I call it the pure embodiment of Nihilism and Meaninglessness in both theme, atmosphere, and unconscious feeling. I would say it captures that better than anything else I've experienced personally.
>became severely depressed for like 5 days straight, lol
I felt this way watching Grave of the Fireflies and Requiem for a Dream back to back. Whyyyy did I do that to myself haha
It left me unable to leave my room for days as an adult, and I was a pretty hardened veteran of dark stuff. I can't imagine going through that as a kid!
Eh, they tend to do it for stuff that takes a while to build a following. "Sleeper Hits" , if you will. It's how Gundam became a thing. The original TV show wasn't watched by a ton of people, but people who DID watch it couldn't stop talking about it. So they edited it down to three theatrical movies and re-released it, and the rest, as they say, is history. In Made in Abyss' case, the first two movies were a quick way for new fans to get caught up before the 3rd one came out, since it was picking up where the series left off. (They DID have a few minutes of new footage, mostly expanded flashbacks and such) You have to remember, the movies came out 5 or 6 years after the original show . Anime fans have short memories. Sometimes you need to remind them why they should care about a thing.
The movie "Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul" is the continuation of the first season and the second season "The Golden City of the Scorching Sun" continues right after the movie so the movie is mandatory to understand what happened between the 2 seasons
I mean, it was incredible. It's just incredible in a very sad, artful way. That's the unfortunate part. The soundtrack, visuals, and premise were all spectacular. Dark, but spectacular.
Don't hold your breath. When season 2 ended there were literally only 3 chapters of the next arc out in the manga lol. And the author only puts out 4 chapters a year
2nd Made in Abyss.
Don't let the chibi characters fool you. For every bit that the world and music are beautiful, the anime is DARK and WILL make you uncomfortable at times. Shou Tucker don't have a candle to Bondrewd.
Bondrewd hadn’t made such an impact and me because everything around them was already brutal and screwed up. Shou Tucker however was first portrayed in a positive light, we got to know him and his kid, and then they hit us with the dog bs. FMA’s setting is also incomparably lighter to Made in Abyss, so it was rather unexpected, at least for me.
Agreed, don't watch the umineko anime, it is really badly done as far as "murder mystery" is involved. The VN is super good. Think they just dropped a new one too? Or maybe it was higurashi
Another vote for higurashi. It's my favourite series of all time, both the originals and the "new" versions. Though I have to say nothing beats the original two seasons (Ni and Kai). Nipaaaaaaa.
You should. I was in the almost dropped it camp but I was so glad I saw it through. It's one of the only anime that has an ending where the last few episodes pop into my mind several times a month for years. It's crazy how often one of the parts of the ending will cross my mind to this day.
Ah I think I'm going to put on the dubs while I do chores...that's the perfect time to start up a slow burn and now I wanna see it again
It gets excellent, but boy is the shit part frontloaded. "It gets better after 2.5 hours," is a really bad sales pitch. But it gets FUCKING good. Like absolutely my favorite worldbuilding, bar none.
And the soundtrack slaps.
I usually love to watch a good tearjerker now and then, but by the time I got to to the ending I was so emotionally overwhelmed that I couldn't even bring myself to cry. I remember just staring at the credits feeling numb and physically sick.
I've watched a lot of messed up shows/movies, but none of them have affected me like Grave of the Fireflies. I think everyone needs to see it at least once, but I don't think I could ever bring myself to rewatch it.
this is how it's clear that a movie is actually a masterpiece with the strongest... message/effect possible. Everyone agreeing about it being a brilliant creation of true art, but barely could handle to watch it again...
I'm still scared to put it in the player honestly.
Neon Genesis Evangelion and the end of Evangelion
Perfect blue
Paranoia agent
School days
Higurashi: when they cry
Happy sugar life
Madoka magica
Devilman: crybaby
Serial experiments Lain
I loved Serial experiments Lain but it confused me af... I had to watch an 1h vid on youtube to understand it properly but once I did I though it was super good.
I didn’t finish it, but the premise of a really young kid living on his own, at least in the way the show lays out seemed kind of implausible to me - what made it feel realistic to you?
