Pop Culture

Transformers: The Movie traumatized a generation of young viewers raised on the animated weekday adventures of the robots in disguise. Kids accustomed to the consequence-free rivalry between the Autobots and the Decepticons suddenly were confronted with the big-screen slaughter of Optimus Prime and his allies. For many, the 1986 film served as a gateway to more mature content found in the mainstream anime that had migrated from Japan to the United States. However, the emotional gut-punch of the death of Optimus Prime pales in comparison to some of the saddest anime.RELATED: Inspirational Anime Characters That Are Absolutely Perfect for Each OtherHere are just some of the most profoundly devastating anime in the history of the medium. Robotech to the Emotional Depths of Sad AnimeRoy Fokker in RobotechA year before the release of Transformers: The Movie, fighter pilot Roy Fokker died a heroic death in Robotech, the anime series created for U.S. release by stitching together five Japanese shows.RELATED: 120 of the Best Anime Quotes of All TimeHowever, Roy was a supporting character. And, although his loss in the episode "Farewell, Big Brother," was more visceral, it was also less resonant. Robotech nevertheless established for its young audience that anime took greater risks than American animated series, which at the time were largely used to market toys. Lynn Minmei was introduced as protagonist Rick Hunter's love interest. However, despite how much the series devotes to their implicit courtship, the two are not destined to be together. The space opera is encased in layers of uncertainty, eschewing convention with rigid discipline, resulting in greater nuance and unexpected emotional reactions. In the tradition of the best, and saddest, anime, Robotech invited viewers into the minds of its characters by incorporating inner-dialogue into the narrative. The series never flinched in its depictions of war, and often framed its pursuit in allegorical terms full of dissident iconoclasts and a duty-sworn military apparatus. The potential loss of civilization loomed large in Robotech, at a time when nuclear destruction was a very real fear.Berserk Featured the Most Heartrending Betrayal in AnimeBerserkToday, Berserk exists in multiple iterations, all based on Kentaro Miura's renowned dark-fantasy manga. Debuting in 1997, the original anime consisted of 25 episodes, 23 of which followed the exploits of mercenaries known as the Band of the Hawk. The main character, Guts, was a sword for hire who drifted from one battle to the next, devoid of any nurtured aspirations. The band's leader, Griffith, eventually evaluates Guts' battle prowess, and he's brought into their service. This somewhat-involuntary initiation resolves over the course of their collaboration into true respect and friendship. After many decisive victories, the Band acquits itself as a significant force in the regional political landscape. Guided by the tactical brilliance of Griffith's second-in-command, Casca, the Band is loyal to their leader -- to the point of zealotry. However, Griffith's ambitions and momentary lapse of judgment brand them as outlaws, which results in his capture and subsequent torture. Griffith is little more than a tongueless husk when the Band rescues him a year later. Still, the mercenaries swear to fight in his name, and protect him with their lives.RELATED: 15 Amazing Female Anime Characters and What Your Favorite Says About YouA quartet of powerful demons selects Griffith to become its fifth member, but only if he sacrifices his loved ones. He not only accepts their offer, he also assaults Casca while Guts is forced to watch. Guts loses an eye and a forearm in the struggle but is unable to stop his former leader. The series ends with Guts vowing revenge and setting off into the wild to exact his penance. As brutal as the dismemberment of the Band of the Hawk is, Casca's assault is stomach-churning. Guts saved Griffith from unending torment only moments earlier. And now he's repaid for his loyalty with unspeakable atrocities. The shift takes place over the final two episodes, and nothing in Berserk to that point suggested that Griffith was capable of such treachery. Granted, Griffith always made clear he would let nothing stand in the way of his desires. But this evil moment is beyond anything the audience was prepared for. It remains one of the most reprehensible acts in fiction. Basilisk Is Romeo & Juliet Meets Hunger Games, Only SadderBasiliskA centuries-long feud between two ninja clans, the Iga and the Kouga, ends in Basilisk only after they're forced into an uneasy truce beneath