As some may know, I´m an Anime fan.
Being a westerner makes things hard though, since most people here see it as any other cartoon, as of yet. I´ll spare anyone from wondering any more; it ain't. For you ignorant heathens out there; Japanese Anime is more like the industry where all the stories we cant put to the normal screen, go, because we don't have the animation, time or the technology to make them as good as when we draw them.
In this respect I just have to mention that there are many bad Anime stories out there. Like Naruto. I´m sorry Naruto fans, but it sucks more than a drunken Santa on x-mas eve. I got to episode 130-something when I at last gagged at yet another filler, making me watch some idiotic eating-contest all the characters joined in on... or something. Anyway. The story is half-bad, with lots of holes and no character development what-so-EVER. That goes for Bleach, Code Geas, and whatever series you THINK are good, but really isn´t. They are what I call time fillers from complete boorness (Yes, i just invented a new word for just that occasion)!
Yet... as I said; I´m a fan. And that is because of all the better series out there. Like Samurai Champloo, Mushishi or Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. But I won´t rate them here. What we need is a good, old-fashion "Evil" theme-rating.
So with no further ranting, Here is my top 10 Dark Anime list.
1. Monster
Monster gets my number one here, not because it is especially brutal or action-filled, but because it actually scared the crap out of me. Some episodes shook me to the very core, not because of a bloody scenery, but because of the inhumanity animated in this series. It is written so very, very well and leaves so much up to the imagination, and has this mood going that nothing can beat.
Here is my bad recap of the story: The story is about a Japanese surgeon who saves the life of a young boy, who had been shot in the head for some mysterious reason. Little does he know that this boy is hell-reincarnate. The boy grows up and begins to haunt the doctor through deeds only the doctor knows to be the boys doing. So what does he have to do? Find and kill the boy... ofc.
The story takes place in Germany twenty years after the war, and follows a handful of characters trying to track down the boy, who is ten times smarter and always ahead of everyone. It gets my number one because it plays on the paranoia of the viewer, who is always conscious of a huge darkness just out of eye shot through the whole series.
2. Death Note
Death Note should have been my number one, but it lacks some ties to the real world that could easily been written in. Though, that is what much Anime is about isn't it? If you like combination of tactics, strategy and paranormal activity, death note is for you.
The story is about two geniuses playing a deadly game with each other; the one who gets the others name first, wins. The story is about a student (Light) who one day finds a special book. It has 10 rules, but the only one I´m going to mention here is; any ones name written in the book will die within a short time span. Light, being a cool guy, decides that he is going to be the moral compass of the world. He begins killing every criminal or person he deems unfit for society. This brings him a lot of attention from the police, the only problem is that there is no connection between the murders and Light. After all. He is just writing names in a book. This brings in one of the best characters the Anime world has to offer; "L", the genius detective who is determined to find the murderer.
Death Note plays on a fine line between the imaginative world of Anime and the real one. By this I mean that everyone else in the series has no idea that there is such a thing as a magic book, able to kill people.
If you are new to Anime, and want to begin, this is a "must see" series. Its just two seasons, and is finished.
3. Black Lagoon
Black Lagoon is an awesome series if you like well written script and character development. The story takes place in a lawless city, where everyone is either corrupt, morally depleted, a murderer, a whore or a mafia member (pic explains for itself). Though the
story is about the only people in the whole place, who has some sort of moral compass; the Lagoon company. Being lawless themselves and living in a den of thieves, we get a lot of action out of these guys, but they earn their money by being neutral to anyone. Its a shipping company, delivering and transporting any sort of package for any sort of employer.
The story takes place in the Indian ocean in the mid 80s, with palm trees and a soft environment. I personally enjoy this series, both because it has a variety of different characters and because there is a lot of explaining of how the underworld works. And not everyone has the boring, tear filled back story so common for everyone in anime-world to have. No... they just skip that part, and lets us know stuff a little by little, like it should be done, unlike NARUTO goddamnwasteoftimecrapbagofaproduction.
Good story, great characters and a lot of twists. Season 3 just started.
4. Elfen Lied
I was unsure where to put Elven-pokemon-like-girl with the ability to rip peoples limbs of without touching them. Exiting if you like that sort of thing. The series plays on the amorous/demonic, and switches between the two more often than I change pants. The story is probably not why you continue watching this series, but it has a tendency to get you glued to the screen anyway. A lot of whining and sad back stories though. Being fed up with the backtracking and the continuous moaning from every second anime series I see, this is not a good trait in my book. The sheer brutality and plot of the story is what keeps this series floating.
Good enough, but is probably not something you want to watch if you are sensitive person.
