Hey guys, So I know I’m being a little picky here but I’m looking for suggestions. I wanna watch some more shows that don’t, or barely use (looking at you Berserk with Puck), super deformed art style. Most often I see it used in animes of heavier stories that want a way to break the tension. It works, but I hate it. Demon slayer is a great example. I love the story but too often the art style changes, characters become large or tiny, have exaggerated expressions, etc. It seems to be for comedic effect, but it breaks my investment. I couldn’t finish demon slayer because of it.
I just watched Hell’s Paradise and that was great. They never used it or it was so sparingly used I didn’t notice. So I’m looking for a new show to watch, something Shonen that doesn’t use SD. Also, preferably with characters who are already reasonably competent without whining.
Anybody else hate that style? What are your suggestions?
You should look into Seinen. It’s a more mature genre for 18-40 year old men instead of Shounen which is targeted at roughly 8-15 year old boys.
Seinen shows include Berserk, Hell’s Paradise, Hellsing (and Ultimate), Mushishi, Kaiji, Speed Grapher etc.
Ayyyyy! That’s perfect. Exactly what I was really looking for! Now I know what word to use when looking for something new. Thanks!!
Man, Mushishi was one of the very first anime I ever watched and I have been chasing that high ever since. Nothing else has really hit the same way. I tried some others that I have seen recommended (Natsume’s Book of Friends, Kino’s Journey), but Mushishi is truly excellent.
It really is. Just vibes for days, even on rewatches
Wow that’s such a strange thing to get hung up on, hahaha
Honest question, do you just dislike hyperbole in general? If you’re reading a book and it reads something like ‘she felt tiny next to him, as if he could pick her up and throw her across the ship’, do you also dislike it?
Because in general anime uses that effect to convey feelings, which are hard to convey without making the characters spill out entire essays on their innermost demons, which in turn is boring as fuck.
I don’t think its that strange. i just don’t find these scenes to be funny and that is what they tend to be used for. Unfortunately, i want to watch shows with overpowered characters, which tend to be geared towards kids who enjoy these scenes more.
Here is a link to some examples from FMA brotherhood. The sharp teeth, deformed characters, etc. It just breaks me from the story. you can convey emotion without monologue just fine. Another link from demon slayer. I get that it is supposed to be funny, and my example is a fairly obvious one. But there was another scene from mugen train where Rengoku is talking and he is getting bigger and bigger. He explains the plan and then while he’s talking, the other characters make a comment about how big he’s become. Three times. Like come on, you can’t just have a serious conversation? it’s like the show doesn’t think you can pay attention for more than 3 seconds, so they have to throw in a “joke”.
I hope that makes more sense. I know most people don’t mind, but i do.
Sounds to me like you’ve been watching too much shounen and need to move on to seinen.
Have a search!
Also attack on titan, still a shounen, makes pretty much zero use of hyperbolic drawing IIRC.
I agree with you on Demon Slayer having a lot of these moments, but Mugen Train specifically is the worst example you could give. They’re meant to be hints that it’s happening inside Rengoku’s dream.
Part of the reason they switch to super deformed style is so that they can save money on animation. Its faster and therefore cheaper to animate with less details. Sometimes they do it for comedic effect, which usually works. Sometimes its to convey something, such as a character’s emotions. Anime cannot convey the same subtlety in character emotions that live action film can, so the animators have to exaggerate it to communicate the point.
Now, as for shows that do not often use this technique, it depends on your particular tastes. Here is what I like, maybe something will pique your interest:
Heaven’s Lost Property (this one actually uses a super deformed style semi-often, but I still liked it so I am listing it here anyways)
Chobits
Black Lagoon
Full Metal Panic!
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Bubblegum Crisis (NOT Tokyo 2040)
Bubblegum Crash!
YU-NO (the iriginal game is literally a masterpiece, too bad the remake butchered the art style and soundtrack balancing becauae I like the removal of certain… “content”)
Akira (anime movie widely regarded as the greatest anime film of all time, not seeing it is actually committing a crime)
Super Dimension Fortress Macross / Robotech (Robotech version is slightly altered, but essentially the same story)
Overlord
Shuffle!
