On March 8, 1993, the first episode of the series was released. Beavis and Butt-head on cable channel MTV. It was an anime that was very different from others offered online, except for one detail. Despite using a format typically intended for children, all themes were adult in nature. From the personalities of the two main characters to the uncomfortable themes and tongue-in-cheek perspectives of their scripts. The series was a combination of the comic book world with a more twisted and mature take on conventional themes. Which brought immediate success.
You couldn’t say that Beavis and Butt-head — which ran for ten seasons — pioneered animated productions aimed at adult audiences. After all, Japanese manga and anime had already crossed a number of censorship and thematic lines twenty years before their release. But it is partly because of this that it is possible to explain the enormous influence of such arguments in subsequent decades.. A couple of idiotic friends sitting in front of the sofa with the TV always on made people laugh. At the same time it was uncomfortable, direct and perverted. Everything is built on a dialogue with an audience that likes a combination of genres.
Streaming platforms now dedicate a significant portion of their catalog to such works. But it’s Netflix that has invested heavily in the subgenre in recent years. It allows you to experiment from dark themes to deep existentialist journeys. We leave you with five animated series for adults that you can see right now in their catalog. From a classic return to the small screen to an elegant look at Japanese culture. The selection highlights the company’s greatest triumphs, as well as some of its most interesting experiments.
blue-eyed samurai
This revenge story, written by Michael Green and Amber Noizumi, became one of the most popular films of the year on Netflix. The same goes for the series, which dives into more than just the best animated films for adults. Additionally, it adds interest to its story by carefully depicting Japanese culture. With both its plot and outstanding visuals, almost entirely inspired by Noh theater, Blue Eyed Samurai transforms the protagonist’s pain into beauty.
The result is a journey through medieval Japan of the Edo period, surprising in its accuracy and thoroughness of storytelling. The story of Mizu (Maya Erskine), a mixed race warrior in the midst of a country divided by power and social pressure, is astounding. But it also demonstrates the power of cartoons to tell a narrative with an epic overtone that is directly dependent on its symbolism.
Gradually, Mizu’s quest for justice evolves into a look at love, suffering and sacrifice from a Japanese perspective. Later, in a scenario that combines both violence and redemption, it is told through an allegory of goodness. Its highest point.
Scott Pilgrim takes the leap
Based on the comic by Brian Lee O’Malley, this Netflix animated film reinvents the core idea from a new perspective. While both the comic and the 2010 film directed by Edgar Wright focused on Scott, the cartoon focused on Ramona. Which, of course, arouses new interest in the famous heroine with uneven bright hair.
However, Scott’s journey through love, self-discovery and dangerous ex-boyfriends with the girl of his dreams is no less exciting. In fact, the new plot angle allows the story to tell a lot and integrate multiple points of view. This, in addition to being told through animation that imitates the best episodes of the original book and He manages to give the story his own personality.
Under the weight of the cult anime film, Netflix had to struggle to find its meaning and center. He achieves this because he becomes more adult, mature, but also broader in his ambitions. This is not a novel, but the life of an extraordinary couple searching for their place in the world.
House
Writer Enda Wash managed to combine traditional animation, stop trafficand a terrifying script to create one of the most disturbing productions on Netflix. The feature film “Home”, divided into three parts, is both a gothic horror and a legendary morality tale about modern life and its horrors. But at the same time, he explores the beauty of hope turned into an open door to one’s deepest desires. And all this thanks to the visual technique, surprising with its originality and good command of the aesthetic section.
The series’ vocal cast, which includes Mia Goth, Helena Bonham Carter and Matthew Goode, presents a subtle horror allegory. To do this, the plot moves from the mystery of death to the search for identity. What turns each part of the production into different points that converge in perception about the intellectual and moral fragility of man.
There is nothing simple about this trio of narratives that mix darkness and light in perspectives on fear, desire and love. In the third segment, the most elaborate and optimistic, the production made its point clear. Understanding humanity is never easy. Moreover, their worst features are usually hidden behind beauty.
Midnight Gospel
This combination is only suitable for patient audiences who want to enjoy an existential journey with psychedelic overtones. This is thanks to Pendleton Ward (adventure Time) took Duncan Trussell’s podcast and turned it into a multi-dimensional journey.
Duncan Trussell Family Hour, is a collection of conversations that surprise with the variety of topics and the originality of their discussion. Add to this colorful animation that breaks the foundation of anthropomorphism to tell a non-linear story, the result is surprising.
But The Midnight Gospel not only entertains and engages with its outlandish point of view, it is also a collection of ideas about controversial elements of culture. From mortality, life in the future, recreational drug use, to the nature of time. Nothing is missing in this series, which attempts to be something of a broad meditation on modern morality and its nuances. Curious moment? Before becoming part of all the sagas, the series had already taken the opportunity Multiverse to talk about the complexity of human life. One of his greatest strengths.
Arcane: League of Legends
We can say that this production is dedicated only to fans of the universe. League of Legends, but this will limit its impact and quality. Not only is it a tribute to the game that marked the lives of a generation of online gamers, but it’s also a great piece of storytelling. Piltover and Zaun are two cities that almost coincidentally reflect aspects of a larger, more complex world. What makes this fantasy steampunk analyze culture through the pains and virtues of a fictional world.
But ArcadianIt is also a deep meditation on the inherent evil of man and the quest for technological ethics. And all this thanks to the impeccable development script, which develops its story through the two emblematic protagonists of the saga. With a second season on the horizon, the first season is becoming an instant classic. The series is one of the best animated films for adults in the Netflix catalogue.
Source: Hiper Textual
