#Kageyama centered

[daisy-01-blog]

I hope our path cross again (Kageyama, Hinata)

A/N: This can be seen as romantic or platonic KageHina. I'm new here so my writing could look a bit flunky haha. Enjoy!

Kageyama Tobio loves volleyball more than anything, he didn’t think he would stop loving it until he died. His parents tell him he loves volley since he was a baby, and he believed them. He didn’t think anything will stop him loving volleyball. It was in his blood, in his veins. 

Until that day, he wonders if he really knows what volleyball is all about. He admires his senior, Oikawa Tooru who supposedly hates him for his ‘natural’ talent at Volleyball. It doesn’t deter him; he still loves volleyball. But on that fated day, no one wants to accept his set anymore. No one at all. 

Has he failed? Is this the end? The horrifying feeling creeps inside him and he wonders if he didn’t love volleyball at all. He knows he is selfish; the boy knows what he wants. He is talented, but his teammates are not, and they should have kept up with him. 

Kageyama isn’t close with his teammates, but he knows every single habit they possessed, and it hurts him even more to remember. He wonders if he did something wrong. He didn’t blame them, he understands. He didn’t want to, but he understands. It’s not their fault, he was being difficult, and it serves him right. 

He lays awake at night wondering if they will ever forgive him. He is not close to them in the first place, it probably wasn’t a big deal to them. Maybe they hate him already. 

On high school, he joins the volleyball club again. 

There’s this nagging feeling that maybe he will do the same mistakes (no one will be able to follow his steps) but he can do all these alone. 

Then it was, surprisingly easy. 

His teammates are surely weird and complicated, but they’re gentle (he also wouldn’t admit this) 

There’s a light on his life (he will never admit this) named Hinata Shouyo, a ball ray of sunshine that kept on reminding him that volleyball was never a one-man thing (and he trusts him for once) 

And then he met his old friends on a match. The first time in the last few years. 

They look fine, and he still remembers all their flaws and habits-like a sickness that won’t leave your body-some kinds of parasite. He said nothing. 

When the match ends, he went to one of them-he wants to apologize. 

But his old friend-said that there is no need to apologize for he won’t apologize to Kageyama either. 

Kageyama felt the lump on his throat gone as he can only mutter ‘yes’ to his sentences. It doesn’t matter. They are not exactly friends again, but he is glad. 

He is very glad he is here. 

Now their team have improved, and when faced against a difficult team and having been on a training camp with people whose skills are way higher than his team, he feels the lump on his throat again as he went back to his old self. 

It’s quiet, and he feels the horrifying feeling creeping up inside him again, but as he wants to apologize-Hinata cuts him. 

“Isn’t it okay to be a king on the field? I don’t see anything wrong with it. I think if what he said displeases me, I will just ignore him” 

Kageyama felt that the lump on his throat is gone, and he didn’t know how he didn’t cry. 

His chest tightens and he isn’t sure, but maybe this is all that he needs. This team is all that he needs. 

As they grow older, they part ways and Kageyama wonders if they will meet people like them again (he wonders if he will meet a light that is too blinding on him, he reckons not) 

He just hopes their paths crossed again. 

[isa-ah]

more of my i can make him worse au hiii. teru goes with mob for mogamis exorcism & gets possessed as bait for mob. keiji realizes this kid was the spitting image of the lesson he was trying to teach so when mob gets thrown into his scape, he’s found himself abruptly transferred to black vinegar middle school where he struggles, to say the least.

edano and his boys bully him pretty relentlessly until teru finally takes notice of him and creates this messy possessive bubble around shigeo where only he gets to bully and fuck w him (🏳️‍🌈❓) until mob gets so angry his powers begin to reawaken and teru POUNCES on him for a fight. except this time, teru wins, and gives mob an ultimatum to become his little esper guard dog in return for a socially lavish lifestyle.

messy toxic codependent possessive relationships ensue lolol

[quirkle2]

ritsu!

[teru] [mob] [reigen]

[hitoshi-yuuto]

Ajinomoto National Training Center

Hoshiumi, about Sakusa and Atsumu : My god, would you two just get a room already?