the shogun's banner. But when a succession dispute ignites between his two grandsons, the old shogun tries to impose stability by arbitrarily assigning a clan to each of them. The last clan standing will determine who seizes the mantle of leadership. RELATED: These Disney “Failures” Prove Your Idea of Success May Be WrongGennosuke and Oboro, the chiefs of the Iga and Kouga, respectively, are engaged to one another. Their connection represents hope that centuries of animosity can be set aside. However, the competition between 10 of the best ninja from each family goes on without their knowledge. That is, until the mounting body count becomes impossible to ignore. Once Gennosuke and Oboro become aware, they must go along with the contest, or else risk the futures of their clans.Basilisk unveils its merciless format in the first episode as, one by one, each of the primary characters is slaughtered in combat. Finally, only Gennsuke and Oboro remain. In honor of their love for one another, they refuse to fight. However, Oboro won't doom what remains of her clan. She turns her blade on herself to spare Gennsuke from making a similar decision. He, in turn, commits suicide so might reunite with his true love, in a realm far from war. Fullmetal Alchemist Is the Saddest Family Drama of All TimeFullmetal AlchemistEdward and Alphonse Elric are two brothers who lose their mother to illness. In the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, alchemy is an established scientific discipline with concrete rules that revolve around the principle of equivalent exchange. This maxim is both a narrative engine and a thematic cornerstone of the series. The two young prodigies use their academic understanding to attempt a forbidden rite, human transmutation, in an effort to resurrect their mother. RELATED: Walt Disney’s Life Story: A Mouse, Eternal Life, and a Stolen RabbitThe botched experiment consumes Alphonse's body, as well as Edward's left leg. Edward sacrifices his right arm in the process, to attach his brother's soul to an empty suit of armor. Edward is so guilt-stricken that he spends the rest of the series attempting to recover Alphonse's lost body. Sacrifice, and the power it represents, are central to Fullmetal Alchemist's themes. Children are abandoned in pursuit of technological advancement, and genocide is a tool of indigenous vengeance. Every action is balanced by counterweight of repercussions that ripple throughout the series. The Elric brothers find a measure of redemption and healing through their good works and passionate pursuit of the truth. Grave of the Fireflies May Be the Saddest Movie of All TimeGrave of the FirefliesUnlike the other entries on this list of saddest anime, Grave of the Fireflies is a film instead of a series. Nevertheless, it crafts more heartache in its 89 minutes than all of the other titles combined. The movie is based on the childhood of Akiyuki Nosaka, an artist and politician who lived through World War II. His short story of the same name inspired the cinematic adaptation, written and directed by Isao Takahata, with some notable distinctions. RELATED: 20 Sad Movies on Netflix That Make You Appreciate What You HaveGrave of the Fireflies begins with the narrator, a boy named Seita, describing the date of his death. The audience watches his emaciated form, leaning on a pillar of a railway platform. The entire film is a flashback to how he wound up alone and discarded in a train station during the final days of the war. With his father serving in the Japan's navy, Seita must care for his ailing mother and 4-year-old sister, Setsuko. His mother then dies in an air raid, ieaving Seita to watch after his sister. They travel to the home of their aunt, who's resentful of their presence and objectively cruel. Seita discovers a pair of man-made caves nearby, and convinces himself he can provide Setsuko with everything she needs. The two children set out for an adventure that reveals itself to be an exercise in misplaced hubris. Setsuko's bright energy is animated with all of the authenticity and innocence inherent to a toddler. Grave of the Fireflies never blinks as it examines her dimming buoyancy under the rigors of starvation. Seita is willing to do anything to keep his sister alive, but neither his thieving from local farmers nor the burglary of their neighbors during frequent aerial bombings is enough to support them. Sestuko's subsequent death is all the more tragic because it's wholly unavoidable. They spend their nights in laughter among the fireflies. However, Seita never confronts the hard truth: He could have gone back to his aunt's home at any time. The children's decay is marked by triumphs among hardships, and an incredible devotion shared in their suffering. Watching them succumb to the quiet horrors of war is more shocking than the whistling bombs that serve as the dirge of their short lives. KEEP READING: Why Prey Did Not Kill [REDACTED] - and How That Subverts a Traumatic Trope

