Mature non Ecchi Fantasy Action Anime

[Poetic Justice]

Hmm, How about toward the terra, Its a space sci fi series.

[synaesthetic]

You should remove Elfen Lied from your list. It has a significant amount of ecchi fanservice (much more in the manga but it's still present in the animated adaptation).

I'd like to recommend Kara no Kyoukai. About the only fanservice in the entire series is of the "look at how high our art budget is" rain porn and whatnot. Visuals are stunning. The story is rather dark and deals with murderers, sorcerers and the secrets of life and death. And the main character, Shiki Ryougi, is certainly not a little girl.

[micheut]

You should remove Elfen Lied from your list.

This was the exact reason why I didn't watch it for so long. Even while watching it, those scenes didn't add nothing at all to the story. To me it seems strange that an Anime with such a good story needs fan service to make people like the Anime, or whatever the reason for fan service might be.

thanks all for the new suggestions, will check em out and keep you posted!

[micheut]

I'd like to recommend Kara no Kyoukai.

Ow my, this one seems to be extremely good! I loved the first movie.

Is it all based around movies or does it also contain some 'normal' episodes? Not that I mind episodes being longer than 20 minutes : o)

[HayashiTakara]

How come no one mentioned Record of Lodoss Wars? for shame.

[synaesthetic]

Originally Posted by micheut

Ow my, this one seems to be extremely good! I loved the first movie.

Is it all based around movies or does it also contain some 'normal' episodes? Not that I mind episodes being longer than 20 minutes : o)

Kara no Kyoukai is seven movies based around a series of light novels written back in the 90s by Kinoko Nasu.

There are no actual "episodes" though each movie could be considered an episode. There are seven total, with the last one concluding the story released earlier in 2009. They were aired in anachronistic order, so each movie doesn't necessarily lead into the next.

If you were to watch them in chronological order, you would watch:

#2 ~ Murder Speculation (First Half)
#4 ~ The Hollow Shrine
#3 ~ Remaining Sense of Pain
#1 ~ Overlooking View
#5 ~ Paradox Spiral
#6 ~ Oblivion Recorder
#7 ~ Murder Speculation (Second Half)

I really recommend them. They're all very good, some are more action-oriented than others--there's quite a lot of fighting in both Paradox Spiral and Murder Speculation (Second Half)--but every last one of them is worth watching.

Not to mention the artwork is gorgeous. Movie budgets are a wonderful thing.

[micheut]

So here I am again with the same request, so why create a new thread? : o) so a new friendly bump

Quick reminder with some edits:

So my top list atm looks like this (in no particular order):
Juuni Kokki
Seirei no Moribito
Haibane Remnei
Kemono no Souja Erin
Elfen Lied
Kara no Kyokai
Ah! My Goddess (though this one should not be in the list of my search for similar Anime. I just loved it)

I also enjoyed, but not loved like the above:
Dennou Coil
Mushishi
Basilisk
Claymore
Valkyria Chronicles
Code Geass
Fairtytail
Naruto (gave it a

I did not enjoy:
Spice and Wolf
Devil may Cry
all the vampirish series
Fullmetal XXX Edit, very. slowly. watching it

I've had a HUGE Anime break. What I did watch was some Shipuuden and Fairytail for easy watchable shows.
I'm stoked to watch some new suggestions!

So other than the title suggests, I look for Anime with the following:

* NON Ecchi NO Fanservice
* Very heavy character development
* Themes like Politics, Ethics, Religion and Philosophy
* I'm a fool for Tradition
* A touch of Romance
* Bonds, Anime with Bonds between characters is AWESOME!
* A good dose of fantasy/magic is liked

Thanks again!

[totoum]

Fate/Zero is the first recent title that comes to mind.

[micheut]

That looks interesting actually.
Is it recommendable to watch fate/stay night first? That one looks a little less interesting actually : o)

[totoum]

Originally Posted by micheut

That looks interesting actually.
Is it recommendable to watch fate/stay night first? That one looks a little less interesting actually : o)

I know a lot of people recommend it but I've managed to follow without having seen fate/stay night,the only real obstacle was getting used to all the terminology the characters are using,did some googling to figure some stuff out.

