[Setsuna-kei] Incredibly tear-jerking! Classic heartbreaking J-pop songs
“Setsuna”-style J-POP.
Those wistful lyrics and melodies really make your chest tighten, don’t they?
Starting with Thelma Aoyama’s “Soba ni Iru ne,” this style was characterized by R&B-like love songs that were especially popular from the late 2000s to the mid-2010s.
If you’re from the “chaku-uta” generation (when people downloaded song snippets as ringtones), this might feel nostalgic.
As social media became widely adopted, the style evolved—lyric videos have become a staple, and it feels like there are now more angles from which people can find relatable points.
Here, I’ll carefully select and introduce some nostalgic hits that were popular back then, as well as modern “setsuna” songs!
There are plenty of tracks that speak the feelings you can’t put into words, songs that stay by your side, and songs you can’t help but get completely absorbed in.
I hope you’ll use this as a list to discover new, heart-piercingly bittersweet masterpieces.
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[Setsuna-kei] So Heartbreaking It’ll Make You Cry! Classic Bittersweet J-POP Songs (21–30)
Until the day I can no longer rememberback number
A poignant ballad by back number that quietly sings of lingering feelings and a sense of loss for a former lover.
Released in October 2011 as their third single, the song is also included on the album “Superstar,” which came out the same month.
The lyrics portray the emptiness of days that keep going even after losing the most important person in the world, and the deep bond in which the two formed halves of each other.
Fear of memories of the other fading intertwines with the resignation that they will eventually be forgotten, and the realization that the time spent with the person was part of oneself wells up with aching tenderness.
A song that offers comfort to anyone who has lost someone dear.
366 daysHY
This is a ballad that delicately portrays the bittersweet feeling of a love once deeply cherished that never fades from the heart, even as time passes.
The protagonist, unable to stop thinking about the person they parted with all day long, is gently and vividly depicted through Izumi Nakasone’s powerful yet tender vocals.
Included on the 2008 album “HeartY,” it was also used as the theme song for the film “Thread of Red (Akai Ito).” There’s also a well-known anecdote that the songwriter temporarily broke up with their partner at the time in order to write the lyrics.
It’s a song that quietly sits beside those whose heartbreak hasn’t healed, or on nights when you find yourself reminiscing about a past love.
MetronomeYonezu Kenshi
A song that overlays the gradual misalignment of two people’s relationship with an instrument keeping a steady rhythm, conveying a poignant sense of missed connections that tugs at the heart.
Included on the 2015 album “Bremen,” this track powerfully conveys the helplessness of starting in the same tempo only to drift apart over time, as well as the lingering attachment that makes you keep searching for the other person even after you’ve parted.
The animated music video—hand-drawn by Kenshi Yonezu himself with about 200 illustrations—visually deepens the song’s world and leaves a strong impression.
For anyone with an unforgettable love or who has experienced growing apart from someone dear, this is a sorrowful yet beautiful ballad that resonates deeply.
tear(s)Marushii
A love ballad that portrays the ache of heartbreak in stark contrast to the dazzling summer sun.
It’s a work released in August 2025 by the rock band Marcy, known for down-to-earth lyrics that resonate.
Memories of love told in the past tense and words detailing feelings that will never reach their destination shake the listener’s heart.
Skillful metaphors—like the pain of memories lingering as sensations in the body and a future that was never opened—reflect the protagonist’s earnest emotions and are sure to bring tears.
The song is slated to be included on their third original album, set for release in November 2025, which will also feature Aozora, the theme song for the film “Youth Gestalt Collapse.” It’s a track you’ll want to listen to quietly on nights when you want to immerse yourself in unforgettable memories of love.
rendezvousshaitoopu
The rock band Shytone, which rose to prominence after a viral hit on social media, released a signature track in April 2023 that sings of a man’s searing emotions after a breakup.
Unable to accept parting from someone he loved deeply, he longs for an impossible reunion; the loneliness of his lover’s traces fading from everyday life is expressed through vocalist So Sasaki’s superb word choices—so moving you might be brought to tears.
The song is also known for surpassing 100 million total streams in November 2023 and is included on the album “Hors d’œuvre.” Why not entrust your heart to its somehow comforting melody that stirs up those bittersweet feelings?
HeavenMrs. GREEN APPLE
Released in May 2025 as the theme song for the film “I Will Tell You the Truth,” this track makes a striking impression with its structure: it shifts from a quietly sacred opening to an unpredictable development.
The lyrics gaze equally at the light and shadow, the beauty and ugliness inherent in humanity, hinting at a new depth in Mrs.
GREEN APPLE’s expression.
The unusual promotion—available only within the film—also became a major topic on social media.
Different from their usual brightness, the layered, heart-wrenching melody is sure to resonate deeply with you.
evening primroseNovelbright
This work portrays a poignant state of mind: unable to forget a once‑beloved person, the protagonist can’t help but keep chasing their lingering shadow as memories of days gone by well up.
Vocalist Yudai Takenaka’s delicate high-tone voice gently envelops the pain of a protagonist who cannot accept the breakup.
The grand sound centered on piano and strings is another highlight.
It’s a song to listen to when you want something to stay close to the pain of heartbreak, or when you can’t take a step into a new love.