Philosophical Anime

[Michael Chui]

So, I've been semi-convinced to watch anime more. So... I've noticed that I prefer any film that is willing to ask a hard philosophical question, whether or not they resolve it or even pay all that much attention to it. I'm sure others are more familiar than I...

I'm looking for some recommendations. The only anime I have ever spent any intentional time on was Escaflowne, and I loved it.

[Matt]

I've enjoyed Ghost In the Shell and Cowboy Bebop. Admittedly, those are more Americanized than most anime.

Here is a more detailed account of someone's foray into anime if you are interested.

[Light]

A couple anime series come to mind that have a more philisophical edge. Last Exile and Death Note. (Death Note is very new as an anime series. If you can get your hands on some of it, it's good albeit incomplete since the episodes are still being released, but the manga is also very good.) Trigun also deals with a little philosophy, as does Crest of the Stars (and it's subsequent series).

[Akashic_Librarian]

Howls moving castle is a wonderful story that has some deep philosophical messages

[SenorKaffee]

I liked Lain very much - 13 episodes. It´s very much about how real reality really is.
"Serial Experiments: Lain" (1998)

[Light]

I haven't seen Serial Experiments: Lain, but it's been highly recommended to me.

[febflake]

Hi,

I highly recommend Lain-Serial Experiments too. It's not really complicated or "hard to get" but the settings, ambiance have a unique resonance. Although the end is disappointing. First ghost in the shell movie is quite interesting too. You can skip the whole chihiro, castle and basically myazaki's anime. There are nice but not philosophical.

I believe you can find a lot to chew on in Evangelion but you have to go through the whole serie until the very last episode. At first it'll be a giant robot anime (and a pretty good one) but the end (which was debated to death some years ago) will really get you to think about about what the author tried to do and why. Don't concentrate too much on the non sense biblical stuff though, its purpose is just to give consistence to the theme and to give weight to the storyline.

I have been in Anime since the early ninenties and basically stopped watching anything new since 2002 (well except Samurai Champloo) (i am very picky).

[WayToTwilight]

And then there is the always very iconic, Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Quite possibly one of the most philosophical anime/TV series ever. Although maybe it isn't, because in actuality, I didn't understand a thing they talked about in that series. It was so weird, convoluted and abstract my brain just went... 'huh?'

But watch it if you want a good mind-bender. It's probably one of the most famous animes out there, it's kinda old, 1995 I think is when it first came out but quite honestly, when people think anime they think Evangelion. Ok I lied, maybe nowadays they think Naruto when people think anime, which I must say is... like... DragonBall Z on crack... if that's even possible. But don't get me started on Naruto...

[Shaden]

Akira is an absolutely fascinating film about the possible political, social and discriminate issues that could arise from super-evolution i.e. individuals who begin to grow beyond the natural level of your average human. A bit like x-men but way more gritty and harsh. The protagonists aren't superhuman but innocent kids who are being forced to apply they're gifts by greedy politicians/generals.

Incredible really

[Keith]

I agree re: Serial Experiments : Lain - real mindbender that one.

I disagree re: Miyazaki not being philosophical; I would recommend Princess Mononoke, for one.

[Mark Lapierre]

I found Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence to be more philosophical in nature than the original, which is something that a few people have criticised it for, but which made it all the more appealing to me. The series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (both 1st and 2nd series) are also quite good and focus equally on politics and philosophy. The discussions a group of AI robots (tachikoma) are often quite interesting.

Earth Girl Arjuna like Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke deals with environmental rather than philosophical issues, but is none-the-less worthwhile watching.

I also highly recommend Serial Experiments Lain.

[Michael Chui]

Thanks, everyone, for all the replies. Feel free to keep'em coming.

I've got a couple of those lined up for (hopefully reasonably soon) viewing, and I'll put the rest on my to-see list.

[RT Wolf]

I enjoyed Gundam Wing (and not only because of the massive battles), but the emphasis on war and the nature of humanity in terms of war. Unfortunately, I used to think they were just talking about really deep concepts, but I soon realized that the english translaters were not looking to explain the deeper concepts clearly, and so did them like crap.Still, you might enjoy it.

[stalker]

I saw only one anime series: Elfen Lied. I found it really deep.

