Discussion about preferred themes/genres of anime

>What is your favorite theme, genre, or trope in anime?
>Why?
>What shows do you like that fit into that mold?

OP will start: I love shows where the MCs are star-crossed lovers/friends and are pitted against extreme odds in a fight for survival. Large amounts of tragedy/self-sacrifice are an absolute must. Not really sure why I like this type of show, especially considering a lot of the shows I like in this genre are objectively bad.

So far the shows the fit this bill perfectly for me have been:
>Re:Zero
>Puella Magica Madoka Magica
>Angel Beats!
>Sword Art Online
>Zetsuen no Tempest
>Elfenlied
>Mirai Nikki
>Yuki Yuna is a Hero

>theme, genre or trope

But those are very different things

English isn't my first language, and I'm not sure which word to use for that. I guess what I meant is somewhat clear by the way I described the shows in my OP.

>I love shows where the MCs are star-crossed lovers/friends and are pitted against extreme odds in a fight for survival. Large amounts of tragedy/self-sacrifice are an absolute must
What would have been the proper word to use to describe this?

>Theme
Courage and hard work
>Genre
Sci-fi
>Trope
Believing in oneself to succeed

GunBuster motherfucker

Favorite:
>Theme
Survival, Love, Friendship.
>Genre
Slice of Life, Psycholgical, Shounen, Pardodies.
Tropes.
Too many too list.

Several anime that I feels fits the bill would have to be things like:
Future Diary
Madoka Magica
Mob 100
Guilty Crown
Naruto
The dusk Maiden of Amnesia
Etc


This part is correct. There's no need to change anything. Also it seems we have similar taste.

Sci-fi, fantasy and romance among my favourite genres.

Rin: daughters of mnemosyne
Steins;Gate
Chaos;head
Is this a zombie
Chaos;Child
Re : zero
Are just few of my favourite animes

>Also it seems we have similar taste.
Indeed it seems we do. What shows are you currently watching, or do you plan to? Currently I'm watching Akuma no Riddle. Plan on watching When They Cry after I'm done.

>Madoka Magica
I just watched this a few days ago, still thinking about it a LOT. Love the two completely different ways Homura and Madoka's love for their friends manifested. So fucking good.. Probably one of my favorite stories in any medium, not just anime.

Also, any other shows that fit this bill you could recommend? I don't know the exact name for this type of show, so I have a hard time finding them sometimes.

Reminder to report rec threads.

Watch Soukyuu no Fafner.

Same as you guys. Madoka is one of favorite animes for this very reason. Have you guys read Gunslinger Girl? I feel like you guys would enjoy it very much.

>thread intended for discussion about your favorite themes, genres, and tropes
>specifically says in the OP that you should explain and discuss
>rec thread

I'm sucker for supernatural anime, ghosts, demons, gods, angels, superior worlds, underworlds, you name it the weird part is that i'm atheist

I have not, will look into it! My manga/LN list is pretty backed up, but I will throw it on there. Right now I'm trying to get through the SAO LN's, which are 21 volumes. Also reading Madoka LN's and Re:Zero LN right now.. I guess this is a good problem to have, usually I'm completely starved for this type of content.

I thoroughly anything with character relationships like I mentioned in the OP that have the backdrop of supernatural shit. A lot of the symbolism and reference to European mythology/stories are fun to pick up on too, since Western entertainment greatly lacks that sort of thing these days.

>I thoroughly anything
meant
>I thoroughly enjoy* anything

>It's extremely, oppressively dark and tragic but not like YuYu or Madoka. It's more like a slow burn, disturbing "jesus fucking christ" kind of a way
Sign me up! Just moved to the front of the list with that description. I don't mind if it doesn't follow the whole "misleadingly happy and cute world that is actually tragic as fuck" theme.

>not like YuYu or Madoka
Those stories are nice, and two of my favorites, but my endgame is always just getting to the tragic parts. The SoL aspects of some stories just make the tragic things hit that much harader.

Theme: parenting or family

>parenting or family
Haven't seen many like this. Care to expand on your reasons as to why? Nothing against it, just curious. Point of the thread, after all

The protag body count is comparatively low too, at least where I'm at. It's at its best and most awful when it focuses on the premise of literally brainwashed hitmen little girls, and on things like them talking to each other before they go to bed about making their older brothers proud by killing more criminals the next day then they had before.

> Theme
Personal growth, relationships, humor
> Genre
Slice of life, Seinen, Josei, Horror, Psychological

I like slice of life settings with little fantastic elements added, unless those are horror-related, or just very well done i guess?

>>What is your favorite theme, genre, or trope in anime?
Slice of life featuring retard stronk characters.

>>Why?
I think I want to feel like I can live a fairly normal life without feeling trapped and powerless as that's something I struggle with. Stability in exchange for freedom is a scary concept. It's why bikers and career criminals exist. It's why I spent my teens to early 20s being a "bad boy" even though I'm super kind-hearted and loving inside.

>>What shows do you like that fit into that mold?
I'm stuck on Demi-chan and Maid dragon currently. Though Demi is a little off target but the Dullahan got me addicted along with Dumbpire.
For me Tohru choosing to hide her immense power and just be happy in a place she really doesn't belong is supremely comfy

I like shows that portray the indomitability of human spirit, love for life, unbreakable hope and pursuit of self.
Sora no Woto, Yuuki Yuuna, Soukyuu no Fafner and to an extent Zegapain are my favourite examples of the hope/spirit part, while Hyougemono, Gankutsuou, Silver Spoon and Planetes are my examples of the self-discovery part.

