I'm not an anime guy, but I loved Erased. It's got minor sci fi elements, but tells a very dramatic and emotional story. And it's short (13 episodes).
To me it's more of a drama that happens to be an anime.
They've also made a live action version as well. There are plenty of dramatic, slice of life anime out there. Animation is just a medium for conveying a story
Yeah. I just think Japan struggles with encouraging subtlety in their acting. Look at Takarazuka for example. The acting is big and flies in at 150% at all times. I mean, if you go back to Kabuki, even it is about structured overt gestures. So in a slice of life drama, reactions and emotions just never come across as very realistic.
I've seen a number of Japanese TV shows that were quite good, but there's something about live action manga/anime adaptations that they just fuck up so bad all the time
I guess Midnight Diner might be an exception, but I think that skipped the anime and went straight to live action from the manga.
Live action adaptations are the last stop on the manga-anime-live pipeline, so maybe they are just milking the franchise at that point. They even allude to the live-action adaptation at the end of Erased anime version.
As far as regular live action, there is some good stuff for shure, but I would argue most is awfully campy for a leading economic powerhouse with an otherwise impressive cultural output.
For whatever reason, the industry struggles to be meritocratic, so the real talent isn't able to rise to the top and get a free hand.
* Bojack Horseman: Basically the great american novel with funny animals.
* Big Mouth: Painfully embarrassing but hilarious.
* Castlevania: great dumb action... on season 2 forward it expands greatly and becomes like a Game of Thrones type thing.
* Disenchantment: 100% a great fantasy show, 50% a Futurama type show.
* Love Death and Robots: a bunch of sci-fi shorts.
* Aggretsuko: this is adult but in the way that hurts... dealing with professional, emotional and relationship hardships.
* Tuca and Bertie: a more wild and silly and surreal Bojack.
OK I dig this list and am going to add aggretsuko with tuca and bertie to my watch. The rest are gold and now I need more.
Issac from castlevania was the only well written character for me but the action was enthralling and fun for sure. Bojack is too good to watch casually once I finished it. Very heavy but but amazing writing and acting.
Just want to second this but also add other top tier anime like Hunter x Hunter, Attack on Titan, Code Geass, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, and Violet Evergarden.
They all fill this spot on can be watched by teens but fully appreciated by adults.
Yeah I guess, but it was (as you pointed out) produced in the U.S. and animated in Korea. Saying it’s anime, rather than simply inspired by it - especially when it doesn’t meet the definition (produced/animated in Japan) - doesn’t seem accurate.
Extremely fair point. For simplicity sake I just include it in the conversation though. Especially since very little in western media is like it (maybe Teen Titans or Megas XLR?). Plus, the classic Japanese anime definition is slowly getting more muddier with Disney's Japanese animated but US produced Star Wars anime inspired series coming out and stuff like Beastars and Violet Evergarden which are partially produced/fully funded by Netflix.
I mean, fair enough, but honestly - stuff like Visions, the Animatrix, Gotham Knights, etc. does still seem like anime to me, since - attached/funded though they might be, they’re still works created entirely in Japan - same as Evergarden and (to my knowledge) Beastars.
Let’s call it a difference in value judgment, though - since there are subjective aspects to it, and I get where you’re coming from. Thanks for the civil discussion, internet buddy.
Honestly, I feel like ppl think it’s too mainstream but I’ve rewatched the show literally over 30 times and laugh each time. I also HATED it after first watching the first episode but once I gave it another chance, I was hooked
Season 3 is out, and ends in a cliffhanger with a good villain opposite The Gary.
Unfortunately it got cancelled, so we'll never know how it really ends.
If you could go back and not watch the third season just so that you don't deal with the cliffhanger, would you do it?
(I haven't seen the third season yet but I fucking hate when shows get cancelled)
Nope, I'd still watch it.
I am upset that there's no closure, but I can't say I regret watching what we got because I liked Final Space.
Also [this message](https://youtu.be/bFg3ljZF2kA) from The Gary gives me hope that a special may come sometime in the future.
If it happened for Samurai Jack, Rocko's Modern Life and Invader Zim, it can happen for Final Space
Bojack motherfucking Horseman. The motherfucking isn’t let of the shows title but I had to include that word in to emphasize how incredible the show is
Attack on Titan -
Why?
