I'm looking for sad/depressing anime. Preferably romance.

[Fritsc]

Hi there.
I'm looking for a sad/depressing anime.
I'll also prefer it to be romance.

I also know that there is a thread titled, "Sad, depressing, or painful anime" so please do not tell me to look at that thread. (Thread does not have what I'm trying to look for.)

Because what I'm mainly looking for is something that is sad/depressing through out (Like really want to make you cry), not just some part/episode of the anime that makes you want to cry. Maybe a rollercoaster of sad and happy moments or just sad/depressing the whole way out. Okay, maybe first few episode does not need to be sad. But I would love to have anime that start to be sad early, like Rumbling Heart (After episode 2), and NANA (After episode 20). A little comedy doesn't hurt too.

I 'll also love anime that is like Clannad where you have Clannad, mostly character development and comedy, and After Story where it really begins. Also Clannad might be an exception because the Clannad was rather funny, and when it goes to After Story then it start to be sad and it's also partly because it's very well executed.

Don't tell suggest me this anime as I've seen them; (Bold means that I really like it and it's really sad)
- Clannad [Both]
- Air
- Kanon
- Rumbling Heart
- Bokura Ga Ita
- Ef tale of melodies/memories
- Haibane Renmei
- 5 centimetre per second
- NANA
- School Days
- True Tears
- Saikano
- Elfen Lied

And what I'm planning to see;
- Koi Kaze
- Welcome to the NHK

Also I'm wondering what is Welcome to the NHK mainly about. Because it seems like it's not romance? But many people recommend it for being sad/depressing?

Thanks a lot.

[Theowne]

NHK is not primarily a romance story. It's a story of a social outcast-type and his attempts at returning to normalcy (roughly). I don't know if I'd call it utterly depressing either, but I suppose it had some moment slike that.

I reccomend Honey and Clover which runs the gamut of emotions, joyful at first, painful at other times, but overall one of the best anime involving romance and just life itself.

[Willen]

Chrono Crusade might fit your requirements. It's got quite a few action and comedy elements, but the story gets more serious as it goes on.

[Sackett]

Hmm Cross Game starts out quite sad. I wouldn't call it depressing though. In fact it sounds similar to your description of Clannad.

I don't think it stays sad, although there is a slice of melancholy that stays through out the show and sometimes crops up again and again. The occasional comedy lightens it up though.

Afraid that's the best I can suggest.

Oh... I guess Full Metal Panic, but they haven't really animated that part yet. The Second Raid comes close though.

[MeoTwister5]

Well the two OVA's of Rurouni Kenshin definitely count.

[Haak]

I would suggest Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, though I don't think the romance aspect is all that typical.

I would also suggest Toradora! but it only gets dramaish towards the ends.

[edit]

I've never seen Welcome to the NHK as depressing or a romance. I always considered it more of a comedy and slice of life anime.

[Scorch]

First Kenshin OAV seconded. You don't need to have seen the tv series to understand it. There's a good reason why it's stayed the viewer top rated anime of all time on ANN.

I'll add in Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu. It's short @ 6 episodes, and it has some very memorable moments. The dancing scene comes to mind.

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora. It's a mix of happy, sad, bittersweet, and uplifting.

Welcome to the NHK, as Theowne has said, is about a social outcast trying to cope with normal society. Pretty much all of the characters have severe neurosis and paranoia and the like. Some of them try to commit suicide. It's a good show and is pretty much unflinching in its portrayal of messed up people. I wouldn't describe it as primarily sad - more like pathetic at times (the characters can be pathetic, not the show).

Honey and Clover is fantastic, but I'm not sure I'd describe it as sad. It's very introspective with a mix of unrequited love and hilarious comedy. If you haven't seen it yet it's worth watching if you like Slice of Life shows, but it isn't the type of show that makes you cry episode after episode. Still, you'll probably really end up empathizing with several of the characters if you watch it.

Not an anime, but have you read Narcissu? It's the first kinetic novel I ever read, I think I heard it mentioned on these boards some years back when I was looking for sad anime. It's just a few hours long, legal, free, translated, and is definitely sad (and very existentialist for that matter). I'd actually recommend it over most of the animes I've seen mentioned other than the first Kenshin OAV, if you're willing to read instead of watch.

[Jujubee]

Shuffle! is a light hearted, ecchi harem anime that gets serious toward the end. Actually one of the characters has a very serious backstory that is slowly revealed throughout the series. In my opinion the the last 6 episodes were pretty sad and depressing, but that really depends on who's side you're on. When it was over I couldn't stop thinking about how it ended for at least a week. Then I saw Rumbling Hearts which made me almost forget about Shuffle entirely.

[0utf0xZer0]

I seem to be recommending it a lot these days, but I'm going to second Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu. The second half really was heart-wrenching for me.

[Nita]

Hm.. The first thing that came to my mind was Romeo X Juliet. For me, thats the perfect combination of romance and drama (not forget the action and plot)

-Boku wa Imouto ni koi wo suru. Its a movie, but is worth watching, though the topic tends to freak out some ppl
-Fruits Basket has comedy on it, but its really angst in some parts
-Itazura na Kiss Really good.

I agree with Willen, Chrno Crusade is one of my favorite anime and it made cry like a moron i-i

[Fritsc]

Hey guys.
Thanks for the suggestion.
I'll try
Chrono Crusade,
Iriya no Sora, UFO No Natsu
Honey and Clover
Itazura na Kiss

I've watched Shuffle! already and Fruit Basket.

As for Kenshin OVA, is it linked to the series (Samurai X if I'm not wrong?)

[Kaze]

If I were you I'd go Fate / Stay Night, trust me, you will cry... or rage, that can also happen

[Scorch]

Originally Posted by Fritsc

Hey guys.

As for Kenshin OVA, is it linked to the series (Samurai X if I'm not wrong?)

It's a prequel. In the TV series (Rurouni Kenshin), Kenshin has sworn to never kill people. He has an x shaped scar on his cheek. The 1st OVA (known as Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal here - even though Kenshin isn't actually a samurai ) is a prequel. In it, he's a young and idealistic assassin who is working to overthrow the shogunate. He and Yukishiro Tomoe are the main characters - she is the fiancee of one of his victims, and she comes seeking revenge. The OVA explains his swearing off killing people and how he acquired the scar. Seeing the tv series isn't at all necessary for understanding the OVA.

The second OVA is set after the tv series. I would not recommend it.

[Izayoi]

Planetarian... Was that an anime? Na I guess, adaptation usually don't impress anyone anyways.

I would recommend you the rest of Makoto Shinkai's works such as
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Voices of a Distant Star

and others
Honey and Clover
Sola

[idont]

Full Moon wo Sagashite is supposed to be depressing.