Here the protagonist is a hikikomori, a reclusive unemployed young man living off his parents' largess. Baccano! has similar characters, consisting of various gangs during American Prohibition, and more violence, but it's more of a comedy than the other two shows.įinally in an entirely different vein I'll suggest Welcome to the NHK!.

There's much less action in House of Five Leaves, but given that its subjects are a bunch of petty criminals, they aren't especially heroic either. The underlying philosophy of Black Lagoon is existentialism, which is expressed most clearly in the final arc, 'Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise.' There's a lot of violence and action in some sequences, but no one is really a hero. These are the best arcs, in my opinion, and you won't miss much in the way of continuity either. If you want to be choosy, I'd watch episodes 1-3 and 11-12 of the first season, then 1-3 and 7-12 of the second. I suggest you take a look at Black Lagoon, particularly the second season. I'm open to any medium from anime, graphic novels to films. Habibi (One of the best graphic novels I've read!) Me and The Devil Blues (awesome, awesome shit!) Sounds simple, but I'm shocked to find it's the hardest type to find.īlade of the Immortal (or anything by Hiroaki Samura)

I actually prefer something with no actual heroes/heroines in it just like Shigurui but that might be harder to find.īasically I'm looking for something fairly serious, with flawed characters with developments that doesn't rely on otaku tropes. I'm looking for similar manga/anime, not necessarily set in the samurai era mind you, that doesn't glorify the violence and action. I'm also surprised how the women here despite the time period it's set in and the abuse they are given end up being stronger than the men (at least that's how it looks to me). The characters all have a quiet intensity and depth to them and doesn't rely on cheap otaku tricks. The violence and pain inflicted aren't just there to look cool and fancy but feels agonizingly real (reminds me actually of David Cronenberg's films). It's hyper-violent and gorey at times which I'm not usually a fan of, but it's not everyday you see an anime that doesn't glorify the samurai era or the violence in it. I've just finished Shigurui (both the anime and manga) and I can't help but be surprised how much I ended up loving it.

Shigurui manga mal