Best Sad Anime of All Time
Here we mentioned the best sad anime of all time. There are so many anime that falls under the sad category, but these are the best ones.
All of us love to have a great story in Anime. But if there is an emotional one – it is even better and gets more fans compared to another storyline or genre.
Fans will go on bawling their eyes out after watching such an emotional and sad Anime, but will still go for watching a similar genre.
| Character | Description | Japanese Voice Actor | English Voice Actor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takao Akizuki | A 15-year-old first year high school student who wants to become a shoemaker. | Miyu Irino | Patrick Poole |
| Yukari Yukino | A mysterious 27-year-old woman who Takao meets in the park on rainy mornings. She is a classical-Japanese teacher at Takao’s high school. | Kana Hanazawa | Maggie Flecknoe |
| Takao’s mother | Takao’s 47-year-old divorced mother who is more focused on her love life than her family life. | Fumi Hirano | Shelley Calene-Black |
| Takao’s brother | Takao’s 26-year-old brother who leaves home to live with his girlfriend and dismisses Takao’s shoe-making as a whim. | Takeshi Maeda | Crash Buist |
| Brother’s girlfriend | Takao’s brother’s 24-year-old girlfriend who is friendly with Takao and fascinated by his shoe-making. | Yuka Terasaki | Brittney Karbowski |
| Matsumoto | Takao’s classmate and friend, as well as Satō’s boyfriend. | Suguru Inoue | Mike Yager |
| Satō | A second year student in Takao’s high school and friend. | Megumi Han | Allison Sumrall |
| Aizawa | A third year student in Takao’s high school who is the source of Yukari’s problems at school. | Mikako Komatsu | Hilary Haag |
There are various heartfelt storylines in the Best Sad Anime category including Wolf Children, Air, Clannad, Whisper of the Heart, The Wind Rises, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and many more.
You might have come across various heart-wrenching stories and depressing subjects – here we have compiled a list of the Best Sad Anime of All Time.
Just go through the list and you will come across various interesting anime that will capture your heart.
Best Sad Anime of All Time
We have mentioned the popular and most viewed sad anime of all time. Read the complete article to get all the details about it.
1. Wolf Children:
Wolf Children is a Japanese anime film. Wolf Children is a very popular anime film. The film Wolf Children has received a great response from the audience.
The film Wolf Children is titled Okami Kodomo No Ame to Yuki. It is a famous sad anime film.
The film Wolf Children has received 8.1 out of 10 on IMDb. The film Wolf Children was directed by Mamoru Hosoda. Mamoru Hosoda also gave the story of the film Wolf Children.
The anime film Wolf Children includes drama and fantasy. In the film Wolf Children, a young woman tries to find ways in order to raise a werewolf son and daughter after her werewolf lover dies in an accident at the time of hunting for food for their children.
She had to raise the werewolf son and daughter while keeping their trait hidden from society. The film Wolf Children was produced by Yuichiro Saito, Takashi Watanabe, and Takuya Ito.
The film Wolf Children was made under Studio Chizu, and Toho distributed it. The running time of the film Wolf Children is 117 minutes.
This anime drama is written by Mamoru Hosoda. With a central theme such as Parent and Child, there are so many young fans who loved the anime.
The production was done by Studio Chizu. After its world premiere in Paris, the anime was released in theatres.
The film Wolf Children was released on 25th June 2012 in France and on 21st July 2012 in Japan. The film Wolf Children stars Aoi Miyazaki and Takao Osawa.
If we get any other updates about the film Wolf Children, we will add them here. So, make sure you check out this website frequently.
2. Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light:
Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light is one of the popular sad anime films. The film Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light has received a very good response from the audience.
The anime film Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light has received 7.9 out of 10 on IMDb. The film Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light is full of drama and fantasy.
In the film Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light, Hotaru gets rescued by a spirit at the time when she gets lost in a forest as a child.
Later, they become friends, and after that, the spirit reveals that he will get disappear if he gets touched by a human.
The film Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light includes romance and the supernatural. The anime film Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light was written and directed by Takahiro Omori. It was produced by Shuko Yokoyama, Hirofumi Sugawara, Tomomi Kyotani, and Masanori Miyake.
Makoto Yoshimori gave the music in the film Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light. The film Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light was released on 17th September 2011. The running time of the film Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light is 45 minutes.
3. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time:
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a very popular sad anime film. The film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a Japanese anime film.
It is a romantic science fiction film. The film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time includes adventure and comedy. The film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has received 7.7 out of 10 on IMDb.
The film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has received a very positive response from the audience. The film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was directed by Mamoru Hosoda.
