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.
