Grab the tissues: Preteens and teens pick the anime that makes them cry the most

Japanese youth between the ages of 10-19 shed light on which series make them shed the most tears.

There are some anime out there that are infamous for bringing on the tears, whether in a bittersweet, melancholy kind of way or a downright depressing way. We’ve also all got our personal picks for whenever we’re in the mood for a bit of a sobfest. For this writer, it’s the last few minutes of Cowboy Bebop episode 24 (“Hard Luck Woman”). That ending scene just absolutely destroys me, even 20 years after initially watching it.

However, not all animated works are suitable for all ages. To find out which anime resulted in the biggest number of tears for the younger demographic, Smartphone keyboard app Simeji recently surveyed Japanese youth aged 10-19. The poll took place between May 28-June 9 and received 999 responses–which probably adds up to a small pond’s worth of children’s tears if we were to collect them all…

The Top Ten Anime that Make you Cry (ages 10-19)

10. Your Lie in April
9. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
8. Violet Evergarden
7. Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World
6. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

5. Crayon Shin-chan

Out of all of the series on this list, Crayon Shin-chan is perhaps the most surprising inclusion. The series follows a precocious five-year-old’s (mis)adventures with his family and friends and includes a healthy dose of butt humor. Apparently there are enough touching moments, however, to make younger viewers tear up (or maybe it’s that they laugh until they cry…?). The anime began airing in 1992 and now has over 1,000 episodes, making Shin-Chan a household name in Japan.

▼ Yes, you can make your own Shin-chan butt-shaped pudding, and yes, you’d better believe we tried making it ourselves.

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4. My Hero Academia

The anime adaptation of My Hero Academia has experienced a solid wave of popularity throughout many parts of the world since it began airing in 2016. A solid shonen action story incorporating themes of friendship, perseverance, and “what makes a hero,” My Hero Academia offers plenty of inspirational moments from protagonist Izuku aka Deku’s never-give-up attitude even when the cards are stacked against him.

▼ Deku won’t let the fact that he doesn’t have his own Quirk stop him from becoming a hero.

3. Your Name

Even with all the buzz surrounding Demon Slayer this past year, we still can’t forget Makoto Shinkai’s acclaimed 2016 film Your Name, which overturned records all over the place at the time and has even inspired an upcoming Hollywood remake. Poll respondents chimed in with comments such as “the visuals, story, and music were all wonderful” and “I cried at Mitsuha and Taki missing each other.” We predict that Shinkai’s masterful combination of lush visuals and storytelling focused on human connection will continue to make viewers tear up for many years to come.

▼ Several unexpected twists throughout this beautifully crafted film tug at the heartstrings.

2. A Silent Voice

While A Silent Voice is the third animated work released in 2016 to be featured on this list, this film’s story is rooted solely in reality. It centers around a deaf main character and includes difficult topics such as bullying and even suicide. “I wanted to treat people more kindly after watching it,” one poll-taker commented after watching the film. Others wrote that they were inspired to start learning some sign language as a result.

▼ This is definitely one film during which you’ll be cutting onions the whole time.

1. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Here it is–the cultural phenomenon known as Demon Slayer not only claims the number-one film spot of all-time in Japan but is also the anime most likely to make Japanese preteens and teens cry. Since the anime TV series aired in 2019, viewers all over the world have tuned in to watch Tanjiro do whatever it takes to protect his sister-turned-demon Nezuko. Poll respondents were absolutely touched by “the beautiful bond between the siblings.” After the unprecedented success of its film sequel, we can’t wait to see how the series’ second season will continue to move us emotionally.

▼ Tanjiro’s unbreakable loyalty toward his sister is at the heart of Demon Slayer‘s story.

Interestingly, there was zero crossover between the above list and the top five most depressing anime that fans selected in another recent poll. We guess we’ll have to wait for these preteens and teens to grow up a little bit and then revisit their selections to see if anything has changed.

Source: Mantan Web via My Game News Flash
Top image: Pakutaso
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