Being raised by Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto made you realize that anime is not 100% for kids. Yes, we watched those when we were kids, but when we watch them again after we have been through a lot in life, they sure tackled many emotions in our hearts. We were then awestruck by Naruto’s immense power despite his immaturity. But now, when we’re older, we cry more than laugh watching how sad his journey is, his losses, longings, loneliness, etc.

Being a ‘terrible’ influence as I am, this time I will recommend some anime under the Drama and SoL genres for you to cry to.

But before we begin, do check our posts on Anime You Should Not Watch When You’re Hungry.

Koe No Katachi (A Silent Voice) – 8.8/10

This animated movie has a special place in my heart for its details, family portrayals, and insights (in the manga). The manga has 7 volumes, so imagine – a movie derived from 7 volumes of manga. It will be compact, but for me, they did well enough to touch people’s hearts.

This movie does not just cover the struggles of the main characters, but also indirectly points out the problems in each character’s family. It will not be pointed out in the movie, but those who like to think deeply will catch on to the hidden backstory.

It tells about Shouya, who bullied a deaf student, Shouko when they were in elementary school. No kidding, the way he bullies her really riled me up. Imagined he destroyed her hearing aids that cost thousands! That’s not even the worst, but I won’t spoil everything. What you need to know is that I was raging while watching him!

The movie hits its climax when one day, Shouko’s mother decides to transfer her daughter due to intolerable bullies and Shouya’s friends start to throw him under the bus. It resulted in him being the new bully victim. He was bullied by his friends like how he used to bully Shouko.

Growing up, he lost his self-confidence and lost trust in people. He blames himself for everything that happened to his family and himself. On the day of his planning to commit suicide, he went to see Shouko for a final apology. How did it turn out? You should watch it yourself. Enough spoilers!

Kokoro Ga Sakebitagatterunda (The Anthem of The Heart) – 7.8/10

I discovered this movie by accident on one gloomy rainy day, and it remains one of the most memorable anime in my life.

It tells a story about Naruse, who likes to talk and daydream. Just like other kids, she loves fairytales. Always dreaming of living in a palace. There’s a palace in her hometown, on top of a hill that she frequents to admire from outside of its majestic gate.

One day, she saw his dad drive out of the palace’s huge compound with a beautiful woman in the passenger seat. Delighted to know that her dad got access to the palace, she told her mother about it – while not knowing the fact that the palace she adores is actually a hotel. 

Being told off by her mother that she shouldn’t tell her with her blabbermouth, she was shunned into a massive guilt and promised herself to not open her mouth again. Since then, every time she opened her mouth, her stomach would ache like there was no tomorrow. Ergo, the movie shows how Naruse (or you) forgave herself and overcame a pang of huge guilt in your life in order to not live your life aimlessly.

Hotarubi No Mori E (Into The Forest Of Fireflies’ Light) – 7.8/10

This is one cruel love story. It’s about Hotaru, the cheerful girl, and Gin, the lonely spirit boy.

6-year-old Hotaru was having her summer vacation in her grandfather’s house when she got lost in a forest nearby and met Gin. From the outlook, Gin is like a boy, only that he wears a yokai mask. But behind that mask, he is one hell of a boy – green eyes can be seen through the mask’s eye holes, pale skin sneaked from his profile look, and shining silver hair.

Hotaru, who was in a frightened state, was relieved when she had someone to accompany her while she was lost. Gin decided to guide her back to her grandfather’s house but forbade Hotaru to touch him. Hotaru, being the child she was, did not take it seriously and tried to hold Gin’s hand to not get left behind. Gin refused – aggressively. Once Hotaru was sent home safely, Gin warned her to never come and find him again. 

So why was Gin so bitter? It’s because he has a secret. He will disappear if he is touched even the slightest by a human. Remember? Gin is a spirit! Of course, Hotaru won’t listen to him. If she does, the movie will end after 30 minutes. Hotaru ended up coming to the forest and playing with Gin until she got older enough to have a very strong feeling towards Gin – which he does not age. Eventually, both of them developed mutual feelings.

Do you think it’s a happy ending? Hah! In your dreams! Just… prepare a box of tissues if you decide to watch this.

Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso (Your Lie In April) – 8/10

Oh my god! I am traumatized by a scene in this series. But to describe this series is a simple task.

Kousei Arima is a genius when it comes to piano. If you compete with him in a competition, you’ll have no chance to win over him. Not until the death of his mother. That’s when his life started to crumble. He cannot play the piano anymore. Just living his life like a normal student with his friends.

Now, Kaori Miyazono is a violin prodigy. Her violin play style is a bit… unique, I would say. But it sounds wonderful! She befriends Kousei and that makes Kousei reach his piano once again. 

The series contains the word ‘Lie’ because both main characters keep vital secrets from one another until they ball up like a snowball which later crashes onto themselves. However, the series is more than that. I could not put the words into writing as they are so subtle yet impactful. You have to watch it to feel the impact.

Then comes the scene which traumatized me. The tears it brought me were immense, I felt the heaviness of the scene on my chest. How dare they! After all the beautiful scenes and episodes!

Kimi No Suizou Wo Tabetai (I Want To Eat Your Pancreas) – 8.2/10

Please don’t judge the anime by its title. That’s the first rule. Because you’ll never know what will hit you.

Haruki loves to read. Like, loooooooooove to read that he often got lost in his own world. He doesn’t care what happens around him when he has a book in his hands. One day, he found a hand-written book with ‘Living with Dying’ as its title. Of course, he reads it. That’s when he found out that it was actually a diary – duh, obviously. belonging to one of his schoolmates, Sakura.

He was shocked because what he read was a story about a dying girl, and Sakura is a famous cheerful pretty girl in his school. They don’t add up. Sakura later confirmed what he read and told him she only had a little more time to live.

He returned the book and wished her condolences to Sakura, then got back to his life like usual, being aloof as he was. Sakura refused to ignore him afterwards and kept on pestering him, asking him to help enjoy her last days with her. How can Haruki ignore a dying girl’s wish? So, they went and had some fun – not ‘that’ fun. But, yeah, one of them.

Everything will be okay as long as they don’t fall in love, right? Alas, they did. They fell in love despite her short lifespan. Ughh! It’s torturing to watch them being so mature and sweet while knowing that Haruki will be left by her forever later. Haruki is brave. Hence, he has a place in my heart.

Conclusion

That’s that. I think those animes are one of the others that stay in my heart with deep impacts. Some of you might question why I did not include Kimi no Nawa (Your Name) in the list. Your Name does not need an introduction. However, Your Name will be in the lower part of my personal ranking because my preference is an anime with realistic or plausible timelines with real-world touches. While it is touching, Your Name is a time-travel anime and it’s more of a supernatural genre.

No hate on me! MATA NEE~