Summary
- Toxic relationships in anime can be seen in classic series like Toradora!, where dependence and abuse are prevalent.
- Scum’s Wish explores unhealthy relationships where two lonely individuals use each other as coping mechanisms.
- The Future Diary showcases possessiveness, manipulation, and violence in a toxic romantic entanglement.
There’s no shortage of really fluffy, fuzzy, and heartwarming romance anime in the industry. It’s filled to the brim with wholesome couples and their equally wholesome love stories. However, while certain romance anime are known for their feel-good moments, others are known for their unnecessarily toxic couples.
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Older romance anime are particularly known to sneak in some toxicity between the main leads, regardless of how cute and charming the storyline is. Some newer ones, on the other hand, focus on dark romance outright and go straight to the point with their portrayal of complex and sometimes unhealthy relationships. These anime prove that romance isn’t always as picture-perfect as it seems and that it actually has its own fair share of ups and downs.
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Toradora!
One Lead Is Excessively Dependent On The Other
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Toradora!
AnimationComedyDrama
Release Date
October 2, 2008
Seasons
1
Studio
J.C.Staff
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Toradora! is an old romance anime that managed to gain quite a fanbase when it first came out. It features the story of two literally polar opposite people who are forced together simply because of certain circumstances. Ryuuji is a high school kid who loves doing household chores. He’s gentle, sweet, and very kind, but unfortunately, he has a very ‘mean-looking’ face that gives him the opposite reputation among his peers. He ends up teaming with Taiga, who has the outward appearance of a cute and dainty girl but is actually a loud, eccentric, and fiery person otherwise.
The two, in theory, complement each other very well. A lot of their moments on the show are definitely adorable and make countless fans swoon left and right. However, the general dynamic of their relationship is very odd. Ryuuji is basically the ‘caretaker’ in their relationship. He does most of the work for Taiga, and she’s heavily dependent on him for a lot of her menial stuff. On the other hand, Taiga’s fiery personality becomes downright abusive at times. There are moments in the series where she tends to boss Ryuuji around and can be pretty harsh with him. It’s the kind of dynamic that might only seem acceptable in a fictional world.
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Scum’s Wish
Two People Being In A Relationship As A Way To Cope With Life
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Scum’s Wish
DramaRomancePsychological
Release Date
January 12, 2017
Seasons
1
Studio
Lerche
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Scum’s Wish is truly an anime that really sets the bar for unhealthy relationships, but it does so in a strangely realistic way. It follows the story of two lonely people who force themselves to be with each other just to feel something. They don’t know what love is, and it’s also clear that they’re not in love with each other.
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Hanabi, the female lead, has feelings for her homeroom teacher, while Mugi, the male lead, is infatuated with his music teacher. When they realize how impossible it is to go through with their respective crushes, they turn to each other to fill that lonely gaping hole. The only thing that truly connects them is their shared pain of not being loved back by their crushes. In other words, they’re basically using each other as coping mechanisms without even realizing how unhealthy it is.
5
The Future Diary
Possessiveness, Manipulation, And Violence
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The Future Diary
AnimationDramaMysteryActionAdventure
Release Date
October 9, 2011
Seasons
1
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The Future Diary (or Mirai Nikki) is definitely not a name that’s unheard of. In fact, it’s considered a household name for older fans in the community. It’s a quintessential anime, largely responsible for popularizing “yandere” female characters, and it has set the standard for unhealthy relationships in the industry. On the surface, the anime’s premise does not hint towards a dark romance subpl, but once things start to unravel within the show, one realizes how deeply interconnected the main couple’s toxic relationship is.
It follows a quiet middle schooler, Yukiteru, who gets entangled in a deadly survival game involving a phone that predicts the future. He realizes that the only other person in a similar conundrum is his sweet and equally shy classmate, Yuno Gasai. What he doesn’t realize is the fact that Yuno isn’t entirely a normal person. She’s utterly infatuated with Yukiteru and is willing to go to unspeakable lengths to attain him, even if it means being a dangerously vicious person.
