Recently, members of a popular Reddit forum started a passionate debate about the most depressing anime. These are the animes that, according to users, have the ability to plunge the viewer into a state of depression. melancholy and sadness often heightened by heart-wrenching romantic plots.

The discussion focused on the ability of certain anime to provoke strong emotions and lead the viewer to reflect deeply on themes such as loss, hopelessness and emotional pain. Users shared their personal experiences with various series, describing how these animes not only tell moving stories, but also explore the complexities of human relationships and the characters' internal struggles.

An important point of the debate was the effectiveness of the narrative in these animes. Participants highlighted how creators manage to construct plots that, although initially seem simple, develop a significant emotional impact through of the evolution of the characters and their interactions. Love stories that don't have happy endings, personal sacrifices and unexpected tragedies are common elements in these series and are the ones that, according to users intensify the feeling of sadness.

Another aspect discussed was the importance of soundtrack and animation in these animes. Forum members noted that music plays a crucial role in setting the melancholic tone and accentuating key emotional moments. Likewise, the quality of the animation and the design of the characters help to convey emotions more effectively.making the viewer feel more connected to the story and its protagonists.

• “Nana, I think anime that takes place outside of the school environment is rare and I like to see people facing adult problems.“.
• “Paradise Kiss too, I think it's a great recommendation.“.
• “WorldEnd: What do you do at the end of the world? Are you busy? Are you going to save us? completely ruined the anime for me, it's a soul crushing anime. I really recommend it if you're feeling masochistic.“.
• “Angel Beats!, 2006's KANON, and Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso all have an emotional twist, but a different one each time, so you can go into these series blindly without knowing what to expect from each one.“.
• “CLANNAD, Plastic Memories, and Hotarubi no Mori e are all a suitable way to depress you.“.
• “Byousoku 5 Centimeters is a film about how love fades as time passes and distance increases.“.
• “White Album 2, a love triangle. I don't remember it very well because it's been over ten years, but I remember it was very depressing.“.
• “Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, very depressing with some good melodrama thrown in.“.
• “Scum's Wish is disturbing in many ways and left me deeply depressed.“.
• “2019's Fruits Basket is the epitome of depressing stories with a sad romance.“.
• “I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, Your Lie in April, Plastic Memories, A Silent Voice and Violet Evergarden are my recommendations.“.
• “Not an anime but a manga, Goodnight Punpun has very important romantic aspects and will kill your soul and throw it away“.
• “Saishuu Heiki Kanojo is a story where things go wrong at the end of the first episode, get worse, hit rock bottom, and then they get a shovel, then a backhoe, then a jackhammer, then a tunnel boring machine. It's an anime that I thought was really good, but I refuse to watch it again because it was so miserable and disturbing that I went from sad, angry, and upset to just plain exhausted by the end.“.
• “Orange, without a doubt“.
• “Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, a story where everything goes wrong“.
• “Saikano. You won't find any romantic anime that is more consistently depressing than this anime.“.
• “Full Moon Wo Sagashite, without a doubt.“.
• “Aoi Hana (Sweet Blue Flowers)“.
• “Well, I would recommend To Your Eternity. While the first episode alone could be a short story, the entire series is a journey of ups and downs. Loss and hope in constant conflict.“.
• “Violet Evergarden is perhaps the only anime that has truly made me cry with sadness, especially Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll. If you are close to your siblings, then you will understand.“.
• “Ef: A Tale of Melodies – Nice and sad. Melodies: what the hell did I just watch. Although the phone booth scene in Memories is one of my favorite anime scenes of all time.“.

Source: Reddit