AnimeSuki Forums

Seiryuu · 2011-08-28, 06:47

I was wondering if there are any series where something happens midway that completely changes things. The sort of thing that can make a show almost completely switch genres. There's plenty of examples of shows where this happens close to the start or finish, but I'd like to see things a little more even, with a few episodes to make the original situation fill out and to develop a clear picture of the characters, making the initial situation have more meaning, while also giving plenty of time in the aftermath to show how things play out.

In real life, things can often happen like this. A person's life can look like a romantic comedy until suddenly the girl he loves is killed or hurt. A place that's become a disaster or semi-apocalyptic setting may have until yesterday had the atmosphere of a coming-of-age school story. Things change in an instant, and there's usually an awful lot to tell about before and after that change.

I'd like a plot that shows plenty of the before as well as the after, showing the lives before the event thoroughly enough to gain real significance and give depth to people even if they're gone by Part 2, but also showing how the people deal with the event and how it affects them, and how they pull through. It's not uncommon for a show to be nice or funny for most of the show and then have something big happen that forces maturation and conclusion, and many shows that start with a big disaster or tragedy give a few minutes to let the prior atmosphere sink in. I'd like something where the major event and aftermath, whether it's something widespread or something that just affects a few people, takes up a large part of the story, but the life preceding this event is given at least a couple episodes beforehand instead of just a little bit of one and occasional late flashbacks.

kitten320 · 2011-08-28, 06:55

The first thing that came to my mind was Mai HiME. For the first 15 episodes it is more of relaxed setting, introducing characters and giving them some banckground and then starting from episode 16 things start to change.

I think Clannad also works, especially season two. Everything seems to be fine, life goes on and everyone are happy but suddenly! And everything falls apart.

Ga-Rei Zero - it started in a bit weird fashin, from the middle and then from the begining till the end. But basicly we see two sisters fighting each other at the begining of series and then we see a flashback where same sisters dearly love each other and makes you wonder just what the hell happened to make them want to kill each other.

Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom has 2 time skips and with each time skip series start to give slightly different vibe from before.

SeijiSensei · 2011-08-28, 09:54

About six episodes into Kemono no Sou-ja Erin there is an event that fits your request.

I also think that Oh! Edo Rocket changes its tone rather substantially toward the end. While the entire show has political themes, they morph into something rather different around episode 20.

Kure-nai has a major shift around episode seven, but you knew all along that the happier atmosphere in episodes two through six couldn't last forever.

Elegance · 2011-08-28, 10:25

I second Phantom & Clannad

I like the moods in Spice & Wolf. They do change sometimes i guess.

Gantz not exactly mood changes, the mood is the same but the life does change in a instant thought on the first ep.

Kotohono · 2011-08-28, 13:40

I'd second Mai HiME.

And I'd suggests Steins;gate is very much this kind of story, though it has some lesser temp. moods shifts before the major one occurs.

GreatTeacherKen · 2011-08-29, 04:18

You seem to be looking for series with Cerebus Syndrome.

This page has a good list of some series that might interest you:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...erebusSyndrome

Some standouts from the page are:

Trigun- it happens right in the middle of the series (episode 12). Everything before this episode has been mostly light hearted and humorous and the hero Vash has managed to defuse potentially dangerous situations without any casualties. That changes radically with this episode, and the rest of the series is much more serious than the first half of the series.

School Days- it starts off kind of like a romantic comedy. It doesn't end that way.

And as many people have said already, Mai-Hime. This also applies to the spin-off Mai-Otome; it also happens around the middle, and in Mai-Otome's case, there's a bit of a setting change and contributes to several characters' development.

Darklord_bg · 2011-08-29, 07:05

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann does this not just once but two or three times along its story - the series' tone changes several times. It's the best example I can think of.

Also, Steins;Gate has a very well-defined turning point.

There is also S-Cry-Ed for which the plot changes direction in the midpoint and nothing is the same anymore.

Also, Tiger and Bunny becomes considerably more serious in the second half, although it is not due to a single event but there is a more gradual change of tone.

totoum · 2011-08-29, 08:22

Sora No Woto ?

A pretty fun and relaxing first half...until a certain episode.

kitten320 · 2011-08-29, 17:33

Ah yeh, Sora No Woto also will work. I was suprised myself about where this show headed towards the end.

woodearth · 2011-08-29, 17:50

It's been a while seen I've seen but maybe Trinity Blood? Oh and Tenjou Tenge. The main problem with my suggestions is that both animes do not have conclusive endings

Seiryuu · 2011-09-04, 06:08

Wow, there's more than I thought to look at. I'll take a look at them for sure. Seen My-HiME and Ga-Rei Zero, and the first four or five of So Ra No Wo To, but not the rest.

