Anime for those over 30 (Topic)

Anime is often aimed at teens and young adults. It is difficult to recommend anime to an adult under 40 who has never watched anime but wants to know about it. The thing is that, firstly, everyone has different tastes. Second, anime plots are often tales of adolescent growing up or comedies in a school setting. When we compiled our last top, call it "Anime for Adults", we just meant people who are more likely to be in their 20s. But the gap between those who are 20 and those who are 30 or even 40 is large enough, so this time we have compiled a special list of anime for those over 30.

A small disclaimer. The fact that this top is called "Anime for those over 30" does not mean that the anime films listed below will not appeal to those under 30, it does not mean that these films were created exclusively for this audience. I also think it's important to say that the people we are talking about today can appreciate other anime, even those aimed at children, so you should not think that everything is limited to these examples. We're just talking about films that, in our opinion, raise topics that are close to many adults or are suitable for their worldview or interests. Plus, we took only films, since not every person has time after work to watch a long series for familiarization. And the last thing - we are talking about those who, in principle, were not interested in anime before.

Only Yesterday

Just Yesterday is one of Studio Ghibli's lesser-known films directed by Isao Takahata. It tells the tender story of a 27-year-old woman who comes to her native village for the first time in a long time, and remembers her life in order to better understand herself.

The story jumps between the present and the past. The structure of the film is reminiscent of Nymphomaniac, but that's the only thing the two films have in common.

Taeko's memories are incredibly familiar, realistic, refreshingly down to earth and weirdly nostalgic. The screen displays many of the familiar experiences of growing up: the pros and cons of puberty, the stress of getting good grades and coping with lust.

Just Yesterday is a poignant, mature film about growing up that evokes a mixture of emotions in the viewer. It's great to see the characters travel past, present and see their future.

The Garden of Words

This story tells the story of 15-year-old Takao Akizuki - an unusual boy who loves to create shoes and hates school. When it rains, he likes to go to the park. One day he meets a mysterious adult woman in the gazebo. At this moment, alarm bells may ring. Fortunately, the film doesn't go into strange, unethical areas, and it doesn't turn into a comedy. The plot is that the guy is going to make the perfect shoes for her, as he considers her legs to be beautiful.

In 45 minutes, we get a comprehensive view of the struggle that the protagonist faces: family, school, and questions about the future that cloud his brain. Yukino is no less interesting, although her story unfolds smoothly. All of this culminates at the end of the film. The film is beautiful both visually and sonically, and the storytelling style is brooding and emotional. Fans of romantic dramas will love it.

Porco Rosso

Studio Ghibli's most underrated film, which the author himself described as a product for middle-aged men. The main character of the film is a pig bounty hunter piloting a fighter jet. Like the Garden of Words, Porco Rosso has a calm, mellow tone with significant intellectual and emotional appeal.

Animated in 1992, the film doesn't have the same artistic depth as Ghibli's later work, but it's still enjoyable to watch.

Characters are his strongest part. They are interesting, cute, and the driving force behind the film. The only drawback is the open ending. The author planned to shoot a sequel in the future, alas, he did not succeed.

Patlabor 2

You can watch this film even without familiarizing yourself with the original, as it acts as an independent story. The universe takes place in the future, where giant robots called "Labors" are used to perform a variety of tasks, be it construction or combat. The police of the future creates a patrol unit with Labors, abbreviated as "Patlaybor". This film takes place in chronological order three years after the events of the first film and follows the team that uncovers the mystery of the terrorist attack.

The film can be clearly divided into three acts. The first act is mostly chatting between characters and political showdown. The second act heightens the tension with some philosophical talk. In the third act, there is a lot of action with explosions and gunfights. The final scenes of Patlabor are not so emotionally difficult, but you will also remember for a long time.

Good crime story with a good dose of action.

Tokyo Godfathers

A unique film by Satoshi Kon tells how three vagrants want to return an abandoned child to his parents. And all this on Christmas Eve. The main advantage of the film is that they are not typical characters, which are a pleasure to watch.

The characters have good intentions, but as the film progresses, we learn how they got off the rails. They are unique and cute in the strangest ways. The child is the springboard on which all these strange characters are gathered: a middle-aged alcoholic, a transgender woman and a teenager who ran away from home. He shows us heroes who otherwise would be unlikely to be together.

Compared to Cohn's other films, there are not many blurry lines here, making it more accessible for those who don't like to think a lot about what they just watched.

Night on the Galactic Railroad

"Night on the Galactic Railroad" is based on the 1927 novel by Kenji Miyazawa. Miyazawa wrote his novel after the death of his beloved sister, based on his experiences. It tells the story of a boy, Giovanni, who decides to catch a train to the Milky Way with his friend Campanella on the night of the festival.

Although the heroes in the book are people, in the film they are represented as anthropomorphic cats. Every aspect of the film is intriguing, from cute cats to deep backgrounds and symbolism. Add a mystical soundtrack here.

If you look through what the main characters are cats, you will see its depth. Well, get used to cats.

Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke is often referred to as one of Hayao Miyazaki's finest works, as she won 30 awards in Japan alone. The action takes place in a world where nature is a vital and integral part of society, and spirits, gods and demons walk on it. One of these demons curses the warrior prince Asitaka, which prompts him to leave his village in order to find a cure.

Anime has amazing backgrounds, action scenes and dynamics. It's the combination of incredible animation, a magical soundtrack, and strong writing with drama, action and even a hint of romance that makes Princess Mononoke such an enjoyable title. And the plot about the confrontation between humanity and nature, like in many other Ghibli films, holds a high bar.

Millennium Actress

The Millennium Actress is often called the best film by Satoshi Kon. It won the main prize of the Japanese Media Arts Festival, but alas, it got lost in the background of Miyazaki's Spirited Away.

The film tells about the life of a retired actress who stopped acting at the height of her career. A group of enthusiastic filmmakers decide to make an autobiographical documentary about her and come to her for an interview. The result is a heartbreaking web of love, career, and life as Chiyoko tells her story through a combination of narrative, flashback, and a strange mixture of scenes from dreams and movies.

We see events as Chiyoko describes them, and they often consist of films in which she starred. The creators of the documentary are often in the background, talking about how they represent the unfolding scenes.

The characters are cute and interesting, and the heroine is the obvious driving force behind the story.

The ending is unpredictable, realistic, incredibly touching, but not discouraging. The film is not as dark as Perfect Blue, so I can easily recommend it to everyone.

The Topic of Article: Anime for those over 30.
Author: Jake Pinkman