Saddest Anime Death

30-DAY ANIME CHALLENGE!

DAY 25:  Saddest Anime Death

 

Get ready for the tears.

 

 

 

Also SPOILERS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You ready?  Ok then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The death of Okazaki Nagisa, from Clannad:  After Story, Episode 16

As Nagisa entered her final months of pregnancy, her illness has sprung up again, leaving Tomoya with an unmitigated conundrum.  Nagisa then goes into labour 2 weeks early and, having no time to go to the hospital, is forced to give birth at her home.

 

 

 

The process was successful in that the baby was delivered safely.

 

 

 

 

However, Nagisa died in the process.

 

 

And Clannad was never the same ever again.

We were given the entirety of season 1 and the first few episodes of After Story to develop a connection with Tomoya and Nagisa’s relationship, and they succeeded.  We cheered for these two, swooning over their adorable relationship and loving every moment that the couple spent together.  And now, they were gonna have a child, raise a family together, and live a happy life.

 

And then, they just had to kill her off.

This unfortunate event, aside from the obvious emotional tax it dealt to every single viewer of the show, was essential to the development of the plot and the characters, specifically Tomoya.  We see how devastated and grief-stricken he was when he witnessed the love of his life die in what should’ve been one of the happiest moments of his life.  That Nagisa died after seeing her baby and listening to Tomoya’s plans for the future simply added to the irony of it all, and it was heart-wrenching to see Tomoya break down in front of his wife.

Furthermore, we see the effects it had on Tomoya’s life:  he succumbs to smoking and alcoholism, he leaves his daughter with his parents-in-law, and essentially just works, breathes, and lives for himself.  His life has lost all meaning, as the love of his life and his dreams of the future, THE ONLY THINGS HE CLINGED ON, were now shattered into a billion particles.  He is clearly devastated, and the show portrays that depression in a way that a lot of anime do not dare to tread on:  with real, legitimate emotion.

Ergo, not only was this moment the climatic point for an otherwise formulaic series, but it was executed SOOOOOO WELLLL and gave the romance and slice-of-life aspect of the show new life.

Also, if it weren’t for this, we wouldn’t have had the emotional pay-off at the end of the series.

Well, while you guys are busy wiping off your tears, what is your most tear-jerking anime death?  Lemme know in the comments below and get a free handkerchief.

See you guys in Day 26……once I recover from this newly-developed form of depression……

One Comment

  1. The daughter’s demise was crushing too. Thank goodness for the deus ex machina ending or I would never rewatch Clannad again. The first anime death that I thought was very sad would have to be Wolfwood.