The film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time follows the story of a high-school girl named Makoto. She gains the power to travel back in time, and later, plans to use it for her personal benefit.
She also knows that she affects the lives of others and also her own. The film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is based on the sci-fi novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui.
Takashi Watanabe and Yuichiro Saito produced the film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. The film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time stars Riisa Naka, and Mitsu.taka Itakura, Takuya Ishida, and Sachie Hara.
The film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was made under Madhouse, and Kadokawa Herald Pictures distributed the film.
The film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has received many awards such as Tokyo Anime Award, Young Artist Award, etc. It was nominated for Nihon SF Taisho Award.
It also received the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year award. Seeing such popularity, it was also dubbed in English and it was licensed as well as produced by Kadokawa Pictures U.S and re-released by Funimation.
The film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was released on 15th July 2006. It was released in Japan and in the Japanese language.
4. Air:
Air is a Japanese anime film. It is one of the popular anime films. The film Air has received a good response from the audience.
The film Air has received 6.8 out of 10 on IMDb. Air is a sad anime film. The running time of the film Air is 91 minutes.
The film Air is full of adventure and drama. The film Air follows the life of Yukito Kunisaki. He wants a girl with wings who flies in the sky.
In his journey, he sets in a small town, and there, he tries to make some money. There, he meets a girl named Misuzu.
She makes Yukito her friend and later invites him to stay with her. After that, Yukito plans to stay in the small town and continue his search for the winged girl that his mother had searched for in her life.
The film Air was written by Makoto Nakamura and directed by Osamu Dezaki. The film Air is based on a Japanese novel titled Air by Key.
The film Air was produced by Iriya Azuma and Mamoru Yokota. The film Air stars Hikaru Midorikawa, Aya Hisakawa, and Tomoko Kawakami.
The film Air was made under Toei Animation. The film Air was released on 5th February 2005. If we get any other news or updates about the film Air, we will add it here. So, make sure you check out this website regularly.
5. The Wind Rises:
The Wind Rises is a famous anime film. The film The Wind Rises has received a good response from the audience.
The film The Wind Rises has received 7.8 out of 10 on IMDb. The Wind Rises is a biographical film.
The Wind Rises is an animated historical drama film. It is a fictionalized biographical film of Jiro Horikoshi, who was the designer of the Mitsubishi A5M fighter aircraft and its successor – the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, which was used by the Empire of Japan in World War II.
The film The Wind Rises was directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The film The Wind Rises is based on a Japanese novel titled The Wind Rises by Tatsuo Hori. Toshio Suzuki produced the film The Wind Rises.
The film The Wind Rises stars Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Morio Kazama, Masahiko Nishimura, Keiko Takeshita, and Mirai Shida.
The film The Wind Rises was made under Studio Ghibli. Toho distributed the film The Wind Rises. The running time of the film The Wind Rises is 126 minutes. The film The Wind Rises was released on 20th July 2013 in Japan.
The budget for the film The Wind Rises was 30 Million USD, and the box office has collected around 136.5 Million USD. The film The Wind Rises was the highest-grossing Japanese film in Japan in 2013.
6. Whisper of the Heart:
Whisper of the Heart is a Japanese animated film. It is a musical coming-of-age romantic and drama film. The film Whisper of the Heart has received a great response from the audience.
The film Whisper of the Heart has received 7.9 out of 10 on IMDb. Whisper of the Heart is a very popular Japanese anime film.
The film Whisper of the Heart shows the love story between a girl who loves reading books and a boy who recently checked out all the library books that she chooses.
The film Whisper of the Heart was directed by Yoshifumi Kondo. The film Whisper of the Heart is based on Mimi o Sumaseba by Aoi Hiiragi. Toshio Suzuki produced the film Whisper of the Heart.
The film Whisper of the Heart stars Yoko Honna, Takashi Tachibana, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi, Issei Takahashi, Shigeru Muroi, and Keiju Kobayashi.
The film Whisper of the Heart was made under Studio Ghibli, and Toho distributed the film Whisper of the Heart. The running time of the film Whisper of the Heart is 111 minutes.
The film Whisper of the Heart was released on 15th July 1995. If we get any other updates about the film Whisper of the Heart, we will add them here. So, make sure you check out this website daily.
7. Clannad:
Clannad is a Japanese anime film. The film Clannad includes drama, comedy, and fantasy. The film Clannad has received a positive response from the audience.
Clannad is a popular Japanese anime film. The film Clannad was directed by Osamu Dezaki. It was written by Makoto Nakamura and Jun Maeda.
The film Clannad is based on a Japanese visual novel of the same name by Key. It was produced by Hiroshi Takahashi and Takeshi Oikawa.
