Extremely DARK works that have a GOOD end

[Seiryuu]

I was wondering what anime/manga was out there that was truly dark and depressing, but somehow managed to pull off a good ending that spoke of hope. Naturally, the series has to pull it off, make it work so that it feels like a proper part of the story. The story doesn't have to start dark, but the majority of the story should seem to be a constantly growing despair from which there seems no escape.

One great example has appeared this last season:

Spoiler:

Puella Magi Madoka Magica starts off pretty close to standard magical girl fare, with a girl meeting a magical girl who's fighting "Witches" that kill people or drive them to suicide, and a familiar that tries to recruit her and her friend as new magical girls. All they have to do to become magical girls is ask the familiar to grant a wish, no matter what that wish may be. Three episodes in, though, right after the first magical girl finds real friendship and happiness, a Witch literally bites her head off before eating what's left of her. After this, one girl becomes a puella magi (magical girl), only to soon find out that this makes her little more than a zombie whose actual soul is housed in a little gem. Worse, the familiar reveals after that girl's fall that every Witch is actually a puella magi who gave in to despair, and that the real reason he's recruiting magical girls is specifically to CREATE Witches.
It's ultimately revealed that one puella magi has been repeatedly using her powers to go back in time and try over and over to save her friend Madoka, only to later realize that this tied the fates and power of all these alternate timelines to her friend, making her immensely powerful.
The story continues to grow more and more depressing, as any attempt at any level of happiness is thwarted, until

Spoiler:

in the very last episode, Madoka decides once more to become a puella magi. Bound to the fates of countless timelines, her power can grant almost any wish. In response, Madoka wishes to break this cycle of despair that forces all these girls to struggle so hard only to curse and taint everything they wanted to protect, by erasing every Witch before it's born, in all times, and all worlds, with her own hands. Madoka takes on the pain and despair of each girl and allows them all to keep hope until the end, in the process transforming her own existence into a godlike being that can't be felt or seen but is everywhere. This isn't a sacrifice really, as Madoka has no regret; she finally found an answer that would break the despair.

This might not be the best example, but it's the first that comes to mind and the one that made me think of making this thread.

[Haak]

Off the top of my head - Now and Then, Here and There, but it wasn't that nice of an ending...

[GreatTeacherKen]

^^

Well, compared to the rest of the series, it was relatively happy.

The two series I can think are both horror anime:

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni- the first season ends on an open-ended note, but the 2nd season resolves the mystery, and has what you're looking for.

and

Perfect Blue

[Seiryuu]

Originally Posted by GreatTeacherKen

^^

Well, compared to the rest of the series, it was relatively happy.

The two series I can think are both horror anime:

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni- the first season ends on an open-ended note, but the 2nd season resolves the mystery, and has what you're looking for.

and

Perfect Blue

I should've put Higurashi, that's a very good show. Don't know that I've ever watched Perfect Blue.

[Cynor]

Hmmm... Dark with a good ending... Well I don't know if it's dark enough for you (i haven't seen the example you gave, though I have seen Higurashi and I think Higurashi was darker) but maybe Shangri-La? I'm pretty sure it had a happy enough ending, and I do rremember some dark themes/moments. Nothing to the extent of Higurashi (like brutal murders) iirc though.

I'm hesitant to suggest this one (for multiple reasons, including that I haven't seen the end of the third season) but maybe Jigoku Shoujo? I don't know how the 3rd season ends, but depending on how you define a "good" ending, I think the first had an ok one in terms of over-arching story. However the way the series is setup, each episode is sort of it's own contained story and the darkness in each is generally resolved sort of happily.

Again, for the good ending it's debatable from what I remember and have seen... But there is definitely a pretty dark side to this one, probably about on par with Higurashi from what I remember.

[Ascendant]

Kara no Kyoukai
Claymore
Zegapain

might not be exactly what you are looking for but nevertheless good series that gave me similar feelings:

scrapped princess
noein

[Sin of Memories]

Darker than Black comes to mind when I think dark. Same with Claymore.

[User68604]

rainbow

very dark- starts off with a bang.. but tells an amazing story. sadism, molestation, rape, violence, abandonment, abuse - is the name of the game, but the main protagonists truck on thru the obstacles

[totoum]

I'll second Perfect Blue

Might edit this later when I think of some more

[Seiryuu]

Originally Posted by Ascendant

Kara no Kyoukai
Claymore
Zegapain

might not be exactly what you are looking for but nevertheless good series that gave me similar feelings:

scrapped princess
noein

I'll have to watch Claymore and Zegapain. I've only watched a few eps of Noein before quitting when I read on wikipedia that

Spoiler:

the bad guy was the main character, who was going from one timeline to another trying to find one in which the main girl didn't have to die, and finding that it simply does not exist.

If it actually is able to make a good end out of that, then I'll just have to look!
Scrapped Princess anime was kinda dark, but not too dark. The novels, on the other hand, are just about as dark and gruesome as possible. At least the few early novels that I've managed to get my hands on. The description of a strategic-level spell that instantly lowers the atmospheric pressure in a large area around a town to near-vacuum points is particularly extreme.

[ubiquitial]

Maa-chan and Mii-kun, manga, movie, and novel.

[Sackett]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

[kitten320]

Mai HiME, and with the example you gave I only have to second Mai HiME again.

Then there always is Clannad, After story will work better though.

Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin not purely good but still positive, especially for the 1st major arc.

Shiki, whole village starts to die and there doesn't seem to be any hope for survival

I would say Wolf's Rain pull off that trick, but you have to watch all OVAs too.

The last part in Claymore also will work.

[Ascendant]

Originally Posted by Seiryuu

If it actually is able to make a good end out of that, then I'll just have to look!

wouldn't have suggested it if that wasn't the case

Scrapped Princess anime was kinda dark, but not too dark. The novels, on the other hand, are just about as dark and gruesome as possible. At least the few early novels that I've managed to get my hands on. The description of a strategic-level spell that instantly lowers the atmospheric pressure in a large area around a town to near-vacuum points is particularly extreme.

yep it's not that dark per se, but it just had this sense of dread to me. interesting that the novels are darker. I have read them a little but stopped for one reason or another (mostly because I already knew the overall plot). might start to read it again some time.