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I second Denno Coil. It has a refreshing approach focusing on dark mystery, but the gem of the story is hidden behind the deceptively innocent childplay of children that manages to turn many viewers off (as already mentioned by a previous poster who dislikes it). Intertwined with the comical and realistic childplay are hints dotted throughout episodes. The mystery is slowly revealed, but the characters do a great job of maintaining interest. A prominent theme of the anime is the distance between people. The meandering way of storytelling that gradually unravels the mystery in actuality symbolises the message. More patient viewers who watched the entire anime should agree that the depth of Denno Coil is surprisingly deep.
Last Exile is actually pretty popular. It probably doesn't get mentioned as much because it's an older anime - aired in 2003.
and I also second Zegapain. What started out as a typical boy suddenly thrown into battle and knowing how to pilot giant machine plot turns out to be one convoluted story exploring the boundary of reality. Like many viewers, I dislike the flashy mecha, but the story itself is worth ten times more. It's more than enough to cover for my discomfort of watching the eye-dazzling mecha battles. Similar to Denno Coil, Zegapain unfolds slowly. When I hit the right episode, I was amazed by the revelation, and yet more amazed by the impact on previous revelation by future revelations. The anime has a matrix feel to it. However, it puts on its own twist and quickly deviates from Matrix. The entire melancholy and sometimes despairing atmosphere is part of the main strength of Zegapain. I think this anime is one of those that makes you think. It has the right atmosphere for it, but it's not too confusing and confounding like Evangelion and Noein. Just love this anime!
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