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Serious but not depressing anime

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moonytheloony Moonytheloony from Jerusalem Since: Jun, 2011
Moonytheloony
#1: Aug 10th 2011 at 11:13:40 AM

I have been looking for a long time for an anime that takes itself seriously and is intelligent but isn't depressing, surreal, or a huge Mind Screw.

Does it exist?

Nyktos (srahc 84) eltit Since: Jan, 2001
(srahc 84) eltit
#2: Aug 10th 2011 at 11:18:47 AM

Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex

This thread is relevant to my interests as well.

edited 10th Aug '11 11:19:27 AM by Nyktos

I guess it is.
Excelion from The Fatherland Since: Sep, 2010
#4: Aug 10th 2011 at 12:44:12 PM

Monster
GITS:SAC
Legend Of Galactic Heroes (aka greatest anime of all time)
Kaiji
Planetes

It'd be easier if I knew at which point an anime becomes "depressing". There are more mangas than anime that I could recommend, ones that don't have anime adaptations (or adaptations that don't do them justice).

edited 10th Aug '11 12:45:07 PM by Excelion

Murrl LustFatM
Raso Cure Candy Since: Jul, 2009
Cure Candy
#5: Aug 10th 2011 at 1:23:58 PM

Gundam series? The original was serious but not depressing. Zeta Gundam was a little bit depressing but the Trilogy of movies improved on that massively, Chars Counterattack concludes on the whole trilogy of the Amuro saga.

Turn A Gundam while having light moments its a very well written serious story. Wing, Seed, and 00 as well are quite serious and not depressing.

edited 10th Aug '11 1:27:34 PM by Raso

Sparkling and glittering! Jan-Ken-Pon!
moonytheloony Moonytheloony from Jerusalem Since: Jun, 2011
Moonytheloony
#6: Aug 10th 2011 at 1:36:06 PM

It'd be easier if I knew at which point an anime becomes "depressing".

Having characters with a Dark and Troubled Past is fine. Having a few characters die is fine. By "depressing" I mean lots and lots of Angst, Tear Jerkers and Woobies. Also Deus Angst Machina, Diabolus ex Machina, Downer Ending, Dysfunction Junction, Despair Event Horizon, Break the Cutie, It Got Worse, Shoot the Shaggy Dog and so on.

edited 10th Aug '11 1:44:06 PM by moonytheloony

eX 94. Grandmaster of Shark Since: Jan, 2001
94. Grandmaster of Shark
#7: Aug 10th 2011 at 1:43:12 PM

Golgo13. Serious stories about the world greatest assassin.

edited 10th Aug '11 1:43:57 PM by eX

Anarchy just a medicine seller from Perak, Malaysia Since: Jun, 2010
just a medicine seller
#9: Aug 10th 2011 at 3:51:06 PM

Wow, that's a bit of a general requirement. Of course restricting it to anime makes it slightly narrower, but still...

Just looking at the current anime season alone, we have:

etc. etc. etc.

However, if we're talking about GOOD serious but not depressing anime, off the top of my head I definitely second FMA, and I want to add Durarara, Baccano, Hunter X Hunter, Detective Conan, Tantei Gakuen Q, Kindaichi Shonen No Jikenbo, Bakuman (buuuut the manga is better), various CLAMP works such as Angelic Layer and Card Captor Sakura (manga is better for all of those, I've heard), Dance In The Vampire Bund (highly recommend the manga), El Hazard, Black Butler, Full Metal Panic, House Of Five Leaves, Kinos Journey, Yu Gi Oh, Youre Under Arrest, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Rurouni Kenshin, Paradise Kiss, Nurarihyon No Mago, Slam Dunk, Shaman King, Mushishi, etc. Sorry for the random recs. Your requirements are rather vague, so this was the best I could do.

edited 10th Aug '11 3:51:56 PM by Anarchy

Scherzo09 Revy Gonna Give It To Ya from Roanapur Since: Jul, 2010
Revy Gonna Give It To Ya
#10: Aug 10th 2011 at 4:20:47 PM

If you're gonna call Planetes not depressing, I think Black Lagoon can count as well. Its a bit off the wall at times but more in a Quentin Tarantino style.

These are the words that shall come from my mouth. I shall be known for speaking them.
dmysta3000 (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#11: Aug 10th 2011 at 4:43:22 PM

Mushishi is also a pretty good yet not all that depressing anime.

