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Hi,
Im new to this site but I would like to get everyones opinions on what anime they think was the most provoking and controversial. So far the anime I think is on the top of the list is Elfen Lied. The way they did things was very convaluded, I understood what theme they were trying to make a little but still...

I'd probably say that Kite is the most contreversial that I am familiar with. It's pretty freaking full on in the themes

The question is, how do you define controversial? If it's by content (as in Elfen Lied's graphic violence), one could name a pretty long list of hentai that might be controversial in the sense that they have the potential to offend a lot of people. In reality, though, they tend not to offend anyone, because people who aren't interested in seeing particular things know to stay away from them.

If controversy = infighting among fans, or between fans and the creator(s), or perhaps the presence of the kind of anti-Show X sentiment that stems as much from mob mentality as pro-Show X sentiment, then I guess Evangelion would be pretty high up there. At least in the English-speaking anime fandom.

~Dagger~

Shigofumi seemed pretty controversial while it was airing in Japan last season. A few of the episodes weren't aired on some stations, "due to recent events," from what I read. I guess some of the content ended up being a little too close to reality for comfort.

Like Dagger said, it depends on what you mean by controversy. For example, Naruto is stirring up a lot of commotion in the States. Why? It's probably a combination of concerned parents who think their children are watching some kind of horrific bloodbath (Japanese kids see it all the time,) other anime fans who wonder why Naruto fans think it's such a big deal despite the fact that it's really nothing new (no offense intended,) and a few cases of bad ideas on the behalf of fans, such as the Cody Hackins incident (look it up yourself.)

Does it deserve this controversy? Not at all. It's really nothing special in terms of violence or sex by Japan's standards. It's just that it's become extremely popular (more so than I would like, personally,) in the United States and people are taking notice. It's just like Dragon Ball back in the day when kids ran around shooting imaginary wrist lasers at each other and jumping off the roof to fly a la Harry Potter. Naruto's a special case because it's got a rabid fanbase and it's slightly less edited than some other mainstream anime.

There is no such thing as controversial anime. It is like asking "what is the hottest ice cream you ever ate?" It just is too tame to be considered controversial, just like how ice cream is too cold to be considered hot.

And if it melts, it's not ice cream anymore. I'm so happy the warm weather is here!

Originally Posted by Dagger

If controversy = infighting among fans, or between fans and the creator(s), or perhaps the presence of the kind of anti-Show X sentiment that stems as much from mob mentality as pro-Show X sentiment, then I guess Evangelion would be pretty high up there. At least in the English-speaking anime fandom.

~Dagger~

I would agree, if only because when I first heard about Evangelion and then followed up by actually watching it... The amount of backlash I got from English speaking fans for not liking it was rather startling. It was like I committed a crime by not liking the show. lol

Definitely Evangelion. What with all the God vs. Mankind elements. I mean the freaking main bad guy is GOD. Only the Japanese could get away with something like that. And has anyone ever seen that hentai anime (though I think it was meant to be a hentai comedy) with the giant monster penis that killed women? I forgot it's title. If someone could let me know that'd be cool. And just fyi I'm not into hentai. One of my friends downloaded it for giggles.

Ah. Just found it. Legend of the Overfiend.

Originally Posted by trentlondon

Definitely Evangelion. What with all the God vs. Mankind elements. I mean the freaking main bad guy is GOD. Only the Japanese could get away with something like that. And has anyone ever seen that hentai anime (though I think it was meant to be a hentai comedy) with the giant monster penis that killed women? I forgot it's title. If someone could let me know that'd be cool. And just fyi I'm not into hentai. One of my friends downloaded it for giggles.

Ah. Just found it. Legend of the Overfiend.

I didn't think God was the bad guy in that...did I miss something?

The reason the show can be seen as controversial is that it raises the question, what is reality? Is there an objective truth? That in itself challenges the idea of God, because He is truth. However, even though I am a Christian, I liked the show, because it demonstrated the importance of relationships in people's lives. (And it was pretty.)

Uh, sorry trentlondon, but you were way off of the mark in regards of God being the antagonist in Evangelion. Plain and simply, all of the Christian and Judaism terms and imagery was used because the Japanese thought it would be cool. You have to take into consideration the fact that only 1% of Japan is Christian - to the other 99%, those terms are interesting, unique, and alien.

So, Evangelion is not anti-God or anti-Christian. It is just what it is - a very complex, confusing, and very debatable piece of story telling. Heck, Evangelion is one of the best things to happen to Christianity, what with it actually getting people to read the Bible to back up their theories.

As for politically/socially controversial, I'd have to go with Evangelion because of the several dark and daring themes it had, including psychology, philosophy, religion, suicide, teen sexuality, and many others. Good stuff, but crazy.

Then in story telling terms and also social terms, I'd say Paranoia Agent was pretty out there. Particularly with the split personality hooker girl and the security guard guy who turned into a crazy robber and what not.

There are a few more, but those are up.

Originally Posted by Matt

Uh, sorry trentlondon, but you were way off of the mark in regards of God being the antagonist in Evangelion. Plain and simply, all of the Christian and Judaism terms and imagery was used because the Japanese thought it would be cool. You have to take into consideration the fact that only 1% of Japan is Christian - to the other 99%, those terms are interesting, unique, and alien.

So, Evangelion is not anti-God or anti-Christian. It is just what it is - a very complex, confusing, and very debatable piece of story telling. Heck, Evangelion is one of the best things to happen to Christianity, what with it actually getting people to read the Bible to back up their theories.

hit it right on the head there for the most part, i'm finding that a lot of anime and manga like to use christian terms, settings, and ideas for their plot and character designs. Im not sure if the people who make these animes/manga's are christians but look at Hellsing, trinity blood, trigun, samurai champloo, the list goes on. All these manga and anime's are chock full of christian allusions (and in the case of samurai champloo christian history) and are generally popular, now can anyone tell me how many of the people who make these animes/mangas are christian?

You know what's common not only in anime, but everywhere? The seven deadly sins.

You know, Greed, Lust, Sloth, Gluttony, Pride, Wrath and Envy?

For those of you wondering why I just listed off the names of a bunch of FMA characters, that's exactly what I mean. It's actually starting to get pretty old.

Yeah, but I seriously doubt they will be going away anytime soon. But as long as said story is good, I have no real complaints.

Originally Posted by Dagger

If controversy = infighting among fans, or between fans and the creator(s), or perhaps the presence of the kind of anti-Show X sentiment that stems as much from mob mentality as pro-Show X sentiment, then I guess Evangelion would be pretty high up there. At least in the English-speaking anime fandom.

I'll definitely agree with that. One of my friends is a die hard fan of this show and has been insisting that I watch it, so I finally did. Sure it could be considered great, but I found it extremely irritating and elements of it did not appeal to me at all. But to say that to my friend who loaned me the dvd's in the first place? Good grief!

It was absolutely ridiculous how he expected me to recognize how great he thought the show was. XP It was such a headache, the stupid argument that him and his other fanatical fans of the series attempted to start, that I'll never watch anything he recommends ever again.

All they did was make me dislike the show even more with their pointless ranting and glorifying of it.