What have you considered to be an effective (sad) backstory in anime and how and why has it strengthed the plot or character?
| Almost every anime character has their tragic backstory. It's gotten to the point to where there's a joke saying that, "you must be at least a level six if you want to see my sad backstory." But there's a lot of times when these backstories fail because they're rushed or feel forced. For instance (ubw anime spoiler) It happened a lot with the bleach villains too. And Owari no Seraph Of course these are just my opinions on backstories that failed. Other people may have felt something for those characters, but it didn't really work for me. So what were backstories that you thought were used effectively in the context of the story or the characters. How did they work so well and what do you think it did to make you feel something for the character(s). |
| I'd go with emobubbles, but someone else already had it, damn bastard. |
| There was a character who in Ashita no Joe who smashed his own fathers head in with a rock and killed him. He of course didn't know who it was I think I recall he was trying to steal food from him. It was a horrifying experience that helped make him into a cold inhuman fighting machine. |
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| cheesy but good : kaneki kun tokyo ghoul. contraversial but good: suzaku from CG. naruto uchiha brothers (just plain brutal tbh). |
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| I'm not a fan of this, especially if they bring it up every fucking episode and make a big deal out of insignificant BS (like the cringeworthy trauma from Shigatsu). But if it's not mentioned too often and is something actually significant, and doesn't cause too much drama then it can explain why a character is the way they are (like Revy from Black Lagoon getting raped by the policeman or beaten by her father) |
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| the akuma no riddle girls |
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| Fuck anime with tragic backstories that are introduced ten minutes before a character dies, give me stuff like Nana instead WAD1992 said: FTFYcheesy but bad : kaneki kun tokyo ghoul. |
 Nico- said: Conversations with people pinging/quoting me to argue about some old post I wrote years ago will not be entertained@Comic_Sans oh no y arnt ppl dieing i need more ppl dieing rly gud plot avansement jus liek tokyo ghoul if erbudy dies amirite |
romagia said: the akuma no riddle girls could you emphasize |
| I'd go with emobubbles, but someone else already had it, damn bastard. |
emobuttercup said: high ratio of sad backstory:episode; if you like anime wiht 1:26, then you would like 1:1.5 even moreromagia said: the akuma no riddle girls could you emphasize |
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| For a back story to actually mean something - and not just be a tacked-on piece of information - it has to somehow show how it affects the character in the present. It's one thing to tell us a character has a crappy life. Okay, now that we know, why should we care? That's the next step the anime has to take. Otherwise, it would end up feeling like a ploy to garner audience sympathy without giving anything back. |
| Why do you think Grisaia fans hated the Kajitsu adaptation? It took 3 characters with some of the best backstories written by humans and turned them into actual teletubbies. |
Red_TuesdayApr 23, 2015 1:14 AM
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| I wouldn't say it made the anime better, but Kotoura-san had a pretty brutally sad backstory to start off the anime...hell, I got hooked on that show after seeing that backstory. ...unfortunately, the anime became a heaping pile of dog shit after...which is too bad, because I thought the premise of the show was pretty good. |
| usually, sad back story almost always used in action anime and some romance. because you know, even IRL "people never understand another people's pain except they ever felt the same pain or more". every people have their own pain story. and usually, people that never understand pain become scumbag. and honestly,who people want to watch anime that it character become bad or good without any reason? but it always depend on author. if he can use bad story with good development, i have no problem with it, but (like anime that already described above this post), it even make story become worse. |
 "If taking responsibility for a mistake that cannot be undone means death, it's not that hard to die. At least, not as hard as to live on." |
| The entirety of Madoka Magica's episode 10. Best "backstory" I've ever seen. In delivery and in context, it's my most favorite episode in any anime ever. |
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| Bokura ga Ita. I won't get into spoilers, but it added emotional complexity to the characters and drove the plotline. |
