Anime Tear-Jerkers

[SeijiSensei]

I get the sense you've mostly paid attention to the romance shows in this thread and ignored ones like Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 or Erin. Is that an accurate perception?

[bhl88]

I havent watched those shows though.

[kitten320]

Is that so? Could you possible list some of those titles that did not meet requirement?

[bhl88]

I still feel bad for not listing disaster shows as tear jerkers though (disaster shows to mean Earthquakes, 2012, apocalypse and stuff)

[trickdaddy]

Psh, nobody has listed Zero no tsukaima / The familiar of Zero?

That definetly brings a struggle to hold back tears.
Of the fours seasons, two of them are pretty much impossible to hold back, especially the last one. They all relate to strong romance, when Saito sacrifices his life to save his love, Louise, even though he was the one who said it was foolish to sacrifice yourself for honor, he did it anyways to ensure his love would survive, and ultimately is finished off against an army while screaming for his love.

Most pain I've felt watching anything. And this anime had it more than once.
When I was watching this, I literally said to myself "Hello, tears. It's been a while."

[Xarvi]

Originally Posted by kitten320

Is that so? Could you possible list some of those titles that did not meet requirement?

I kind of should have thought of that before.. When I watched an anime that I didn't like I kind of just erased it off my list without keeping a record of what I have watched already. And I for sure can't remember the titles of all the animes i've watched. (I'd know for sure if I just looked at some pictures, but other than that I don't think i could make a reliable list)

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I get the sense you've mostly paid attention to the romance shows in this thread and ignored ones like Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 or Erin. Is that an accurate perception?

Originally Posted by bhl88

I still feel bad for not listing disaster shows as tear jerkers though (disaster shows to mean Earthquakes, 2012, apocalypse and stuff)

I just haven't gotten around to watching them just yet, I have quite a list of animes that i'm about to watch, and currently there's 2 more before I get to Tokyo Magnitude 8.0.
Even thought I do like to have some kind of romance or some other element that makes the show worth watching. If they have some kind of romance there's usually some awkward moments etc which I just find hilarious to watch!
And It's just to depressing to watch an anime that is *sad* without anything good happening. Like piling tragedy after tragedy..

But I for sure haven't written them off as not worth watching!

But please keep on posting if you find a good anime!

[kitten320]

Ga-Rei Zero should be among your priorities then. It has romance with some awkward moments. Fluffy friendship episodes and then hell breaks out

[Xarvi]

Just about to finish the first season of Zero no Tsukaima, but I think there's 3? more seasons so I believe it'll take some time to finish.

Saw the last episode of Natsuyuki Rendezvous and it was okay i guess, I wasn't very fond by the characters, and I felt that the characters were kinda bad... Can't really say anything about the characters without spoilers so I'm just not going to try!

[Xarvi]

Watched a few episodes of Sukitte Iinayo and It's a really cute story so far, slice of life/school life/romance. It's one of those stories that just make you all warm inside! I haven't finished it yet but based on whats happened so far It's really good.

[Xarvi]

Finished 11eyes, Quite good.
It had some gory scenes that I'm not that big of a fan of, but they were kind of mild if you compare to the extremes. All in all a anime worth watching!

[NinjaRealist]

You know what, I realized that I neglected to mention possibly the greatest, most, universally appealing anime tear-jerker of them all:

Haibane Renmei



This show is very unique and difficult to describe. It's essentially a show about suicide and depression, but it deals with these themes in a way that is totally unconventional. It's quite sad, but I wouldn't say that it's very dark or angsty. It's a very quiet, subtle, anime with a simple slice-of-life style plot/pacing (e.g. Mushishi, Kino's Journey, Aria) but which nonetheless is very unlike slice-of-life anime in the sense that there is a serious plot that grapples with serious issues, although in a slightly roundabout way. There is a bit of gore involving a few medical procedures but the scenes are not violent and this is not a violent show.

In my opinion, this is one of the best anime ever made, and a must-see.

[Darthtabby]

Originally Posted by Xarvi

Even thought I do like to have some kind of romance or some other element that makes the show worth watching. If they have some kind of romance there's usually some awkward moments etc which I just find hilarious to watch!
And It's just to depressing to watch an anime that is *sad* without anything good happening. Like piling tragedy after tragedy..

I'd held off mentioning one of my all time favorite series because of the issues a lot of people have with the ending, but after reading this I think I'm going to go ahead and put it forward anyway. The series in question is one from 2004 called Mai-HiME. It starts off relatively light then gets much darker later on. The series like to play around with anime conventions a bit and does a great job of developing its characters over time. I particularly like the main character, she's very nice but also very human, a combination which can be difficult to pull off.

