Is Darker Actually Better?

[Irenicus]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

There's also another source of that trend that anime in general has yet to cover, and that is the antihero male MC in light novels. Surprisingly, there's not much of those antihero LNs in anime going around these past few years, even if they have been around for possibly longer than the imouto LNs. Gotta wonder if the reason why there's so many antiheros in isekai is because of those han-eiyuutan (i.e., "antiheroic tale" stories that didn't get as much hype as their dense and less ballsy counterparts. (Trivia: the author of a "heroic tale" in Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan also wrote an "antiheroic tale" in Ultimate Antihero.)

That's an interesting point. Do you know a few of those stories aside from the one you mentioned, and how are they different from their webnovel-originated counterparts?

So where exactly are we? It's difficult to say, since we do have darker stories but cutesy stuff still show up in abundance.

I feel it's one of those things where no answer is correct until you are able to look back. People who lived in the late Roman Empire would not have really thought "we are living through the Decline and Fall of our civilization," so to speak. Unless the trend is really obvious.

[Seihai]

Darker isn't better nor worse. When someone says that darker means better, or darker means worse, that is pure bias. And that's one way to end the discussion.

Imo, you have to ask yourself this: Why do you watch this anime? The answer can be either extremely complex or really simple. But in the end what really matters is the mood. Humans might follow a pattern, sure. Somoene can like dark stories more than lighthearted ones. However humans aren't one-sided, therefore the pattern isn't a straight line, it is an infinite amount of branches that can lead to a world full of versatility, open-mindedness, and tolerance.

Whether you broaden your horizons to such is completely your own decision that can be generally passively influenced, for example by trusted friends who recommend you to watch something that has a genre you aren't normally fond of. Who knows? After all, hate can easily turn into love. And as we all know, both emotions don't neccessarily act on logic.

To give an example of what I mean. One can claim that he loves dark stories, but then he didn't like NGE or Higurashi at all. What does that say about him? Is it a double standard or maybe a contradiction? No, if anything they're exceptions to his stance which were ultimately influenced by the mood he was in when he watched them. Of course, for this example to work properly, you have to assume that the main factor of enjoying a series is that it's dark. This is for the sake of the discussion at hand. You could totally argue that maybe he didn't like the quality/execution/music/whatever, but that would needlessly complicate the argument.

To give an opposite example. Someone absolutely loathes moe anime such as K-on, but then he happens to check out Sansha Sanyou and he comes to actually like that series. Why is that? Has he gone mad? No, he was simply in the mood for it. Maybe the guy is stressed out due to work and wants to chill. His mental state could be in a position where a relaxing lighthearted moe anime can act as a positive stimulation, in this case, a healing effect.

If I elaborate further, I feel I might go off-topic so I'll leave it at that.
tl;dr my answer is no and it depends on the mood (and personal taste but that is always a given).

[Phaz0n]

It depends.

I do like Dark, gritty animes like Black Lagoon compared to Shows with "Teen Dark" themes a.k.a Naruto Shippuden.

[Kafriel]

While mood certainly matters, execution is very important. There have been light, uplifting anime like Reborn!, full of babies and students mostly having fun living their lives, and then boom, everyone's fighting for the blood of mafia families. The transition from fun to serious was very abrupt (after some kidnappings IIRC) and completely dislodged the mood that had been set so far.

An even better example for it is Medaka Box, where the villainous characters get so caught up in their own worlds, that nobody realizes they're still basically school students...or humans, whatever. At that point, I couldn't take anything seriously, so what the series gained from its battle theme, it lost elsewhere.

I must be one of the few people who didn't like higurashi. It wasn't realistic enough for me, so I couldn't get into it. Another was done much better though, and Casshern SINS remains one of my favorite shows. Why is that, you may ask? Their worlds correspond to the highlighted characters, there is an good explanation for everything and the characters' development or plot advancement is smoothly laid out, as opposed to PLOT TWIST moments that turn the world upside down.

That being said, I won't watch K-on. I recently watched all of the Fate/ series, except kaleid liner, because it's waaaay too out of place, compared other material. Instead, I look forward to Heaven's Feel, which should be the darkest entry in the series - it just fits better.

I'll go for the occasional happy SoL series, but I'll have to know beforehand that it stays that way. That's what Clannad does to you

We'll see how RWBY goes. I won't judge until the end of V4.