Do any of these start as a slice-of-life, comedy or romance series with little or no violence? The story doesn't have to become a hard-core action/fantasy story, something more dramatic is fine; as I said, the sort of thing I'm looking for tends to happen in real life. A person's life can seem to be a plain slice-of-life comedy or romance and suddenly get turned upside down when something bad happens, large-scale or just to one or two important people, and really the lives of the people involved beforehand matter just as much as how people deal with it afterward.

Another possibility is for something where the action and violence exists and is dealt with regularly, but it's always somewhat distant, happening to strangers, letting the main character's personal life stay "normal", up until a point. For instance, a guy deals with all sorts of mysteries, but they always involve people he doesn't know well, or people for whom the worst that happens is still commonplace, until suddenly something happens close to home that turns everything upside-down.

Spoiler for example:

kitten320 · 2011-09-04, 10:22

Well Clannad does have fantasy elements but mostly it is a slice of life about happy friends, family and... BAM!

Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom are action series about a guy who lost his memories and was forced to become an assasin. A lot of things happen there that shifts the mood from one end to another and then back again.

Kotohono · 2011-09-04, 13:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seiryuu

Do any of these start as a slice-of-life, comedy or romance series with little or no violence? The story doesn't have to become a hard-core action/fantasy story, something more dramatic is fine; as I said, the sort of thing I'm looking for tends to happen in real life. A person's life can seem to be a plain slice-of-life comedy or romance and suddenly get turned upside down when something bad happens, large-scale or just to one or two important people, and really the lives of the people involved beforehand matter just as much as how people deal with it afterward.

Steins;Gate early on has a a fair amount of comedy/SoL without any violence really while the plot starts off slow.

Dawnstorm · 2011-09-04, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seiryuu

Wow, there's more than I thought to look at. I'll take a look at them for sure. Seen My-HiME and Ga-Rei Zero, and the first four or five of So Ra No Wo To, but not the rest.

Do any of these start as a slice-of-life, comedy or romance series with little or no violence?

So Ra No Wo To. Definitely.

Quote:

Another possibility is for something where the action and violence exists and is dealt with regularly, but it's always somewhat distant, happening to strangers, letting the main character's personal life stay "normal", up until a point. For instance, a guy deals with all sorts of mysteries, but they always involve people he doesn't know well, or people for whom the worst that happens is still commonplace, until suddenly something happens close to home that turns everything upside-down.

Hm, Shigofumi, perhaps? It starts out episodic, with the main character only showing up to deliver letters - then suddenly the focus shifts on her... The episodes in the beginning are pretty dark, though. And there's a bullying episode that might have been the most disturbing thing I've ever seen in anime.

ArianaChaz · 2011-09-12, 16:37

You've probably seen this already, but in case you haven't, Trigun fits your description. It starts out a total action comedy, and then about halfway through it gets really serious and the storyline totally changes. It's a classic for a reason, I'd check it out if you have yet to see it.

2011-08-28, 06:47	Link #1
Seiryuu Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003	Sudden shifts in mood/plot I was wondering if there are any series where something happens midway that completely changes things. The sort of thing that can make a show almost completely switch genres. There's plenty of examples of shows where this happens close to the start or finish, but I'd like to see things a little more even, with a few episodes to make the original situation fill out and to develop a clear picture of the characters, making the initial situation have more meaning, while also giving plenty of time in the aftermath to show how things play out. In real life, things can often happen like this. A person's life can look like a romantic comedy until suddenly the girl he loves is killed or hurt. A place that's become a disaster or semi-apocalyptic setting may have until yesterday had the atmosphere of a coming-of-age school story. Things change in an instant, and there's usually an awful lot to tell about before and after that change. I'd like a plot that shows plenty of the before as well as the after, showing the lives before the event thoroughly enough to gain real significance and give depth to people even if they're gone by Part 2, but also showing how the people deal with the event and how it affects them, and how they pull through. It's not uncommon for a show to be nice or funny for most of the show and then have something big happen that forces maturation and conclusion, and many shows that start with a big disaster or tragedy give a few minutes to let the prior atmosphere sink in. I'd like something where the major event and aftermath, whether it's something widespread or something that just affects a few people, takes up a large part of the story, but the life preceding this event is given at least a couple episodes beforehand instead of just a little bit of one and occasional late flashbacks.

