| So I watched Gatchaman Crowds Season 1 as it aired. Lots of people wrote it off as a dumb hero show with CG heroes and a Mary Sue heroine, but I enjoyed the hell out of it. Mainly because it tackled things like human nature in a unique way. It used the concept of social networks being a representative of human behavior. Shimoneta also did the same for me, though to a lesser extent. It really went at the issue of censorship by taking it and turning it into an extreme case. What other shows surprised you guys like these did for me? |
| Monster Did not expect that shit lmao |
| I don't think any anime with fanservice(didn't watch it but it looks fanservice) not to be a smart show. Just mindless fun for a mindless audiance |
| Berserk movie Rape scene was a stroke of fap genius |
| Chaos;Head is a really interesting take on reality warping, harem genre, and chosen ones (especially the MC being "super special"). |
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| evangelion is one because of the great religious simbolism |
| I just finished watching Shoujo Kakumei Utena, and my mind is still trying to gather and process all the information that I just watched...Utena's one heck of a mind-blower... |
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gabrielrroiz said: evangelion is one because of the great religious simbolism People will always assume you're talking about exploding crosses when you mention "religious symbolism". |
Temmie said: I don't think any anime with fanservice(didn't watch it but it looks fanservice) not to be a smart show. Just mindless fun for a mindless audiance Smart- ER I thought it was just going to be another Seitokai No Yakuindomo. Instead it had a message, and actually made sense. It even developed it's world around that theme in a sensible way. romagia said: Chaos;Head is a really interesting take on reality warping, harem genre, and chosen ones (especially the MC being "super special"). I don't think I've seen all of Chaos;Head Isn't that the one with the shut-in protagonist? Ugh... Neets are hit or miss for me in anime. Some neets are great like No Game No Life. At least he's socially competent and confident. Most others I've hated like Welcome to the NHK. |
Tarotist said: I just finished watching Shoujo Kakumei Utena, and my mind is still trying to gather and process all the information that I just watched...Utena's one heck of a mind-blower... I haven't seen all of Utena. What makes it smarter than it lets on? |
| Kill la Kill is one I can think of at the moment. It plays out like a typical action show but is actually meant to be a satire of usual anime tropes. |
AltoRoark99 said: Kill la Kill is one I can think of at the moment. It plays out like a typical action show but is actually meant to be a satire of usual anime tropes. Wait is it? I don't think it's a satire since a lot of the stuff it does is actually pretty unique. Outside of the school setting, having alien battle clothes isn't all that common. The show does have some smart points. Nudity = freedom. Clothes = Oppression. Was a motif that followed the show. It stuck with that idea throughout the series. |
| FLCL looks random as hell but actually explores parts of puberty and growing up |
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| School Days but no one ever believes me and I don't care. |
   I envy your delusion; I wish I could live in it  |
Protaku said: School Days but no one ever believes me and I don't care. Is that show smarter then it lets on? Hmm... Isn't it playing with the self-inserter's head. Anime fans want to "get all the heroines" but without the consequences. School Day's Makoto represents the unfaithful protagonist that the audience would be, as they desire both girls. In that sense, I guess it's smart, but it really only plays around with the idea. Most of the show is just shitty people being shitty. |
| Boku no Pico, this theory is quite possible albeit it makes a few assumptions http://mistresssith.deviantart.com/journal/The-Truth-Behind-Boku-no-Pico-316386128 |
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Nerlens said: Boku no Pico, this theory is quite possible albeit it makes a few assumptions http://mistresssith.deviantart.com/journal/The-Truth-Behind-Boku-no-Pico-316386128 I'm going to watch this now to see if this theory is true. wish me luck gaiz! |
 Banner credit to @turnip |
Nerlens said: Boku no Pico, this theory is quite possible albeit it makes a few assumptions http://mistresssith.deviantart.com/journal/The-Truth-Behind-Boku-no-Pico-316386128 Why'd you make me read that. I have no interest in Boku No Pico... Ok now I have a little interest, but I'm definitely not going to watch it. Still, that analysis was weird. Aren't they teenagers at least? Yeah someone even points that out in the comments section.... So being gay is wronger than being a pedophile legally eh.... that's kind of sad if you think about it. |
TitanAnteus said: Utena isn't smarter than what it lets on. Utena is something like the Evangelion of shoujo. A lot of people here are forgetting about what the title of the thread says.Tarotist said: I just finished watching Shoujo Kakumei Utena, and my mind is still trying to gather and process all the information that I just watched...Utena's one heck of a mind-blower... I haven't seen all of Utena. What makes it smarter than it lets on? I'd say Dorohedoro because of the way the manga starts off as something like a dark comedy with a slight sense of mystery to leading into being completely about its mystery in later volumes and becoming so rich of foreshadowing, symbolism and misdirection that makes rereading it such a pleasure. |
I'm also filled with pure-hearted ulterior motives. |
TitanAnteus said: Aren't they teenagers at least? I remember reading that this was meant for shotacons, so I am pretty sure they are meant to be little boys. I heard they were either 10 or 13... |
