Sad anime? (To keep me crying b/c i don't deserve to be happy)

[Ragnus]

I couldn't get past Paranoia Agent's animation style. Bugged me too much to keep watching.

[Apelila]

Paranoia agent has one of the best lines in any show ever.

Spoiler: show

You're telling me the worlds going to end because of a god damn puppy dog?

Such an inappropriate laff point.

[Silenka]

Honestly, most shows that are a balanced story, having some drama, action and humor are gonna have the tearjerker moments. There are very few shows that weigh heavily to the side of depressing or morose. Most of the recommendations thus far have been pretty balanced or only have select moments full of sadness.

That being said, I will second Kimi ga nozomu eien (aka Rumbling Hearts), Hotaru no haka (Grave of the Fireflies) and god damn Saikano D: all of my tears. Though Kiminozo is more like a daytime soap opera than most animes, but that just makes the tears more magically delicious.

Surprised no one has mentioned Haibane renmei, that show just has an aura of depressingness. Same with Serial Experiments Lain. Hell, just look up Yoshitoshi Abe stuff. Additionally, the final Rurouni Kenshin OAV, Seisouhen (Samurai X: Reflections in the West) is known to be pretty fucking depressing.

Princess Tutu, Trigun, Chrno Crusade and Utawarerumono all have their moments for sure, some more than others. Just like Haibane, Princess Tutu kind of has a grey pall over the entire story. It sounds frilly and bullshitty but I assure you it's not (though you have to get past the first 4 or 5 eps to really start seeing it). The ending to Chrno Crusade kicked me in the teeth repeatedly, think I cried for 2hrs like the little girl I am.


A good old school depressing move is Windaria, if you can find it (not the chopped up rerelease called Once Upon a Time or whatever they're calling it now, but the actual 80s release).

[edit] Oh yeah, Wolf's Rain. That show is pretty depressing even if it doesn't make any fucking sense.

[Caiyuo]

Just watch FMA:brotherhood episode 10 on repeat.

Just going to assume this is the funeral.

[Elcura]

Definitely Clannad, Kanon, Air (most things kyoani do are sad and dramatic) and Grave of Fireflies.

EF - A Tale of Memories, EF - A Tale of Melodies are pretty sad too I think, Mawaru Penguindrum is perhaps sad enough too. Shigofumi was pretty depressing too.

[hey]

Honestly, most shows that are a balanced story, having some drama, action and humor are gonna have the tearjerker moments. There are very few shows that weigh heavily to the side of depressing or morose. Most of the recommendations thus far have been pretty balanced or only have select moments full of sadness.

Yeah, that's the problem, it seems. I've seen probably half of the stuff suggested here, and for most of them, although they can be a bit sad at times, aren't really what i wanted. I mean, even Clannad and Footprints in the Sand both have some comedy mixed in, but it feels more like it's just there to keep people interested in the characters, and to make them like them more (or to give viewers a break from the constant crying in Footprints in the Sand), right before they destroy everything, whereas most of the other recommendations here, at least the ones i've seen aren't like that at all. Unfortunately, it seems like there just isn't very many shows like this

[Elcura]

Well, yeah. Naturally it's hard to find something entirely depressing. Most of the time the happy parts are merely tools used to make you shit tears later on so they aren't that avoidable.

[Zalrik21]

Rahxephon is an older series that I've been told is supposed to be sad, I have the dvd set at home but not enough time to watch it yet sadly

[Apelila]

Rahxephon has a scene which is amazingly well done and very, very sad. The Anime overall ends very happy. Imagine Evangelion with a happy ending, thats Rahxephon.

[Silenka]

Yeah, that's the problem, it seems. I've seen probably half of the stuff suggested here, and for most of them, although they can be a bit sad at times, aren't really what i wanted. I mean, even Clannad and Footprints in the Sand both have some comedy mixed in, but it feels more like it's just there to keep people interested in the characters, and to make them like them more (or to give viewers a break from the constant crying in Footprints in the Sand), right before they destroy everything, whereas most of the other recommendations here, at least the ones i've seen aren't like that at all. Unfortunately, it seems like there just isn't very many shows like this

You should check out a couple of the ones I recommended then. For the most part, Kenshin Seisouhen, Rumbling Hearts, Saikano (iirc) and Windaria are really light to nonexistent with the humor and lightheartedness. Haibane and Lain are along the same line in that they're just atmospherically sort of morose in nature, I don't really know how else to explain it (pretty much everyone has seen Lain but a lot haven't seen Haibane, which is the better of the two imo).

