There are some anime and manga that tear your heart out. They just come along, absolutely wreck your emotions, and leave you balling your eyes out.
Fans have been discussing their favorite anime shows and anime movies in this regard, and they’re brutal. In a good way of course, the kind of viewing experiences that make you feel alive and inspired, and needing a new supply of tissues.
There are a couple of obvious choices – Grave of the Fireflies, Isao Takahata’s WWII masterpiece for Studio Ghibli that’s just relentlessly sad – but then, there are a few under-appreciated gems. Honestly, think I’m ready for some good heartache.
These are the anime that will make you cry the hardest
The Reddit thread suggests a varied list, but three pop up over and over – Clannad, Violet Evergarden, and Plastic Memories. Certain episodes of these will break even the strongest restitution.
Of them, Clannad is the oldest, a 2007 show based on a visual novel from 2004. A young man named Tomoya Okazaki is the lead, as we follow through various stages of his life. That sounds unassuming, but once you get into the second part, After Story, the feelings come hard and fast.
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Violet Evergarden is a different speed, about a former soldier who takes up another career as a ghostwriter. Across the episodes, Violet takes on different gigs for various members of society, until eventually, there’s one that produces uncontrollable sobbing.
Lastly, in a departure from the first two, we jump to a cyberpunk future where androids look, sound, and have memories just like people. In Plastic Memories, Tsukasa develops feelings for the robot in his care, Isla, who’s coming up to the end of her activation time. You can see how this might be problematic.
Each of these offers a particular kind of heartbreak, depending on what sort of catharsis you’re seeking. As fun as Shonen anime are, sometimes all you want is to just let it all out in a flood of emotion. That said, if you’ve seen eany of these, and would rather go on an adventure instead, we have lists of the best anime like Solo Leveling and best anime like Demon Slayer with more fine choices.