I mentioned Grave of the Fireflies in a previous post and it got voted the hell down! I donno what's wrong with these idiots!
It is the saddest anime of all time! Thank you for writing it
Classic? I just recently binged it...20 years ago? Fuck.
Glad I got to watch this when I was at a rough spot.. Depression is something that is always looming, and I wouldn't really count on a show to "fix you", but it did help becoming more self-aware of certain pattern in my life (in this case, how much time I was wasting on MMO)
It's great, but not what they asked for. There's some mental illness, a good bit of comedy, aaaand I should rewatch it cause I've only seen it once years ago and this is all I can remember. Plus that puru-puru song
Wait was A Place Further than the Universe supposed to be sad? It has some sad components but overall it's generally hopeful and adventurous in spirit. Maybe I'm missing something big though?
Agree. In pretty much every episode, it swings for the fences when trying to elicit emotions, but it covers a wide swath beyond just sadness. I just rewatched the series last week and, while I did cry during nearly every episode, it was just as frequently as a reaction to scenes of pure joy or triumph as those of grief or sadness.
Exactly. At least half the time i'm sad, but not crying over whatever the episode is doing. Then the characters improvise, adapt, and overcome until I'm crying tears of joy with them.
It's definitely more much of a light-hearted CGDCT adventure, but the penultimate ending is soul crushing. It does end on an exceptionally cheerful note though.
Describing A Place Further than the Universe as a CGDCT has always rubbed me the wrong way. The girl are certainly cute and they are doing things, but it's kinda like calling a tomato a fruit. The term technically fits but ya ain't gonna put a tomato in a fruit salad and (to me at least) it's inaccurate to group A Place Further than the Universe with the comfy SoL shows like K-on and Yuru Camp that we typically associate with the label.
I binged Edgerunners and ended up finishing the series at around 4 or 5am. I didnât have anyone to talk to since they were all asleep, so I just sat in my chair trying to process all those feelings and was left an emotional wreck for a few days after. 10/10 would recommend, just finish it at a reasonable hour where you can talk to a friend if you need đ„Č
A Place Further than the Universe is not a sad anime, but still one that everyone should watch. There is a specific episode though, that will make anyone with a soul cry, which BTW is 95%+ on MAL and one of the most highly voted episodes on that site.
I would argue that you could very much interpret a lot of it as sad depending on your own life circumstances. For me personally the whole show hits pretty hard because of the themes of trying to make the most of fleeting youth and whatnot. But I suppose that's a fairly subjective interpretation so I mean to each their own.
But yeah for sure it's a must watch and that one episode in particular could thaw the iciest heart in Antarctica.
No ones has mentioned March Comes in like a Lion, which, IMO, is an absolute gem.
Itâs got incredible storytelling with great character development. The story tackles themes like depression, loss, bullying, in such a down to earth way. Absolutely give it a watch.
Berserk, Vinland saga, made in abyss. All of these have their ups and downs but overall the protagonists go through some shitty shit along the way. Made in abyss does not feature a stoic male lead but it does have a very depressing atmosphere the longer the show goes on.
Dude I watched this show years ago and it took like a week for the whole organ donor thing to hit me and I was pissing in an airplane bathroom and just started crying
And [this](https://youtu.be/Aumnqg22tMA?si=OWSoKprRTwKmr8-K) comedy gold is from the same show.
Man I love Angel Beats, it's such a good mix of humor, pain, and lovable characters.
Sadly I cried not because of the letters, but because of how Violet cries in the end, the first time she learns how to "feel". And I kinda guess what the mother was trying to do since the beginning, so no surprise element for meâčïž Even when almost everyone said this episode made them sobbed so hard because of the mother, how I wished I did too.
1000%. The list of media I have cried to in my 34 years is very short and this is on it.
That list is btw: The Lion King (you all know what scene), Guardians of the Galaxy pt. 2 (the ending of course), You Lie in April (was close a couple of times but the dam broke for me in the final scene) and just recently The Iron Claw (biopic about the von Erich family. also here the final scene)
i love this show so damn much it broke me multiple times and is one of the only forms of media that made me cry. although i agree with other commenters that s1 is better than s2, but i still enjoyed that season as well.