Netflix has been on a reality-show kick, and viewers have been loving the streaming giant's original series. There's no shortage of bingeable competition series, but one of the most successful to date is The Circle. It's a game of popularity in which contestants put their social media skills to the test in order to win money at the end.RELATED: How True Is Netflix’s Monster to the Real Jeffrey Dahmer Story?There are plenty of interesting twists in The Circle to catch a player off-guard, and lead to their departure. However, what really keeps players in the game are their connections. So, let’s talk about past seasons of The Circle, which approaches seemed to work best, and what we can learn from the premise of this Netflix reality show.How Do You Play Netflix’s The Circle?The Circle is a social-media competition where your ranking among others determines the future of your stay there. Upon entering, you’re set up in an isolated apartment with voice-recognized screens around the house. You can choose to come in as yourself, or as a catfish, using another identity.RELATED: Netflix’s ‘How to Change Your Mind’ Says Drugs Are the Answer – Are They Right?Every season there are numerous catfish who come in for different reasons. Some men who come in as women have claimed it’s because women are more trustworthy and can make deeper connections faster. However, some women who come in as men believe playing the flirting angle will be their saving grace. There are also some players who choose to go as someone else because they don’t believe they could otherwise become well-liked enough to win. That sheds some light on some deeper issues caused by social media. The purpose of the game is to form meaningful connections. Whether those are strategic or genuine friendships is up to players. But the connections are your ticket to the finale. There are rankings that determine your status moving forward, until the next one. The two highest-ranked players then become influencers, and ultimately decide who’s going home. These rankings can be completed genuinely in regard to who you like the most and least, but they can also be used as sabotage.The purpose of The Circle is to be liked, an ode to a sad social-media truth in our real lives. But the question remains regarding which strategy worked best in the past. Let’s look at the winners, and what they’ve done to secure their win -- and the cash.The Winners of The CircleSeason 1 is arguably still the best, as the players had no idea what the game would become, and which strategies were available. Joey Sasso was in the first batch of players, and he was the last man standing. He walked into the finale with only one catfish and four other individuals who also played as themselves. Sasso’s strategy from the start was to not have one at all, and that worked for him excellently. It could be debated that he's the most well-received player on The Circle so far. His unwavering loyalty to his connections was admirable and ultimately is what led to his victory.Season 2’s winner was Deleesa St. Agathe, who catfished as her husband Trevor. Unlike the previous season, St. Agathe wasn’t the only catfish in the finale, but rather one of three. This season featured Chloe Veitch, who was previously on Netflix’s Too Hot To Handle. She was a fan favorite on both shows. However, St. Agathe’s win was well-deserved, as few suspected she wasn’t who she said she was. She had a fake relationship with Veitch throughout their journey on The Circle, clearly taking the flirting route. While she may have been strategic in her means to an end, St. Agathe still found lasting friendships. Her win proves that not everyone is who they say they are online, and it’s up to us to decipher if what we see is real. Once again, that brings up a more dangerous side of social media that we sometimes fail to remember.RELATED: Netflix at 25: How Streaming Changed the Way We Have Sex, Fall in Love & Live Our LivesThe third season, quite frankly, feels like a fever dream. There were many more unexpected surprises that kept viewers on our toes, including a player having two profiles at one point. The finale included two catfish, but James Andre Jefferson Jr. chose to play as himself, and took home the money. He came into The Circle thinking with his