A good movie is one that invokes the emotions of the viewers. When it comes to anime movies there is a great collection of films that are capable of triggering various emotions in you. In this article, we will be taking a look at some of the saddest anime movies on Netflix that is a must watch if you’re looking for an emotional ride! Keep your tissues ready because these films will make you cry for sure.
Now, the following titles are not just specific to Netflix. They are also available in several other streaming platforms, but since Netflix is the giant in its industry, this article will be centered around the anime movies available on Netflix. So without any further ado, let’s get started with the listing!
Must Watch Sad Anime Movies On Netflix That Will Make You Cry
- The Place Promised In Our Early Days (2004)
- A Silent Voice (2016)
- In This Corner Of The World (2016)
- The Wind Rises (2013)
- Doukyuusei (2016)
- Omoide No Marnie (2014)
- 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007)
- Perfect Blue (1998)
- Flavors Of Youth (2018)
- Wolf Children (2012)
- Garden Of Words (2013)
- Violet Evergarden : The Movie (2020)
- I Want To Eat Your Pancreas (2018)
- Weathering With You (2019)
- Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
- Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
- Castle In The Sky (1986)
- Your Name (2016)
- Ni No Kuni (2019)
- Tsumiki No Ie- House Of Small Cubes (2008)
- The Boy And The Beast (2015)
- Orange: Mirai (2016)
- Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day – The Movie (2013)
- Lost Song (2014)
- Forest Of Piano (2018)
- The Tale Of Princess Kaguya (2013)
- Spirited Away (2001)
The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004)
This is one of the saddest anime movies on Netflix that would break your heart. The story is set in a divided 1996 postwar Japan. Hokkaido is under “Union” rule, while Honshu and other southern islands are under US rule.
Hokkaido’s tower was visible from Tokyo. In 1996, three middle-school students promise to cross the border with a self-built plane and unravel the tower’s secret, but their project was abandoned when Sayuri Sawatari became mysteriously ill and transferred to Tokyo.
Hiroki Fujisawa learns on the eve of another war that Sayuri has been in a coma since then. He asks Takuya Shirakawa to help him wake her up.
A Silent Voice (2016)
Silent voice is one of the most emotional anime movies out there that is designed to make you cry. It is also one of the most popular sad anime movies on netflix.
Shôko Nishimiya is a hearing-impaired fifth-grader. She is the female protagonist of this movie. The main male lead, Shôya Ishida, bullies her at her new school. All the other kids in her class bullied her along with Shoya. However, when things got too much for Shoko to handle, she stopped going to school and eventually transferred to a new school.
Shôya is then blamed for everything happened to Shoko. He is now ostracized and bullied because of it. With no friends and no future plans, the MC leads a heavy, depressing life and eventually tries to kill himself.
Thanks to his loving mom, he was saved, and he has decided to redeems himself years later. Thus a beautiful and tearjerking romance story unfolds with Shoya and Shoko at its heart.
In This Corner Of The World (2016)
This is yet another one of the saddest anime movies on Netflix that is centered around the World War period.
Hiroshima was a small but full, quiet but busy city on a slow but sure path to modernization before the 1945 bombing. Suzu, who is stuck between old and new, shows us this life’s rich and intimate details. She’s a dedicated wife, war-weary survivor, and hopeful cheerleader.
The film begins charmingly mundane, but after World War II, it quickly turns tragic. One tragedy after another shows how war erodes humanity.
In This Corner of the World captures Hayao Miyazaki’s heart for detail while remaining its own.
The Wind Rises (2013)
Jirou Horikoshi’s nearsightedness prevents him from becoming a pilot, so he studies aeronautical engineering to build planes like his hero, Giovanni Battista Caproni. His arrival in the capital coincides with the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, during which he saves a maid serving Naoko Satomi’s family. This disaster marks the beginning of over two decades of social unrest and malaise leading to Japan’s surrender in World War II.
Jirou’s years leading up to the production of his Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter plane will test him. His travels and life experiences only encourage him, even as he realizes the role of his creations in the war and the harsh realities of his personal life. As time passes, he must decide what to sacrifice to pursue his dream.
If there is one common theme that this film shares with the other sad anime movies on Netflix is struggle. The main character has to struggle and fight through difficulties to make his dream come true.