[toomuchtoabsorb]

I agree with Evangelion being a good watch if you want the symbol-laden and philosophical. However, it is slow, as has already been said. Watching the two movies instead of the entire series can be a way to get the most out of it in the least screen-time.
As an even better alternative, I instead recommend RahXephon, a knockoff of Evangelion, that has a quicker pace, more weirdness and pseudo-Mayan instead of pseudo-Christian trappings that I liked just as much as Evangelion (in other words, it's at the top of my list.)

Philosophical anime can be hard to find, as anime is more often directed to younger viewers. Philosophical manga can be a safer bet.

[andrew]

Yeah when I watched EVA, I had to watch the last few episodes over and over. It was really material. Like you'd have Shinji just in a dark room talking to himself and flash backs. It was deep, but the confussion didn't help.

I watched the first SEL and had no idea what was going on.

There's a lot of great depth to many anime that the general public doesn't realize. They just think of like pokemon. I don't watch anime anymore, just because it takes up way too much time. But there's some good stuff out there.

[Scott Lipton]

Definitely have to go with:

-Elfen Lied (Hope you don't mind blood!)
-Death Note (Very brain heavy)
-Monster
-Full Metal Alchemist (sorta philosophical)
-Evangelion

[Light]

Ah, I forgot about Monster. I've only seen the first season, but it's very good. It's slowly paced, but I kinda like that.

[Akashic_Librarian]

Animatrix. Those nine cartoons are AMAZING!

[toomuchtoabsorb]

Originally Posted by Akashic_Librarian

Animatrix. Those nine cartoons are AMAZING!

I totally forgot about Animatrix. It fits the criteria perfectly.

[Reyv]

Neon Genesis Evangelion has been a most amazingly powerful experience for me. I remember having to force myself to only watch one episode per day, because the tension it built up was so great. I actually became sad as I was reaching the final few episodes, knowing that the whole experience was almost over. Yet how wrong I was. I still remember my reaction to the last couple of episodes. For days, I journaled and I obsessed about the meaning of life. I wound up taking up meditation as a result, and it was probably one of the deciding factors in starting me down an accelerated path of personal growth.

That's just my experience though, and your results may vary. Maybe I was just at a point in my life where everything in that series resonated with me. On that note, if you want to get the best experience, you should watch the series, not the rehashed movie version, and you should definitely resist the impulse to watch several episodes at once. Many of the episodes usually left me thinking about them throughout the rest of the day, asking myself questions. Whenever I watch two episodes at once, I almost always lose the lingering message from the first one.


Vision of Escaflowne was a great series as well, probably the series that got me hooked onto anime, even before my NGE experience.

I'll refrain from comments on Lain and Elfen Lied, as I'm still watching them.

[Kiba]

Parts of Animatrix are goods, some are bad. I called it a mixed bag. I especially like the first one. I believe it is called Kid's story.

I love Ghost In The Shell, especially in the unedited version. I watch pretty much all of its like the two seasons of GITS:SAC. I love the first Ghost In The Shell movie and the music are just awesome.

These two are from the cyberpunk genre.

I never watch Experimental Lain though. I heard it is cyberpunk.

All of them are probably philosophical. I think philosophical animes in general are especially confusing but I enjoy them nonetheless. Especially anime that are in cyberpunk genre; which also seem to be philosophical too.

[Akashic_Librarian]

Kids story is amazing I love the style. I also Like "Program" and "World Record"

[Light]

Originally Posted by Reyv

...and you should definitely resist the impulse to watch several episodes at once.

I'd say that applies to most anime. That's also one thing I fail horribly at. When I get a new series, I'm likely to watch 4 or 5 episodes in a row (if not more).

[Gautam]

Ghost In The Shell is a MUST! There's so much thinking put in that concept. And also I recommend 'Get Backers'. Check out the various characters and their philosophy about their super-human powers. Its very profound!

[Ali]

Hello

Any of you guys seen Naruto?? Ninja school and wars? its a great one .. I recommend that. It is filled with twists and has a great story line. And you also get those touchy feely moments when you are really moved lol

Another anime that dates back to 1997 and has the story line of medieval battles and knites ... and has some CRAZY and I mean it when I say CRAZY twist at the end, it's called Berzerk ... am sure some of you have seen