Anime has reached unprecedented popularity. As specialized streaming platforms like Crunchyroll experience tremendous growth, competitors like Netflix and Prime Video are joining the fray with their own curated selections. Even Disney – the authority in Western animation – now offers an increasing array of exclusive anime series on Disney+, making the accessibility and appeal of anime movies unprecedented.
However, it is in the film medium that anime has experienced the greatest surge. With titles like Your Name and Miss Hokusai signaling a new age of brilliance in animation, they contribute to a collection of iconic works like Akira and My Neighbour Totoro. These are among the best anime movies of all time, showcasing the industry’s unparalleled storytelling and artistry. For fans and newcomers alike, exploring the world of anime movies can feel overwhelming due to the sheer variety of options available.
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We’ve selected the finest entries to kickstart your journey, offering a collection of good anime movies that emphasize the medium’s vibrant variety of genres and styles. From psychological thrillers to folklore fantasies, historical biographies, post-apocalyptic scenarios, somber dramas, and lively adventures, anime has something for everyone. These top anime movies highlight why the medium goes beyond merely big eyes and spiky hair – it is a storytelling powerhouse that genuinely caters to all tastes. Explore these recommendations to dive into the best anime movies that truly merit a spot in any collection.
The Boy And The Heron (2023)
Hayao Miyazaki’s newest “final” movie – he had earlier claimed that 2013’s The Wind Rises would be his final creation – is also likely his most autobiographical. Often hailed as one of the best anime movies to date, The Boy and the Heron reflects the masterful storytelling and artistry that Miyazaki is celebrated for. Set during World War II, this epic fantasy centers on young Mahito, who (similar to Miyazaki) is sent to a countryside estate following his mother’s death, where he battles to adapt (just like Miyazaki) and holds resentment towards his new stepmother, Natsuko.
There, he becomes captivated by a fantasy realm (perhaps reminiscent of Miyazaki) facilitated by an enigmatic grey heron, luring him with images of his missing mother. As one would anticipate from Studio Ghibli at this point, it is filled with whimsical beings, unusual visuals, and exquisitely detailed animation, making it a must-see for anyone exploring the best anime movie offerings. This is further enhanced by a remarkable score from longtime Miyazaki partner Joe Hisaishi.
However, it is Mahito’s transformation from a grumpy, disagreeable young man to someone who truly starts to care for his newfound family that elevates this film above many fantasy tales. Whether it stands as the best anime film ever remains a debate for the ages, but its accolades, including earning Miyazaki his second Oscar, affirm its place among the top anime films. As one of the most popular anime movies in recent years, The Boy and the Heron joins the ranks of the best japanimation movies of all time, captivating audiences worldwide. Only time will reveal if it possesses the cultural longevity of Miyazaki’s earlier works, but it has already earned its spot as one of the top anime films to watch.
Redline (2009)
Focusing on Joshua “Sweet JP” Punkhead as he attempts to conquer the universe’s deadliest elimination race, equipped solely with a high-performance supercar and the galaxy’s largest pompadour, Redline stands as one of the best anime movies for adrenaline junkies. This great anime movie takes its core concept to the extreme, transforming it into a cosmic struggle for survival against crazed alien machines.
In summary, it’s completely insane in the most wonderful way, with director Takeshi Koike delivering a visual masterpiece that many fans consider among the anime best films. The breathtaking view of unreal vehicles traversing otherworldly landscapes, enlivened with ultra-chic details and a deliberate disregard for physics, places it firmly among the top japanimation movies. Adding to the excitement is an amazing soundtrack that perfectly complements the chaos and style of the film.
Picture a mix of Wacky Races, Speed Racer, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Akira, and you’re merely touching the edge of the unyielding visual excitement that Redline presents. Its extravagant animation and thrilling speed cement its status as one of the best anime films ever created, making it an essential viewing for genre enthusiasts.
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My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
A candidate for Miyazaki’s most soothing and calming film (with just Kiki’s Delivery Service possibly vying for that label), My Neighbour Totoro is certainly among the greatest anime movies ever made. It centers on two young sisters, Satsuki and Mei, who move to the countryside for their mother’s healing after a prolonged illness.
As they discover their new environment, they start to meet a variety of unusual beings and forest spirits, including the cute susuwatari soot sprites lurking in the corners of their countryside house and the legendary Totoro, a friendly giant who guides the girls into a realm of magic. This Japanese anime movie exemplifies how storytelling and stunning animation can blend to create timeless masterpieces.
