What Is Drama Anime? [Definition, Meaning]

Jenangelx3

One of the major important detail to a drama anime has to be in its dynamic plot. This means the plot is continually moving and changing. At first, most drama anime start off rather mundane and ordinary as characters are introduced and backstories are sort of revealed. As the episodes go by, this pace quickly changes and hastens. Characters may no longer seem like the happy go people that they previously seemed to be. Everything undergoes changes, which essentially leads into more drama. If things were continuous, the anime would end up being just your ordinary slice of life or it would start off in complete chaos and end in complete chaos, wouldn’t you agree?

Hanasaku Iroha (Hanasaku Iroha: Blossoms for Tomorrow)

• Episodes: 26


• Aired: April 2011 - September 2011

Matsumae Ohana’s mother has suddenly left her behind after running away with a boyfriend. To survive, Ohana turns towards her mother’s mother, a rather cold woman who manages an inn in the countryside. In this new home, Ohana will have to work hard as a maid to earn her place while also unraveling the history of her mother’s past and making new friends at the inn.

Hanasaku Iroha appears to be your run of the mill slice of life anime, but if the plot summary didn’t clue you in, there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface than appears. Ohana’s grandmother comes off as this cold and distant woman, but she’s one of the most dynamic characters in Hanasaku Iroha as she evolves and shows a softer, more caring side, especially towards her only granddaughter that she never got to know. Then you see Ohana’s past resurface and she soon learns about how her life came to be. The same can be said about the events that go on around Ohana that revolve around concepts like love that really bring drama into the anime and keeps the story moving. While Hanasaku Iroha is not overly dramatic like some anime, it does show how dynamic plots and characters can really move the story forward and create the drama that we all love.

Hanasaku Iroha ~Blossoms for Tomorrow~ PV

Steins;Gate

• Episodes: 24


• Aired: April 2011 - September 2011

Okabe Rintarou lives as a mad scientist creating failed gadgets he calls “future gadgets” with his labmates Shiina Mayuri and Hashida Itaru, otherwise known as “Daru.” One day, they somehow manage to create a Phone Microwave that is capable of sending messages to the past, which ultimately alter the timeline. This discovery is about to change the course of time and their lives as they know it, but Rintarou may not be prepared for the repercussions.

If you have ever watched anything in the alternate universes, then you must have an idea of how Steins;Gate plays out. Steins;Gate starts off rather slow and mundane with silly characters and a ridiculous idea by Rintarou. Luckily, the plot is a dynamic one as we quickly decend into chaos and drama with the ensuing events that revolve around messing with the alternate timelines. Death, depression, and insanity are just a few things that really drift through the anime towards the end as the timelines become more distorted by everyone else. If you want to know what it means to have a dynamic plot, then you should look towards Steins;Gate whose beginning is quite misleading.

Steins;Gate PV

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When it comes to drama anime that really stick with you, we think it has to do with the level in which the anime can wrench to tears. In this case, we’re talking about how heartwrenching a drama anime can be. Some anime can be so ridiculously difficult to watch since they reduce you to tears by the mere mention of them. This is caused by the shere amount of story telling elements involved that really up the drama. This may be caused by a death, a tragedy, or a lost love. Either way, the level of drama really increases in this manner, but sometimes, these drama anime really stick with us the most.

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Clannad: After Story (Clannad ~After Story)

• Episodes: 24


• Aired: October 2008 - March 2009

As the sequel to Clannad, Clannad: After Story continues the story of Okazaki Tomoya and Furukawa Nagisa, following high school. The two of them get married, but life doesn’t end with a happily ever after. As Tomoya struggles to figure out what is needed to provide for his wife, Nagisa is also coping with her own illness. Their difficulties will test their relationship and the bonds that they created as well as the ones they lost.

You cannot think about sad drama anime without thinking about Clannad: After Story, especially if you are looking for a tearjerker like we are. Clannad: After Story follows the events of Clannad, which was more or less happy. In this sequel, though, we see Tomoya and Nagisa fall in even harder times which are only exacerbated by the middle of the anime when tragedy strikes. You will see your favorite characters fall in this downward spiral and relationships with other characters will find their own tragedies. For most people, you will feel your heart breaking as you watch what goes on for each character and think about how these actions have affected their past as well as their present situations. How often do we find that we regret our actions that we’ve taken in fits of emotion? Here, you will find out their repercussions and have your heart break the entire way.

Clannad: After Story CM

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Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai. (AnoHana: The Flower We Saw That Day)

• Episodes: 11


• Aired: April 2011 - June 2011

Yadomi Jinta has been reclusive and hiding away from his responsibilities as a student by staying at home and playing video games all day. One day, an apparition appears in the form of his childhood friend, Honma Meiko, who he used to call “Menma.” Menma died many years ago when they were children and is pestering Jinta to grant a wish that she can no longer remember. After a while, Jinta begins to believe Menma, and so, he and his old childhood friends from that time gather together to see if they can grant Menma her wish so that she can rest in peace once and for all.

Friendship, past loves, and current regrets, AnoHana has it all. The anime starts off on a rather eerie note with the appearance of Menma, but then we move into the more complex relationships and the sad reality of the past in the subsequent episodes. Since AnoHana is shorter than Clannad: After Story, the drama unfolds a lot faster, but it does so seamlessly, leaving you with more heartache much more quickly. In AnoHana, you’ll get to see the damage that emotions can do for your future and your friendships. There are a lot of regrets and people who deal with self-hate in AnoHana that leads to the tragic ruining of friendship. It may be somewhat short for a drama anime, but we’re sure you will feel a lot of heartache when it comes down to AnoHana.

AnoHana: The Flower We Saw That Day PV

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Final Thoughts

Author: Jenangelx3

California based workaholic. Current mottos are “I don’t care” and “I’ll try almost anything once”. Interests include traveling, eating, video games, and weightlifting. Currently living life to the fullest, pursuing my happiness, and conquering my fears. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

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