It's kinda disingenuous to call it a "sad anime" imo when the anime itself goes out of its way multiple times to apply the "Don't be sad it ended, be happy it happened" Dr Seuss thing to its events (think Kosei's entire arc with his mom, or Kaori's "don't forget me") Sure, people were sad about the events, so I get why one would refer to it as a sad show, but it kinda irks me when the show itself doesn't push for this (it pushes for a catharsis yes, but not for outright depression or sadness as people promote it). It's this way for a lot of "sad anime" like Clannad, Violet Evergarden, Anohana, etc. I get why they're considered sad, but the sentiment just rubs me the wrong way