My
love for anime and manga started in my early adolescence, and the main
characters were relatable since they were around my age. Now as a woman who has voyaged far into
adulthood, I’ve grown tired of the redundant, formulaic high school themes in
anime with teenagers and tweenagers taking central roles. I’ve searched and found animes that are
geared towards more mature audiences – that are NOT hentai! There are plenty of anime nerds, otherwise
known as otakus, who are not perverts
and appreciate Japanimation for its colorful art and complex storytelling.
If
you’re an adult otaku who wants anime that’s reflective of your grownup
circumstances, there’s something for everyone.
There always is with anime. Studio
Ghibli is the choice for people who want to sound sophisticated but not
oblivious to Japanimation. Alternative
to Hayao Miyazaki’s productions, there are still acclaimed films marketed to
wider audiences, like Millennium Actress, Read or Die, and Akira. However, this entry focuses on series rather
than full motion pictures.
The following list involves
anime with grownup protagonists and plotlines that are relatable with older age
groups, produced as recently as 2021 and as early as the 1967. The school scenery disappears, and say
good-bye to the sailor school uniforms. Characters
are professionals or enduring life transformations. The careers are diverse, whether the main
character is an accountant, a racecar driver, or even a brain surgeon. Some situations are fantastical, or absurdly
comical. Some premises take place in the
future or the ancient past, or maybe just 1986 or 2017. The setting doesn’t have to be Japan,
either. The only children in these
series are related to the adult characters, hospital patients, or the random
coworker who is a computer hacker.
1. The
Way of the Househusband (2021) – An ex-yakuza marries a beautiful working
woman, and he lives his life as a house husband. Despite leaving his life of crime, his
gangster ways are still imprinted in his perspective on everything. Even yoga positions are yakuza related to
him. There are a lot of yakuza jokes
every time a white powdery substance is involved with cooking and cleaning, but
the substance is never cocaine. This
show is definitely not for kids. The
main character, Tatsu (aka the Immortal Dragon) is about 30, and his wife is 26
and loves anime.
2. God
Troubles Me (2019) – On short notice 24-year-old Su Moting’s parents reveal
that they are otherworldly, and kick her out of the house so they can start
traveling. Su is a picky young adult who
searches for the perfect apartment, and once she signs the rental contract, her
roommates turn out to be gods. The
landlord is a god too. One god
transfigures into a cat, and the other is a humanoid cellphone. Both are controlling since mortal humans seem
easily manipulated by cats and cellphones.
Su can be a jerk sometimes, but they all get along. Moving out and living on your own is a milestone
that adults can empathize with. The
series is in Mandarin Chinese, has short episodes, and there are no English
dubs yet. Although it’s not technically
Japanimation, the animation style and abnormalcy in plot make it good enough
for this list.
3. Aggretsuko
(2018) – This is like Hello Kitty for adults.
The female protagonist is a 25-year-old accountant, and the plot is
centered in office life. In Aggretsko’s
free time, she sings heavy metal, in which she expresses her frustrations of
everyday life. The episodes involve
grownup situations like relationships, networking, and problems like stalkers,
and corporate corruption.
4. Uncle
from another World (2018) – A man wakes from a 17-year coma at the age of
34, and proves to his nephew that he has virtual reality powers that make ordinary
telekinesis look yawn-worthy. While he
was comatose, he lived in an alternative universe that aired on television in
the real world. He and his nephew review
the online episodes of his life in the other world, Granbahamal. The worst part about waking up is the
downfall of SEGA, the uncle’s beloved video game company. A lot of millennials can identify with Uncle
Yousuke, for his nostalgia for a time that no longer exists and his gradual adaptation
into the present.
5. Cells
at Work (2018) – This is a sci-fi where the characters are humanized body
cells. The workplace is a human
body. The heroine is a red blood cell
who tends to get lost while making deliveries, and she frequently meets a white
blood cell who fights pathogens. The
other characters have names like Killer T Cell, Macrophage, Platelet, Helper T
Cell, Dendritic Cell, etc. This series is
great for someone studying biology or nursing.
