The most heartbreaking anime similar to Fruits Basket are generally short series and entire movies that do not attempt to break the heart in stages but they do it altogether, several times over. The main catch with such stories is that they bring so much grief to the table that at times the elements of life almost feel like a hopeless cause to strive for. However, Fruits Basket being a slice-of-life anime with its fair share of grief and sadness proves to be a good example. In this article, we will look at the top 5 most heartbreaking anime similar to Fruits Basket.
Top 5 most heartbreaking anime similar to Fruits Basket (ranked)
5. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (2011)
MAL Rating:Â 8.30
Genre: Drama, Supernatural
Platforms: Crunchyroll
Total Episodes:Â 11
- Anohana is a heartbreakingly beautiful anime that explores the theme of friendship through the idea of death.
- It explores jealousy and conflict within interpersonal relationships in the sense that the death of a dear friend pushes others to their boundaries which were previously left untouched in their lives.
It is the story of a young girl named Menma, who died at a young age of 10. But her return to her friend Jintan paves a path for a tale of rediscovery and revisit of the past and the present, where the characters are made to redraw their lines of human relationships and interpersonal connections through understanding and redemption. It is one of the most heartbreaking anime similar to Fruits Basket due to its central idea of freedom which revolves around the self and the other.
4. A Silent Voice (2016)
MAL Rating:Â 8.93
Genre: Drama
Platforms:Â Prime Video, Netflix
Total Runtime: 2hr. 10mins.
- A Silent Voice is the story of a young boy who meets a new female transfer student who is basically deaf.
- Shoya, the boy, goes on to bully the specially-abled girl Shoko and tries to maintain his own status quo of being a carefree and dominant member of the classroom.
- He hates the way she stands up to him and how innocently she accepts her fate.
A Silent Voice is the narration of hate, love, and loss, all weaved into a panoramic projection that takes the story forward very slowly yet gradually. The theme of love is recurrent and provoking, often disrupting the dominant ideas and thoughts of the narrative. It is heartbreaking to see two young people so repulsed towards each other yet managing to fall in love and seek and allow forgiveness, enough for tears to flow down our weary cheeks throughout its course.
3. Banana Fish (2018)
MAL Rating:Â 8.48
Genre:Â Delinquents, Organized Crime, Psychological
Platforms:Â Prime Video
Total Episodes: 24
- Banana Fish is a short anime series that involves a lot of trauma and mature themes.
- The way it navigates through a child’s idea of life and love is commendable.
- Ash, the main character, is inflicted with pain, abuse, and suffering throughout his life, but his love for a boy from Japan subverts all of that hate in due process.
The theme of loss, death, and murder is recurrent and Banana Fish explores them through the lens of mystery. The overall storytelling is immaculate and thought-provoking, and the characters are designed to disintegrate the existing social structure and the institution of family. Banana Fish is truly one of the most heartbreaking anime similar to Fruits Basket and remains the frontrunner in the sad anime leaderboards.
2. Your Name (2016)
MAL Rating:Â 8.84
Genre: Drama, Supernatural
Platforms:Â Prime Video, Netflix, Crunchyroll
Total Runtime: 1hr. 46mins.
- Your Name is one of the most visually enchanting and emotionally moving pieces of cinema that came out of the brilliant mind of Makoto Shinkai.
- It explores the idea of time and fate which have been intersected through the lives of two characters.
- The story navigates through an intricate pattern of storytelling that is interrelated and consequential.
Your Name is undoubtedly one of the most heartbreaking anime as it hides the pain of loss and separation behind a journey that rediscovers the meaning of human life. It has remained a favourite for a majority of fans across the community, and to this day manages to inspire the viewers with a sense of belonging and longing for a loved one.
1. Grave of the Fireflies (1998)
MAL Rating:Â 8.51
Genre: Drama
Platforms: Apple TV
Total Runtime: 1hr. 28mins.
- Grave of the Fireflies is a movie about finding the truth.
- It is the story of a brother and a sister who look for their dead mother in the aftermath of a firebombing.
- Their father was sent to the war and their life gets torn apart tragically in the events which unfold as a series of loss-induced happenings.
Grave of the Fireflies is one of the finest war films to have ever been written and animated, and it explores the idea of life and loss through various meanings and imageries. The somber undertone is the most crucial element of the entire narrative and it makes the plot one of the most heartbreaking in the history of anime.
Conclusion
The top 5 most heartbreaking anime similar to Fruits Basket is a list that explores various human themes and agendas. These are craftily explored, deduced, instilled, and deconstructed through various imageries and metaphors, while at the same time, these timeless pieces manage to create an atmosphere of utter sadness and habituated loss. For more anime updates, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter at Spiel Anime!