Anime where Men are men, and Women, women. Childish is forbidden!

[-HyugaNeji-]

Ok, i am very critical and demanding when it comes to anime (i don't watch very much. Only the [for my taste] best stuff)

Thats what i want:

- Characters who behave and act like adults and not like cry babys or children
- Characters who look like adults and not like 8 year old kids
- Characters with normal looking bodies and proportions and not some flat something. (Seirei no moribito for example looks exactly, how i want an anime to look)

- Good storytelling. Episodes must be connected from start to finish. (I don't like anime where every episode has it's own story. GTO is the only exception, because it's funny as hell)
- Great soundtrack. Orchestral, techno, it doesn't matter as long as it suits the show.
- Great overall animation quality. And by animation i don't only mean how fast and fluid everything is drawn. I mean actual drawing quality too. Moribito (again) looks stunning in that field. Very crystal clear and full colors. Details and background are great too.
- A show, which won't embaress you, as an adult viewer, in front of other adult, non anime viewers. ( I guess 90+% of the stuff falls out then)

Genre can be Action, Political, fantasy, sci fi, mystery, crime as long as it features the points i mentioned.

To give you an example of what anime i prefer, here's a short list of what i like:

Patlabor the Movie 1-3
Ghost in the Shell Movie and series
Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust
Princess Mononoke
Seirei no Moribito
Monster
PlanetES
Black Lagoon
Street Fighter II - the animated Movie
Akira
Record of Loddoss war (OVA)
Hokuto no Ken
IRIA - Zeiram the animation
Appleseed

Those are just a few. But i hope you get, what kind of anime i prefer.

The best storyline is of no importance for me, if character designs are childish. Thats the main taboo. Looking childish (you know. Too big eyes, noisy, childish voices etc)

OVA's, Movies or Series. It doesn't matter. Though, i somehow prefer Movies and short series (up to 26 episodes) with a clear ending at the moment.

I can't wait for your suggestions, but i fear it won't be many

[Cheezy]

Humm. You may have alredy watched it but, Death Note?

[Echoes]

Have you watched Death Note yet? It's a detective fiction/psychological thriller, and the character designs are far from childish. The show is definitely not one to miss, and I didn't really find any parts of it to be juvenile. There's only one character in the show who'd be on your no-tolerance list, and she's not featured in the way you'd have a problem with, I would think.

Edit: Beaten to it, I guess, but still a few more details, so it's not a total waste.

The music and voice-acting is superb, and the plot is thrilling. The show has a supernatural aspect to it, but it's not a childish one. I would argue that it deals with issues that are important to anyone, of any age, such as

Spoiler for Death note themes:

how to deal with crime, whether or not the ends justify the means, what justice truly is and so forth.

Mayhaps you'd enjoy Welcome to the NHK as well. The drawings have a sophisticated feel to them, not overly colored or the huge eyes that you despise so much.

Spoiler for Not really much of a spoiler, just in case:

It deals with some pretty serious issues, and it addresses them in a serious manner, though there's also quite a bit of comedy in the show. The series follows a 22 year old hikikomori who has isolated himself for the last 3 years, he's confined himself in his room and barely makes it outside to buy his own food. He's also obsessed that there are conspiracies out to get him. The series revolves around him, breaking his shell and seeing him (try to) develop and move forward. A very satisfying series, with an ending and conclusion I found refreshing.

Metropolis could be a movie you would enjoy, too.

We might not have the same idea of mature, but I gave it a shot.

Cheers.

[jedinat]

Potemayo.
...j/k

You're being really picky.

Hellsing (2006)
Juuni Kokuki - main char starts out acting like an annoying crybaby, but quickly matures (a lot)

I dunno, it's hard for me to think back and remember whether an anime has "realistic" animation, cuz I don't really care as long as it's pleasing to the eye.

[devildog23]

Since I've never seen Seirei no Moribito or half of the anime you listed, I don't know exactly what you want, but I'll suggest some anyway.

