Older main characters dealing with a painful past?

[Timdog]

Not much to add to the title, but are there any series out there that deal with older characters dealing with a painful past? They don't need to be really old, just not youth/high school. Preferably set in the modern world as well.

[Saber Cherry]

How about Koi Kaze? Set in the modern world... in fact, the main character (and even the relationship) are a bit reminiscent of Rec. And it is very painful. But the pain is mainly in the present, not the past.

Monster deals with a surgeon who is trying to remedy a terrible mistake he made that ruined his life.

Black Lagoon is full of characters whose lives were certainly not beds of roses, and Darker than Black also features a main character who seems somewhat twisted due to some past betrayal. However, these are both action/gun anime and perhaps not what you're looking for. Darker than Black is also sci-fi. If you were interested in guns and SF, though, Trigun would be a good bet. However, it's rather silly half of the time.

Berserk, too, is more of an action/horror/fantasy story, set in the dark ages. But the main character spends every waking moment trying to overcome his cursed past. Personally, I didn't like it, though most people agree that it's excellent...

Trinity Blood is sci-fi/vampire/action genre. The protagonist is haunted by a painful past. Again, I don't think it's really what you're looking for, but the main character fits.

Manga-wise, give Vampire Juuji Kai (aka Record of a Fallen Vampire) a try. Even though in some ways it is similar to Trinity Blood, it has less focus on blood and action and more on human (or demihuman) relationships, so perhaps you'll like it. It's by the same author as Spiral, which also features angsty characters with painful pasts. Both are set in the modern era; Spiral features highschool-age characters, and Vampire Juuji Kai is of course vampire/SF, but the characters are well beyond high school.

[Guardian Enzo]

It's too bad about your restrictions, because they remove two great options - Kure-nai (teenage lead) and Seirei no Moribito (not modern world).

[Sackett]

Hmmm... hard to match all your limitations.

Cross Game would be perfect, except they are in highschool. They are rather mature though so if it's the immaturity you are worried about it's not there.

Chrome Shelled Regios would also be somewhat around that theme. The light novels it's based off of have the character as highschool age, but in the anime you get the impression he's college age (19 or 20). It's also set in a post apocalyptic world.

Titular character of Inuyasha might count but that's set in the fantastical past.

Ranma 1/2 and Hayate the Combat Butler are both highschool age and besides, their painful past (tossed into a pit of starving cats and sold to the mafia for organ harvesting) is always played for laughs as part of the dark comedy.

Chrono Crusade, I guess Rosette is 18, and Chrono is close to 100... so maybe that counts? Set in America of the roaring 1920s (plus demons)

Starblazers How could I forget Derek Wildstar?! College aged, Of course that's also in a post apocalyptic world.

Sorry but that's about the best I can do

Oh wait! How about Kyoko Onotashi from Maison Ikkoku? She's the female protagonist, and she's an older character dealing with a painful loss. In fact it drives most of the show. I just didn't think of her because Godai (the male lead) is the main lead.

[Telmah]

I strongly suggest Utawarerumono. The main character is a full fledged adult, not a child and has amnesia, but slowly recovers...much to his horror as the series progresses. It's one of the best fantasy animes out there, though so it's not set in the real world.

Though he's still young, I highly suggest and second Kure-nai. Yeah, he's got a tragic past and its on the modern world, but he's still very young. That being said, the series has amazing direction and pacing. They don't dwell on the same tired jokes. It has amazing character development, characters change rapidly as they are influenced by others...never reverting back to their formers selves. The dialogue is out of this world, the characters interrupt each other and it doesn't feel like a script but people actually talking. The only bad points are its only 12 episodes and the opening and ending themes don't fit the show well at all.

[deathreape98]

I will have to second Utawarerumono, Kure-nai, and Chrome Shelled Regios. Although Kure-nai's lead is rather young, he's much more mature, and the anime doesn't focus on the schooling.

Also, I am obligated to sneak in a Clannad recommendation. If you're willing to get past the senior high-school setting, (Which actually goes away partway into season 2) it is a great anime where the male protagonist has multiple issues from his past that greatly affect him, and he

Spoiler for ~Spoiler Alert~:

goes through a living hell later on.

Also, the male lead in Clannad is somewhat mature, and doesn't act childish at all... although his best friend does, hehe.

[Guardian Enzo]

Okazaki - not childish? Yikes, really? I must've been watching a different series!

While it's not modern (is Meijii modern enough?) Rurouni Kenshin is really the ultimate story of a main character dealing with a painful past. Right up until the end of the Kyoto arc it's a very strong series and well worth your time.

[Fevvers]

Hmm, you might want to check out the Ghost in the Shell movies as well as Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Though it's set in the future wherein the digital and the physical world have blurred, the leads are adults, mature and well-thought out.

[Zalis]

Solty Rei -- set in a slightly futuristic world, but the middle-aged main character dealing with his past is a huge component of the series.

[Full Metal Coast]

You will definitely like:
Black Lagoon
Darker Than Black
Canaan
Elfen Leid
Cowboy Bebop
Ergo Proxy
Kaze no Yojimbo

you'll love these

[SeijiSensei]

Wow, no one mentioned Bartender yet? It's absolutely the first show to come to mind when reading the thread title. Nearly every episode concerns adult characters trying to come to grips with emotional issues in their pasts.

Monster is a good choice, too. Many of the characters have painful past histories, some of which have been conveniently forgotten.

Finally I'll toss out the "Bakeneko" arc of Ayakashi Samurai Horror Tales and its unlicensed sequel, Mononoke. They're generally not set in the modern era, but all the stories concern demons unleashed by malevolent human acts. To slay the demons the protagonist must uncover these hidden motives.

[Saber Cherry]

Originally Posted by Sackett

Cross Game would be perfect, except they are in highschool.

Aren't they in elementary school? Or is that just the first episode...

[Theowne]

Originally Posted by Saber Cherry

Aren't they in elementary school? Or is that just the first episode...

Just the first episode.

[Sackett]

I guess Eden of the East counts too...

[vomitoff]

for a movie, sword of the stranger hits the spot.
HANDS DOWN the best anime movie i have EVER seen.

[cerrian]

Eureka 7 has a side plot regarding Holland's past which I found to be shockingly good

[TinyRedLeaf]

Haibane Renmei



It's set a somewhat "modern" town called Guri (although, to be sure, it's not part of the "real world"), which has windmills, electricity, radio and other modern conveniences despite being a largely rural community.

The story is about a small community of angel-like people known as the haibane ("ash wing", or "charcoal feathers" as creator Yoshitoshi ABe prefers to call them). It's not actually easy to tell how "old" the individual haibane are — they aren't human in a strict sense. But, while they may look young, a few of them deal with surprisingly heavy issues.

Especially Reki, pictured above.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by Timdog

Not much to add to the title, but are there any series out there that deal with older characters dealing with a painful past? They don't need to be really old, just not youth/high school. Preferably set in the modern world as well.

I'd recommend you follow Canaan.

[wingdarkness]

Wow...No mention of Gungrave? It don't get more older guys dealing with a painful past than this...

[Death Header]

Originally Posted by Timdog

Not much to add to the title, but are there any series out there that deal with older characters dealing with a painful past? They don't need to be really old, just not youth/high school. Preferably set in the modern world as well.

You might want to try something like Clannad After Story. It's about a regular person who has to deal with his past while taking care of his family.