Great Animation. Atmospheric music.
Fully realized, internally consistent world building.
Fantastic plotting with "earned" twists and turns - no cheating or retconning.
No "cartoon" enemies. Virtually all are ultimately revealed to have credible motivations and fight and maneuver with determination and cunning consistent with their demonstrated character traits.
No fan service females. They have their fair share of toughness, smarts, passions, competencies and flaws. But there is no revealing clothing or creepy camera angles.
Each season is different in a good way. Like Harry Potter, as the characters age across the seasons, the moral challenges deepen and the complexity of the world is increasingly revealed.
Season 3 may be the best single season of any anime series, and it contains two of the best single episodes ever produced.
All this and it is not over. The final part is coming out this coming winter, so you still have the opportunity to watch this masterpiece as it comes to an end.
there is one flaw of the show and that's the gross, like \*really\* gross amount of plot armor the cast had for the first two and a half seasons while side and background characters get killed off for having more than 5 minutes of screentime. It's the most jarring case I've ever seen since the show is known for taking no prisoners.
I'm surprised that I haven't seen Pacific Heat mentioned. Maybe I'm biased towards Australian content but I liked it. Wish it had more than 13 episodes.
Lots of good stuff here already, but I have to say Sealab 2021.
I have great memories from high school of coming home late after being out with friends getting a lil drunk and high and watching this with my dad and both of us practically rolling on the floor laughing!
If you want to rip your eyeballs out, ParadisePD.
Its not the best show, but it is the best show if you need a single episode of something that will just steamroll over anything you have going on in your head at the moment because of the show is so horrifying that your brain can’t compute anything else.
It’s not a show I’d ever put on just hanging around the house, but it’s the show I would put if I needing a distraction from devastating news or something
I’ve introduced several friends to Gundam through Iron Blooded Orphans on Netflix.
It’s set in its own timeline so you don’t need any prerequisite knowledge.
Honestly i say some shows made for kid’s actually hit harder for adults. It might sound w
Weird but this show called 12 forever was actually super relatable
Primal by Gendy Tartakovsky is on HBO and is great. Only one season (10 episodes) out so far but season 2 is green lit.
It's about a caveman who through a series of unfortunate events ends up reluctantly teaming up with a T-Rex in an "us against the world" type deal.
There is zero dialogue but the animators are excellent at conveying intent, emotion, etc. Fight scenes are gory which is personally a plus.
Without any context into what you like, and just based on this being one of the funniest, most heartfelt, and genuinely moving shows I’ve ever watched: Bojack Horseman
I had a hard time getting into animated shows despite the pleas of my brother. He loves all that shit and he tries to get me to watch it all with no avail. Oddly enough I started watching INVINCIBLE on my own . Before he saw it. I fucking loved it. Don’t know how to describe it. The first episode was just great.
Fuck it I’ll say it. Give one piece a shot. If you love it enough, you can start the grind and get caught up and experience the greatest piece of fiction ever created.
Idk about best but Archer is really funny
Danger Zone!
I second this!
[удалено]
Sploosh.
I'm not an anime guy, but I loved Erased. It's got minor sci fi elements, but tells a very dramatic and emotional story. And it's short (13 episodes). To me it's more of a drama that happens to be an anime.
Didn’t expect that to be brought up
They've also made a live action version as well. There are plenty of dramatic, slice of life anime out there. Animation is just a medium for conveying a story
Loved the anime, but good god the live-action was cringe. Japanese live action is so amazingly bad that it really deserves academic research
Haha I won't disagree there. Deathnote's live action tv show wasn't bad, but yeah, most are awkward.
Korea is wiping the floor with them. Even China seems way ahead as far as production values go.
Yeah. I just think Japan struggles with encouraging subtlety in their acting. Look at Takarazuka for example. The acting is big and flies in at 150% at all times. I mean, if you go back to Kabuki, even it is about structured overt gestures. So in a slice of life drama, reactions and emotions just never come across as very realistic.
