This seems like it is very basic, but it was never resolved in the past, so
here I am.

This was in a Reddit post recently, but it never received a good answer; most
of the answers were along the lines of "I wouldn't call an old war story with
sad elements 'interesting'," "just use「そうなんだ」or「なるほど」、" and things like that.

Essentially, I want to be able to call something interesting **in its own
right** without any connotations of amusement. That way, if I encounter
something that would upset the speaker to be amused by it yet still find the
subject matter to be interesting to all audiences, I can reply with such.
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word-choice nuances expressions
How would one call something negative interesting?
I don't recommend 興味深い either. That's not safe either because it basically
means "I'm curious".

Considering how English speaking youtubers say "hmm, interesting", なるほど… or
そうでしたか… seem reasonable to me, but if you are somehow not content with those
phrases, how about ~~compromising~~ settling for either of them with
"勉強になります"?
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Is the word "interesting" (or its Japanese counterpart, whatever it is)
something you insist upon? It's a word that by definition suggests a positive
evaluation. Sure, it doesn't have a "funny ha-ha" kind of connotations but if,
for example, someone told you about a sad, tragic or serious event and you
responded with "Oh, that's interesting./それは興味深い話ですね。" you probably deserve to
be accused of insensitivity, if not frivolity, even if said event did have
some interesting aspects. (Although a lot depends of the context, like how
sad/tragic/serious the event is, whether it's a true story or fiction, who the
teller is, and what kind of reaction is expected by them.)

If you want to use it and still make sure you are not misunderstood, I think
you have no choice but to carefully state what you mean and do not mean by it
in so many words.

But if you'd rather spare words, and can do with something other than
"interesting", here's a suggestion:"考えさせられる" ("makes you(/me) think", or
"thought-provoking"). It implies more or less serious thinking, and, generally
speaking, it's a safer option than "興味深い".

(While I'm at it, let me give you some usage
suggestions:「考えさせられる話ですね」「何か色々と深く考えさせられます」「それは考えさせられるところの多い話ですね」)
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