Sakusa : Excuse me?

Atsumu : What?

Komori : You both just keep agreeing about horrifying things and relishing everybody else's misery. So seriously, when's the wedding?

Atsumu : ...

Kageyama : I ship it.

Sakusa : CAN YOU NOT?

[sysig]

Hi there! As a requestober request could you please draw something cute with Mob? I'm planning on rewatching Mob Psycho 100 and it would be great to see fanart of him in your style! :D

Day 17 - She loves me, she loves me not...

[witchspeka]

I wanted to make an analysis but I made this instead

[ID: A three-way Venn diagram with Shou, Teru, and Ritsu from Mob Psycho 100.

Shou: 🔥child of divorce🔥

Shou + Ritsu: misplaced sense of responsibility over op family members

Ritsu: too much self awareness, outwardly polite

Ritsu + Teru: inclined towards violence, superiority complex that compensates for insecurity, impulsive

Teru: not a gram of self awareness, "humble" (in quotes)

Teru + Shou: developed main character syndrome to cope with The Horrors, neglectful/shithead parents, blunt

All three: psychic middle schoolers with issues. End ID]

[theheightofdishonor]

udai just itches at my brain because you hear about him from saeko and you're like oh he's just like hinata! and then you meet him and you're like hmm maybe takeru? but you watch him again and go no, it's asahi and they're all wrong even though the responsibility that weighs on his shoulders is all asahi and the bitter curse of obscurity despite his efforts is takeru and the hunger that once almost ate him alive is so hinata and the part of him that still itches for volleyball but is manageable is reminiscent of noya and i just want to crawl inside his brain a little. Like, when did he decide/realize that volleyball wasn't it for him? What made him want to be a mangaka? Big enough to bring life a whole generation of monsters, small enough to never be considered for youth nationals, but there's a whole rainbow to be shaded in between those two lines. His name destines him to the skies and beyond and here he is shackled and someone that hungers for volleyball the way he does, do you think it hurts him to starve himself.

ofc this entire little thought journey is very much so on the precipice of turning him into something a little beyond human and since the narrative demands that you don't, that you understand he's just some guy, let's take a step back. Udai tenma, (volleyball monster, of the heavens and of the sky) goes to the interhigh game alone. Now, we know that volleyball monsters are cursed to loneliness at some point due usually to their monsterousness. So, does Udai at this point in his life, as removed from volleyball as he now is, have close friends or is he still lonely? Let's discuss

[sirenthestone]

Day 14! Okay, this one is kinda cheating. I just took a piece I already had sketched and lined and colored it.

Please enjoy Mob as the King of Cups!

Of course, tarot cards have many different interpretations, but the one that stood out to me was the King of Cups as someone disconnected from his emotions. He fears them, for either what they'll do to him, or what they'll make him do to those around him.

Process photos below!

[moonsbijoutoo]

am i going to write a Kenhina, Kurotsuki, Oikage fic that is the question

[freakurodani]

UH-OH!! i have too many projects popping up in my head

[shaisuki]

kageyama crushing on ushijima's fiancee.

ugh. it would be too obvious. tobio couldn't hide the blatant staring when he sees you and wakatoshi's oblivious to it but takes notice on how his kouhai and teammate is spot on when it comes to you.

starting with the photoshoot of a magazine wanting them to be the cover including bokuto and hinata in their national team uniforms. while the two were really adorable with their toothy grins and the infectious smile, it shows cause they have these unique personalities. it also applies to the two volleyball idiots besides them. the smiles were rather forced and creepy..... if you didn't know them personally and that brought you laughter behind the cameras.

your little giggles can be heard. tapping the editor in his back at the photo. shaking his head at the photo and he declares it to be good for a page and would later take another one. he can't really tell those two how to smile naturally and was that smile even natural? he also can't say cause he's too intimidated with them two. ushijima and kageyama isn't really known to smile.

bokuto got called for some urgent pr meeting. leaving hinata, kageyama and your fiance at the photoshoot. the photographer decided that it's best for them three to post and the problem with kageyama and ushijima smiling is the center of his worry. how can they make them look good at the cover and there comes you. calling them behind cameras.