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| It depends, it's not the same the sad backstory of a normal teenager than the sad backstory of a mercenary. I usually tend to label the teenagers as pussies since their sad backstory is about how they've been bullied for being pussies. |
| Shiki. I just now realised this is a thread for /good/ examples. Woops. Count this as one of the worst examples I can think of. |
EGoldyApr 23, 2015 7:58 AM
| As long as I live let there be no anime that I rate a 10. Perfection must be unattainable. |
| Touko Matsudaira in Maria-sama (later seasons). Her personality markedly stood out from the rest of the characters which gave the episodes a focal point. Her backstory was also an unusual one and wasn't revealed until almost the end of the story, keeping us guessing and theorizing over the reasons behind her actions right up to the end. This was complicated by her being a member of the Drama Club: half the time we weren't sure if she was putting on an act or not when dealing with the other characters. |
| Avatar: Anzu Kadotani from Girls und Panzer. Sig by MissIntrovert.  |
Comic_Sans said: Fuck anime with tragic backstories that are introduced ten minutes before a character dies, give me stuff like Nana instead WAD1992 said: FTFYcheesy but bad : kaneki kun tokyo ghoul. lmao somehow i knew that u would find this post and butcher the content :") |
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| NGE /Thread |
| Gonna go with Himura Kenshin here. Not only did his backstory make for a brilliant standalone story (as the Tsuiokuhen OVA proved), but it also had a significant impact on how he would live his life after the revolution. And do I even need to mention his scar and the meaning behind it? |
TienApr 23, 2015 3:44 PM
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Toucanbird said: I wouldn't say it made the anime better, but Kotoura-san had a pretty brutally sad backstory to start off the anime...hell, I got hooked on that show after seeing that backstory. ...unfortunately, the anime became a heaping pile of dog shit after...which is too bad, because I thought the premise of the show was pretty good. Yeah, that one was a total letdown. Another equally bad example is the two first episode of Muv Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse that should have done. It turned into generic harem instead for more than a dozen episodes. It's horrible to the point that I keep watching the show hoping the whole cast to be dead or eaten alive. |
| The most important things in life is the people that you care about |
| I thought Legend of the Legendary Heroes pulled this off well. It plays a fairly big part in character and plot development but it doesn't get dragged out. Most important thing is probably not referencing it every time something happens, or making it feel unnatural |
WAD1992 said: You're welcomeComic_Sans said: Fuck anime with tragic backstories that are introduced ten minutes before a character dies, give me stuff like Nana instead FTFY lmao somehow i knew that u would find this post and butcher the content :") |
Nico- said: Conversations with people pinging/quoting me to argue about some old post I wrote years ago will not be entertained@Comic_Sans oh no y arnt ppl dieing i need more ppl dieing rly gud plot avansement jus liek tokyo ghoul if erbudy dies amirite |
Comic_Sans said: But, but, he isn't dead...WAD1992 said: You're welcomelmao somehow i knew that u would find this post and butcher the content :") |
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| Just don't put it right before you kill them off. That's cheap as fuck. |
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Milk_is_Special said: He isn't?Comic_Sans said: But, but, he isn't dead...You're welcome Does that mean... we're getting a third season?  |
Nico- said: Conversations with people pinging/quoting me to argue about some old post I wrote years ago will not be entertained@Comic_Sans oh no y arnt ppl dieing i need more ppl dieing rly gud plot avansement jus liek tokyo ghoul if erbudy dies amirite |
| Shamo, but thats not animu. |
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Comic_Sans said: Milk_is_Special said: He isn't?But, but, he isn't dead... Does that mean... we're getting a third season? damn right we are :^) ha!!! |
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| I like One Piece back stories the most. It adds to the intensity of the scenes. |
WAD1992 said: NOOOComic_Sans said: He isn't? Does that mean... we're getting a third season? damn right we are :^) ha!!! FUCK THIS SHIT |
Nico- said: Conversations with people pinging/quoting me to argue about some old post I wrote years ago will not be entertained@Comic_Sans oh no y arnt ppl dieing i need more ppl dieing rly gud plot avansement jus liek tokyo ghoul if erbudy dies amirite |
