"Mature" adult animation

K

Kunmui

New member
Before you start naming adult animation on here, I'm gonna state that this is a topic on "maturity" for animation. Whenever I hear somebody talk about Adult animation I get Family guy and South Park. Now in my own words on these two shows even though I got nothing agaisnt people who like the show, South Park and Family guy are not "mature" shows. They are just the same thing that is repeated to the point of becoming annoying and which is rather childish. Some people believe that Adult animation is just showing inappropriate body parts(which I dont even want to mention), swearing, blood, and etc. However!

Out there, there are a few examples on Adult animation that actually put effort into being "mature". Which go to show that it cant always be about Sex or any other stuff. So what are TV shows, or animated movies that you would define as mature adult animation{or children animation during its time but would be considered aimed for adults by today's standards if you feel like mentioning them) but are not done so blandy that they look like rather childish? I only got two things on the top of my head right now about Mature adult animation.

Boondocks- You know that show that is aired on Adult swim? Its one of the only shows I watch on that channel because its Mature and its done right, and its good compared to the repeated childish natures of Family guy and Robot Chicken.

Metropolis- I would like to know if there's anyone on here who has seen this anime movie to know what I'm talking about. For a PG13 film you'd expect there be a sex scene right? No. This had no sex scenes whatsoever. And besides that point there was a few swearing and it had violence.
 
Certainly Grave of the Fireflies qualifies. A serious movie about wartime Japan that critics have compared to Schindler's List.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies

Also Waking Life. It's an interesting look at the world of dreams and philosophy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waking_life

And I would count Ralph Bakshi's American Pop. The musical nostalgia certainly marks it as a story that kids would have no interest in, and I thought it did a good job of telling a mature, multi-generational story.
 
- Futurama: Much like the Simpsons isn't overly adult and earns it's status as an adult cartoon through good writing. Plus despite being a comedy, the show has had some touchy moments without trying to play said moments off as a joke.

- Mission Hill: Same with Futurama. Good writing and not overly dependant on adult content. Plus it's one of the few shows not to overemphasis the sexuality of the homosexual couple who are part of the cast.
 
I'd say King of the Hill easily qualifies as a mature show. It's incredibly tame compared to other adult shows, but the interactions between the cast as well as the subtle changes they experience overtime make it well worth sticking with in the long run.
 
I can't believe I forgot that one. Not to mention that it had a lengthy run which should prove that subtle adult material has an audience.

Also some other entries:

1. Daria- Decent writing and not a heavy load of adult jokes. Also it's recently been released in a series set, making it all the more accessible. Same which Mission Hill.

2. American Dad: While there is content to be found, the writing is pretty good, and is probably the more unique among the Seth family tooncoms. The son for instance is more competent and slim, while the daughter is more assertive and not as feminie as Meg.

3. Space Ghost Coast To Coast: Haven't seen enough of the Adult Swim episodes, but while the early seasons had to be a lot more appropriate, they were clearly intended for adults. And again, decent writing and humor from the characters. Only downside is that some Season 1 and 2 episodes are missing with DVD due to royalty issues with some of the hosts.
 
I think I would count Pinky and the Brain. Even though that show was meant for kids, a bulk of it's writing was targeted for adults.
 
I'd say Tim Burton's 9. That one is depressing, and doesn't have much happiness at all. Seriously, if you want a dark animated film with no hope for its leads, watch that one.
 
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