I know there are a lot of animes that have great themes ad storylines. but whenever i watch animes i watch them for the way they portray their morals... and deep meanings.

There are a few animes that I feel that have the good morals.

Neon Genesis Evangelion
Black Lagoon
Eureka Seven
Ah My Goddess

what are your thoughts?

Alright, I tend to avoid calling anime 'deep'. Depth is a totally subjective perception of things and to label something 'deep' actually cheapens what it really meant, or so I think. I mean, when it comes to anime, which is a surprisingly expressive medium, it's really how the audience responds that matters. Whatever you're watching might be the shallowest, most nonsensical blather in the whole wide world, but as long as you truly, truly enjoy it, does it really matter if it's deep or not? Does it really matter if it had good morals? Frankly, it's all in your head with the themes and meanings and morals. And that's why anime is so damn good, it's all in my head. It's not the show, it's the viewer that gives it the meaning and the depth.

So, to answer, "Which anime do you think has the deepest meaning?" I'd have to say none. They are what they are, animation and nothing more.

However, I will provide an answer to which anime really appealed to me emotionally:
Cowboy Bebop tops all of them. Berserk is up there, definitely...Evangelion was all talk to me. Black Lagoon was good...Gurren Lagann, Darker Than Black are airing now. The list isn't extensive, or maybe I just can't think of them on the top of my head.

Anyways, there's my bit of blah blah blah...

If by 'deep' you mean an anime with a rich plot, developed characters and increasing suspense/tension (from an objective perspective), then I would have to say....? wait, there are too many to select from.

...
Well, I guess I could choose one(though it is just an example, not the best from all the anime I have seen). Gundam Seed/Destiny is a good example. The story was interesting in the sense that you never know what will happen next (after all, it was a war). The characters were awesome. There was a great deal of character development from almost all of the characters. There was also a great amount of suspense and tension, especially on the battlefield (you just never know what will happen and there was always a possibility of someone important dieing). It also brings up the philosophy of war, what is right and what is wrong, and why it is humans fight in the first place. Indeed a great work of art.


However, if by 'deep' you mean an anime with a great deal psychological/philosophical plot or theme then Ergo Proxy or Serial Experiments Lain are the best examples I could think of. There are even times when you will be left totally confused due to the rich and very complex storyline.


Other animes which I consider 'deep':
Death Note
Fullmetal Alchemist
RahXephon
Code Geass
Evengelion
Ghost In the Shell
Noein
*sigh*
and much, much more...

Uh... the "deep" thing again... Lets face it, the one and only thing that anime is meant to do is: make you spend your money. Anime is a commercial product. Not to say that there isn't any "arthouse" anime... there is, but it is not as widely released and popular as the mainstream one. As such the bad news are: except these very few, there isn't any "deep meaning" in anime. There are simply elements that make a certain viewer relate/be attracted to whatever goes on on the screen, and by that making him search for a "deeper meaning" to justify one's attraction to this product. Because let's face it, how many of you would admit you like... let's hit somewhere closer to home for me... how many of you would admit you like yaoi just for the porn in it and could not care less about the "meaning" etc.?? Or how many of you would admit you bought an iPod because it is "cool" and not because it is a supposedly a good media player (btw it isn't)?

The point is, anything can have a "deep meaning" regardless whether or not it was originally intended so by it's creator.

How very postmodern of you. I thought all that death of the author stuff had been hashed over ages ago.

The problem with the 'depth? what depth? It only exists to get your money!' argument is the same as that of nihilism: Maybe it's true that there is no meaning to life and you are exactly as well off being a mayfly as a prince, but the statement is both not testable and not really relevant.

If commercial movies were only made for exclusively commercial reasons, films like Barry Lyndon, Reds, and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen would never have been made. Reds, in particular, is a multiple-oscar winner that lost quite a bit of money and is, in fact, a lousy movie to actually watch.

The fact is that people are driven to make things like movies, anime, and manga for the same reason that Michelangelo ruined his health painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or Shakespeare included bilingual rude puns in Henry V - because they can.

Yes it's true that Shakespeare and Michelangelo both were paid for the work they did (Shakespeare by box office sales, Michelangelo by Pope Julius II), but they could certainly have turned out simpler, easier, more popular middle-of-the road material with less cost, less effort, less time or all three.

That said, in my experience, most anime seems to filter out the deepest meanings it might have gotten from its (usually manga) source. There are exceptions: Simoun, Honey and Clover, and Now and Then, Here and There come to mind, but usually it's dumbed down to increase appeal when it goes from manga to anime.

I really enjoyed Planetes, there are all kind of themes and characters and a very well done series overall.

Definitely check it out if you haven't.

Ehh... an anime with a deep meaning.. if I don't remember wrongly, I think it is "Mahoraba".. the protagonist is a children book author and there's a story called, "umeboshi princess". the story is exactly the same as what is happening to the female protagonist.. hmm.. something like that.. otherwise, the other anime I've watched were just.. as what the genres were.

Yes I agree with everyone that says that seeing something as 'deep' or not is all personal, everyone has their own views and opinions and everyone is unique. Im ok with that.

As to the people saying that all anime is for is to make money... yes thats true to an extent, but doesn't that apply to everything? life is about trying to stay alive and you need money for that. Same thing goes for selling books too right? but that does not mean there are no morals or themes in them...

anyway I'm not entirely feeling well right now so ill keep this comment short.

For anyone here who thinks that the sole and only purpose for watching anime... is to make you spend money and for them to make money... what is the point of watching it then? I'm sure one reason is because of an interesting story, but in each story, in each anime, I believe that certain themes and morals are touched upon. And yes some animes can be interpreted in many ways which is what makes anime so popular and good.

Anyway gtg ZzzZz