OK, so what AS anime IS adult?

[Tapout]

This arises from the Case Close thread. Many people are whining about how the show isn't "adult" enough regardless of if they like the show or not. So my question is which shows on Adult Swim Action are "adult"? I think the only ones that can't really be argued are Cowboy Bebop, Blue Gender, and, unfortunately, Reign. Many AS anime was on Toonami, and I've read that that's where Trigun would have been without all the gunplay. Personally, I don't really care what's adult. If it's good, I'll watch it. The only anime on CN I avoid like the plague is anything with Dragonball in the title.

Comments?

[Cheesecake]

yup i totally agree.

There was an episode in Futurama where Fry tryed to bring his pet dog back to life..bring a pet back to life? that sounds like something out of hey arnold!

Futurama isnt adult at all! take it off AS and stick it on toonami before i feel embarassed about seeing it on AS:mad:

[Sketch]

Well... adult and mature are two different things in a way.

Every anime on Adult Swim is either intended for older children or teenagers. Even REIGN, Blue Gender, and Bebop.

I'd say the most mature series that have aired are those three, Trigun, Kikaider, and The Big O. I guess The Big O is more sophisticated/boring than anything else. WHR is pretty mature as well but just because of the tone.

Inuyasha, Case Closed, and FLCL are mature for certain circumstances but are still quite juvenile... but that's part of their charm.

They're all about the same in maturity level actually. Bebop still has some juvenile stuff in it and Blue Gender and REIGN are only considered mature because of how strange they are... that doesn't make them any more mature... just less pleasant to watch.

So yeah... they're all about the same and none of them are truely adult but rather shows teenagers would most likely enjoy as well as college students. Like I said... it's kinda a joke to call it Adult Swim when it's not the bulk of the adult audience that they attract (but they do attract several adults for any number of reasons). GitS: SAC could up the bar like Bebop did long ago but we'll see... and FMA will easily be the most mature shonen on the block but it's still a shonen. Honestly it might as well just be Toonami the Midnight Run with a warning... but it's fine for them to be under the Adult Swim label. I just feel none of them are truely "adult" they just can be enjoyed by adults and most of them are more enjoyed by adults than younger viewers (though it has been the other way around for a few shows).

We'll see if AS Action ever becomes "adult" but at the moment its some good/excellent anime with decent (not annoying) packaging.

[Tapout]

I don't disagree with you Hyper Luigi, but can't all that really be said about most things on TV? Almost all shows have juvenile moments and there are stranger things elsewhere than Adult Swim. Maybe I should add the question "What AS shows wouldn't you let your kids watch?" By that I mean probably from the 7-10 range. If I had kids I'd have to include Bebop, because while some episodes are OK, you can't really tell a kid "You can watch this now, but not tomorrow night because it's bad." Blue Gender, especially unedited, Reign, and maybe Kikaider and Family Guy. Most kids would be bored to tears by WHR, Wolf's Rain, and Big O. IY, Lupin, and Trigun are pretty kid-friendly outside of a few moments which could be easily dealt with by responsible parents.

[Prism]

I can see FLCL as being more adult in nature then many others due to all the fanservice and innuendo, but to be honest, most on Adult Swim is what I would consider appropriate for teenagers and preteens. It is TV14 in content, not TVMA. Now if they ever aired Spawn,Spice City,Chobits or similar relatively uncut then that would be what I consider inappropriate for little kids to watch. But that ain't gonna happen any time soon, so FLCL,Harvey Birdman and perhaps Mission Hill are about the closest to adultoriented and even those shows are borderline.

[Lord Dalek]

When it shows up, GITS: STAC will be considered adult.

[saladdays]

I can see FLCL as being more adult in nature then many others due to all the fanservice and innuendo, but to be honest, most on Adult Swim is what I would consider appropriate for teenagers and preteens. It is TV14 in content, not TVMA. Now if they ever aired Spawn,Spice City,Chobits or similar relatively uncut then that would be what I consider inappropriate for little kids to watch. But that ain't gonna happen any time soon, so FLCL,Harvey Birdman and perhaps Mission Hill are about the closest to adultoriented and even those shows are borderline.
Just because something is rated TV14 does not mean that it's geared to children and teens. I would not say, for example, that Cowboy Bebop is geared toward children. I would say mid-teens and up. Children are definitely attracted to it at times, but some of the themes, while not always "adult," are much too deep for most children shows.

