Otaku USA Magazine
Japanese Fans Rank Studio Ghibli’s Greatest Tearjerkers

Ghibli’s Greatest TearjerkersOf all the anime studios out there, Studio Ghibli seems to be the most adept at jerking those tears loose. Over its three decades of anime production, the studio has produced films that keep fans welling up—sometimes out of sadness, sometimes out of happiness, and sometimes for that mysterious melancholy quality unique to the films of folks like Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.

Ranking site Goo has asked its readers which Ghibli films made them cry the most, and here’s the top 10. But be warned: just looking at this list might get the tear ducts moving.

10. When Marnie Was There

9. Howl’s Moving Castle

8. Kiki’s Delivery Service

7. Princess Mononoke

6. Whisper of the Heart

5. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

4. Castle in the Sky

3. My Neighbor Totoro

2. Spirited Away

1. Grave of the Fireflies

Most of the films on the list were directed by Hayao Miyazaki—does that make him the studio’s master of tearjerkers, or is it Isao Takahata, whose Grave of the Fireflies topped the list?

Source: Goo

Matt Schley

Matt Schley (rhymes with "guy") lives in Tokyo, and has been OUSA's "man in Japan" since 2012. He's also written about anime and Japanese film for the Japan Times, Screen Daily and more.

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