Recently, a debate on the popular comment forum reddit caught the attention of the otaku community. The question that generated a wave of responses is: “What is that anime that shocked you?”. This thread opened a Pandora's box, revealing a variety of opinions and personal experiences that reflect the profound and often unexpected impact anime can have on its viewers.

The discussion began when one user asked the question, prompting others to share anime that had had a profound impact on them. Within hours, the thread was flooded with responses, with users detailing their experiences and the reasons for their shock. Comments ranged from accounts of unexpected plot twists, surprising twists and devastating emotional scenes, to moments of deep introspection and philosophical questioning.

The diversity of opinions on the thread highlighted how anime, with its vast array of genres and narrative styles, can resonate uniquely with different individuals. Some users mentioned that they were surprised by the emotional intensity of certain anime, while others noted that it was the dark themes and unexpected developments that really left them speechless. The discussion also touched on themes such as graphic violence, psychological exploitation and tragic outcomes, which many considered key factors in their experience of shock.

• «Live School! was randomly recommended in a Reddit comment, so I watched it completely blind. I watched all 12 episodes in one sitting. I highly recommend watching just the first episode without any hints or context to see if you like it. Start slow, but give it a chance.».
• «Fullmetal Alchemist during that chimera episode. I saw this in my early teens. It was so disturbing that I was a little traumatized.».
• «Higurashi. There were times when I had to take a short break and pause until the next day to continue».
• «Shinsekai Yori comes to mind immediately».
• «Just Odd Taxi, because it's a really good anime. I watched it at a time when I was watching so much trashy anime. It reminded me that anime can be really good.».
• «Made in the Abyss».
• «I think Steins;Gate had a big impact on viewers.».
• «Akame ga Kill, why what happened in the end?».
• «Happy sugar life».
• «Monster. I literally couldn't sleep all night after watching the last episode.».
• «Devilman Crybaby really made me think deeply».
• «Perfect Blue was shocking to me».
• «To Your Eternity: The first episode hits really hard, it could almost be a standalone anime in itself, and the following episodes are really moving, although it unfortunately falls a little flat later on.».
• «Banana Fish. I went into this knowing virtually nothing about what was going to happen. I was very surprised by the sudden mention of sexual assault (of a man), PC, the implication of gay romance, and the number of character deaths. It was very sad, but I loved it.».
• «I wouldn't say I was surprised, but I had no expectations for Shangri-La Frontier and I was so pleasantly surprised by the anime that I devoured the manga as well.».
• «The first season of The Promised Neverland. That first episode was disturbing.».
• «School days for me. The second half is crazy».
• «Ninja Kamui. The first few fights were tough. Then it becomes a mediocre mecha anime.».
• «Attack on Titan. I never watched it because I always thought it was overrated, so I finally watched it and I was so glad I was wrong».
• «Your Lie In April, for me it's the most exciting anime I've seen so far.».
• «91 Days was very intense overall, especially the ending that left me completely emotionally shaken, it seemed like everyone was lost.».
• «Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Senpai, that sister part was like a damn garbage truck running over me».
• «Neon Genesis Evangelion. I honestly thought at the time that this anime was in the mecha fighting genre like Gundam. Seeing this in the 90s was so shocking to me.».
• «86: Eighty-Six made me reflect on the illogicality of racism and the exclusion of people because of their appearance, such as skin color or ancestry. But for some reason this has been going on for as long as humanity has existed and continues to happen today… It just makes me sad».
• «Gantz was pretty brutal, but before that Fist of the North Star was pretty gory, despite the lackluster editing. Genocyber was also pretty shocking.».
• «With the exception of Evangelion, the episode that had the biggest impact on me was definitely episode 1 of Goblin Slayer. The series completely changes tone after that, but the first episode… stuck with me.».
• «My last experience with this feeling was with Attack on Titan, during its first seasons, when many questions arose about the anime's story, lore and twists.».

Source: reddit