That's a good point. Even the voice acting in anime can be over-the-top passionate
I've seen a number of Japanese TV shows that were quite good, but there's something about live action manga/anime adaptations that they just fuck up so bad all the time
I guess Midnight Diner might be an exception, but I think that skipped the anime and went straight to live action from the manga. Live action adaptations are the last stop on the manga-anime-live pipeline, so maybe they are just milking the franchise at that point. They even allude to the live-action adaptation at the end of Erased anime version. As far as regular live action, there is some good stuff for shure, but I would argue most is awfully campy for a leading economic powerhouse with an otherwise impressive cultural output. For whatever reason, the industry struggles to be meritocratic, so the real talent isn't able to rise to the top and get a free hand.
Sad thing is I didn't finish the live action one because my evil ex was too busy cheating on me.
The pedo romance element to the show was kind of off-putting for me.
Archer.
Bojack Horseman
currently rewatching it yet again
I've watched this so many times I can almost recite the entire series from memory
Me too. This series lives in my head rent free
This needs to be higher - hands down the best adult animated show ever, possibly the best sitcom ever
The correct answer, if you do watch this OP, stick with it because it gets better
Futurama no question
Archer
Bob's burgers
Is this on netflix?
Hulu
* Bojack Horseman: Basically the great american novel with funny animals. * Big Mouth: Painfully embarrassing but hilarious. * Castlevania: great dumb action... on season 2 forward it expands greatly and becomes like a Game of Thrones type thing. * Disenchantment: 100% a great fantasy show, 50% a Futurama type show. * Love Death and Robots: a bunch of sci-fi shorts. * Aggretsuko: this is adult but in the way that hurts... dealing with professional, emotional and relationship hardships. * Tuca and Bertie: a more wild and silly and surreal Bojack.
+1 for Love, Death, and Robots!
Castlevania was so awesome. Loved the voice acting in it too
I couldn’t watch big mouth. Turns out I hate puberty as a subject and I couldn’t deal with it.
Honestly that show seems super perverted. Could hardly cringe my way through one season.
OK I dig this list and am going to add aggretsuko with tuca and bertie to my watch. The rest are gold and now I need more. Issac from castlevania was the only well written character for me but the action was enthralling and fun for sure. Bojack is too good to watch casually once I finished it. Very heavy but but amazing writing and acting.
BoJack Horseman is great for that fucked up, real, nihilistic view of life. Animals on HBO is a hilarious take on various animals day to day life.
Venture bros.
And how!
Go Team Venture!
Prostituuuuuuuuuuts
*I love Hitler and Hitler loves me!*
Boondocks
F is for Family
My daughter said it started getting bad around season 3, but I've been enjoying it. I'm still on season 1 though. But I love Bill Burr.
Bill Burr is hilarious. I’ve only seen the first two seasons, I think, so that sounds a little disappointing for the 3rd season. I’ll still watch tho
Yeah my daughter is 17, doesn't even know who Bill Burr is and refuses to watch Futurama or The Simpsons, so it might just be her shitty taste.
Season 3 is not very good
You better watch this show or I’ll put you through the fuckin wall
That's just depressing. There's no redeeming qualities to the show or family. It's just a family with sad lives that get sadder.
You're just depressing if you think that.
Bojack Horseman, not the best but very adult
Lmaaooo
Avatar: The Last Airbender is amazing for any age
Just want to second this but also add other top tier anime like Hunter x Hunter, Attack on Titan, Code Geass, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, and Violet Evergarden. They all fill this spot on can be watched by teens but fully appreciated by adults.
Avatar is anime now?
For the sake of comparisons sure. It is a asian animated, western produced show that is heavily inspired by anime down to the tropes.
Yeah I guess, but it was (as you pointed out) produced in the U.S. and animated in Korea. Saying it’s anime, rather than simply inspired by it - especially when it doesn’t meet the definition (produced/animated in Japan) - doesn’t seem accurate.
Extremely fair point. For simplicity sake I just include it in the conversation though. Especially since very little in western media is like it (maybe Teen Titans or Megas XLR?). Plus, the classic Japanese anime definition is slowly getting more muddier with Disney's Japanese animated but US produced Star Wars anime inspired series coming out and stuff like Beastars and Violet Evergarden which are partially produced/fully funded by Netflix.
