| What's your definition of a dark anime? hmmm I decide often instinctivly and signs for dark animes could be in each anime different. But one of the most significant signs is if the character has problems with himselt and his world of view to bear (Lain). Another sign would be if tragic event occur, in that matter I consider FMA also as dark. Of course is the setting, the mood and so on important, but first comes story and charadevelopment ;) So its your turn :) |
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| i find a dark anime anything with what i would call a certan level of brutallity. however brutality is not violence, but violence can be brutality. Elfen Lied, Higurashi, Narutaru, all 3 are what i would call dark, though they have bright color palette's. Elfen Lied is dark because of just how brutal the backround is, higurashi is brutal due to the horror, and narutaru is brutal due to just how psychologically messed up it is. |
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| Dark colors, lots of killing. creepy! suicide.... ect..... |
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| An anime with a Dark and Evil Atmosphere that gives the thrill of Darkness |
| An anime with an important character who has problems with himself or his society. Then, lots of deaths. |
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| Having just suggested KITE, I wonder how many porn titles in the database would fall under this category? |
gzeus said: Having just suggested KITE, I wonder how many porn titles in the database would fall under this category? Bible Black :D |
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Dima said: gzeus said: Having just suggested KITE, I wonder how many porn titles in the database would fall under this category? Bible Black :D Lol. Seriously though, among our darkest, most perverse, and most twisted fantasies, a good number of them are probably sexual in some way (even if it's subconscious for some, ala Silent Hill 2). Basically, I'm asking if we should consider R-rated titles and (if the answer is "yes") how we are to determine if it's messing with the upper head more than the lower head. |
YuunagiAug 27, 2007 12:07 PM
ares said: Characters with a twisted personality or just a twisted story... But heh, it's kinda hard to give a definition as I too decide instinctively if it's dark or not. Devil said: An anime with a Dark and Evil Atmosphere that gives the thrill of Darkness And i could add to that a dark power that eats the soul or has a major impact on a character gradually turning him to "the dark side"(or close to it). edit: that about covers my definition ^^ |
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| I think dark is anything which could be classified as horror, supernatural, or mystery. Of course there are other things, dark for me can also mean tragedy. But dark doesn't have to be rated R or really occult or extreme. Just not light/comedy/fuzzy. |
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Feena-c said: I totally agree with you on that...I would add in how nature can be dark as well. I dont think "dark" just means something evil, gothic or bloody. The term is just too broad. I also think that "dark" can be very beautiful. Or for example when someone says a dark environment I think of two main kinds...1) a disturbing, loud, bloody, violent, and unhealthy environment. 2) dark colors, night, mysterious shadows, shade, moonlit, etc...(which happens to be my favorite "dark environment") that in my opinion is an innocent darkness. But, we were talking dark anime, soooo....ill end with simply agreeing with the above quote, hehe. I think dark is anything which could be classified as horror, supernatural, or mystery. Of course there are other things, dark for me can also mean tragedy. But dark doesn't have to be rated R or really occult or extreme. Just not light/comedy/fuzzy. |
MindfulcorvusFeb 13, 2008 11:17 PM
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| My definition for what a dark anime is would be shows of the horror genre, or shows that have a dark setting, neurotic characters or give off a dark foreboding feel. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a good example of what I think a DARK anime is. |
JeliseOct 31, 2007 4:51 PM
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| A dark anime... Much feelings, hatred, jealousy, loyalty and such. Violence, both blood and mind. Mystical too. |
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| I'm quite intruigedby this particular topic as the whole idea of "Dark" is something very different for me. I've noticed a lot of people mention gothic/horror/violence (mental or physical)/etc. Let's break this down a bit then. In a typical horror themed anime you usually have supernatural beings of one sort or another (there are a few notable exceptions to this - I'll talk about the best in a bit). There is an element of beauty about these characters/creatures (no matter how loathsome they look), because they are a reflection of our own so called "Darkness". But these things are NOT truly dark. If these creatures were found in real life, they would simply be acting according to their natures - not what I would call dark by a long way. So "Dark" can't be affiliated with creatures like vampires/werewolves/etc. As for the colour pallette. Again, this is a misconception. Some of the creepiest animes I've ever watched are mainly based around characters WHO ARE FAR TOO NICE (even now I have nightmares of happily smiling faces). As mentioned before, the colour scheme used in Higurashi is quite cheery. So "Dark" can't be linked to colour. What about people then? It's already been mentioned about the 'R' rated animes such as Kite, but what about the ones that aren't R rated? Here's something to consider. "Dark" is something which makes us uncomfortable because it shows a side of us that we don't want to acknowledge actually exists. Every single human on the planet has these pink fluffy clouds in their head, and no matter your view of life, these clouds are very difficult to get rid of. They're a defense mechanism more than anything else, because there's parts of our psyche that