Are you a sucker for a good melancholic movie ? Do you want to watch something that’ll rile up your emotions like nothing else? If yes, then you have landed on the right page.
Netflix has over the years built a really nice catalog of content surrounding anime. In this post, I’ll be sharing with you the list of 13 Best Sad Anime movies on Netflix that will even make a grown man cry. The story in each movie is unique and heart wrenching.
You can also check out my other list of 100 Best Anime Series on Netflix by clicking on the link. So without further ado, let’s jump into the list.
13. Flavors of youth
- Logline: It is the story of three different sets of youths based in three cities of China.
- Year: 2018
- Genre: Romance, Drama, Animation
The movie comprises a collection of different stories with the same theme and rhythm. This movie attempted to talk about finding good and evil, and it did a great job of showing that.
You will see how the characters interact with realistic stories taken from real life. The audience will find it relatable and might even shed a tear.
This anime has three sets of short movies, all combined into one, all based in China. The first one is known as “The Rice Noodles,” which is the story of a boy who reminisces about his grandmother’s noodle soup.
The second one is about two sisters and their devotion towards each other.
The last one is known as “Love in Shanghai,” which tells us the tale about three friends. The sad anime movie talks about the slice of life with a sad undertone.
12. From up on Poppy hill
- Logline: Teens of Yokohama, try to save their clubhouse from its destruction.
- Year: 2011
- Genre: drama, comedy, animation
This anime is the story of youthfulness with family and romance. It is the story of the youthfulness of children and how they try to protect the thing they love. This anime is one to look out for as you will miss your teens dearly.
This anime is the story of youthfulness with family and romance. It is the story of the teenagers of Yokahama who take it upon themselves to protect their clubhouse from getting destroyed for the Tokyo Olympic games of 1964.
It is one of those sad anime movies that make you cry but also appreciate life. There is a pinch of comedy added to the movie which makes it even more enjoyable to watch.
11. In this corner of the world
- Logline: A story of a girl trying to provide for her family after World War ended.
- Year: 2016
- Genre: family, drama, animation
The movie starts with the portrayal of Hiroshima during World War II. She is an eighteen-year-old girl who marries and has to take care of her house and prepare food for her house even though there is hardly any ration of food.
Even though she struggles to make ends meet and feed her family, she does not give up the will to live and tries to live her life with zeal and passion. The story’s premise is sad and dark, and you can feel the emotions felt by the main character of the movie.
10. Howl’s moving castle
- Logline: A young girl gets a curse by a witch and turns into an old lady; now she must seek the help of a magician to turn back the curse.
- Year: 2004
- Genre: Family, adventure, animation
It is a love story between Sophie, an 18-year-old girl who works at a hat shop alone. She is turned into an old lady by a witch, and now she must go and seek help from a magician known as Howl. She follows him to his moving castle and takes a liking for the place.
She chases her fortune, tries to make the best of the situation, and even helps Howl deal with his inner demons. This movie is a sad anime movie to watch on Netflix as you empathize with Sophie and her struggles.
9. When Marnie was there
- Logline: A story of two little girls who form an unbreakable relationship.
- Year: 2014
- Genre: family, drama, animation
The movie’s made by the famous studio Ghibli productions renowned for its heart-touching stories close to family drama and Romance.
The story revolves around a 12 year old girl named Anna. She is suffering from an illness and lives a dejected life.
Her mother sends her to a laidback sea-town in Japan to get her vigor back. There Anna meets a young girl named Marnie and the two girls form an instant bond which becomes unbreakable over time.
8. Children who chase lost voices
- Logline: A story of a girl and her magical crystal radio.
- Year: 2011
- Genre: drama, adventure, animation
This sad anime movie is a coming of age story that centers around the works of life and death and how these dictate the lives of everybody on our planet Earth. It is a cinematic masterpiece that deserves your time..
The movie shows a mysterious world that the heroine discovers after hearing music coming from a crystal radio that her father left behind. It is a story of love, forgiveness, loss, and understanding, and you will not be disappointed.