“hey, toshi! tobio! smile!” showing them with your smile from behind the photographer. the two stoic pro-athletes look at you and they melted at the sight of you beaming up a smile at them. their faces relaxed and a smile directed to you is given then followed by a flash from the camera. you can hear the photographer and the editor muttering. something about “good grief” and “finally”. satisfied at the outcome and the smiles of kageyama and ushijima were finally pleasing to them.

the following set ups and the poses were all good that it's natural to see them at ease. their confidence and the air of being the best and strongest player are felt in the picture that even pumping a fist in the air is incredibly praise for being that easy and so when it was time to wrap up. you approach the two. placing a chaste kiss to your fiance's cheek which he returned a kiss to your lips and wrapping his arms around your plush waist possessively.

greeting the setter, kageyama froze as if his body commanded for it to turned stiff when you spoke to him. your voice sending shivers down his spine and he's staring at you intently. studying the movements of your face and he can see the every curve and tick of it.

his cheeks turning red and it was hard to control the blood flowing when you're so close and it didn't help that your soon-to-be husband and his teammate is finding his reaction to be suspicious. “are you okay, kageyama?” ushijima asks him and he's nodding his head off before excusing himself.

the adler's setter closer the door behind him and he sees himself staring at his reflection at the mirror of his dressing room. he imagines that it was you who was there for him not ushijima, not for anyone, just him. he may be an idiot who can't quite grasp at others own feelings but he also feels things that you do to him and he's certain it's not a harmless crush to him anymore.

the matches hurts too. he seeks your presence and when you're near you just knock the breath out of him without you knowing. how could you. you got only eyes for ushijima and the ace also.

would that be same if he was in ushijima's place? basking in your very presence that you couldn't care what the others may think and see and be lost in each other's presence. that it's enough to lift one's spirits and love each other or what it might be.

cause for the first time, kageyama discovered that losing a match isn't the same as yearning for someone who doesn't feel the same.

[suplicyy]

What kind of aesthetic do you think the characters go for? Like what aesthetic would they be attracted to in a partner, purely based on vibes. You can answer this sinply as an ask, or create hcs out of it, completely up to you :-)

Type of "aesthetics" that Haikyuu boys would like in a partner

— Summary: Vibes/aesthetics that the characters would like in a partner, whether due to clothes, personality, tastes, etc.

— Multiple characters!!

— Fluff | Gn!Reader

ᡴꪫ₊˚⊹. 》 He would certainly fall in love instantly with someone very lively, extroverted and playful, someone who shared his same chaotic personality, joining in on his crazy ideas. His ideal type of date would definitely be busier places, such as amusement parks, arcades, festivals, etc.

Someone who wasn't afraid to express themselves in with vibrant colors, even if it makes you the center of attention. The most important thing is that you can wear clothes and accessories that express your personality and lifestyle!

— hinata, nishinoya, inuoka, lev, goshiki, koganegawa, bokuto.

ᡴꪫ₊˚⊹. 》 Someone shyer, cute, almost as if they just came out of a shoujo anime, certainly catches his attention. A person who has a loving personality, and who cares about him, makes his heart skip a beat.

Many of your dates would be something simpler, like a picnic or a day watching movies at home, but these are the moments when you create the sweetest memories. <3

— sugawara, kageyama, kenma, tendou, osamu, aone, oikawa.

ᡴꪫ₊˚⊹. 》 Someone who has a unique style and way of thinking, in a perfect balance between chaos and tranquility. One moment you would perhaps be at a show, and the next you would be walking through the deserted streets at dawn, uncovering the secrets that the dawn hides in the shadows.

A person who was bold, both in personality and in the way of dressing and expressing themselves, but who gave off a strange feeling of comfort.

— iwaizumi, kyoutani, semi, atsumu, suna, kuroo, taketora.