Doukyuusei (2016)
Doukyuusei is a boys love (yaoi) anime movie on netflix that features the love story of two boys who meet in high school.
Hikaru Kusakabe is a carefree rock-band member who lives in the moment. His class must participate in a summer chorus festival. By chance, he finds honor student Rihito Sajou practicing alone. Sajou can’t get their class song right, so Kusakabe offers to help him prepare.
Despite their differences, they grow closer over time. What will become of them and their relationship with an unknown future?
Omoide no Marnie (2014)
When Marnie Was There is a psychological themed anime with a good amount of drama and mystery mixed in its plot.
Anna Sasaki’s asthma makes her quiet, unsociable, and isolated from her peers, worrying her foster parent. Anna’s doctor sends her to the country side to improve her health and clear her mind. She spends her summers with her aunt and uncle in a seaside town, drawing sketches to pass time.
During her stay, Anna discovers the Marsh House while wandering outside. She discovers that the house isn’t empty when she meets Marnie. Anna comes out of her shell as she spends more time with Marnie. Anna discovers the truth behind the Marsh House as her time in the town winds down.
Omoide no Marnie tells the story of a young girl’s journey through self-discovery and friendship.
5 Centimeters Per Second (2007)
This is one of the best, saddest anime movies on Netflix about romance and relationship.
When two people love each other but can’t be together, they obviously go through sad times. This is the center theme of this film.
Childhood friends Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara are torn apart by their circumstances. They promise to stay in touch, and as time passes, only the chain of memories remains.
Byousoku 5 Centimeter is a drama about long-distance relationships. Takaki and Akari are stuck in the past and unable to make new memories. They live half-heartedly, harming themselves and others.
Perfect Blue (1998)
Perfect Blue, directed by Satoshi Kon in 1997, combines psychological thrillers, fantasy, and horror in 81 minutes.
The film follows former idol-turned-actress Mima Kirigoe. Mima is stalked and loses touch with reality. Many people have enjoyed looking into the film’s deeper themes and subtext, but even casual viewers can keep up with the action and enjoy this intense thriller.
Even today, decades after it released, people still appreciate the depth of this story and how well it is written.
It is hands down one of the saddest anime movies on Netflix there is that is not far fetched from our own reality.
Flavors of Youth (2018)
This is a bitter-sweet anime movie on Netflix that explores daily life drama of three different characters.
China’s bustling, unforgiving city life contains everlasting memories. Loss of youth and adulthood are explored in three stories set in three cities.
Childhood memories are forever, even if reality changes. Three characters explore the strength of bonds and the warmth of cherished memories as time passes. These quaint stories recognize the comfort of the past and try to revive the flavors of youth.
Wolf Children (2012)
Wolf Children is another one of the saddest anime movies on netflix. Hana, a beautiful college student, falls for a mysterious man.
Despite knowing he can turn into a wolf, she and him start a family.
Ame and Yuki, Hana’s children, can turn into wolves like their father. Hana struggles to raise her kids in the city after her husband’s death. So she moves to the village and becomes a single mother.
Garden of Words (2013)
Takao Akizuki, an aspiring shoemaker in Tokyo, skips class to sketch in a garden. Here, he meets the beautiful and mysterious girl, Yukari Yukino.
Takao offers to make Yukari new shoes throughout the rainy season, and the two are able to ease their worries just being together, side by side with each other.
As the rainy season ends, their personal struggles will test their relationship.
Violet Evergarden : The movie (2020)
Since the great war’s end, years have passed. As radio tower rises, telephones will become more popular medium of communication, reducing demand for “Auto Memory Dolls.”
Regardless, Violet Evergarden’s letter-writing success has helped her gain popularity. She was originally a war veteran who has been treated as a tool all her life. Because of this she is devoid of emotion. When she was finally able to lead a peaceful life, she choose to becom an “Auto Memory Doll”– a person who writes letters for other people. She chose this profession hoping that it will help her gain emotions back.
Violet Evergarden Movie shows Violet learning about emotion and love. She also holds out hope that the man who once told her “I love you” may still be alive.
If you’ve watched the anime series of this film you would know how emotional this story is. So without any doubt this will be one of the most beautiful, yet saddest anime movies on Netflix you’ve ever seen.
