One of the things that drew me to anime early on, beyond its ability to do more than just the basic caricature kinds of stories we got for Western animation back in the 80’s, was its capability to let the characters actually emote. The ninth day of the challenge is all about what you consider to be the saddest anime scene that you’ve seen. Sadness comes in different forms though, and it’s not always terribly clear why we’re sad either. What some find to be sad, there are others that can be amused by it as well which adds a bit of fun to the whole idea. For myself, there are a few types of sadness to be had and there are three that truly stand out for me with the test of time, which I’ve found to be an important thing while going through these kinds of questions.
Saddest Anime Overall:
You could almost say the whole damn movie is one very sad piece, and Grave of the Fireflies is as we follow these two young characters through the end days of World War II for Japan. The feature thankfully has some mild and uplifting moments, moments that restore faith in humanity and what is possible, but the film is by its very nature a tragedy through and through. There are so many scenes that can fill you with sadness, and it all builds up towards the known ending as it’s given away at the very start of it, but it’s still a huge emotional punch to the gut. Watching as these two characters go through these difficult times with so much loss, seeing the older brother doing things he feels are right but are so very wrong, it’s pretty much the definition of epic sadness. And no matter how many times over the years I watch it, it still gets to me.
Saddest Relationship Fallout:
A defining moment for me when it came to the potential of anime was with the first (and only, in the minds of many) Kimagure Orange Road movie. After a forty-eight episode TV series and half a dozen OVAs, a full movie was done to bring the relationship full circle as two of the three made it clear to each other what they wanted and then filled the third person in that she wasn’t going to be a part of it. There’s such a beautiful score associated with it that when things really go south, and it has the quiet moments, the expressions and the heavy atmosphere that you feel coming from them as they try to deal with the fallout, you can’t help but to get caught up in it. Dislike any one of the characters, you can still feel for the situation as it does happen to a lot of people and it’s brutal to be on the outside of it when you thought you were on the inside.
Saddest Childhood Moment
While most series that involve childhood friends invariably end up dealing with promises made to marry some day, Cross Game went the opposite route. In the first episode, we’re introduced to the young characters in their pre-teen years and see just how close they are, but also how child-like they are since it’s all very innocent and cute. And then the rug is pulled out from under us as one of them is killed off, off screen no less, which lets the imagination run wild. The series deals with this loss as a background piece for the next forty-nine episodes. It’s a defining moment for the series, one that is always there, but doesn’t dominate. Instead, it focuses on the influence of it and how it changed the lives of so many people and does so for years to come. It’s a painful and sad moment when it happens, and that sadness tinges the whole series, even when it is very uplifting and positive because you feel that it comes on the back of this sadness. Few shows can really carry this off but Cross Game was a show that restored faith that such material can still be done today as few shows really manage to make it authentic in the last several years.
Saddest Unrequited Love
When you deal with OVAs, you have the opportunity to do something a bit more as the constraints are different. Video Girl Ai was a series that really affected me when I watched it as it blended the vocal music, the characters and their emotions together in a truly beautiful way. Years and years after my initial viewing, I can still vividly see the scene in my minds eye with Yota laying in his bed, crying over what’s happened and his emotions flowing freely, while the light from the setting sun streams through the room as the vocals play over it. The pain, anguish and sadness felt from him over the way he feels for Moemi and his inability to express it is so moving and powerful and comes together in such a rich way that even thinking about it brings the emotions welling up in me. Even in a short form OVA series like this, without the hours and hours of interactions and back stories to work with that most TV series have, something truly sad was created that can haunt for a lifetime.