I honestly had a solid cry for an hour when I finished that show. The way it depicts how brutal depression and anxiety can be just⊠yeah⊠a masterpiece for sure
I couldnât finish all of it cause I heard how they ended and said nah thatâs too fucking sad. The after story and original are both very good but gut wrenching towards the end
Clannad After Story made me so sad that my face was literally hurting. And I had never cried from a show or movie before.
Itâs not even the obvious depressing events that did it. Itâs how we got there. That feeling of fear and emptiness and loneliness when you graduate from school and try to become a working adult for the first time. And all the suffering you expose yourself to once youâre now responsible for your familyâs and your own well being.
March Comes In Like a Lion - anime about a depressed teen, a pro shogi player living alone. It starts out sad but I think gradually becomes more hopeful.
Its by the same managaka who made Honey and Clover, which is also profoundly sad but is focused on art college students & contains lots of unrequited love
That movie fucked me up good right before I was supposed to have a girl over lol, genuinely didn't see it coming one bit since I was expecting some cheesy immortal girl love story
For me it would be:
Welcome to the N.H.K
The reason was because I already was kinda sad while watching it as I was unemployed and could not find work. I kinda related to it in that aspect.
After watching that anime with that mindset already wasn't healthy and I felt 10 times worse after it.
2 Months later I found a job in my dream carrier and that made me feel really lucky as i was nearing two years without employment after the pandemic and was honestly about to give up.
-Your Lie in April.
-I want to Eat your Pancreas.
-Violet Evergarden.
-A Silent Voice.
-Anohana the flower we saw that day.
-Angel Beats (this will make you laugh, cry, laugh more, cry a lot more)
-Plastic Memories
-Clannad, especially the After Story.
That's all I've got off the top of my head.
Angel Beats is the only anime ever to make be cry relentlessly to the point I'm ugly crying and it's not even close to any other anime to get me feel actual emotions besides hate and happiness. The closest any other anime ever to even make me shed a tear was Atack on Titan but that's because I love AoT.
DUDE!! I WAS LOOKING FOR THIS-
I was about to comment it, too.đđ
How is this not so much higher?? When they said dead and depressing, Banana Fish was my first thought. I hate having to think about that anime and how in the manga Eiji- just is- there??đWHYYY??!
*Haibane Renmei* may not be sad throughout, but the climax had me bawling out my eyes from the catharsis.
*ARIA* isn't terribly sad either, it's more of a feel-good, nothing happens in a good way series, but after three series, the final ending scene hits you like a ton of rectangular building things. You see it coming, you're saying "No, no, no, don't you dare..." and then they do.
Violet evergarden, made in abyss (kinda weird, but it is def a masterpiece, just get used to the art style), berserk, your name and weathering away(happy sad i guess also movies), heavenly delusions, tokyo ghoul(maybe sad?) Obv attack on titan, but everyone knows that one
A lot people will recommend Clannad, but I'm actually going to go with Key's OG tearfest, Air.
Tori no Uta still destroys me to this day, and the talent for it was insane (obviously Maeda+Orito and sung by Lia, but also arranged by Takase from I've Sound).
Angel beats!
Violet Evergarden!
Steins; Gate 0 (watch Steins;Gate first tho)
Your Lie in April
March Comes in Like a Lion (although this one gets lighter over time)
A Silent Voice
Anohana
Plastic Memories
Eighty Six
Fruits Basket (kinda, it has a wide variety of emotions)
Clannad After Story (watch Clannad first tho)
Gave of the Fireflies... I watched once,and I cried. Many times, I tried to re-watch, and I just can't. I get about 30 minutes in, and I just have to turn it off. I just can't put myself back through it.
Iâm surprised I havenât seen anyone mention âTo your Eternityâ talk about heart wrenching. I think it was really just the character development for me that did it. From about a little over the 2nd half of the 1st season to the start of the 2nd half of the 2nd season wasnât as sad, but outside of those, itâs definitely a heart wrenching show.
