Mature animes (no fan service, no annoying voices)
Anime
The type of anime that you could watch with non-anime people, embarrassment free (at least for the subbed versions).
Tags:
Dark - Nihilistic, dark undertones with characters often suffering from trauma and/or intense mental struggles.
Serious - Not a feel-good watch, but not depressing. Dark themes may be present, but they don't dominate the feel of the show.
Light - Less serious anime, frequent humour and/or comic relief. May have more serious themes, but are typically feel-good watches.
Disturbing - Reserved for explicit themes such as extreme violence or sexual assault. If you are sensitive to either of these topics, make sure you check the content warnings beforehand.
** There are shows on this list that I haven't watched in their entirety, so some of the tags may deviate slightly from the actual content. If you wish to avoid disturbing content, consider searching up the content warnings of the anime listed as dark. **
Tags:
Dark - Nihilistic, dark undertones with characters often suffering from trauma and/or intense mental struggles.
Serious - Not a feel-good watch, but not depressing. Dark themes may be present, but they don't dominate the feel of the show.
Light - Less serious anime, frequent humour and/or comic relief. May have more serious themes, but are typically feel-good watches.
Disturbing - Reserved for explicit themes such as extreme violence or sexual assault. If you are sensitive to either of these topics, make sure you check the content warnings beforehand.
** There are shows on this list that I haven't watched in their entirety, so some of the tags may deviate slightly from the actual content. If you wish to avoid disturbing content, consider searching up the content warnings of the anime listed as dark. **
TV, 2004,
74 eps
Me:-
Author:-
[Dark] A cult classic whodunnit murder mystery with one of the greatest antagonists of all anime.
TV, 2003,
22 eps
Me:-
Author:9
[Dark] [Disturbing] Probably the darkest anime that'll ever touch this stack. A very slow burn, but a rewarding one at that. My personal all-time favourite.
Watch when you're in a good place mentally.
Watch when you're in a good place mentally.
TV, 2004,
13 eps
Me:-
Author:7
[Serious/Light] A whodunnit mystery show with a great sense of suspense and a strong core message behind it. [Dark] at times, specifically in the first half of the show, but not uncomfortably so.
Be warned, there is filler in this 13 episode show, and it gets especially irritating towards the end when you're waiting for an explanation for some of the plot points, but it does come full circle and is worth watching through all the way.
This show is bizarre at times and sometimes overwhelmingly abstract. If you aren't a fan of absurdity in your shows, this one might not be for you. If you aren't the type of person who likes interpretation over demonstration when it comes to the show feeding you the plot, this show is also probably not for you.
Minimal annoying voices.
Be warned, there is filler in this 13 episode show, and it gets especially irritating towards the end when you're waiting for an explanation for some of the plot points, but it does come full circle and is worth watching through all the way.
This show is bizarre at times and sometimes overwhelmingly abstract. If you aren't a fan of absurdity in your shows, this one might not be for you. If you aren't the type of person who likes interpretation over demonstration when it comes to the show feeding you the plot, this show is also probably not for you.
Minimal annoying voices.
TV, 1997,
25 eps
Me:-
Author:-
[Dark] [Disturbing] Emphasis on the disturbing tag. An all time classic that shouldn't go unwatched/unread. That being said, I would watch it after reading the manga past the golden age arc. Even if you don't typically read manga (like myself), Berserk is an exception.