[Sheba]

I have grown up with a fair and wide ranges of anime, pulp scifi adventure like Cobra, nonsensical comedies like Highschool Kimengumi, tales of misery and hope like Princess Sarah. I have read a wide range of stories between Le Petit Nicolas and Michael Moorcock. Stories that resonates with me are those dealing with the human condition, the human courage in front of impossible odds (Saint Seiya comes in mind) or dire circumstances (Princess Sarah again), and the human epic (Legend of Galatic Heroes). I am old enough to see the japanese industry going through cycles of downs and ups, phases where it is content to recycle the same old and grow a little complacent, until a big work come shaking it up and restart the cycle. Before Evangelion, such works were Macross and Gundam and Yamato. More recently, many will argue whether Madoka made its impact or not.


So I dont buy into the opening narrative. And instead I'll ask whether BOTH sides have seen enough of those they were quick to dismiss as frivolous or just misery porn. And whatever they were in the right mood to do so. So I'll have to echo Seihai's question here. Why? Were you in the right mood?

[Marcus H.]

That's an interesting point. Do you know a few of those stories aside from the one you mentioned, and how are they different from their webnovel-originated counterparts?

There are only a few that I could remember, but I'm not a fan of antiheros either, so I can't really give a reading list based on my own experiences. These titles showed up in a recommendation thread in Reddit, though: Overlord, Re:Monster, Long Live Summons, Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo Dorei Majutsu, and Maou no Hajimekata. I know of Maou no Hajimekata for its male lead who seems to have developed a harem by stealing girls from other men.

So I dont buy into the opening narrative. And instead I'll ask whether BOTH sides have seen enough of those they were quick to dismiss as frivolous or just misery porn. And whatever they were in the right mood to do so. So I'll have to echo Seihai's question here. Why? Were you in the right mood?

As for Seihai's question, I usually watch anime that takes my interest, and has high enjoyment value. And by enjoyment value I mean not making me feel like shit. It would be nice if an anime series doesn't ruin my day, because I often do my daily anime watch in the morning, unless it's on cable TV. I hope that's enough reason for me to avoid dreary stories.

It's not really about me missing out, but me failing to understand the worth of investing one's time on seeing a story that would only give me negative emotions.

[bakato]

Originally Posted by Flower

See, comparison wise I really enjoyed Grimgar, but ReZero has elements to it (in the sense of angles the material seems to be presented by the author, not the adaptation itself) that I dislike. I felt that Grimgar tried to deal with "real" things, whereas ReZero also tries, but it feels like it is not its main thrust - I feel like its main thrust springs from a blend of mockery and despair of the human condition; no matter how the story is being played out, it still seems like the author's main interest is in scraping and wallowing in the direction of the bottom of the barrel. That is just my take on it though.

91 Days is also quite grim, but there is (ironically) something much more wholesome and "real" about it. For me I would call this dark subject matter really well done.

Ironically while I enjoyed the Gakkou Gurashi adaptation I felt that overall the source manga was way better, and as pertaining to the thread, much darker. (Though there were a few things the adaptation did quite well, I thought.) Anne Happy was not quite as effective for me, for whatever reasons.

Even so, I think the issue still is whether or no someone feels a series is done well, or "well executed" as the previous poster said.

Compared to Grimgar, Re:Zero plays more to the extremes. Both works feature protagonists sent to a fantasy world for seemingly no reason and left to survive on their own. Grimgar deals with everyday survival and scrounging for a living. Re:Zero is the opposite with its time travel gimmick ensuring the protagonist's survival, yet the stakes feel much higher. I think Re:Zero's noticeably more fantastical setting is narrowing your view. While it's easy to get lost in all the despair and death, these serve to highlight the victories Subaru earns and his own growth as a person. These are no small things.

91days feels real because it's not a fantasy.

So I guess the consensus is no. Darker isn't better. We don't like Re:Zero and Grimgar because they're dark. We like them because they're good. Well, Re:Zero anyway. Grimgar was good in concept but technical execution left much to be desired.

Like every other genre, dark is just a concept for writers and like any other genre it'll have its share of failures. Black Bullet was dark, but it wasn't good. A loli died every arc for little more than shock value. This is one of the three ways to use "dark." Works like Psycho Pass used this genre to dive into human psychology, which lead to character depth. And then there are works like Re:Zero which uses dark and light to contrast and complement each other. There is despair, but there is a glimmer of hope.