| As already mentioned, Evangelion and Madoka did it extremely well. To add another: Elfen Lied Lucy's back-story is told throughout the anime and interweaves with the "present" story being told. By the time it's over, I'm crying (something no other anime has been able to do so well). |
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| One Piece back stories are the best ones i've seen in anime. |
| In Grisaia no Kajitsu |
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AzureDaora said: I agree with this one and a recent one I liked is Grisaia no Meikyuu featuring Yuuji's past.The entirety of Madoka Magica's episode 10. Best "backstory" I've ever seen. In delivery and in context, it's my most favorite episode in any anime ever. Toucanbird said: Oh man, those first 10 minutes of the first episode were pretty misleading. Did not expect the anime to turn out like that with such a great hook.I wouldn't say it made the anime better, but Kotoura-san had a pretty brutally sad backstory to start off the anime...hell, I got hooked on that show after seeing that backstory. ...unfortunately, the anime became a heaping pile of dog shit after...which is too bad, because I thought the premise of the show was pretty good. |
| and i am just sitting here, wait for gintoki past and Gorou past get animated and see how their fans will react. |
"If taking responsibility for a mistake that cannot be undone means death, it's not that hard to die. At least, not as hard as to live on." |
Bartoldi said: Unyilkdr said: and i am just sitting here, wait for gintoki past and Gorou past get animated and see how their fans will react. holy shit gintokis backstory was simply amazing. Gave me some Trust X Betrayal feelings IKR, gintama back story sad past are really make sense and not forced, it actually have reason and purpose, not just like "we do this to make main character have sadstory without strange reason (for fun, or revenge, or bullied, or another cliche)" |
KumaApr 25, 2015 3:32 PM
"If taking responsibility for a mistake that cannot be undone means death, it's not that hard to die. At least, not as hard as to live on." |
| can someone remind me what kind of backstory was there in madoka? i kind of don't remember anything in particular, other than Kyouko's past with her father's church or something like this |
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| chopper's sad story made me cry like a bitch. "DOCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCTORR" |
#CHEXIT |
| Kino's backstory was used to explain why she didn't involve herself in conflicts for the most part and it was done pretty well. |
Imeon said: The feels </3 |
Where the fuck did Monday go? |
| Fate Testarossa No other backstory can compare. |
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| I have not gone too far in the anime yet and I haven't read the manga but Yona from Akatsuki no Yona doesn't have a tragic backstory. She lived a perfect life as a princess. Only does she begin to develop when she learned life the hard way. |
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Imaishi said: can someone remind me what kind of backstory was there in madoka? i kind of don't remember anything in particular, other than Kyouko's past with her father's church or something like this Homura's |
| Vash the Stampede's backstory. It's been a while since I've watched Trigun so I don't remember all the details, but that's my answer. |
emobuttercup said: Well that's because all her tragic backstory schmuck comes from the fate route. You literally cannot enjoy the TV series unless you read the VN.Almost every anime character has their tragic backstory. It's gotten to the point to where there's a joke saying that, "you must be at least a level six if you want to see my sad backstory." But there's a lot of times when these backstories fail because they're rushed or feel forced. For instance (ubw anime spoiler) It happened a lot with the bleach villains too. And Owari no Seraph Of course these are just my opinions on backstories that failed. Other people may have felt something for those characters, but it didn't really work for me. So what were backstories that you thought were used effectively in the context of the story or the characters. How did they work so well and what do you think it did to make you feel something for the character(s). |
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Red_Keys said: Spat my coffee out when he described his "Gym" experience. That was a pretty good backstory though.Bokura ga Ita. I won't get into spoilers, but it added emotional complexity to the characters and drove the plotline. |
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| Hal |
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