Looking for mature anime.

[Altimit]

Not mature as in pornographic or overly violent. I'm looking for something that's more intillectual than most of the stuff out there. I'm currently watching Monster and really like it. I'm also interested in the wierder stuff like Paranoia Agent. I'd also be interested in any current series with a non-conventual plot (eg no teenage boy goes around kicking ass with martial arts, magic or giant robots please). If there are any good emotional series I'd also be interested.

I'm primarily looking for unlicensed things (trying to save money for college and an xbox 360 :P) but if you know any licensed series that you really think I should watch, don't hesitate to mention them.

Thanks!

[jedinat]

When I think mature, these come to mind:
Mushishi
Haibane Renmei
Paradise Kiss
Hachimitsu to Clover
Serial Experiments Lain

[Pellissier]

I second Hachimitsu to Clover and then add:

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien
Spiral
Cowboy Bebop

and if you want to go over tv series, I'd suggest all of the Studio Ghibli Movies, which show reality from the point of view of young kids, but there's always a great maturity beyond.

Grave of the Fireflies
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

are the first coming to my mind.

[Dark Lord Zenigame]

If you're looking for sometihng that'll make you think, there's always Boogiepop Phantom. It's licensed, but it's cheap and well worth it. ^_^

[Mephisto2k]

Elfen Lied
kimi ga nozomu eien
X serie
voices of a sistant star ova
gunslinger girl
shingetsutan tsukihime
speed grapher
gun grave (even though i havnt seen it yet^^)
Fruits Basket (might not be that mature and is about teenage school stuff kinda, but contains many valuable messages of life and life strories)

just look the titels up in anidb for describtions

[Proto]

hmm... how about:

Monster: A thriller that is liked even by Anime haters because of its deep story and characters
Legend of the Galactic Heroes: A classic, the epic war between two factions (and many third players ) in a futuristic world when no good or evil side really exist. The good point of this series is that time is equally divided between the two factions so you can equally relate to either side
Boogiebop Phantom: Often misunderstood as a Lain related anime, this series is more of an horror/mistery one where you must discover the nature of the story based on the little pieces each chapter gives you. And even then you will have to deduce a lot of the story because not everything is given (in a first level)

[Daniel E.]

Boogiepop Phantom is certainly what you are looking for.

I also second the Studio Ghibli movies suggestion.

[Ebichuman]

I'll add another vote for Boogiepop Phantom.

For one not mentioned yet I'd go with Texhnolyze. It may be a bit difficult to get into, but it's certainly something out of the ordinary (In a good way).

[harudasakurada]

And another for Boogiepop Phantom!
I also second Serial Experiments Lain, Mushishi (If you want an unlicensed show, this is it!), and the Studio Ghibli movies.

Twilight Q is also still unlicensed, and quite... different. Definitely along the lines of what you're looking for, I'd say.

If you liked Paranoia Agent, how about some of Satoshi Kon's other stuff? Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress in particular (I haven't seen Tokyo Godfathers.), and I think he had some role in the creation of Magnetic Rose for Memories.

Hm... Now and Then, Here and There, maybe. The presentation makes it seem like it's aimed at a younger audience and Shu can get annoying, but the subject matter handled is quite serious.

Hi no Tori.

[Biswa]

Another one i've recently heard about but haven't seen a lot of is Kino no Tabi, which is right up the more psychological alley. I hear this show is really good, and i plan to watch it soon. Of course, it's strange that i reccomend this without watching it, but this is based on reccomendations after watching Haibane Renmei, Serial Experiments Lain, and Perfect Blue, all of which have been reccomended here. They are also very good.

[jedinat]

Another one i've recently heard about but haven't seen a lot of is Kino no Tabi

Kino no Tabi was good. It's a bit slow paced, but a good watch none the less. (It's actually not very psychological...) I especially liked the 3 episode gladiator arc.

Oh, and Kino is a GIRL... And I'll stand by that claim.

[Biswa]

Originally Posted by jedinat

Kino no Tabi was good. It's a bit slow paced, but a good watch none the less. (It's actually not very psychological...) I especially liked the 3 episode gladiator arc.

Oh, and Kino is a GIRL... And I'll stand by that claim.

Yeah, very important to keep in mind. The talk about love in the 1st ep. reaallly freaked me out. /other than that, i hear its good philosophy over psychology. Just making that correction.

[ujiuji]

Originally Posted by harudasakurada

If you liked Paranoia Agent, how about some of Satoshi Kon's other stuff? Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress in particular (I haven't seen Tokyo Godfathers.), and I think he had some role in the creation of Magnetic Rose for Memories.

I'd warmly recommend Tokyo Godfathers, especially at this time of the year.
It balances comedy and an unlikely series of coincidences against some harsh truths and social comment.

[Ledgem]

Kino no Tabi has a similar feel (in my mind) to the currently on-going Mushishi.

A bit more fanservicey (seeing as how just about all of the characters are female, though don't expect panty shots or chest shots) is Aria, also on-going.

Though it's been licensed, Hundred Stories (I don't recall the English title; Requiem for Darkness or something like that) is a bit of a creepier series that also flows along the same vein as the above shows.

Haibane Renmei, also mentioned above, is also somewhat similar. It's a bit more dramatic on the sorrow scale, though, but it's a very nice series.

[Veritas]

Originally Posted by jedinat

Kino no Tabi was good. It's a bit slow paced, but a good watch none the less. (It's actually not very psychological...) I especially liked the 3 episode gladiator arc.

Oh, and Kino is a GIRL... And I'll stand by that claim.

I second (or third or fourth or whatever) Kino no Tabi. Very, VERY good. And there's debate that Kino is a boy? It's the weirdest thing where people debate canon. She's tooling around in a dress for the movie and episode 4. It's licensed though.

Another one on ASuki that I like is Windy Tales. Hardly any action and there are many cats that fly through the air. How can you not like that?

[jedinat]

Originally Posted by Veritas

And there's debate that Kino is a boy? It's the weirdest thing where people debate canon. She's tooling around in a dress for the movie and episode 4.

Yeah, its the wierdest thing. Half the reviews about Kino no Tabi on the internet refer to her as a boy. And my friend who saw the anime wouldn't believe me when I said she was a girl.

[Abbott]

I recommend The Melody of Oblivion.

[mit7059]

Try Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, especially if you have played the game, it is simply the best animation I have ever seen and the subject matter is mature to say the least

[jedinat]

Originally Posted by mit7059

Try Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children... and the subject matter is mature to say the least

I'm gonna have to disagree there. That movie was mindless fight scenes patched together for FF fans. Not not to say that the animation wasn't spectacular... but I could swear that robot thing came straight out of Power Rangers.

[providence]

Kino no Tabi was nice, a bit slow but gives you time to think

Also recommend:
Noein
Juuni Kokki