[Flower]

Originally Posted by bakato

Compared to Grimgar, Re:Zero plays more to the extremes. Both works feature protagonists sent to a fantasy world for seemingly no reason and left to survive on their own. Grimgar deals with everyday survival and scrounging for a living. Re:Zero is the opposite with its time travel gimmick ensuring the protagonist's survival, yet the stakes feel much higher. I think Re:Zero's noticeably more fantastical setting is narrowing your view. While it's easy to get lost in all the despair and death, these serve to highlight the victories Subaru earns and his own growth as a person. These are no small things.

The fantasy setting in and of itself is absolutely not the issue for me. I agree that there are themes of growth for Subaru after going through what he does. But that is not the point of the criticism of the aspect of the series I made, I am afraid.

For you these elements carry more weight in the overall evaluation than they do for me. It is one thing to say you disagree with someone else's assessment. You have done something else entirely here.

Originally Posted by bakato

91days feels real because it's not a fantasy.

The point I was making regarding this series had little to do with whether or no it is a fantasy. The point was whether or not the dark elements are effective or come across as well done to the viewer. There are plenty of real world settings that are downright terribly done, and in any medium.

Originally Posted by bakato

So I guess the consensus is no. Darker isn't better. We don't like Re:Zero and Grimgar because they're dark. We like them because they're good. Well, Re:Zero anyway. Grimgar was good in concept but technical execution left much to be desired.

A least in your opinion - not everyone agrees on the matter to the same degrees or percentages, I think.

Originally Posted by bakato

Like every other genre, dark is just a concept for writers and like any other genre it'll have its share of failures. Black Bullet was dark, but it wasn't good. A loli died every arc for little more than shock value. This is one of the three ways to use "dark." Works like Psycho Pass used this genre to dive into human psychology, which lead to character depth. And then there are works like Re:Zero which uses dark and light to contrast and complement each other. There is despair, but there is a glimmer of hope.

I wonder if it is true that "dark is just a concept" in the broad sense you have sketched here, though.

For me at least it is not restricted to genres with a medium, but in various artistic mediums as well. And for a fair number of them I believe it is absolutely NOT merely a concept. This even holds true in the anime medium at times, I would argue.

That aside it is true that darker elements (like any elements) are sometimes better done or effective than others, and there are plenty of people will have differing opinions on whether or no particular work of art in a medium "worked" or "was effective" or was "well done".

[Wandering Soul]

I have to echo that it all comes down to execution and the viewer's mood. I don't believe that a darker show is automatically better than a light one or vice versa.

That said, I do feel that there is a bit more pressure on darker shows to actually make sure the darkness serves a purpose and helps contribute to the quality to the series. A show that is just constantly killing off character and becomes torture porn comes off as grim derp rather than grim dark.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by Flower

See, comparison wise I really enjoyed Grimgar, but ReZero has elements to it (in the sense of angles the material seems to be presented by the author, not the adaptation itself) that I dislike. I felt that Grimgar tried to deal with "real" things, whereas ReZero also tries, but it feels like it is not its main thrust - I feel like its main thrust springs from a blend of mockery and despair of the human condition; no matter how the story is being played out, it still seems like the author's main interest is in scraping and wallowing in the direction of the bottom of the barrel. That is just my take on it though.

I agree with you, Flower. If I have to describe the story and plot of Grimgar and Re: Zero with one word each, that would be:

Grimgar: Sincere
Re: Zero: Manipulative

Mind you, I like both shows very much. And I have no axe to grind with Re: Zero due to overhyping or things like that. That’s just how I honestly feel. Both series made/make me impatient because I had/have to wait another week to see the next episode during their airing. Not many isekai series can make me do that, not even the popular NGNL.

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

It's not really about me missing out, but me failing to understand the worth of investing one's time on seeing a story that would only give me negative emotions.

I don’t know about you, but for me (and a number of people) “well-executed dark material =/= make you feel bad/depressed”. Many people are drawn into some dark stories due to its good-to-excellent writing and execution. They do not blindly flock to and like dark works just because it’s dark, gloomy and angsty. I came out of the cinema smiling and in awe after watching TDK which is full of despair and the main villain basically wins. I was pleased and very entertained after watching dark anime like Angel’s Egg, Lain, Jin Roh, GITS, Shinsekai Yori, Patlabor 2, etc. Good writing and execution can make good entertainment no matter the tone and atmosphere. But I understand that not all people share this sentiment. Oh, and mood also matters, like many have said before.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

I agree with you, Flower. If I have to describe the story and plot of Grimgar and Re: Zero with one word each, that would be:

Grimgar: Sincere
Re: Zero: Manipulative

This is an aside, but I have to say that I disagree with this.

