BEST Sad Anime Movies recommendations In 2023 (RECOMMENDATIONS)
It is now widely known that anime does a fantastic job of capturing the unadulterated intensity of human feelings. This makes it the ideal genre to invest in when you want to have a good weep. And while some great live-action movies match the criterion, anime is a medium that appeals to a wide audience. The anime business is constantly expanding as Japanese animation achieves new heights, particularly with the enormous popularity it presently enjoys in Western nations. This begs the issue of what distinguishes anime from standard Western tv series and movies. Additionally, why should you consider exploring this specific genre?
The majority of anime lovers would concur that Asian and Japanese media, especially the anime genre, has a special quality. Unfortunately, because anime is animated, the general assumption among those who don’t watch anime is that it’s only appropriate for kids. This is not the case, though. While certain anime movies and TV shows (like Pokémon) are explicitly targeted towards kids, many of these works also have a wide age range in mind, from prepubescent kids to adults.
Likewise, these short films or television shows address a range of sombre subjects and gloomy themes, including sexual assault, mental illness, physical impairments, bullying, and death in combat. However, there may not always be enough time to watch a 12 or 24-episode anime series.
If you’re in the mood for a sombre tale, would want to see an animated picture with mature or dark themes, or maybe simply want to see what all the fuss is about, check out the list of sad anime movies below.
1. Grave Of Fireflies
One of Studio Ghibli’s darkest anime films, Grave of the Fireflies, centres on two kids who fight to survive after losing their parents to the war and are separated from them.
2. Wolf Children
Wolf Children is an animated fantasy movie about a single woman who raises her children both in society and in the wild. Hana has to cope with the uncertainties of being a young mother in addition to the fact that she has to transition into motherhood following the loss of her werewolf partner.
3. Into The Forest Of Firefly Lights
The star-crossed lovers’ topic is attempted in Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light, which is an adaptation of Hotarubi no Mori e. When Hotaru becomes lost in a jungle as a little girl, a ghost comes to seek aid. Despite Gin’s awful fate that if he is ever touched by a human, he will vanish a bond between Hotaru and Gin begins to grow.
4. A Silent Voice
Shouko Nishimiya is a young child who suffers from hearing loss, gets bullied, and ultimately transfers to a different school. After torturing the deaf girl, Shoya Ishida decides to make peace with her. The themes of mental health, impairments, and giving individuals a second opportunity are explored in this slice-of-life film.
5. I Want To Eat Your Pancreas
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, an Aniplex slice-of-life drama, examines the bond between a child who discovers a journal and a girl who has a deadly pancreatic disease. Although Sakura Yamauchi and Haruki Shiga became close friends, the anime doesn’t truly live up to the romance genre, leaving the audience to speculate about the nature of the characters’ relationships.
6. 5 Centimetres Per Second
Takaki Tono, who became good friends with Akari Shinohara in elementary school, is the protagonist of the first chapter of 5 Centimeters Per Second. From that point on, the depressing anime movie tracks Takaki Tono’s increasing love for Akari as they pass through several stages of their relationship. The three parts of the theatrical picture consistently convey the enduring effects of first love in everyday life.
7. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a romantic sci-fi movie about a tomboy 17-year-old attempting to make it through high school. With the capacity to travel across time, she seizes any opportunity to fix problems by travelling to the past and the future. But if anything seems too good to be true, there will always be a price to pay. This 2006 movie, which Mamoru Hosoda directed, presents a few viewpoints that could make you feel happy or depressed.
8. Your Name
Makoto Shinkai’s manga serves as the inspiration for the anime film Your Name. The mystical connection is demonstrated in this romantic fantasy movie when a boy and a girl find up trading bodies. When they finally get to meet in person, it will inevitably get much more problematic. The anime fan community loves Your Name because of its beautiful artwork.
9. The Garden Of Words
Takao, a lone high school student, chooses to skip his morning lessons to spend some time in a garden. When he meets an elderly woman who understands his emotions of isolation on rainy days while exploring the garden, his decision to go there turns out to be the greatest one.
10. Weathering With You
In his magnificent animation, Makoto Shinkai tells the story of Hadoka, who meets an orphan child with the ability to change the weather. Viewers who see this outstanding movie yearn to relive their childhood and savour every moment.