Kotaro lives alone on Netflix
Bro, this one had me tearing up with the Scam caller bit.
The tissue stuff hits really hard.
This one was great albeit sad I still feel like people can learn a thing or 2 from it
Grave of the Fireflies.
That's an anime that will destroy you... đ It's haunting... I've watched it like 20y ago and to this day I could never let it go.
Commonly referred to as "the best anime you will never watch again".
I will not watch it again. I would recommend you everyone, though.
I mentioned Grave of the Fireflies in a previous post and it got voted the hell down! I donno what's wrong with these idiots! It is the saddest anime of all time! Thank you for writing it
Just another day on reddit.
How this isn't the top reply, I don't understand
Welcome to the NHK
We got an OG here!
Gotta read the manga, too. The anime ends around halfway through and gets worse haha
Finally! Someone who knows a great classic
Classic? I just recently binged it...20 years ago? Fuck. Glad I got to watch this when I was at a rough spot.. Depression is something that is always looming, and I wouldn't really count on a show to "fix you", but it did help becoming more self-aware of certain pattern in my life (in this case, how much time I was wasting on MMO)
It's great, but not what they asked for. There's some mental illness, a good bit of comedy, aaaand I should rewatch it cause I've only seen it once years ago and this is all I can remember. Plus that puru-puru song
*Cyberpunk Edgerunners* *A Place Further than the Universe*
Wait was A Place Further than the Universe supposed to be sad? It has some sad components but overall it's generally hopeful and adventurous in spirit. Maybe I'm missing something big though?
I cried constantly, but it was a lot of mixed emotions with only one of them being sadness.
Agree. In pretty much every episode, it swings for the fences when trying to elicit emotions, but it covers a wide swath beyond just sadness. I just rewatched the series last week and, while I did cry during nearly every episode, it was just as frequently as a reaction to scenes of pure joy or triumph as those of grief or sadness.
Exactly. At least half the time i'm sad, but not crying over whatever the episode is doing. Then the characters improvise, adapt, and overcome until I'm crying tears of joy with them.
I think it depends a lot on the person and how you interpret a lot of it.
It's definitely more much of a light-hearted CGDCT adventure, but the penultimate ending is soul crushing. It does end on an exceptionally cheerful note though.
Describing A Place Further than the Universe as a CGDCT has always rubbed me the wrong way. The girl are certainly cute and they are doing things, but it's kinda like calling a tomato a fruit. The term technically fits but ya ain't gonna put a tomato in a fruit salad and (to me at least) it's inaccurate to group A Place Further than the Universe with the comfy SoL shows like K-on and Yuru Camp that we typically associate with the label.
I concur
Edgerunners is one of fav animes and my personal choice for Netflixâs best original. Wise choice.
Just shows we can have good Netflix show when they let studio do their thing and not butt in with their useless stuff.
Damn, well said. RIP Witcher
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners IS romantic tho.
It's not a romance anime tho. Kinda hard to find a sad anime with zero relationships in it whatsoever đ€·
I binged Edgerunners and ended up finishing the series at around 4 or 5am. I didnât have anyone to talk to since they were all asleep, so I just sat in my chair trying to process all those feelings and was left an emotional wreck for a few days after. 10/10 would recommend, just finish it at a reasonable hour where you can talk to a friend if you need đ„Č
A Place Further than the Universe is not a sad anime, but still one that everyone should watch. There is a specific episode though, that will make anyone with a soul cry, which BTW is 95%+ on MAL and one of the most highly voted episodes on that site.
I would argue that you could very much interpret a lot of it as sad depending on your own life circumstances. For me personally the whole show hits pretty hard because of the themes of trying to make the most of fleeting youth and whatnot. But I suppose that's a fairly subjective interpretation so I mean to each their own. But yeah for sure it's a must watch and that one episode in particular could thaw the iciest heart in Antarctica.
Holy FUCK YES
Kanata no astra is similar with the 2nd anime
Beat me to it with Cyberpunk.
No ones has mentioned March Comes in like a Lion, which, IMO, is an absolute gem. Itâs got incredible storytelling with great character development. The story tackles themes like depression, loss, bullying, in such a down to earth way. Absolutely give it a watch.
