I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (2018)

I Want to Eat Your Pancreas is a quietly powerful animated drama about unexpected connection, mortality, and learning to live. The story follows a reserved high school student who discovers a private diary revealing that his vivacious classmate, Sakura Yamauchi, is dying from a terminal pancreatic illness. When he becomes the only person who knows her secret, the two form an unlikely bond: her impulsive warmth draws him out of his shell, and his steady presence helps her squeeze meaning and joy from the time she has left. Watching the film, you’ll experience a mix of tender, funny, and painfully bittersweet moments. Sakura’s energetic spirit brings light and laughter, while the quieter lead offers a reflective, sometimes deadpan counterpoint — together they create a believable, affecting friendship that slowly deepens into something more. The film balances moments of levity and teenage mischief with scenes that confront loss and the fragility of life, inviting the viewer to think about memory, regret, and the ways people leave marks on one another. Visually and emotionally evocative, the movie leans on character-driven storytelling: subtle animation, intimate scenes, and a melodic score underscore the mood without overpowering it. Expect to be moved — many viewers find it both uplifting and heart-wrenching — and to come away with a lingering sense of how courage, kindness, and honesty can transform ordinary lives into something meaningful. Suitable for fans of contemplative dramas and anime that focus on relationships rather than spectacle, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas is a poignant, memorable meditation on living fully in the face of inevitability.

Actors: Mahiro Takasugi, Lynn, Yukiyo Fujii

Director: Shin'ichirô Ushijima

Runtime: 109 min

Genres: Animation, Drama, Family

6.9 /10 8.0 /10 7.5 /10