Several of the contributors here, three_eye_raven, Stoner, MeLikeChoco, and Korial, totally hit the nail on the head. This a real classic (and a masterpiece) as well as being beautiful and cruel. It presents the human condition, in all its beauty, pain, regret, heroism, and selflessness. It also brings one of the best, non-sentimental depictions of love I've ever come across. I normally pass on manga with the tragedy tag, because so few so few writers (not only mangaka) can create well-written pathos, let alone tragedy, without it becoming either sordid or unnecessarily sentimental. (When I say sordid, I don't mean that good tragedy cannot be about sordid subjects: Kenji Mizoguchi and others have made heart-breaking films and books about prostitution and infidelity. The ones I'm condemning as sordid are sordid in their tragedy, not in their settings.) To MeLikeChoco: I'll try Plastic Memories and Tokyo Lastochika (I already read and appreciated Your Lie in April). Also, if you like well executed tragedy (redemption and not just angst and forever wallowing in despair) you might also try Onnanoko ga Shinu Hanashi or Forever Honey.