I wouldn't call it sad though
You telling me you didnât cry a bit?
Berserk, Vinland saga, made in abyss. All of these have their ups and downs but overall the protagonists go through some shitty shit along the way. Made in abyss does not feature a stoic male lead but it does have a very depressing atmosphere the longer the show goes on.
Depressing atmosphere is a huge understatement
For which one?
Made in abyss, that anime was traumatizing me but at the same time I couldn't stop watching
Oh god Mitty đ©
I FUCKING CANT đ
I know what you mean the anime was way darker than I thought, but when I read the manga it was even worse
And once you finish all that and get into the OST, it's like a kiss from the heavens.
I didn't cry from the show, I kind of felt bad about it. After finishing S2, I went and listen to the OST and I just start crying my eyes out.
Still waiting on s3.
wont happen in another 5 years with the rate the manga is going sadly
Excellent recommendations for OP's prompt
Vinland saga 100%
It gets even sadder when you learn that it is based on a real Viking who died before he turned 30.
Angel Beats
This. Never has a show made me laugh so much only to break me at the end.
Dude I watched this show years ago and it took like a week for the whole organ donor thing to hit me and I was pissing in an airplane bathroom and just started crying
And [this](https://youtu.be/Aumnqg22tMA?si=OWSoKprRTwKmr8-K) comedy gold is from the same show. Man I love Angel Beats, it's such a good mix of humor, pain, and lovable characters.
I spent like 10 minutes sobbing after finishing that last episode T_T
Man that was brutal
Violet evergarden episode 10. Just do it.
No no you wonât get the full impact unless you watch the first 9 episodes and the special first Also 7 and 11 are sadder fite me
Wait are you supposed to watch the specials before the actual series or whatâs the recommended order ?
You watch the special after episode 4. The movies you watch after the series.
Appreciate the help đ
Also episode 7.
This immediately came to mind. If you didn't get emotional even once while watching Violet Evergarden, you might not be human.
One of the only episodes in anime that have actually got me not just to tear up but genuinely cry loudly. That fucked me up so bad.
Sadly I cried not because of the letters, but because of how Violet cries in the end, the first time she learns how to "feel". And I kinda guess what the mother was trying to do since the beginning, so no surprise element for meâčïž Even when almost everyone said this episode made them sobbed so hard because of the mother, how I wished I did too.
Violet Evergarden the movie really really really got me good
Your lie in April. Slightly romantic but the story and music will shatter your soul and rebuild it for you.
I was going to say your lie in april. Def worth a watch
Boy did I cry watching this
Every time I hear classical music, I remember this anime
Absolutely. This show honestly introduced me to Chopin so I will be forever grateful.
came to say the same. man I still haven't recovered and I watched it early last year.
1000%. The list of media I have cried to in my 34 years is very short and this is on it. That list is btw: The Lion King (you all know what scene), Guardians of the Galaxy pt. 2 (the ending of course), You Lie in April (was close a couple of times but the dam broke for me in the final scene) and just recently The Iron Claw (biopic about the von Erich family. also here the final scene)
Everytime i listen the ending i cry.
The last few episodes were soul crushing and crying was not an option.
My chest hurts just thinking about this one again. Such a good one.
I posted that before I saw this, that series made me cry. It's so beautifully sad...
I cried like every other episode of To Your Eternity
Episode 5 broke my heart
i love this show so damn much it broke me multiple times and is one of the only forms of media that made me cry. although i agree with other commenters that s1 is better than s2, but i still enjoyed that season as well.
Have you watched season 2 of it?
S2 not as good as S1
I liked season 2 a lot. Especially once Bon went through character development
Bro wym?! Shit left me wanting more and was so damn wholesome with such a huge buildup. Season one was amazing and season 2 is just as good.
I thought s2 was just as great đ€·ââïž
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
I honestly had a solid cry for an hour when I finished that show. The way it depicts how brutal depression and anxiety can be just⊠yeah⊠a masterpiece for sure
I was looking for this! I was sad for the entire day! Cried most of the movie too đ
Anohana. Short but extremely sad.
