by Do you ever have the thought, “I want to cry as hard as I can!” when you are feeling a little down or worn out? It’s an odd phenomenon, and what’s fascinating about people is that crying makes them feel better.
It’s funny but it’s true. But anyway, in this blog of #IndianAnimeNetwork, we’re going to another special guest blog requesting a selection that we do every month. Our good friends Abhra from HOV & Riley from Amino are today’s Guest members.
Abhra’s been requesting a lot of content for a long time with the last one being the one-shot manga recommendations list and Riley was asking me the other day like World Mental Health Day is around the corner, can we get some short emotional sad manga recommendations blog that I can cry over & feel refreshed. So here we are. Come along for the ride!
Our goal today is to introduce you to the 5 Best Emotional & Sad One-Shot Manga that will unquestionably bring out your most vulnerable and delicate side. They will make the perfect companion for those “gray” days that we all experienced one time. I’ve carefully chosen these titles hoping they won’t disappoint adding some unique underrated names to the list just like usual.
It’s typical for a manga to be finished in a single volume, but since it does, the largest benefit is that, compared to manga that spans numerous volumes, you can read it quickly. So without further ado let’s go: 5 Best Emotional & Sad One-Shot Manga Guaranteed to Make You Cry. Also, feel free to cry tears of emotion if you find a manga that fits your mood.
5. 式の前日 Shiki no Zenjitsu (The Wedding Eve) by Hozumi
- Genres: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life
- Demographic: Josei
- Serialization: Flowers (Monthly)
- Authors: Hozumi (Story & Art)
“Shiki no Zenjitsu”, was highly praised as a debut work and masterpiece of Hozumi sensei when it first came out in 2010. In addition to winning Silver Flower Award at Flowers magazine comic audition, the manga also ranked 2nd in Takarajimasha’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Women edition, 5th in Freestyle’s ” Read this manga! “, and 12th in ” Nationwide Bookstore Employees’ Recommended Manga.”
The manga has six separate storylines, each of which is a “two-person narrative” based on two individuals. Every story has a charm that draws you in and makes you read it as if it were your own tale set in a circumstance that is somewhat very beautifully natural. Hozumi sensei deserves special praise for his warm yet razor-sharp descriptive ability and his ability to communicate himself in a way that gives the reader a sense of tempo that only he and the author can comprehend.
Even though the blog title indicates it is, I won’t claim it is the saddest, most depressing one-shot manga available in the market. It’s just you read this manga when you feel like you want to cry and feel a soft, warm sensation in your chest. You’ll undoubtedly forget about your busy days and spend a brief time feeling beautiful and cozy. I also experienced a sense of renewal, as if I had just seen an extremely upbeat movie.
It’s good. And if you are more into these kinds of manga I’ll say also check out ‘Hirayasumi’ by Shinzou Keigo. It’s really really amazing. I also ranked it no 3 in my ‘10 Best New Manga to Read in 2022’ list. So yeah and by the way, for all those Spanish-speaking visitors to our website there’s good news. Shiki no Zenjitsu was published in Spanish as La víspera de la boda by Milky Way Ediciones on September 27, 2016. Banzai!!
4. ねぇママ Nee Mama by Aoi Ikebe
- Genres: Slice of Life, Drama
- Demographic: Josei
- Serialization: Elegance Eve
- Authors: Ikebe, Aoi (Story & Art)
I think I’ve developed an admiration for Ikebe sensei ever since I began delving deeper into the world of one-shot comics. Ikebe sensei’s work always has a gorgeously authentic vibe, and this one is no exception. It is a collection of various short stories with the theme of women’s “motherhood,” and it is a profound collection of short stories that speak to women’s delicate feelings as well as their strength and beauty.
Mothers are a common topic in manga (not in the mainstream I guess). Every “mother” in a manga, however, is unique and has her own strength and kindness. The mother motif for this one is portrayed as being extremely real, anxious, and of course, in love with her child.
You can’t choose the parents you are born with. That’s why it’s so dear and painful. I believe there is love in it. Blood relationships are significant, but nothing more. It’s a piece of work that leaves you feeling sad but not alone. When I first read it, after reading, it didn’t seem rejuvenating; rather, it felt strangely gentle, like warm sunlight at sunset.
It’s incredibly hard to describe, but if you read it, I’m sure you’ll get what I am trying to say. Even though it’s hard to explain, I’m confident you’ll understand once you read it. Arrogant, greedy, selfish, tolerant, and kind. Even those who don’t necessarily have favorable thoughts towards their mothers, I believe there is still something in this manga that also speaks to them. It won the Japan Media Culture and Arts Festival Grand Prize in 2017.
