I feel you, bro. I feel you.
May 21, 2011 7:16 PM Subscribe
Recommendations of anime with identifiable/relatable characters?
I seldom watch anime. The only ones I've truly enjoyed were Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. I realize both of these were directed by Watanabe, but that isn't the main reason why I liked them. I really appreciated the fact that both included characters I could easily identify with, as well as making an effort to showcase each character's past and how it shaped them. The issues brought up from their past are usually somewhat easy to relate to (betrayal, unrequited love, etc.). Desperately hoping that my description isn't too vague, I would like for you to recommend some anime based upon said description. I'd rather the recommendations to be <35 episodes. I tend to get "burned out" if they go longer than that (e.g. I never finished Full Metal Alchemist).
Possibly helpful note: I absolutely loved Jet Black from Bebop.
I seldom watch anime. The only ones I've truly enjoyed were Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. I realize both of these were directed by Watanabe, but that isn't the main reason why I liked them. I really appreciated the fact that both included characters I could easily identify with, as well as making an effort to showcase each character's past and how it shaped them. The issues brought up from their past are usually somewhat easy to relate to (betrayal, unrequited love, etc.). Desperately hoping that my description isn't too vague, I would like for you to recommend some anime based upon said description. I'd rather the recommendations to be <35 episodes. I tend to get "burned out" if they go longer than that (e.g. I never finished Full Metal Alchemist).
Possibly helpful note: I absolutely loved Jet Black from Bebop.
I'm not good with characterizing characters as relatable (I'm not sure how one would even go about doing this...) so I'll try to give recommendations on shows that have strongly defined characters in a living world. Since you're not too well ingrained in anime as well, I'll try to keep my recommendations "sane" and probably more watchable/relatable to someone as such.
500 cm per Second is a movie. Love, lost love, unrequited love, and all other sorts of love abound centered all around a main character as he goes from child to working adult. Definitely watch it.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is another movie. It's how a high school girl reacts to a recently gained ability to time travel and her attempts to fix mistakes, some of which are caused by the sheer act of trying to fix those mistakes.
Angel Beats is a another recommendation. I'm not sure how Bebop and Champloo are... but Angel Beats has a bit more of a traditional anime setting. Guy wakes up and finds himself in some sort of purgatory whose setting is a school. It's action-adventure-comedy-(slight romance)-(one episode of horror). The kids who come here don't have their memories from their life on Earth, and its centered about discovering their memories and their interactions with each other. You can watch a promotional for it here. It's only 13 episodes, so I definitely recommend trying it. I think you should watch the first three episodes for sure (that's just an hour of your time). All the show's components of action, comedy, and the role of memories and the backgrounds of people before they died are introduced by then. If you aren't addicted by that point, then just stop.
Clannad is a two series show, but if you're going to watch it you have to watch the second season. It's all a waste otherwise. Unfortunately, that means you're approaching around 44 episodes - a bit short of FMA: Brotherhood which was 64 or so. To be honest, I see the first season as the setup for the second season: where the main characters life really starts to happen as he graduates high school and he enters the adult world. There's a small supernatural aspect to a few episodes in the first season - but the show as a whole is realistic. (Okay. There's also a supernatural... "hue" to the whole show, but it's something you shouldn't take into consideration in deciding whether or not to watch Clannad.)
I've literally seen over hundreds of different anime shows, so feel free to contact me if you liked any of my recommendations - I've got a lot.
posted by SollosQ at 8:09 PM on May 21, 2011
500 cm per Second is a movie. Love, lost love, unrequited love, and all other sorts of love abound centered all around a main character as he goes from child to working adult. Definitely watch it.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is another movie. It's how a high school girl reacts to a recently gained ability to time travel and her attempts to fix mistakes, some of which are caused by the sheer act of trying to fix those mistakes.
Angel Beats is a another recommendation. I'm not sure how Bebop and Champloo are... but Angel Beats has a bit more of a traditional anime setting. Guy wakes up and finds himself in some sort of purgatory whose setting is a school. It's action-adventure-comedy-(slight romance)-(one episode of horror). The kids who come here don't have their memories from their life on Earth, and its centered about discovering their memories and their interactions with each other. You can watch a promotional for it here. It's only 13 episodes, so I definitely recommend trying it. I think you should watch the first three episodes for sure (that's just an hour of your time). All the show's components of action, comedy, and the role of memories and the backgrounds of people before they died are introduced by then. If you aren't addicted by that point, then just stop.