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (2018)
This is a heart breaking anime movie on Netflix that is bound to make you emotional.
The protagonist is a bookworm who’s detached from his world. He’s uninterested in others and believes no one cares about him. “Living with Dying” is a handwritten book he finds. He realizes it’s Sakura Yamauchi’s secret diary. She tells him she has pancreatic disease and is dying. Not even her best friends know about her terminal illness. Despite this, he shows no sympathy for her plight, but Sakura’s buoyancy convinces him to accompany her for her final days.
Each day, the polar opposites’ choices strengthen their connection. Her nonchalance and unpredictability disrupt the protagonist’s impassive life, opening his heart as he discovers the meaning of living.
Weathering with You (2019)
Tokyo’s rain showers are disrupting everyone’s routine. Hodaka Morishima, a runaway high school student, works at a small-time publisher to support himself. Hina Amano, an orphan, works to support herself and her brother.
When Hodaka rescues Hina from shady men, they run away together. Hodaka discovers that Hina can summon the sun when she prays. Hodaka sees this ability’s potential in Tokyo’s unusual weather. He suggests Hina become a “sunshine girl” who brightens people’s days.
However, nothing in this world is without consequence, and her powers also have some consequence.
Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
Most of the saddest anime movies on Netflix are centered around children and so is this one.
Asuna Watase’s only distraction is her old crystal radio in her mountain hideout. She accidentally hears a mysterious, melancholy melody one day. Soon after, an enigmatic boy named Shun saves Asuna from a dangerous creature, unknowingly dragging her on a long journey to a long lost land that will surpass her imagination and turn her life into a requiem.
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Sophie Hatter’s small town rumors that the wizard Howl lives in that castle and is a womanizer. Sophie, the simple daughter of a hatmaker, is happy working in the shop.
Sophie’s simple life changes when she’s caught in a disturbing situation and the mysterious wizard rescues her. Unfortunately, this brief encounter prompts the vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste to curse the maiden, turning her into an old woman.
Sophie must accompany Howl and his eccentric companions—from a fire demon to a hopping scarecrow—on a dangerous adventure in his living castle as a war tears their kingdom apart.
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Sheeta is a young girl kidnapped by government agents who want her crystal amulet. She’s hopeless on an airship until pirates attack. Sheeta escapes her captors during the confusion. Upon her escape, she meets Pazu, a boy who wants to reach Laputa. The two set off to search the sky castle. They soon find government agents on their trail, as they too want to reach Laputa.
Sheeta and Pazu learn how dreams and dire circumstances can bring people closer in Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa.
Your Name (2016)
Your name is a wonderful anime movie on Netflix that will make you cry, laugh and feel an array of emotions.
Mitsuha Miyamizu, a high school girl, dreams of living as a boy in Tokyo, in contrast to her rural life. Taki Tachibana is a high school student who works part-time and hopes to become an architect.
Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, living the dream life in Tokyo. Taki lives Mitsuha’s rural life elsewhere. They search for each other to explain the strange phenomenon.
Mitsuha and Taki’s actions have a dramatic impact on each other’s lives, weaving them into a fated encounter.
Ni No Kuni (2019)
Yuu, Haru, and Kotona enjoy each other’s company in high school. But their happiness comes to an end when Yuu and Haru fail to stop a suspicious man from stabbing Kotona. A truck almost runs over the two boys while they were carrying the girl to the hospital, but they’re unharmed. Surprisingly, they find a fairy-tale kingdom with exotic people and creatures right after that incident.
Yuu, who has been wheelchair-bound since childhood, can now walk, to the boys’ surprise. But Kotona has disappeared from the scene, so they can’t ponder the mystery. Yuu and Haru visit a pub to find Kotona. The two are shocked when they examine a picture of Princess Asha.
Ni no Kuni shows the connection between two parallel worlds and the bonds between individuals through a magical adventure.
Tsumiki no Ie- House of Small Cubes (2008)
This anime movie is a short film with an incredible message to its audience.
In a flooded town, an old man must build new floors to stay dry. When his favorite smoking pipe falls into the abyss, he dives into his house and his memories.
