Ghost in the Shell Ruined Me... HELP!

There are more then just Ghost in the Shell for intelligent anime. Intelligence comes in many forms, not just sci fi. They were able to appear so far ahead because of the subject matter.
Shows like cowboy bebop, samurai champloo, monster, berserk, paprika, baccano, darker than black, etc.
They are all intelligent in different ways. You just need to recognise it. Sometimes when seeing some of the best first, its hard to watch a lot of other stuff.
If we are talking more then just anime that you are having trouble finding intelligent broadcasts then you haven't looked very much at all.

HBO series: the sopranos, carnivale, boardwalk empire, game of thrones, john adams, treme, mildred pierce, band of brothers, the pacific, generation kill, in treatment, rome, deadwood, the wire, six feet under, oz, mr show.

AMC series: Mad Men, hell on wheels, breaking bad, the killing.

showtime series: dexter, californication, weeds.

there are TONS of fantastic, very intelligent programs.

Chase the Dragon!

I know exactly how you feel. The three anime series that helped me through my Ghost in the shell withdrawal are Black Lagoon, Ergo Proxy and Death Note. Nothing comes close to GITS, except maybe Cowboy Bebop but mainly in popularity not subject matter.

Black Lagoon takes about four episodes to really get interesting but once it does it's a runaway success. It deal with societal themes presented in GITS, while juxtaposing the structures of a criminal underworld with that of a business like mentality.

Ergo Proxy is insanely surreal. On on hand it has the same tone as GITS, but the tech is a bit diffent, more astonishing as opposed to how it's presented in GITS. Basically, there are no realistic parameters surrounding it, but it's quite the trip if you wanna check it out.

Death Note comes closest to having GITS level intelligent dialogue, but there is a supernatural element and no focus on tech. However, strong characters really make this one great.

And of course Cowboy Bebop like others have recommended. It's a completely different genre, but probably one of the greatest love/noir/space opera stories ever told. In fact it created its own category and still owns it up to this day.



Love at first sight is often cured by a second look.

Read some Philip K Dick.


FAST N BULBOUS!

Now my problem is I don't have enough time or $$$ to watch all these shows you guys have been suggesting. I've been keeping track of them all with a list. It's getting really long. All of these shows can't be as good as GitS. They may not suck but there's no way ALL of these shows are AS GOOD. It's just not possible. We need to skim the top for the cream. Not just name every show that was ever made that didn't suck balls.

Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop are both excellent. Personally I think Outlaw Star is very underrated. I usually put GITS and those two in the same realm.

My recommendation is Neon Genesis Evangelion, on the basis that I had a similar reaction the first time I watched that. Nothing else compared. 7 years after watching it for the first time, it's still my favorite.

Hey there!

It's been 5 years and I don't know if you're still alive, but I read the entire thread and no one has yet mentioned "Serial Experiments: Lain".

No one ever seems to talk about this one and I am surprised and disappointed at the same time!

It's from 1998 and in my opinion, it has a stupendously intelligent story line, full of tech, social-bombardment and just enough intensity to leave you amazed for a week.

Surely a contender... good luck!

Stop comparing T.V shows and just find some and enjoy them.. People ruin it for themselves when they compare T.V shows instead of taking each one for what they are.. Like really.. Lol.. There are plenty of intelligent or even just fun good shows, movies out there.. In the Sci Fi range..