11. Colorful
When sin and death are involved, colourful enters another level. The body of Makoto, who committed suicide, is suddenly inhabited by a soul that must ascertain the cause of Makoto’s death as well as the fault the soul did in a previous existence. In terms of the sombre undertones, the movie’s title is the exact opposite.
12. In This Corner Of The World
This historical romance movie follows a happy artist in the middle of the Pacific War and provides an intimate glimpse into Suzu’s life. Suzu comes to terms with the battle that threatens the people of Kure when she weds into the Shusaku family. She tries to be helpful to others in her role as a cleaner. Based on actual events that happened during the Hiroshima atomic bombs, In This Corner of the World.
13. Clannad
Clannad chronicles the high school years of Tomoya Okazaki as he makes new pals. One particular female, though, starts to completely alter his universe. Although Tomoya and Nagisa are the main protagonists of the show, anime lovers all around the world admire the supporting cast. The reality of school life and close-knit friendships are depicted in this love drama. We’re reminded by Clannad that it’s acceptable to depend on people and create memories.
14. Your Lie In April
Miyazono and Kousei’s experiences with youthful love and grief are depicted in the anime Your Lie in April along with a range of emotions. The manga and anime series possibly the saddest ever made in Japan has gained enough popularity for a well-known film version starring Suzu Hirose and Kento Yamazaki.
15. Violet Evergarden
The protagonist of the most recent Netflix series, Violet Evergarden, is on a mission to understand the previous commander’s parting remarks after the second world war. As Violet comes to comprehend human emotions, her emotional distance helps us to appreciate them. The series’ finest feature is its beautiful graphics, although it is not the first to have them.
16. Plastic Memories
Plastic Memories first appears to be a typical sci-fi anime series involving artificial intelligence. Although there are glimpses of romance, this anime depicts a futuristic society that may not reach a happy conclusion. To defeat the renegade androids, humans learn to collaborate with them.
17. Angel Beats!
This slice-of-life anime series tells a heartbreaking tale of friendship and sorrow. Teenagers are trapped in purgatory and have been given the task of entering the afterlife.
18. Maquia: When The Promise Flower Blooms
This priceless drama portrays Maquia as she discovers that individuals who want to drink her blood to live longer are destroying her home. Residents who want to live longer are drawn to the young lifespan of the people of Lolph. This movie doesn’t shrink from life’s challenges, particularly when one is uprooted from one’s home.
19. Erased
When Satoru Fujinuma discovers himself utilising his capacity to travel back in time to save individuals he knows, there are plenty of depressing moments in Erased.
20. The Anthem Of The Heart
In her early years, Jun Naruse was responsible for dividing her family. She continues to feel bad about her harsh comments even after a lot of time has passed. She is unable to utter nasty words once more due to a mystery Egg Fairy’s curse.
21. Orange
Everyone appears to be watching the anime Orange. It is expected that a devoted fan would advise reading the manga and watching the anime. A young girl (Naho Takamiya) finds a letter written by her future self in this school romance drama. Orange is a psychological rollercoaster of life and death, a departure from the typical anime about school life.
22. Air
Every anime enthusiast should see Air, a fantasy animation by Kyoto Animation that centres on a myth about avian animals. A wandering performer named Yukito Kunisaki is looking for the girl in the sky. Yukito encounters Misuzu while on his quest and becomes good friends with her.
23. Ef: A Tale Of Melodies
This moving series, which shares a similar premise to A Silent Voice, compels its lead character Yu to face his or her previous regrets and sorrows. Childhood memories brought back by Amamiya Yuuko are best forgotten. Viewers are left wondering if they were childhood buddies or not.
24. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Anohana is a narrative about a girl who died but is unwilling to go on, despite its cheerful animation and inviting imagery. To assist Menma to remember and fulfil a request so she can pass into the afterlife, her pals band together.
25. Whisper Of The Heart
Whisper of the Heart, a Studio Ghibli classic, is a love story about Shizuku Tsukishima’s coming of age. Shizuku discovers when she checks out her library books that Seiji Amasawa has checked out every single one of them when she decides to check out the checkout cards in her books.
26. Hal (Haru)
Another anime movie that emphasises the struggle of preserving a strong relationship is Hal (Haru). After Hal, Kurumi’s boyfriend passes away, she becomes depressed. But by a stroke of luck, an android is dispatched to Kurumi to assist her in escaping her isolation. Would you accept the love of your life as an android?