head, but he acted with guidance from his heart. That's what allowed him to move up in the rankings so quickly. Jefferson was one of the later entries, but still managed to make enough connections to sustain him through his short stay.Season 4 was released this year, in May 2022. Its finale was interesting, as the only catfish present was Trevor St. Agathe. This name might ring a bell, because his wife, Deleesa St. Agathe, won Season 2 using his identity. St. Agathe joined the game in the later stages, and entered as his wife’s friend, Imani. The season's winner, Frank Grimsley, wasn't a surprise. He came into The Circle with every intention of being his authentic self, and that’s exactly what propelled him to the very end. He was well-loved for being open, transparent and supportive. It was his ability to forge friendships that gave him an edge.What We Can Learn From Netflix’s The CircleAfter dissecting the winners of Netflix's The Circle, it’s safe to say that, in general, friendship over strategy seems to win. It’s clear that people can sense authenticity, even through a screen – for the most part, that is. The show may be a game of popularity, but there’s an underlying theme that rings true in our real-life social media experience.RELATED: You Might Turn into Netflix’s Most Toxic ‘Never Have I Ever’ Character – Unless You Make One Big ChangeMuch of what we see online isn’t what we think. Friendships are exaggerated, faces and bodies are altered, and the lives portrayed are edited intentionally to be unrealistic. While we’d like to believe everyone we encounter online is genuine, that’s just not the case. Social media can be dangerous in that it can lead to insecurity about our own lives and appearances. It can even be more dangerous when we think of real catfish, and how they sometimes target naïve and vulnerable individuals. They gain trust, just like we saw in The Circle. However, unlike on the Netflix show, we can’t perform background checks and filter out the predators in real life. It's an ongoing issue that parents continue to face with their children.As a whole, Netflix's The Circle is entertaining, and has shown that true friendships can be formed anywhere, even online. But it also brings our attention to how easy it is to take the form of someone else, and infiltrate someone’s circle. This show is a lesson to use social media in the way it's intended. Make connections, but also be vigilant in our online endeavors. Lastly, it teaches that being our true selves on social media is a lot more effective and satisfying than pretending to be someone we're not.KEEP READING: These Celebrities Have a ‘Weird’ Approach to Social Media – And It Might Save Your Life

Gabby Petito’s disappearance and death in 2021 generated more public interest than perhaps any other missing-persons case in recent memory. So much so that, scarcely a year after Gabby's killing, Lifetime is releasing The Gabby Petito Story, a TV movie based on the crime.RELATED: The Wife Swap Murders: The Tragedy at Stockdale Farm, ExplainedWhat is it about Gabby Petito's case that captured so much attention? Thousands of people go missing every year in the United States. So, why did the disappearance and death of this 22-year-old woman cause generate headlines around the globe?Gabby Petito’s Death and Final DaysBrian Laundrie and Gabby PetitoGabby Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, set off from Blue Point, New York, on July 2, 2021, for what was intended as a four-month cross-country trip. Their white van was pulled over by police on Aug. 21, 2021, just north of Moab, Utah, in response to a 9-1-1 call regarding a domestic disturbance in a parking lot. Body-camera footage captured Brian and a crying Gabby downplaying the incident described by witnesses. Neither of them wanted to press charges.RELATED: Committing the Perfect Crime in Yellowstone’s Zone of DeathOn Aug. 27, 2021, Gabby's mother, Nichole Schmidt, received a text, purportedly sent by her daughter. However, because of its "odd" nature, Nichole later assumed the message wasn't actually from Gabby. According to police, the text read, "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls." Stan is a reference to Gabby's grandfather, but she didn't typically refer to him by his first name.On that date, Gabby's social-media posts stopped, which was out of character for a young woman who documented so much of her life on Instagram and YouTube. Her family had last spoken to her on Aug. 25, 2021, in a call from outside of Grand Teton National Park in Jackson, Wyoming.Gabby was reported missing on Sept. 11, 2021, officially declared a missing