“Anime” is now one of the most popular genres, but it is often associated with only series. Not many that there are lots of shorter yet amazing movies which are worth watching. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a proper anime fan or a newbie, because the following movies will keep you entertained for sure.
Spirited Away (2001)
Spirited Away is an Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature and is the first non-english movie to do so. It is the most successful movie in Japanese history. The story revolves around a 10 year old girl who wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts. This coming-of-age story gives ‘Alice in Wonderland’ kind of vibes, and is one of the most beautiful and fascinating anime movies.
Weathering With You (2019)
Hodaka is a high school student who runs away from his rural home to Tokyo, but runs out of money immediately. After some days of living alone, he is offered a job at a strange magazine company. Along the way, he befriends a girl with a mysterious and incredible power of controlling the weather.
Princess Mononoke (1997)
The movie begins in 15th century Japan, where Ashitaka, a young prince from a tribe, is cursed by a dying boar god from western Japan. To find the cure of his curse, he reaches Iron Town. There Lady Eboshi runs an operation in the mountains which was once a place for wolves and boars. Ashitaka comes across San, a girl raised by wolves. Together they try to stop Lady Eboshi and the corrupt monk Jigo from doing war against animals.
A Silent Voice (2016)
The movie focuses on teen bullying from a very sad and sensitive perspective. After being bullied mercilessly, a deaf girl changes schools. Years later, one of her bullies regrets his past actions and tries to make amends. The story is a heart-warming tale of their reunion and the male lead’s honest attempts to redeem himself.
My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
The classic movie from Studio Ghibli is about family but has lots of fantasy elements. Apparently, a family moves into a new place and they meet some friendly nature spirits of that area. From them, they learn about the spirit’s strange world and get help to deal with their own problems. The movie is sweet, sad, funny, frightening and is a very beautiful tale for both young and old.
Your Name (2016)
In this fantasy movie, an urban teenage boy from Tokyo and a girl that dreams of the same urban life, happen to swap their bodies unknowingly. They both try to find answers for this strange phenomenon, by trying to reach each other. Will their fate let them meet each other or keep them apart?
Akira (1988)
This movie is a complex, outstanding work of science fiction, cyberpunk and action. It has deep characters who explore real-world realities such as motorbike gangs and military power. The film was made in 1988 but the story was set in future Tokyo in 2019, after an apocalypse caused by World War III. The production did a great job, as it was an anime movie with the highest budget at that well.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
This is a time travel one, in which a high-school girl gets the ability to travel through time. She uses her ability to fix even the smallest problems of her life. But she’s unaware of the consequences that can change her and other’s past too. The movie ends up being a great lesson about life and the choices we make.
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Another movie from the famous Studio Ghibli, tells an emotional and powerful story of a brother and sister trying to survive the era of World War II. The two find themselves going through many hardships like firebombing in Kobe, loss of their mother, and struggling to survive in a country with war, food shortages, and deaths.
5 Centimeters Per Second (2007)
What happens when two people love each other but aren’t meant to be together? Takaki and Akari are childhood friends, but due to certain circumstances, they tear apart. They promise to stay in contact but as time passes, they become distant. Stuck in the memories of each other, they both hope to meet each other again. They both live their lives half-heartedly and hurt themselves and people around them. The story focuses on the harsh reality of long-distance relationships.