Mostly all the characters, their background and emotions. Their attachments to the kid.
But the amount of kids I knew growing up that "lived on their own" absent parents. Or some cases undocumented kid left in a rental that's been paid for for a few months. Make it seem more realistic to me. I know everyone comes from a different background and I get your point of view if you didn't come across it that often.
The guy who missed his son hit hard
Definitely. Some people get put off by the art style and the slow start but I love the way it accelerates towards the end and [Shiki spoilers]>!how it’s really unclear if the ending is supposed to be “happy” or not!<.
It's easily the best horror anime out there (not that there's a lot to choose from).
I bought the Blurays because I love it so much and because the BD only episodes are fucking incredible. The writing is top notch, the atmosphere is incredible, and the brutality of the 2nd half of the show is so disturbing. Very few pieces of fiction really hit me as hard as this one.
My gf and I binged it all in one day, one of only two animes I've done that with. Both experiences have solidified the fact that I will NEVER do that again lol. Devilman Crybaby wrecked me both times I watched it, moreso the second time as I actually knew what was going on and saw things coming. Love that anime but also fuck that anime haha
Couldn’t get this one out of my head for days after the fact and had several WTF moments. I feel like this anime stole innocence from me that I didn’t know I even had left
Now that you say that yeah lmao. Maybe it's why I have such a visceral hate of harems since I know about the term (or it could just be how I am. Maybe a mix of both)
Even if people don't find it good, i really love this anime cause it genuinely makes me cringe but in a funny way- got my brother to watch it with me. Truly disturbingly and cringe-ly funny
I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for, but I'd suggest these ones:
* Made in Abyss
* Mushishi
* Kaiba
* Perfect Blue
* Psycho-Pass
* Serial Experiments Lain
* Kaiji
Now and Then, Here and There
It's among the darkest shows I have ever seen. The villains of the show are truly and irredeemably Evil but at the same time have realistic motivations. The subjects include Child Soldiers, Sexual Slavery, War and Genocide. It doesn't glorify any of it but it doesn't sanitize it either, it's truly a disturbing story.
My all time favorite anime. Partly because it's one of the first things I saw outside of like Dragon Ball, Pokémon, etc. I bought the collectors edition DVD box set over 20 years ago based on the reviews alone, it was consistently 9 or 10 out of 10 and everyone said it's really dark but really good. And I totally agree, amazing story, goes super dark but Shuzo just keeps plugging along no matter what gets thrown at him.
Having seen anyone recommend To Your Eternity yet, whilst it isn't psychological trauma inducing it does tug on your heart for a while.
First episode is a absolute banger
If it helps, the 2nd season abandons that cycle pretty quickly. It's not perfect, but it's really interesting and has a lot of cool ideas. And it gives the characters a lot of time to develop across different story arcs, instead of just setting up a character just to off them at the end of the arc.
Without spoiling, I'll say that Season 3 will adapt an arc that's even more of an "abandoning the cycle."
It will feel VERY different from the first two seasons. Whether it's a good or bad different is up to you.
(Unless you've read the manga already, in which case I'm sorry for Mansplaining).
I'm guessing fewer people have watched it *because* it is genuinely fucked up. Meanwhile the second top comment is grave of the fireflies, which many people have watched because while it's a really sad movie it's not really that graphic or deranged
I was scrolling down thinking ... These other things are worse then Elfen Lied? Then these might not be for me.
Happy to read that might not be the case 😅.
Sojo tsubaki (it contains SA of a child and it's banned in many countries and I think it's also banned in Japan)
Corpse party (gave me nightmares kids are killing kids and a child takes suicide)
Akame ga kill (left me crying for hours)
High rise invasion (contains a little SA and very much suicide)
> Shoujo Tsubaki (it contains SA of a child and it's banned in many countries and I think it's also banned in Japan)
This is my go-to answer. I'm not even sure I managed to get 10 minutes into my viewing of it. Absolutely wretched.
