Best Anime That Explore Social Anxiety

Key Takeaways

• Some anime provide impactful depictions of social anxiety through memorable stories and relatable characters.
• Select series like My Roommate is a Cat and Hitori Bocchi explore social anxiety with hopefulness and a touch of comedy.
• Shows like March Comes in Like a Lion and A Silent Voice delve deep into anxiety and depression with uncomfortable but beautiful storytelling.

A great feature of anime is that it allows storytellers to talk about any topic, and the vehicle of animation means that there is a clarity and flow to it that can make it even more impactful.

Social anxiety is a phenomenon that has only increased in the world in recent times, and it is a topic that has had its fair share of depictions in media. Anime is another medium that has delved deeply into social anxiety, and there are some really great examples available for viewers to choose from. Here are some of the best anime that explore social anxiety.

10 My Roommate Is A Cat

A Struggling Author Gets Some Furry Help

Subaru is an introverted author who struggles with social anxiety. However, things worsened when he lost his doting parents in a car crash, meaning that he was not only a shut-in, but he was also alone and had no one to commune with.

He incidentally finds a stray cat named Haru and adopts her. Slowly, the two come to understand each other. Because of Haru, Subaru starts to open himself up slowly to others, and they in turn show him kindness. The topic of social anxiety is prominent in My Roommate is a Cat, and it isn’t trivialized in any way. My Roommate Is A Cat might have a somewhat heavy premise, but it is a very wholesome watch.

9 Hitori Bocchi’s OO Lifestyle

Hitori Bocchi Wants To Be Friends With Everyone

Social anxiety can be very difficult to overcome, and in a lot of cases, the sufferers continue to suffer with no way to counteract their anxiety. Hitori Bocchi is a lot more hopeful in tone, as it was adapted from a 4-koma manga, which are usually played for gags. Bocchi has crippling social anxiety but also has a goal to become friends with everyone in her class at her new school.

There are a lot of gags, and her social anxiety does get involved in them, but the anime never goes overboard. As a character, Bocchi is lovely, and the dynamic she starts to form with her new classmates and eventually friends makes for a very hopeful tone.

8 Kimi Ni Todoke: From Me to You

A Little Support Can Go A Long Way

Social anxiety, at its heart, is an issue with communication. The difficulty of not being able to understand people around and vice versa. This is where a story like From Me to You really settles. The show, which follows the growth of Sawako Kuronuma, is quite popular, having three animated seasons and even a live-action adaptation.

The story shows that if a person can just take a step forward, good things can come from it. Sawako, who is a socially awkward but kind soul, is able to befriend two of her classmates, who start to support her. Predominantly a romance anime, Sawako must start to find ways to overcome the barriers that her trouble with communicating can cause, especially when her hopes of being close to her crush are on the line.

7 Odd Taxi

A True Hidden Gem That Offers A Unique Look At Anxiety

2021’s Odd Taxi was truly an anime gem that not many came to appreciate until later. It featured, like Beastars, anthropomorphic animals and followed a mystery involving a missing girl.

The social anxiety in Odd Taxi is not necessarily shoved in the face of the viewer, and without delving into spoilers, some may start to appreciate the social anxiety that characters have to deal with, especially the protagonist, Odokawa. The central mystery really draws the viewer in, and once a watcher is hooked, the story doesn’t let go.

6 WataMote: No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!

A Very Uncomfortable Watch

Watamote is not for everyone; it can get pretty hard to watch. Some call it cringe, while others might say that it’s painfully honest. Watamote is about Tomoko, an unpopular girl who wants become popular at her new high school, but with her extreme awkwardness, it’s never easy for her.

The problem that some might have with Watamote is how mean it can be to its protagonist. A shy girl, who is perhaps a little naive when it comes to social interactions, gets brutally examined in this show, and her lack of self awareness does not help her cause much.

5 March Comes In Like A Lion

An Uncomfortable Look Into Anxiety And Depression

March Comes in Like a Lion is a story that focuses on a shogi prodigy, Rei Kiriyama, who lost his entire family in an accident and also had to move out of his foster home due to it being an unsuitable environment for one so young and precocious.

The story lets viewers see the inner workings of Kiriyama as he struggles with loss, a potential career, and the kindness shown to him by the Kawamoto sisters. With their help, Kiriyama starts to grapple with the big issues in his life. Kiriyama’s struggle with anxiety and depression are studied without making it too overwhelming. March Comes in Like a Lion can get uncomfortable, but in that discomfort, it displays true beauty.

4 Neon Genesis Evangelion

Documents Shinji’s Struggle To Connect

Neon Genesis Evangelion is not the first anime that comes to the mind when thinking of social anxiety. The loud noises, mechs, and global calamity within the show can distract from what is, in truth, a very personal story.

Shinji Ikari’s struggle in Evangelion is one of connection. As someone who has been more or less abandoned by his father and with his mother dead, Shinji suffers from a fear of truly getting to know people. The controversial ending to the show further delves into this idea, and it is no secret that the director Hideaki Anno battled with depression, with it being a major influence on this work.

3 Bocchi The Rock!

The Sleeper Hit Of 2022

Bocchi The Rock! wasn’t really on anyone’s radar when it released in 2022, but it soon became a global hit as fans fell in love with the great music, relatable characters, and most especially, Bocchi herself.

Bocchi’s story is similar to most other anime that tackle social anxiety; it revolves around looking for connection, struggling with social anxiety, and so on. Bocchi showcases the almost extreme extent of social anxiety. It can feel like Bocchi’s anxiety is played for laughs sometimes, but it never feels mean. Bocchi The Rock! also features some really good music, and it’s so good that the anime’s band performs for real now.

2 A Silent Voice

The Difficulty Of Redemption

A Silent Voice was released in 2016. It’s a beautiful movie that follows Shouya Ishida, a young highschooler who is trying to redeem himself from his dark past as a bully. The movie questions the idea of redemption, if it is even possible, and if people can successfully move on from their pasts to become better people.

Within this, it also touches on the issue of social anxiety on both the part of Shouya and the girl he bullied, Shouko. Shouko, who is deaf, struggles with her disability and how it makes others around her feel, while Shouya has shut himself from the world, afraid to even peer through his metal-walled silo.

1 Welcome To The NHK

Satou’s Fight With Anxiety Feels All Too Real

Welcome to the NHK was released in 2006 and is about Tatsuhiro Satou, a college dropout who holds tightly to the conspiracy that the NHK (Niho Hikikomori Kyokai) is behind his crippling inability to connect with society. All this is about to change, however, when he meets the mysterious Misaki.

Through the eyes of Saitou, viewers can come to understand his anxiety. There are those who care for him, but it is difficult for Saitou to connect with them. Welcome to the NHK has a very realistic view on things, and a lot of the optimism that sometimes accompanies stories like this is nowhere to be found here. Saitou struggles, and the viewers are forced to watch him fight to keep his head above water while somehow being unable to take the help being offered to him. Welcome to the NHK might seem grim, but it does feature a fun cast and still holds up pretty well almost 20 years later.