There are many categories of anime and the viewers watch it according to their preferences and taste. We have different categories of anime such as Shonen, Shoujo, Seinen, and many more. If you want a sad anime that is emotional and moves you, then it is for you. Read and decide on which one to start with first.
Grave of the fireflies
Grave of the fireflies is a movie set in the world war in Japan. The story follows a young Seita and his younger sister, Setsuko. Their lives have been uprooted by the war that has separated them from their parents. The siblings need to cling to their youth optimism to see through the tough times of this cruel war. This period of adversity brings them together that strengthens them to put up a fight against an unavoidable fate.
The movie is a complete package of depressing, sad, beautiful, and moving elements. It will surely take you on a rollercoaster emotional ride. There might never be a movie that’s as heartbreaking as this one. The movie is certainly one of the best movies of already famed ‘Ghibli Studios’ and was directed by Isao Takahata in 1988.
A silent voice
A silent voice is a movie made by Kyoto Animation in 2016. When you watch it, it doesn’t seem to have a positive approach. The movie doesn’t let you feel comfortable as the audience is able to connect with the pain and discomfort felt by the characters. This movie is about a deaf girl who has just transferred to a new school after trying to evade constant bullying. But the bullying continues there too. This time a boy Shouya, bullies her to the point where she once again has to transfer.
Years later, Shouya is subjected to bullying and his friends have all turned their back on him. Seeking redemption, Shouya remorses his past actions and tries to make things right for him. He gets a chance at redemption when he meets Shouko again. This moment starts a beautiful journey of the two individuals with not so appreciating pasts. The anime is sad, depressing, surprising, and above all an emotional roller coaster.
Clannad
Clannad features a depressed 17-year-old who becomes a subject to an abusive upbringing after his mother died when he was really young. All this makes him really hate his life and his home. The story features his journey from teenage years to young adulthood showcasing the transition in his life where he helps a number of young women. This anime will surely make you cry and connect with its cast on a personalized level. This sad anime taps into the emotions and feelings profoundly.
Your lie in April
All is well that ends well. This is certainly not the case for ‘Your Lie in April’, where the ending is probably the saddest and most unpleasant in a sad anime. Kosei Arima, the protagonist of who is a reputed pianist. The usually reserved and calm Kosei Arima’s life is changed when his polar opposite Kaori Miyazono, is introduced.
Both of them develop great chemistry and end up in a romantic plot. But, the story transcends into a more dramatic sequence with the introduction of illness and grief affecting the characters. This anime series is a great example of characters with incredible development.
Orange
Orange is an anime that came out in 2016, and it is up for debate if it is a mystery, a romantic, or a drama. But what it does brilliantly builds suspense in the audience as to what the conclusion will be. The protagonist Naho Takamiya receives a letter from the future from herself. The letter hints at a tragedy surrounding one of her classmates, Kakeru Naruse. Now, she must find a way to decode the true meaning of this cryptic message to avert this mentioned tragedy that will befall Kakeru Naruse. The anime is a great example of sad themes along with regret, melancholy, and remorse.
Wolf Children
This anime has somewhat a peculiar storyline about a single mother who raises her two kids by herself, not so peculiar? well, the twist is that the children are half-wolf. The struggle she faces while raising her kids defines what mothers are, selfless, powerful, and embodiment of determination. Her husband was killed while going out hunting which left her and the children alone to face the challenges.
The anime takes a sad turn when Hana found her husband’s corpse as the trash collector was discarding it. Filled with sadness, purity, and complete darkness, the series will definitely bring a tear or two to your eyes and touch your emotional side. You will experience the feeling of struggle and helplessness while seeing her raising the kids.
Angel Beats
This anime starts with the death of Otonashi and he wakes up to realize that he’s dead. He is in confusion as to where he is right now, whether he’s dead or not. A rifle-bearing girl shows up to explain that he’s in the afterlife and she is the leader of a battlefield. They are fighting God’s henchwoman as rebels. the president angel of the student body has supernatural powers.
The anime has humorous elements and transitions into a series of anime where the audience doesn’t experience laughter afterward. The battlefront orders and executes missions against Angel, and Otonashi begins questioning the morality of their action. He realizes the true nature and intention of the afterlife school. He starts working with Angel to learn the purpose, that helps people with trauma and hard times to move on. The connection this anime makes with the audience is heart-wrenching when characters are caught in between letting go of their past and moving on.
Tokyo Magnitude
Japan is home to regular natural calamities where earthquakes are as frequent as they could get. The earthquake brings heartbreak and the loss of family, and friends can be unexplainable. “Tokyo Magnitude” is an anime that covers the very situation of an earthquake where Tokyo experience a powerful earthquake of magnitude 8.0.
The sad anime starts with siblings Mirai and Onozawa separated from their family by an earthquake of 8.0 magnitude. With the assistance of a motorcyclist Mari, the two of them struggles continuously during this tough time and infinite disaster around them. The story is a compelling mix of tragedy, sadness, separation, and above all hope. A different kind of world opens up before them when such a tragedy happens to them, it changes their perspective for the good of the characters.
I want to eat your pancreas
I want to Eat Your Pancreas is one of the most well-written sad anime that will make you feel sad for someone who doesn’t exist. The story starts with a girl named Sakura, the most popular girl in the class, meeting with the most uncool person in the class, Haruki. Sakura has a rare pancreatic disease, which means she has little time left and she wants to live it fully.
The story will shake you to your core with its unfolding of events. Even though Haruki knows about her rare disease, he never makes fun of her in any way. They start spending time together and they grow accustomed to each other and the viewers will watch how the impossible relationship will turn out. But a twist turns his entire life upside down that breaks him completely.
Violet Evergarden
What happens when a person who has never experienced emotions tries to understand the emotions, complete chaos. Violet is such an example who was a former soldier and never exposed to the concept of feelings and emotions. During her last battle, his savior Gilbert Bougainvillea says “I Love You”, which makes Violet curious to know what that phrase means and what one feels with these emotions.
In the Post-War Period, she leads a normal life working as an auto-memoir doll who ghostwrites letters for their clients. Her new life brings new experiences and changes to her life and she slowly understands what Gilbert meant. The sad anime has a story that is a tear-jerker that makes you feel for Violet when she struggles constantly to understand human emotions.