4
Yakuza Fiance
Two Hard-Headed Characters Butt Heads
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Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii
AnimationCrime
Release Date
October 7, 2024
Seasons
1
Studio
Studio Deen
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Raise wa Tanin ga Ii, also known as Yakuza Fiance, introduces two main leads with very overbearing and clashing personalities. From the start, they don’t see eye-to-eye and are clearly not on the same page about much of anything. But despite their obvious differences, their high-ranking statuses within their respective crime syndicates lead to an arranged engagement that neither of them can escape.
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The story follows the level-headed granddaughter of a powerful yakuza boss who yearns to live a normal life despite her circumstances. She’s pushed to be in a relationship with Kirishima, the unpredictable and dangerously violent heir of a rival family. They’re forced into an engagement for the sake of maintaining peace between their syndicates, but their relationship is essentially a battle of wills.
While Yoshino tries to navigate this arrangement with a level-headed approach, Kirishima’s volatile nature keeps her constantly on edge. As the story unfolds, their dynamic grows increasingly complicated, blurring the lines between partnership and rivalry in a world where trust is as dangerous as betrayal.
3
It Started With A Kiss
Push And Pull Between The Leads
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ItaKiss
ComedyRomance
Release Date
April 4, 2008
Seasons
1
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Itazura na Kiss, or It Started With a Kiss is another old shoujo romance that, for the most part, comes off as a rom-com. However, certain relationship quirks between the main characters very prominently come off as red flags rather than cute banter. The story follows a simple-minded but spirited young girl, Kotoko, who ends up housing with the boy she’s had a crush on since childhood. Irie is the stark opposite of Kotoko; he’s extraordinarily smart, exceptionally athletic, and basically a prodigy with a very promising future. Naturally, Irie hates Kotoko and wants nothing to do with her.
However, Kotoko’s love for him transcends that of a normal crush. She’s been rejected rudely by him before but can’t really control the matters of her heart. On the other hand, Irie becomes increasingly mean to her throughout the series and has a track record of manipulating her feelings. Just when she manages to detach herself from him enough after being ignored incessantly, Irie pulls her back by giving her little crumbs of affection. It’s all very toxic.
2
Wolf Girl And Black Prince
Demeaning Male Lead And Insecure Female Lead
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Wolf Girl and Black Prince
RomanceComedy
Release Date
October 5, 2014
Seasons
1
Studio
TYO Animations
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Wolf Girl and Black Prince follows the story of an insecure high school girl, Erika, who pretends to have a boyfriend to impress her friends — only to realize how dumb it is to lie to everyone. To save face, she ends up convincing the popular mean guy from her school, Kyoya, to pose as her boyfriend. It starts off pretty simple but ends up becoming immensely toxic when Kyoya begins to use Erika’s insecurities against her.
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Kyoya is a horrible person through and through. He manipulates Erika for his own amusement and often belittles her to get the upper hand in their fake relationship. Despite the clear signs of gaslighting, Erika finds herself drawn to Kyoya. This basically creates a toxic cycle between the two, where he uses her situation and feelings to exert control over her. Their relationship is a constant push and pull, with Erika enduring his harshness while Kyoya’s behavior shows little sign of changing.
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Nana
Realistic Bonds And Relatable Dynamics
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Nana
AnimationDramaMusicRomance
Release Date
April 5, 2006
Seasons
1
Studio
Madhouse
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Nana is probably one of the few series out there that openly feature toxic dynamics for the sake of creating realism, and it works. It tells the story of two completely different women with, ironically, the same name, with their lives intersecting in unexpected ways. Nana Osaki is a punk rock singer, and Nana Komatsu is a kind and naive girl. They randomly meet on a train and quickly form a bond close enough for them to live together. This follows with them trying to navigate their lives in Tokyo with completely opposite dreams.
The relationships in Nana aren’t confined to just one couple or one person. In fact, multiple connections throughout the story clearly highlight what can only be described as “unhealthy.” Both Nanas, as young women trying to navigate a challenging world, are bound to make mistakes. Nana K. struggles with codependency and forming unhealthy emotional attachments, while Nana O. is still hung up on her ex and tries to bury her feelings by immersing herself in her music career. The two even share a deeply reliant relationship with each other.
What sets this anime apart, however, is that it does not try to sugarcoat its characters’ flaws or glamorize the toxic relationships it features. It doesn’t excuse its characters for their mistakes. Instead, it embraces the messiness of their lives and tries to keep everything raw and transparent.
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Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Anime