Welcome to the NHK might be a good choice, although it doesn't fit into any of the listed genres...The overall series is a mature one in my opinion. It tackles the idea of being a "hikikomori" or however you spell it. I didn't even know such a word existed before watching it, but it explains that it means a person that rarely leaves the confinement of his/her home unless absolutely necessary(Not sure if thats what it means, look it up). If you need more description, google it. EDIT - Damn Echoes beat me to it, all well I second it.

Second Death Note. Also I heard Code Geass was similar to Death Note, though I haven't seen it, I'll suggest it.

Wildcards
Fate/Stay Night - Good animation, Action, good soundtrack, great story, characters aren't childishly based
Neon Genesis Evangelion - My favorite...animation quality isn't too great though(cause it was made in the 1990's), Great Story IMO, Characters act mature and amazing character development, tackles many concepts of the human psych, like social anxiety and loneliness.

ALSO off the actual suggestion topic, and just going by this quote

- A show, which won't embaress you, as an adult viewer, in front of other adult, non anime viewers. ( I guess 90+% of the stuff falls out then)

If this is suggesting that you plan on watching the show with a group, I'd suggest a comedy, like Jungle wa Itsumo Hale nochi Guu

[-HyugaNeji-]

Yeah i know i am picky. I am no anime fanatic, watching everything i can get my hands on.

Unfortunately i already watched hellsing and juuni kokki. And i liked it.

Wow how could i forget death note in my list. I already watched up to ep 20.

More suggestions plx :<

[Matrim]

Tough demands, I'd be keeping an eye on this thread because I want to watch something like that, too.

Good storytelling. Episodes must be connected from start to finish.

Why are you listing Planetes or Black Lagoon then, they hardly fit this criteria? If you can stand an episodic first half (kind of like in Planetes, I guess), you can try Noir, I can frankly say it's one of the few animes I could watch with my brother (who is a classical/art movies buff) and not feel even the little bit embarrassed. It has awesome soundtrack and maturely behaving characters.

Anyway, I second Juuni Kokuki, it's worth checking out even though the main characters are teenagers.

P.S, I know it's bad taste to comment on other recommendation but Death Note? Judging by the first post in this thread, the original poster won't be able to stand Misa for more than a minute, she is just too typically animeish childish character. Other than that it's worth a try, I guess.

[KholdStare]

I second Welcome to the NHK! as well.

Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho, and Byousoku 5 Centimeter all feature teenagers, but they don't have "childish" voices and big goggly eyes to make them moe. I also loved their plot.

Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal has everything you want pretty much.

And of course, Cowboy Bebop is known for its music and animation, with semi-episodic plots that connect on many different levels and a great watch overall.

You might want to try Kyou no Gononi also!

(Actually I was kidding.)

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by -HyugaNeji-

Thats what i want:

- Characters who behave and act like adults and not like cry babys or children
- Characters who look like adults and not like 8 year old kids
- Characters with normal looking bodies and proportions and not some flat something. (Seirei no moribito for example looks exactly, how i want an anime to look)

- Good storytelling. Episodes must be connected from start to finish. (I don't like anime where every episode has it's own story. GTO is the only exception, because it's funny as hell)
- Great soundtrack. Orchestral, techno, it doesn't matter as long as it suits the show.
- Great overall animation quality. And by animation i don't only mean how fast and fluid everything is drawn. I mean actual drawing quality too. Moribito (again) looks stunning in that field. Very crystal clear and full colors. Details and background are great too.
- A show, which won't embaress you, as an adult viewer, in front of other adult, non anime viewers. ( I guess 90+% of the stuff falls out then)

There aren't many shows that meet every single one of your criteria, but there are some that meet many of them. First, how about two episodic shows that definitely won't "embarrass you as an adult viewer in front of other adult, non anime viewers":

Bartender
Hataraki Man

Hataraki Man has a slightly stronger underlying plot line, about a woman working in a Japanese publishing house, while Bartender is pretty strictly episodic. Some people may not think the animation in either show is top-notch, but I liked them both. (For instance, wao and I agree about many shows like Noein, Dennou Coil, and Mononoke, but we disagree about Hataraki Man.) There are some quite lovely scenes in Bartender from time to time; the episode that discusses Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea comes immediately to mind. I've watched Bartender with age peers who have never seen an anime before. It also has an excellent jazz score by the Japanese group Natural High. The music in Hataraki Man is more forgettable but not bad. Still it's one of the few shows I've seen that takes on the issue of sexism in the Japanese workplace.