7. 5 centimeters per second
- Logline: A story of two best friends who slowly drifts apart.
- Year: 2007
- Genre: family, drama, animation
An emotional story of two friends that will bring tears to your eyes. This movie talks about the friendship of Takaki and Akari, who became close during the elementary school period.
However, their friendship is tested when Akari moves to another city due to his parent’s new job. The long-distance takes a toll on their company and makes both of them sad.
Takaki is in for a shock when Akari states that he is going even further away and decides to meet him for one last time. An emotional touch that defines true friendship is perfectly engraved in this anime movie.
6. The wind rises
- Logline: It is the story of a guy named Jiro Horikoshi, who was a fighter plane designer during World War II.
- Year: 2013
- Genre: Biography, drama, animation
The title itself is inspiring and the entire anime movie will motivate you for sure. This is an inspiring story that proves that if you have a sincere wish, every impossible thing will be possible, believe.
The story of a young boy named Jiro who loves the sky and the objects flying in the sky. He then decides to pursue his education in the interest he has. But because of his poor eyesight, his dreams are shattered.
This setback doesn’t stop him and Jiro Horikoshi tries to navigate his life through World War II as a designer of fighter planes. However, we also see the romantic side of Jiro as he falls in love with a girl, Nahalp, and grows his friendship deeper with Honjo, his colleague.
5. The Garden of Words
- Logline: The story of a friendship between a 27-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy who met in the Shinjuku Gyoen national garden.
- Year: 2013
- Genre: romance, drama, animation
The whole story is the conversation of two souls of different ages. Hence the anime movie concludes, age is just a number. Watch the anime movie on Netflix and you’ll definitely not regret it.
A lonely boy decided to go to the garden once. He loves the greenery around him enough and decides to garden every day. One day he meets an old woman in the garden and he feels very good talking to her. They start meeting often and develop an unlikely friendship.
4. Violet Evergarden: The movie
- Logline: A young girl, after being used as a commodity of war, learns to live again and relives her past to feel the power of “I love you.”
- Year: 2020
- Genre: fantasy, drama, animation
A girl becomes a key object for the war. After the war ends, she tries to regain her control over her own life and learns to live again.
However, she is compelled to feel the past again as she tries to remember her true feelings when her mentor and Major confesses to her, “I love you.”
The movie has a sad tone with a satisfying end, and it will keep you engaged till the end.
3. The tale of Princess Kaguya
- Logline: The movie follows the story of Kaguya, a mystical girl found in bamboo by an older man.
- Year: 2013
- Genre: family, drama, animation
It is a fictional story about a little nymph inside a bamboo stalk that grows into a beautiful woman. Her beauty brings her many suitors but she rejects them all until she is proposed by the Emperor of the Land.
But her fate has something else in store for her. This anime movie will entertain you till the end. Also, the story has an emotional touch, don’t miss a single moment and enjoy it till the end.
2. Spirited Away
- Logline: A ten-year-old girl discovers a magical world in her town just after she shifts there with her family.
- Year: 2001
- Genre: animation
This movie is also considered one of the most popular sad anime movies available on Netflix. The film has a heartbreaking story as a girl discovers a hidden world of mythical creatures.
She struggles to survive in this world. But one day, she comes across a small boy, Haku, who helps her stay in that world without her parents, who she misses very dearly.
If you like to watch fantasy movies, Spirited Away anime movies are the best to watch and enjoy. This anime movie will give you comfort and pull your heart strings at the same time.
1. A silent voice
- Logline: A journey of a young man on the path to redemption for his past mistake.
- Year: 2016
- Genre: drama, animation
A silent voice is the biggest sad anime movie on netflix. It has got everything in the exact right proportion. It grabs you straight from the heart and plays with your emotions beautifully. A must watch movie for everyone.
It shows the path of redemption that the boy takes after he bullies a deaf girl. She gets so traumatized that she moves far away from the town. When he meets her again, he decides to right all the wrongs and be a better man.
