Anohana, the one that makes everyone cry
A group of childhood friends who drifted apart get pulled back together by the ghost of the girl they lost. I liked it a lot. It earns its reputation as a good cry.
Some spoilers ahead.
Anohana is the one everybody warns you about. Have tissues ready. I went in knowing that and it still got me.
The setup is simple: a group of kids were close growing up, then one of them, Menma, died, and the rest drifted apart and carried the guilt in their own quiet ways. Years later she turns up as a ghost only the main character can see, with one last wish she can’t quite remember, and the old friends have to come back together to figure out what it is and finally let her go.
That’s the whole thing, and it works because it’s really about the living, the grief everyone buried instead of dealing with, and what it takes to actually say goodbye. The ending is exactly the gut-punch people promise it’ll be. I liked it a lot. Not much more to say than that: it’s short, it’s sad, and it sticks the landing.