Next I suggest you take a look at Mononoke. This is an very unusual show with extraordinary artwork. While it's supposedly about killing demons, the demons themselves are the product of human malevolence, and that's what the show is really about. A collection of multi-episode arcs, usually two or three in each case.

You've already listed most of the longer, continuous series I would have recommended like Seirei no Moribito and Monster. I would have recommended NHK as well. You might like Saiunkoku Monogatari. It's set in a fantasy Asian universe (~T'ang China) like Junni Kokki or Seirei and has well-developed adult characters and a good score. The heroine is a feisty young woman who wants to become the first female imperial official. The show combines politics, feminism, adventure and some romance with very likeable characters. Season one is licensed; season two is currently running with subs up through ep. 5 or so.

Since you have some action shows in your list, my next recommendation would be Claymore. It's a shounen series where beautiful adult women fight an array of powerful monsters. Some people think highly of the animation in Claymore; I'm not in that group. It's fine for the material at hand, but it's the plot, score, and characterizations that make Claymore worth watching for me.

I'm surprised KholdStare didn't include Nodame Cantabile in his list of recommendations. The characters are college-aged and attending a professional classical music academy. The music in the show largely consists of performances of classical pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, etc. Often these segments can last three or four minutes in length, remarkable in my eyes for a show aimed at a general audience. On the surface Nodame is a romantic comedy, but it's really more about personal growth and perseverance. (I've been enjoying the live-action version of this show as well; it's also listed here on AS.)

Finally, on the subject of romantic comedies, you might want to watch REC. The female lead is a wannabe seiyuu who ends up living in the apartment of a junior marketing executive after a fire destroys her home. She also has a passion for Audrey Hepburn films which provide a running backdrop to the show itself. Like Bartender and Hataraki Man, there are fewer than a dozen episodes, and REC's are shorter than usual; you can watch the whole show in an evening or two.

[KholdStare]

I basically thought Nodame is a bit childish in Nodame Cantabile (even though the plot is NOT childish) so I wasn't sure if I should put it there. It's also on my top 10 list, so there's no doubt it's one of my favorite anime. I'm just not sure if it really fits the criteria.

[SeijiSensei]

I guess I'd agree about Nodame's behavior, but the rest of the characters are pretty adult (well, maybe not Masumi-chan ), and NC meets most of -HyugaNeji-'s other criteria (story, music, etc.). The quality of animation varies from pedestrian in some places to excellent in others, particularly the portrayal of the actual performances. The animation of the pianists' hands, for instance, made me think they used filming or motion capture to underpin the animations.

[Niji]

Check out at own risk, as usual:

Basilisk - I found it a Ninja show with and for grownups. The eyes of some of the chars look like puppy eyes, which set me off. But the rest of the show was so good, I found it worthwhile.

Ayakashi Ayashi has some younger chars, but most are adults.

Both are graphically well made IMO. The music of Basilisk I listen to to this day, AA I do not remember the music.

Mushishi might fit, not sure.

Samurai 7 I would consider a must watch, also has some younger chars, though.

I must admit though I do not much care whether the bodies are flat or not

[Frans]

I just finish Berserk, and I would really recommend it. It got almost all the thing that you want. The exception are in the soundtrack and animation, which isn't great (the anime is kinda old), but isn't bad either. It got a lot of action, some politics, fantasy/medieval setting. It's one of those anime that have an ending that will leave a long lasting impression. It doesn't have a happy ending (which is obvious from the first episode), but.. damn.. I can't even cry over it.
GunGrave also a good candidate.. I got all the traits you want from an anime. It got a lot of action in the begining of the episodes and the later episodes. The middle one consist of heavy drama and politics.
If you don't mind sports anime, then try Major. Although they started from kids, but there really isn't any crybabies.
Just a little warning though, Berserk features some nudity, esp in the last episodes, but it's part of the story. Another warning.. the anime only covers the background story of the whole berserk universe. It will leave you wanting for more (not because the end is hanging, but more because it's so good that you want the next arc to be animated).
As for Major, they just ended their third season. I don't know if there gonna be a 4th season, since I haven't watch the third season yet.