2011-08-28, 06:55	Link #2
kitten320 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007	The first thing that came to my mind was Mai HiME. For the first 15 episodes it is more of relaxed setting, introducing characters and giving them some banckground and then starting from episode 16 things start to change. I think Clannad also works, especially season two. Everything seems to be fine, life goes on and everyone are happy but suddenly! And everything falls apart. Ga-Rei Zero - it started in a bit weird fashin, from the middle and then from the begining till the end. But basicly we see two sisters fighting each other at the begining of series and then we see a flashback where same sisters dearly love each other and makes you wonder just what the hell happened to make them want to kill each other. Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom has 2 time skips and with each time skip series start to give slightly different vibe from before. __________________ My anime list

2011-08-28, 09:54	Link #3
SeijiSensei AS Oji-kun Join Date: Nov 2006 Age: 74	About six episodes into Kemono no Sou-ja Erin there is an event that fits your request. I also think that Oh! Edo Rocket changes its tone rather substantially toward the end. While the entire show has political themes, they morph into something rather different around episode 20. Kure-nai has a major shift around episode seven, but you knew all along that the happier atmosphere in episodes two through six couldn't last forever. __________________ Taking Anime Seriously - Politics by the Numbers - Sports by the Numbers - MAL List - Avatars - Images

2011-08-29, 07:05	Link #7
Darklord_bg Hallowed Redeemer Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Stanford, CA	Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann does this not just once but two or three times along its story - the series' tone changes several times. It's the best example I can think of. Also, Steins;Gate has a very well-defined turning point. There is also S-Cry-Ed for which the plot changes direction in the midpoint and nothing is the same anymore. Also, Tiger and Bunny becomes considerably more serious in the second half, although it is not due to a single event but there is a more gradual change of tone. __________________

2011-08-29, 08:22	Link #8
totoum Me at work Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Dublin, Ireland Age: 36	Sora No Woto ? A pretty fun and relaxing first half...until a certain episode. __________________

2011-08-28, 10:25	Link #4
Elegance Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011	I second Phantom & Clannad I like the moods in Spice & Wolf. They do change sometimes i guess. Gantz not exactly mood changes, the mood is the same but the life does change in a instant thought on the first ep.

2011-08-29, 04:18	Link #6
GreatTeacherKen Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: California	You seem to be looking for series with Cerebus Syndrome. This page has a good list of some series that might interest you: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...erebusSyndrome Some standouts from the page are: Trigun- it happens right in the middle of the series (episode 12). Everything before this episode has been mostly light hearted and humorous and the hero Vash has managed to defuse potentially dangerous situations without any casualties. That changes radically with this episode, and the rest of the series is much more serious than the first half of the series. School Days- it starts off kind of like a romantic comedy. It doesn't end that way. And as many people have said already, Mai-Hime. This also applies to the spin-off Mai-Otome; it also happens around the middle, and in Mai-Otome's case, there's a bit of a setting change and contributes to several characters' development.

2011-08-29, 17:33	Link #9
kitten320 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007	Ah yeh, Sora No Woto also will work. I was suprised myself about where this show headed towards the end. __________________ My anime list

2011-09-04, 06:08	Link #11
Seiryuu Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003	Wow, there's more than I thought to look at. I'll take a look at them for sure. Seen My-HiME and Ga-Rei Zero, and the first four or five of So Ra No Wo To, but not the rest. Do any of these start as a slice-of-life, comedy or romance series with little or no violence? The story doesn't have to become a hard-core action/fantasy story, something more dramatic is fine; as I said, the sort of thing I'm looking for tends to happen in real life. A person's life can seem to be a plain slice-of-life comedy or romance and suddenly get turned upside down when something bad happens, large-scale or just to one or two important people, and really the lives of the people involved beforehand matter just as much as how people deal with it afterward. Another possibility is for something where the action and violence exists and is dealt with regularly, but it's always somewhat distant, happening to strangers, letting the main character's personal life stay "normal", up until a point. For instance, a guy deals with all sorts of mysteries, but they always involve people he doesn't know well, or people for whom the worst that happens is still commonplace, until suddenly something happens close to home that turns everything upside-down. Spoiler for example: I made the mistake of reading up on Kamisama no Memo-chou before watching it, so I found out straight from the start that it was going to happen, but the latest preview suggests that it's finally come. Up till now the mysteries have been either relatively light or somewhat distant to Narumi, but soon something's going to happen that will bring one of his dearest and closest friends to the point of jumping off a building in a (probable) suicide attempt, and Narumi will make his own personal request to find out just what happened to cause this.

2011-09-04, 10:22	Link #12
kitten320 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007	Well Clannad does have fantasy elements but mostly it is a slice of life about happy friends, family and... BAM! Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom are action series about a guy who lost his memories and was forced to become an assasin. A lot of things happen there that shifts the mood from one end to another and then back again. __________________ My anime list

2011-09-12, 16:37	Link #15
ArianaChaz Charcoal Feather Brigade Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA	You've probably seen this already, but in case you haven't, Trigun fits your description. It starts out a total action comedy, and then about halfway through it gets really serious and the storyline totally changes. It's a classic for a reason, I'd check it out if you have yet to see it.