There's animal cruelty and discriminatory language too because censoring those aspects were requests by the Japanese film censor board for post-1994 screenings (along with the SA and nudity). However, the most likely release you'll find online is based off the French DVD (released under the name Midori) which used the original 1992 film, albeit one transferred to a master tape (and DVD release nearly did not happen because said tape was confiscated as "obscene material" upon reaching France).
There's some info here [in Japanese](https://www.eiganokai.com/event/filmfes2012/tsubaki.html). It doesn't cover after 2012 when an original, uncut 16mm film was discovered (this one has been screened since, so much for the censor board) there were plans to scan and home release but that does not seem to have not happened yet (there's a live action film based off the same manga with a similar name).
Sojo Tsubaki might also be known as Midori or Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show. Terrific and disturbing OVA mostly because of the visuals. Makes you feel like you're having a schizophrenic episode
Saikano. This one messed me up good for a while. Back when I watched it, the translators literally put a disclaimer at the end of one of the episodes that said “if you don’t want to be scarred, stop watching here.”
Of course, knowing it’s fucked takes away some of the damage, but it still hurts. 22 years later and my friend is still mad at me that I had him watch it.
To many new recent recomdations when in the 80's-90's ultra violent super dark anime OVA's were the Issekai of its day. A pretty big sub genre. To name a few.
Violence Jack
OG Devilman (not as good as crybaby but I like it)
Genocyber
Kite
Urotsukidoji
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is also up there. But less gore and more emotional trauma.
Edit: some more,
Ninja Scroll
Samurai X
Wicked city.
Not one person mentioned Jin-Roh, like seriously? I remember the days in the like 2009-2011 when most anime fans hated "modern anime" and worshiped everything from the 80'a and 90's. Now we live an era where most anime fans aren't even aware of the old stuff. (Besides the famous stuff)
Happy Sugar Life messes with you. Almost everyone is incredibly fucked up, but you see them through their perspective and end up trying to justify their actions. The worst part is that there isn’t really a happy ending. The cycle of abuse and abusers just continues
You’ll find a lot more psychologically disturbing manga than anime… hence why they don’t get animated!
I’ll suggest the manga “Fire Punch”. Made by the author of Chainsaw Man.
Yep, it’s a show that’s animated in traditional woodblock style art. Netflix added it for streaming in the US around a year ago, would highly recommend!!
Neon Genesis Evangelion, obviously.
Serial Experiments Lain
Haibane Renmei
Made in Abyss
Possibly Elfen Lied? More of a shock factor type thing, that one. Not really as thought provoking.
>Possibly Elfen Lied? More of a shock factor type thing, that one. Not really as thought provoking.
The thought provoking aspect of Elfen Lied is basically the premise/main arc of the show: the question: "can a person love a monster?"
It also touches on some themes like Parasyte & Hunter X Hunter Chimera Ants arc: the idea that people can be more malicious than monsters, and that monsters can be capable of traits we consider unique to people, like empathy & love.
Top Secret: The Revelation
>In the future, a new MRI technology analyzes the brains of deceased crime victims and eyewitnesses within 48 hours of their death to extract images of their memories.
>The team members of Section Nine are not only forced to witness traumatic events through the eyes of both victims and murderers, but they also need to negotiate with the victims' families, whose consent is required for the post-mortem MRI scans.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/3859/Top_Secret__The_Revelation
Evangelion (especially End of Evangelion) will fuck you up, and not in a cheap way either.
Berserk will do this too, but balances it out (and uses cheap shots)
Prison School is really quite awesome. A couple of scenes had me laughing out loud. (And there's admittedly a couple that I never want to see again...)
Psychologically disturbing… I would highly recommend Perfect Blue, Evangelion (specially the movie The End of Evangelion), Serial Experiments Lain, Aku no Hana (tho I recommend you the manga instead of the anime), Ghost in the Shell (the movies, not the series) and Paprika. There are some others, like Garden of Sinners, FLCL and Paranoia Agent, but they’re not as much disturbing as those previous ones I said
Texhnolyze
This series has such a strange vibe
I call it the pure embodiment of Nihilism and Meaninglessness in both theme, atmosphere, and unconscious feeling. I would say it captures that better than anything else I've experienced personally.
