Post-Anime Depression?

[Eater of All]

Cherish those feelings. You're still at the stage where everything is fresh, and there is still plenty of great series you can completely believe and indulge in. If I can reword it, I'd use "nostalgia" or perhaps "wistfulness", though "depression" is a superior term as long as the meaning is conveyed.

For me, these feelings are what allow me to think fondly of the shows I love. Sometimes, I randomly recall Clannad AS and spend some idle minutes reliving its story. Sometimes, certain topics in a conversation can remind me of K-On!! and its final concert scene. Sometimes, my playlist comes across Solitude, and my mind drifts back to the days of following Steins;Gate. It doesn't necessarily take a masterpiece to do this, nor do great shows always provide these feelings; Madoka for instance was masterfully crafted and engaging but did not evoke these same emotional connections for me. It's when you experience these feelings for a show that you know you've found an experience dear to you. It's a beautiful thing.

[Kyuu]

Oh, if you ever find yourself thinking: "Man, today's anime sucks. I wish things would go back in the old days". In addition, you just plain give up on current anime. Well, that'll be it for you - for a while.

[MisaoFan]

The only animes that depressed me after the ending are Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere and the recently finished Black Rock Shooter.

[Kyuu]

BTW, I'm watching random episodes of Sailor Moon again.

Currently finishing up Baka Test 2 and True Tears, while going through Kaleido Star. I had recently gone through Angel Beats again; and having not seen that one in a while, I felt a renewed set of tears for it. Oh the tears

;.;

[Vexx]

I think its more akin to the feeling you get when you leave a job you liked or a school, move away from a group of friends.

You got used to entering that world once a week, you got attached to the characters -- and now you're "on the road again". There's a natural bit of melancholy with the realization that life is full of transient moments

[tsu.jp]

Originally Posted by Gamer_2k4

It's good, but it makes you sleepy. It's somehow simultaneously a very mellow, very high-energy anime.

Possibly the best explanation ever for AD. Sometimes when I watch it I want to sleep because it gets boring, other times its amazing.

[SeijiSensei]

Having just started watching Cross Game again, it could be the medication you need.

[Goshin]

I thought i was the only person who felt empty inside after watching a great series (happy ending or otherwise) personally i think it is because I've grown to like the characters and watch them grow, akin to watching your kids go then go off to college, or getting married) your satisfied but at the same time sad as the house will be a lot quieter now.

usually after watching a great series I am unable to start another series for a while, almost is if I am mourning. first time it happened to me was after watching the first Fullmetal alchemist. I felt so sad and depressed and moped around for a while. still to this day i am aftaid to continue/finish watching brotherhood cause i am afraid of spiraling that depression staircase again.

sometimes I become sad because after marathoning the series I wake up from my little fantasy world to realize I have no life and no friends and wonder how long I can continue doing this.

[SynLogiK]

To me, Angel Beats!, gave me the most tear jerking anime I've seen in my life. I need to find more like that anime. T-T

[Eragon]

^Watch Clannad or Grave of the fireflies. The latter would probably leave you in a state of despair for awhile

[relentlessflame]

One thing that I've noticed about myself personally is that I do tend to get very emotionally attached to a lot of the fiction I consume (whether anime, or visual novels, or light novels, manga, etc.), so I tend to procrastinate either starting or ending the experience. Sometimes, I will watch a series faithfully about 1/2 or 2/3 or the way through, but then an increasing sense of dread causes me to put it off because I don't like endings. Or other times, I'll buy a show or game I just know I'll love, but put off even starting it because I know that it'll take a lot out of me. When I actually do get around to watching and finishing the work in question, I'm actually usually quite happy with them and wonder what I was waiting for... but there are certainly some times when, having finished the work, I do feel that same sense of emptiness -- as if having lost something dear. For me, romantic dramas are the most emotionally draining, so though I absolutely love them, I also can tend to procrastinate watching them until I'm in the right mood (and if I'm stressed, it isn't usually a good time to watch something I find emotionally intense, so I'll settle for something more light-hearted).

Anyway, all that to say that I can definitely identify with the OP, but I think having that sort of deep emotional connection to the work is a wonderful experience overall. I think a lot of it depends on your personality of course -- not everyone is wired to engage things in quite that way, or it takes an awful lot to move them on that level -- but I think it definitely makes the experience a lot more powerful and "real"... even if it does come with some challenges. Some people look to this medium to provide them with excitement or intellectual stimulation, but to me emotional connection and involvement will always be number one.

[4sostrander]

Originally Posted by Anime-fan10

I can relate to what you're saying about being emotionally connected to the anime. I think many of us on this forum can relate to that; we become interested, connected, and sometimes live vicariously through these characters. That's totally natural and it's a good catharsis for you to release all that emotion through tears or by talking about it. Personally, I don't cry, but I do feel sadness when an anime I really liked has ended. However, as time goes on and I think about those anime, I smile and it makes me feel happy to have experienced something so great. Also, I know I can go back and watch that anime whenever I want and relive some of those emotions.

Wow, you really got it. That's pretty much exactly what I mean. Living vicariously through the characters and becoming emotionally attached to them. Thanks.