[Mysteryinfoman]

In my opinion the only real adult animes on AS as of now are Cowboy Bebop, Blue Gender but it could be argued, Lupin, WHR, Big o, Reign and the gundam movie. WR, I heard many teens like it as for IY, I guess the same can be said about GIT when it comes.

fanservice and innuendo
but those qualities don't make a show adult.

[Sketch]

Being TVMA wouldn't make these shows more adult. It's the plot and the characters. You can't get much more adult, but none of these are truely "adult" shows.

In all honesty I wouldn't let a kid 7-10 watch anything on Adult Swim. I'd let a teenager watch pretty much all of it as long as they have a good head on their shoulders. Different things affect different people in different ways. If I let a kid watch anything it would be tame episodes of Inuyasha and tame episodes of Case Closed.

[Eddie G.]

Fooly Cooly-It is adult, actually a lot of the show is about what it means to be an adult. But the show is non-episodic, has non-linear scenes, lacks insta-explanation and some points and emotions are more than subtle. This series is very complex and the storytelling is something you'd never see on a kids show. Sure a lot of people will disagree with me while others will prove my wrong by only watching it because it's so freaky. It is a mature show it just likes being pretty to look at and funny at the same time.

Inuyasha-Just saying right off the back, by American standards Inuyasha is considered adult for its content alone. However it does have a simple style of storytelling, few plot points and emotions are subtle, and some episodes are just plain childish.

Case Closed-This more or less suffers from the American extremes- adult animation/kid's animation. Case Closed is a campy teen oriented show, it's obvious. But the content makes it unable to be on kid's TV without heavy edits. Meanwhile airing it on adult TV doesn't really work because many adults might be turned of by it. I still think the best spot for this show would be 10:30 on Saturdays acting as a bridge between Adult Swim and Toonami.

Big O-Probably the easiest show on AS to air on Toonami, but the feel of the show is pretty adult. If airing Big O on AS instead of Toonami was the best thing for Cartoon Network and the show itself, I don't know.

WHR-Fooly Cooly is a mature show that masks itself with camp and insanity. However WHR is a rather immature show in my view that shields itself seriousness and being boring. I mean while kids wouldn't like the show I never saw anything that complex or hard to understand, except when it got towards the ending, but all anime is complex in the end.

Blue Gender-This show could have been a kids show, but it works better as an adult one. Some of the best parts worked with the Adult aspects.

These are the only shows I see as questionable, but for the most part AS is adult programming with the exception of Case Closed and Inuyasha... although I'm liking these shows.

[comstar]

By American TV standards WHR is mature just becouse it involves the ocult. Beyond that it's more of a kinda feel thing.

Case Closed so far does not do a thing for me and would barly fit Toonnami yet alone AS. But it has a huge following maybe things will change? It also may of been the right price at the right time between big shows.

(September?) Ghost In The Shell: Standalone Complex, will be right at home on AS and fit the "Adult" idea just right. I even have hopes of it being a good draw of non-Anime fans. Being it's liken to a sci-fi cop drama.

(Ocotober) FMA Is fairly light fare untill you hit some of the jucy stuff. Like the back story and creation of critters stuff witch can be disturbing (but cool in a twisted way). (only up to ep 12 so far) Better suited for AS.

[Killtacular]

For teens:

Inuyasha
Wolf's Rain
Witch Hunter Robin
The Big O II
Trigun

Inbetween:

Blue Gender
Case Closed
FLCL

For adults:

Cowboy Bebop
Lupin III
Kikaider
Reign
The Big O

[Mysteryinfoman]

Kikaider adult, I guess maybe. It was pretty good. I think BG works more like for teens in their 18's or 19's and young adults. I remember being at a convention and they screened a couple of episodes, and I saw a bunch of Teens or "young" adults so yeah I guess it is inbetween.

[Cheesecake]

look basically adult swim trabslates as...

Adult swim = shows that are teen or adult based, shows that are teen based, shows that are teen and adult based, shows that are family based but carry mature themes that wouldnt fit with anal american ediitng standards on other blocks of CN because the ehads of toonami are cowards who dont want to risk TVPG standards.

[Prism]

Fanservice and innuendo may not make a show adult, but even so, I consider the shows on Adult Swim to be appropriate for teenagers and preteens. Then again, this is coming from someone who watches the Smurfs so I really don't care what the agedemographics and target groups are as long as I'm entertained. But the point is there are no shows on Adult Swim that are age-restricted.

