5/4/08 - 5 anime with the most complicated casts

[Cetonis]

Well, I'm sure this isn't quite what Ace was looking for, but his suggestion brought this idea to mind so I'm gonna go with it. This week we'll vote for the 5 anime with the most complexity in their casts.

What does this mean? Well, I'm sure we can all think of a few (okay, more than a few) anime where you can explain the roles of every relevant character by saying "these are the good guys, these are the bad guys, and here's the love triangle." Which series are the polar opposite of this? Which series have casts whose interrelationships are so complex that it might take a small essay to describe them? It could be because there are a lot of characters acting independently towards different and/or conflicting goals, or because the lines between friends and foes are very blurred, or a myriad of other reasons. Which series stand out for you?

(If this is still unclear, an example of something "more complex" might be <tagged for space, no spoilers>):

In one anime, you might have a protagonist who's part of an organization, but acts independently of it and sometimes even conflicts with it. There's a group of villains, but their goals don't directly conflict with the protag's, so sometimes he winds up helping them. (knowingly or not) Then there's also another random person or two running around doing their own thing and generally causing disruption/complicating things, rifts within the protag's organization, and an extra villain that appears later on. Obviously, this wouldn't exactly be a straightforward series. Most of us have seen shows that are something like this in their cast complexity, if not moreso. What ones come to your mind?

[Deus ex Digital Boy]

1. Baccano! - Ensemble cast for the win.
2. Martian Successor Nadesico - There are lots of shows with political flipflopping like this, but this is the best of em.
3. Gankutuou - really didn't know who to trust until everything unfolded and some were unexpected heroes.
4. Revolutionary Girl Utena - Another one where who was good and evil was blurred.
5. Kino no Tabi - Cuz, like, i dunno.

yeah, I was lazy and just picked stuff out of my favorite list.

[AverageShinigami]

NGE

Everyone has their own motives for doing things, meaning that the characters have very little sense of loyalty. And you'll have to decide for yourself who the "bad guys" were, in the end.

[Worosei]

just cause elfen lied was on my mind.. spoilers are used just to make it look neater

Elfen lied

i dont really think i need to add any coment... lucy/nyu, yuka + cousin complex, mayu + daddy complex, kurama + daughter syndrome and just a screwed up scietist dude... well the entire cast are so damn complicated and messed up

[Sandbar]

Monster


hehe, this thread will henceforth be known as the one which inspired me to register and post. I just had to answer:

The winner would *have* to be Monster.

Very large cast of characters. Complex and deep characters at that too! Even the minor characters appear to have had a lot of thought gone in to their development. Characters come and go, and wander around the countryside according to their own, albeit usually somewhat unclear, motivations. Relationships are complex, and it's an anime that will have you thinking for months after you've seen it.

Cheers,
Sandbar

[Holychrono]

Hmmmmm, my top 5 would be:

1. Infinite Ryvius
2. Elfen Lied
3. Neon Genesis Evangelion
4. Code Geass
5. Detective Conan

[Cetonis]

Madlax
Zettai Shonen
Infinite Ryvius
Gundam 00
Solty Rei

Remember, this is more about how complex the big picture of the roles/relationships between the characters of a series is, and not so much about individual characters or one or two relationships being deep/complicated in and of themselves. (although the two can often go hand in hand) Just being paranoid about clarifying enough -.-'

[YuKanda]

Gungrave
Gundam 00
Fullmetal Alchemist
Baccano
Noein

Gungrave was the first to come to mind for me, but then I may not be getting the point.

[ForgottenSon]

Boogiepop Phantom
Monster
Baccano
Darker Than Black
Ghost in the Shell: SAC

Honourable: Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (just for the sheer number of characters), Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade and Shigurui.

[Escaflowne]

1)lain
flcl
paranoia agent
nge
bokurano