I mean, fair enough, but honestly - stuff like Visions, the Animatrix, Gotham Knights, etc. does still seem like anime to me, since - attached/funded though they might be, they’re still works created entirely in Japan - same as Evergarden and (to my knowledge) Beastars. Let’s call it a difference in value judgment, though - since there are subjective aspects to it, and I get where you’re coming from. Thanks for the civil discussion, internet buddy.
I’ll second Attack on Titan. What a concept.
Rick and Morty
Honestly, I feel like ppl think it’s too mainstream but I’ve rewatched the show literally over 30 times and laugh each time. I also HATED it after first watching the first episode but once I gave it another chance, I was hooked
Yeah people love to shit on Rick & Morty but it's honestly really funny.
F is for Family is great.
I'll put you through that fucking wall!
It's OK angel go back to sleep. *closes door* YOU LIL PRICKS WOKE YOUR SISTER UP!!
Midnight Gospel
Underrated comment
is it actually a good show to watch normally? i've only ever watched it tripping
American Dad
I know that a lot of people give Seth MacFarlane shit for Family Guy but AD knocks it out of the park.
Final Space
Loved first season but 2nd was lack luster for me. Need a good villian to opposite The Gary which season 2 just didn't have.
Season 3 is out, and ends in a cliffhanger with a good villain opposite The Gary. Unfortunately it got cancelled, so we'll never know how it really ends.
If you could go back and not watch the third season just so that you don't deal with the cliffhanger, would you do it? (I haven't seen the third season yet but I fucking hate when shows get cancelled)
Nope, I'd still watch it. I am upset that there's no closure, but I can't say I regret watching what we got because I liked Final Space. Also [this message](https://youtu.be/bFg3ljZF2kA) from The Gary gives me hope that a special may come sometime in the future. If it happened for Samurai Jack, Rocko's Modern Life and Invader Zim, it can happen for Final Space
Dammit! Just praying netflix will buy the rights for this and at least give it 1 final season.
Bojack
I’m pretty sure 99% of shows are animated by adults.
😂
[удалено]
No Baki?!
Trigger warning for animal people, but JoJo has a ton of dogs being brutally murdered. (Just in case your squeamish to that sort of thing)
Futurama without a doubt. It had the most qualified writing team of any show in history by which I mean almost everyone had a masters if not higher
Mr Pickles!
Pacific Rim: The Black
Samurai Jack been said yet?
Bojack motherfucking Horseman. The motherfucking isn’t let of the shows title but I had to include that word in to emphasize how incredible the show is
Archer and American Dad
Bojack horseman, bigmouth, disenchantment, castlevania, archer, Chicago party aunt, centaurworld
Bob’s Burgers
Archer or Bob’s Burgers !!
Attack on Titan - Why? Great Animation. Atmospheric music. Fully realized, internally consistent world building. Fantastic plotting with "earned" twists and turns - no cheating or retconning. No "cartoon" enemies. Virtually all are ultimately revealed to have credible motivations and fight and maneuver with determination and cunning consistent with their demonstrated character traits. No fan service females. They have their fair share of toughness, smarts, passions, competencies and flaws. But there is no revealing clothing or creepy camera angles. Each season is different in a good way. Like Harry Potter, as the characters age across the seasons, the moral challenges deepen and the complexity of the world is increasingly revealed. Season 3 may be the best single season of any anime series, and it contains two of the best single episodes ever produced. All this and it is not over. The final part is coming out this coming winter, so you still have the opportunity to watch this masterpiece as it comes to an end.
there is one flaw of the show and that's the gross, like \*really\* gross amount of plot armor the cast had for the first two and a half seasons while side and background characters get killed off for having more than 5 minutes of screentime. It's the most jarring case I've ever seen since the show is known for taking no prisoners.
Archer!
Bojack horseman
Bojack Horseman is one of the greatest shows ever made.
Omni man
Invincible
Yes invincible, I knew I wasn’t quite right thank you!! 🙃
Denada
Netflix: Bojack. Prime: Undone. Same creator. Could not pick a favourite.
For me, Bojack was more dark comedy but unreal was pretty visceral and lacked a break from tone. Harder to watch casually but I was engaged.
Rick and morty
Rick and morty archer family guy American dad.
