[General] Most Depressing Anime?

There's a fine line between "tearjerking" and plain ol' "depressing" as in down-in=the-dumps anime. Not once did I ever felt depressed watching Clannad as it was born out of empathy for the characters. School Days? I mean seriously, who didn't foresee Makoto's death coming from a mile away? And Naruto isn't depressing - it's just lame. Substituting shitty anime for "depressing" is not what the TC had in mind. Sure, the fact that the anime didn't deliver was depressing, but that doesn't mean the anime itself is depressing.

Some shows off the top of my head:

Wolf's Rain: this is seriously depressed me nearing the end of the show. Characters that I thought would live died, even all the human, minor characters. Gah, what a depressing anime. Still, it was a very moving anime about wolves searching for a paradise that would accept them. Like Pandora's box, there seemed to be hope at the very end of the last episode.

Victory Gundam: By far, this show has got to have the highest amount of onscreen deaths of minor characters featured in the entirety of the Gundam franchise. I mean, the entire Shrike team, whom we get some time to empathize with, gets completely eliminated. God, this was one depressing show that I would never, ever want to watch again.

Casshern Sins: This show reeked of depression from the getgo. Since the show is all about death and "rust", many scenes of decay, deterioration, and death were featured as well as the breakdown of all civilization into chaos. Even Luna, the supposed symbol of life, turned into an icon of despair and calamity where she bestows death on all those who offends her. A slow series, but very touching. The animation style helps bring out scenes that are pretty damn depressing.

I can only judge what ive seen, and based on that i would say Clannad AS and Jin-roh.

I had to think for a good several minutes and even searched my externals to see what I had to see if I could add anything new to this discussion.

Haven't seen Grave of the Fireflies. I'm scared to, really. I've built up the expectation that this thing is the saddest thing ever animated, and if it doesn't live up, I'll be horribly disappointed and trash talk this for life, which I don't want to do.

Did see Saikano. THAT was depressing. Just a feeling of utter hopelessness at the end, and the atmosphere throughout the anime was depressing in itself.

I must be one of the few who did not think Clannad was all that sad. It had to be because I played the game beforehand, and knew what was coming.

For me however, the most depressing anime was ef - a tale of melodies. Yes, the second season was inferior to the first in many ways. For me at least. Yuuko/Himura and Mizuki/Kuze just weren't as entertaining as Hiro/Miyako and Renji/Chihiro. But Yuuko's story is so unbelievably depressing that I couldn't even cry about it. It was more shocking than sad, and all the more depressing because of it. I define 'depressing' to mean a state of mind where you are not happy, cannot be made to be happy, and there is no end in sight. You have to really think of what she went through as a child to fully get the impact.

She did nothing to warrant such a life. Utterly depressing.

I agree 100%. My friends and I were all crying at the end of this movie. It's sad because of the story line, and because it could very much be true. Definitely the most depressing anime I've ever seen.

I can't tell you the most depressing cause normaly I get depressed for my own selfish feelings when the main characters die out and wanting to see more from the characters.

School days. He had it coming but the ending was still depressing. Also Elfen Lied because so many people kicked the bucket.

I agree with all those who said Grave of the Fireflies.

(I would have said Bokurano, but I only read the manga...it's depressing because nothing terribly positive happens in it)

I disagree with everyone who said Grave of the Fireflies! That plot couldve played in numerous ways that didnt end so poorly. The characters could have made multiple different choices that wouldve helped them. The only moment i felt sad in that movie was when that bitch of an aunt that they were staying with kicked them out. Admittedly, that was really sad.

My most depressing is probably Elfen Lied. I just felt bad for EVERYONE in that show. Literally, i nearly cried like every episode :(

School Days would be one of the depressing anime I've watched
It was disturbing because it showed kotonoha's mental breakdown
Felt very sad for her,
she was so innocent yet makoto tried to go out with her because she's all pretty, then suddenly goes for sekai

Then there is Grave of the Fireflies
True they could have had so many multiple choices
but it was war time and humans especially children can't think too straight in those times. It was a sad anime to see, still bothers till today......

Idk but Elfen Lied feels like weaksauce to me now in terms of the sadness and gore.

Elfen Lied seemed pretty depressing to me so I had to stop watching, I don't get on well with sad storys xD

Also although Fate Stay Night isn't a sad anime, the ending made me extremly sad, I like to believe in my special brain that the ending was a mistake and actually it ended very happily :D (but reality is cruel..)

My list.

Byousoku 5 Centimeter

Grave of the Fireflies

Now and Then Here and There

Barefoot Gen

Clannad

The ending of Inuyasha, I watched it and was like. You fucking serious? you spent god so many episodes finding Naraku and you didnt kill him?
Killed the series for me.

Death note, it was all emo and depressing moods after L died because you know "Light is going to lose in the end"

Except for a few, most mangas turned to anime is disappointing and to less extent depressing.

And other anime ending (sigh) that make you wanna say "WTF, is that it"

Also, Welcome to the NHK got pretty depressing at some points.

And of course there's Eva. The end to the series was just stupid, but End of Eva made it worse. I remember at the end when Asuka says, "I feel terrible" and I thought "so do I"

actually their making another season for that just for the final battle

and when kagome and inu get married

you should sesho's reaction man

imba scary after kagome called him bro in law HAHAHA!!!

berserk in its own way is depressing

but on an epic lvl

the fuckin' life that is gatts