TV that can make me think? Impossible!

May 28, 2009 4:47 PM

Philosophy and popular entertainment! I am close to being obsessed with Ghost in the Shell and its astonishingly deep themes - it's crack cocaine for the existentialist. What other movies or TV shows can help me get my fix?

I've seen other questions along these lines, but I specifically wanted to ask for visual media, as I have quite enough reading material. Anime and cartoons are preferred although live action is quite acceptable also. Extra kudos for suggestions which can provoke an emotional response too.

posted by fearnothing to media & arts (16 comments total)

Serial Experiments Lain, as I recall, covered some deep water, though I only watched a small portion of the series.
posted by jquinby at 4:51 PM on May 28

Evangelion! First the series, then the movies. It starts off as a fairly normal giant-robot affair, but gets super weird by the end. If you're looking for awesome mindfuck anime, you can't do better.
posted by kprincehouse at 4:53 PM on May 28

Ergo Proxy

Serial Experiments Lain

Noein: To Your Other Self

Paprika

Paranoia Agent

Those are just off the top of my head.
posted by strixus at 4:55 PM on May 28 [1 favorite]

Looks sweet! I'll check that one out for sure.
posted by fearnothing at 4:57 PM on May 28

Shoujo Kakumei Utena. So, so much love for that series. (Watch the series before the movie, by the way -- the movie is sort of a parallel universe of the series, full of fanservice, and written while the writers were high on something amazing. Great movie, but you need the series first for the depth.)
posted by olinerd at 5:00 PM on May 28

The Prisoner
posted by fellion at 5:04 PM on May 28

Thirding Serial Experiments Lain. Evangelion was a bit of a letdown for me - gets way too high on its own crack by the end.

Word of warning: Lain is sloooooooooow going. But the color work is almost unrivaled and the themes it delves into are good stuff.

Costs $60 right now for the full box set.
posted by Ryvar at 5:17 PM on May 28

Deathnote is about a notebook that kills whoever's name is written inside, and about how one guy finds it and uses it. Although I haven't finished the series yet, it is an incredible show and really makes me think about the deeper meanings in death and life. I would recommend it, even if it isn't exactly what you are after.
posted by tumples at 6:17 PM on May 28

Lain is definitely your best choice. But it's a show that demands that the viewer work. It doesn't hand you anything on a platter.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:06 PM on May 28 [1 favorite]

Mamoru Oshii also did some other movies, one of which is Avalon, a favorite of mine. It's a live-action movie VERY similar to GitS, and the look and feel of it is astounding.

I'm also a fan of Cowboy Bebop and Fullmetal Alchemist. The former is only 26 episodes, and varies in tone - it starts off lighthearted bet becomes VERY emotional / philosophical by the end (I was in tears during the final episode). FMA is more adventure-based, but there's a lot of morality and personal struggle in it.
posted by GJSchaller at 7:52 PM on May 28

The Second Renaissance (part I, part II) by Mahiro Maeda -- it's a devastating yet beautiful work of animation. It was a short film produced as a sort of prequel to the Matrix movies, but it functions well as a stand-alone work. It depicts the rise of sentient robots and how they are abused by (and ultimately triumph over) humanity. It's visually stunning, morally ambiguous, and chock-full of symbolism and visual metaphors.
posted by Rhaomi at 8:53 PM on May 28

Seconding Paranoia Agent, and anything it's director Satoshi Kon has done.
posted by P.o.B. at 9:31 PM on May 28

Ghost in the Shell's sequel, Innocence, is visually astounding, much less linear than the first film and just as concerned with the nature of humanity and existence.

I've always thought The Truman Show was a good jumping off point for philosophical discussion.

This site will help you.
posted by Bobby Bittman at 10:29 PM on May 28

Ones that make my brain work are the best ones so it sounds absolutely ideal, Pickle. I've ordered it already. I've already seen the Truman Show and think it's fantastic, along with a half dozen or so of those on Bittman's list. I'm loving what I've seen so far guys but if you want to throw any more at me I'm listening :)
posted by fearnothing at 3:17 AM on May 29

nthing Lain. You might also enjoy Haibane Renmei, which I think is by the same person.
Perfect Blue is also excellent.
posted by media_itoku at 5:48 PM on May 29

Thank you Fearnothing! I've been building up the courage to ask almost the same question for my first Ask Metafilter post, you've saved me the effort. I'm missing Ghost In the Shell Stand Alone Complex this year. I need more! I'll be investigating all the stuff suggested here , thanks.

However, I was planning to also ask about anything else like Mushi-Shi too, another series that is deep, melancholy and thoughtful. Avoid the live action film, the comic is good, but the animated TV series is excellent, hauntingly beautiful.

I was a bit too sensitive to enjoy Perfect Blue, it's a clever film but a bit too unpleasant at times. I did really enjoy Millennium Actress, a film by the same writer/director. I have to admit I got a bit weepy over the Tachikomas in Ghost in the Shell but Millennium Actress almost had me bawling - I'm not normally that emotional watching films, but some anime just gets to me like that.

It looks like I've got to buy Serial Experiments Lain now.
posted by BinaryApe at 7:25 AM on May 30