Existential, philosophical, psychological or sociological anime, eh? My favourite kinds of anime.
(1)
Mushishi (philosophical)
Ginko is a "Mushi-shi" who travels around to investigate and find out more about the "Mushi". In the process, he also lends a helping hand to people who face problems with supernatural occurances which may be related to the "Mushi". Each mushi encounter is basically another excuse to explore a facet of life from a philosophical perspective. Philosophical anime does not get any more gorgeous than
Mushishi.
(2)
Twelve Kingdoms (sociological)
We've seen countless Western fantasies based on medieval Europe. We seldom see drama based on Confucian political and sociological philosophy instead.
Twelve Kingdoms is superficially similar to
Fushigi Yuugi, but its inspiration is very different. It transposes the Confucian concept of a "heavenly mandate" to rule into a fantasy realm and creates an interestingly thought-provoking drama in the process.
And if you enjoy
Twelve Kingdoms, follow up with
Seirei no Moribito. Although
Seirei is more of a fantasy/historical drama epic, it draws heavily from the anthropological experience of the novels' writer. If you pay attention to the details (which happen to be deliciously beautiful), there are plenty of sociological lessons to be learned.
(3)
Millenium Actress (existential; sociological)
This is my favourite Satoshi Kon movie. It's his tribute to Japanese cinema, from the early Japanese post-war years to present day. The movie follows the adventures of a retired Japanese movie actress who had spent her whole life chasing the love of her life, and in the process, the audience experiences Japanese history through a play within a play. A must watch.
(4)
Ghibli movies (sociological)
Several Ghibli movies have heavy sociological themes, not least of which are
Princess Mononoke,
Spirited Away, and
Grave of the Fireflies. No serious anime fan should ignore Ghibli movies in any case.
(5)
Haibane Renmei (so philosophical that it's almost religious)
This series will forever remain very, very special to me. On the surface, it's a simple story about a group of angel-like children, complete with flightless wings and halos. We learn about their way of life, about the many mysteries of their enclosed world. Halfway through the series however, the plot takes an unexpected turn and becomes a powerful story about friendship and salvation.
(6)
Cowboy Bepop (existential)
This might seem like a strange suggestion, given that Shinichiro Watanabe's anime (eg,
Samurai Champloo) tends to be heavy on flair and light on substance. But that is part of this show's charm. If Ernest Hemmingway wrote an anime, it might turn out a bit like
Cowboy Bepop. It is imbued with a lingering sense of hard-boiled ennui, of hard drinking, tough fighting heroes who are so removed from living that they can't even talk about their feelings honestly anymore, and prefer instead to ride into sunset with all guns blazing. This is the very essence of existentialism, as Nietzche sees it.