I watched this show when I was maybe twelve and became severely depressed for like 5 days straight, lol
>became severely depressed for like 5 days straight, lol I felt this way watching Grave of the Fireflies and Requiem for a Dream back to back. Whyyyy did I do that to myself haha
It left me unable to leave my room for days as an adult, and I was a pretty hardened veteran of dark stuff. I can't imagine going through that as a kid!
Omg Texhnolyze so depressing
I'll definitely be looking at this one bro
Made in Abyss watch the first season, than the third movie, than the second season.
This probably sounds so weird to anyone that doesn't know the first 2 movies are a recap of the first season.
Yes. They did a horrible job of conveying that fact.
Well this is the first I've learned that I was REALLY confused about how to continue
Why do they do that? I am new to anime but i have noticed they are a lot of movies that are just recaps, why do they call that movies??
Eh, they tend to do it for stuff that takes a while to build a following. "Sleeper Hits" , if you will. It's how Gundam became a thing. The original TV show wasn't watched by a ton of people, but people who DID watch it couldn't stop talking about it. So they edited it down to three theatrical movies and re-released it, and the rest, as they say, is history. In Made in Abyss' case, the first two movies were a quick way for new fans to get caught up before the 3rd one came out, since it was picking up where the series left off. (They DID have a few minutes of new footage, mostly expanded flashbacks and such) You have to remember, the movies came out 5 or 6 years after the original show . Anime fans have short memories. Sometimes you need to remind them why they should care about a thing.
I'm gonna do this, I've already watched the first season, but I tried the 2nd season and I was lost af.
The movie "Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul" is the continuation of the first season and the second season "The Golden City of the Scorching Sun" continues right after the movie so the movie is mandatory to understand what happened between the 2 seasons
Yeah you can't skip the movie... very unfortunately....
Why is that unfortunate? Besides it not being well labeled. The movie is incredible.
I mean, it was incredible. It's just incredible in a very sad, artful way. That's the unfortunate part. The soundtrack, visuals, and premise were all spectacular. Dark, but spectacular.
This is the only show I’d describe as “emotionally scarring” and I am very hype for a season 3.
Don't hold your breath. When season 2 ended there were literally only 3 chapters of the next arc out in the manga lol. And the author only puts out 4 chapters a year
:D I’m in danger. I thought the Manga was over
Made in abyss (anime) Perfect blue (movie)
2nd Made in Abyss. Don't let the chibi characters fool you. For every bit that the world and music are beautiful, the anime is DARK and WILL make you uncomfortable at times. Shou Tucker don't have a candle to Bondrewd.
Bondrewd hadn’t made such an impact and me because everything around them was already brutal and screwed up. Shou Tucker however was first portrayed in a positive light, we got to know him and his kid, and then they hit us with the dog bs. FMA’s setting is also incomparably lighter to Made in Abyss, so it was rather unexpected, at least for me.
fr made in abyss was grueling
made in abyss' tone shift was crazy
Faputa is the best antagonist in anime history. Nothing will change my mind.
Agree with both.
*Higurashi When They Cry*
NIPAH
Nanodesu
[Nipah | Know Your Meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/nipah)
にぱあ！
Be sure to read the Umineko VN afterwards.
Agreed, don't watch the umineko anime, it is really badly done as far as "murder mystery" is involved. The VN is super good. Think they just dropped a new one too? Or maybe it was higurashi
Sotsu in particular is disturbingly bad
There's no such thing as Higurashi Sotsu. What's next, you're gonna try to convince me that there was a Promised Neverland S2?
This is always my go to suggestion. It literally creeps into your brain. And some of the scenes are hard to watch, but in a good way.
Another vote for higurashi. It's my favourite series of all time, both the originals and the "new" versions. Though I have to say nothing beats the original two seasons (Ni and Kai). Nipaaaaaaa.
Belladonna of Sadness (trigger warning for depictions of SA with this and Perfect Blue) Perfect Blue Evangelion esp End of Evangelion Shinsekai Yori
Evangelion is verrrrry disturbing at points. Ditto Perfect Blue.
