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Why does so much anime seem so depressing?


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ven0m57



Joined: 16 Jun 2009
Posts: 98
Location: Okinawa, JP
PostPosted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 10:55 pm Reply with quote
Ok, i just recently watched Shuffle due to a recomendation and I will admit, it was an amazing show. I truely loved the plot, story and charicters. Though i was a tad skeptical when the story spoiler[ more or less droped Narine and Lisianthus for a good three to four episodes ] but the ending, not so much. Why is it so much anime has something to do with spoiler[ suicide?] I understand thats the only way Rin could think of but really? I meen c'mon..

I have been living in Japan for almost 1.5 years now ( i know its not very long) but i have seen very little in that regard. Also it seams like even though theres comedy in a anime theres always some depressing shadow on the joke's being made, be it something small about the charicters predicament, unrequetted fealings, or just plain life. Many anime i see charicters have problems at home, or some kind of tragic past. I can understand that that's to build the charicter and to give them some kind of connection to each other I.E they confide in eachother etc..

So i guess all in all why does noone find a more posative way to conduct the story of more recent anime? (not that i'm complaining about it, as i do enjoy it i am just curios)
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egoist



Joined: 20 Jun 2008
Posts: 7762
PostPosted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 11:04 pm Reply with quote
Is it the anime? Or is it you? For those looking for depression, anime is generally a bullseye hit. I think I fed on it for years before finally being less and less absorbed by what I watch. Nowadays even that corner comedy anime will promote a character with a tragic past, and that would usually fall flat for me, even in cases where the entertainment may be completely relying on that. Though I must admit that I kind of miss that feeling of getting depressed because of an anime. And not to mention that drama and fanservice is such an awful blend.

Whose past couldn't be considered tragic, after all.
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ven0m57



Joined: 16 Jun 2009
Posts: 98
Location: Okinawa, JP
PostPosted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 11:10 pm Reply with quote
I do kind of enjoy it... though that sounds kind of sick now that i think about it, but its like when you read a really good manga or watch the final episode of the anime, you get the fealing of. "That was awesome!, aw crud...its over Sad " lol but i still wan't to know if anyone has a thought as to why thats like the driving force of 75% of anime i have ever seen. or is it thats just because of the selection i have been exposed to?
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15434
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 11:49 pm Reply with quote
I remember some time last year I was wondering why anime was so depressing, I liked watching it, the dak themes that were often present would effect me. I questioned at a thread I visit "why is anime so depressing", and maybe watch something to help me feel better. I got the recomendation of Dennou Coil, I found it was good for me at the time, it kind of had the innocence of childhood, aswell as being quite engaging.

I think if you spend too much time watching serious sad ones, you can be depressed, a lot of anime is made to be adult and that means depressing bits. But that there are plenty that in the opposit direction, and balancing with some lighter ones is pretty good. For example a nice "fluffy" anime out at the moment is Hanamaru Kindergarten, which is a cute easy to watch. Or a gag series like Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu, which mostly plays for laughs.
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ven0m57



Joined: 16 Jun 2009
Posts: 98
Location: Okinawa, JP
PostPosted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 11:57 pm Reply with quote
Yea i can see where your coming from, i know my friends and i would do that with horror movies back home. lol watch a gorefest then watch a comedy to make it so we didn't wake up every 2 hours. lol

I think my main problem so far is i have yet to find many "Fluffy" anime that caught my attention. so i do greatly apreciate the titals as well, i'll be looking those up shortly as well.

As for the fact

Quote:
I think if you spend too much time watching serious sad ones, you can be depressed, a lot of anime is made to be adult and that means depressing bits.


true but not all adult show's / personalities are depressing per say. maby a bit more realistic but i have yet to find many anime like that either. For example Ghost in the Shell, was def an adult show, but had more of a realistic feal to it than depressing (though much of it was sad) i felt more compelled to find out what would happen next and try and figure our their logic and polatics than the sadness occuring right in front of me.
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RHachicho



Joined: 07 Oct 2009
Posts: 897
Location: Essex, UK
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:20 am Reply with quote
Hmm I would actually argue the opposite I think Anime generally has an upbeat direction to it. This may be a little hard to explain sufficiently. Anime I think is more willing than other media forms to tackle moral grey areas. And certain life truths. And it is certainly true that you hardly ever see the good guy comes along and blams badguys and it's that simple kind of plot. There is almost always some sort of angst or drama behind even the pluckiest save the world Anime. However one of my favorite things in Anime is how the characters overcome this. Maybe im a sucker for the whole save the (insert worthy cause here) against all odds kinda thing but there ya go. I also like to see how moral idealistic characters develop as they come into contact with the realities of life. Hell I like a ton more stuff and I am starting to realise that if I don't stop trying to explain my point I will be here till I am 70. I guess I will just start by saying that althaugh Anime has made me very depressed sometimes it almost always leaves me with an upbeat feeling at the end of a series.
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DragonsRevenge



Joined: 15 Nov 2004
Posts: 1150
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:26 am Reply with quote
Yeah, anime nowadays is generally upbeat and lighthearted. You got the drama titles and they have their somber moments, but nothing at all along the lines of Saikano or Now and Then, Here and There.
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WarpWarrior



Joined: 27 Aug 2009
Posts: 61
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 5:28 am Reply with quote
I don't like being depressed, but when I feel down because of an anime, it's usually for the wrong reasons (something the author probably didn't really think much about, or something completely personal). I understand that anime is something you find it often, what with all the melodramas and all, though.