The film Clannad follows the story of Okazaki Tomoya, who is a delinquent. He finds life dull and also thinks that he will never amount to anything.
He skips school and plans to waste his high school days along with his friend named Sunohara. The film Clannad has received 7.5 out of 10 on IMDb.
The film Clannad stars Kenji Nojima, Ryo Hirohashi, Daisuke Sakaguchi, Mai Nakahara, and Houko Kuwashima. Megumi Kadonosono and Yoichi Onishi animated the film Clannad.
The film Clannad was made under Toei Animation and Frontier Works. Toei Company distributed the film Clannad. The running time of the film Clannad is 90 minutes. The film Clannad was released on 15th September 2007.
8. Millennium Actress:
Millennium Actress is a Japanese animated film. The film Millennium Actress includes drama and fantasy. The film Millennium Actress has received a great response from the audience.
The film Millennium Actress is titled Sennen Joyu. The film Millennium Actress has received 7.9 out of 10 on IMDb.
In the film Millennium Actress, a television interviewer and his cameraman meet a former actress and later travel through her career and memories.
Satoshi Kon directed the film Millennium Actress. Satoshi Kon also gave the story of the film Millennium Actress. The film Millennium Actress was produced by Taro Maki.
The film Millennium Actress stars Miyoko Shoji, Shozo Iizuka, Mami Koyama, Fumiko Orikasa, and Shoko Tsuda.
The film Millennium Actress was made under Madhouse. KlockWorx distributed the film Millennium Actress.
The running time of the film Millennium Actress is 87 minutes. The film Millennium Actress first premiered on 28th July 2001 at Fantasia Film Festival. It was released on 14th September 2002 in Japan.
If we get any other updates about the film Millennium Actress, we will add it here. So, make sure you visit this website regularly.
9. Grave of the Fireflies:
Grave of the Fireflies is a Japanese animated film. It is a war tragedy film. The film Grave of the Fireflies has received a good response from the audience.
The film Grave of the Fireflies has received 8.5 out of 10 on IMDb. Grave of the Fireflies is one of the popular animated films.
The film Grave of the Fireflies includes war and drama. The film Grave of the Fireflies is based on a short story titled Grave of the Fireflies by Akiyuki Nosaka.
In the film Grave of the Fireflies, a young boy and his little sister are struggling in order to survive in Japan at the time of World War II.
The film Grave of the Fireflies was directed by Isao Takahata. It was produced by Toru Hara. The film Grave of the Fireflies was made under Studio Ghibli. Toho distributed the film Grave of the Fireflies.
The length of the film Grave of the Fireflies is 89 minutes. The film Grave of the Fireflies was released on 16th April 1988.
The film Grave of the Fireflies received the Blue Ribbon Award in 1989. It is a famous Japanese animated film.
10. A Silent Voice:
A Silent Voice is a very popular Japanese animated drama film. The film A Silent Voice is full of drama. The film A Silent Voice is also known as The Shape of Voice.
The film A Silent Voice has received a great response from the audience. The film A Silent Voice has received 8.2 out of 10 on IMDb.
The film A Silent Voice follows the story of a young man who gets ostracized by his classmates. It happens after he bullies a deaf girl to the point where she moves away.
After many years, he sets off on a path to redemption. The film A Silent Voice was directed by Naoko Yamada. The film A Silent Voice is based on a Japanese manga series of the same name by Yoshitoki Oima.
The film A Silent Voice was produced by Eharu Ohashi, Mikio Uetsuki, Kensuke Tateishi, Shinichi Nakamura, and Tashio Iizuka.
The film A Silent Voice stars Miyu Irino, Saori Hayami, Aoi Yuki, Yuki Kaneko, Kensho Ono, Yui Ishikawa, and Megumi Han.
The film A Silent Voice was made under Kyoto Animation. Shochiku distributed the film A Silent Voice. The box office has collected around 30.5 Million USD.
The film A Silent Voice was released on 17th September 2016 in Japan. The running time of the film A Silent Voice is 130 minutes. It was released in the Japanese language.
11. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade:
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is a popular Japanese animated film. It is an active political thriller anime film. The film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade has received a great response from the audience.
The film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade has received 7.4 out of 10 on IMDb. The film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is full of drama and fantasy.
In the film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, a traumatized member of an elite para-military police force falls for a girl who is the sister of a female terrorist courier who died in front of him on duty.
The film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade was directed by Hiroyuki Okiura. It was written by Mamoru Oshii. The film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is based on Characters created by Mamoru Oshii.