Berserk definitely not for kids. Maybe kinda like Hokuto no Ken, minus the bursting body.. (But still have a lot of dead body and blood).
GunGrave... I already said that the middle part of GunGrave consist of heavy drama and politics, and I do mean heavy as in very little action, almost none. But since you like monster, I think you will like this kind of stuff.

[-HyugaNeji-]

Of couruse, i already watched Berserk and i also read the Manga. I just forgot to mention it. One of teh best anime and manga i ever watched. GunGrave..I think i'll give it a try. Why not

[Frans]

I have a few more suggestion
Jyu oh sei. A good enough anime. Lots of action, drama, little politics here and there. Good enough ending, but just a bit too short.
Gantz. Very good one. Lots of action and gore, drama, mystery. The ending didn't do the anime justice.
Crest of the stars series. An overall very good story. Some action, politics, space war. Nice ending. Not as intense as my previous suggestions, but definitely one of the best anime in terms of overall story.
Speed Grapher. Dark anime, disturbing situations (in terms of sex and violence). Lots of action, a little drama, kinda mysterious. The story isn't tight enough.
Ergo Proxy. Either you like it or not. Very mysterious, dark environment, one of those confusing anime. Average action. Ending isn't really clear.
Bubblegum Crisis. Lots of action, sci fi, a little bit mystery and politics.
Texhnolyze. Same as Ergo Proxy, but in some ways can be more disturbing (esp. the ending).

Besides Gantz, most of the titles mentioned here is a bit hit and miss (based on your criteria). Maybe Gantz also kinda misses in the good storytelling part because unlike Berserk which give the anime a proper ending, Gantz ending (the manga is also onging.. at least when the anime ended) is forced.

I still have a few other suggestion, but this suggestion is already stretching your criteria.

The best one from all my suggestion that fits your description would be Berserk and GunGrave... You already watch Berserk and you want to try GunGrave. So, there goes my suggestion.

Btw, Speed Grapher for me is still isn't as good as Berserk and GunGrave.. or even Gantz. But since it fits your criteria nicely (maybe more nicely than Gantz) you should check it out.

I also just remembered Blood+. A little miss in the bodies part, a little bit too long (50 episodes). I don't really know.. maybe you should try this too.

I think I will stop here. Already straying too much

Btw, you should relax your criteria a bit, esp on the bodies/proportions/flat and the embarrassing part. Not that my suggestion isn't already deviated from that

[Shirozakii]

Yo, echoes goes on almost EVERY suggestion thread and suggest death note regardless of any request. Like evil protaganist -> death note, romance -> death note. Normal looking characters? -> death note. Un-chibi character designs -> Death note. Anime with story line _> Death note. Not set in a fantasy world -> Death Note. Something not death note. -> Death note. A funny anime -> yea..

[Xellos-_^]

Try Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999.

Where are Man are manly man and Women doesn't have to be damsels in distress either.

Althought you might have a problem with the character design as it is not enitrely that realistic. The women are all tall and elegant and while there normal looking man there are also a bunch of dwarf types.

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by Shirozakii

Yo, echoes goes on almost EVERY suggestion thread and suggest death note regardless of any request. Like evil protaganist -> death note, romance -> death note. Normal looking characters? -> death note. Un-chibi character designs -> Death note. Anime with story line _> Death note. Not set in a fantasy world -> Death Note. Something not death note. -> Death note. A funny anime -> yea..

I've never recommended Death Note as a funny anime, as a romance anime, or anywhere it would seem out of place. "Anime with story line", doesn't all animes have a story line..? I recommend a great deal of other animes, and I don't go out of my way to recommend things I didn't think they'd like. What would be the point of that?

I don't think it's appropriate to slander me without any grounds. As Carl Sagan once put it; "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

[xfool]

have u seen Guyver: the Bioboosted Armor?

[tbl]

Originally Posted by Echoes

"Anime with story line", doesn't all animes have a story line..?

As opposed to episodic shows, no.

I'd recommend Tokko - Action, Horror, Police. Definitely not for children and no children either.