DearS
Konosuba
Record of Lodoss War (the original OVA series)
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (yes, I will judge you if you skip the Endless Eight Arc)
Goblin Slayer
DNA^2
Is this a Zombie?
Dallos
Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade (the original, not the Korean Live Action remake, which was okay but not anime)
Trigun (the original, not the new one – RIP Millie)
Cowboy Bebop
Parasite Dolls
AD Police Files
Angel Beats
Samurai Troopers
Dirty Pair
Chaika The Coffin Princess
Spice and Wolf
Kill la Kill (this one changes art style a lot, but thats a Studio Trigger signature, not the same as super deformed)
Shenmue the Animation (pretty accurate telling of the first two games, but the pacing is pretty wuick compared to the game, watch this only if you dont want to play the game)
takt op.Destiny
Captain Harlock
Darling in the Franxx
Is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon?
Charlotte
Classroom of the Elite
Arifureta
Shimoneta
Knights & Magic
Pumpkin Scissors
The Quintessential Quintuplets
Ghost in the Shell
Kill La Kill
Idk, I feel like Mako’s monologues are exactly the type of thing OP was complaining about
As I noted, it changes style as is a staple of Studio Trigger works, but it’s not quite the same as constantly going to super deformed/chibi art. At the same time, Kill la Kill is a classic and should be on any recommend list regardless. Plus, I just listed a bunch of shows I like that could fit the request, one of them is bound to be interesting to OP.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 1 and 2.
Seriously OP, watch these. 10/10 masterpiece show for both of these seasons.
Added to my list!
Did you watch SAC_2045? The first episode of the show is off putting, but it quickly becomes a good season overall. I don’t know what they were thinking on that first ep though, it’s a terrible beginning.
I’ve watched maybe 3 episodes of it? I was put off by the first episode, the art style change, and the setting change.
Will have to give it another chance
I’m not sure what you’ve seen, but I’m just going to pull stuff off my MAL that I don’t remember having that happen in no particular order. A lot of these are shows I’ve seen years ago, so if they do include that gag, there’s a chance I could be forgetting in some instances. Though I would recommend seeing if you can get past the distaste, style changes like that are super common for gags, and avoiding them locks you out of a lot of amazing shows like FMA Brotherhood as an example.
Code Geass
Baccano!
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom
Psycho-Pass
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
86
Blood+
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Black Lagoon
Parasite: The Maxim
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Accel World
FMA brotherhood is good enough that i can get past it. Still annoys me, which is why (unpopular opinion) I prefer the OG series even though brotherhood has a much better story.
Code Geass and parasite are fantastic! I’ll add these other to my watch list. Thanks!
Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Champloo
Terror in Resonance
Beastars
Land of the Lusterous
Ghost in the Shell
Gundam
Big O
Berserk
Monster
Psycho Pass
Akira
Gunslinger Girls
Serial Experiments Lain
Haibane Renmei
Parasyte
Evangelion
Escaflowne
And many, many, MANY more. These are all things off the top of my head, and most of them are fairly different in genre. It’s kind of a broad request, super deformed art styles are common in assorted anime but it’s not like it’s a defining feature of all anime, so most recommendations you’ll get are gonna be pretty varied.
One thing in common is typically more mature anime are less likely to use it, so that might be the only common denominator between all the stuff I recommended
Check out stuff by studio orange, they make insanely good 3D animation. I can vouch for Land of the Lustrous personally, but heard good things about Trigun Stampede and Beastars as well.
Spy x Family
Death Note
A Silent Voice
Probably those seinen shows that take place in modern or near future settings like Monster or Psycho Pass or Ga Rei Zero.
Ive been watching a few episodes of Heavenly Delusion and so far (2 episodes in) it might be something youd like
I think it had one episode with more experimental art styles, don’t know if that is a deal breaker for the OP
then maybe Dororo? i don’t remember that doing the chibby/moe style
Anything without the Shounen tag will probably be a good bet