To me, Grimgar's entire setup feels very artificial and video game-y. That doesn't exactly make me think "sincere". I respect that some people clearly love the show, but just it's basic setup is a serious hurdle to me.

One thing I love about Re:Zero is that it strikes me as a true fantasy that doesn't try to shove in painfully obvious JRPG video game elements. As someone who loved many mid-to-late 90s fantasy anime shows, I find this very refreshing. I also don't see what's so manipulative about Re:Zero. Character relationships and plot events build up very reasonably and methodically. The show does get pretty intense after awhile, but it earns it with all of its careful setup.

I don't know why some anime fans seem to think this sort of thing is "manipulative" (I feel the same way about such criticisms being made of certain Key works). This is just good well-developed drama that earns its payoffs, in my opinion. Maybe there's certain scenes that Re:Zero plays a little heavier than ideal, but it almost always feels sincere to me.

Originally Posted by Wandering Soul

That said, I do feel that there is a bit more pressure on darker shows to actually make sure the darkness serves a purpose and helps contribute to the quality to the series. A show that is just constantly killing off character and becomes torture porn comes off as grim derp rather than grim dark.

Good point. I agree with this. My own personal experience is that a light show can get away with being kinda dumb much easier than a dark show can get away with it (unless the dark show is also clearly a comedy).

[Akito Kinomoto]

I can't comment on Grimgar's content itself, but the aesthetic compared to Re:ZERO is less otaku oriented, less clean, more gritty. Let's not discount the role visuals play in affecting perception and a trap that's easy to fall into; Heartcatch looks more cartoony than Symphogear while being significantly heavier past its surface; Ping Pong is much more accessible than Tatami Galaxy despite what the artsy direction would have many believe. I don't doubt most people when they believe what they believe, but I've seen enough of the artistic trap to where I have to 2nd guess myself in such comparisons

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

This is an aside, but I have to say that I disagree with this.

To me, Grimgar's entire setup feels very artificial and video game-y. That doesn't exactly make me think "sincere". I respect that some people clearly love the show, but just it's basic setup is a serious hurdle to me.

One thing I love about Re:Zero is that it strikes me as a true fantasy that doesn't try to shove in painfully obvious JRPG video game elements. As someone who loved many mid-to-late 90s fantasy anime shows, I find this very refreshing. I also don't see what's so manipulative about Re:Zero. Character relationships and plot events build up very reasonably and methodically. The show does get pretty intense after awhile, but it earns it with all of its careful setup.

I don't know why some anime fans seem to think this sort of thing is "manipulative" (I feel the same way about such criticisms being made of certain Key works). This is just good well-developed drama that earns its payoffs, in my opinion. Maybe there's certain scenes that Re:Zero plays a little heavier than ideal, but it almost always feels sincere to me.

Both setup in Re:Zero & Grimgar is as artificial as many Isekai stories get (kids sent to another world for no apparent reason aside from being the “chosen”). But for Grimgar, it's the story beyond that setup that gave me the impression of a sincere story about a group of kids trying to survive without forcing the “woe is me” and “look how edgy and bloody and sadistic this story can get”-aspects down our throat (if you've seen or read about the old movie Stand by Me, you'll understand more what I'm talking about). The jobs and techniques in Grimgar doesn’t strike me as more video-gamey than Re:Zero’s with a knight character that can blow up a house with a swing of his sword and a mage that can freeze an area with her magic. I think all of those are just normal things for fantasy setting.

To me, watching cruelty in Grimgar and Re:Zero is like watching cruelty in Saving Private Ryan and Saw sequels (not exactly the same feeling but more like that). The former is acceptable and important due to setting and situation while the latter mostly use the cruelty to spice things up. And Grimgar does not rely on too much plot twists to make it extra compelling. Instead, they rely mostly on the compelling characters and their hard effort to get by with rarely any quirks and antics that pander to otakus aside from some fanservice shots. Grimgar also has less convenient coincidences which either save the MC from difficult situations or make him suffer more. The MCs in Grimgar was summoned and then directly assigned to jobs, and almost every achievement and bad consequences were gained and suffered after the effort of the MC group both individually or as a group (heck, they even have to work their ass off for some good underwear). That’s what makes Grimgar more sincere to me.

But I still like Re: Zero nonetheless because I do like my fill of edgy anime with some good characters and action and some standard anime tropes and cuteness which are executed rather well.