we all wish were'nt there. The truly "Dark" animes don't involve anything supernatural, or a muted colour pallete, or even ominous music. Princess Mononoke could be considered dark from a certain point of view, indeed most of Mayazaki's work could be thought of in the same vein. I'm going to mention School Days now (pause while everyone hopes for Makoto to die a million deaths). School Days may not have been my favourite anime to depict psychosis of the individual - indeed it didn't portray psychological dysfunction well at all. Most people, regardless of their mental state, would be hard pressed to kill someone like that. School Days DID do one thing however. It made everyone uncomfortable. It made everyone think about the characters, and most especially have some form of emotional attachment to the characters. It managed to do this because it was a little more true to life than most anime - which hit a lot of people hard. Be honest with yourself. How many of you know a guy who treats women the way Makoto did? How many of you know a girl who's in love with someone who's cheating on her? How many of you thought these people were stupid and deserved to die? See what I mean? If you want a REAL lesson in "Dark" anime, then watch Perfect Blue. It hits a lot harder than School Days, and doesn't suck doing it. |
ArchaeonNov 29, 2007 6:43 PM
| What a day! What a lovely Day! |
| Dark anime means someone who have really a dark side and full of mysterious in his/her own world..And the story would be so exciting that makes people evil..haha..I find more interesting dark animes because its unique than other animes like comedeys and etc.. It tells the story of impossible in true life..(that make sense...lol)..the protagonist is so evil, full of mystery, intelligent, and not stupid...and the antagonist would be lest intelligent but he would be cool too...lol.and its some kind of horror...i think thats it..i dont have any more ideas.. |
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| I forgot to mention this earlier, but NHK ni Youkoso! (Welcome to the NHK), is also amongst the darker animes I've watched recently, even with the pseudo-happy ending. |
| What a day! What a lovely Day! |
| A dark anime in my opinion is an anime that doesn't have the upbeat sense of atmosphere that most anime have. Involves misery and suffering of certain peoples affecting their psyche or possesses a bleak alternative world. Events can range from surreal to over blown excessive gore and violence. If either causes a suffering of people then it's fits the genre. The colours don't necessarily have to give of a depressive appearance. I mean I find 'Happy Tree Friends' dark (although not an anime but still same principle applies) and that looks as bright as colourful one can imagine homicidal animals to be. |
OriginalNameNov 6, 2007 7:49 AM
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| a dark anime... i think is an anime that doesnt have the happy themes that so many animes seem to have like friendship prevailing hard work getting me to the top fluff and waff comedy (light) blood is also characteristic of dark animes... satire... dark comedy generally, dark animes tend to be for more mature audiences who often wanna get away from the bubbles, pastel colours, and friendship themes |
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| A dark anime should be morbid grotesque violent, have a dark atmospehre and involve great psychological pressure on the protagonists. Also it mustnt have any appreciation for anything, like human life for example :) Thats what i think real dark anime is. |
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| hm dark anime... it's might be bloody its has got a dark gloomy athmosfere and in this there are a lot of death, pain as the same time a little romantic remembering and an emotion feeling |
| Yeah almost forgot romance should also take a majoir role in it, especially tragic ones :) |
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| In my opinion, a dark anime, number one, has to be psychological! Something horrible has to have happened to one of the characters or they have to do something horrible within the show. Other elements that make something a dark anime, to me, are fantasy, supernatural and magical aspects such as superpowers of some kind or something else. Horror is a natural part of this, so blood is a good thing for a dark anime, but not necessarily something you definitely have to see because sometimes things are just left up to the imagination and you only get to see flashes of violence and sometimes that's even better. But, for me, at least, psychological and insane is the number one thing. Someone snapping, someone having something horrible happen to them in the past and blocking it out or living their life for it. I concur that Romance is also another big part of it, but not necessary, either, because one can be distraught and traumatized over a family member, too, but having one of the insane people soften through some kind of romantic experience is always great and something I personally love to see. |
| Usotsuki. |
| I think a Dark anime needs to have rather twisted characters and a gloomy, sad, violent, or tragic storyline. Although a lot of animes have a tragic moment or a part where a favorite character dies I think a dark anime needs to have a deep and twisted storyline throughout the series. A dark anime can have comedy in my opinion, so long as it doesent disrupt the flow of the story and inst overused. |
| To me a dark anime must have a point where the main character comes to realize the world as they know it is utterly and irreconcilably FUBAR. Which is why shows like Death Note and Naruto do not fall into this category. The main characters may have an overdeveloped and twisted sense of justice, but they believe the world can be a better place. |
| A character that has been abused as a child, both physically and mentally. His/her parents may have tried to kill, rape, sell or discipline him/her in inhuman ways. Many other options and ideas for dark anime, but "ef: A Tale of Melodies." best describes a dark anime. |
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