[Youko Recca]

I don't get the Big O II Matt. It isn't considered adult?

[Dark Soul]

Look the reason why Big O was not on toonami was because the creator wanted it there for a reason

[Youko Recca]

Look the reason why Big O was not on toonami was because the creator wanted it there for a reason
Say what?

[JetMaster5]

Look the reason why Big O was not on toonami was because the creator wanted it there for a reason
...I'm not sure what you're trying to say, but, from what I gathered, the reason why Big O was on Toonami was because there was no Adult Swim at that time and Toonami was experimenting on shows.

God I missed the old Toonami...

[Killtacular]

I don't get the Big O II Matt. It isn't considered adult?
No. Nothing that suffers from Evangelion Philosobabble complex can be for anyone but over-analytical teens who think that idiocy is "cool."

[Youko Recca]

I guess we can add mind rapes/constant confusion to the things that don't make a show adult...if it wasn't already.

[herbkir]

The anime on Adult Swim isn't really adult. It consists of shows with an appeal that crosses demographics. Same holds true for the comedies. They market the block as targeted to the 18-34 demo, but we all know that there are lots of AS viewers under 18 and over 34 who love one or several of the shows. The actual audience span runs from jr. high kids to their grandparents, even though AS doesn't count those extremes in the ratings. (^_*)

[Artimus Gigan]

There are many ways to classify it..


Like for example Lupin, kikaider, and Popeye are series that have alot of history behind them, Kikaider is atleast a 30 year franchise, Lupin is even older, and Popeye is the oldest of the bunch, that being said they have adult fans who watch the shows, and they appeal to the adults who were long-time fans of the shows....

There is Adult Oriented which is excessive violence, sex, and gore, Reign would be a good example mainly because it has "questionale" attire that many of the characters wear, not to mention it does show alot of killing and fighting

But it's as historicly accurate as a Kevin Costner movie....


and then there is Adult Themed, which the plot deals with subjects that are way over the head of after-school special mind-set...

so there are many forms of entertainment that is considered "adult"

[candy17]

Along with everyone else, I agree that the following Adult Swim animes are adult-oriented (not necessarily mature, but there's a reason why these shows aren't on Toonami:

Cowboy Bebop for:

-bloody and bloodless violence (at least the blood that wasn't blacked out or digitally erased)

-gunplay (Spike and Faye--and sometimes Jet--pack heat, admit it)

-sexual content (Faye's fanservice, reference to Julia sleeping with Vicious, brief nuidity with Spike on a couple of episodes, the uncut version of that scene in episode 8 where Faye breaks into a hotel room and finds two men in bed together, the uncut version of Gren's shower scene in episodes 12 and in the recap on episode 13, the nude pin-ups that somehow got clothes courtesy of the digital editing machine)

-drug use (Spike, Jet, and Faye smoke, there's people drinking booze and/or acting drunk, Jet originally had a marijuana leaf on his shirt, Spike, Jet, and Faye eat psychedelic mushrooms and hallucinate)

-the themes and feel of the show: it's definitely film-noir, but it mixes in other genres like blaxploitation, comedy (all sub-genres, including screwball and black comedy), horror, sci-fi (cf. Toys in the Attic), and mystery.

-language (although this show doesn't have that much cursing in it and I commend CN for not toning down the "S"-word with something you'd hear on Toonami)

Blue Gender (despite being edited for things that AS would get away with on other shows) for:

-Sexual content (just nudity and scenes of people having sex--both direct and implied; also spoken references of sex and inappropriate touching)

-Sci-fi violence (the Blues terrorizing people and the people killing the Blues)

-Gory images (lots of blood-spilling, brutal deaths, and "unnecessary amputation" of limbs)

Big O (both one and two) for:

-violence (both bloody and bloodless)

-thematic elements (particularly religious references and death)

-drug use (just smoking and drinking alcohol)

The rest seem to be teen-oriented, although I can include Reign as an adult anime because of how it conjures up memories of Aeon Flux reruns on MTV (both the 15-minute shorts and the 30-minute episodes) and I don't see it as something that people past the age of 13 would understand or enjoy.

