Anime is a medium that effortlessly mixes different genres and regularly makes the viewers laugh, only to shift to a heart-wrenching scene in the next moment. This rollercoaster of feelings is one of the main reasons the fans of the medium love anime so much. It reconnects the viewers with their emotions, makes them sympathize with the characters, and establishes an unbreakable bond between the story and the audience.
Viewers often feel like participants of the events unfolding on the screen, which highlights the immersive qualities of anime as a medium. Anime dramas are especially emotionally charged, often capable of making the audience cry to the point of exhaustion. Yet, even the most heartbreaking anime dramas can put a smile on the viewers’ faces with their lighthearted comedic elements.
10 March Comes In Like A Lion Reminds Viewers Of Life’s Little Joys
Anime excels at portraying the complicated emotional tribulations of its characters, and the story of Kiriyama Rei, a gifted shogi player who’s struggling with depression, manages to encapsulate the depth of its protagonist’s struggles magnificently. March Comes In Like a Lion communicates Rei’s apathetic turmoil through subdued watercolor imagery, masterful melancholic direction, and compelling visual metaphors.
Yet, despite the show’s cheerless premise, it remembers to showcase life’s beauty through its wholesome comedy. The humor usually comes from Rei’s interactions with the Kawamoto family, who take the shy, gloomy boy in and help him rediscover life’s meaning.
9 Fullmetal Alchemist Masterfully Plays With Genres
The universally beloved dark fantasy world portrayed in Fullmetal Alchemist can seem like a ruthless, unforgiving place. The story of Ed and Al starts with a tragedy, as two brothers perform a forbidden alchemical transmutation to bring their mother back to life.
After the ritual fails, Ed loses his arm and leg, while Al loses his whole body, yet their difficult journey only begins with his gruesome sacrifice. Nevertheless, like many other brilliant shonen series, Fullmetal Alchemist frequently changes in tone and pace and never dwells on its heroes’ misfortunes for too long.
8 Sarazanmai’s Surreal Imagery Coexists With Its Darker Themes
Sarazanmai might put off some viewers by its bizarre concept of three teenagers turning into kappas to fight the monstrous manifestations of wicked human desires. Yet, as the story progresses, many audience members will find themselves more immersed in the show’s nuanced character development and brilliantly heartfelt coming-of-age themes.
Sarazanmai’s director Kunihiko Ikuhara is a master of mixing surrealism with genuine, mature narratives. His unorthodox sense of humor makes the series stand out and captures the whole spectrum of complexities involved in growing up, including both misery and joy.
7 Haikyuu Treats Its Characters With Realistic Nuance
Sports anime tend to rely on unrealistic tropes, such as superpower attacks and genius strategies, to engage their audience.
Haikyuu chooses a different approach to make its grounded volleyball story immersive, focusing on its multifaceted and lovable cast instead. Karasuno High’s journey to the top was never easy, and the matches they participate in are always full of heightened emotions and tense drama. However, the series remembers to develop its cast as realistic teenagers who joke around and don’t take life too seriously. As a result, Haikyuu remains charming while knowing when to pull on the viewers’ heartstrings.
6 Cowboy Bebop Has Heart In Every Element
The 90s’ neo-noir classic Cowboy Bebop is universally beloved for its stylish, unconventional narrative. Spike Spiegel’s run from his former life through the vastness of space involves an abundance of grounded, mature desolation as the show’s characters learn to let go of their past tragedies.
Despite the heavy core narrative of the show, Cowboy Bebop understands that life can never be simply black and white. It consists of myriads of complex feelings, and the series reminds its audience of this common truth by authentically showcasing its cast go through them all. When there’s pain, one can always reminisce on the joys of the past.
5 Beck Takes Its Characters’ Dream Seriously
Music is one of the most effective ways to stir up people’s emotions, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the world of music anime.
Beck follows an amateur rock band on their journey of trials and tribulations in hopes of achieving success. The band’s musical career, as well as the members’ relationship with each other, don’t have smooth sailing. BECK’s path for music stardom is refreshingly grounded as the show dives deep into the real struggles of making it in the industry. Yet, more noteworthy is the show’s soulful characterization of the band members, whose endearing friendship builds upon many shared laughs and shedded tears.
4 Kare Kano Is An Authentic Portrayal Of Romance
Love is never easy, especially for anime characters, as they’re notorious for avoiding confronting their tender feelings. The constant turmoil of “will they, won’t they” doesn’t apply to His and Her Circumstances, also known as Kare Kano.
The couple in the less well-known series by Evangelion’s creator Hideaki Anno gets together almost immediately. Yet, the real tribulations of romance only start after the initial confession. Now, the former school rivals Yukino and Soichiro have to face their insecurities and communication issues to coexist as a couple. Their journey to a happy-ever-after proves to be both humorous and soul-stirring.
3 Mawaru Penguindrum Is A Deceptive Yet Emotional Journey
Similar to other works of Kunihiko Ikuhara, Mawaru Penguindrum hides a lot of uneasy themes and dark topics under its vibrant imagery and surreal premise. The strikingly unconventional story revolves around two brothers and their terminally ill sister, who tragically dies after spending one of her rare days away from the hospital on a trip to the aquarium. Yet, the brothers start mourning her death too soon, as the girl magically comes back from the dead with the power of the mysterious penguin hat bought at the aquarium.
The following events surpass even the wildest expectations, as the story morphs into a dreamlike comedy-drama that cannot leave the audience unaffected.
2 Clannad Can Make The Viewers’ Hearts Sink
The heartbreaking school drama Clannad and the show’s even more emotionally charged continuation Clannad: After Story may seem like rather conventional romance anime. Yet, underneath the simple premise of the main character helping a group of girls revive their school’s drama club lies a grounded story of personal growth.
While Clannad’s hero Tomoya continues to grow closer to his club partners, learns about their problems. He aids the girls in overcoming them, and the group forms a realistic, heartfelt bond, and no high school friend group can exist without sharing an occasional laugh. The humor in Clannad is sweet and distinctive for the late 2000s era of anime, which gives it a nostalgic charm.
1 Tokyo Godfathers Reminisces On The Meaning Of Family
No anime director can encapsulate the contradicting spectrum of human emotions quite like Satoshi Kon. His unconventional Christmas story, Tokyo Godfathers, follows three disreputable individuals — a homeless alcoholic, an eccentric drag queen, and an 11-year-old runaway — as they desperately try to find a family for a baby someone disposed of in the trash.
The unfortunate trio forms a found family of sorts in the soulless jungles of urban Tokyo, sharing the humorous hardships of their adventures and the devastating shadows of their pasts. By the end of their journey, each of the baby’s godparents finds something to cherish in this unforgiving, ruthless, yet hopeful world.
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