Sometimes Happily never after happens…
Romances, a genre that’s depicted with drama and obstacles, but our heroes often get their happily ever after. It is the underbelly of such notions that reveal the darker tones and themes of such romances. Sometimes, events occur outside of our control and we are forced to face the cruelty of the world. Join me as we count down five tragic romances!
5. Lucy/Nyu: Elfen Lied
Manga adaption
Lucy/ Nyu are one and the same. Nyu is a split personality of Lucy a diclonius girl. She hates humans because of the way she was treated as a child. She doesn’t seem to have any compassion or empathy usually killing without remorse. Despite all of this she loves Kouta and will not harm him even though he’s a human. However, of her past actions she believes he would be better off without her. She usually refrains from killing in his presence. However, his memories resurface and he recalls her slaughtering his family. In the end, he asks her not to kill again. She didn’t not fulfill this promise and thus Kouta is forced to kill her; which ironically is the promise he made to her as a child.
4. Taki Tono: 5 Centimeters Per Second
Taki and Akari becomes close friends in elementary school due to their similar dispositions. He develops feelings for Akari in writes a letter to confesses. She never receives it; however, they discover that they have mutual feelings and share a kiss. In the end, it’s not to be. A series of events occurring in each individual life prevents them from ever becoming a couple.
3. Tomoya Okazaki: Clannad
A student in his last year of school, Tomoya meets Nagaisa Furuwaka who repeating her last year due to poor attendance. She has an illness that prevented her from attending class. At Tomoya suggestion of doing something new, she reforms the drama club. It is later discovered that Tomoya and Nagisa had been having a similar dream. This leads Tomoya to believe that they are meant for each other. They become a couple. She becomes pregnant, but they are warned that she could possibly die due to her weak constitution. Nagisa decides to give birth to the baby and dies in the process forcing Tomoya to fall into a deep depression.
2. Hare Menjou: Guilty Crown
A compassionate young girl is a close friend of Shu Ouma. They are often sent together with Hare griping about how lazy he is. Hare’s secretly has a crush on Shu and usually goes out of her way to help him. It is her kinds that enables her void to take the form of bandages. When she sees Shu unconscious, she revives him using her bandages. A sudden attack causes Hare’s void to be destroyed and she manages to profess her love to Shu before dying.
1. Kenshin Himura: Samurai X Trust and Betrayal
As a young boy, a dying Kenshin is taken in by a swordsman. The swordsman is the person to give him his name. After years of training, he decides to uphold his master’s teachings by joining the revolution. He works for an assassin and soon becomes feared by all due to his abilities. After he kills a bodyguard he meets Tomoe Yukishiro. While they are posing as husband and wife. Kenshin and Tomoe realize how much they love each other. After a sequence of events, its discovered that Tomoe was a spy. In the end, she disappears and Kenshin is set up by another spy. While in the fight for his life, Tomoe reappears and takes a killing blow for Kenshin. This allows him to kill the agent, but he unintentionally impales Tomoe. She dies.
There you have ladies and gents. Five tragic romances of all time. Sometimes the world isn’t filled with sunshine and daisies. It can be dark cruel and oppressing. It is up to us to persevere through such tragedy. Do you have a favorite heart wrenching story?
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