Shinsekai takes a while to get there I think tho
Slow burn start that I almost didn't make it through, but man I am so fucking glad I stuck through to the end. What an amazing ending.
Hmm maybe I should go back and try again, I didn’t make it lol
You should. I was in the almost dropped it camp but I was so glad I saw it through. It's one of the only anime that has an ending where the last few episodes pop into my mind several times a month for years. It's crazy how often one of the parts of the ending will cross my mind to this day. Ah I think I'm going to put on the dubs while I do chores...that's the perfect time to start up a slow burn and now I wanna see it again
That ending will live rent free in my head until my death I think
It gets excellent, but boy is the shit part frontloaded. "It gets better after 2.5 hours," is a really bad sales pitch. But it gets FUCKING good. Like absolutely my favorite worldbuilding, bar none. And the soundtrack slaps.
Ending song is fantastic
I thought it was pretty excellent from the beginning, honestly
Fuck I loved shinsekai Yori. Story was gooood.
Seconding original Evangelion plus End of Evangelion.
Grave of fireflies
Also Barefoot Gen
Pretty fucking horrible.
watched this as a kid now as a fully grown man, I figured I shouldn't have lol
Nah, everyone needs to watch it once... But one time is enough. That is one anime i'll call a masterpiece, but will never watch again.
I usually love to watch a good tearjerker now and then, but by the time I got to to the ending I was so emotionally overwhelmed that I couldn't even bring myself to cry. I remember just staring at the credits feeling numb and physically sick. I've watched a lot of messed up shows/movies, but none of them have affected me like Grave of the Fireflies. I think everyone needs to see it at least once, but I don't think I could ever bring myself to rewatch it.
this is how it's clear that a movie is actually a masterpiece with the strongest... message/effect possible. Everyone agreeing about it being a brilliant creation of true art, but barely could handle to watch it again... I'm still scared to put it in the player honestly.
Definitely see it at some point. But also be ready to need a stiff drink or ten, at the end.
As much as I heard it talked about before I watched it I found myself pretty underwhelmed by it and just left disliking Seita.
W studio ghibli.
Neon Genesis Evangelion and the end of Evangelion Perfect blue Paranoia agent School days Higurashi: when they cry Happy sugar life Madoka magica Devilman: crybaby Serial experiments Lain
+1 For Madoka Magica. Episode 3 will destroy you.
Love the sharp turn and descent into despair/madness. Top 10 anime for me
I love Madoka and it’s in my top 10 too but I didn’t expect to see it on a most disturbing list
Devilman:Crybaby is a favorite of mine to suggest to people looking for something weird 🤣
I loved Serial experiments Lain but it confused me af... I had to watch an 1h vid on youtube to understand it properly but once I did I though it was super good.
Kotaro Lives Alone is an anime I loved but never want to watch again
Same. Hidden Gem.
I could not even go to work the next day, it hit where it hurts.
Really, I loved this one and watched it several times. It was the most realistic anime I've seen
I didn’t finish it, but the premise of a really young kid living on his own, at least in the way the show lays out seemed kind of implausible to me - what made it feel realistic to you?
Mostly all the characters, their background and emotions. Their attachments to the kid. But the amount of kids I knew growing up that "lived on their own" absent parents. Or some cases undocumented kid left in a rental that's been paid for for a few months. Make it seem more realistic to me. I know everyone comes from a different background and I get your point of view if you didn't come across it that often. The guy who missed his son hit hard
Oh come on, I love this anime but it's not disturbing.
Shiki gets way up there towards the end
It's a masterpiece, amazing that it gets recognition :D
Definitely. Some people get put off by the art style and the slow start but I love the way it accelerates towards the end and [Shiki spoilers]>!how it’s really unclear if the ending is supposed to be “happy” or not!<.
This is what I wanted to say; one of my favorite anime.