3. 神様がうそをつく。Kamisama ga Uso wo Tsuku (The Gods Lie)
- Genres: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life
- Theme: School
- Demographic: Seinen
- Serialization: Afternoon
- Authors: Ozaki, Kaori (Story & Art)
If you fall in love, holding hands makes you joyful even without saying a word, and kissing is the purest feeling you can possibly conceive. Kaori Ozaki’s “The Gods Lie” is the manga that masterfully captures the romance, tensions, and secrets of “that time,” which is especially poignant now that you are an elderly man.
You can read it as a more life-size story if you are in junior high or college freshman. And if you’re like me, who is getting close to the point where you don’t know if you can still say, “If I could have Rikka Takarada’s thighs crush my skull, I would die a happy man,” it is a work of art. It’s so good. Although the satisfaction of reading the story is in your hands. It’s “Cruel, therefore pure. Pure, therefore precious.”
Overall, it’s a good movie-like manga that you wouldn’t anticipate to be the conclusion of one volume, complete with a heartbreaking love story, thrilling adventure, and plenty of thought-provoking lines that will have you in tears at the end. Also If you loved this one you can also give it a read to the “Mahou ga Tsukaenakutemo” manga by Kanna Kii if you are stuck in your career and feeling hopeless. It’s also a one-shot omnibus manga. So you won’t get bored.
2. マイ・ブロークン・マリコ My Broken Mariko
- Genre: Drama
- Demographic: Josei
- Serialization: Comic Bridge
- Authors: Hirako, Waka (Story & Art)
Suicide of a friend hurts. Sometimes it hurts to the point where you only have regret and irreparableness left. And it’s the same thing in this story. Not exactly the way you want to move it down the chapters but it definitely hits the core in its way. The main character engages in a direct, intense, and violent confrontation with it. There are also unreasonable depictions of violence from parents.
But if someone you care about suddenly disappears, your trip with Mariko will shake your heart. You will feel a dryness in your throat. It’s a never-ending agonizing journey with a deceased companion. I unexpectedly started crying when the youthful Mariko appeared from the remains she was holding in the nighttime highway bus. It had a solid connection that goes beyond romantic sentiments.
I loved it. It’s amazing. I had long been fascinated by this manga. Prior to the screening, I saw a preview of the film, and I decided to give it a go. It was the best decision ever. It was nighttime & I was in the last depo of the metro and only a few people were there. The moment, the feel, the connection it just all matched like I got dragged in, reading it all at once.
Anyway, you don’t need the proper setup background like that to feel it. Just give it a go and see how it goes. The manga was awarded the Bros. Comic Award by TV Bros. magazine in 2020 and it ranked fourth on Kono Manga ga Sugoi!’s 2021 list of top manga for female readers.
Aside from English, the series has also been published in French by Éditions Ki-oon, in Italian by J-Pop, and in Portuguese by JBC. So readers from France, Italy, and Portugal your time has come. Go read it.
1. 私たちの幸せな時間 (Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan)
- Genres: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life
- Themes: Music, Psychological
- Demographic: Seinen
- Serialization: Comic Bunch
- Authors: Yumeka, Sumomo (Art)
An encounter between Yu, a young man serving a death sentence who has indiscriminately taken the lives of three people in the past, and Juri, a lonely former pianist who has attempted suicide three times in the past, sets the stage for this tale of loss and redemption, despair, and hope.
It’s a beautiful and tender love story but It’s hard to feel happy. It is a profoundly felt procedure to go through awkward contact between two people who both have similar emotional scars in order to recover. I mean if you imagine it just a little, it’s heartbreaking for the two of them to be attracted to each other even though they know they’re going to break up in the near future. A story that makes you think about the weight of life, no matter how many times you read it, your tears won’t stop.
I keep wondering why the two couldn’t have met sooner no matter how often I read it again. It is annoying to see two awkward humans moving slowly forward yet it’s a piece of writing that, after reading it, causes you to want to scream or cry. It differs from the melancholy that wrecks the chest and the grief that leads to self-harm. Nature and tears are gushing yet it is just transient. I won’t spoil it too much, just go explore yourself. Trust me you will love it.
Of course, there are tons of one-shot manga that will make you cry, but for the time being, I came up with these five. Will definitely add more titles in the future but for now, you have to be content with this. What do you think of the list though? Have any other crazy cool titles you want to share? Want to submit a new blog request? Let me know in the comments below. You can also mail us or be in touch with us through social media like Quora, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Discord, Amino, etc whatever media you prefer.
