Intelligent characters or complex story

[stupify]

Hello.
I've started on anime only very recently, because I started studying japanese for professional reasons and it was a very widely available media for me to use to practice listening, and I got to like some of it alot.

However, I have hard time finding stuff that fits my taste. I like either very complex stories, or highly intelligent characters which make the story richer.

Here's the anime that I liked:

Neon Genesis Evangelion
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Death Note
Code Geass

Anime's which kept me till the end but I didnt enjoy so much:

Elfen Lied
Midori no Hibi
FLCL
Ahh, Megami Sama!
Hellsing

Anime I couldn't continue seeing past the first few episodes:

.hack//sign
Naruto
Trigun

Also, I prefer anime with nice artwork and drawing, I didn't like FLCL's and Trigun's style so much when compared with say Code Geass.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: forgot evangelion on the list

[qwertyuiopz]

ghost hound

[CeDeR]

i second Ghost Hound
Jyu Oh Sei
Mushishi
Akagi
Seirei no Moribito
Kemonozume
Texhnolyze
Princess Mononoke
Berserk
Serial Experiments Lain
GANTZ
Xam'd: Lost Memories
Gilgamesh
Twelve Kingdoms
Utawarerumono
Blue Gender

[Saber Cherry]

Unfortunately, this is not an anime but an anime-style videogame. And if your goal is to 'watch' it in Japanese with English subtitles, that may be difficult. But I strongly suggest Xenogears.

Anime-wise, Higurashi and Monster are the best possibilities I can suggest. Nobody in Higurashi is actually all that bright (other than maybe Rika) but the storyline is very complex and mysterious.

I don't think you'll find anything on par with Death Note, which really perfectly embodies that which you desire. But still... maybe Scrapped Princess is worth a try, for having a very interesting storyline - starts out appearing to be normal high fantasy, but turns out to be very different. Zegapain, too, has an interesting storyline that starts out very generic for a few episodes, but is not as it first appears.

Seirei no Moribito is worth watching. Again, I didn't find anyone in it to be particularly intelligent like Light-kun or L, but the story is really compelling. And along those lines, Twelve Kingdoms is worth a try.

Moribito, Twelve Kingdoms, Haruhi, and Scrapped Princess are all based on novels rather than manga, which often (but not always) makes a series deeper and better organized.

[stupify]

Already had Serial Experiments Lain didn't start yet.
Also have Texhnolyze, but after watching the first 3-4 episodes I gave up on it, not because it wasn't good, but because it had very, very low ammounts of dialogue, which didn't really help on the main reason I started to see anime

Will read on your suggestions, thanks alot!

[Sackett]

Hmm... well

Fullmetal Alchemist seems right up your ally. Either the first anime adaptation (which departed midway from the manga) or the current adaptation (true to the manga) would fit the bill.

Both versions have a highly complex storyline, and highly complex characters.

Some others you might like:

Cross Game: Coming of Age story. Rarely have I seen highschool characters given this kind of depth of character.

Maison Ikkoku: Romantic comedy with fully fleshed out characters and complex interactions.

Maybe Full Metal Panic particularly "The Second Raid" season. (Fumuffu is a side season and can be skipped if you don't like the comedy).

Chrono Crusade: Action Adventure, Tragedy

[roriconfan]

You forgot the most essential of all quality anime.

Legend of Galactic Heroes

[Guardian Enzo]

Definitely Seirei no Moribito. It's full of smart people trying to make the best decisions they can given their circumstances. It also respects the intelligence of the audience and is beautifully drawn.

[Theowne]

I'll go ahead and second Seirei no Moribito

[deathreape98]

Both Shakugan no Shana and Kaze no Stigma have intelligent leads.

[Netkaos]

Glass Fleet, not sure if it fits but I though it to be solid, although it was a bit predictable.

[Saber Cherry]

Originally Posted by deathreape98

Both Shakugan no Shana and Kaze no Stigma have intelligent leads.

I enjoyed both of them (Shana moreso), but I can't really agree that their leads were all that bright, or even that their stories were all that unusual. Shakugan no Shana, for example, I would consider more of a cute action/tsundere anime than anything deep or complex. I'd be more likely to suggest Rozen Maiden than either of them...

[roriconfan]

^Second this.

[Appurukami]

Serei no Moribito, Spice and Wolf and Chaos:Head are just a few that come to mind and should be what you're looking for.

[Full Metal Coast]

You should check out
Gantz
Ergo Proxy

Two great series that i think you will enjoy.

[Cipher]

Utawarerumono
Spice And Wolf

[Full Metal Coast]

Also could try Paranoid Agent. it has a very mature plot

[SeijiSensei]

Oh! Edo Rocket, licensed recently by Funimation, is a rather heady science-fiction comedy set in 1842-43 Japan. The premise concerns a lovely young woman who asks a fireworks maker to build a rocket that can reach the moon. The setting is an "alternate" Edo (Tokyo) with TVs and blogs, but the show is really a satire on censorship and class differences in Japan.

The main character of Saiunkoku Monogatari is a very intelligent young woman who aspires to become the first female imperial official in her country. The first season is licensed; the second is fansubbed.