9 Anime About Social Isolation and Ways to Cope
Social isolation is something that most people have gone through at some point in their lives. It’s never an easy feeling, but here are some anime that tackle the difficult subject.
1. Welcome to the NHK
Tatsuhiro Satou is a 22-year-old college dropout. He has been living as a hikikomori for the past four years and believes that an organization called the Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai is behind everything.
2. WataMote
WataMote can be hard to watch depending on your past or current social life. The series follows Tomoko Kuroki as she tries to become popular…and fails miserably. It’s comedy except for some people who feel it hits too close to home.
3. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
Hachiman Hikigaya is narcissistic, nihilistic, and has a wicked sense of humor. He believes that the joyful youth of high school is a myth, and anyone who believes in it is a liar. As punishment for being a nihilist, Hachiman is forced to join a club that has him helping other people.
4. The World God Only Knows
Keima Katsuragi can win the heart of any girl…as long as she is 2D. A demon named Elsie asks Keima to help capture evil spirits and along the way, he must conquer his fear of connecting with people in real life.
5. No Longer Human (Aoi Bungaku)
A high school student has trouble revealing his true self to others. Alienated and alone, he turns to drugs and self-abuse to cope with the depression. This series feels like the adage that it always gets darker before the dawn.
6. Chaos;Head
Takumi Nishijou chooses to dismiss the news of recent murders since has no direct effect on him. However, strange mishaps start to happen to Takumi and he starts to struggle to determine if things are real or a delusion.
7. Tsuritama
Yuki Sanada is socially inept, and his unfriendly face doesn’t help. Yuki’s fear of social interaction is so great, that he imagines that he is drowning from the anxiety. After meeting a boy who seems to be an alien, Yuki’s social outlook starts to change.
8. Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends
Kodaka Hasegawa is labeled a delinquent by his new school due to his looks. Shunned by his classmates, Kodaka is only able to make a single ally: a girl who has an imaginary friend. The two start a Neighbor’s Club, in the hopes that they make more friends.
9. Neon Genesis Evangelion
Shinji Ikari’s normal life is shattered after worldwide disasters begin and he is taken to Nerv to pilot an Eva Unit. Filled with doubt and low self-esteem, Shinji starts to shut people out as a way to cope with his situation.
What are your favorite anime that deal with social isolation? Or Anime that deals with loneliness and depression ? Do let us know about it via the comments.
