Behind the exaggerated eyes and vibrant colors of anime lies a powerful emotional language, one that tells stories of pain, resilience, and human connection without needing realism.ย
For this review, I wanted to write about movies or shows that may not seem as deep as they really are. I chose to watch anime because of the common misconceptions that people have about animated movies and shows.
Recently I watched hours of these types of show, and here I’ll break down some of the best-rated and most emotional anime, rate them, and share my thoughts and recommendations with you, as well as some general knowledge about these films or shows.
#1: A Silent Voice
According to Wikipedia, โA Silent Voice is a 2016 Japanese animated psychological drama film based on the manga of the same name by Yoshitoki ลima. The film was produced by Kyoto Animation, directed by Naoko Yamada, and written by Reiko Yoshida.โ This film has won a couple of awards, including the Japanese Movie Critics Awards for Best Animated Feature Film.
This movie is available on AniWatch and Crunchyroll.
The movie’s IMDb rating is 8.2/10. Reviewers say this movie is one of the best animated films theyโve ever seen, and that itโs taught them valuable lessons.ย
One review states that โthis film is filled emotionally to the absolute brim, and re-watching it is somehow sadder.โย
A Silent Voice is a film about a young boy named Shoya Ishida, a former bully who tormented a deaf transfer student in elementary school, leading to her leaving the school and him becoming an outcast with social anxiety. Years after those events, Shoya is filled with guilt and depression. He tries to redeem his past by trying to meet up with Shoko and apologize for his past actions, leading the both of them on a friendship that leads to understanding, self-forgiveness, and healing from past trauma.ย
This film is definitely the most popular one among students and youth, as shown in a survey conducted by The Bite, where A Silent Voice was watched by an astonishing 77.8% of responders.ย
One student had even left their thoughts on this movie. Grade 10 student Zoey L. stated that this film “is such a beautiful story that it genuinely made me cry. It felt like a realistic perspective on bullying and the life of someone with a disability. Although I haven’t seen it in a while, it made a huge impact on me.โ ย
This animation clearly has an impact on a large number of people.
After watching this film, I have to agree with the reviews. This movie is truly a beautifully made, eye-opening experience, and I couldn’t recommend it more. Exploring this film, I managed to even learn some things myself. It taught me real things, how people can change, and how important it is to be true to everyone around you.
The movie touches on uncomfortable topics, like bullying, suicide, and mental illness, but it’s important to talk about these things to be able to understand valuable life lessons, and this movie expresses these lessons in the best way possible.
My personal rating for this movie is a 9.3 out of 10. Beautiful animation, beautiful storyline, amazing plot twists, and an amazing showcase of character development. It really does change your perspective on things.ย
Shรดya Ishida: I want you to help me live.
#2: I Want to Eat Your Pancreas
According to Wikipedia, โI Want to Eat Your Pancreas is a 2018 animated coming-of-age drama film based on the light novel of the same name by Yoru Sumino. It was produced by Studio VOLN and distributed by Aniplex. The film is written and directed by Shinichiro Ushijima.โ According to IMDb, this film received several nominations from film festivals held at Sitges and Scotland.
The film is available to watch on Aniwatch.
Now, before I say what this movie is about, I feel I have to address the name.
No, this movie does not explore themes of cannibalism.ย
The name of this film comes from an old belief that eating a specific body part from someone else could heal your own ailment in that part, and it is also an old Japanese folklore idea that consuming a part of a loved one lets their soul live inside you. Both of these ideas are integrated into the story.
The first idea, about eating someone’s body part for the betterment of your own, links with this film because the main girl is dying from an illness in her pancreas, whereas the second one links with this story because it’s their way of saying โI love youโ in the film.
The film is stated to be about an introverted high school boy who discovers his popular classmate, Sakura Yamauchi, has a pancreatic illness through her secret diary, leading to a friendship where they share experiences and confront mortality, both of them living with the idea of death. Sakura, wanting to live her final months fully, pulls the detached and isolated boy into her world of adventures and life lessons.
This film has a rating of 8.1/10 on IMDb. Reviews say it’s a complex and beautiful movie. One review says that โThe simple composition and elegant imagery will leave you in awe and with welled eyes and a heavy heart.โ
This movie was also quite popular and well rated among students, as shown a survey conducted by The Bite, it had an average rating of 8/10.ย
Students expressed that this movie was amazing and among some of the most emotional movies theyโve ever seen. It seems to have a very big emotional hit on a person. One student even went as far as to say that it was one of the best films they’ve seen.
I can’t even begin to express how sad yet beautiful this movie is. I have never in my life experienced a film like this. To be honest, I have no critique for this movie whatsoever, other than the soul-crushing end.ย
After watching this movie, I have learned a couple of things about the world, and about how we can’t afford to take things for granted. I have to agree with the IMDb reviews that said this movie leaves your eyes all swollen.
The character development of the main character really hits deep because you get to see just how much Sakura had affected him, and how much he had grown. Because of his slow and personal development, it feels as if you’re there with him, which is why you might cry, laugh, or smile with him throughout the film.
The depth, animation, and plot of this film make me sappy just thinking about it. Itโs such a beautifully told story, I’d even go as far as to say it’s one of the best movies I’ve seen. A 9.7 out of 10 for me. Please watch this film.ย
Boku’: So, you’re really going to die?
Kyรดko: Sure am.
#3: Violet Evergarden
Wikipedia states that โViolet Evergarden is a Japanese 13-episode series written originally by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Akiko Takase. Kyoto Animation published it from December 2015 to March 2020. In 2020, they animated this story and distributed it in Japan, where it soon caught on to the rest of the world.” This short show won the grand prize in the fifth Kyoto Animation Award’s novel category.ย
The show is available to watch on Netflix, Crunchyroll or AniWatch.