Since I don't particularly like it, all I've seen that got me more or less depressed was Rurouni Kenshin's OVAs, Clannad Afterstory and Tsubasa Chronicles.

Rurouni Kenshin Tsuioku Hen and Rurouni Kenshin Seisohen are obviously written with the intent of getting the watcher sad. It works, because they are both good works, although the first one is better, all in all.

Clannad Afterstory is meant for depression. And I didn't like it that much, that being one of the reasons. But, again, it worked. But generally speaking, it's overly forced.

Tsubasa Chronicles is CLAMP, so there you have it. I didn't like the anime series particularly, so it had less of an effect on me. The OVA's on the other hand are very good. But it's CLAMP, you know? Even their only non-tragedy series (to my knowledge), Cardcaptor Sakura, got me depressed in the end, because of the ending Razz

Then there are the things that normally get me depressed: Shikabane Hime, the main hero (I forget his name) being a dumbass; Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Yoko being a selfish whore (though Simon is such a great character I didn't care that much) and the ending; Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, Nanalli ending like she did, and others...
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Kruszer



Joined: 19 Nov 2004
Posts: 7981
Location: Minnesota, USA
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:45 am Reply with quote
Well, there's a marked difference between something being dramatic and something being depressing in my book. The former is used to invoke emotional responses the later is just there to make you feel horses***. You distinguish between the two by the outcome of the situation. Shuffle! is an example of drama where as something like Air: The Movie.'s sole purpose is depression.
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ZenErik



Joined: 22 Nov 2009
Posts: 392
Location: Boston
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 8:27 am Reply with quote
There's very little anime that I see as depressing. A LOT of it is bittersweet, sure. But not many other series I've seen are quite like Now and Then, Here and There.

A lot of shows seem to have a good balance of drama and comedy.

Kruszer wrote:
Well, there's a marked difference between something being dramatic and something being depressing in my book. The former is used to invoke emotional responses the later is just there to make you feel horses***. You distinguish between the two by the outcome of the situation. Shuffle! is an example of drama where as something like Air: The Movie.'s sole purpose is depression.


I have not seen the Air movie, but I do own the TV series. The ending is pretty sad, but you can also chalk it up as another bittersweet ending. They do leave hope for the future.
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Kruszer



Joined: 19 Nov 2004
Posts: 7981
Location: Minnesota, USA
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 11:41 am Reply with quote
Well, the movie is just the main plot spoiler[about the reincarnated girl who dies because of some inexplicable "fate"] and deletes the side stories/characters so it's just one heaping pile of sand-bagging depression.
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ven0m57



Joined: 16 Jun 2009
Posts: 98
Location: Okinawa, JP
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:13 pm Reply with quote
But isen't that kind of my point? Bittersweet would be similar to drepressed because you'r in a down mood but you have somewhat of a light at the end of the tunnel.
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DragonsRevenge



Joined: 15 Nov 2004
Posts: 1150
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:17 pm Reply with quote
ven0m57 wrote:
But isen't that kind of my point? Bittersweet would be similar to drepressed because you'r in a down mood but you have somewhat of a light at the end of the tunnel.


Bittersweet leaves you with a feeling of "well that sucked, but it was still positive, but it sucked" that just goes over and over again.

Depressing leaves with a feeling of well.... depression. There isn't a light at the end of the tunnel, you just feel more and more lousy.
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ven0m57



Joined: 16 Jun 2009
Posts: 98
Location: Okinawa, JP
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:25 pm Reply with quote
sorry i think i kind of explained what i was trying to say wrong. yea there is a bit of posative there, but i'm not saying that anime ultimatly leaves the veiwer depressed or anything (though sometimes the case.) i'm pointing out more of the theme and situations in most anime. Though the bittersweet fealing truely does suck though, i remember reading the end of Love Hina thinking great ending but dang now its over. lol I would imagin if an anime is well done no matter what the theme would have that effect though eh?
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PaniPoni61



Joined: 08 Jan 2010
Posts: 128
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 9:17 pm Reply with quote
Dusky Predator, what you said, especially in the 2nd paragraph.
i got a lot to yammer on about, regarding HanamaruK, but i'll take that to the appropriate thread. And, i've been an unabashed convert/honk of Baka to Test.
But this thread is about "anime seem depressing".
Come on. If you're depressed, one thing is.....to find someone (i.e. anime, series, characters, setting....)that's getting it worse, but being depressed in the first place--it's like seeing a movie, then as you're leaving it, you kinda feel like you're living it. Yeah, creepy trans-substantialism, er, kinda stuff. Got the point? You feel bad, find some sad bastard that's got it worse.
or....
another possibility that no one has said.
It's a series you like, no you love. Guess what? It's over. Series done. There's talk, there's rumors of what's coming next and
nope. Aint coming. Maybe some fanstuff, but real deal is, thanks for coming, we really love ya, tip your waitress, and drive home safely. That's all.
Who ever wants to admit it? It's like admitting defeat-to yourself. Don't let it freaking disable you okay? You have it, right? You can re-read it, re-watch it, it's there.
heck, if nothing else, you got a collector's item.
Sorry for the rant, but there's always another side of a story.

EDIT-Lest ye worry, DuskyP, this rant wasn't aimed at you at all.
nor anyone else....just a point of view, my apologies for any misunderstanding.
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