Sadly, I've still felt pretty empty after finishing ToraDora! I can't help it, it was a great anime, and I just love it so much. The last time the ending of an anime bothered me anywhere near this much was with Suzumiya Haruhi, although this is, by far, worse than that. I really don't know how to deal with it. I'm watching Clannad, and it's not really helping me much, haha, as you can imagine. Also, I've gotten Kanon and Air and Welcome to the N.H.K. and I have a feeling that I'm going to get super depressed. I want some more animes that are like Clannad and ToraDora! though. Is there anything that has those great heartwarming moments that make you want to cry? I'm not one for tragedy, but if you guys have some sweet romantic tragedies as well, I'll take them. I just really want to watch some of these sweet (as in heartwarming) animes. I only hope that it will help my depression, even though I know that it really won't. Oh, well!

Oh, my. It's turned into a request thread :O

[ChainLegacy]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

One thing that I've noticed about myself personally is that I do tend to get very emotionally attached to a lot of the fiction I consume (whether anime, or visual novels, or light novels, manga, etc.), so I tend to procrastinate either starting or ending the experience. Sometimes, I will watch a series faithfully about 1/2 or 2/3 or the way through, but then an increasing sense of dread causes me to put it off because I don't like endings. Or other times, I'll buy a show or game I just know I'll love, but put off even starting it because I know that it'll take a lot out of me. When I actually do get around to watching and finishing the work in question, I'm actually usually quite happy with them and wonder what I was waiting for... but there are certainly some times when, having finished the work, I do feel that same sense of emptiness -- as if having lost something dear. For me, romantic dramas are the most emotionally draining, so though I absolutely love them, I also can tend to procrastinate watching them until I'm in the right mood (and if I'm stressed, it isn't usually a good time to watch something I find emotionally intense, so I'll settle for something more light-hearted).

Anyway, all that to say that I can definitely identify with the OP, but I think having that sort of deep emotional connection to the work is a wonderful experience overall. I think a lot of it depends on your personality of course -- not everyone is wired to engage things in quite that way, or it takes an awful lot to move them on that level -- but I think it definitely makes the experience a lot more powerful and "real"... even if it does come with some challenges. Some people look to this medium to provide them with excitement or intellectual stimulation, but to me emotional connection and involvement will always be number one.

I have the same tactic. I remember when I first watched Maison Ikkoku I knew it was going to be one of my favorites, and stopped watching about 2/3 of the way through for several months before finishing... not that it accomplished anything, I felt like it made the experience last longer at the time.

It applies to games too... I don't have much time anymore with work so I've been playing FFVI a little bit at a time for months, when I finally got to the end boss I took a break for a week before beating him.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by ChainLegacy

It applies to games too... I don't have much time anymore with work so I've been playing FFVI a little bit at a time for months, when I finally got to the end boss I took a break for a week before beating him.

Ah don't even get me started about RPG games and last bosses. I'll get to the last world and put off playing forever. I guess I've never really been good at finishing what I start, and this "post-completion depression" is only part of the problem.

[Limenade]

hmm dunno, i think the absolute worse feeling is having an anime/manga/LN w.e it maybe be like amazing 99% of it and the ending be horrible or just completely wide open. That legit pisses me off lol I have watched pretty bad animes or read mangas that weren't that good but end amazingly and its such a good feeling. But the ones where you are left with such a horrid ending i can see making some people depressed for me it just annoys me lol

@SynLogik if you watched angelbeats and you feel kinda sad after that you should go watch Clannad seasons 1 and 2 if you haven't yet lol Maybe need to put aside a good 10 tissue boxes and I am not talking about having fun by yourself at night, you'll be balling by the end of season 2 lol

[GuidoHunter_Toki]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Sometimes, I will watch a series faithfully about 1/2 or 2/3 or the way through, but then an increasing sense of dread causes me to put it off because I don't like endings.

Sounds exactly like me as well. On top of putting it off towards the end if I'm enjoying an show, game, book series I'll just work my way through it slowly. I remember it took me ages to finish buying all the books in some favorite series of mine. I'm also a big offender of such tactics with lengthy games. I will say I've gotten better though at just finishing shows lately and just getting them over with. Its probably because I watch so much visual entertainment that I can't afford to put things off for too long or else it'll start piling up.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Ah don't even get me started about RPG games and last bosses. I'll get to the last world and put off playing forever. I guess I've never really been good at finishing what I start, and this "post-completion depression" is only part of the problem.

I find final boss battles too drawn out, especially when the boss just has a lot of HP rather than complex strategies. FF 13 was like that; I just quit in disgust. I don't think I've ever completed FF VI either though I've played it a couple of times.

Some games have poor "scaling" between ordinary battles and bosses in general. You go along killing fodder and levelling up, then, bam, the next boss is ridiculously hard in comparison. I had that problem with the optional boss at the end of the Nalbina Dungeons in FF 12, until I figured out the accessory I needed.

Games like Chrono Cross where you can get different endings depending on how you complete it make defeating the final boss worthwhile. It even gives you an incentive to fight him or her again.

[DarkyPwnz]

Hmm. I really liked Yui's scene in Angel Beats when they were trying to make her "graduate". Other than that,I wouldn't say depression but it was kinda fun expecting another Guilty Crown episode each week. And now Mirai Nikki is going to end too...

[NoemiChan]

There were many animes that had left me depressed after finishing them. It takes a me around a day up to a week (eg Clannad) just to return to my normal mode. Great animes ending is really depressing.... but in a good sense.... if it ended nicely as we hope for....

[HasuMasu]

Happens to me quite a bit, though to varying extents.