ᡴꪫ₊˚⊹. 》 He are looking for someone who is mature and responsible, and who has a calm personality, but don't forget to remind him every day and in every possible way that you love him. Be it song lyrics, quotes in books, and even drawings, you would always find a new way to make him rosy-cheeked.

Whether in a coffee shop, library or museum, he would always feel calm and comfortable with your presence, because just you being by his side was enough for him.

— asahi, daichi, tsukishima, ushijima, shirabu, kita, akaashi.

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

— A/N: I'm sorry if that wasn't exactly what you wanted, this "aesthetics" thing I don't really understand because it's a very vague concept, so I tried my best to write something that could include everyone who is reading!!

Besides, this is my first time writing in this type of style, so I'm sorry again if it's not good💔 And if a character you like isn't here, you're free to imagine which one of these he would fit into!

[youwerethedefeated]

Oikawa: welcome welcome everyone to the first ever "Fuck Kageyama Tobio" meeting.

Oikawa: I'll start: I hate that he's a prodigy.

Kindaichi: I hate that he's so self-centered.

Kunimi: I hate it when he tells me to "try harder"

Hinata:

Hinata: Ohhhh wait I think I misunderstood

[sixosix]

notes wc 500; just came back from watching the battle of the garbage dump movie and i was so moved that i wrote this in one sitting… literally thats it. which means there will be spoilers!!!!! of who wins lol

You weren’t sure where you exactly stood in Hinata Shoyo’s life.

Friend? Classmate? Acquaintance? None seemed right, yet everything else was too much to describe your relationship with him. You’d been with him when he took a sudden interest in volleyball, starry-eyed by the scarce footage he could secure of the Little Giant. You’d been with him as he couldn’t even bounce back a ball for the life of him, awkwardly toppling to the side from his red arms. You’d been there to tally scores of his matches with Koji and Izumi, cheering him on even when his knees buckled from exhaustion. You had been there, you had been there—what would the point be in stopping after all of that?

“You’re my best friend,” Hinata said one day. It was years ago, back when you stayed behind to help him practice, and he grinned so widely that you couldn’t help but mirror it. But that was long ago—your relationship has changed.

Best friend. That felt much better, but it still wasn’t enough.

Hinata Shoyo was the force in your life that you wish wouldn’t ever stop terrifying you.

As the teams and the crowd dispersed, you watched Hinata stand in the center of the court, panting and dazed, his brain lagging behind. He looked stunned, as if he couldn’t believe what the scoreboard displayed. They won. Hinata’s team won.

“Oi,” Kageyama grunted, shoving his shoulder, then gestured vaguely. “Don’t keep people waiting, dumbass. The match is over.”

He stumbled backward, whipped his head around, and brightened when he caught your gaze.

“Shoyo!” You threw your arms out, a laugh blown out of you as he tackled you square on the chest. “Shoyo, Shoyo—”

He exclaimed your name in the same cadence, smile so unbelievably wide that his eyes were screwed shut. “You came! Auntie told me you wouldn’t be able to make it!”

“This is important to you. Of course I’d come,” you said, affronted that he would even believe otherwise. “I always do.”

“Yeah?” he whispered.

His chest heaved heavily, sweat trickling down his neck, and his eyes were still aflame as if the adrenaline still spiked high, but you had never seen a more beautiful sight.

“Yeah,” you murmured, your gaze flicking between his eyes. His silent and intense gaze made you feel that flutter in your chest that you definitely didn’t want to feel towards your best friend. “Hey, is that Kuroo-san? Should I get his autograph?”

Hinata scrunched his nose at your pathetic attempt at diverting his attention. “What? Why?”

“Bokuto-san’s here, too. Do you think they’d let me?”

Hinata wavered for a moment, casting a glance at his master. “Bokuto-san’s awesome, but I should still be your #1, alright? You came for me.”

You nearly laughed. He was waving a finger in front of your face like he was scolding you, and he looked so serious, too.

“Of course, Shoyo.”

He nodded, pleased and grinning. Then he took you by the hand and zipped through the crowd toward a cheering Bokuto and a solemn Akaashi. Your gaze cut to where your hands were intertwined. Even after a victory, he was indulging in your dumb excuses, grinning at you from time to time, and let you witness this supernova of a man.

