Forum - View topicDeath (as a theme).
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ace52387
 Posts: 61 |
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I don't want to come off as a psycho, but death is by far the most fascinating theme in movies or anime to me. When a read a synopsis of a movie or anime completely centered around death, I feel almost obliged to check it out, regardless of my impressions about the characters or story.
It's not interesting to me in a philosophical or theological sense. What interests me most is how people deal with it. How people deal with the death of someone close seems like such a complicated thing. Actually accepting it isn't easy. Isn't it common to kind of "forget" momentarily that someone is no longer here. All the emotions that go along with death, if represented in a believable way, is remarkably heart wrenching. I watched Shinigami no Ballad because of a short synopsis I read, and it seemed more like a cute and fuzzy romance than something heartbreakingly about parting. My question is: what are the most insightful looks at characters dealing with death in Anime series', OVAs or movies? |
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vincentthecon
 Posts: 21 |
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While I agree with your statement, I think it's a bit more general for me. I find the topic of loss, despair, destruction, hopeless situations etc. fascinating. That is one of the things I like so much about anime and movies in general is that it allows you to explore these emotions without having to experience them yourself, I know people say experience is the best teacher but sometimes its nice to have some distance between you and the topic at hand.
Unfortunately I haven't gotten the chance to watch enough anime to be any sort of expert on the subject and I'm not claiming to be but recently I started Wolf's Rain and the whole idea of a post apocalyptic world and how all these characters have to cope with how empty their lives have become is really engrossing and it makes the series so appealing, I for one will be watching this thread though because I too am interested on what people consider a nice dark anime 
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Craeyst Raygal
 Posts: 1383 Location: In the garage, beneath a 1970 MGB GT. |
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There are several anime movies out there with engrossing exploration of themes of death, loss, and so forth, but quite honestly Mamoru Oshii's Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade is one of the finest.
Oshii is the same director behind the two Ghost in the Shell movies, and is a master of intricate plots and detailed characters. In Jin Roh, he tells the story of a young man who is a member of an elite military squad, trained in anti-terrorist actions. While it sounds like the setup for a great shoot-em-up, it's actually a questioning of Fuse's humanity after he witnesses a young girl perform a suicide bombing. There's a great amount of political intrigue to go along with Fuse's troubled mind, and to top things off, while undergoing "retraining" he becomes involved with the sister of the dead girl. Keep in mind, though, that this is a truly twisting plot that will keep you guessing, so everything I've said is only the most basic of outlines. Some detractors for the movie might be the art style (it's beautifully animated, but this is no place for bishonen or bright colors) and that it's virtually humorless. However, it's not to be missed, and is perhaps one of the truly great anime accomplishments, sitting right alongside of Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue, and the Adolescence of Utena as an anime masterpiece. |
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Aylinn
 Posts: 1684 |
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I think Le Chevalier D'Eon was interesting anime with how death of close people affected life of the others and how it drastically changed one of the characters life and his attitude towards some things.
Higurashi no Naku Koroni Kai is an interesting case. It doesn't show how the people around deal with loss of someone but how the victim of murder himself/herself cope with situation of being killed. Higurashi no Naku Koroni Kai show how the person that was killed and remember being killed countless times deal with the situation of the eternally repeating June 1983. |
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Lilithi
 Posts: 35 Location: Netherlands |
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Death as a theme, I don't rlly watch Animes like that. but I do think that death makes an Anime more interesting. Like in strawberry panic spoiler[where Kaori Sakuragi died in her 1st year of school, and shizuma locks her heart away from others. then later nagisa finds out about the other etoile. but shizuma at first was not mentally prepared to tell her the whole story]
The Aspect of Death there rlly ads to to the Drama genre of the Anime. So basicly, Death is a very nice thing to have in an Anime I think |
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Greennunu
Posts: 145 |
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Well, It's been a while since I watched it so I probably don't remember clearly but I think my first anime (maybe second) anime I've seen that had impacting death theme/scene was Saikano although it's more of a romance IMO. Although I generally don't like pessimistic outlook anime themes I do find myself attracted to some of it once in a while.