5. Claimore
This is full-out a fantasy anime. Having been a fantasy slave through my early days and beyond, I can´t help but love this series. The story is about a world infested with daemons taking human form. They eat people, are immune to normal weapons and threaten to destroy everything. That is why Caimors are made. Being something between a human and a daemon and the only ones capable of destroying daemons, we follow one of them fighting between two worlds and hated by both. Oh, and only girls become Claimores... because they have the gene that can transfuse with that of a daemon... where as the men simply die. The series has a good plot, but was somehow stopped in the middle of producing, so we only got the first season of it. Apart from being a little condescending towards women (
being a hairs length from being corrupt daemons) it is a pretty good series. Its dark and action filled with pretty good character writing.
6. Berserker
Berserker is like the testosterone of the anime world. Apart from the halfhearted drawings (something you get used to), this series owned. Its a shame that they didn´t finish the series in anime. Not being a manga reader, this is a hard blow to the groin.
The series is simply enough about a band of renegade mercenaries who slowly but surely becomes the most powerful battle force in the country. We follow a stone hard character, who has the occasional fit on the battle field, therefore nicknamed berserker. But the series has a great big twist, 20 episodes into it! Before that it was a pretty straight forward story. I think the writers got bored and figured; "Lets spark things up with a bit tabasco and blood... this mucking about in battles all the time is boring our awesome minds."
So they did.
It gets my number 6 because it takes a while for it to become really bad-ass. Apart from that, its great.
7. Hellsing
I want to say; Anime loves Christianity and vampires, and preferably a mix of the two. So here is Hellsing. But I´m not saying that. Instead I´m saying; Vampires cant touch crosses you idiots. But here they do. Its WHAT they do apparently. Not being a twilight fan, but preferring the traditional stories about vampires, I can´t help but frown a bit while viewing Hellsing. The story is good enough though. Its dark, and chaotic, and filled with undead people, so don´t get me wrong when I´m criticizing the vampires shown in this series. They are actually pretty good... or evil rather. Like they should be. The story is about an evil vampire playing the part of the all- powerful secret weapon of the English "good" government. He protects the crown from being overrun by undead... so he ACTS good, but really isn´t. And that is really what I like about this series. That the main character is actually wearing the "mask" of control, but unleashes his true chaotic self whenever he feels hungry or horny.
8. Samurai 7.
The first thing that came to mind when seeing this series was; Where have you been all this time? Like all anime series, it loves heights, puffy eyes, all powerful evil and a robotic machine swinging a jumbo sword at peasants, but the initial 20 min into the series got me going. Can a few samurai overthrow a robotic, uber-boosted clan of sky-lords out to take over the world and rob it of its rice? In the real world, no. In anime world; hell yeah. I´m a huge fan of ninjas, and therefore forever paranoid. They are everywhere, and no where, and they can kill you without you noticing.
The only large hole in this series was; how did a few people suddenly get such a wast electronic advantage over the rest, leaving most of the world in a borderland between doomed-modern world and the middle ages, while they fly around in giant, meat-eating fortresses? Good question, you say. Indeed, says I.
Apart from that; Good character building and plot, and a lot of action.
9. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
This is a true thriller series, based on a popular Japanese detective game. It is a series where the plot suddenly changes from being "puffed up" "big-eyed" to become something more sinister. It is great anime, and with a great plot, I just hate that they had to put in all the extra "tears-in-back-of-head" whenever they want to make the characters look stupid. And Yeah... the eyes are probably the most effective effects they have. Notice how all the "bad" or experienced characters has thin eyes with small pupils, and all the innocent has huge puffy eyes taking up 3/4 of the head.
The story takes place in a small town in Japan, where everyone knows each other and shares the same school-book... and where there is a serious shortage of dudes. The story begins with us being introduced to a murder that took place at a dam where all the victims were decapitated, and the search for the murderer(ers). It quickly changes from being a lolipop-tale to becoming one of the best back-chilling thrillers anime has to offer.
Apart from the constant distractions, this is a true thriller once you get into it. 9 is probably way too harsh.
10. Gantz
Gantz is simply dark to its very core. Being somewhere between borderline hentai and ghost hunting, it is packed with crazy, bloody and cynical scenes. The writing is probably done by hysterical pill-users, because its hard to get the storyline, but I think the general line is; When you die you come to this room (picture above). You have no idea that you are dead (because of different reasons, one of them being that you fell asleep in front of a bus and can´t believe that such a stupid way to die exist, so you refuse it), and there are other people in the same room with you. You are all part of a game no one tells you about or explains the rules of, but if you loose, you die horribly. The only hint you get that you have a mission is that the hovering ball in the middle of the room opens to give you guns, a nice trendy uniform and a great big countdown timer. The rest you have to figure out on your own, so naturally this takes about 20 episodes for the characters to do. Dumb as breakfast ham, they refuse to see the simple fact that they are supposed to use the guns, so naturally most of them gets killed... Horribly.
This is a horror series, bordering on the macabre. So enjoy if you like gore and no story.