| Banner credit to @turnip |
Holybaptiser said: Utena isn't smarter than what it lets on. Utena is something like the Evangelion of shoujo. A lot of people here are forgetting about what the title of the thread says. I'd say Dorohedoro because of the way the manga starts off as something like a dark comedy with a slight sense of mystery to leading into being completely about its mystery in later volumes and becoming so rich of foreshadowing, symbolism and misdirection that makes rereading it such a pleasure. Sounds interesting. I'll definitely take a look at it. Btw, did you ever read 20th Century Boys? It goes into wtf territory too, and it's by the same author I think. |
| I would honestly be willing to call GTO way smarter than it seems. It tackles the idea of what it means to be a teacher. Is a teacher someone who goes into a class, teaches material, and then leaves at the end of the day without a care about his/her students? Is being a teacher just a punch in-and-out job? Or is being a teacher about teaching your students about something other than the curriculum? Should teachers engage with their students on a personal level and try to help them grow as human beings rather than academics? If you look at GTO past all its silly comedy, you get to see a story about a man doing everything it takes to helping out his students in their personal lives. It makes you wonder about what it would be like to have a teacher like that rather than a teacher that would kick you out of the class for saying a cuss word, like as if my punishment for a swear word should be me not learning the things I am meant to learn at school. |
| I'm also filled with pure-hearted ulterior motives. |
| on a less serious note, the Ishida to Asakura Special as the top review sais, "The special episode released a week after the original series ended delves far deeper into existentialism and the cruelty of the circle of life than the original post-modern social commentary ever did. It is a beautiful thing to behold. With only two characters present, the titular Ishida and Asakura, Masao (the creator) can deliver a highly complex psycho-analysis of these five-dimensional characters" |
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| Monogatari. People think it is just self-indulgence and wish fulfillment when it is actually a character study that tackles both Japanese mysticism and otaku culture in one swoop. |
| Everything I wanted to mention has already been mentioned in the thread, but, for the sake of staying on topic.....Monster, most definitely. |
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| Shinsekai Yori? I wasn't expecting that to go where it went or raise the questions that it did. |
| Yu Yu Hakusho. Really interesting meditation on good and evil. |
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| Free! lets you think it's about only swimming muscles, but it's so much more than that. |
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| Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt. Under the layers of crass humour, american schlock references, nymphomaniac behavior and stupid bombastic background music lies a deep, poignant social commentary on the status of women across the globe, as well a perfect deconstruction of the japanese otaku's perverted mind. Truly one of the most powerful, impactful and ground-breaking works of the century. |
SapewlothJan 28, 2016 8:13 PM
| Proud founder of The Official Anti-Ging Freecss Fan Club Join now! Kellhus said: GuusWayne said: there is a limit to the suspension of disbelief And it's the fan that did it. Not the smoking porn reading rubik cube genius rape ape with a magic boat. |
| The first thing that comes to mind is Punchline. A pretty recent show that not many people watched. Made by the same person as 999 (the game). I wouldn't call it smart exactly, but there was definitely more there then you'd think given the premise. |
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| Hmmm... I agree with Gatchaman Crowds... it really tackled the theme of heroism in the digital age quite well. That's why it's one of my favorites. I would also agree with Shimoneta and describe it as having a smart social commentary ala George Orwell's 1984 with the humor of American Pie(which I personally love). That combination makes it the best anime in my view.. haha! As for others? Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann comes to mind. At first I thought it's just mindless fun and then I watched this: then.. I re- watched it and had my mind blown. |
| Fullmetal Alchemist. It looks like a typical shonen but it actually tackles lots of philosophical ideas. |
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| Off the top of my head, I'd say Gintama and Hetalia... just seem like mindless comedy and parody anime most of the time, but then BAM! They hit you with feels, politics, and complicated & diverse characters/relationships. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| I'd say Kodomo no Jikan fits. Especially since a lot of people see the synopsis and disregard it simply as some kind of loli-pedo title. While it cetainly likes to play with that expactation in terms of service (not in terms of story) - the characters and themes it explores are suprisingly deeper than most other titles I have seen (in the manga even more so than in the anime). All the characters have their own problems and scars that influence their behavior. And I can't even imagine western titles tackling such themes as child sexuality, or the psychological traumata resulting from messed up parenting and neglect. God in later volumes of the manga I was actually quite happy when a fanservice scene happens - because it lightened the dreadful mood a little. |
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| A lot of anime that can seem like simple adventures can have depth. Medabots and Digimon Tamers are brilliant. Since they're told as a fun adventure, it's easy to miss it. They don't scream out their depth like other anime. |
