In several episodes, sanity is discussed by the characters. There is even a sunscreen to protect sanity from UV rays.
What is the purpose of sanity in the anime? Why is it a recurring theme?
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I mean, the whole thing is a pastiche on Lovecraft, and people going insane when confronted with unspeakable horrors is a common thing in Lovecraft's writings. Does that answer your question, or are you asking something else? – senshin Mar 02 '15 at 19:34
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Haiyore Nyaruko-san is based on Lovecraft's mythos, which includes the concept of Eldritch abomination. It has been said that when one gazes at or even think about such abominations, they will slowly lose their sanity as they are beyond comprehension. Many of the characters in his works regularly succumbs to insanity, slowly but surely. It is a common theme that these characters are vulnerable and fragile, keeping up with his other theme of humanity being insignificant when compared to the grand scheme of the universe.
It's a recurring theme in the anime because it is based on a work that has the loss of sanity as a recurring theme.
It should also be noted that Nyaruko is a satire of the mythos. Many of the tropes and themes in the anime are greatly exaggerated because of this. They are hyperbolic to achieve a comedic effect.
As for the Sanity points, it may refer to the many board games that has a Lovecraftian theme. Board games such as Betrayal at House on the Hill would be just one example, as it uses sanity checks as part of its gameplay.
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But how that would explain the constant reference to sanity points? What would be sanity points? – Mindwin Remember Monica Mar 02 '15 at 19:45
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I thought you were asking about sanity and not just sanity points. I think that just refers to board games that uses Lovecraftian themes. I can't really pinpoint any specific board game since a lot uses the concept of sanity points, but games like Betrayal at House on the Hill would be one example. – Hydromast Mar 02 '15 at 19:49
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Just poking you to make your answer a little more complete. XD – Mindwin Remember Monica Mar 02 '15 at 19:51
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The "canonical" example of a game that uses SAN points is [Call of Cthulhu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Cthulhu_%28role-playing_game%29). My understanding is that Call of Cthulhu was a pretty big deal in the tabletop RPG community. I'm not sure whether that was the first game to use SAN points; that may be worth a question over at [rpg.SE]. – senshin Mar 02 '15 at 21:28
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As noted above, Sanity points are a major mechanic in the Cthulhu mythos roleplaying game, Call of Cthluhu. This is even referenced directly in the first episode of the show, when Nyaruko says "I could show you that form, but you'd lose sanity" and the image shifts to a character sheet with Sanity Points and dice displayed.