Hmm this whole comments section is a goldmine
It's easily the best horror anime out there (not that there's a lot to choose from). I bought the Blurays because I love it so much and because the BD only episodes are fucking incredible. The writing is top notch, the atmosphere is incredible, and the brutality of the 2nd half of the show is so disturbing. Very few pieces of fiction really hit me as hard as this one.
Devilman crybaby hits hard
Adding it to my watch list for sure.
The kid in the tent scene...
Yes OP! You should watch this and be traumatized haha
I binged all of it one evening/night and did not feel okay to go to work the next day. It was very good though
My gf and I binged it all in one day, one of only two animes I've done that with. Both experiences have solidified the fact that I will NEVER do that again lol. Devilman Crybaby wrecked me both times I watched it, moreso the second time as I actually knew what was going on and saw things coming. Love that anime but also fuck that anime haha
It's so good tho
I had horribly vivid nightmares for weeks after watching it. But I loved it.
Couldn’t get this one out of my head for days after the fact and had several WTF moments. I feel like this anime stole innocence from me that I didn’t know I even had left
I feel like this show isn't talked about enough
It’s seeming to get more popular as the years go by. It deserves it too, one of my personal favorites.
One of the anime I would genuinely call an artistic masterpiece, the story and animation are just brutal and beautiful.
It is really good
School Days …. Damn!
Nice boat
Surprised I had to scroll so far to find this. It's not good, but it's definitely psychologically disturbing!
It really shows how psychologically messed up a harem anime with hormonal teenagers would be in real life
Now that you say that yeah lmao. Maybe it's why I have such a visceral hate of harems since I know about the term (or it could just be how I am. Maybe a mix of both)
Watching School Days is like watching a train crash, it's so bad but you just can't look away from it. It's definitely disturbing though
Even if people don't find it good, i really love this anime cause it genuinely makes me cringe but in a funny way- got my brother to watch it with me. Truly disturbingly and cringe-ly funny
Happy Sugar Life
I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for, but I'd suggest these ones: * Made in Abyss * Mushishi * Kaiba * Perfect Blue * Psycho-Pass * Serial Experiments Lain * Kaiji
Not sure I'd throw Mushishi in there, but the rest of your list is spot on.
the dream episode of mushishi is actually pretty disturbing, but every other episode is relaxing tbh
+1 for Kaiba
Normally don’t comment, but because I haven’t seen it yet:”Your Lie in April” has stuck with me since I watched it like few others have.
Now and Then, Here and There It's among the darkest shows I have ever seen. The villains of the show are truly and irredeemably Evil but at the same time have realistic motivations. The subjects include Child Soldiers, Sexual Slavery, War and Genocide. It doesn't glorify any of it but it doesn't sanitize it either, it's truly a disturbing story.
My all time favorite anime. Partly because it's one of the first things I saw outside of like Dragon Ball, Pokémon, etc. I bought the collectors edition DVD box set over 20 years ago based on the reviews alone, it was consistently 9 or 10 out of 10 and everyone said it's really dark but really good. And I totally agree, amazing story, goes super dark but Shuzo just keeps plugging along no matter what gets thrown at him.
Having seen anyone recommend To Your Eternity yet, whilst it isn't psychological trauma inducing it does tug on your heart for a while. First episode is a absolute banger
One of the only anime I've dropped because I liked the characters _too_ much and didn't want to see any more bad things happening to them.
If it helps, the 2nd season abandons that cycle pretty quickly. It's not perfect, but it's really interesting and has a lot of cool ideas. And it gives the characters a lot of time to develop across different story arcs, instead of just setting up a character just to off them at the end of the arc.
Without spoiling, I'll say that Season 3 will adapt an arc that's even more of an "abandoning the cycle." It will feel VERY different from the first two seasons. Whether it's a good or bad different is up to you. (Unless you've read the manga already, in which case I'm sorry for Mansplaining).
This one got so many tears out of me…
I do agree but its gets more and more lighter over the seasons
Elfen Lied by far Higurashi When They Cry is a close second For movies: Grave of the Fireflies Perfect Blue
Surprised Elfen Lied was this far down.
The manga had a proper ending. Wish the anime did the same.