[MisaoFan]

Try Shounen Omnyoji : it's a 2007 24-episode action fantasy anime filled with mature themes (but no ecchiness) about a former exorcist who finally re-meets a devil while he brings back his pact towards the supernatural creatures in a Heian (794-1185) era. Lot of action and some romance.

I'll also recommend Murder Princess, a 2007 6-OVA fantasy anime about a princess who soulswitching with the action girl because her kingdom was in danger and her near-death experience. It has strong bond between those girls, however there's not enough character development (aside the main ones) but no ecchiness. There's few fanservice, but there are not important and doesn't really affect the story. Also, lot of action and some romance.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

I kinda skim through your thread and it seems that Utawarerumono hasn’t been suggested yet. It might fit your taste for character-driven non-ecchi fantasy.

[micheut]

Thanks a lot, those are some neat suggestions!
I'll keep you posted while watching them!

[micheut]

finished fate/zero!
Pretty awesome graphics. I would say that Ufotable usually draws anime that's not really my style but this one and fate/zero are really impressive.
Hopping to the next one! : o)

[Sound of Azure]

I've always been rather fond of Kino's Journey. The main character isn't an older one, but it is a very introspective show. There isn't really any romance per se, but it does look at people's relationships with each other and with the traditions of their land.

[MisaoFan]

Originally Posted by Sound of Azure

I've always been rather fond of Kino's Journey. The main character isn't an older one, but it is a very introspective show. There isn't really any romance per se, but it does look at people's relationships with each other and with the traditions of their land.

If you like Kino's Journey, you should also try Allison & Lillia as well : the 2008 26-episode romance adventure TV anime sets in a world that strangely ressembles the 1930s Europe. The stories are divised into two : the first one (episodes 1-13) involves Allison, a female pilot who tells her life as well her encounter to her good friend named Wil. The second half (episodes 14-26) involves Lillia, the daughter of Allison and Wil. Like her mother, Lillia also tells her life and she's always follows her childhood friend named Treize. It is notable that both Allison & Lillia and Kino's Journey are created by the same authors (they're both based on light novels)

[FireChick]

Try Fantastic Children. It's great!

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by micheut

So other than the title suggests, I look for Anime with the following:

* NON Ecchi NO Fanservice
* Very heavy character development
* Themes like Politics, Ethics, Religion and Philosophy
* I'm a fool for Tradition
* A touch of Romance
* Bonds, Anime with Bonds between characters is AWESOME!
* A good dose of fantasy/magic is liked

Thanks again!

I'm going to mention Bakeneko and Mononoke again for their combination of mature characters and fantasy.

Another show that hasn't come up yet in the discussion is Mouryou no Hako. It opens with two characters riding on a train, one of whom holds a box with a girl's head inside that starts to sing. The rest of the first episode is a bit deceptive; it's not "just" a Class-S show about girl crushes. The middle episodes contain a lot of the history and philosophy of Onmyōdō.

You might also give Aoi Bungaku a try; it's an anthology based on famous Japanese novels. Some of them have supernatural themes, but they are all mature stories with a humanistic perspective.

How about Baccano!? It's got a number of the things you're looking for though it's set in Prohibition America.

Another popular show that hasn't yet been mentioned is Claymore, where beautiful women wield huge swords to defeat horrible monsters. It has mature characters, a hint of politics, friendship and bonding issues, and no ecchi.

I'm also going to mention Saiunkoku Monogatari again, even though it's currently in licensing limbo and hard to find. It hits pretty much all of your interests except for a focus on the supernatural. It does start with a founding myth that has import later on, but most of the show is humanistic.

Finally I'll suggest that you start following Hyouge Mono (can't link to it here), though you'll have to be patient. Subs appear only once a month or so; we're at episode eleven of thirty-nine right now.