Every summer feels the same, as you go through both new and repeating events. Although it may all be fun, happy, and entertaining for a short while, the summer wouldn’t be as memorable. Therefore, you should make a change this summer and start staying up for hours reading and watching angsty shows, novels, manga, and even more!

“Alien Stage”

Despite the plot of “Alien Stage” only being shown in multiple short 3-6 minute videos, it will absolutely break your heart. In a world taken over by aliens, friends, and foes are forced to compete in a singing competition. Whichever person gets the least amount of votes dies; after all, humans are only puny creatures used for entertainment. Every emotion and action is perfectly depicted by the animators and the emotional singing is just one more factor that adds to the devastating storyline of Alien Stage. Being able to recognize all the symbolism hidden in the art just makes the whole depressing experience even better!

“NANA”

Both the manga and anime for Nana are equally as amazing and as heartbreaking as the other. Nana is about two girls both named Nana. Nana “Hachi” Komatsu leaves her hometown in Tokyo, in hopes of a fresh start in life. Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, plans to get big in the rock’n’roll industry. Even though the two come from very different backgrounds, they quickly become best friends. This story will make you want to punch the screen because the author is just so good at making you annoyed and teary. Even though there are so many toxic relationships that make you want to give the characters a big, warm hug, it is one of the most well-written manga and directed anime.

“When Sato-kun died”

At first, “When Sato-kun Died” may seem like a Heartwarming manga…but it isn’t at all! The popular guy at school who used to light up the whole room got into an accident and came back as a cold and lifeless zombie. He would still do everything he typically does when he is a human, but the only difference is that he stays silent with no life in his eyes. While everyone is indifferent to him and tries their best to ignore him, our main character, Hozumi somehow grows a bond with him. Despite the author giving many hints towards the ending of the story, it still didn’t help relieve any of the pain.

“Home Far Away”

“Home Far Away” is a comforting, sad story that you just can’t help but reread so many times. The manga surrounds 2 characters, Alan and Hayden. Alan feels confined and trapped in a place with no comfort, neither his own home nor the church will be able to fully accept him for who he truly is. Hayden, on the other hand, is a traveling, free-spirited cook. The two encounter each other and happen to equally find solace in each other. In a span of just a few chapters, the two go through so many journeys together, but their story has to close at one point. Despite the manga being only 6 chapters long, their story is just painstakingly beautiful and heartbreaking.

“The Summer Hikaru Died”

Yoyo Cao (9) shares, “If you like stories similar to sad, depressing, and angst mangas you should definitely read ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’. It surrounds a boy, Hikaru, who died, and a spirit that took over his body. He becomes a vessel for the evil spirit yet still retains the same personality and emotions as Hikaru. The spirit acts and does everything Hikaru typically does, yet his own best friend has an intuition that the current Hikaru isn’t the one that he knew before.” This manga is drawn and written to perfection. The emotions shown on the characters’ faces perfectly depict how they truly feel and every panel just strikes emotions to the readers.

Mo Xiang Tong Xiu Novels

Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, also known as “MXTX”, is a Chinese author known for writing danmei novels! Beneath all the cute art and fun characters, there are absolutely devastating plots for all of her novels. Whether the novel takes place in the past or present, all of MXTX’s novels are bound to make you shed a few tears. Many of her works come in the form of shows or manhuas, but reading the novels just makes the experience so much better. Her way of writing and the details put into her works are unmatched.

One of her lighter, not-too-sad novels is “Scumbag Self Saving System.” It’s centered around Shen Yuan, who died choking on a bao and got transported into the novel that he loved giving bad reviews for. Shen Yuan has to survive in the body of the scum villain who was destined to die at the hands of his own disciple. This may seem like your typical “I got transported into another world” novel, but it’s so much more. After all, it’ll have you bawling your eyes out one moment and bursting out with laughter in another!

“The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation” will make you question who really is the villain that caused all the problems that occurred during the story. Half of the book takes place in the past and the other in the present: both are equally as devastating. The story begins thirteen years after the death of Wei Wuxian, a demonic cultivator who had turned his back on society and was deemed to be the cause of all the chaos. He got resurrected by another through a self-sacrificial ritual and even after so many years of enduring all the scheming, fighting, and accusations in the past, absolutely nothing changed when he was resurrected in the present.

“Tian Guan Ci Fu”, or “Heaven Official’s Blessing”, is considerably one of the most well-known books of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. This story narrates the life experiences of a disgraced god, Xie Lian. He once had a successful life and future ahead of him as the crown prince of Xianle, but all of his glory was destroyed by the plans of one man. After 800 years, he seems to get his life somewhat collected, even as a ridiculed god, but then his past traumas strike back again. Although the story doesn’t seem too depressing at the start, it starts to get worse and worse and the plot thickens. Broken relationships and betrayals are just the small gist of the storyline.

“Little Mushroom”

The way the author of “Little Mushroom” describes every scene is like no other. The story surrounds a little mushroom, who happens to get his only life’s mission, to raise a spore, taken away from him. His spore got robbed and he consensually took over a dying human’s body. The first chapter will have you in tears over how devastating the death of a character you’ve only known for minutes is. Yi Shi Si Zhou just has a way with words. All the characters in the novel are so well-built, each with their own unique personalities and visuals. Be careful though, don’t get too attached because half of them end up dying in seconds! Even though the story will make you bawl your eyes out, it does have a happy ending!

“Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint”

Like many stories, “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint,” is humorous at the start. Thus, you would assume it stays the way throughout the whole story and nothing bad could ever happen. WRONG! Similar to many other web novels, “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint” has a manhwa adaptation, but trust me, the novel is so much better. The story starts off with Kim Dokja casually reading his favorite web novel of over a decade, “Three Ways to Survive a Ruined World,” while riding a train home from work. Everyone else considered the web novel to be absolutely horrendous, so Dokja was the sole reader. As he finishes the final chapter of the story, the author gifts him the privilege of experiencing the novel himself… and with everyone else on Earth too! Kim Dokja is such a well-written character that you just can’t help but adore. Even after knowing that he will always come back alive after self-sacrificing himself for the sake of others too many times to count, you can’t help but get teary every time.