6. Thermae
Romae (2012) – The main character, Lucius, is an architect living in
Ancient Rome. He discovers a tunnel that
spirits him to present day Japan. From
the future, he gets ideas for spas, theme parks, zoos, and other places. In returning to ancient Rome, he encounters
architectural problems in trying to implement his discoveries in his time
period.
7. Monster
(2004) – A Japanese brain surgeon works in West Germany in 1986. Dr. Tenma faces the ethical dilemma of
patient intake based on socioeconomic status and fame, and upholding his
hospital’s high reputation. Dr. Tenma
faces consequences for doing the right thing.
Then a string of murders occur inside the hospital. Dr. Tenma is suspected, but could not be
arrested. Nine years later, after the
fall of the Berlin Wall, a murderous spree continues, and the main suspect is
being treated by Dr. Tenma. With his
medical knowledge, he may find the answer to solve the murders. However, his
work is based in ethics, not the crave for money or publicity. This series has adult situations involving
bureaucracy, discrimination, gold digging, and morality.
8. Witch
Hunter Robin (2002) – Robin was raised in Italy to track down genetically
empowered witches who psychically attack people. Robin also has witch powers but she only uses
them for fighting evil witches. In this
series witchcraft is not a religious path, but a genetic phenomenon that lays
dormant in any individual until the gene becomes expressed through
supernaturally antisocial acts.
Obviously the villains are not happy, tree-hugging Wiccans. Anyone with the negative powers in the
dormant state is a “seed,” which includes Robin, who looks to be in her 20s.
9. Hellsing
(2001) - A royal order of guardians serves to protect England from supernatural
monsters. Led by a knighted woman, she
discovers a vampire sworn to protect her, Alucard, who became her most powerful
defender. Alucard turns a police woman
into a vampire, and she joins the guardians in fighting evil forces.
10. Trigun
(1998) – This is one of the few animes set in the Wild West. An outlaw, Vash the Stampede, travels around
fending off bounty hunters, and sometimes with the help of his motorcycle
riding priest friend, Wolfwood. Two
journalists trail Vash and document his adventures. One journalist falls in love with Vash.
11. Cowboy
Bebop (1998) – In contrast to Trigun, the main characters in this series
are the bounty hunters. Set in the
future of 2071, Earth is no longer habitable and space is colonized. The team consists of an Inter Solar System
Police officer, an estranged hitman; a con artist with amnesia and a gambling
problem. The only child on the team is a
skilled hacker. Also part of the team is
a genetically enhanced Welsh Corgi who is probably smarter than most
people. They are all aboard the ship,
Bebop, hunting for criminals.
12. Ghost
in the Shell (1995) – A series of films surrounding a female cyborg, who
nearly died in childhood. Her brain was
preserved and the rest of her was replaced with a prosthetic body with an
operable computer chip connecting the mind and body. She is literally a ghost living inside a
shell body. In this form, she prevents
crime. Her main weakness is that hackers
can breach her mind’s computer chip.
There was also a live action version of this in 2017, starring Scarlett
Johansson.
13. Dragon
Ball Z (1989) – A muscle bound warrior, Goku, who once collected the dragon
balls and fought in tournaments, becomes a father. Goku refused to conquer worlds with his
brother, Raditz, who then kidnaps Goku’s son.
Raditz demands a hefty blood ransom, and the child eventually conquers
the villain. That’s only one
adventure. The Dragon Ball franchise has
a lot of epic tales involving multiple alien races and intergalactic
battles. It runs as long as a soap opera
for transcending fictional generations, but it’s definitely nowhere near as
boring as a soap opera. This world is
filled with aliens, androids, and monsters, therefore the cast of Days of our
Lives can take a hike. Most of the DBZ characters
have muscles that bodybuilders fantasize in achieving. The men have chiseled faces unlike other
animes where male characters have pointy, feminine jawlines.
14. Speed
Racer (1967) – The plot surrounds an 18-year-old racecar driver named Gou
Mifune, who competes in his Mach 5 challenge car. His family manufactures cars, and his father
used to be a professional wrestler. His
girlfriend travels by helicopter during his races, and she is not the “damsel
in distress type.” Not all grownup situations
are centered around office cubicles.
This anime even has a pet chimpanzee.
I remember this show being on MTV, so it was marketed to an older
audience.
