vague request: character driven anime, 24-26 episodes

[retardation]

i am really hurting for an anime with good, unique characters and some sort of purpose to it... and i particularly want a running (not episodid) sort of anime too... i don't care about the genre too much but i would just like something with a lot of character growth and NOT a lot of typical archetype characters with nothing special about them

edit: and if the series has some romance or action/violence in it that'd be nice but is in no way necessary

[sothis]

hands down, check out Infinite Ryvius. one of the best character development series ever, imo (though people tend to either really like it, or really don't)

in my (controversial) opinion, GANTZ is another with very well done character development. also, Gungrave.

[Frans]

You could try PlanetEs. The story is good and somewhat realistic, solid character development, the start is kinda dull, but if you try to watch it till the end I think it got one of the most memorable moments in any animes.
Honey n Clover also featuring unique characters, good story, and it's mainly about character growth.
Stellvia is a bit similar to Infinite Ryvius, but not as deep.
Juuni Kooki/12 Kingdoms is one of the best in terms of main character development.
Monster is a sure hit if you don't mind a long series (74 eps).
I think I just stop here

[retardation]

yeah planetes is probably my #1 series ever. loved gungrave.

i heard a lot of bad things about gantz so if anyone has anything else to say about that then please go ahead

[sothis]

well, i really, really liked gantz, and i'm not exactly its target audience (as i'm female). but indeed, it seems to be hit or miss with people. once it gets past episode 4, i think the character development really picks up. the last few episodes are a total waste of time, though.

here's my review

[retardation]

well from that review, even if i don't like it, i'm sure it'll keep my attention if it has a bunch of extreme violence

[Navel]

Gantz is an anime that is not afraid to show the dark side of people (at the beginning) and also puts its characters in a situation where what once seemed like very important in life suddenly doesn't. People might not like it because what it shows is not what most of us want to believe about ourselves.

Or maybe it's simply that some only see the action scenes which are gory. ^^

[WanderingKnight]

People might not like it because what it shows is not what most of us want to believe about ourselves.

Now, now, don't go around making such assumptions. I might not like it because, as far as I've seen, I consider it a piece of crap, not a "revolutionary" development. You're assuming way to much there, and are giving anime a role that doesn't belong to it.

[Navel]

We are all different. And we are all free to appreciate what we want in anime.

[Sorrow-K]

Bokura ga Ita. Seriously. One of the best character-driven romance/drama I've seen for years.