Adult problems require adult characters.
Watching anime about high schoolers falling in love, or starting a revolution, or fighting demons is fun, really, but sometimes the soul craves something more... adult. And we're not talking about sexy stuff, you perverts. More like taxes, overwork, existential crises — you know, things that usually follow those who successfully make it into their 20s and 30s, or maybe even got beyond that. So, adult characters.
This craving may first show itself when you realize you pay much more attention to Aizawa or All-Might in My Hero Academia and not to the kids, for example. For those of you who want to satisfy it, we have a few titles that focus on adult protagonists surrounded by a mostly adult side cast.
1. Kekkai Sensen — Blood Blockade Battlefront (2015, 2018)
Those of you who still want some gut-wrenching violent shonen action but without school uniforms can look into Kekkai Sensen. This story is based on a manga series by Yasuhiro Nightow, the author of Trigun. Three main points: the youngest character of the main cast is 19 years old; things take place not in Japan but in a weird version of New York; it's full of those tiny things relevant to adulthood, wrapped up in a very surreal package. This weird version of New York is connected to the Beyond — the supernatural world filled with various interesting creatures, technologies, and powers. And the main character, Leonardo Watch, bears the burden of being a spectator of the events unfolding in this place. Filled with action, humor, astonishing backgrounds and a colorful soundtrack, two 13-episode seasons of Kekkai Sensen immerse you in its story, making you think about your place in our world.
2. Odd Taxi (2021)
A story about a walrus who drives a taxi for a living and encounters many individuals on his job, Odd Taxi truly lives up to its title: it's odd, and it features a taxi. This one is not based on anything, in fact, it was a debut project for both the writer and the director of the show. It's a crime and mystery drama, filled with shenanigans that are worthy of some of our favorite Hollywood movie directors. The plot feels too condensed at first, but as the story goes on, all the seemingly loose ends unravel and reveal a solid story with all the puzzle pieces in place. Combined with the unique art style and janky animation, this 13-episode show feels like a breath of fresh air in the sea of school drama.
3. Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku (2018)
Something truly relatable to most of us, closeted anime lovers: a story about a closeted anime lover! Narumi, the lead character of this show, starts her new job with one goal: to keep the fact that she's an otaku and a fujoshi from her new colleagues. This doesn't work, really, but she ends up making friends who share her passion. And not just friends: surprisingly, love waits for her around the corner. It's a silly, funny, and warm story that leaves you with a fuzzy feeling in your chest. The show is only 11 episodes long, and the cast isn't big, which is why every single person has enough time to be fully developed and win the hearts of the viewers. A cute and heartwarming office romance filled with extremely relatable jokes is something many of us may need in these dire times.
4. One Punch Man (2015, 2019)
Most of the time people advertise One Punch Man as a great shonen anime with awesome comedy and cool action and a relatable protagonist and an interesting story — and it's all true. And most of it stems from the fact that Saitama, the main character, is an adult. His life was filled with ups and downs (downs, mostly) and he got so fed up with it that he just decided to become a hero just for fun. So he accidentally became the strongest creature in the universe, but this power didn't bring him any kind of relief. On the contrary: being the strongest, it turns out, is boring. So we follow Saitama through his life, which becomes less and less uneventful, and see under all of these colorful, masterfully choreographed action scenes how he becomes a little bit more alive.
5. The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today (2023)
Cat owners, don't you wish sometimes that your cat would suddenly become bipedal and start doing your chores and taking care of you? Saku got that lucky ticket when she took home a black, short-haired stray that grew up overnight, started making her gourmet-quality dinners, and just took care of her home. Yukichi, the not-so-regular-cat, deals with the chores and behaves like your regular maid, while Saku keeps living her life with a sprinkle of office romance. But fear not: the word "Depressed" is in the title for a reason.