Clannad is a two series show, but if you're going to watch it you have to watch the second season. It's all a waste otherwise. Unfortunately, that means you're approaching around 44 episodes - a bit short of FMA: Brotherhood which was 64 or so. To be honest, I see the first season as the setup for the second season: where the main characters life really starts to happen as he graduates high school and he enters the adult world. There's a small supernatural aspect to a few episodes in the first season - but the show as a whole is realistic. (Okay. There's also a supernatural... "hue" to the whole show, but it's something you shouldn't take into consideration in deciding whether or not to watch Clannad.)
I've literally seen over hundreds of different anime shows, so feel free to contact me if you liked any of my recommendations - I've got a lot.
posted by SollosQ at 8:09 PM on May 21, 2011
Without getting into some sort of nerdwar, I would say railgun/index are actually really poor examples of relatable characters, each having been bestowed with incredible powers and living in a magic-infused utopia of a city entirely dedicated to schoolchildren. (not that the series isn't enjoyable)
A lot of the noitaminA-block shows tend to be more mainstream and therefore contain more realistic and relatable characters. They are also usually ~12 episodes. Examples might be Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 or Eden of the East, both featuring normal people in abnormal situations. Planetes is another example of a well-grounded, character-based show with a more sci-fi background.
Kyon, the protagonist from Haruhi, is designed specifically to be relatable to (from a male perspective) and his narration usually focuses on his profound frustration with his unusual situation rather than a less-realistic reaction. He constantly references pop and historical culture in his ramblings. Tatami Galaxy targets the same young-adult-male perspective (it's the anime rendition of Groundhog Day). Welcome to the NHK is again up this alley but with a more-nerdy, shut-in protagonist.
Black Lagoon has a tone vaguely similar to Bebop and its main character is a working-class stiff adapting to the life of a smuggler.
Ghost in the Shell: SAC is more of an ensemble-cast like Bebop, that devotes at least one episode to each character's background. As it has 2 seasons (albeit self-contained) that's 48+ episodes you'd have to commit to.
Bakemonogatari is an incredibly character-focused folklorey short show. Opinions on it are very divided, but each segment is devoted to exploring the psychological issues behind one of the characters' current problems. Other folklore/supernatural-yet-grounded shows might be Mushishi or Natsume Yuujinchou. Mushishi in particular deals with the analysis of peoples' problems and the supernatural manifestations of said problems.
Baccano! and Durarara, both by the same studio/mangaka, have a wide ensemble of characters whose pasts and interpersonal relations are revealed over the course of their single-season lengths. Baccano in particular sounds like what you're looking for.
Both Trigun and Outlaw Star are of similar era and thematic content as Cowboy Bebop, with the former more focused on the space-cowboy theme, and Outlaw Star following the same spaceship-comradery bounty hunting of Bebop.
Monster is cited a lot as a good non-anime-watcher anime, with a relatively well-contained group of characters explored in great depth. The downside is that it runs a full 70ish episodes IIRC.
It would help to know more about you, and what you're able to relate to, in refining these suggestions; forgive this post's length in the meantime.
posted by MangyCarface at 8:21 PM on May 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
A lot of the noitaminA-block shows tend to be more mainstream and therefore contain more realistic and relatable characters. They are also usually ~12 episodes. Examples might be Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 or Eden of the East, both featuring normal people in abnormal situations. Planetes is another example of a well-grounded, character-based show with a more sci-fi background.
Kyon, the protagonist from Haruhi, is designed specifically to be relatable to (from a male perspective) and his narration usually focuses on his profound frustration with his unusual situation rather than a less-realistic reaction. He constantly references pop and historical culture in his ramblings. Tatami Galaxy targets the same young-adult-male perspective (it's the anime rendition of Groundhog Day). Welcome to the NHK is again up this alley but with a more-nerdy, shut-in protagonist.
Black Lagoon has a tone vaguely similar to Bebop and its main character is a working-class stiff adapting to the life of a smuggler.
Ghost in the Shell: SAC is more of an ensemble-cast like Bebop, that devotes at least one episode to each character's background. As it has 2 seasons (albeit self-contained) that's 48+ episodes you'd have to commit to.
Bakemonogatari is an incredibly character-focused folklorey short show. Opinions on it are very divided, but each segment is devoted to exploring the psychological issues behind one of the characters' current problems. Other folklore/supernatural-yet-grounded shows might be Mushishi or Natsume Yuujinchou. Mushishi in particular deals with the analysis of peoples' problems and the supernatural manifestations of said problems.