>talking to each other before they go to bed about making their older brothers proud by killing more criminals the next day then they had before
Definitely reading this soon.

>Slice of life featuring stronk characters.
I like these as well, but I tend to be less interested if there aren't some sort of high stakes/tragic back drop to make things more interesting. I like shows that have a good balance of both. Yuki Yuna is a great example.

>I think I want to feel like I can live a fairly normal life without feeling trapped and powerless as that's something I struggle with
Nice to see someone introspective enough to know why they watch what they do. Personally, I watch shows with star-crossed lovers/friends dedicating themselves to helping/protecting their loved ones, because I have massive trust issues regarding relationships due to my past experiences.

>what's your favorite piece of clothing, vehicle, or meal?
>"b-but those are different things."
At no point did OP imply that "genre, trope, or theme" were similar. Curb your autism and answer a fucking question.

Evangelion, Usagi drop, Clannad, sweetness and lightning, maid dragon. This tackles the most worrisome part of a person's life. You would have to draw from personal experiences rather than tropes otherwise it would come off as half-hearted or hamfisted or unrealistic.

Now I'm just saying, but if you like YuYuYu you're definitely going to enjoy Soukyuu no Fafner, seeing as the former shares more similarities with the latter (but without mecha) than with any other mahou shoujo, including one that will not be named.
Did you watch Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari? That one is very good too, although it's actually less about raising the child and more about the protagonist trying to rediscover himself and sort his life out while raising a child.

>You would have to draw from personal experiences
Fair enough.

Like I said here , past experiences are basically why I enjoy the current themes I do. If I didn't have those past experiences I'm sure I'd find a lot of these characters harder to empathize with.

I haven't seen it, I'll be sure to give it a watch. I'm more interested in the general theme of sacrifice/friendship/tragedy that YuYuYu has than the mecha aspect, so that sounds good to me. I actually really didn't like the mecha aspect of YuYuYu or the fight scenes too much. The animation was nice but they felt a little bland.

Hero version of Yuna is so damn cute, though.

>I'm more interested in the general theme of sacrifice/friendship/tragedy
Oh you'll get that in spades.
Also, I didn't mean that YuYuYu had a mecha aspect, I meant that YuYuYu is similar to Fafner but with magical girls instead of mecha.

I love when Anime touch the sensitive theme of suicide. It's always interesting, if done well.

Do you guys know any that does?

Just in case, the viewing order is
Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor (2004)
Soukyuu no Fafner: Right of Left (2006)
Soukyuu no Fafner: Heaven and Earth (2011)
Soukyuu no Fafner: Exodus (2016)

Not the biggest fan, seeing as I believe suicide is the most pathetic thing a human can commit.
That being said, Rakugo S2 this season was pretty much entirely dealing with a suicidal old man that stopped being suicidal after nearly dying.

>multiple seasons
>lots of content
Thank god. Last few shows I've watched have been short and sweet. 12-14 episodes are simply not enough when you love something.

>Do you guys know any that does?
Can't say I do off the top of my head. I have had a few people that were close to me commit suicide, so I tend to stay away from that type of stuff. If it was done properly, I'd probably enjoy it, but from what I've seen it's usually catered towards edgy teens and not an actual contemplative or social commentary on suicide.

That being said, I don't watch what I watch because I think it's objectively good, I just do it to fill an emotional void. If that's why you want to watch that type of anime, I can't really blame you.

>theme
Mental illness (depression, severe anxiety, etc.) but only presented in a realistic manner - not in the shitty meme "wow guise i totally have like social anxiety" form. Unfortunately, this is very rare to see done well in anime or any general weeb shit.
>genre
Coming of age. Really as long as the themes are interesting and handled well, the genre is not entirely important.
>trope
no clue.

What anime have you seen that present mental illness in a realistic manner? I've never seen it done properly, only in the shitty meme way you mentioned. As someone who deals with a lot of anxiety myself, I'd be interested to see a well-done character with those traits.

Have you tried Ghost Hound? The protagonist suffers from PTSD caused by a kidnapping he experienced as a younger kid and the very beginning of the show is a psychologist from another city coming to treat him.

Fantasy, especially with fairy tale/folk tale/theatrical aesthetics or references
>Princess Tutu
>Utena
>Akagami no Shirayuki
>Monoke
>Seirei no Moribito
>12 Kingdoms
>Fantastic Children
>Jinrui wa Suitaishimashita
>Mushishi
>Wolf's Rain
>Uchouten Kazoku again

Family, or just close platonic friendships
>Barakamon
>Kyousougiga
>Uchouten Kazoku
>Rakugo (season 2 at least)
>Udon no Kuni

Sport and gambling
>Ping Pong
>Initial D
>YOI
>One Outs
>Kaiji

>Did you watch Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari?
I avoided it due to its high amount of male characters (i.e. fujo)

Melodrama is objectively the best part of anime.

I truly wonder how it's possible to be this retarded. You do realize most fujos don't ship 30 year old men with toddlers, right? It has a fairly gender balanced cast but either way, if male characters bother you then you're just in it for the little girls rather than the family themes.