And yes, I can see why some audience accuse certain Key anime to be manipulative, especially the ones that relied on supernatural tweeeests in a largely realistic setting. Unlike, say, Wolf Children, which is as melancholy as Key works but established its supernatural element at the very start and make it an important part of the plot throughout. I do like some key works like Kanon, Air, etc but I still see that "manipulative" tendency when I look back at them.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Akuma Kousaka

I can't comment on Grimgar's content itself, but the aesthetic compared to Re:ZERO is less otaku oriented, less clean, more gritty.

Um... really?

The two things I liked most about Grimgar when I tried some of it:

1. The beautiful lush greenery of some scenes. For any daylight scene, scenery looks great to me. Very picturesque. Now that I think about it, though - The bright colorfulness of it might have clashed some with the gritty tone, making it harder for me to truly buy into that tone.

2. The female characters. Very pretty. Much like the scenery is.

[0utf0xZer0]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

To me, Grimgar's entire setup feels very artificial and video game-y. That doesn't exactly make me think "sincere". I respect that some people clearly love the show, but just it's basic setup is a serious hurdle to me.

I think when they say Grimgar is sincere, it's in the context of not trying to manipulate the viewer. Which I'm not inclined to argue with - it's hard to think of a dark fantasy that's anywhere near as laid back as Grimgar is. With that being said, I also found the video game-y aspects of the setting seriously interfered with my ability to get immersed. I also found the lack of intensity hurt the series' climax, which I fund kind of dull. Contrast Yuuki Yuuna, which comes across as a more laid back version of Madoka but which does get intense at times. Yuuki Yuuna's been accused of being manipulative and melodramatic, but I got way more into it.

In regards to whether Re Zero is manipulative, I think it would be helpful if those who think it is can point to specific scenes or elements. There's only a few scenes I can think of in the show that I thought "laid on the darkness really thick" and I don't think they're the ones that put some other posters here off the show as said scenes aren't from the show's first half (ie. the parts people are likely to have sampled).

[Reckoner]

You posed the topic question of thread in a flawed manner. It's obvious that being dark doesn't inherently make a story better. Look no further than Akame ga Kill. Sure it can be decently entertaining, but its edginess and shock factor does not make it more mature or elevate the thinking.

What should have been asked is if great anime necessitates exploration of darker themes. Irenicus already described exactly my feelings here, but to add on more here... It's kind of like the age old philosophical question if happiness can exist without suffering/sadness/what have you. Without the complete spectrum of the human experience, we are unable to truly explore the boundaries of emotion and expression. To me, great entertainment at a minimum must have this quality.

People keep throwing Evangelion around here, but Evangelion is not just a depression fest. The show had peaks and valleys. People often forget that a majority of the first half is filled with fun and adventure. It is the contrast with what happens later that amplifies the emotional impact of the story.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

Both setup in Re:Zero & Grimgar is as artificial as many Isekai stories get (kids sent to another world for no apparent reason aside from being the “chosen”).

Grimgar's setup seemed more artificial to me mainly because of what you wrote here...

The MCs in Grimgar was summoned and then directly assigned to jobs,

And those jobs seemed very ironclad to me. It very much felt like a video game RPG party, where everybody has assigned roles, assigned weaponry (making me think of characters that can only "equip" certain things), assigned style of clothing.

Re:Zero seems much more open concept to me, with a very rich and full fantasy world that feels simply brimming with great lore and potential. Sure, a certain plot device kinda limits Subaru, but he can still go wherever he wants, do whatever he wants, explore whatever he wants, try out whatever he wants, meet all sorts of neat and interesting people.

The former is acceptable and important due to setting and situation while the latter mostly use the cruelty to spice things up.

I disagree on Re:Zero. A good chunk of the suffering Subaru endures he frankly brings on himself due to his personality.* Sure, his overall situation is frequently a very difficult one, but Subaru definitely makes matters worst for himself sometimes, and all in a very in-character way to me.

And Grimgar does not rely on too much plot twists to make it extra compelling.

I hope you realize this is a very subjective criticism. I love plot twists myself, as long as they're well-executed and go somewhere interesting. And in Re:Zero, they're consistently well-executed and go somewhere interesting, in my view. Which is a big part of the reason why I don't consider them manipulative.

And I feel the same way about some of the plot twists in Key (but yes, there are also some that are weak).