The fact that it was your hand he held first after one of the most important matches in his life made you understand where you stood in Hinata Shoyo’s life. You were special to him just as much as he was to you.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Mental Illness in Anime

I saw someone say Komi Can't Communicate is the only anime they've ever seen that talks about mental illness and that's kinda sad, so for you to not end in the same boat, I've decided to put together an overview of mental illness in anime, what I'd recommend, what comes with caveats, and so on.

It's a little nebulous what "talks about mental illness" means as lots of anime depict characters who are very obviously depressed, traumatized and even suicidal (suicide will be mentioned a lot in this list, so watch out for that), but don't directly name mental illness. It is very stigmatized in Japan, even moreso than many other countries, you don't see much talk about therapy and so on.

However, naturally there are many Japanese people who are mental health advocates, and I found an interview with Makoto Kageyama, a mental health awareness advocate who volunteered at Aokigahara forest. He points out anime he feels deal with mental illness. One we'll cover fully, many of them I haven't watched:

I think the most accurate and positive portrayals I got were actually from Kiriyama Rei (March Comes in Like a Lion), Naruse Jun (The Anthem of the Heart), Miyamura Miyako (ef: A Tale of Memories), Takeya Yuki (School-Live!) and Smile (Ping Pong: The Animation)

I'm super open to suggestions for additions, and might be adding them as reblogs and under the cut.

I'll also be making a post on mental illness in manga if this post does well, which I will link here when I post it.

So I'll start:

Anime that directly discusses mental illness:

March Comes in Like a Lion- not only is the main character one of the most accurate depictions of depression I've ever seen, it's the rare anime that actually talks about counseling, showing a traumatized character attending counseling and slowly getting back on her feet.

Orange--it...certainly is about mental illness, but it's a pretty mixed/problematic one because it seems to be confused by how mental illness works at times. It centers around a character who's suicidally depressed and his friend's efforts to save him after receiving a time travel message about his future suicide. It also does mention offhand that this character was supposed to go to therapy and is skipping out at one point. But yeah, how it handles it is...not always great. It kind of gives an impression that if you try hard enough you can "fix" someone's suicidal depression. With friendship. I guess. You have been warned.

I haven't watched it in a really long time, so it might even be worse than I remember. But I'm including it bc I definitely cried and felt parts of it were very relatable when I saw it way back when. so there's some resonant stuff there.

Monster: Kind of mixed, but it's definitely notable as an anime that not only has a psychiatrist as a major character, but also shows prominent characters going to therapy and getting better. Characters go to him for alcoholism, depression, PTSD (PTSD is not named but yeah it's definitely PTSD). At one point he helps a main character recover some repressed traumatic memories.

What makes it mixed is that while several heroes definitely are mentally ill in some way, the (complex) antagonist of the series also has some sort of mental health condition , and the story is often weirdly muddled about it. At one point they make it out like he has Dissociative Identity Disorder (calling it "split personality") but then he never shows any symptoms of that and it's kind of dropped and not bought up again. He does definitely have repressed traumatic memories though, so maybe that's all they were getting at but said it very badly.

A heroic character that actually seems to have Dissociative Identity Disorder and YMMV in how it's handled and how accurate it is. It's a "the other personality is violent" one, but rather than the other personality being evil, it's. a defense mechanism, and the violence is always in self defense or defense of others..

Sort of names the problem:

My New Boss is Goofy: One of the main characters is recovering from an abusive boss, and definitely has anxiety attacks and flashbacks as a result. This is directly named as "trauma" (though much like in the West where the loan word came from, anime characters use the words to refer to minor things that aren't mental illness too. But in this case it's treated very seriously). At any rate, the entire anime is about others helping the MC slowly recover with his new boss and friends showing immense compassion for his anxiety and other problems. Here's a good article going into it!

Anime that focuses on social anxiety:

I think what stands out about Komi is that it directly says she has a communication disorder, but tons of anime focus on characters with social anxiety, and even state what the problem is directly.