Tsumiki no Ie is a short film about how time can swallow the past and how to move forward despite the past.
The Boy and The Beast (2015)
Two people living a completely different life roam alone and live a secluded life. Ren had only one person who was kind to him. And to his misfortune that person was killed, and the rest of his family shuns him. Without parents, a family, or a home, Ren wanders Shibuya’s streets and alleys. Ren encounters Kumatetsu in the alleys, who leads him to Shibuten.
Kumatetsu hopes to replace the retiring Lord of the Realm with the boy. Kumatetsu’s icy personality leaves him without disciples to teach and no way to prove himself as the Lord’s successor.
Despite having different goals, they agree to help each other. Kumatetsu seeks recognition; Kyuuta, formerly Ren, seeks a home. As time passes, the two realize they help each other more than they thought. Perhaps a boy and a beast have had less in common than either realized.
Orange: Mirai (2016)
Orange: Mirai is a sad anime movie on Netflix about a suicidal boy and a girl who tries to save him.
Hiroto Suwa, 26, his wife Naho, and three of their high school classmates visit Mt. Koubou to see the cherry blossoms. As the sun sets, they remember their late friend Kakeru Naruse. They mourn him and visit his old home, where his grandmother reveals the secret of his death.
Suwa and his friends write regretful letters to their 16-year-old selves. Suwa, 16, can rewrite the future with the letter from her future self. Her choices can save Kakeru and prevent him from killing himself. But can she believe a mysterious letter claiming to be from her future self and take the right decision?
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day – The Movie (2013)
Anohana is one of the saddest anime movies on Netflix as it deals with the loss of a loved one.
Jinta Yadomi is a recluse who stays home to play video games. Meiko “Menma” Honma, a childhood friend, asks him to grant a forgotten wish one hot summer day. She’s annoyed, but he doesn’t care. Why? Because Menma is long dead, and he was just seeing things.
So Jinta first thinks he’s hallucinating from the summer heat, but he later realizes it’s Menma’s ghost. Jinta and his childhood friends grew apart after Menma’s death, but they reunite to grant her final wish. Will they find the strength to help Menma and themselves move on?
Lost Song (2014)
Lost Song follows the magical songstresses Rin and Finis. Rin grew up in a remote village and was taught to hide her power, while Finis performs in the royal palace.
Rin’s peaceful life is shattered after she heals Henry Leobort with her song. Soldiers attacked her village to capture her. She and her inventor brother Al have nowhere else to go.
Finis falls in love with Henry but must hide it from Prince Lood Bernstein IV. She wants to help people with her songs, but she fears Lood will order her to use her magic in battle. Time will tell how her and Rin’s destinies intersect as they find their way.
Forest of Piano (2018)
Two boys from different backgrounds share a quiet an emotional tale. Kai, born to a prostitute, has played the abandoned piano in the forest near his home since he was young. Syuhei, the son of prestigious pianists, was practically breast-fed by the piano. Their shared love of the piano links their lives.
This movie tells the beautiful story of two people with completely different lives forming a bond between each other.
The tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
In the countryside, Okina cuts bamboo day after day in a forest. He finds a baby in a glowing shoot. He believes she’s a princess sent from heaven to Earth. So Okina and his wife Ouna raise the baby as their own, watching her grow into a lively girl. Kaguya fits in with the village she calls home, going on adventures with the other children and enjoying youth.
Okina’s discovery of gold and treasure changes Kaguya’s life. He believes this is another gift from heaven and moves his family to a mansion in the capital to make his daughter a princess. Kaguya’s origins and purpose become clear as she leaves her friends to become a princess.
Spirited Away (2001)
This list needs a Hayao Miyazaki film to be complete, and what better the the hit film Spirited Away? Spirited Away introduces us to a world of spirits and mystical beings.
Chihiro Ogino, a 10-year-old girl, sees her parents turn into pigs and then enters a bathhouse where spirits gather.
When you boil down the plot, it’s all about Chihiro trying to get back to reality and save her parents, but there are so many complex elements, characters, and iconic scenes that make the film so intriguing.
That’s it for this post. These were some of the saddest anime movies on Netflix that will make you cry! These masterpiece anime movies are well written to keep you entertained through and through.
Hope you found a new movie to watch (^^)
