top 10 best anime movies to watch
let's get right to the list because I don't want to waste your time on chit chat because I want to know what you guys think of these movies.
It may be very new, but the fact that Kimi no Na Wa is already the #1 rated anime of all time shows what a phenomenon this new movie has been. While it covers a lot of similar ground to Makoto Shinkai's previous works (distant lovers, sense of loss, lots of clouds), this one is far and away from his biggest success so far. It's already one of the biggest anime movies of all time in Japan by box office figures. Not bad by a director who started his anime directing career on a laptop in his office.
It's not just Kimi no Na wa that has been making waves in Japan. Kyoto Animation's adaptation of the critically acclaimed manga about a deaf teenager has been receiving massive acclaim in international movie festivals. It's already shot right up to the top 15 anime on MAL despite not having a general release yet and could possibly raise even higher once it does.
Might as well get the obvious one out of the way first. You could pick several Hayao Miyazaki films that wouldn't look out of place on any greatest anime movie list, or indeed greatest movies of all time. The fantasy epic Princess Mononoke. The childlike wonder of My Neighbour Totoro. My own personal favorite movie of his, Porco Rosso. In the end, I went for Spirited Away, as it is the one that won the Academy Award after all, but I'm sure almost everyone reading this article will have their own favorite Hayao Miyazaki film.
Although I have my rule of only one movie per director, that doesn't mean I can't pick another Studio Ghibli movie. Step forward the co-founder Isao Takahata and his tragic wartime masterpiece Grave of the Fireflies. Did you know in Japan this movie was shown alongside My Neighbour Totoro when they both came out in cinemas? Can you imagine going from the delight of Totoro then following that up with the clinical depression you will develop after watching Grave of the Fireflies?
Sword of the Stranger is almost the perfect movie to show to someone who has only heard about anime in passing, has no real understanding of what it's like, but wants to watch something cool with samurais and awesome action. That sounds like I'm doing Sword of the Stranger a disservice, but the fact that it would give this hypothetical dumb-dumb that doesn't know what anime is a great first impression speaks to what an excellent work Bones did animating this movie.
Satoshi Kon's filmography is tragically low but each one of his four feature films is fantastic in their own right. Much like Miyazaki, everyone will have their own favorite - whether you're into the psychological horror of Perfect Blue or the uplifting Christmas-y vibes of Tokyo Godfathers. I went with Millennium Actress because it feels like the most complete version of Kon's artistic vision. The story of the actress moving through time as she chases her dream is such a wonderfully produced piece that encapsulates everything Kon was trying to achieve in his films.
Speaking of movies which defined a generation, how about Ghost in the Shell? While it certainly took inspiration from previous cyberpunk books and movies such as Bladerunner, its vision of the future and how we envision the concept of self helped define an entire genre of literature for decades. Plus it has incredible cinematography with its iconic opening credits and classic shots of the Major falling from the side of the building and disappearing using optical camouflage. Let's hope that the upcoming Hollywood movie does it justice eh?
Redline is an accomplishment in style. The movie about super-powered future cars racing on the science-fiction equivalent of robot North Korea might not be too much to write home about in the plot department, but it makes up for that with the most thrilling races imaginable. The sense of style and use of music throughout gets your adrenaline pumping. It remains probably the single greatest accomplishment in animation alone that Japan has ever put out.
A few years after the staff made audiences bawl their eyes out with Ano Hana, Tatsuyuki Nagai and co. worked together on a movie they had dreamed up together. The Anthem of the Heart is touching and emotional and features a bunch of teenagers yelling their feelings at each other. Basically everything you might expect from the creators of Ano Hana.
Akira's vision of a dystopic, cyberpunk future captured the imagination and defined an entire generation of western anime fans. This psychological horror thriller is so iconic it's still referenced frequently today, from animation homages to random western music videos. Even today there still hasn't been a movie to capture Akira's oppressive sense of style, from the music to the design of the world.
Click here for more such fun animes.
1. Your Name
It may be very new, but the fact that Kimi no Na Wa is already the #1 rated anime of all time shows what a phenomenon this new movie has been. While it covers a lot of similar ground to Makoto Shinkai's previous works (distant lovers, sense of loss, lots of clouds), this one is far and away from his biggest success so far. It's already one of the biggest anime movies of all time in Japan by box office figures. Not bad by a director who started his anime directing career on a laptop in his office.
2. A Silent Voice
It's not just Kimi no Na wa that has been making waves in Japan. Kyoto Animation's adaptation of the critically acclaimed manga about a deaf teenager has been receiving massive acclaim in international movie festivals. It's already shot right up to the top 15 anime on MAL despite not having a general release yet and could possibly raise even higher once it does.
3. Spirited Away
Might as well get the obvious one out of the way first. You could pick several Hayao Miyazaki films that wouldn't look out of place on any greatest anime movie list, or indeed greatest movies of all time. The fantasy epic Princess Mononoke. The childlike wonder of My Neighbour Totoro. My own personal favorite movie of his, Porco Rosso. In the end, I went for Spirited Away, as it is the one that won the Academy Award after all, but I'm sure almost everyone reading this article will have their own favorite Hayao Miyazaki film.
4. Grave of the Fireflies
5. Sword of the Stranger
Sword of the Stranger is almost the perfect movie to show to someone who has only heard about anime in passing, has no real understanding of what it's like, but wants to watch something cool with samurais and awesome action. That sounds like I'm doing Sword of the Stranger a disservice, but the fact that it would give this hypothetical dumb-dumb that doesn't know what anime is a great first impression speaks to what an excellent work Bones did animating this movie.
6.Millennium Actress
Satoshi Kon's filmography is tragically low but each one of his four feature films is fantastic in their own right. Much like Miyazaki, everyone will have their own favorite - whether you're into the psychological horror of Perfect Blue or the uplifting Christmas-y vibes of Tokyo Godfathers. I went with Millennium Actress because it feels like the most complete version of Kon's artistic vision. The story of the actress moving through time as she chases her dream is such a wonderfully produced piece that encapsulates everything Kon was trying to achieve in his films.
7. Ghost in the Shell
Speaking of movies which defined a generation, how about Ghost in the Shell? While it certainly took inspiration from previous cyberpunk books and movies such as Bladerunner, its vision of the future and how we envision the concept of self helped define an entire genre of literature for decades. Plus it has incredible cinematography with its iconic opening credits and classic shots of the Major falling from the side of the building and disappearing using optical camouflage. Let's hope that the upcoming Hollywood movie does it justice eh?
8. Redline
Redline is an accomplishment in style. The movie about super-powered future cars racing on the science-fiction equivalent of robot North Korea might not be too much to write home about in the plot department, but it makes up for that with the most thrilling races imaginable. The sense of style and use of music throughout gets your adrenaline pumping. It remains probably the single greatest accomplishment in animation alone that Japan has ever put out.
9. The Anthem of the Heart
A few years after the staff made audiences bawl their eyes out with Ano Hana, Tatsuyuki Nagai and co. worked together on a movie they had dreamed up together. The Anthem of the Heart is touching and emotional and features a bunch of teenagers yelling their feelings at each other. Basically everything you might expect from the creators of Ano Hana.
10. Akira
Akira's vision of a dystopic, cyberpunk future captured the imagination and defined an entire generation of western anime fans. This psychological horror thriller is so iconic it's still referenced frequently today, from animation homages to random western music videos. Even today there still hasn't been a movie to capture Akira's oppressive sense of style, from the music to the design of the world.
Click here for more such fun animes.
so let me know what you guys think of these movies, PEACE.
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