The world of anime isn’t limited to thrilling battles or comedy moments. Some easily stir up your emotions and have a knack for tearing you up. A lot of series embrace sadness to explore the complexity of characters’ emotions, making the stories profoundly impactful. These anime often explore universal themes such as love, sacrifice, personal growth, and resilience, which audiences worldwide resonate with. Additionally, the emotional impact of the storytelling makes those moments of sadness or tragedy unforgettable. While some evoke hope among characters despite the trials and tribulations, others plunge them into darkness and despair.
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Exploring sadness with nuance and artistry in anime makes them not only entertaining but also leaves behind powerful, thought-provoking messages. Some series sprinkle in a tear-jerking scene in between, while others plunge viewers into a rollercoaster of emotions from the very first episode to the last. A sad anime often showcases amazing character growth as it throws them into tough situations like loss or betrayal. It’s worthwhile for the feelings it evokes, and you generally can’t go wrong with these recommendations.
Your Lie in April
Your Lie in April is a tragic romance musical anime following Kousei Arima, a former piano prodigy, and Kaori Miyazono, an eccentric violinist. Kousei has been unable to play the piano ever since his mother’s death, who was incredibly harsh on him as an instructor. Traumatized by her abuse and her death, he keeps himself away from music altogether. However, his life changes when he meets Kaori, who has a free-spirited approach to music, unlike Kousei. She rekindles his love for music by requesting him to become her accompanist for a violent competition.
Swayed by her urging, Kousei confronts his fears and steps back into the world of music again. The two eventually get closer, and Kousei begins to heal emotionally, unaware that Kaori is hiding a tragic secret. The anime explores the themes of loss and love through Kousei’s dark and colorless world until he meets Kaori. The story concludes with a heartbreaking revelation through a letter from Kaori, pushing Kousei to cope with grief yet again.
A Silent Voice
Naoko Yamada’s beautiful film, A Silent Voice, touches on some sensitive themes while focusing on redemption and forgiveness. The story follows Shoya Ishida, who bullied Shoko Nishimiya, a hearing-impaired girl, when they were both in elementary school. After suffering relentless bullying and teasing from Shoya and his friends, Shoko transfers out of the school. However, Shoya’s friends pin all the blame on him, and he gets ostracized by everyone. After spending years struggling with self-hatred and social anxiety, Shoya seeks redemption. He tracks down Shoko to apologize and tries to make amends.
Shoko accepts his apology, and the two slowly rebuild their friendship while struggling with personal scars. Even as a teenager, Shoko still feels inadequate after facing countless hardships. The duo’s emotional burden creates moments of vulnerability as they focus on healing. Shoya’s journey of redemption and Shoko’s path of self-accepting culminate in a touching and emotional ending, highlighting the importance of meaningful connections with others.
Grave of the Fireflies
Studio Ghibli is known for its comforting and visually appealing movies. However, Grave of the Fireflies is one of the most heartwrenching anime of all time. It’s based on a semi-autobiographical short story by Akiyuki Nosaka. Although the film is fictionalized, it’s based on Nosaka’s experiences during and after the firebombing of Kobe in 1945. The film follows the two siblings, Seita and his younger sister Setsuka, as they lose their home and mother during the final months of World War II in Japan. The siblings initially move to their aunt’s house but leave shortly after after feeling unwelcome.
They struggle each day just to survive, and their health begins to deteriorate without proper food or living conditions. The film sheds light on the devastating effects of war, as Seita desperately tries to protect his younger sister but can’t shield her from their harsh reality. It gives a broader message about the struggles of innocent people during a war. The societal neglect and the breakdown of compassion during such trying times lead to their tragedy.
Violet Evergarden
This anime series follows Violet, a young woman who was used as a child soldier during the war. Just like a tool, she’s emotionally detached and only cares about her duty. However, her life changes after a brutal battle where her commanding officer, Major Gilbert Bougainvillea, is presumed dead. His parting words confuse her as she tries to search for its meaning. After the war is over and she is discharged from the hospital, Violet begins working as an Auto Memory Doll — a letter writer who helps people express their emotions through written words.
The anime follows her journey as she encounters various clients, each with a unique story of love, loss, and heartbreak. Their stories teach Violet about the complexity of human relationships. With her unresolved feelings for Major Gilbert, she embarks on her journey of healing and self-discovery. While the anime includes moments of hope and healing, the characters’ struggles and Violet’s journey to understand herself make it an immensely emotional anime.
Banana Fish
This heartbreaking boy’s love anime only gets more tragic as the story continues. It centers around Ash Lynx, a 17-year-old gang leader in New York City, and Eiji Okumura, a Japanese photographer’s assistant. The story begins with Ash investigating a mysterious phrase, “Banana Fish,” linked to his brother’s mental breakdown after serving in the horrific Vietnam War. Ash realizes that a powerful drug and crime syndicate is tied to this phrase. However, his life turns upside down when he encounters Eiji who is visiting America as part of a photography project.