I'm sure there are good shows/movies in this vein that no one has brought up yet.

I wanted to recommend Fushigi Yuugi too but it starts off so silly I don't know if I can rightfully recommend it. Shit gets super serial in many parts and by halfway through it's pretty much all angst all the time though. It's an older anime and a lot of people shy away from that but honestly FY is sogood ._.

[Moridam]

I gotta say Paranoia Agent bummed me the fuck out for like 3 days after I marathoned it.

Good luck finding it though. Shit's been out of print for ages.

shit, does that mean it's actually worth something? pretty sure i bought the R1 dvd set back when it came out, and i don't think i even watched it. they're probably sitting in a box in my closet or the trunk of my car still sealed.

[Melena]

Chrono Crusade had me crying like a bitch by the final episode.

[hey]

I wanted to recommend Fushigi Yuugi too but it starts off so silly I don't know if I can rightfully recommend it. Shit gets super serial in many parts and by halfway through it's pretty much all angst all the time though. It's an older anime and a lot of people shy away from that but honestly FY is sogood ._.

Well Clannad was the same way. I never expected it to turn out the way it did during the first half of the first season or so.

I'll check those out, thanks.

[Pharaun]

You should check out a couple of the ones I recommended then. For the most part, Kenshin Seisouhen, Rumbling Hearts, Saikano (iirc) and Windaria are really light to nonexistent with the humor and lightheartedness. Haibane and Lain are along the same line in that they're just atmospherically sort of morose in nature, I don't really know how else to explain it (pretty much everyone has seen Lain but a lot haven't seen Haibane, which is the better of the two imo).

To add to the Yoshitoshi ABe stuff, Texhnolyze is brutally depressing. Haibane Renmei is quite good, and while it is very depressing in the middle of the series I always felt that it ends on a bit of a positive note.

[Apelila]

shit, does that mean it's actually worth something? pretty sure i bought the R1 dvd set back when it came out, and i don't think i even watched it. they're probably sitting in a box in my closet or the trunk of my car still sealed.

It's very decent. I hate to say good, because it depends on your tastes. It's hard to explain without giving away some of what's going on, and that would spoil the first half if you do watch it.

The story deals with stress, depression, childhood trauma, the homeless elderly, loss of childhood innocence (in a REALLY creepy episode) and the media spreading mass hysteria.

You either love the ending or hate it, but it does a real nice job of tying everything together and explaining what's going on.

[Silenka]

To add to the Yoshitoshi ABe stuff, Texhnolyze is brutally depressing. Haibane Renmei is quite good, and while it is very depressing in the middle of the series I always felt that it ends on a bit of a positive note.

Haibane may end like that, but it's quite a ride getting there. The positivity is definitely outweighed or at least matched by the stuff leading up to it.

I'd never seen Texhnolyze so I couldn't recommend it myself but that's what I was referring to when I said other Abe works; I'm not sure if he's made anything else anime wise besides that, Haibane, Lain and Niea Under 7 (which I didnt care for and is definitely the "happiest" of his works I think).

[Myrrh_Quetz]

Is it wrong that making other people watch that abuse fest of Footprints In The Sand makes me happy?

[Elcura]

Is the show called H2O: Footprints in the sand? I think I've seen that, it's on MAL but I totally don't remember seeing it. Actually, I think I have the whole show somewhere... so why don't I remember it?

Repressed memories?

[hey]

Is it wrong that making other people watch that abuse fest of Footprints In The Sand makes me happy?

No.

Is the show called H2O: Footprints in the sand? I think I've seen that, it's on MAL but I totally don't remember seeing it. Actually, I think I have the whole show somewhere... so why don't I remember it?

Repressed memories?

That's the one.

Probably

[Kerberoz]

Gunbuster