, except Perfect Blue. It’s on the fence of R and NC-17 in my own opinion, but still very watchable and rather insane.
sam, i don’t know who you are, but i like you.
You’re really doing yourself a disservice if you try to stick with feature length movies. Alot of the ones that are out there (other than the excellent ones already mentioned) are hashed-together pieces of series, or other crap that just didn’t work. The best Anime are the series’ for the most part. Things like Cowboy Bebop and Hellsing and Lain and Evangelion.
Alot of the good stuff is available on DVD, so if you have Netflix, just spend a few weeks watching the series’. Some of them are only available at specialty stores or online, but most of them can be found through “alternative” means. heh
Oh, and I know you don’t want to debate subbed vs. dubbed, and I agree that it’s annoying sometimes to feel like you’re missing half the movie because you’re reading so much. But after you watch subtitled movies/shows for a while, you get used to doing it quickly, and you don’t miss as much of the action anymore. And if you’ve ever tried to watch a few episodes with both dubbing and subtitles, you’ll know just how badly done the dubbing can be sometimes. For me, it ruins the experience far more than having to read a bit. I understand it’s a very personal preference for most people, but you might want to give it a try and see that as your proficiency in reading subtitles grows, so does your enjoyment.
Action oriented:
Berserk
—-Memories
Cowboy Bebop
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (vol. 1 soon to come out on DVD here)
—-Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal (I loved it without even seeing the TV series)
Rah Xephon
Record of Lodoss War (not to be confused with RoLW: Tales of the Heroic Knight)
Drama:
Serial Experiments Lain
Boogiepop Phantom
—-Voices of a Distant Star
—-Grave of the Fireflies
—-Jin-Roh
12 Kingdoms (starts off slow, but gets really good by the middle of the second volume)
Comedy
His and Her Circumstances
Mahoromatic
—-FLCL
Love Hina
Golden Boy
The titles that are indented are movie length, the rest or TV series, most of them running 13 or 26 30 minute episodes.
ok, i know i should have, but i didn’t read all this stuff above me. here are my suggestions for you, man. they aren’t all necessarily “r rated” since i kind of like the weird more artsy kind of stuff sometimes, but anyways, here;s some good ones:
Voices of a Distant Star: It’s only about 30 minutes. A girl is sent away as part of the Space Corps (or something similar) and can only communicate with her loved one from her cell phones text messages. It sounds lame, but it was actually really cool. As she gets farther into space it takes longer and longer for her text meassages to reach earth.
Metropolis: I saw someone list this. It was really good and I got a kick out of the animation style.
Tokyo Godfathers: Also listed and a must-see, i think. It’s sort of a Christmas fairy tale, only it’s about bums, and one of them is a drag queen.
Grave of the Fireflies: One of the most depressing movies I’ve ever seen. But that doesn’t take away from the quality. A really good movie in the sense that “The Hiding Place” was a really good movie.
Cat Soup (*definitely* watch this): This movie was totally surreal and awesome. Reminded me of the Quay brothers a little bit, some of the imagery. Almost no dialogue. Watch it once regularly and then once with the commentary by the director. It’s pretty short.
Berserk: If you have not seen this anime you NEED to watch it (if i could have underlined NEED right there, i would have. that’s how much emphasis i am placing on NEED). The first episode will have you confused. The second even more so. The entire series is a flashback. When you finish the last episode, re-watch episode one. If you do not watch Berserk you will be seriously depriving yourself. I’m not joking about this. If you don’t watch anything I’ve suggested, at least try Berserk. Also, please keep in mind that the manga continues after the series.
Hellsing: Also a very good anime series. However, the manga was soo much better. The same goes for Lupin III (but castle of cagliostro WAS cool). Alucard just *bleeds* cool (ha ha! vampire joke!)
Excel Saga: You may not like this one at all. It’s an acquired taste. The thing I like most is the obscure references they make all the time, so obscure you might not even catch it if you know what they’re talking about. Try not to watch more than one or two episodes at a time though, or you’ll overload your brain.
Record of Lodoss War: A D&D geek’s dream. If you like fantasy you’ll like this. Try Bastard! as well. It was ok.
Twelve Kingdoms: Not so much a really adult series, but I found it very interesting and exciting. I liked it. Some people say it’s like Fushugi Yugi or something but more realistic and generally better, but I never saw that other show, so I don’t know.
As you can tell, I don’t watch that much conventional anime like Wolf’s Rain or YuGiOh or any of that stuff. I’m not saying I don’t like it; there’s just so much more I haven’t seen yet. I am, however, an Inuyasha fan, which came as something of a surprise to me. I liked the Ranma 1/2 series, and some say that Inuyasha is just a clone of that mixed with history, but I disagree. If you watch a few episodes, you’ll see that it’s got some pretty neat monsters and the storyline is really involved. The middle seasons get a little tedious, but the action picks up again shortly thereafter. I wouldn’t suggest to anyone that they watch Inuyasha until I met them though, and got an idea for their personal tastes because some people just don’t like that sort of thing.
