Overview
A poignant exploration of life, love, and loss unfolds as two unlikely classmates connect over shared secrets.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- wistful
- sincere
- tender
- quiet night
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a heartfelt and beautifully animated terminal-illness drama with strong voice acting, nuanced character writing, and a powerful celebration of life, while some found its adaptation and visual effects uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sakura's pancreatic disease gives the high-school relationship an urgent, finite horizon and makes everyday experiences newly significant.
Haruki discovers Sakura's Disease Coexistence Journal in a hospital and becomes the classmate entrusted with knowledge of her illness.
The production combines detailed high-school and hospital settings with atmospheric filters and polished animation to heighten the characters' emotional transitions.
Haruki and Sakura's relationship develops through classmates, school routines, private conversations, and the social world of contemporary Japanese high school.
Films like I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, and why
The Fault in Our Stars
shared terminal-illness romance, youthful protagonists, bittersweet emotional intensity, and focus on living fully despite limited time
A Silent Voice
shared japanese animated coming-of-age drama, emotionally guarded students, friendship, regret, and compassionate exploration of isolation
Your Lie in April
shared tender youth romance, impending loss, diary-like emotional intimacy, and a strongly cathartic tone
Ride Your Wave
shared japanese anime romance, fragile mortality, emotionally transformative companionship, and poignant melodrama
Movie Details
- Director
- Shinichiro Ushijima
- Release Date
- 2018-09-01
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 8.2 / 10 (1857)
Cast
- Mahiro Takasugi
- Lynn
- Yukiyo Fujii
- Yuma Uchida
- Jun Fukushima
- Atsuko Tanaka
- Shin-ichiro Miki
- Emi Wakui
- Nanami Atsugi
- Kazuya Saji
Common questions
- What is I Want to Eat Your Pancreas about?
- A withdrawn Japanese high-schooler discovers his outgoing classmate's terminal illness and is drawn into a fleeting friendship that makes ordinary life feel extraordinary.
- What is I Want to Eat Your Pancreas like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is I Want to Eat Your Pancreas violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in I Want to Eat Your Pancreas as mild.
- What did critics think of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a heartfelt and beautifully animated terminal-illness drama with strong voice acting, nuanced character writing, and a powerful celebration of life, while some found its adaptation and visual effects uneven.
- Which films are like I Want to Eat Your Pancreas?
- Films with a similar feel include The Fault in Our Stars, A Silent Voice, Your Lie in April, and Ride Your Wave.
- How long is I Want to Eat Your Pancreas?
- I Want to Eat Your Pancreas runs 108 minutes.
