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Thunderbolt Fantasy
Thunderbolt Fantasy -東離劍遊紀
2016 · TV series · 24 min episodes · 4 seasons
Created by Gen Urobuchi
In an Eastern-styled fantasy setting, a brother and sister team of sacred guardians is beset by the Xuan Gui Zong, minions of Miè Tian Hai, who seeks the Tian Xing Jiàn sword that they possess. Hai showing up himself leads to the defeat of the brother, but his sister, Dan Fei, jumps off a cliff to temporary safety. Later, a wandering swordsman comes across a ruined temple where a statue of Buddha is protected by an umbrella against the rain. When he takes the umbrella for himself, a man resting under a tree nearby informs him the he must be compassionate to the next traveler he meets as trade-off for taking the umbrella. But the next traveler is Dan Fei, who is still being pursued by the Xuan Gui Zong minions, and between that and the sorcery of the other man he finds himself unable to avoid getting involved.
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1 comment on Hacker News
First of all, I'd slightly push back on the way you've framed your question. I agree there's a ton of crap in the world of anime, but whether a show has been created with care and thoughtfulness doesn't necessarily correlate with whether or not it contains "adult themes" that make it unsuitable for kids. I mean, Evangelion is considered a classic despite being aimed at a teenage audience.
With that caveat, and bearing in mind that preferences are extremely subjective, here are a few recent shows that I'd suggest checking out:
The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (a surreal interpersonal comedy/drama movie, from the writer and director of The Tatami Galaxy)
SSSS.Gridman (a very loose reboot of a 90's live-action tokusatsu series, with a lot of stylistic homages to Evangelion; has a sequel, SSSS.Dynazenon, which is currently airing)
Girls' Last Tour (a slow, contemplative journey through the ruins of a post-industrial civilization)
Thunderbolt Fantasy (although it's debatable whether this one counts as "anime"; fantasy puppet wuxia, from the writer of Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Psycho-Pass; it's deliberately kind of over-the-top, but with a great command of pacing and characterization)