Although Anime was primarily aimed at children and teenagers on RTL2, there were indeed some series and episodes that were emotional or even quite creepy. One particular episode can be found in the second season of Digimon.
Which episode is it? The 2nd season of Digimon is a direct continuation of the first. While there is a new team of Digi-Riders and Digimon, familiar characters return. 4 old acquaintances are even on the team: Kari Yagami along with Gatomon and T.K. along with Patamon.
Once again, children must save the Digiworld, this time from the self-proclaimed Digimon Emperor, who controls the creatures through evil forces. Despite some more emotional themes, such as the story surrounding BlackWarGreymon, it remains quite a child-friendly series.
However, the 13th episode, Calls from Another World
, does not fit in at all. It is dark and depicts a strange world reminiscent of the Cthulhu mythos.
A movie continued the story from season 2:
Cthulhu Monsters and Strange Ghosts
What happens in the episode? Kari seems to be unwell; she hears mysterious voices and has visions of a world with a dark sea. Suddenly, Kari disappears, and Gatomon, T.K., and Patamon find her in the Sea of Darkness (via DigiPedia).
This is a strange place, as it is neither the real world nor the Digiworld. This is also shown by the mysterious creatures that live there. They are black silhouettes that resemble Divermon, but do not seem to be real Digimon. They want to make them their queen to save the creatures from an underwater monster.
Ultimately, Kari is rescued by the others, but at the end of the episode, a gigantic figure can still be seen in the sea. This is a Dragomon, a Digimon inspired by the monster Cthulhu. However, nothing is made of this cliffhanger. In none of the later episodes is this addressed.
Ken was also in this dimension after being led there by Yukio Oikawa. He submerged his Digivice in the sea, and it turned black, making him the Digimon Emperor. However, no further information is provided about this.
It is also never clarified what the Sea of Darkness actually is. Years later, in Digimon Adventure tri., we see the place again. Maki Himekawa finds herself there after being consumed by grief when her Tapirmon did not remember her.
How was this episode created? The episode is clearly inspired by the Cthulhu mythos. This is evident not only from the Digimon. In the episode itself, Kari passes a sign that is written in Digicode. When translated, it reads インスマウス, which translates to Innsmouth. Innsmouth is a fictional town used by H.P. Lovecraft in his Cthulhu stories. The lonely lighthouse in the dark sea also reminds one of this.
Overall, the episode is surprisingly dark compared to the season and also quite disturbing due to its Cosmic Horror elements. This world seems to attract individuals who suppress their emotions and are not doing well. This also reflects the mood of the episode. Everything is grey, and no colors shine, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere.
If we look at who wrote the episode, it is no surprise. It was penned by Chiaki Konaka. He also wrote unusual animes like Serial Experiment Lain, which included horror aspects as well.
In addition, he adapted H.P. Lovecraft’s story Shadow over Innsmouth
for Japanese television. Although he only wrote this one episode in season 2 of Digimon, he worked on almost all episodes of Digimon Tamers. Tamers has several dark episodes and themes. Even the villains of the anime should not be trifled with: One villain from Digimon looks like a small child but is one of the most powerful beings in the universe