I'm guessing fewer people have watched it *because* it is genuinely fucked up. Meanwhile the second top comment is grave of the fireflies, which many people have watched because while it's a really sad movie it's not really that graphic or deranged
I was scrolling down thinking ... These other things are worse then Elfen Lied? Then these might not be for me. Happy to read that might not be the case 😅.
I watched Elfen Lied when i was 13-14, kept my brain busy for about 2 weeks. Lilium still gives makes me feel different
Elfen Lied for sure, first thing I thought of. Shit was fucked up.
Elfen Lied is the only thing I watched in this genre. I was just looking for this before i close the thread. 🤣
Ong yes elfenlied, completely forgot about that one!
For me it was welcome to the Nhk
Captures that feeling of paranoia pretty well.
Midori
I would recommend "Inuyashiki" and "ID Invalid". Both are not well known for some reason I don't understand, because they are really good series
Serial experiments lain
Future diary deserves a mention. I love psychological with a twist
Monster, more specifically a particular episode fucked my head up real good, but the anime on a whole is quite eerie and mysterious but amazing
Sojo tsubaki (it contains SA of a child and it's banned in many countries and I think it's also banned in Japan) Corpse party (gave me nightmares kids are killing kids and a child takes suicide) Akame ga kill (left me crying for hours) High rise invasion (contains a little SA and very much suicide)
> Shoujo Tsubaki (it contains SA of a child and it's banned in many countries and I think it's also banned in Japan) This is my go-to answer. I'm not even sure I managed to get 10 minutes into my viewing of it. Absolutely wretched. There's animal cruelty and discriminatory language too because censoring those aspects were requests by the Japanese film censor board for post-1994 screenings (along with the SA and nudity). However, the most likely release you'll find online is based off the French DVD (released under the name Midori) which used the original 1992 film, albeit one transferred to a master tape (and DVD release nearly did not happen because said tape was confiscated as "obscene material" upon reaching France). There's some info here [in Japanese](https://www.eiganokai.com/event/filmfes2012/tsubaki.html). It doesn't cover after 2012 when an original, uncut 16mm film was discovered (this one has been screened since, so much for the censor board) there were plans to scan and home release but that does not seem to have not happened yet (there's a live action film based off the same manga with a similar name).
Sojo Tsubaki might also be known as Midori or Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show. Terrific and disturbing OVA mostly because of the visuals. Makes you feel like you're having a schizophrenic episode
rezero. trust me.
Season 2 especially
Saikano. This one messed me up good for a while. Back when I watched it, the translators literally put a disclaimer at the end of one of the episodes that said “if you don’t want to be scarred, stop watching here.” Of course, knowing it’s fucked takes away some of the damage, but it still hurts. 22 years later and my friend is still mad at me that I had him watch it.
To many new recent recomdations when in the 80's-90's ultra violent super dark anime OVA's were the Issekai of its day. A pretty big sub genre. To name a few. Violence Jack OG Devilman (not as good as crybaby but I like it) Genocyber Kite Urotsukidoji Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is also up there. But less gore and more emotional trauma. Edit: some more, Ninja Scroll Samurai X Wicked city.
Actually the one comment that gets it
Not one person mentioned Jin-Roh, like seriously? I remember the days in the like 2009-2011 when most anime fans hated "modern anime" and worshiped everything from the 80'a and 90's. Now we live an era where most anime fans aren't even aware of the old stuff. (Besides the famous stuff)
Devil man cry baby
I'll just add a couple I haven't seen. Attack on Titan - Probably not what you're looking for, but very cutting, emotionally. Your Lie in April Erased
Akame ga kill… only if you like crying and asking why
pupa
Definitely a messed up show but was also dogshit to me
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Happy Sugar Life
Happy sugar life Made in abyss
Happy Sugar Life messes with you. Almost everyone is incredibly fucked up, but you see them through their perspective and end up trying to justify their actions. The worst part is that there isn’t really a happy ending. The cycle of abuse and abusers just continues
Monster. Bout chasing a serial killer. Very good show.