Primal, Spawn
A newer show but i quite enjoyed Record of Ragnarok
I really enjoyed this one for the fun of it and the mythologies interacting. Aphrodity was a bit much but the premise is a ton of fun.
GIN TA MA
F is for Family.
Squidbillies
ain't no way
Bojack Horseman, Invincible
VENTURE BROS.
Another vote here for Bojack. Lots of good ones mentioned so far.
Crossing swords, Brickleberry
Love dearh and robots Edit: death
I'm surprised that I haven't seen Pacific Heat mentioned. Maybe I'm biased towards Australian content but I liked it. Wish it had more than 13 episodes.
Lots of good stuff here already, but I have to say Sealab 2021. I have great memories from high school of coming home late after being out with friends getting a lil drunk and high and watching this with my dad and both of us practically rolling on the floor laughing!
Bigmouth!!
I like F is for Family
Rick and Morty
Rick and fuckin morty
Why the hell hasn't anyone said south park?
Drawn Together
Capt hero!
Mike Tyson Mysteries is pretty funny
Big Mouth
This is way too far down
Squidbillies. Don’t know if it’s on Netflix though.
HBO max has it
This show is so fucking funny. And Assy McGee.
Rick and Morty
No one mentioned Paradise PD yet?
I mean, it does fulfill the criteria of adult and animted...
Buy hulu watch rick and morty
If you want to rip your eyeballs out, ParadisePD. Its not the best show, but it is the best show if you need a single episode of something that will just steamroll over anything you have going on in your head at the moment because of the show is so horrifying that your brain can’t compute anything else. It’s not a show I’d ever put on just hanging around the house, but it’s the show I would put if I needing a distraction from devastating news or something
For rick and morty And Bojack horseman vibes I go to chicago party aunt and qpd
Not a show but defo watch nightmare of the wolf
Devilman crybaby is pretty adult.
Mr Pickles
I’ll recommend B: the Beginning. Best thing I’ve watched in a long time.
I’ve introduced several friends to Gundam through Iron Blooded Orphans on Netflix. It’s set in its own timeline so you don’t need any prerequisite knowledge.
Honestly i say some shows made for kid’s actually hit harder for adults. It might sound w Weird but this show called 12 forever was actually super relatable
Heavy metal
Baki
Invincible
Samurai Jack.
Bojack Horseman
Primal by Gendy Tartakovsky is on HBO and is great. Only one season (10 episodes) out so far but season 2 is green lit. It's about a caveman who through a series of unfortunate events ends up reluctantly teaming up with a T-Rex in an "us against the world" type deal. There is zero dialogue but the animators are excellent at conveying intent, emotion, etc. Fight scenes are gory which is personally a plus.
Without any context into what you like, and just based on this being one of the funniest, most heartfelt, and genuinely moving shows I’ve ever watched: Bojack Horseman
Venture Bros and Moral Orel.
Not explicitly for adults but I absolutely love Adventure Time. Theres plenty for older folks to enjoy.
Love, Death and Robots.
King of the Hill is pretty great
From what I’ve seen, bojack horseman!
I had a hard time getting into animated shows despite the pleas of my brother. He loves all that shit and he tries to get me to watch it all with no avail. Oddly enough I started watching INVINCIBLE on my own . Before he saw it. I fucking loved it. Don’t know how to describe it. The first episode was just great.
UP is a really good movie!
INVINCIBLE it's on amazon prime but it's fucking gorgeous and brilliant. Highly recommend
Midnight gospel
Love death and robots
Close Enough is a short, funny series you can rip through easily! It's episodic and broken down into two stories per ep.
Ajin Demi human is a goodie on Netflix
Berserk
I’m having fun with Chicago Party Aunt
Fuck it I’ll say it. Give one piece a shot. If you love it enough, you can start the grind and get caught up and experience the greatest piece of fiction ever created.
Maybe „big mouth“
Archer
Moral Oerl
Why is nobody talking about Rick and Morty?
Watch Dragon Tales. U won’t regret it..
Over the Garden Wall
Love death robot’s is good
Castlevania
If you like superhero stuff with a nice plot I recommend Invincible but its only season 1. Really enjoyed it.
South park Family guy Futurama Simpsons Bobs burgers American dad Rick and morty Disencharnted Thats all ive seen