Whether it was your decision or your ex’s, getting over a breakup is hard. There’s no perfect guide on how to move on after the relationship ends. Many people cope by either grabbing a tub of ice cream or watching how others deal with heartbreak. So, why not do both? Here are five anime to watch after a bad breakup.
School Days
After a breakup, you can either take the high road or be petty and make your ex suffer. School Days focuses on the latter. Starting out as your typical harem anime, School Days quickly turns into a creepy horror series about revenge. The series follows Makoto Itou, a handsome high school student who gets dragged into a sordid love triangle with his best friend Sekai Sainoji and classmate, Kotonoha Katsura.
Throughout the series, Makoto not only publicly embarrasses both girls but also cheats on them with other female students. But the humiliation that both Sekai and Kotonoha endure will come back to bite Makoto in a horrific yet satisfying way. So, if your ex did you dirty, then you definitely check out School Days. They may not have received their comeuppance in real life, but watching someone else get what they deserve will cheer you up and help you deal with your bad breakup.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
For some people, watching a romance anime after a bad breakup isn’t the greatest idea. Who needs more lovey-dovey stuff, when, instead, you can watch muscular men beat the crap out of each other. (Now, that’s the emotional relief that the doctor ordered.) Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure follows the Joestar family. Each generation of the family fights against rock star-inspired villains with their supernatural powers.
The anime franchise has adapted several arcs from the manga, and they all have a similar premise. Each adaptation focuses on a different main character whose first and last name abbreviates to “JoJo.” However, the Joestar name not only brings with it great power but a lot of trouble as well. Each impossibly muscular JoJo has to fight other impossibly muscular men who are hungry for power. The series is all about fighting, the supernatural, musical references, and memes. All of this makes for a wild yet visually stunning brawler that will make you forget about your former relationship.
Non Non Biyori
If you’re not into revenge or muscular men duking it out, then perhaps a comedy about kids will help you forget your troubles.
Non Non Biyori takes place in the small village of Asahigaoka, which is home to Asahigaoka Branch School, a combined elementary and middle school with only five students. And although the town and school may be tiny and a bit dull side, its students are definitely not. While the children do enjoy spending time together playing games, they’re about to have even more fun with the new transfer student, Hotaru Ichijō. The arrival of the Tokyo-raised fifth grader, who appears more mature than she is, rounds out this lively group of kids.
Even though it takes a long time to reach the nearest comic and video stores, there’s something about Asahigaoka that makes Ichijō feel relaxed. She has plenty of new adventures to look forward to in her new home. The leisurely, laid-back lives these kids lead are sure to turn your frown upside down.
5 Centimeters per Second
Makoto Shinkai’s sci-fi romance Your Name may be one of the most popular anime films of all time. But, this isn’t the only film from the young director that explores the emotional rollercoaster that comes with relationships — including their endings. In fact, the critically acclaimed film 5 Centimeters per Second does just that.
The three-part story begins in the 1990s and works its way up to the present day (2008). It follows a boy named Takaki Tōno and his relationship with a girl named Akari Shinohara. When the two first meet in fifth grade, they form a close bond due to their similar upbringings (both of their families moved around a lot). However, when Shinohara moves to another prefecture and Tōno to the other side of the country, the two grow apart. But, Tōno still longs for Shinohara.
5 Centimeters per Second doesn’t just tell a visually stunning tale about romance but about moving on. It shows viewers that life is about more than living in the past and reminiscing about happy moments. We also need to find a way to be happy in the present.
Gurren Lagann
Simon and Kamina live in the underground village of Jeeha. Like the rest of the villagers, they have never seen the surface. But, that changes when a gun-toting woman named Yoko crashes into the village while fighting a giant robot. Luckily, Simon finds a robot, which Kamina dubs “Lagann,” and uses it to fend off the attack on Jeeha. The battle’s aftermath reveals the surface’s clear blue skies to the villagers, which prompts Simon and Kamina to join Yoko on the surface. The trio embarks on a journey that will force them to give their all — even when their backs are against the wall.
Along the way, Simon loses someone close to him, and while his loss may not be the romantic kind, it’s just as heartbreaking. The way he initially loses hope but then moves on for the sake of protecting his friends could serve as a guide for how to move on after a bad breakup. Also, the series’ upbeat animation and narrative will surely lift your spirits and help you move on to the next chapter of your life.