This is a plot summary I wrote for the series while trying to convince some other people to watch it:

Spoiler for Saving Some Space:

The main character of Mai-HiME is Mai Tokiha, a first year high school student who has received a scholarship to attend a prestigious private academy on the Island of Fuka along with her sickly younger brother Takumi. While en route to the island, she helps save an unconscious girl clutching a large sword and witnesses a highly destructive battle between the girl she saved and a another girl, both of whom fight with strange powers. After arriving on Fuka Mai begins to learn the truth behind why she was brought to the island –she is a HiME, one of twelve girls who have been granted magical powers. Supposedly the HiME have been gathered on Fuka to fight monsters from another world called Orphans, but as one of the less trusting HiME opines, that probably isn't their real purpose. Unsure of whether to trust her benefactors but resolving to protect her brother and her new friends, Mai reluctantly takes up the fight. But does she really know what she’s getting herself into? And does she –or any of the other HiME- truly understand what it means when they’re told they must risk the one thing that’s most important to them?

You are going to need to be able to tolerate some ecchi hijinks though, especially in the notorious fourth episode. Granted the series is pretty tame compared to some of what's out there these days but I thought I should still warn you.

[Xarvi]

Just finished Itazura na Kiss, romance/drama.
Not the best one I've seen, but it sure is worth watching!
If you come up with more animes, please keep on posting!

[Xarvi]

Adding Welcome To The NHK.
kind of a sad story and depressing story. But I think it's fine for the sake of a tear jerker.

[Xarvi]

Just finished H2O Footprints in the Sand, Pretty sad..
Also updated the list with another 3 animes!

[jesh462]

I noticed you haven't watched Full Moon wo Sagashite yet. I don't know if it's on your to-do list or not, but I noticed that in your original post you asked for a short description. Sorry, I missed that before, so here goes!

Full Moon is about a 12 year old girl, Mitsuki, who has a dream that she wants more than anything: to be a singer. She has always had problems with her throat because of cancer. One day she finds two Shinigami, (gods of death), in her home. They tell her that she has one year from that day left to live. Rather than crying or going into shock, she runs away from home to try out at a local audition for a record company, convinced that there is no time to waste. Although the tryout age limit is 16 and up, she tries to put on makeup and clothes for an older girl. Obviously, that isn't going to work. The Shinigami catch up to her and tell her that they will do everything they can to help her fulfill her dream. From there the adventure starts.

Full Moon wo Sagashite is very easy to watch. It's often light-hearted and funny thanks to Takuto and Meroko, the two Shinigami who guard her.
There's also a lot of romance in the show. Mitsuki has a boy who she was separated from years ago. He confessed to love her, but she wasn't able to summon the courage to tell him the same before he left for the U.S.
She also made a promise to him before he left that they would each do their best to follow their dreams; for her, a singer, and for him, an astronomer.

Of course, nothing goes as planned.
Anyways, I hope this works for a short description and piques your interest in this great anime.

[Xarvi]

Originally Posted by jesh462

I noticed you haven't watched Full Moon wo Sagashite yet. I don't know if it's on your to-do list or not, but I noticed that in your original post you asked for a short description. Sorry, I missed that before, so here goes!

Full Moon is about a 12 year old girl, Mitsuki, who has a dream that she wants more than anything: to be a singer. She has always had problems with her throat because of cancer. One day she finds two Shinigami, (gods of death), in her home. They tell her that she has one year from that day left to live. Rather than crying or going into shock, she runs away from home to try out at a local audition for a record company, convinced that there is no time to waste. Although the tryout age limit is 16 and up, she tries to put on makeup and clothes for an older girl. Obviously, that isn't going to work. The Shinigami catch up to her and tell her that they will do everything they can to help her fulfill her dream. From there the adventure starts.

Full Moon wo Sagashite is very easy to watch. It's often light-hearted and funny thanks to Takuto and Meroko, the two Shinigami who guard her.
There's also a lot of romance in the show. Mitsuki has a boy who she was separated from years ago. He confessed to love her, but she wasn't able to summon the courage to tell him the same before he left for the U.S.
She also made a promise to him before he left that they would each do their best to follow their dreams; for her, a singer, and for him, an astronomer.

Of course, nothing goes as planned.
Anyways, I hope this works for a short description and piques your interest in this great anime.

I'm currently watching Kimi ni Todoke and found it to be, at least so far, pretty cute.

I actually missed that anime, But based on what you said I think I'll give it a try after I finish Kimi ni Todoke! I'm starting to have a hard time finding good animes in this theme, so please if you think you have something that might fit the description please post it! <3

[Traece]

Why has
nobody said
Natsume Yuujinchou? (according to a quick scan and some ctrl+f work, anyhow)

Absolutely watch Natsume Yuujinchou if you want to cry for any reason. I can not think of a better tearjerker.

[Xarvi]

Added another 5 animes to the list!
I'll keep on updating every so often!

[kitten320]

Claymore wise you should read manga.
Anime has changed few things in several last episodes while manga still keeps going.

I noticed that you are including some not really sad series so how about giving Seirei no Moribito a try? It actually has some dramatic as well as heartwarming moments. Did not bring me to tears but defiantly pulled some strings.

At least more than Claymore did