Good angst with a resilient hero

[daeyeth]

I'm looking for an anime or manga where the main character goes through lots of angst but he doesn't cry about it, he hangs in there and sucks it up.

But by angst, I don't mean dark or depressing, that's not the type of angst I'm looking for. Instead I'm looking for relationship/social angst, the high school drama type stuff usually in shojo (but I want a guy main character)

My favorite kind of angst would be something like: the hero likes someone, on the day he was going to confess to her, he finds out she likes someone else, and then when she asks what's wrong, he smiles and hides the pain.

Mmmm, delicious emotional pain. The last part is a must. An endearing hero who hides his pain.

[Theowne]

Honey and Clover

Edit: I don't really like the word "angst" and wouldn't use it to describe H&C, but it does fulfill the requirement of a main character who has feelings for someone who doesn't reciprocate, so he keeps it to himself and carries on with a smile on the outside.

[Haak]

It's not an anime but I would recommend The Farseer Trilogy and The Soldier Son Trilogy by Robin Hobb. The main characters have a large amount of angst but they have to suck it up and deal with it and don't want anyone else getting involved.

[Kazu]

I think Onani master kurosawa would be one for you,later in the story the guy meets the girl of his dreams,and ends up crushed when he discovers shes dating someone and you'll be surprised too

Be warned major fappage in this manga,well if you understand what the title is you'll get a heads up on what you're about to see

[Sackett]

Mitaka's ending in Maison Ikkoku might qualify

And Godai too for the first 3 seasons.

[mit7059]

Honey & Clover is exactly what I thought of, its my favorite anime ever and fits your criteria perfectly.

[daeyeth]

Farseer trilogy I've read but I'll have to check out the Soldier Son trilogy

The other suggestions, I agree, those are exactly what I'm looking for but unfortunately I have watched/read those. Except for Maison Ikkoku which I'm in the middle of...that was kind of a spoiler man -_-

[Guardian Enzo]

This sounds like a job for Mahoraba.

[SeijiSensei]

While it's mostly played for laughs, Harima Kenji in School Rumble definitely experiences the pain you described in the OP.

[synaesthetic]

how about some Toradora

[UltimaWolf]

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

how about some Toradora

Toradora! is actually a good suggestion.

[Sackett]

Originally Posted by daeyeth

Farseer trilogy I've read but I'll have to check out the Soldier Son trilogy

The other suggestions, I agree, those are exactly what I'm looking for but unfortunately I have watched/read those. Except for Maison Ikkoku which I'm in the middle of...that was kind of a spoiler man -_-

Sorry, I thought it was vague enough that it wouldn't count as a spoiler...

(I also didn't know you were reading Maison Ikkoku)

[Qwey]

This might be stretching it, but I think Gundam Seed fits decently enough. Kira does a decent job acting like things don't bother him, but then he blows up and lets it all out. I think Gundam Seed: Destiny does this a bit better, but the general plot and enjoyment is much lower then the first season. I would give it a shot--its not an amazing mecha anime but the drama and angst in it are second to none imo.

[Full Metal Coast]

some you could check out are
Toppa Tengan Gurren Laggan-main charcater is generally worried about fighting but knows its up to him and in the end pulls through and faces his problems

Gantz-Kei Kurouno is forced to hunt aliens before the aliens kill him or the bomb inside his head gets set off. on missions he realises that he has to face them to survive while at the same time try and get the other team members to survive. if you watch this anime and like it you should definitely check out the Manga as it is so much better.