Been out of the scene for years.. could use a suggestion or two

[Meier]

The only anime that I've really watched and enjoyed in the past few years is Nodame Cantabile. I am interested in suggestions for more mature/adult-oriented series... my favorite studio used to be Bones so if they've done anything worth watching in the past few years I'd be interested to hear more.

I might end up just sticking with Nodame 2 and the new Ippo when it is available, but I wouldn't mind trying out a few other series. Thanks for possible suggestions...

[SeijiSensei]

Shows with older protagonists
Bartender - episodes about life and love and the healing power of the perfect alcoholic concoction
Hataraki Man - episodic workplace comedy about a female magazine editor in her twenties trying to stay afloat in a patriarchal world
Seirei no Moribito - full-length (26 episodes) fantasy adventure about a 30-ish female bodyguard protecting a young prince
Mononoke - humane stories featuring an unusual demon-slayer
Kurozuka - adult vampire romance that spans centuries
Planetes - full-length realistic slice-of-life drama about space trash collectors
Baccano! - 30's American gangsters discover alchemy
REC - wannabe seiyuu meets young salaryman
Claymore - full-length saga in which beautiful blond swordswomen fight monsters
Black Lagoon - existential view of modern naval pirates in Southeast Asia

Shows with teens and young adults but mature themes
Saiunkoku Monogatari - extended (78 episodes; maybe more?) story about a teen-aged girl who wants to become the first female official in a fantasy Asian empire
Kure-nai - teen-aged boy with an unusual after-school job become the protector of a young heiress
Welcome to the NHK! - psychological comedy about young adults coping, or not coping, with the arrival of adulthood

Serious shows with children as leads
Dennou Coil - kids living in a virtual reality uncover some flaws in the system
Ghost Hound - middle-schoolers discover astral projection and dark secrets about their rural community
Shion no Ou - preschooler witnesses brutal murder of parents; later becomes Shougi prodigy

There's a few suggestions from the past couple of years. Enjoy!

As you can see from my signature, I'm also a fan of Monster and Nodame Cantabile.

[signorRossi]

Honey and Clover
Honey and Clover II
Mononoke
Seirei no Moribito
Dennou Coil

You probably already watched GitS-SAC series because they are already quite old, but in case you didn't take a look at them. I am in the course of rewatching season 1 and enjoying it more than I hoped for (must be partly because most current stuff is mediocre).
These are all shows with a good concept/execution throughout, don't bother with half-assed stuff like Kurozuka or lolicon-suspicious stuff like Kure Nai, it will only hur your appetite for anime after your long absence.
Planetes is not as coherent (they should have remained more original to the manga but decided to insert stuff more for younger audiences they thought might be needed IMO, which is what I mean with not coherent) as the other series I mentioned but still worth a watch and probably suited well to your taste since you liked Nodame, for which already a second season is out (Paris Hen).

SignorRossi.

EDIT: Monster is one of my favs too, but I don't think that 20th century boys will work as anime. Already had a look at Vinland Saga or already chewed Vagabond?

[SeijiSensei]

I just want to take objection to the characterization of Kure-nai as "lolicon-suspicious." Yes, there's a young girl in the show, and yes she's shown taking a bath in a public bathhouse with her teen-aged male protector. So what? There's nothing sexual in any of these scenes, nor is there any impropriety in the relationship between them.

I'm getting tired of having to make this statement every time someone says, "ooh, young child without clothes; must be a lolicon show" about Kure-nai. Writers must have a difficult time navigating in a world where everyone suspects their motives.

[Meier]

Oops, as you can see my sig is a little dated, haha.

I read the Planetes comic years ago and actually caught a few episodes when it first came out but that was around the time I stopped watching shows. Twelve Kingdoms is an all-time fav so I'll have to seriously check out some of your other suggestions. I read some of Hataraki Man in the past and enjoyed it so that will be one I have to check out as well. Nowadays with limited time to spare, shorter series are appreciated so Saiunkoku Monogatari is too much of an investment -- I am not sure I'd get into the art style as much these days. The images of Seirei no Moribito look great and look like something I'd be interested in.

signorRossi: Vagabond is one of my favorites although I'm a good 10 or 11 books behind at this point. One of these days I will catch up. Vinland Saga looks/sounds like it is right up my alley so I'll have to give that a shot.

I watched an episode or two of Honey and Clover and could see myself enjoying it but I'm not sure if I'll ever get around to it. Another show I scanned over the past few years was Mushishi but that is another that I'm not sure I'll get around to seeing much more of. I caught the first half of GITS SAC but then tailed off -- maybe I will try and snag more eps off Netflix (I assume it's on there).

Thanks again for the recommendations all -- I watched the first few episodes of One Outs last night and really enjoyed it. I'll probably try and catch up on that.