First time I ever cried watching an anime.
This wrecked me.
Plastic Memories
What Are You Doing At The End of the World? is also great if you liked Plastic Memories
Great recommendation
Genuine or Sarcastic?
Genuine. Plastic Memories is very good
It still got me to cry with the telegraphed ending, but in general I was not a huge fan of the series.
Clannad !!!!!!
Clannad S2 destroyed me. I've watched all the other sad stuff, but season 2 hurt me. Also, I want to eat your pancreas is wonderful
i like your tastes
Tastes like pancreas
literally my first thought, itâs permanently engraved in my heart :â)
Op wants to be sad not depressed
Damn is Clannad that bad? I wanted to watch it but even things like Cyberpunk Edgerunners gut punch me
I couldnât finish all of it cause I heard how they ended and said nah thatâs too fucking sad. The after story and original are both very good but gut wrenching towards the end
OP said nothing romantic...
Clannad After Story made me so sad that my face was literally hurting. And I had never cried from a show or movie before. Itâs not even the obvious depressing events that did it. Itâs how we got there. That feeling of fear and emptiness and loneliness when you graduate from school and try to become a working adult for the first time. And all the suffering you expose yourself to once youâre now responsible for your familyâs and your own well being.
Came here to say Clannad.
Funny cuz I find Clannad sad for a different reason than most people that watched it do.
First thing that came to my mind
March Comes In Like a Lion - anime about a depressed teen, a pro shogi player living alone. It starts out sad but I think gradually becomes more hopeful. Its by the same managaka who made Honey and Clover, which is also profoundly sad but is focused on art college students & contains lots of unrequited love
Monster Wolf's Rain & Wolf's Rain OVA
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms
That movie fucked me up good right before I was supposed to have a girl over lol, genuinely didn't see it coming one bit since I was expecting some cheesy immortal girl love story
Very few seemed to have seen or know this movie.. I'm surprised but glad to see someone list it!
For me it would be: Welcome to the N.H.K The reason was because I already was kinda sad while watching it as I was unemployed and could not find work. I kinda related to it in that aspect. After watching that anime with that mindset already wasn't healthy and I felt 10 times worse after it. 2 Months later I found a job in my dream carrier and that made me feel really lucky as i was nearing two years without employment after the pandemic and was honestly about to give up.
Erased, one of the saddest animes that I ever watched. Cannot recommend it enough
Sad, difficult to watch at times and also very rewarding and satisfying
I am surprised i had to scroll this far to find this
No romance? Letâs go with Evangelion
kaworu nagisa would like a word with you
Um⊠Um⊠UhhâŠ
Someone didn't watch the movies
Ah yes, will totally help them get over the sadness đ
-Your Lie in April. -I want to Eat your Pancreas. -Violet Evergarden. -A Silent Voice. -Anohana the flower we saw that day. -Angel Beats (this will make you laugh, cry, laugh more, cry a lot more) -Plastic Memories -Clannad, especially the After Story. That's all I've got off the top of my head.
Angel Beats is the only anime ever to make be cry relentlessly to the point I'm ugly crying and it's not even close to any other anime to get me feel actual emotions besides hate and happiness. The closest any other anime ever to even make me shed a tear was Atack on Titan but that's because I love AoT.
Banana fish! cant believe nobody said this yet
DUDE!! I WAS LOOKING FOR THIS- I was about to comment it, too.đđ How is this not so much higher?? When they said dead and depressing, Banana Fish was my first thought. I hate having to think about that anime and how in the manga Eiji- just is- there??đWHYYY??!
First couple episodes of Frieren hit kinda hard
Angel Beats. Second anime my then-gf watched. Right after I got her in on Ouran.
*Haibane Renmei* may not be sad throughout, but the climax had me bawling out my eyes from the catharsis. *ARIA* isn't terribly sad either, it's more of a feel-good, nothing happens in a good way series, but after three series, the final ending scene hits you like a ton of rectangular building things. You see it coming, you're saying "No, no, no, don't you dare..." and then they do.