The film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade was produced by Tsutomu Sugita and Hidekazu Terakawa. The film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade stars Yoshikatsu Fujiki, Hiroyuki Kinoshita, and Sumi Mutoh.
The film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade was made under Production I.G/ING, and Bandai Visual distributed the film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. The running time of the film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is 102 minutes.
The film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade was released on 17th November 1999 in France and on 3rd June 2000 in Japan.
It was released in the Japanese language. If we get any other updates about the film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, we will add it here.
12. The Place Promised In Our Early Days:
The Place Promised In Our Early Days is a Japanese anime film. The anime film The Place Promised In Our Early Days has received a positive response from the audience.
The film The Place Promised In Our Early Days is one of the most popular sad Japanese anime of all time. The film The Place Promised In Our Early Days has received 7 out of 10 on IMDb.
The film The Place Promised In Our Early Days includes drama and romance. The film The Place Promised In Our Early Days is titled Kumo no muko – yakusoku no basho.
In the film The Place Promised In Our Early Days, there is an alternate postwar timeline. In that, Japan gets divided into the Union-controlled North and the US-controlled South.
The anime film The Place Promised In Our Early Days was written, produced, and directed by Makoto Shinkai.
It was made under CoMix Wave Inc. The film The Place Promised In Our Early Days was released on 20th November 2004.
13. Perfect Blue:
The film Perfect Blue is a Japanese anime film. It is a psychological thriller film. The film Perfect Blue has received a very positive response from the audience.
The film Perfect Blue is based on Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis by Yoshikazu Takeuchi. The film Perfect Blue has received 8 out of 10 on IMDb.
The film Perfect Blue is full of crime and mystery. In the film Perfect Blue, there is a pop singer who gives up her career in order to become an actress.
But later, she slowly goes insane at the time when she begins being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.
The film Perfect Blue was directed by Satoshi Kon. It was produced by Hitomi Nakagaki, Yutaka Togo, Hiroaki Inoue, Yoshihisa Ishihara, and Masao Maruyama.
The film Perfect Blue stars Junko Iwao, Shiho Niiyama, Shinpachi Tsuji, Rica Matsumoto, Masaaki Okura, and Emiko Furukawa.
The film Perfect Blue was made under Madhouse, and Rex Entertainment distributed the film Perfect Blue.
The film Perfect Blue first premiered on 5th August 1997 at Fantasia Festival. The film Perfect Blue was released on 28th February 1998 in Japan.
14. Doukyuusei: Classmates:
Doukyuusei: Classmates is a drama and music anime film. The film Doukyuusei: Classmates has received a good response from the audience. The film Doukyuusei: Classmates has received 7.7 out of 10 on IMDb.
The film Doukyuusei: Classmates shows a relationship between two high school second years named Licht Sajo and Hikaru Kusakabe.
Licht Sajo is an honor student, and Hikaru Kusakabe plays in a rock band. The running time of the film Doukyuusei: Classmates is 60 minutes.
The film Doukyuusei: Classmates was directed by Shoko Nakamura. It was produced by Hanako Yamashita. Kotaro Oshio gave the music in the film Doukyuusei: Classmates.
The film Doukyuusei: Classmates was licensed by Aniplex of America, and it was made under A-1 Pictures. The film Doukyuusei: Classmates was released on 20th February 2016 in Japan.
15. When Marnie Was There:
When Marnie Was There is a Japanese anime film. It is a psychological drama film. The film When Marnie Was There is titled Omoide no Mani. The film When Marnie Was There has received a very positive response from the audience.
The film When Marnie Was There has received 7.7 out of 10 on IMDb. The film When Marnie Was There includes drama and family.
In the film When Marnie Was There, because of her asthma of 12 years old Anna, she is sent to stay with relatives of her guardian in the Japanese countryside.
She likes to be alone and sketch. Later, she meets Marnie. She befriends Marnie. Marnie is the mysterious blonde Marnie.
The film When Marnie Was There was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi. The film When Marnie Was There is based on a novel of the same name by Joan G. Robinson. It was produced by Yoshiaki Nishimura.
The film When Marnie Was There stars Sara Takatsuki and Kasumi Arimura. The budget for the film When Marnie Was There was 10.5 Million USD, and the box office collected around 36 Million USD.
The film When Marnie Was There was made under Studio Ghibli. Toho distributed the film When Marnie Was There. The film When Marnie Was There was released on 19th July 2014.
16. Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni:
The film Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni is also known as In This Corner of the World. The film In This Corner of the World has received a great response from the audience.
The film In This Corner of the World got 7.8 out of 10 on IMDb. In This Corner of the World is a Japanese anime film. The film In This Corner of the World is full of drama and family.