Even with its slow tempo, My Neighbour Totoro is filled with a true sense of childlike joy in every scene, yet it carries a touch of sorrow as the sisters worry about their mother’s wellbeing – a hint of sadness that has endeared it to countless viewers over the years. It stands as one of the best anime movies for its ability to capture pure emotions and universal themes.
Totoro’s lovable charm and the film’s enchanting atmosphere place it among the top anime movies ever, while its heartfelt simplicity makes it a standout among good movies anime fans cherish. It’s no surprise why Totoro remains a quintessential figure in Studio Ghibli’s legacy and a beloved icon for cool anime movies enthusiasts worldwide.
Wolf Children (2012)
Hana, a single mother, is caring for her two young kids following their father’s passing. This already challenging scenario becomes even more complicated when the children, Yuki and Ame, inherit their secret werewolf father’s traits and start uncontrollably transforming into wolves.
Compelled to move her family to an isolated village for seclusion, Hana fervently strives to shield her children from a world that fails to comprehend them as Yuki and Ame grapple with their conflicting identities. A beautifully animated contemporary fairy tale, Wolf Children is hailed as one of the best anime movies, delivering numerous deep emotional impacts while delving into the trials and joys of parenthood.
A lyrical, enchanting, and stunningly animated story, Wolf Children deserves its spot among classic anime movies. It harmonizes its sweet aspects with darker undertones and a charming touch of strangeness, making it one of the best anime movie experiences for viewers. For those seeking great anime movies with a blend of emotion and fantasy or good anime films that leave a lasting impression, Wolf Children is an unmissable masterpiece.
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Rebuild Of Evangelion (2007-2021)
Are we being dishonest by cramming four films into a single time slot? Indeed, director Hideaki Anno’s reinterpretation of his iconic anime television series Neon Genesis Evangelion is an extraordinary work of film and a standout on any must-watch anime movies list.
Throughout the tetralogy, Anno has significantly more room – and funding – to enhance his initial narrative of young mech pilots preventing the apocalypse. These films guide audiences from the nearly coming-of-age story of 2007’s Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, which presents the introverted, hesitant Shinji Ikari as humanity’s final chance, all the way to 2021’s philosophical conclusion, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. Along the way, the series introduces new characters and elaborates on plot elements, making it one of the best anime movies ever.
What truly distinguishes Rebuild of Evangelion is its incorporation of Kabbalistic apocalyptica, Shinto cosmology, and the psychoanalytic concepts of Jung and Freud, creating a narrative much more intricate than a simple clash between mechas and monsters. For those looking to watch anime that combines philosophical depth with cutting-edge animation, this is a top anime movie experience.
Revived with stunning visuals, this iteration of Evangelion stands out among the best anime movies for its complexity and artistry. If you’re curating a list of anime films to watch, the Rebuild of Evangelion series is an essential addition and a must-watch for anime fans seeking a profound narrative.
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Promare (2019)
Years later, following humanity’s transformation into exceptionally strong pyrokinetics called “Burnish,” a group named Burning Rescue emerges to combat these dangerous fire threats.
Galo Thymos is among those firefighters, an expert flyer of the sophisticated mechs essential to counter the Burnishes’ abilities, yet when he encounters Lio, a resistant fighter from the Burnish faction, they become entangled in a plot that could inflame the entire world.
A wildly exhilarating animation from Studio Trigger, Promare is a fast-paced storm of action infused with neon and pastels while also delivering sharp commentary on prejudice and the use of institutional power. Different from nearly everything else you’ll encounter.
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Royal Space Force: The Wings Of Honnêamise (1987)
Set against the backdrop of competing nations striving for technological dominance, the Cold War echoes are unmistakable in Hiroyuki Yamaga’s innovative hard science fiction work. At its core, however, Honnêamise is more intimate and less grandiose, showcasing humanity’s quest to fulfill its potential by centering on pilot Shirotsugh Lhadatt’s journey to be the first man in space.
Emerging at the vanguard of anime’s evolving sophistication, Yamaga and his partner Toshio Okada had persistently advocated for the medium to break free from its introspective habit of appealing solely to a pre-existing audience – Honnêamise captivated with exceptionally intricate animation and an openness to explore profound themes related to religion and culture.
