by The stories are dark, but some are well-received for their detailed plots.
When you think of anime with boys and girls as the main characters, many people probably imagine it works for everyone, such as slice-of-life or coming-of-age stories. However, depending on the theme or setting, some anime have a depressing plot in which many children are sacrificed, which can be traumatic.
“Fafner in the Azure” The TV anime “Fafner in the Azure,” which began airing in 2004, is a science fiction robot anime that was planned and produced as an original work with the keywords “island, robot, ensemble drama, boys and girls.” Set on the isolated island of Ryugujima, which has been invaded by the unknown life form “Festum,” the story depicts boys and girls piloting the giant robot “Fafner” to protect the island.
Although they struggle to endure the harsh conditions, their efforts are in vain, and they die quickly or suffer from side effects from piloting the Fafner, and the story continues with a depressing plot. Looking back on that time, some have commented, “I was beyond crying. I was just stunned.” Despite its hard-hitting content, the carefully drawn human relationships, the appeal of the group drama, and the resounding theme of the seriousness of “death” have earned it high praise. It has become a popular work featuring sequels and movie versions.
“GUNSLINGER GIRL” Is a Gun action manga by Yu Aida that was made into a TV anime in 2003. Set in Italy, it is a story about girls who are reborn as cyborgs called “prosthetic bodies” and assassinate anti-government organizations.
They are paired with officers and are destined to fight with guns in their hands. Not only the life-risking battles but also the harsh depictions of how each of them became a prosthetic body and how they suffered from the side effects of the prosthetic body were described as “simply painful.”
The human drama of the girls who continue to search for the meaning of life in harsh conditions and the conflict of the officer who wants to save them is still highly praised today. Due to its cruel and merciless setting, some have commented that it’s fantastic that it could be adapted into a media outlet without being criticized from all sides. In contrast, others have said that it’s a masterpiece that depicts how people deal with their officers and that they’ve never seen a work that makes you cry as much as this one.
“I’m There Now” The TV anime “I’m There Now,” which aired in 1999, tells the story of Shu, a man living an ordinary life, who meets a mysterious girl named Lala-Ru and travels back in time to 5 billion years in the future, where he becomes embroiled in a world where war has become commonplace. Shu meets Sarah, a girl who was taken from the same period, and searches for a way to survive, but a shocking turn of events unfolds in which Sarah is used as a plaything by soldiers and ends up pregnant. Other scenes depict the cruelty of war mercilessly, such as boy soldiers being brainwashed and subjected to rigorous training.
The director of this work, Daichi Heitaro, a gag anime master who has worked on “Gag Manga Biyori” and other works, was involved in the production because he wanted to eliminate the gags and properly portray war, which is often taken lightly in anime. The film also references the stories of child soldiers fighting in actual civil wars in Africa and has been praised for its realism.