Bocchi the Rock- The girl with the social anxiety is the main character and not the bland self insert guy who has a crush on her?, amazing. it lets her be a mess too? whaaat. Yeah, Bocchi does say directly she has severe social anxiety, and the series is very relatable in how it explores that. There are a lot of gags about it, but in a knowing, sympathetic way. Her recovery is realistically slow, and sometimes she backslides. She talks directly about her social anxiety, using the term.

Tsuritama: MC's social anxiety is so bad he can have panic attacks when people talk to him...the attacks are also represented in this really interesting way where they have water come in to drown him.

My Roommate is a Cat: Man dealing with social anxiety slowly recovers with the help of his cat. It's cute. Here's an article going into it!

Anime that don't namedrop mental illness directly, but really resonates:

Natsume's Book of Friends: I wrote an entire article about how relatable it is to me and my mental illness, how it uses the characters seeing yokai as metaphor for mental ilness at times (Natsume was textually mistreated by so-called guardians who thought he "wasn't right in the head" and his grandmother was often called that too) but also Natsume shows a lot of textual symptoms of trauma (possibly PTSD), depression and so on, and they're explored very poignantly. Here is my article: “The Courage to Speak”: Mental illness and recovery in Natsume’s Book of Friends

Revolutionary Girl Utena: Probably one of the most poignant explorations of what it means to be depressed and traumatized as a teenage girl. Several moments with Utena herself resonate, starting with when she was a child and declares she doesn't want to go on living, Anthy is also...dealing with a lot, and it's powerful how the show goes into it.

Neon Genesis Evangelion-- Many characters in it show symptoms of mental illness. Though it isn't named as depression directly (i think?), but Shinji shows every symptom you can think of, and the director Anno has said that he was extremely depressed while making it and channeled a lot of that into the characters, and we definitely see his mental journey for the better very strongly reflected in the reboot.

Kyousougiga: One of the main characters is suicidally depressed (this one is graphic, because he commits suicide on screen...only it turns out he can't die), and his journey towards becoming okay with living is a focus and was very resonant to me.

She and Her Cat: A short anime about a girl who definitely has depression and how her cat helps her. Rather simplistic ending but it's good otherwise. CW animal death too, but in a very gentle way.

Haibane Renmei: It deals with suicidal depression and other mental health struggles in a pretty intense way, it's touching, but if you have triggers consider looking into it.

Fruits Basket: Truly a cocktail of mental illnesses among the cast. YMMV on how it's handled but some parts really resonate. These articles go into it:

The Always Smiling Girl: How Tohru critiques toxic positivity

“A Man Who Can Experience His Feelings”: Fruits Basket, toxic masculinity, and mental health

Colorful: This is a submission from Nickyenchilada from the notes of this post: "I would also recommend the movie/novel Colorful. I think YMMV on how it handles the central issue of suicide but I think it does portray how even kids can be thrust into very complex situations without necessary outlets for coping with them."

Vinland Saga: This was an addition I got from a discord conversation, the entire second season explore the main character's PTSD

Yuri on Ice- A conversation on discord reminded me that a lot of people read Yuri as having an anxiety disorder, which I can totally see!

A Silent Voice- a submission from @boku-no-anime-phase who says: "I think it deserves its own shout out! This movie is nuanced, gentle, beautifully told and brimming with hope. I love the fact that just like in real life, things don't resolve particularly easily; but the characters make important progress that's rewarding to watch. TW for suicide discussion, ideation and attempt".

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai - From boku-no-anime-phase who says: "YMMV but there's an arc that deals with bullying and memory loss where a character who deals with those things is supported and encouraged through it".

My Happy Marriage - From boku-no-anime-phase who says: "also YMMV but I think there were some lovely moments in this where you can see Miyo beginning to heal from her trauma and abuse, and learn to trust."

Anime Feminist has a whole host of articles on mental health in anime and they're all here. It covers a lot of different anime I don't know about or didn't mention and offers a lot of cool perspectives, so check 'em out! Here's a few that stuck out to me:

Finding Inner Magic: Depression in The Ancient Magus’ Bride

(I don't like this anime's narrative due to the issue with the ending pointed out in this article, but it did have resonant moments of exploring depression).