GUNDAMU GUNDAMU
ForlornDreamer from United States Since: Apr, 2011
#12: Aug 10th 2011 at 10:11:49 PM

A few non-depressing seinen to add to the list

Noir

SpiceAndWolf

SeireiNoMoribito

edited 10th Aug '11 10:14:09 PM by ForlornDreamer

Recon5 Avvie-free for life! from Southeast Asia Since: Jan, 2001
Avvie-free for life!
#13: Aug 10th 2011 at 10:58:01 PM

Planetes and GITS:SAC can't not be depressing because they portray realistically messed-up worlds with realistically (allowing for any speculative techs) messed-up people. They are intelligent and serious enough however.

KSPAM PARTY PARTY PARTY I WANNA HAVE A PARTY from PARTY ROCK Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
PARTY PARTY PARTY I WANNA HAVE A PARTY
#14: Aug 10th 2011 at 11:16:54 PM

Birdy The Mighty: DECODE, which I've found to be surprisingly good (even if it takes a while to get going).

I've got new mythological machinery, and very handsome supernatural scenery. Goodfae: a mafia web serial
moonytheloony Moonytheloony from Jerusalem Since: Jun, 2011
Moonytheloony
#15: Aug 11th 2011 at 6:19:07 AM

Thank you, everyone.

AXavierB Since: Jan, 2001
#16: Aug 11th 2011 at 2:50:55 PM

Fullmetal Alchemist. Both series, although the first anime may or may not be too depressing for your tastes. Both have lots of silly humor which can get a little iffy but overall the plot takes itself seriously.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is another great choice. The tone is about the same as FMA. I find the humor to be a lot cleverer, though.

TiggersAreGreat Since: Mar, 2011
#17: Aug 11th 2011 at 3:06:55 PM

I don't know about anime that are serious but not depressing, but I know one anime film that is serious and depressing: Chirin No Suzu. Without going into too much detail, it is an anime film that seems silly, sugary, and sweet at first, but then turns dark and depressing faster than you can blink. An anime film to avoid if you want to stay in a good mood.

Oh, Equestria, we stand on guard for thee!
TiggersAreGreat Since: Mar, 2011
#18: Aug 13th 2011 at 7:59:05 AM

[up] By the way, does Inuyasha count as a serious but not depressing anime? Sure, it has comedy, but you would be surprised just how serious it can be at times.

Oh, Equestria, we stand on guard for thee!
dmysta3000 (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#19: Aug 13th 2011 at 10:34:45 AM

I would say Rebuild Of Evangelion. Its not as depressing as the original series (at least not yet seeing as there are still two movies left) but its still pretty freaking depressing at some parts so no.

But Gunbuster and Diebuster fit this category well.

GUNDAMU GUNDAMU
Arilou Taller than Zim from Quasispace Since: Jan, 2001
Taller than Zim
#20: Aug 13th 2011 at 11:53:58 AM

Rah Xephon, Crest Of The Stars.

I'd posit that neither Infinite Ryvius nor Revolutionary Girl Utena are particularly depressing (it's debatable though whether the latter is "serious"... That is, parts of it certainly are, parts of it certainly are not. (Cowbell anyone?)) Nor is Princess Tutu.

EDIT: But then again, people called Victory Gundam depressing and that barely broke into "serious" for me. I'm not even certain Evangelion counts. It's more bittersweet than depressing.

edited 13th Aug '11 11:55:30 AM by Arilou

"No, the Singularity will not happen. Computation is hard." -Happy Ent
Sporkaganza I'm glasses. Since: May, 2009
I'm glasses.
#21: Aug 13th 2011 at 3:42:45 PM

@A Xavier B: I don't know. I think that Haruhi Suzumiya is still too lighthearted. I mean, there are definitely moments when it can be serious - the movie comes to mind - but overall it's pretty much a big romp. Which is interesting, because I've never actually found the show to be at all laugh-out-loud funny. I find it more to be funny in a subtle sort of way, and all of the jokes that are supposed to be jokes (whichever ones those are, kinda hard to tell with a series like this) don't make me laugh.

Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you. As long as you remember them, you are not alone.
Jordan Azor Ahai from Westeros Since: Jan, 2001
Azor Ahai
#22: Aug 16th 2011 at 10:31:58 AM

I'd recommend the surprisingly obscure Samurai Seven.

Hodor
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