Now there are some that are in-between the teen and adult demographic:

Lupin the III (because of it's almost nostalgic feel. It is a cartoon from the 1970's after all)

Case Closed (although it looks like it could be for teenagers, I put this show there because of the references to death, crime, and the fact that it's about murder mysteries. And since the main character is now a little boy, I predict there will be a lot of scenes showing him in danger and CN has a policy against showing children in danger)

Trigun (the themes of finding your identity and trying to correct past wrongs is kinda deep with this show...and there is rampant gunplay and violence. Not that much sexual content, but a show like that doesn't really need it)

[Aquadementia]

If you like a show, that should be all you need to know.

Don't worry about the "adult" part of the title. Just think of it as one word "adultswim," or "AS" even. It's like KFC, don't ask what it stands for.
Maybe it's just about the audience, not the content.
Do you really want to be like those countries that need every thing to have x% French content by law?
Expecting so many acts of whatever every how many minutes won't get anyone a better programing.

CN picked up a good show, at least in my opinion, and it's being shown where it will have the fewest edits.

[saladdays]

Fanservice and innuendo may not make a show adult, but even so, I consider the shows on Adult Swim to be appropriate for teenagers and preteens. Then again, this is coming from someone who watches the Smurfs so I really don't care what the agedemographics and target groups are as long as I'm entertained. But the point is there are no shows on Adult Swim that are age-restricted.
As I've tried to point out, "inappropriateness" does not necessarily have anything to do with whether a show is "adult" or not. Some showed geared towards an older crowd truly do have nothing "inappropriate" for younger people. So age-restricted shows really don't mean that much.

[Andy Mancini]

No. Nothing that suffers from Evangelion Philosobabble complex can be for anyone but over-analytical teens who think that idiocy is "cool."
Let me get this straight. According to you:

Mecha + examination of political/religious issues + unexpected ending that requires some (gasp!) critical thinking = "Evangelion Philosobabble/idiocy". That's a fine way to alienate people, I'll tell you what. And since you typed your response like it's a fact that only "over-analytical teens" like that sort of thing, there's absolutely no way I can say your elitist answer fatally flawed, right? After all, one can't argue with a "fact".

And to those who are tearing apart Cased Closed scene by scene just to prove that the show is not "adult enough", I say this: Grow up. In my expirience, I found that that the only people who complain about such things aren't even adults (both physically and mentally) to begin with. It seems to me that a true adult wouldn't care if a show was "adult" or not if he or she enjoyed it. Then again, that's just my opinion of the situation.

[Killtacular]

unexpected ending that requires some (gasp!) critical thinking
I used to think that too, until I realized that the ending has no real meaning or message other than shock value. And it only took me hours of theories and blathering to discover it. You can spend hours trying to figure out what it meant and end up in the same place. Because it meant nothing. And there will be no Big O III to make that nothing something. All the ending does is exist.

I wish it meant that Sunrise was getting sick of how retarded Big O II was and just decided to restore the show back to Big O I's glory. If only the ending meant that. But no. It's a pathetic fanfic-generating ending, and I've always hated these Lady and the Tiger type cop-outs in TV and film. There are a million other much more meaningful ways to end the show than to just do "OH **** ABSURDITY OVERLOAD REBOOT REBOOT REBOOT!!!"

[Eddie G.]

And to those who are tearing apart Cased Closed scene by scene just to prove that the show is not "adult enough", I say this: Grow up. In my expirience, I found that that the only people who complain about such things aren't even adults (both physically and mentally) to begin with. It seems to me that a true adult wouldn't care if a show was "adult" or not if he or she enjoyed it. Then again, that's just my opinion of the situation.I think that is a little unfair, and why exactly should we have to grow up? I am a seventeen year old, but I am also old enough and experienced enough to get a sense of the demographics. I look at this show and I see little depth, a lacking in complexity... all I see is fun twenty minutes and change romps. Not that I don't like the show, just calling 'em as I see 'em.

I'd comment on your other comments but that would inolve me interpeting what others meant. However I will say that just because has hidden messages and is subtle in plot points especially towards the end does not mean it is either adult or smart. I actually liked Big O II with the exception of some episodes, but I don't see how me having to think about the ending or political beliefs in something make it by definition good.

[Mystic Shadow]

I would never let any kid watch reghn, I don't want them to get those tendencies...

I would let anyone 10 watch Case Closed, Inuyasha, Trigun, Wolf's Rain, and Big O. 14 would stand for the rest... I'm pretty leanent I guess.

