Anime is often set in fantastic settings and themes, with unrealistic and overly-optimistic plot progression that serves as an escape for fans. But some stories in the medium take a more realistic approach to study and teach more human and often somber themes. While the settings are sometimes fictitious, with supernatural or science fiction worlds, the ideas they present to the audience are deeply rooted in reality.
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These shows deal with themes of war, racism, psychology, and more – concepts that are directly linked to human society, and the authors of these series take intelligent approaches to these ideas, studying them through their characters and stories. If you’re looking for realistic anime, these are the ones to watch.
10Ghost In The Shell
Technology is becoming more and more advanced and integrated into human life. And 1995’s Ghost In The Shell and subsequent shows deal with the idea of where the line is between humans and machines. Where is humanity heading in this rapid advancement of technology, and what makes them truly human?
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Ghost in the Shell studies the human condition and its relation with machinery and how crime is always adapting and enhancing with this progress. The story always asks if the human soul is real and if it is lost the farther they stray from their origin.
9Psycho-Pass
The acclaimed science fiction anime from 2012 deals with crime and its psychology. In a world where the government keeps track of each citizen’s mental state and determines whether they’re prone to commit crimes on that basis, the show asks if criminal activity is a result of a deteriorating psyche or if evil is a human trait outside the mental condition. The Enforcers in the show analyze and learn about the human mind and how it may or may not be linked to criminal activity.
8Chainsaw Man
When first getting intoChainsaw Man, fans see a gory action shonen. But as the story progresses, we see what author Tatsuki Fujimoto truly conveys with his story – Fear and the human condition. Denji learns throughout the story what it means to be human and what being close to others truly means.
It also focuses on what fear is to people and how they connect to it. Found family, comfort, and refuge from the terrors of the world. A good life isn’t about luxury and commodities but rather about finding someone to belong to and to call home.
7Mobile Suit Gundam
The entire Mobile SuitGundamfranchise revolves around the theme of war and its consequences. The science fiction setting is just to explore the concepts of racism, class division, and war. Shows like Gundam 00 are a direct response to real life, in this case, the political climate of the mid-2000s, and others likeIron-Blooded Orphansexplore corrupt government and child violence.
Across theentire franchise, there’s a plethora of realistic themes dressed in a cool-giant-robot suit. Gundam is one of the best anti-war series in anime, constantly tackling these themes in every entry.
6Attack On Titan
People will always fight among themselves until only two of them exist.Attack on Titanexplores the eternal cycle of hatred and violence and how it can completely consume and corrupt a person.
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The show studies the idea thathatred is taught, not born, and in that it will always chain and hold humankind back. The major characters all strive for a way to end the cycle and escape the forest. But as the final pages of the manga show, that goal may just be a childish dream, for men will always fight.
5Perfect Blue
Perfect Blue is a masterful film from 1997 that becomes more relevant with each passing day. With the rise of social media and influencers and the film industry, most people have two identities. The real self they show to friends and family and the online avatar they show to the internet, or the curated personality artists show to fans and press.
Perfect Blue explores the division between the real self and the avatar. The show also focuses on which one is the real or dominant one and how others interact with this fake persona.
4Cowboy Bebop
One of the greatest anime series of all time is not only filled withincredible action, music, and animation but also profound themes any grown fan can relate to. The main themes are the past, how one’s past shackles them and defines their future, and how someone can either overcome their past or be forever tormented by it.
The Bebop crew is always running away from the skeletons in their closets and trying to make do with the cards they’ve been dealt, but how much can they progress past their trauma?
This dark-fantasy series may be hard to get into for some people due to it being incredibly violent and graphic. But past that intense wall is a story about pain, trauma, and grief. Guts’ life is filled with immense suffering, and we see his journey to overcomehis trauma, reach the sunrise after the torturous night and find peace with his found family.
Berserk tells how after all the pain and suffering, there is always hope for a better life and that there can always be peace. No matter the obstacles, one must never give up.
2Vinland Saga
War is a concept directly linked to human history since the very beginning. Well,Vinland Saga, set in the Viking era, explores the relationship between humankind and violence – how violence is such an imposing presence in life and how people can seemingly never escape it.
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The story also focuses on how humans measure their worth by their strength and experience in war. It somewhat emphasizes why a path, a place where conflict doesn’t exist, is a distant dream – a promised never land. Thorfinn lived a childhood bathed in blood, and his journey is about escaping this dark pit.
1Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelionis an anime masterpiece, and it is not just because of its technical and creative breakthroughs but because of how it explores themes untouched at the time of its release in 1995. The show explores themes of loneliness, trauma, and the difficulty of human connection. How people relate to each other and themselves, and how seeking comfort in others’ company also brings pain. Self-acceptance is directly linked to relations with others, and suffering is only a part of life that we must live with.