Baccano! and Durarara, both by the same studio/mangaka, have a wide ensemble of characters whose pasts and interpersonal relations are revealed over the course of their single-season lengths. Baccano in particular sounds like what you're looking for.
Both Trigun and Outlaw Star are of similar era and thematic content as Cowboy Bebop, with the former more focused on the space-cowboy theme, and Outlaw Star following the same spaceship-comradery bounty hunting of Bebop.
Monster is cited a lot as a good non-anime-watcher anime, with a relatively well-contained group of characters explored in great depth. The downside is that it runs a full 70ish episodes IIRC.
It would help to know more about you, and what you're able to relate to, in refining these suggestions; forgive this post's length in the meantime.
posted by MangyCarface at 8:21 PM on May 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
Recently they completed broadcasting a show called Puella Magi Madoka Magica and a lot of fans are using the word "classic" to refer to it.
It's another show about teenage girls, but I'm afraid that these days about half of anime is about teenage girls. It has the things you said you were looking for: vivid characters with distinct back stories, and an extremely engaging plot. And being only 12 episodes, it isn't going to burn you out.
At the beginning it seems to be a classic (moldy) magical-girl story, but Shinbo (the director) had something else in mind. He was trying to break the mold and strike out in a new direction.
There's a lot else I could say but I'm trying to avoid spoilers. I will say that it's a series which will stay with you. And some parts of it are visually amazing.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:23 PM on May 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
It's another show about teenage girls, but I'm afraid that these days about half of anime is about teenage girls. It has the things you said you were looking for: vivid characters with distinct back stories, and an extremely engaging plot. And being only 12 episodes, it isn't going to burn you out.
At the beginning it seems to be a classic (moldy) magical-girl story, but Shinbo (the director) had something else in mind. He was trying to break the mold and strike out in a new direction.
There's a lot else I could say but I'm trying to avoid spoilers. I will say that it's a series which will stay with you. And some parts of it are visually amazing.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:23 PM on May 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
The most worthwhile anime I've seen recently is Eyeshield 21. It's about Japanese highschool kids playing American football.
Wait, wait, come back. It's absolutely not necessary for you to be into sports to appreciate this - but it will give you an appreciation for what it's like to be an amateur athlete.
It's also got some of the most compelling and complex characters in any television show, ever, anime or not. Walk-on comedy roles become central lynchpins to the plot, cardboard cut-out villains unexpectedly gain depth and sympathy, becoming competitors and colleagues, their villainy an illusion of perspective. There's only one stock character, but he's the stock character, so we can see the amazing variety of the people he interacts with through his eyes. It's masterfully done.
What's more, the women are strong and independent, valuable teammates in their off-the-field roles and close friends to the boys, rather than shallow love interests. (Tho romance is sometimes hinted at, and subtly - with one comedic exception.)
Kuriton, Hiruma and Musashi are very clearly a modern Japanese take on the Three Musketeers, and their relationship is very deeply explored, with mysteries unraveling only in their due time.
No giant robots. No tentacles menacing busty schoolgirls. Just solid storytelling built on interesting and relatable characters.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:40 PM on May 21, 2011
Wait, wait, come back. It's absolutely not necessary for you to be into sports to appreciate this - but it will give you an appreciation for what it's like to be an amateur athlete.
It's also got some of the most compelling and complex characters in any television show, ever, anime or not. Walk-on comedy roles become central lynchpins to the plot, cardboard cut-out villains unexpectedly gain depth and sympathy, becoming competitors and colleagues, their villainy an illusion of perspective. There's only one stock character, but he's the stock character, so we can see the amazing variety of the people he interacts with through his eyes. It's masterfully done.
What's more, the women are strong and independent, valuable teammates in their off-the-field roles and close friends to the boys, rather than shallow love interests. (Tho romance is sometimes hinted at, and subtly - with one comedic exception.)
Kuriton, Hiruma and Musashi are very clearly a modern Japanese take on the Three Musketeers, and their relationship is very deeply explored, with mysteries unraveling only in their due time.
No giant robots. No tentacles menacing busty schoolgirls. Just solid storytelling built on interesting and relatable characters.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:40 PM on May 21, 2011
It's girls, but all of the ARIA(The Animation, The Natural, The Origination) are so calm and full of past and present development that it's a shame there aren't more of them. It's the story of 3 student gondoliers and their teachers taking trips round about the canals of Neo Venicia (flooded Mars). The three are best friends, and the teachers are too, plus it has magical Mars cats.
