Serious Anime?

[Rezz]

Wolf's Rain has the best ending of an anime I've seen in awhile, and the backstory on the hunter guy is fantastic.

But yeah, Gilgamesh is great, and Speed Grapher is awesome. Basilisk, however, sucks balls after the first 2 DVDs imo. Instead of moving the story forward, they sort of went "Hey here's a guy that's already dead, lets check out his boring backstory. Hey, here's an episode that recaps all the shit from the last 2 episodes, because you obviously have retardedly bad ADD. Hey, here's another boring episode of a minor sub character's backstory." Totally lost interest in it.

[Erie]

A lot of the better ones are mentioned already for the genre your looking for. Out of those, Monster, Claymore, and Gungrave are my favorites. Definitely must-see, though Claymore doesn't really start to pick up till after like episode 8.

[Malakie Torsade]

I'm recommending Berserk again, because it clearly has not gotten enough love in this thread.

[Vinen]

Originally Posted by Sean

Best part about Speed Grapher is its use of Duran Duran, btw!

I bought the first DVD (was going to buy the whole series legally because I loved it so much) but went... fuck this when the opening was not Girls on Film in the US version...

[Sean]

What the shit? That's retarded.

[joz123]

Fist of the North Star

[Seig]

This hasn't been suggested yet, but you have to watch this series it's a mind fk all the way through. Higurashi no naku koro ni = When They Cry in english. I'd also suggest Monster, Gankutsuou, Gantz, and Hellsing Ultimate.
Higurashi no Naku Koroni Kai (TV) - Anime News Network

It's the best mystery series i've ever seen. Each season is 26 episodes and theres 4-5 episode arcs, after each arc time is reset and a new arc starts with small changes. Don't let the first episode fool you though, theres sort of a formula they lull you with a happy 1st episide for each arc and then the murders start. Most of the murders are committed by teens and theres some mafia style torture in an arc or two i've seen some people get disgusted by the series.
The format is basically like that movie Groundhogs Day one person constantly lives throughout the same summer over and over trying to make changes to prevent somthing that happens at the end of the summer. It's currently in it's 2nd season.

Originally Posted by Wiki

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni takes place during June 1983, at a fictional rural village called Hinamizawa (雛見沢, Hinamizawa?) (based on the village of Shirakawa, Gifu, a World Heritage Site), which has a population of approximately 2000. The main character, Keiichi Maebara, moves to Hinamizawa and befriends his new classmates Rena Ryugu, Mion Sonozaki, Rika Furude, and Satoko Hojo. Keiichi joins their after-school club activities, which consist mostly of card and board games (and punishment games for the loser, usually him.) Hinamizawa appears to be a normal, peaceful, rural village to Keiichi. However, the tranquility abruptly ends after the annual Watanagashi Festival, a celebration to commemorate and give thanks to the local god, Oyashiro-sama. Keiichi learns that for the past four years, one person has been murdered and another has gone missing on the day of the Watanagashi Festival. Keiichi himself soon becomes implicated into the strange events surrounding the Watanagashi Festival and Oyashiro-sama. In each story arc, he or one of his friends become paranoid, and a crime is committed. Usually, the crime involves the murder of one of their own friends. While it seems impossible to tell their delusions apart from the mystery of Hinamizawa, slowly the truth is revealed.

[Atalakas]

They came out with a Devil may cry, only watched one episode so at your own risk

Elfen lied is definitely a good bloody one.

Tokko is surprisingly good and short and you might want to try kenichi... its unquie but good has some of the lovey crap but not alot

[Itzena]

Originally Posted by Malakie Torsade

I'm recommending Berserk again, because it clearly has not gotten enough love in this thread.

This. Then start getting the manga because the 'ending' of the Berserk anime will make you very, very angry.

More serious anime stuff (with wikipedia links for quick overview): Now and Then, Here and There (Don't judge it by where it looks like it's going in the first episode), Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Boogiepop Phantom, and possibly even Serial Experiments Lain, Key, the Metal Idol, & Haibane Renmei. Moviewise, there's Saitoshi Kon's films (Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, Toyko Godfathers, & Paprika), and there is, of course, always Grave of the Fireflies.


And fourthing (or whatever we're up to) Gurren-Lagann. Not particularly serious, but it's (IMO) the best anime showing in Japan at the moment, and it's basically Gainax's love song to mecha anime throughout the decades. I hear that there's even a thread here about it.

[Himeo]

When people ask me what anime they should watch I ask them if they've seen: Berserk; Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 1 and 2; Rurouni Kenshin OVA 1: Reminisence; Ergo Proxy; Cowboy Bebopp; FLCL; and Ninja Scroll.

If they say, "Yes.", I ask them to recommend some shit for me.

You've already seen Ergo Proxy and most of what I've got listed. Good luck.

[Seig]

Originally Posted by Lyenae

Go to TV Links and view one episode a pop till you find something you like.

Thank you x1000... they have Goosebumps, Are you Afraid of the Dark, and Duck Tales I never thought i'd be able to watch any of those again.

[Stroker Ace]

Black Lagoon hasn't been listed yet. Good action anime about mercenaries, smugglers, pirates and mafias around the South China Sea.

[Ham n Cheese]

Originally Posted by Millie

Gungrave!

QFT. It's so good for 15 episodes and has a good finale. It's as serious as it gets really too. There's a hyper kid in the first few episodes that will annoy you but don't worry the story changes a lot after the first 3 or so. It gets a little too anime-ish towards the end (with turning from a realistic type of show to... not so much), but it's still one of my favorites.

Violent, serious, dark. Not nearly enough people mentioned BERSERK. Not only one of my favorites, but the only time you might see something 'wacky' is when someone is getting their face split open... wait that's not wacky at all.

RahXephon is another I must recommend. There's only 1 character I can really think of who is actually cheerful on the show and she's introduced late. This and Berserk are my all time favorites. Don't be fooled by the synopsis or boxes. There is a giant mecha looking thing that the show is written around but it is not a mecha show and there's barely anytime spent in it.

Death Note is good of course, but trails off towards the end. Plus there's a super annoying typical anime girl who is a primary character for about 25 episodes that I wanted to strangle

other good serious:
Serial Expirements: Lain, Boogiepop Phantom, Hellsing, Saishu Heiki Kanojo (she, the ultimate weapon), Last Exile, Elfen Lied, and while it's serious Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien isn't violent at all, but it's only 13 episodes and I enjoyed it a bit.

[T-rex]

Basilisk is just such a cool anime. I mean, it's ninjas fighting ninjas, what more could you ask for. I really liked Speed Grapher, as well, so that's a good recommendation. If you can get past the animation (or even like it) Kemonozume is pretty cool, but it might have a little too much of a love story for your taste, it seems. Someone must have said Elfen Lied, which is a sweet 13 episode show that hits pretty quick.

I started like you, watching the bad ass animes but I don't care how gay it is Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is freakin' funny as hell. The only I really download right now is Hayate no Gotoku, which is also gay and funny.

I think more episodes of Karas are due out soon, and that is pretty cool so far I can't see how someone could not like it. Hellsing Ultimate as well!

[Sean]

By the way, another good one to check out would be Saishu Heiki Kanojo.

I think I'd rate it as the most painful anime I've ever watched, in a good way.