How Clean Freak! Aoyama-kun compassionately handles mental illness

The Sound of Depression: Liminal spaces, sound design, and Super Cub

From Yandere Girlfriends to Social Anxiety: Handling mental illness in The Future Diary and A Silent Voice

Footnote on Hikikomori in anime:

Any anime that focuses on Hikikomori characters are dealing with characters that are mentally ill, as being so depressed/traumatized/agoraphobic/anxious you can't even leave your room or house is obviously not mentally healthy. But what really matters is how that’s handled and if these issues are explained, as Makoto Kageyama notes:

Usually, the most common issues I’ve seen covered is the “hikikomori phenomena” and light eating disorders. Basically, a bullied character that becomes a recluse out of social anxiety, but… The characters don’t usually get shown correctly, since their issues are not explained properly and basically it ends up with a “Hey, see? People are not that bad, we are your friends!” and “Yay, I have friends, I am cured and I can trust others again!” Which is not the case, because real hikikomori can take a lot of talk and patience to get them out and when they get back to normal society (if they do), they become very wary of others. And ironically, “hikikomori” has also been used as a “moe trait” in anime even though it’s a mental health issue.

One I saw a lot of people namedrop as handling it well when I googled around was Welcome to the NHK, though I haven't seen it. But, if you look at Nickyenchilada's take in the comments to this post, it's mentioned as being resonant and it's noted that the recovery is not an easy fix, and it's also noted that several characters in the story are mentally ill.

Bonus list:

Neurodiversity in Anime- (that don't namedrop mental illness directly, but really resonate)

I initially didn't include a neurodiversity section in this post because I honestly could not think of any anime that directly talks about neurodiversity or has a textually neurodivergent character.

(However, there are manga that actually do! I pointed some out in my Mental Illness and Neurodiversity in Manga post I did to complement this one!)

You can also read some articles about neurodiversity in anime here

And the list of characters that can simply be read as neurodivergent is huge, and if I tried to list every popular read it would be endless, plus I don't feel comfortable "diagnosing" any characters with developmental disorders I don't personally have. However, I am willing to take suggestions from others on this one, so here are a few!

Mob Psycho 100 - submitted by boku-no-anime-phase, who says " Mob is autistic and I will die on this hill; the trouble he has with fitting in, relating to others and knowing the right things to do imo stems directly from that."

Princess Jellyfish - submitted by boku-no-anime-phase, who says "I'd be willing to bet that all the women who live in that apartment are neurodivergent. They all have their special interests and they live together in mutual neurodivergent infodumping bliss and it's wonderful. (Unrelated but TW for sexual assault and some transphobia)"

Chihayafuru- submission by @noisepartythumpingmusic who says "It's never noted explicitly, but I firmly believe the main character of Chihayafuru has ADHD, which is perfect for a main character of a sports" josei. As someone who does have ADHD, I personally can totally see that read of Chihaya (the main character)!

Anti-recommendations (as in seems potentially resonant but then drop the ball hard, because if I listed all the anime that's blatantly gross about mental illness from the second the subject comes up we'd be here all day) (Dead Dove Do Not Eat)

Wonder Egg Priority: Starts out like it's going to be a nuanced exploration of recovering from abuse, suicidal depression, and so on, only to end up incredibly stupid and offensive. The writer also believes some stupid and misogynist things about "reasons" girls commit suicide. This article goes into it a little.

Your Lie In April: Depiction of depression and trauma is completely undermined by how all the characters tell the MC he needs to get over it because his talent for piano is more important, and the clumsy, gross take on forgiving your abuser, and so many other things. This article goes into it.

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And that's it for now! Again. I might be updating this with new stuff based on feedback or me remembering something I missed, through both updates and adding stuff under the cut.

[wokeleftistmob]

[ID: A graphic with Mob on one side and Sunny on the other. They are separated by a diagonal line with the word "VS" over it. End ID]

Round 2