person. Brian quietly returned to Florida 10 days earlier. By Sept. 13, 2021, he was missing, too.We now know is, by that date, Gabby had been dead for more than two weeks. Her body was found on Sept. 21, 2021, near Grand Teton National Park, already in a state of decay. The autopsy determined Gabby Petito's cause of death to be strangulation.Petito Family Reacts to Gabby Petito's AutopsyGabby Petito, from Moab Police Department video footage, from Aug. 21, 2021The release of Gabby Petito's autopsy report on Sept. 21, 2021, not only confirmed the body's identity but ruled the manner of death as homicide. That was followed by a brief statement from the Petito family, issued through an attorney: "We will be making a statement when Gabby is home. I will contact you to arrange a time and location."RELATED: How 17-Year-Old Lisa McVey Saved Her Own Life by Outsmarting the Serial Killer Who Abducted HerIndeed, a week later, mother Nichole Schmidt, father Joe Petito, and step-father Jim Schmidt held a news conference at which they thanked social-media users, and the media, for boosting the case. "We need positive stuff to come from the tragedy that happened," Joe said. "We can't let her name be taken in vain."Looming over the conference was one question: Where was Brian Laundrie? Gabby's fiancé, and a person of interest in her disappearance, hadn't been seen in more than two weeks.Who Strangled Gabby Petito?Brian Laundrie (Photo: Instagram)We may never know for absolute certainty who was responsible for Gabby Petito's demise. That's because the most likely suspect, Brian Laundrie, couldn't offer a sworn confession or stand trial. But given the circumstances that led up to Gabby's death, and everything that happened subsequently, it's almost certain she was killed by her own fiancé. Brian even left a written confession in a notebook found near his body.Brian Laundrie’s DisappearanceAs noted, Brian disappeared from his parents’ home on Sept. 13, 2021, never to be seen alive again. For days afterward, his family pleaded publicly for him to resurface, while also disavowing any knowledge of his whereabouts.RELATED: 8-Year-Old Abducted from Her Bed Recalls Vital Details That Helped Solve Her CaseIt turns out he had gone deep into the Florida wilderness to commit suicide. Brian's remains were found on Oct. 21, 2021, in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. Medical examiners later determined he shot himself in the head. What Brian Laundrie Wrote in His NotebookIn early January, 2022, authorities revealed they had found a notebook near Brian's body that included an admission of Gabby’s killing. The writing seemed disingenuous, and intended to excuse his actions. Brian wrote, in part, “I ended her life … I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked, I was in shock."He claimed a "freezing cold" Gabby had a "bump on her forehead," and was "begging for an end to her pain." Gabby Petito MemorialPhoto: InstagramThe Petito family held a memorial service on Sept. 26, 2021, in Blue Point, New York, using an empty urn to represent Gabby. The FBI had yet to release her body."I don’t want you guys to be sad," Gabby's father, Joe, said at the beginning of the service. "Gabby didn’t live that way…I’m asking you guys be inspired the way she treated people. She didn’t care she genuinely loved people. I couldn’t be more proud as a father."RELATED: Why the Gruesome Hello Kitty Murder Shocked Hong Kong - and Still Horrifies the WorldA memorial bench, surrounded by metal butterflies, was dedicated in November 2021, in North Port, Florida, where Gabby lived. A makeshift memorial was also created, from rocks bearing hand-written messages, near the Wyoming site where Gabby's body was found.However, the memorial that will have the greatest impact is the Gabby Petito Foundation. It was established by Gabby Petito's family in October 2021 to support the search for missing persons, and to provide aid to groups that assist victims of domestic violence. Why the Gabby Petito Case Drew So Much AttentionBecause of Gabby Petito's formidable social media presence, her disappearance was a magnet for citizen crime solvers, who could follow the case, almost real time. That's a large part of why there was so much public interest. It was relatively easy to assemble facts of the case, and to establish a probable timeline, based on Gabby's online posts from the road. She seemed a much more real, and accessible, person than many other crime victims, who are often viewed only through family photos or snippets of video.KEEP READING: Who Is Ted Bundy's Daughter, Rose - and What Is Her Strange (But True) Story?