Anyhow, there’s some good anime. I know there’s more, because I own much more than that, but not all of it is really adult. Oh, another good one if you kind of want something silly is DNA^2(squared). It’s VERY silly at points, and makes good use of panty and butt-shots :)
Tamala’s not worth the effort to track down. Some interesting visuals but not much else …
Another one that I’ve got a weak spot for is the tv series X. The plot borrows from a lot of other shows, but the characters are good and the artwork is stunning.
Plenty of great titles have already been mentioned. I’d also recommend Satoshi Kon’s stuff, which is probably some of the best mature (but not “mature”) anime I’ve seen. “Perfect Blue” just left me speechless, and “Millennium Actress” was quite powerful as well.
“Jin-Roh” is a very, very solid work. Definitely for thinking adults who want something more challenging.
“Voices Of A Distant Star” is only 30 minutes or so in length, but a very moving and lovely experience. What’s even cooler is that it was done by just one guy on his computer. I’ve seen some previews of his upcoming work, “The Place Promised To Us In Our Youth” (or something like that), and it looks incredible.
“Witch Hunter Robin” is currently available here in the West. I think they’re up to volume 6 or 7 already.
I just finished watching the “Haibane Renmei” series, which is very excellent. Reminds me quite a bit of Miyazaki, with some darker, more ambiguous undertones. However, right now I am absolutely loving “Last Exile”. I’m really surprised more people aren’t talking about this one. Great story, cool characters, amazing artwork and animation – this one has it all. If you’re a fan of Miyazaki’s “Castle In The Sky”, you really need to see this one.
I second the “Castle Of Cagliostro” recommendation. Watched this a few months ago and it was an absolute blast.
I’d also recommend “Memories”. It’s a collection of 3 short anime films, each directed by a different person. All are pretty decent, but the first one, “Magnetic Rose”, is simply amazing.
“Iria: Zeiram The Animation” is pretty fun… cute girl, big guns, lots of explosions… it’s all good.
“Macross Plus” is really, really solid. Probably one of my first fave titles.
I’d also recommend the “Samurai X” movies: “Trust”, “Betrayal”, and “Reflection”. However, they’re far more enjoyable if you’ve seen any of the “Rurouni Kenshin” series, which is also really, really good. Or at least the first season (which is all I’ve basically seen) is.
Yeah, I had a buddy in the Navy who just LOVED anime….I watched Akira with him, Ninja Scroll….Several others that bordered on “adult oriented”….The only ones that I really truly enjoyed though were Vampire Hunter D and Ghost in
the Shell….Years later, I’m out of the Navy and I happened to see Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust advertised and was like “did I see that one?” and
watched it…..sweeeeeeeeettttttt……I still think that nothing will take the place of live-action though….maybe I’m just spoiled…
Sorry! I missed.
“Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer”
Feature Length was directed
by Mamoru Oshii.
However there are no robot but amazing storyline.
Hi from Tokyo. I’m not an anime freak just an ordinary Japanese. But I can tell you popular Anime Series in 1980’s.
Galaxy express 999
Series by Leiji Matsumoto
Lupin the 3rd TV Series
“Lupin the 3rd The Castle of Cagliostro”
Feature Length was directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Picaresque. Lupin the 3rd is not only a thief but also cool guy.
TV Series
“Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer”
Feature Length was directed by Mamoru Miyazaki.
This film is great! Philosophical, Cynical, interesting!
Good luck!
Two words my freinds: Ninja Scroll.
Make sure you get the movie and not the series or the two companion pieces Ninja Ressurection.
Bubba and I caught Tamala 2010. Weird ain’t the word brother. I would put this in the F-d Up category. Forgettable. You just don’t know what to say afterwards. I would suggest that Rodney get at least a couple years of anime viewing behind him before he even thinks about tackling that.
I remember something about Pioneer bringing out Witchhunter Robin though I haven’t seen it yet.
Some of the original Gundam minis are cool. Gundam 0080 and 0083 were short and good. Escaflowne is another big robot one that you may like. But if you go big robots then a must have is the original Macross/Robotech series.
Bezerk had enough violence to choke a horse. And I liked Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Big space battles. Political back story. A couple episodes of each and you would know.
The only good thing about western releases of anime TV series is that they only release a couple episodes at a time so you can grab a disc or tape and try them out. It only becomes a HUGE pain in the ass when you want to invest in a series. Then you’re better off heading to Spadina/Dundas [Rodney = local right?] and grabbing box sets from a couple shops that Bubba or I can direct you to. Or some web-sites.
as others have said, the films directed by satoshi kon. mains one being perfect blue and millenium actress.
Movies:
Only Yesterday (Ghibli, but not Miyazaki) is grown up and mature…but not “mature,” if you know what I mean. Subtitled, but rumor is Disney will release it in the States/Canada in December.
Metropolis. I know people either love it or hate it, but I am in the “love it” category. The future set in the 20s and 30s (kind of like Batman), robots, and much of the like.
Has anyone seen “Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space”? It was in town and I missed it. It’s supposedly quite weird.
I’m also somewhat deficent in the anime movie category. A was scrolling a list of movies, and many of them are simply movies of TV shows…and Ghibli of course.