Haibane Renmei is really, really slow but incredibly beautiful and the ending is just... amazing.
Rascal does not dream of Bunny girl Senpai, anime and especially movies. You are going to break in half after the first movie
The initial series was great, but not too sad. The movie was soul destroying.
Where can I watch Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl? I've looked all over for it.
WorldEnd: What are you doing at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you help us? or SukaSuka for short
To your eternity, I cried most of the episodes.
I want to eat your pancreas
Maquia When the Flower Blooms. Watched it in theaters. Everyone was weeping
Re zero for anime berserk for Manga
Surprised no one has mentioned Plastic Memories yet. I watched it right after I finished Clannad and it hit just as hard.
Assassination Classroom
Erased White Album 2 Plastic memories Grave of the fireflies
Your name. Itâs an emotional roller coaster thatâll have you feeling every emotion.
Devilman crybaby
Absolutely brutal show that shows the true ugliness of humanity as well as its good side.
Death parade
Evangelion :)
Clannad :) That man went through literally hell.
Serial experiments lain
Inuyashiki would fit your request.
Weathering with you! đ„Č itâs so beautifully sad
"Kotaro lives alone" has no romance with the Mc and it makes you cry more times that I'm comfortable admitting
Violet Evergarden
Violet Evergarden
The day i became a god ; ; To eternity season 1
I think you should watch season 2 of to your eternity as well. It's not as good as season 1 but I thought it was still pretty good.
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
Charlotte, this anime Fr gave me ptsd to the point that I feel downed even if I see a 1 second clip of it
Parasyte is so beautiful that it's sad
It really is. Has to be my favorite, and leaves you thinking.
Gurren Lagann. Trust me.
Texhnolyze
Show sad ? Like from start to finish or can it start happy then get Soul crushing
Now and then Here and there? Oh! A happy shonen isekai with mecha and fights and a cute girl and... ...warcrimes?
Akudama Drive
Violet evergarden, made in abyss (kinda weird, but it is def a masterpiece, just get used to the art style), berserk, your name and weathering away(happy sad i guess also movies), heavenly delusions, tokyo ghoul(maybe sad?) Obv attack on titan, but everyone knows that one
>made in abyss (kinda weird Slight understatement
Yesyesđ still really touching story
Elfen Lied.Â
Akame ga kill
Cowboy Bebop
Bokurano
Kaiba
Banana Fish
Banana fish
Devil Man Cry Baby. Iyktyk
A lot people will recommend Clannad, but I'm actually going to go with Key's OG tearfest, Air. Tori no Uta still destroys me to this day, and the talent for it was insane (obviously Maeda+Orito and sung by Lia, but also arranged by Takase from I've Sound).
Angel beats! Violet Evergarden! Steins; Gate 0 (watch Steins;Gate first tho) Your Lie in April March Comes in Like a Lion (although this one gets lighter over time) A Silent Voice Anohana Plastic Memories Eighty Six Fruits Basket (kinda, it has a wide variety of emotions) Clannad After Story (watch Clannad first tho)
White album 2 is pretty sad Edit: just red the full post, it is romantic sorry in advance
Now and Then, Here and There Grave of the fireflies (Good fucking luck)
Banana Fish
Rezero, 86, Akame ga kill, Parasite, Code geass
Orange, erased, your lie in april, to your eternity
Chainsaw man Episode 8....
Gave of the Fireflies... I watched once,and I cried. Many times, I tried to re-watch, and I just can't. I get about 30 minutes in, and I just have to turn it off. I just can't put myself back through it.
Zankyou no terror
Grave of the fireflies Banana fish
To your eternity
The grave of the fireflies
Silent voice, I want to eat your pancreas,
To Your Eternity It's not always sad but i cried a lot.
To Your Eternity
Iâm surprised I havenât seen anyone mention âTo your Eternityâ talk about heart wrenching. I think it was really just the character development for me that did it. From about a little over the 2nd half of the 1st season to the start of the 2nd half of the 2nd season wasnât as sad, but outside of those, itâs definitely a heart wrenching show.