anime/manga without spoonfeeding

[G. Zeus]

Ok, now it's the seinen pimp who's asking for suggestions.


I'm looking for anime/manga which actually allows the reader to use his/her brain to figure things out. Y'know, stuff with open endings, implicit metaphors or wherein the relevance of some of the most important scenes are implied. Stories which are open to interpretation and speculation, nothing like Akari (ARIA) or Kenshin (Rurouni Kenshin) shoving down their insights, opinions, philosophy, and/or morality down the readers'/viewers' thoats.


Some of the best examples that I could think of at the moment (obscure references ahead):

Spoiler for Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou:

chapter 45: Everone's Ships
"You and Takahiro... your time and your bodies are riding on the same ship. I may only be able to watch your ships from the shore. You and Takahiro will always be together. I envy you for that."

chapter 119: Soba Zenzai
Alpha looks fondly at Makki as she sleeps. She then remembers Takahiro, who has already grown up and moved away. Alpha's cheerful expression slowly becomes melancholy. She then looks out the window, sheds a tear, and wipes it away. The scene ends with Alpha thinking, "So fast... Too fast."

chapter 137: Everone's Ships
Alpha waves madly at Takahiro and Makki as they fly away on a plane.

chapter 139: A Calm Evening's Communication
"Owner... Are you watching over me?"

Spoiler for Ichigo Mashimaro:

episode 10: Flower
Chikka tells her sister Nobue that she can't possibly understand/appreciate the beauty of a flower in the field. Nobue simply closes her eyes and smiles to herself because she had been there earlier.

Spoiler for Mohiro Kitoh's Short Stories:

chapter 10:Pochi's Place
"Sensei, Okkun, and I still use that crosswalk. That place is no longer there."

Spoiler for Mushishi:

episode 20: Fude no Umi
The expressions on their faces, the pauses in their speech, the little jokes throughout their dialogue... It's as if two conversations were taking place at the same time; one light and mundane, the other being serious and slightly depressing.

[bruno321]

Well, surely you've seen it, but Neon Genesis Evangelion is full with obscure metaphors and weird scenes which can lead to multiple interpretations...

Also, Paranoia Agent. An excellent mindfuck with several metaphors present from ep 1. Excellent, excellent ending. I didn't quite get it at first, at least, not the really obscure and interesting part of it, but it was really great. Quite an experience.

Someday soon I'll watch Angel's Egg (198-something movie), which I think has the potential to be what you're looking for, but I haven't seen it yet, so what do I know.

Edit: oh, and of course. Of course. Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu. It disappoints me to see people recommending it because "omg good comedy" "nice school life anime", when it is oh so much more. I've seen it three times now, and every time I've discovered hidden "hints" of what was to come from ep2 (well, ep1 is a little special... )...

[Matrim]

Haibane Renmei - really subtle and open to interpretation. Amazing atmosphere, too.

I second Paranoia Agent, I really need to watch it again some day so I can understand and appreciate it fully.

[jedinat]

Manga:
Koi Kaze
Dirty Work

Anime:
Kino no Tabi
Serial Experiments Lain

[sothis]

in addition to some of the others mentioned, Alien Nine is quite controversial in its implications.

[Jubei_Asaemon]

Watch Angel's Egg, it has only a a few minutes of dialog during the entire movie, the rest is a visual allegory. Also watch the Ghost in the Shell movies, the second one in particular is layered with philosophy that doesn't make any sense (to me). Both are Directed by Mamoru Oshii, and while he has his detractors I think he is a great director for the kind of movies he makes. As far as manga goes try Eden by Hiroki Endo, it has roots in gnostic mythology, and has a good amount of existentialism to it. All of these titles have interpretation that needs to be actively made by the reader/viewer beyond the plot.

[AnarchicQ]

Boogiepop Phantom. While it doesn't leave many loose ends by the conclusion, it certainly is a bit of a mindscrew to try to follow.

[Darkman.exe213]

Rahxephon might be a good series to watch. It has several obscure clues/implications/symbolism, although the ending may not seem as open-ended as you'd want it to be.

And I second Neon Genesis Evangelion. The ending is about as open-ended as an anime can get, leaving plenty of room for interpretation. The plot is difficult to fully grasp, and expects the viewer to think for themselves to make heads and tails out of it.

[retardation]

Originally Posted by bruno321

Edit: oh, and of course. Of course. Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu. It disappoints me to see people recommending it because "omg good comedy" "nice school life anime", when it is oh so much more. I've seen it three times now, and every time I've discovered hidden "hints" of what was to come from ep2 (well, ep1 is a little special... )...

word but i mean i think one of the best parts of the show is that it's good on that sorta school life comedy level and also it's something that people who're older/looking to think a little, etc. can appreciate.

since any thread that includes paranoia agent and serial experiments lain can probably add ergo proxy then maybe that's a show that can be included. i mean overall there might be a few things in there that might be preachy but then there are other episodes which are very much subtle in their message or that might even be hard to understand without a bit of background knowledge in philosophy.

and there's akira, which you probably saw.