| WEAPONS - My blog, for reviews of music, anime, books, and other things |
| Usagi Drop and Uchuu Kyoudai. I seriously let my guard down. I thought this show is just another drama things since the synopsis didnt tells about any amazing things. I was like, yeah ok lets just try this anime since i didnt have anything to do. And BAM, it really hits me. |
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| Dagashi Kashi - I'm enjoying this anime way much more than I expected to. It's smart in that it sees the wonder in the little things we take for granted: candies and snacks. It offers in-depth analyses of them, even looking into the psychology of why a candy is such and such, among other things. And it's done in a fun story-telling that's made engaging and worth-watching because of the characters. I mean, if it's all trivia, then why need to create an anime? But it's greatly written so far at 3 episodes. Baccano! - Episode 1 says it. Where does an event really begin? How will our view of the story be when there's no character reference point? Also, what made me like Baccano is how it tackles the concept of belongingness. The strangers we meet, the people we are with of our own choosing or not, we don't know they might be the ones with whom we can feel a sense of being family. among others~ |
蒼穹を舞う。  |
| I don’t really know what smart means in the realm of entertainment. Is it just throwing a bunch of thematics, developed or not, into a series? That’s what many people likes to think, I believe. I usually prefer to think that only essays and textbooks can be associated with the word smart, while in entertainment there are more and less sophisticated works, depending on how the thematics are handled, but it’s more of an aesthetic involvement rather than an intellectual involvement. I consider many series that involve interesting thematics to be unsophisticated and childish. |
| Yuri Kuma Arashi but people can't see it and makes me sad ibear said: Free! lets you think it's about only swimming muscles, but it's so much more than that. ^ |
| One Punch Man since it touches on the effects of depression, and how it can stem from never being challenged. |
 It's an entirely different kind of flying, altogether! It's an entirely different kind of flying. |
| Hunter X Hunter's Chimera Ant arc. It excellently explored themes regarding human nature. |
Take care of yourself |
| No Game No Life often doesn't get enough credit for how it delves into the human condition and why our fragility is what makes us fearsome. There are also plenty of examples of how it explores the psychology of mankind, such as when the chess game is influenced by how each piece plays its role. |
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TitanAnteus said: AltoRoark99 said: Kill la Kill is one I can think of at the moment. It plays out like a typical action show but is actually meant to be a satire of usual anime tropes. Wait is it? I don't think it's a satire since a lot of the stuff it does is actually pretty unique. Outside of the school setting, having alien battle clothes isn't all that common. The show does have some smart points. Nudity = freedom. Clothes = Oppression. Was a motif that followed the show. It stuck with that idea throughout the series. Kill la Kill has many of the typical anime tropes, such as the fanservicey clothing and many other usual shounen tropes. But it's so self-aware that it plays out as a satire. Episode 4 is a satire of filler episodes. A bunch of crazy shit happens in it, and then the day ends off like nothing ever happened. Also, do you remember the recap? Most viewers expected it to last a whole episode like most but it went by in a heartbeat. |
| Shimoneta was actually dumb if anything, lol. A dystopia only based on sexuality's repression and well, let's forget about its "humor" for good. I guess that's what you get from someone calling an anime smart anyway. |
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| One Piece -many people think is a dumb shounen but there are some arcs that explore themes like racism,slavery , corruption of government etc. |
| Man this thread lol. Hmmm. I think most anime are smarter than they appear. People hand wave them and label them in categories of quality and refuse to look at them beyond the surface level unless they are accepted within the community to be ''deep''. It's not always over- analyzing if it's actually there beyond face value. |
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Protaku said: School Days but no one ever believes me and I don't care. ^ I believe and agree with you. Sure it could be better but it's not as I usually hear people say it is. |
AltoRoark99 said: TitanAnteus said: Wait is it? I don't think it's a satire since a lot of the stuff it does is actually pretty unique. Outside of the school setting, having alien battle clothes isn't all that common. The show does have some smart points. Nudity = freedom. Clothes = Oppression. Was a motif that followed the show. It stuck with that idea throughout the series. Kill la Kill has many of the typical anime tropes, such as the fanservicey clothing and many other usual shounen tropes. But it's so self-aware that it plays out as a satire. Episode 4 is a satire of filler episodes. A bunch of crazy shit happens in it, and then the day ends off like nothing ever happened. Also, do you remember the recap? Most viewers expected it to last a whole episode like most but it went by in a heartbeat. Yup! KLK is more than just a "fanservice" series. I originally was never going to watch it because I had biased assumptions, but it proved me wrong. Everyone has their own idea on what it's about, so I kind of got over trying to convince people otherwise lol |
| Banner credit to @turnip |
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