(L) Aku No Hana (Flowers of Evil)

[Kaioshin Sama]

More dark anime that makes people uncomfortable and angry for the dark anime gods. It's almost as if the industry is challenging viewers to develop a thicker skin again after that huge wave of feel good moe anime. I for one am totally down for this shift of gears as long as it doesn't eventually end up going overboard into the world of outright exploitation like with OVA's in the 80's.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

More dark anime that makes people uncomfortable and angry for the dark anime gods. It's almost as if the industry is challenging viewers to develop a thicker skin again after that huge wave of feel good moe anime. I for one am totally down for this shift of gears as long as it doesn't eventually end up going overboard into the world of outright exploitation like with OVA's in the 80's.

I'll go along with that, for the most part. More dark and challenging anime with complex characters is a good thing, on the whole. I will say, though, that in this specific instance I feel better about the trend it might represent than the show itself - I wouldn't want to watch series as... as this one very often.

[Kirarakim]

I personally don't think the problem with anime is that there wasn't enough dark shows. There were a lot of badly written "dark" shows in the 90's.

I think the problem is the reliance on archetypes and stock characters and situations, instead of telling a genuine good story.

That being said I heard good things about this manga so I will at least give it a shot.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

I'll go along with that, for the most part. More dark and challenging anime with complex characters is a good thing, on the whole. I will say, though, that in this specific instance I feel better about the trend it might represent than the show itself - I wouldn't want to watch series as... as this one very often.

Lol well I built my fandom on dark and depressing anime that are outright cruel towards it's characters so I doubt much will phase me at this point.

After reading a volume of this though I see what you mean. If people already feel challenged to accept someone like Kiritsugu or Haruyuki as main characters I'm not sure what they'll think if more stuff like this gets made. This isn't even really grey morality, it's out and out lack of it on display. Brings to mind those 80's OVA's I mentioned.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by MakubeX2

That is why I say this show might not sit well with people. It is just too darkly realistic, uncommon for the anime scene.

You know, I never understand why that is. A lot of people say that about It's Not My Fault That I'm Not Popular as well(well, it's not really dark in the same sense as this). Even if you can relate to the events in the story, I don't see how exactly it turns people off. This may be a bit unsympathetic to some, but in the end, it's just a story.

[Utsuro no Hako]

I don't want to see anime that's dark for the sake of darkness. Look at what's happened to American fantasy since the success of A Song of Ice and Fire -- now the genre's full of hack writers who think that being rapey, stabby grimdark makes their books inherently mature when in fact their stories are a mess of cliches papered over by a veneer of cynicism. Getting rid of the K-on knockoffs only to replace them with Fate/Zero and School Days knock-offs would just mean we're stuck with different cliches. What makes AnH exciting isn't that it's dark, but that it's original -- even when it delves into cliches, it questions how the cliches work.

Of course, if the show's a success, I'm sure producers will conclude that dark sells and churn out knock-offs until we long for moe comedies.

Originally Posted by frubam

You know, I never understand why that is. A lot of people say that about It's Not My Fault That I'm Not Popular as well(well, it's not really dark in the same sense as this). Even if you can relate to the events in the story, I don't see how exactly it turns people off. This may be a bit unsympathetic to some, but in the end, it's just a story.

It's Not My Fault ... is kinda like The Office (especially the British version) in that it's simultaneously hilarious and pathetic. I'd love to see an anime version just for how slice-of-life fans would react. (Imagine an SOL series about a younger, gender-flipped version of Satou from Welcome to the NHK.)

[fertygo]

LOL, for me the manga isn't dark at all (well apart from that really messed up scene)
Its just friggin crazy

What so dark with teenager going emo anyway?

[Aesthetic Shampoo]

Originally Posted by fertygo

LOL, for me the manga isn't dark at all (well apart from that really messed up scene)
Its just friggin crazy

What so dark with teenager going emo anyway?

There are many messed up scenes in the manga

And, there's a difference between teenagers who have dark thoughts as they live out their lives, or teenagers who lock themselves up in their rooms to slash their wrists, to teenagers who steal the gym clothes of their crush in a fit of madness only to have their full pathetic side come to light as he gets blackmailed because of it.

[Utsuro no Hako]

Originally Posted by EssTEss

There are many messed up scenes in the manga

And, there's a difference between teenagers who have dark thoughts as they live out their lives, or teenagers who lock themselves up in their rooms to slash their wrists, to teenagers who steal the gym clothes of their crush in a fit of madness only to have their full pathetic side come to light as he gets blackmailed because of it.

Notice that this is the set-up for a lame ecchi comedy. What makes the story dark is that the author realizes that in real life the situation wouldn't be remotely funny.

[maximilianjenus]

from what I read this is not particularly dark compared to a regular seinen; but just like fapnote (and this si aobut as dark as that one) it is likely to get compared to echi romcoms and harem shows as seinen does get get animated that often; that beign said this might be a very interesting show to watch.

[Utsuro no Hako]

Originally Posted by maximilianjenus

from what I read this is not particularly dark compared to a regular seinen; but just like fapnote (and this si aobut as dark as that one) it is likely to get compared to echi romcoms and harem shows as seinen does get get animated that often; that beign said this might be a very interesting show to watch.

Depends how it all ends, which is a discussion for the manga thread, but the direction its heading looks plenty dark.

[OPN]

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-new...y-studio-zexcs
So we meet again.....zexcs.

[Utsuro no Hako]

Really don't like the sound of that. It's a seven volume manga, so there's no need for a liberal adaptation -- at worst, a couple points might need to be glossed over for TV standards -- and the character designs are one of the things that stand out about the series.

[OPN]

I think im going to read the manga instead...i hate it when anime do that kinda crap but i'll wait till episode 1 airs.

[totoum]

Originally Posted by OPN

So we meet again.....zexcs.

Honestly after the premiere of Sukitte Ii na yo i'm willing to say that it seems zexcs has turned a page and won't be doing just echi comedies (they've got another couple interesting projects coming up as well).

The director also did Mushishi , so he gets my benifit of the doubt for now.

[Kirarakim]

Did I read that wrong? Did Nagahama say this will be his last anime as a director? I hope I got that wrong.

Anyways not only was Mushishi one of the most faithful adaptions, it actually showed how animation, music, voice work can add to the work.

So I do find it odd that Nagahama would right off the bat say it will be a liberal/unfaithful adaption. Perhaps he has a good reason though.

[ninryu]

I'm really surprised this manga is getting animated, it's not the usual sort of thing that gets an anime.
It is understandable it won't be faithful, that manga is buttshit insane. But not in the very-dark-comedy sense or in the out right horror sense, but a really serious exploitation manga bout good children gone, horribly, horribly wrong.

[totoum]

Originally Posted by Kirarakim

Did I read that wrong? Did Nagahama say this will be his last anime as a director? I hope I got that wrong.

CR corrected that,he said this was his latest anime not his last!

[Kirarakim]

Originally Posted by totoum

CR corrected that,he said this was his latest anime not his last!

Thanks...that line made my heart skip a beat. Glad it was just an error.

[winhlp32]

Studio announced: ZEXCS