'Your Lie in April' & 4 Other Anime That Feel Like a Warm Spring Breeze, Ranked by IMDb

Spring is a time when the air itself seems to change – it smells of cherry blossoms, fresh grass, and new beginnings.

For anime fans, spring is the perfect time to revisit titles associated with the season. These anime are light and warm with a hint of melancholy, yet always life-affirming.

5. 'Ooku: The Inner Chambers', 2023

IMDb Score: 7.1/10

1716, Japan is ravaged by an epidemic of smallpox, a mysterious disease fatal to those with a Y chromosome. The male population is rapidly declining, family heirs are being preserved for the continuation of the family line, and all responsibilities fall to women, including governing the country.

The Ooku district becomes a haven for the shogun's concubines: 3,000 of the country's most attractive young men serve the newly elected ruler. The first of them, Iemitsu, is forced to disguise herself as a man for future chronicles.

Despite her title, she has no say in her own life – she is obligated to bear an heir to the throne. Therefore, even after finding love in the Buddhist monk Arikoto, she is obligated to conceive a child with the Ooku concubines.

4. '5 Centimeters per Second', 2007

IMDb Score: 7.4/10

In 1995, Takaki is 13. He pines for Akari, a classmate who has moved to another city. One winter day, the two of them arranged to meet at Shinjuku Station. Takaki wrote Akari a letter declaring his feelings but hesitated to give it to her at the last minute.

In 1999, a girl named Kanae develops a crush on Takaki. On the day she plans to tell him, they witness a rocket launch and Kanae hesitates to say the most important thing.

In 2008, Takaki broke up with his girlfriend, quit his job, and fell into a prolonged depression. He feels like life has passed him by until one day when he meets Akari again at a Shinjuku railway crossing.

3. 'I Want to Eat Your Pancreas', 2018

IMDb Score: 8.1/10

Haruki, a high school student, is a complete introvert – he prefers books to people and avoids his peers at all costs.

One April day, everything changes when Haruki discovers a book with a handwritten title in the hospital. It turns out to be the diary of Sakura, his classmate. In it, she details the story of her life and illness.

The girl has only a year to live. A secret brings these two disparate characters together – the bright, bold Sakura decides to pull Haruki out of his book world and show him how wonderful real life can be.

2. 'A Silent Voice: The Movie', 2016

IMDb Score: 8.2/10

Shoko transfers to Tokyo Elementary School. Since she is deaf, she asks her classmates to communicate with her using a special notepad. Shoya is unsure how to interact with Shoko and begins to bully her.

His classmates join in, but Shoya ultimately becomes the scapegoat. Five years later, he is an outcast in high school and his psychological state reaches a point where jumping off a bridge seems like the only way out.

However, he wants to first sort out some unfinished business: repay his mother, learn sign language, and most importantly, apologize to the girl he caused so much trouble for.

1. 'Your Lie in April', 2014-2015

IMDb Score: 8.5/10

As a child, Kosei was a brilliant pianist. He won every youth competition and was known by every student. However, after his mother died, the woman who had instilled in him a love of music, he lost the ability to hear himself play and ended his career as a performer.

Several years later, by chance, he meets Kaori, a talented violinist who inspires him to play the piano again.

Their meeting leads to many wonderful events, as well as a great loss. This time, however, Kosei will be prepared for it.