Three series to strongly recommend: Haibane Renmei, Boogiepop Phantom, and Kino’s Jounrey. All are adult in nature, but not “adult.”
I guess that since my name has been dropped I better chime in here and offer some sort of yummy anime goodness. But I don’t know what else to say that hasn’t already been said by Brandon and Bubba. Let me paruse my wall of DVDs for a sec… … … …
Well the only other series that hasn’t been mentioned here that I really loved was Initial D. Excellent story pacing. It becomes a bit redundant because all they do is race cars and talk about racing cars. But you always had to watch the next one to find out what happens.
Perhaps others like Kite, Gunsmith Cats, OutlawStar and Nina Scroll may tickle your fancy and other places need not be mentioned here.
Anime is a hard nut to crack because I can love something and you’ll watch it and think that I’m on crack. But you’ll never know until you try.
But a resounding YES to Witchhunter Robin, Neo Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bepop and FLCL.
Allow me to clear something up. In my original post I listed the Hayao Miyazaki films, which is the guy behind Studio Ghibli.
Those films include (but not limited to) Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Nausica√§ of the Valley of the Winds(my fav), Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro.
Most of which I have copies of here at home.
Sorry for the confusion.
I was excited nobody else recommended Satoshi Kon’s stuff. It’ sone of my great geek joys to pass great stuff on to others
Perfect Blue is quite an interesting film containing elements of violence and sexuality but presenting them with an eye to telling a worthwhile story.
Tokyo Godfather’s is a wonderful bit of whimsy. I have a review of it on my site
http://imaginedat.net/dvdcurrent7.htm#tokyo
and really recomend you pick it up.
Millenium Actress is also very well liked and respected by those who share your tastes in anime.
I wanted to let you know I was just having some fun about the whole Lucas thing. I’m certainly not the last word about Star Wars or even less serious things
Jin Roh. Absolutely Jin Roh. One of the finest pieces of film making I’ve ever seen. It’s amazing.
You can’t really go wrong with any of the studio Ghibli stuff.
Bebop is excellent, and really the show doesn’t help that much when it comes to the feature … you’ll be more familiar with the characters, but that’s it. There’s no story line carry over between the show and film.
Witch Hunter Robin is excellent if you can find it … not sure if those shows have started releasing yet.
All of the Production IG stuff is required. That’s Ghost in the Shell, Blood The Last Vampire, FLCL … Blood’s too short and FLCL is absolutely manic. I wouldn’t use it as a starting point, but once you’ve got your feet wet it’s a great watch.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is also pretty much required viewing, but be prepared to invest a fair amount of time. It needs to be watched sequentially.
Grave of the Fireflies
Spirited Away
the ones that were mentioned already are also great
I would second Ghost in the Shell, but I have my reservations about the dubbed version. I have some problems with the casting and execution…just doesn’t match the Japanese characterization (well, that and having gotten used to the voices from the Stand Alone Complex TV series). Keep in mind it isn’t as grand in scope as Akira or even Macross Plus, but it’s still good. There’s also a fair bit of gratuitous female nudity…but you know, I didn’t really mind. Nothing too upsetting I’m sure.
Cowboy Bebop the flick also was fun, but I agree that watching the series first adds a lot(or even in chronological order – the movie takes place between ep. 22 and 23), even though it might not be absolutely necessary.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but I remember liking The Wings of Honneamise. A few adult situations, like you want, but again nothing terrible. Low on violence though, if I remember.
I also remember liking Patlabor 1 and 2, though it’s been ages since I’ve seen those too. Princess Mononoke is probably worth a shot, too. The all-star voice cast probably makes it more accessible.
KungFuGuy would know more good stuff, I’m sure. Ask him.
I have heard about Cowboy Bebop, and watched a bit part way through (it was playing at the comic shop I plan on renting from) It seemed confusing, but it was part way through, and I hadnt seen the shows.
I have seen Ghost in the Shell and I am curious about the sequel. Also, Princess Mononoke, (it is one of the Hayao Miyazaki films) and loved it.
Looks like Vampire Hunter D and its sequel are on my rental list now.
Vampire Hunter D, the original is definitely good but dated, the second film Vampire Hunter D – Bloodlust is definitely a must see… I would also say Cowboy Bebop the Movie is a fun one, came out of a TV series but the shows are not a pre-req to watching the movie (I would definitely recommend the shows though too!) I would imagine you’ve seen the seminal (second only to Akira I would say) Ghost In The Shell movie? While kind of fantasy based the Princess Mononoke movie was interesting (visually and storyline)..
Vampire Hunter D, the original is definitely good but dated, the second film Vampire Hunter D – Bloodlust is definitely a must see… I would also say Cowboy Bebop the Movie is a fun one, came out of a TV series but the shows are a pre-req to watching the movie (I would definitely recommend the shows though too!) I would imagine you’ve seen the seminal (second only to Akira I would say) Ghost In The Shell movie? While kind of fantasy based the Princess Mononoke movie was interesting (visually and storyline)..
Coming from a rookie anime guy….I’m not a big fan of anime but I’ve seen a few that blew my mind….Have you seen Vampire Hunter D? Those are sweeeeeeeeetttttttttt……