Although I would let kids watch it doesn't mean they'd like it. Most adult shows on Adult Swim are there because they're at that comprehension level. Or the would be interested at that age. Most of those animes wouldn't be the first thing I'd let them watch because there's probably anime on Toonami that they'd like more.

[Artimus Gigan]

Stuff like Big O II's MIND****EXTRAVAGANZABOOGLAOO I think really should have been replaced by an actual ending that wasn't just half symbolism and psycobabble...I mean really it was like that movie Vanilla Sky...it just replaced baisic sense of plot with surreal candy shots in an attempt to look artistic so that the self-proclaimed intellectuals would grant the series the aformentuioned title of "best thing since sliced bread" and anyone who disagrees is of a lower walk of life and that all media is too good for them.

So in end point, no more mind****

I hateses the mind****

It becomes too damn preachy and ruins things, much like how Beast Machines and the Final Fantasy Movie were ruin from having the message take main point instead of plot and character developement...

[Youko Recca]

Actually...Paranoia Agent is one of the best anime out there an it gets away with screwing with your mind. Not even sure if there is hidden meanings or anything yet.

[Artimus Gigan]

There isn't...

There are no hidden messages in any anime

Anime is not produced by any members of Led Zepplin

Anime does not grant you higher intellectual knowlege on how the world works

all that anime can do is...entertain

[Youko Recca]

Can you guarantee that won't change in the future? What if the creator is going for a hidden meaning...have they failed?

[Lord Dalek]

There isn't...

There are no hidden messages in any anime

Anime is not produced by any members of Led Zepplin

Anime does not grant you higher intellectual knowlege on how the world works

all that anime can do is...entertainI disagree with that. There is some anime that does indeed want you to think. For example:

Mousou Darinin (as Fuma already listed)

Serial Experiments Lain

Akira

Eva

Saikano

Just about every Mamoru Oshi movie.

[fiveyearslater]

what is fanservice?

[Lord Dalek]

what is fanservice?Shots of the area below a female characters panty line that usualy occur in Gainax series.

[Artemis]

I disagree with that. There is some anime that does indeed want you to think. For example:

Mousou Darinin (as Fuma already listed)

Serial Experiments Lain

Akira

Eva

Saikano

Just about every Mamoru Oshi movie.Get rid of EVA and you have a list of the few anime to get the "mind-screw" technique right. But so much anime try their best to seem deep and intellectual and artistic when in reality they just...y'know...don't. Big O II's ending was a shining example of that.

[SirLemming]

Many AS anime was on Toonami, and I've read that that's where Trigun would have been without all the gunplay.Wow, that would've been awful. Not only would some of the edits definitely screw with the theme of the morality of killing, but I think there's just way too much intense emotional/moral anguish and (meaningful, for once) philosophical questioning in there for a kid's show.

[ohmrbill]

The bottom line is, the only thing that makes something "adult" is if the creator(s) envisioned them being the largest percentage of the audience. It's not something somebody else can force a label on.

[saladdays]

The bottom line is, the only thing that makes something "adult" is if the creator(s) envisioned them being the largest percentage of the audience. It's not something somebody else can force a label on.
Excellent point. The intentions of a show define it much more than it's sole content.

[the Amanda]

I think there's too much focus on "adult" in the "not suitable for children" sense. I think WS considers "adult" to be "entertaining for adults," which often does not preclude "entertaining for teenagers" (teenagers often enjoy "adult" material, and I'd love to see the 11-18 ratings on the block). I think one problem with CN is that it's highly segmented and there is no segment for truly "all ages" stuff (or at least "older children and up" stuff). This reminds me of the arguments over whether shows like Freakazoid, ZIM, and The Tick could come to Adult Swim. It was mainly the network's decision to target these shows at young children, when the "older children and up" enjoyed them more, and although they met the Saturday morning S&P rules, they fit the "adult entertainment" category in the sense of "shows that entertain adults." I don't actually think they belong in Adult Swim, but this points at the need for an "older kids and up" block. Right now, we have this problem with "oh, this show appeals mostly to adults, but since it has no objectionable material, it can't come to Adult Swim, but it's probably too adult-oriented for Toonami, so CN won't show it at all" and the opposite problem of "this show is made for teenagers in Japan, but it has too much violence to show on Toonami, so we'll put it on Adult Swim".