The two gradually become closer, and Eiji’s kindness becomes a source of comfort and hope for Ash, whose life is full of hardship. Unfortunately, the two get entangled with the mafia as they face relentless danger. The story is full of death, betrayal, and hopeless moments where characters are unable to escape their circumstances. The injustices faced by Ash and others underscore the harsh realities of their world.
Fruits Basket
As a Shojo series, Fruits Basket isn’t nearly as dark as Banana Fish and it does a great job filling viewers with hope and warmth. The anime balances the emotional and comedic aspects of the story. Fruits Basket follows Tohru Honda, a kind and compassionate high school girl who ends up living in a tent after her mother’s tragic accident. After finding out about her circumstances, her classmate, Yuki Sohma, and his cousin, Shigure, invite her to stay at their home for a while. However, when their cousin, Kyo Sohma, arrives at the house, Tohru discovers that certain members of the Sohm family are cursed.
They transform into animals of the Chinese Zodiac whenever they get physically weak or hugged by someone of the opposite sex. Surprisingly, she finds them intriguing and forms a special bond with the Sohmas as she keeps meeting new members of the family. Despite her own emotional struggles, Tohru comforts those around her. The anime explores themes of love, loss, trauma, abuse, and healing, often delving deeply into emotional moments that resonate deeply with viewers.
Wolf Children
Mamoru Hosoda’s fantasy drama film Wolf Children is a heartwarming story about a single mother, Hana. She falls in love with a mysterious man who can transform into a wolf and starts a family with him. Her oldest daughter, Yuki, and youngest son, Ame, both inherit their father’s ability to transform. However, after the tragic death of Hana’s husband, she is left alone to take care of her children. Struggling to keep their bloodline a secret, she moves to the countryside and lives a quiet life away from prying eyes.
However, life in the countryside is incredibly difficult as Hana works relentlessly to make ends meet. As her children grow older, they each try to figure out if they should follow the life of an ordinary human or embrace their wolf side. This bittersweet family’s journey portrays the difficulty of motherhood as Hana deals with societal pressure and loneliness caused by the death of her husband. Yet, she remains strong for her children and watches over them as they become adults and follow their own paths in life.
Given
This boy’s love music anime is intensely emotional yet also heartwarming as we follow Mafuyu’s journey of overcoming the trauma of losing a loved one. The story follows Mafuyu, a taciturn boy who carries an expensive guitar with a broken string. He meets Ritsuka Uenoyama, a high school guitarist who helps Mafuyu repair his guitar. After being awestruck by Ritsuka’s talent, Mafuyu requests to learn guitar from him. Despite being reluctant, Ritsuka folds under pressure and brings him to meet his band members, Haruki Nakayama and Akihiko Kaji.
While Mafuyu is inexperienced in guitar playing, his voice touches the hearts of anyone who listens to him. The story continues as Mafuyu heals himself through his newfound love for music. Aside from Mafuyu and Ritsuka, the anime also focuses on the complex relationship of side characters, who each navigate through personal struggles. Despite having moments of tragedy, the story is full of hope and new beginnings as the characters deal with the lingering pain of loss and the challenges of being in love.
To Your Eternity
Immortality comes at a price, and Fushi knows that all too well. To Your Eternity begins with an orb being placed on Earth to observe the world. It could take on the form of objects, animals, humans, and anything it encounters. In the beginning, Fushi spends centuries as a rock and then transforms into a wolf. He meets a lonely boy who is raising the wolf and forms a deep bond with him. After the boy’s death, Fushi takes on his form and embarks on a long journey.
He meets various people along the way and witnesses their lives, struggles, and even their death. Each encounter leaves a deep impact on Fushi as he learns about human emotions. The anime explores the meaning of existence through Fushi’s journey. Despite being melancholic, it also highlights the beauty of life, human connections, and resilience.
Kotaro Lives Alone
Despite having a melancholic undertone, Netflix’s Kotaro Lives Alone blends warmth and humor in the story. The anime follows Kotaro Sato, a four-year-old boy who is completely independent and lives alone in a small apartment. He acts more mature than his age and handles all daily tasks, such as cooking and cleaning alone. His behavior worries his neighbors, including Shin, a struggling manga artist who somehow ends up taking care of the boy. As the story continues, Shin and Kotaro’s neighbors learn about his past and discover he has emotional trauma and suffered through child neglect.
Although Kotaro puts on a brave face, he still longs for the warmth of family and gradually opens up to the people around him who show him kindness. The story focuses on child neglect in various circumstances and portrays the impact it has on children as they grow up. It’s a heartwarming yet emotional story of love and kindness that instills hope through its realism.