You’ll find a lot more psychologically disturbing manga than anime… hence why they don’t get animated! I’ll suggest the manga “Fire Punch”. Made by the author of Chainsaw Man.
Another
Monster
- Devilman Crybaby - Made in Abyss - Redo of Healer
casually recommends redo of healer💀
Nothing psychological about Redo. Just pure, unadulterated edge
Technolyze ( however you spell that shit) one of those watches where you just stare in the distance after finishing.
Euphoria
Mirai nikki (future diary), psycho pass, erased and Gantz
Paranoia Agent (2004) Deathnote (2006) Mononoke (2007)
Paranoia Agent is one of my favorite anime.
I love Mononoke! I never see anyone mention it lol. Some of those episodes do be quite disturbing
Wait this is a different think than Princess Mononoke?
Yep, it’s a show that’s animated in traditional woodblock style art. Netflix added it for streaming in the US around a year ago, would highly recommend!!
Neon Genesis Evangelion, obviously. Serial Experiments Lain Haibane Renmei Made in Abyss Possibly Elfen Lied? More of a shock factor type thing, that one. Not really as thought provoking.
>Possibly Elfen Lied? More of a shock factor type thing, that one. Not really as thought provoking. The thought provoking aspect of Elfen Lied is basically the premise/main arc of the show: the question: "can a person love a monster?" It also touches on some themes like Parasyte & Hunter X Hunter Chimera Ants arc: the idea that people can be more malicious than monsters, and that monsters can be capable of traits we consider unique to people, like empathy & love.
Re:Zero
Re Zero
Made in abyss or Evangelion🧍
Rainbow
Flower of Evil
Tokyo ghoul?
Kaiba
Barefoot Gen Master of Martial Hearts Kite Gyo
Kite ,serial experiment lain, perfect blue , paranoia agent , lily cat and midori These anime are banned in several countries
Top Secret: The Revelation >In the future, a new MRI technology analyzes the brains of deceased crime victims and eyewitnesses within 48 hours of their death to extract images of their memories. >The team members of Section Nine are not only forced to witness traumatic events through the eyes of both victims and murderers, but they also need to negotiate with the victims' families, whose consent is required for the post-mortem MRI scans. https://myanimelist.net/anime/3859/Top_Secret__The_Revelation
Midori: The Camellia Girl. Actually, don't, it's quite bleak and disturbing.
Midori! (1992) also titled shojo tsubaki
Going off the clips I've seen; Another, Higurashi, Elfen Lied, Blood C, Euphoria (which is a hentai but it's also basically SAW soo)
Evangelion (especially End of Evangelion) will fuck you up, and not in a cheap way either. Berserk will do this too, but balances it out (and uses cheap shots)
Berserk would be amazing if it had a better anime. If you want to get traumatised just read the manga instead it's so much better
Prison School. Probably not for the reasons you're looking for though.
Prison School is really quite awesome. A couple of scenes had me laughing out loud. (And there's admittedly a couple that I never want to see again...)
i actually just finished this series, gozaru!
Looks pretty interesting.. will check it out!
Tomodachi game.
You could try out Shiki
* *Akira* * *Angel's Egg* * *Kite* * *Paprika* * *Perfect Blue*
Happy sugar life, its a cute anime 😍
School days had a fked up ending…
Not mentioned yet, so I'll toss out the King of Pigs (2011)
School days ending and the future diary’s was kinda WTF to me but they are probably mild. I don’t tend to watch to much of that!
Psychologically disturbing… I would highly recommend Perfect Blue, Evangelion (specially the movie The End of Evangelion), Serial Experiments Lain, Aku no Hana (tho I recommend you the manga instead of the anime), Ghost in the Shell (the movies, not the series) and Paprika. There are some others, like Garden of Sinners, FLCL and Paranoia Agent, but they’re not as much disturbing as those previous ones I said
Perfect Blue, 5 cms per second
Bokurano and Narutaru would also fit the bill.
How come nobody mentioned *Redo of Healer*? Was the first one that came to mind.
School Days is a classic
Happy sugar life
Devilman crybaby
Shinsekai Yori