I've watched a lot of anime that treat
panic and hyperventilation with care, and some scenes really stick with me because they mirror real-life symptoms so closely. One clear pattern I notice is that the most realistic portrayals don't just show fast
breathing — they layer trembling hands, a sense of detachment, dizziness, and that tunnel-focus under tight sound design. For example, in 'Welcome to the NHK' there are multiple moments where the protagonist's anxiety becomes physical: breath quickening, shallow inhales, and that sense of impending doom that a lot of viewers recognize from panic attacks. The show pairs these physical signs with embarrassed avoidance and catastrophic thoughts, which adds to the realism.
Another series that nails the physical side is 'Your Lie in April'. The performance-freeze sequences for Kousei include hyperventilation-like breathing, chest tightness, and sensory overload that stop him mid-piece — it's depicted with musical silence and blurred vision, and that combination reads true to panic or dissociation. 'March Comes in Like a Lion' approaches anxiety more subtly across its shogi matches: you'll see pacing breaths, sweaty palms, shaky voice, and prolonged muscle tension before a match, which is textbook for performance anxiety and panic. Finally, classic moments in 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' and the movie 'A Silent Voice' present panic in a raw emotional context—rapid breathing mixed with hyper-awareness or numbness—so they're dramatic but often hit realistic notes.
If you want to spot realism, watch for clustering of symptoms (breath changes, dizziness, tingling, trembling, cognitive distortion) and how sound and editing emphasize them. Those pieces where the animation slows or the score drops out often reflect how real panic narrows perception, and that trick is used well in several titles. Personally, I find those sequences both heartbreaking and cathartic to watch — they remind me how well animation can capture inner storms.