Every lonely single deserves a good cry while watching anime this upcoming Valentine’s Day.
Now that Anime has become more mainstream, there are a few iconic anime movies and series that new fans should watch. One of the best feelings is finding a good anime movie to let your emotions out.
“Silent Voice”
“Silent Voice” is a touching animation movie that focuses on one’s capability to grow and change. Created by Naoko Yamada, this film explores the concept of bullying, friendship and self-love.
After years have passed, a bully (Shoya Ishida) seeks redemption from a classmate whose hearing is impaired (Shouko Nishimiya). Shoya tries to bring together his old friends to show Shouko that the band of classmates has matured and they no longer stand for bullying.
This anime is worth the watch as it is completely relatable, and viewers can see each character have a different reaction to bullying, whether they be the bully or a victim. All the characters face the consequences of bullying as they grow up.
Throughout the film, there are a lot of unexpected tear jerking moments. “Silent Voice” doesn’t shy away from tough topics in order to establish the main point of the story, which is that everyone needs some kind of love and support in life.
This movie is available to stream on Netflix.
“Violet Evergarden”
“Violet Evergarden” is a beautiful anime series that emphasizes the journey of self-discovery. Created by Kyoto Animation, the series revolves around Violet, a young female veteran as she attempts to assimilate into the post-war industrial revolution era. At the start of the series, she becomes a scribe called “Auto-Memory Doll” and writes letters for her customers who are unable to write. Each episode is a different story, revolving around the different characters Violet helps and what she learns from each experience.
The writing, production and animation in the series are incredibly well done, so much so that viewers will find themselves becoming attached to the characters more with each episode. Audiences will undoubtedly feel for and with them.
In her travels, Violet usually does her best to guide her clients on the right path in order to accurately express their message as she writes their letters. The series does a good job at including variety in the experiences, whether Violet is writing a goodbye letter, a reflection letter or even a love letter.
The beauty of this series is that Violet’s clients have their own stories that unfold throughout each episode in heartwarming ways. The series gives a new meaning to “the pen is mightier than the sword”.
The series and its installments in the Violet Evergarden Collection are available for streaming on Netflix.
“Anohana”
“Anohana” is a story about everlasting friendship and reunions. Created by The Super Peace Busters, Tatsuyuki Nagai, Mari Okada and Masayoshi Tanaka, the series follows a group of friends as they try to deal with their friend’s past death in various ways.
The main character, Menma, is a spirit who appears to one of her friends, Jinta, years after her death. In order to send her to the afterlife, the group of former friends have to fulfill her wish of bringing everyone together in friendship again.
The most relatable point of this series is that old friends never change as much as one may think. Though they may change their physical appearance as time goes on, they will always be the friends you know and love.
Anohana will make even the toughest people cry. The series really dives into how humans deal with the death of a loved one. Most emotional of all, the final song of the series is so beautifully orchestrated that viewers will remember the tears they shed.
“Anohana” is available to stream on Netflix.
Rather than doing nothing this Valentine’s Day, viewers should enjoy one of these tear-jerking animes instead. There are some stories that can only be told through anime.
Follow Thomas on Twitter @Tpholnikorn