Although some aspects are clearly outdated, most notably the depiction of gender and love relationships, which are problematic, and although it flopped at the box office, Honnêamise has firmly positioned itself as a pivotal work in the evolution of anime.
In This Corner of the World (2016)
Based on the manga by Fumiyo Kōno i.e., this uses almost an episodic approach and depicts civilian life in Japan, starting from the pre-World War II period of increasing tensions to the post-World War II period of American rule of Japan.
It’s not an epic, sweeping geopolitical tale, but rather grounded in the simple everyday existence of Suzu, a young bride who relocates to reside with her new in-laws in the naval port city of Kure – unsettlingly, for the viewers, just 15 miles from Hiroshima.
Through meticulous attention to the settings, styles, and buildings appropriate to the period of its inception and sophisticated artistry of hand-drawn animation, In This Corner of the World also has a distinctive style in that it is a warm, ‘slice-of-life’ depiction of one of the blackest periods of humanity.
Weathering With You (2019)
Hodaka is one of those children who left his home and ran off to the busy and unembellished life of Tokyo. Hina lost her parents so she has to look after her younger brother alone.
This alone provides rich soil for what might become an intense romantic drama, but writer-director Makoto Shinkai enhances the narrative with a captivating sprinkle of magical realism through Hina’s peculiar skill to affect the weather – less of a superpower, but rather a symbolic blend of adolescent emotional upheaval and anxiety over climate change.
However, as the duo becomes more intimate and seeks to harness Hina’s abilities to create a better future for themselves, the situation spirals into catastrophe, impacting both their personal lives and the world around them. Shinkai’s distinctive focus on detail is impressively utilized to illustrate weather phenomena that nearly transcend the limits of animation, resulting in one of his most visually striking films thus far. A contemporary work of art.
Metropolis (2001)
The collaborative effort of a supergroup of anime and manga creators – inspired by an original 1949 tale from Astro Boy creator and “God of Manga” Osamu Tezuka, featuring a screenplay by Akira’s Katsuhiro Otomo, and directed by the singularly named Rintaro, whose long career encompasses classics like Galaxy Express 999 and X:1999 – Metropolis presents a grand narrative about humanity, robots, class, and the essence of the soul, all enveloped in a retro-futuristic style.
At the core of the film is the bond between Kenichi and a mysterious girl called Tima, who is sought after by the nefarious Duke Red, the ruler of the deeply divided Metropolis, where sentient androids toil underground while elitist humans look down on them from above.
While Tezuka’s manga was merely loosely influenced by a single picture of Fritz Lang’s legendary silent film Metropolis, this anime version draws additional inspiration from the 1927 movie, particularly in the remarkable cityscape of its dieselpunk setting.
It’s as much a character as Kenichi or Tima are: a complex expanse with an astonishing sense of height, resulting in some of the finest architecture ever portrayed in film, not to mention anime.
Miss Hokusai (2015)
Of course, there was also Hokusai, a talented artist from the Edo period well known for various woodblock prints, including The Great Wave off Kanagawa, but he had a daughter too, O-Ei, who was a painter as well.
The animated biopic Miss Hokusai explores O-Ei’s quest for recognition, but it equally focuses on her dedication to her craft, as she seeks that inner spark essential for creating exceptional art while also tending to her elderly father. Hara portrays his protagonist as distinctly her father’s child, immersing herself in her work within a chaotic studio, showing little patience or interest in the views of others nearby.
Expertly crafted and reminiscent of the ukiyo-e style both Hokusai mastered, this artwork reflects on art itself while consistently anchoring everything in the chaotic, imperfect human experience of its theme.
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)
Beyond its grand fantasy elements – Knights! Dragons! Fortresses! Magic! – this directorial debut by acclaimed screenwriter Mari Okada offers a deeply moving portrayal of the joys, challenges, and hardships of motherhood. The titular Maquia is an Iorph, part of a nearly immortal species, who becomes estranged from her tribe following a vicious assault by external humans.
Choosing to adopt an orphaned infant appears to be a compassionate gesture, yet as her son Ariel matures while Maquia remains unchanged, she confronts a loss that is even deeper than losing her home. Although there’s a lot of action throughout the decades-long span the film depicts, this whimsically animated piece is fundamentally created to tear viewers’ hearts apart – and it entirely accomplishes that. Prepare tissues.
Final Words
Anime films showcase beauty, excitement, and emotion through themes like coming-of-age, romance, and robots. The finest animes are not only outstanding animated films but also excellent films overall.
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