The film In This Corner of the World is set in Hiroshima during World War II. An 18 years old girl gets married. Now, she has to prepare food for her family, but there is rationing and a lack of supplies.
She struggles with the daily loss of the amenities of life, but she still has to maintain the will in order to live. The film In This Corner of the World was written by Sunao Katabuchi and Chie Uratani. It was directed by Sunao Katabuchi.
The film In This Corner of the World is based on a manga series of the same name by Fumiyo Kono. It was produced by Masao Maruyama and Taro Maki.
The film In This Corner of the World stars Rena Nonen, Minori Omi, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Natsuki Inaba, Daisuke Ono, Megumi Han, and Shigeru Ushiyama.
The film In This Corner of the World has received many awards and nominations. The film In This Corner of the World has received the 90th Kinema Junpo Best 10 Award, 71st Mainichi Film Award, 26th Tokyo Sports Film Award, 59th Blue Ribbon Award, etc.
The film In This Corner of the World was made under MAPPA. Tokyo Theatres distributed the film In This Corner of the World.
The film In This Corner of the World premiered on 28th October 2016 at The Tokyo International Film Festival.
It was released on 12th November 2016 in Japan, and the extended version of the film In This Corner of the World was released on 20th December 2019.
If we get any other updates or news about the film Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni, we will update it here. So, make sure you check out this website regularly.
17. 5 Centimeters per Second:
The film 5 Centimeters per Second is originally titled Byousoku 5 Centimeter. The film 5 Centimeters per Second has received good reviews from critics.
The film 5 Centimeters per Second has received 7.6 out of 10 on IMDb. The film 5 Centimeters per Second includes drama and family.
The film 5 Centimeters per Second is told in three interconnected segments. The film 5 Centimeters per Second follows the story of a young man named Takaki.
The film 5 Centimeters per Second shows his life as cold technology, cruel winters, adult obligations, and responsibility converge in order to test the delicate petals of love. The story of the film 5 Centimeters per Second is set in Japan.
The anime film 5 Centimeters per Second was written, produced, and directed by Makoto Shinkai. The film 5 Centimeters per Second was released on 3rd March 2007. If we get any other update about the film 5 Centimeters per Second, we will add it here.
18. Mirai no Mirai:
Mirai no Mirai is a Japanese animated film. It is an adventure fantasy comedy-drama film. The film Mirai no Mirai has received a good response from the audience.
The film Mirai no Mirai has received 7 out of 10 on IMDb. The film Mirai no Mirai was written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda.
The film Mirai no Mirai follows the story of a young boy who encounters a magical garden that enables him to travel through time. Later, he meets his relatives from different eras along with the guidance of his younger sister from the future.
The film Mirai no Mirai was produced by Yuichiro Saito, Genki Kawamura, Takuya Ito, and Yuichi Adachi. The film Mirai no Mirai stars Moka Kamishiraishi, Haru Kuroki, Gen Hoshino, Mitsuo Yoshihara, Kumiko Aso, Koji Yakusho, and Masaharu Fukuyama.
The film Mirai no Mirai was made under Studio Chizu. Toho distributed it. The film Mirai no Mirai premiered on 16th May 2018 at Directors Fortnight. It was released on 20th July 2018 in Japan.
19. Plastic Memories:
Plastic Memories is a Japanese anime tv series. The series Plastic Memories has received a positive response from the audience.
It has received 7.4 out of 10 on IMDb. The series Plastic Memories is full of drama and romance. The series Plastic Memories was written by Naotaka Hayashi.
It was directed by Yoshiyuki Fujiwara, Yasuhiro Kimura, Tatsuya Nokimori, Mitsue Yamazaki, Shinya Iino, Yu Kinome, and Seiki Sugawara.
The first season of the series Plastic Memories includes a total of 13 episodes titled The First Partner, Don’t Want to Cause Trouble, We’ve Just Started Living Together, I Just Don’t Know How to Smile, The Promise I Wanted to Keep, Welcome Home the Both of Us, How to Ask Her Out, The Fireworks I’ve Never Seen, After the Festival, No Longer Partners, Rice Omelette Day, Filling Up with Memories, and “I Hope One Day – You’ll Be Reunited.
We expect that the second season of the series Plastic Memories will also include a total of 13 episodes. Let’s see what happens next.
We expect that Plastic Memories Season 2 will receive a very positive response from the audience. If we get any other updates or news about the series Plastic Memories, we will add it here.
Check out this website daily to read the latest updates and news, and do not forget to add a bookmark to this website. Stay tuned for the next update.
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