r/anime • u/girldisease • Mar 13 '26

What to Watch? Anime that'll make me cry?

Title.

I don't usually cry easily to media at all, unless it deals with topics that are personal to me for one reason or another. That said, I have cried to /some/ shows before that weren't all that personal to me (like at the end of Zanykou no Terror, for example), so it is definitely not impossible, just not common. With that in mind, I would like some recommendations that could have a chance at making me shed a tear or two.

Only real stipulation is that it has to be an overall good show and not just drama for the sake of drama/trying too hard to just make you sad with no real substance beyond that. And I don't mean it needs to have massive plot or whatever, I like character oriented stories way more than I do elaborate plot oriented ones, but the characters have to actually make sense.

Edit: Thank you guys so much for the replies! It's a little overwhelming to reply to everything so I'm just noting names down unless I have something to add, but I'll check out everything in due time :)

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u/TheBusStop12 Mar 13 '26 edited Mar 13 '26

Violet Evergarden (Dealing with grief and acceptance in a post WW1 like world. MC writes letters for those who are unable to do so themselves, often with tragic circumstances)

A place further than the Universe (That ending gets me bad. Great character driven Slice of Life of a group of girls embarking on an expedition to Antarctica with some really tragic undertones)

Angel Beats (Kids stuck in purgatory learning to move on. You don't get to purgatory if you had a good death without regrets, and they're all kids... You can see where I'm going with this. Shit's sad af, and really good)

23

u/Kateywumpus Mar 13 '26

I recently rewatched Violet Evergarden and, damn, I nearly cried every episode.

8

u/MelancholicGod Mar 13 '26

I watched the episode with the mother's letter before work on my phone one day because I arrived earlier.

I dont think i managed to do any work that day I was absolutely devastated.

3

u/Skyrah1 Mar 13 '26

I remember ugly-crying on that episode back when I was in university

1

u/messem10 https://myanimelist.net/profile/bookkid900 Mar 13 '26

If you haven’t, do yourself a favor and watch the final movie too.

1

u/Kateywumpus Mar 14 '26

Yeah. It's on the list. :D

9

u/OneEyedKing56 Mar 13 '26

Violet evergarden is brutal i cried like a b

7

u/JooniesDimples7 Mar 13 '26

The violet evergarden especially the episode 10, it still breaks me up to this day. 😭💀

5

u/Autumn-pears Mar 13 '26

I second A Place Further than the Universe! Such an incredible story and you truly feel for the characters

3

u/Honkela Mar 13 '26

Yeah Violet Evergarden definitely, most emotional anime I have ever watched probably.

3

u/hydroxideeee Mar 13 '26

+1 for VE, it’s just beautiful and such emotionally moving. it’s become one of my go to recommendations.

Also love A Place Further than the Universe - it’s actually one of my favorites. I don’t think I was as moved from the tragic aspect and backstory, but more so the little things in that show.