Honey and Clover is another good couple of seasons. A mix of college kids/teachers at an Art school. Some mysterious characters, love triangles, angst...
Planetes is supposed to be really good, I haven't watched it past the first few episodes because I'm saving it.
posted by zengargoyle at 9:10 PM on May 21, 2011
Honey and Clover is another good couple of seasons. A mix of college kids/teachers at an Art school. Some mysterious characters, love triangles, angst...
Planetes is supposed to be really good, I haven't watched it past the first few episodes because I'm saving it.
posted by zengargoyle at 9:10 PM on May 21, 2011
If i'm reading you correctly, Serial Experiments Lain fits the bill. The entire point is knowing the main character, her past, and her psyche.
posted by cmoj at 9:22 PM on May 21, 2011
posted by cmoj at 9:22 PM on May 21, 2011
Watanabe was also involved in making of 'Michiko to Hatchin'. At first site it looks very different from either of his series but in fact characters, composition and sense of humor are so similar that I keep thinking of it as another Watanabe series even though he wasn't the director.
Avatar always reminded me of Watanabe work.. one of the best series out there and action, characterization and story are mixed in a similar way to Samurai Champloo.
'The last exile' is in many ways more traditional anime-like than bebop and champloo but it's much slower-paced, not gimmicky and has a very long and considerate character development. It's not a long series but there are some stretches of episodes when almost nothing happens at all, but somehow that works out just fine as part of building the right atmosphere.
There is also a little-known series called 'Mezzo', it's a bit similar to Bebop but mostly in a superficial way, but it's a fun and quirky work in its own way and might be worth seeing although not on the level of other animes I mentioned.
posted by rainy at 9:55 AM on May 22, 2011
Avatar always reminded me of Watanabe work.. one of the best series out there and action, characterization and story are mixed in a similar way to Samurai Champloo.
'The last exile' is in many ways more traditional anime-like than bebop and champloo but it's much slower-paced, not gimmicky and has a very long and considerate character development. It's not a long series but there are some stretches of episodes when almost nothing happens at all, but somehow that works out just fine as part of building the right atmosphere.
There is also a little-known series called 'Mezzo', it's a bit similar to Bebop but mostly in a superficial way, but it's a fun and quirky work in its own way and might be worth seeing although not on the level of other animes I mentioned.
posted by rainy at 9:55 AM on May 22, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
It's an offshoot of a series called To Aru Majutsu no Index which is less well done and a lot more bloody. That series is horror, but Railgun is action-adventure, pretty much, with comic elements.
The series is placed in Academy City, a purpose built city in Japan dedicated to teaching kids how to use various kinds of esper powers. Anyone who has the money can go to school there, but some (in fact, a considerable percentage) never manifest any kind of power.
People are classified on a scale of 0-6, with 0 meaning "no power at all" and 6 being the top rank. Level 6 is also theoretical; there are no level 6's. In Academy city, there are only 7 people who are considered to be level 5, and Mikoto, one of the main characters in this series, is one of them. She's an "electromaster" and is known as "The Railgun" because one of the things she can do with her power is to accelerate a coin to supersonic speeds and fire it at things.
She's second-year middle school. The other three main characters are first-year middle school. Mikoto's roommate Kuroko is a level 4 teleporter. Kuroko is also a member of a police auxiliary known as "Judgement". Her partner is Uiharu, who is level 1. Uiharu's classmate and best friend is named Saten, and she's level 0.
The first episode of the show is about Saten and Uiharu meeting and getting to know Mikoto. By the fourth episode, the four of them have become friends and it has become habit for them to hang out together.
A lot of the show revolved around Judgement. Kuroko and Uiharu are (junior) cops, and Mikoto and Saten end up informally helping them to crack several cases, minor or major.
What seems like Kuroko's one note is that she's a raging lesbian and has the hots for Mikoto. Mikoto seems to be hetero, and isn't responding to Kuroko's advances, but Kuroko never gives up. That dynamic is mainly played for laughs. It's also mainly front-loaded. It's a running gag in the series but only lightly so after about episode 5.
And it isn't the only thing about Kuroko that's interesting. She's a good cop, and an impressive one. Kuroko and Uiharu make a hell of a team, and their supervisor cuts them a lot of slack in terms of how they operate because they have quite a track record of solving difficult cases.
All four of the main characters are actually quite deep, and each is strong in her own way. It's one of my favorite series ever.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:47 PM on May 21, 2011