Another one I've recently seen and somewhat surprised at the fact was Welcome to NHK, before I even started the anime I figured it be more of an "i'm an outcast and watch as I progress outof it/accept it" type of animespoiler[which happens], which usually is a comedy. About half way through the series starting with the spoiler[Island closest to heaven "arc"] I've never been so depressed in my entire life watching an anime, not "bohohoho" im depress and want to cry, but man... just depressed. Then of course there is the ending. Not to mention the comedy factor I was expecting was almost non-exisitent due to the fact almost none of the comedy scenes were anything unique. Over all though I think it's a great anime because I think it's more realistic approach to the subject of death... not to say I can imagine a real Hikikomori... I refuse to believe such people really exist. |
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Animastryfe
 Posts: 152 Location: Vancouver |
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@Greenmu: Hikikikori (sp?) do exist in Japan. I don't know if their portrayal in Welcome to the NHK is accurate or not, as I have yet to watch that manga. Wikipedia has some info on it.
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Greennunu
Posts: 145 |
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Well no doubt some form of them exist, certainly with variable degree, I should have probably just said it's "un-fathomable" for me to believe in one lest I see one... which would probably be hard. |
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Patachu
Past ANN Contributor
 Posts: 1325 Location: San Diego |
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The original novel of Welcome to the NHK was written by an actual hikikomori, so as far as the accuracy of the portrayal ... yeah. (The anime addiction, lolicon, MMO obsession etc. is highly atypical, but in terms of what Satou thinks to himself -- "I'm a useless person, there's no need for me in the world" -- it's about right.) |
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JacobC
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
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Please don't anyone recommend Death Note. It doesn't count. Well, it's dark in nature of theme, but death's not actually the focus. Morality (or lack thereof) and pride is the focus, I think.
I love mildly dark stuff as well, (I say mildly because I don't like gratuitously gory or mindrapey stuff.) To vincentthecon I say, Keep Watching. Talk about themes of death. Wolf's Rain has a bucketload. Which is odd to me because its predominant focus is that of Paradise. These themes seem worlds apart, but Wolf's Rain connects them very beautifully. I'm sure you've noticed Kiba's remark to Tsume in episode two, something like: "If you've lost the desire to chase after Paradise, you're dead already." I know that's not the exact quote, but the idea will come up again and again. Get your tissues for that one, though. Actually, its arguable predecessor, Cowboy Bebop, has some fascinating ideas on life and death. Well, Cowboy Bebop switches gears a lot, being as episodic as it is, but episodes like "Sympathy for the Devil," and "The Real Folk Blues," are interesting and uncliched views of death and living the dead life. Gunslinger Girl is also an excellent example, but without a real conclusion to its ideas. I would still recommend seeing it for its portrayal of life and death. I mean, if you were in a fatal accident, would you want to be given a second shot at life if it means doing what these girls do? Is it so bad? Is it wrong? And are these girls even capable of realizing what they've lost? Hmmmmmm... |
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Ramadahl
Posts: 325 Location: MK, UK |
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Was I the only one who thought this was a SZS reference? Hmm... It's kinda difficult to think of anime series whcih handle death or loss in an especially meaningful way. Other than firmly seconding Craeyst Raygal's mention of Jin-Roh as one of the best out there, the only two that really come to mind are Haibane Renmei and Bokurano. Oh, and I suppose the currently-airing Shigofumi too, from what I've seen of it. They may not be quite what you're looking for, but they're not a bad place to start. Haibane Renmei is... well, uh, some non-critical spoilers here, I guess... spoiler[technically set after death, following the afterlife of suicides (although they are unaware of this on a conscious level). As the series progresses, the main character becomes forced to deal with the loss of one of her new friends, something which plays a major role in the story.] And hey, it's a pretty good series anyway... Bokurano... once again some non-critical spoilers... spoiler[features 15 children who are contracted to pilot a giant robot to defeat enemies threatening the destruction of Earth - the catch is that their robot is powered by the life of the pilot, and once each fight is over the chosen pilot dies. In spite of the mecha basis for the story, it's actually very much about how the characters act as their death approaches. There's not so much dealing with loss beyond the first one that dies, as each character that is focused on tends to be more wrapped up in their own crisisses.] As a note, the manga is better than the anime. Shigofumi I've only seen the first 3 episodes of, but the basic premise of a last letter sent from the dead has a lot of potential to develop the themes you're looking for. |
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