*With this in mind, and to tie it into the topic of the thread, I think "dark" is perhaps best-handled when it feels like the characters bring it on themselves some. Then it becomes an interesting character study, and an intriguing challenge for the character to grow as an individual. It also makes a "dark" story feel less like the writer simply torturing his or her characters.

[Marcus H.]

You posed the topic question of thread in a flawed manner. It's obvious that being dark doesn't inherently make a story better.

Heh, I admit I'm guilty of it, but I'd rather put it at the start than to go 'round the bush about it.

Look no further than Akame ga Kill. Sure it can be decently entertaining, but its edginess and shock factor does not make it more mature or elevate the thinking.

How about Danganronpa, though? I haven't really exposed myself in that series, but it always had the impression of the Saw movie series to me. And considering how utterly artificial the concept of Saw is, I'd probably won't be able to take DGRP seriously. You can freely extend it to any battle royale scenario really.

What should have been asked is if great anime necessitates exploration of darker themes. Irenicus already described exactly my feelings here, but to add on more here... It's kind of like the age old philosophical question if happiness can exist without suffering/sadness/what have you. Without the complete spectrum of the human experience, we are unable to truly explore the boundaries of emotion and expression. To me, great entertainment at a minimum must have this quality.

Right, that's a better topic to have. However, emotional spectrums aside, is it really less of a great piece of entertainment if they lack a fundamental emotion? Again, the advantage of lighter shows against darker ones emerges here—a gloomy show must have a sort of catharsis enforced, and this release is something that some shows like Re:zero and possibly Kumamiko (YMMV) seem to forget. Compare that to lighter shows where the aspect of catharsis doesn't need to be reminded to the writers unless the writers actually want the show to go on and on (closest to this is Phineas and Ferb before the final season, to an extent).

[Flower]

Interesting discussion thus far.

One of the things I enjoy reading is how different people have responded to many of the series brought up as characteristic examples and some of the reasons they have given for why they enjoyed or did not enjoy certain series.

I very much agree with Irenicus that the idea that angst = "quality" or depth is utter hogwash, but I would say the same of happy, "fluffy" elements in series as well. (In fact the same could be said about many, many things in many mediums and trends or fashions that take place in whichever medium is being focused on!)

To focus more on Marcus H's last question ... I think that it touches on bigger issues. To say whether a work is a greater or lesser in value because it "lacks a fundamental emotion" ... there are so many questions and qualifications I would want to ask!

For example, when you are saying the statement "greater or lesser value", my question is "based on what?", and when you speak of "fundamental emotions" what more particularly are you referring to?

I think that we cannot really categorize and systematize objectively, for example, all anime we have ever watched, but I do think it is important for us to understand the things we like, why we like and dislike the things we do (and to be honest with ourselves in the matter), and so on and so on.

And in my opinion the medium of anime does have quite a few more examples % wise (and broadness spectrum wise) over the decades than many forms of visual entertainment of material that is thought provoking, moving, beautiful, and (dare I say it?) even ... life changing every once in a while.

Apologies for missing aloud like this - hope I was able to stay somewhat on topic!

[Reckoner]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

Right, that's a better topic to have. However, emotional spectrums aside, is it really less of a great piece of entertainment if they lack a fundamental emotion? Again, the advantage of lighter shows against darker ones emerges here—a gloomy show must have a sort of catharsis enforced, and this release is something that some shows like Re:zero and possibly Kumamiko (YMMV) seem to forget. Compare that to lighter shows where the aspect of catharsis doesn't need to be reminded to the writers unless the writers actually want the show to go on and on (closest to this is Phineas and Ferb before the final season, to an extent).

Consider an anime like Usagi Drop. It's an extremely heart warming anime that is never steeped in a dreary atmosphere with real angst/brooding/violence. But what fundamentally made it a story that tugged on the heart strings so well? It is the setup of an abandoned and ostracized child in a family being adopted by a man. That's not exactly a happy situation, but it is what sets up the emotional response for the audience to get into the story. This is what I mean by exploring a fuller spectrum of the human experience.

Darker shows do necessarily have an advantage. Urobuchi Gen can often be accused of missing other fundamental qualities to his anime which go hard on nihilism and depravity. He misses those elements that make it relatable on a human level and actually make us care for the characters on screen.

Re:Zero is pretty effective because it established its characters as likable and human. When bad things happen to them, we actually care. The show isn't terribly thought provoking however, but as a piece of entertainment I think it's been pretty splendid at connecting with the audience.