Here is a list of anime that will warm your heart and then wrench it out. (Side note: I also encourage you to watch the Monogatari anime series that is featured on the cover photo.)

Your Lie in April.

If you’re looking for an anime where you just know there is going to be a tragic ending and yet the anime keeps holding it off and torturing you, here you have it. The story focuses on a young pianist, Arima Kousei, whose mother passed away and ever since, he has been traumatized and lost his ability to hear the piano when he plays. After avoiding the piano for two years, he meets a magical and vibrant girl named Kaori Miyazono who rather harshly forces him on a journey to play piano again.

She makes him play as an accompanist to her violin solo for a competition, and the rest of the story follows their relationship and Arima’s slow recovery to playing the piano again, but there’s a twist; Kaori has a secret. If you want to find out what happens, watch it. The animation is absolutely amazing (because they actually take their time to make the characters move when they play) and the music is beautiful. This anime will make you frustrated and cry every time you think back on it, but what you gain will be worth it.

Wolf Children.

Madhouse always has amazing films (such as "Summer Wars" and "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time"), but this one in particular is touching. The story follows a female college student, Hana, who falls in love with a mysterious wolf-man. They have two children, but after he passes away, she has to raise them on her own. Her struggle is most admirable since she cares for these children who – quite randomly – pop out ears and tails. As they grow up, the children have to come to terms with their double identities. The animation is gorgeous and the story is depressing but heart-warming at the same time. You’ll find yourself panicking over their struggles to hide their wolf sides, crying over their hardships, and laughing at their adorable cuteness. It’s an endearing film that expresses the importance of family and identity.

Clannad and Clannad After Story.

I am sure, if you’ve watched anime, you’ve at least heard of "Clannad" or perhaps even seen some clips. It is finally time to grab that box of Kleenex, sit down, and watch it. Often, people talk about "Clannad After Story" when they refer to the sad parts, but we can’t forget that "Clannad" has tear jerking moments too. For those who don’t know, "Clannad" follows the story of a teenage boy named Tomoya Okazaki who doesn’t care about school, but when he meets a girl named Nagisa Furukawa, he is intrigued and helps her start a theater club. As he learns more about Nagisa, he meets other female characters and helps them with their problems.

All the while, he has his best friend Sunohara, the hilariously amusing character. In the midst of the show’s humor and entertainment, though, you’ll find yourself curling into a fetal position and sobbing. I mean – my mom happened to be walking by during an extremely touching and heart-wrenching scene in "Clannad After Story," and she had no idea what was going on, but even she cried. So, "Clannad" is a definite must-watch! This is definitely my top anime for the school life genre (although it does deviate from that a little bit) and in my top five for all-time favorite anime. It is definitely worth your time.

Angel Beats.

This is by the same makers of "Clannad" and takes on the afterlife of an adolescent named Yuzuru Otonashi. Having lost his memories, he joins a team of rebels – so to speak – who refuse to follow the school rules of the afterlife in order to prevent themselves from disappearing and moving onto the next life. They fight against a girl they call Angel with guns and spears as she tries to stop them from defying school life (using her ability to attach weapons on her arms or create invisible shields). To be completely honest, it is a struggle to get past the first four episodes, but once you fall into the rhythm of the trivial events, you’re thrown into a corrupted and depressing world wherein the characters you’ve grown attached to will reveal their pains and tears will be dripping from your eyes before you know it.

Anohana: The Flower We Saw that Day.

This anime is tear-jerking to the extreme. The show follows the story of five teenagers who have to come to terms with their friend, Meiko Honma (they call her Menma), who passed away when they were still in elementary school. Her death created a divide between them and left unhealed wounds. One day, Jinta Yadomi begins to see Menma’s ghost having also grown up. He gathers his friends and convinces them to make a way for Menma to pass on to the afterlife. As they try to send her to the spirit world, their dark and painful memories unravel. "Anohana" will leave you red and puff-eyed, sitting in a pile of Kleenexes.

Plastic Memories.

This show takes place in the future wherein human robots, called Giftias, are part of the society. However, Giftias can only live for a certain amount of time (approximately nine years) before they lose their memories and become dysfunctional and violent. The protagonist, Tsukasa Mizugaki, joins the Terminal Service, which is a group that goes around and removes those Giftias before they rampage, but of course, people don’t always willingly give up their Giftias whom they’ve grown attached to. His assigned partner is Isla, a timid and awkward Giftia, and it is through their relationship and encounters with others where you’ll find yourself weeping. It’s a sweet and touching anime that’ll tear your heart out.

Pandora Hearts (the manga, not the anime)

I wanted to throw this one in there because when I think of tears, I think of "Pandora Hearts." The anime is horrendous, but the manga is well worth it. The story entails a boy named Oz who is sentenced to another dimension called the Abyss where he meets the Black Rabbit, named Alice. She is a chain (in other words a monster) that makes a contract with Oz in order to escape from the Abyss. He returns to the real world and discovers that it is 10 years later. Ultimately, Oz wants to find out the reason as to why he was condemned to the Abyss, but throughout his journey, he uncovers layers of dark secrets and a world that calls for doom. His experiences, relationships he builds with other characters and his own development will make your heart squeeze tears out of your eyes. This manga is amazingly complex, and I highly recommend it.