This story is about the aftermath of four long years of conflict. Violet Evergarden, a young girl raised as a killing machine, hospitalized and injured during the war, was left with only the words “I love you” from the person she held dearest, but with no understanding of their meaning. In recovery, Violet starts a new life working at a postal company. There, she sees the work of an “Auto Memory Doll”, literary assistants that wrote people’s thoughts and feelings into a letter. Inspired by the way they could process human emotions, Violet begins work as an Auto Memory Doll, so she could learn to feel again, and so she could know what โI love youโ means. It will reshape the lives of her clients and lead to self-discovery.
This 13-episode show has an 8.4/10 rating on IMDb, with multiple positive reviews, like:
โSo beautiful. So many feels. I’m only on episode 10, and I’ve cried several times so far. I am in love with this masterpiece. It is the best anime I have ever seen.โ – alexstalexย
It seems that this show isn’t as popular with the students, with only 33.3% of responders from The Bite survey who have watched it. Nonetheless, the show got positive ratings with an average of 8.3/10.
One student even left a note that said, โJust gonna say I Want to Eat Your Pancreas and Violet Evergarden are probably two of the best animated movies/series I’ve watched; they are absolutely amazing.โ This note endorsed and recommended both Violet Evergarden and the previously mentioned movie.
The short series has great emotional value.
When I first started watching this show, I didn’t expect it to hit as hard as it did emotionally. It was a very beautiful story. The way Violet finds herself even after all her past traumas of being used as a tool is extremely touching, and well-written.
The art style is so well-crafted and exquisite, as well as the animation. When I was watching this show, it was very subtle, but noticeable, how this girl found herself, and one of the most touching parts of this heartfelt story was when she wrote a letter to the person dearest to her who had passed away, where she expressed how she finally understood other people’s feelings.
There’s something about this show that is very soul-purifying, and I strongly recommend watching this if you need a new perspective on things. My rating for it overall is an 8 out of 10. It’s a great show.
Violet: Dead people receive more flowers than living ones because regret is stronger than gratitude.
#4: Your Lie in April
As stated in Wikipedia, โYour Lie in April is a Japanese romantic drama manga written and illustrated by Naoshi Arakawa. It was serialized in Kodansha’s magazine Monthly Shลnen Magazine from April 2011 to February 2015. The manga series originated from a one-shot comic that Arakawa entered in a competition; he based the series on it and drew inspiration from the existence of musical manga, such as Beck and Nodame Cantabile. A-1 Pictures adapted Your Lie in April into an anime television series that was aired on Fuji TV’s Noitamina block from October 2014 to March 2015, and an original video animation (OVA) episode was released in May 2015.โ
This show is available to watch on AniWatch and Crunchyroll.
IMDb states the show to be about โa 14-year-old piano prodigy, Kลsei Arima, who becomes famous after winning several music competitions. When his mother Saki dies, it results in him being unable to hear the sound of his piano. Two years later, Kลsei has not touched the piano and views the world as really dull. He does not focus on excelling in any activities and often spends time with his friends Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryลta Watari. Kลsei meets Kaori Miyazono, an ambitious, free-spirited, 14-year-old violinist. Kaori helps Kลsei return to playing the piano and shows him his potential. As Kaori continues to help Kลsei, he quickly realizes he loves her.โ
This 22-episode show has an 8.5/10 on IMDb. Reviews state that this show is extremely eye-opening, beautiful and with real-life lessons.ย
This anime is also not so popular among the community, as our survey launched by The BIte only had 3 people confirm they watched this show.
It was also not mentioned in any extra notes left in the survey, so I really went in blind for the review of this anime, but the external reviews from IMDb really gave me some hope that this show would be good.
This anime truly made me question a lot of things in my life. It was one of the best anime I’ve ever watched and probably one of the best emotional shows I’ve seen overall.
The animation is so beautiful, each frame so carefully drawn. The story is so beautiful, and if it weren’t for spoilers, I’d be ranting on and on about the ending. I was extremely touched by this story, and I really recommend it to anyone who needs a beautiful romance.
My personal rating for this show is a 9.5 out of 10. I have little to no complaints about this show; it was truly touching.ย I really loved watching this show; the rollercoaster of emotions and feelings being expressed through these rather simple drawings was amazing.
Arima Kousei: โMaybe…just maybe, the light can reach even the bottom of a dark ocean.โ
Final Thoughts
To conclude this article, I would like to say that all of these anime are beautiful and that your review may not reflect mine, but I nonetheless recommend all of these anime to you.
If I were to pick one to recommend, it would be A Silent Voice. It’s probably one of my favorite movies of all time, and it’s very nicely balanced in terms of emotions and storyline. It might not be the best one if you need a good cry or something that’s extremely emotional, but I really enjoyed it, and I think this movie is for everyone, not just a group of people or for a specific moment or period in your life.
I really enjoyed watching these anime, especially because they really showed me the true colors behind them and how they can be much deeper and filled with meaning than people make them out to be.
I believe that there is an anime for everyone to watch, and I strongly encourage you to explore this side of literature and media.
I also have some honorable mentions that I have watched that I think might interest some of you. I have also watched these, and they were all beautiful to me, so I definitely recommend watching one or two from these mentions if you’re interested.
- Your Name – the story of star-crossed lovers who live in different timelines.
- Grave of the Fireflies – the story of a poor boy living during the WW2 massacre happening in Japan.
- Plastic Memories – the love story between a programmed being and a human.
- Steins; Gate – the story about scientists who invent a way to send messages in the past.