The 40+ Best Japanese Anime Movies for Anime Fans

Best-Japanese-Anime-Movies

Are you wondering what is the number 1 anime movie in Japan? Anime is becoming one of the most popular film genres, with a slew of new anime films made each year throughout the world. As we enter the twenty-first century, it’s about time we listed the finest anime films of all time, though this list should be revised as time passes. Anime has gone through several phases, from amateur efforts to nationalist propaganda, to niche cultural export to final worldwide success, with each iteration adhering to the structure of the times it was made. So, do you want to see any other well-known Japanese anime films?

Watching a complete anime series, on the other hand, takes a long time. So, instead of going the series route, why don’t you go see a movie? We suggest you spend your weekend watching these 45 amazing animated films. These films are not just from the established Studio Ghibli, but also from a wide range of other studios. They were chosen for their excellent plots, popularity, and the author’s own experience. Are you looking forward to it? The 45 films listed below are available to view with easy-to-find Japanese and English subtitles on Netflix and other platforms such as AbemaTV in Australia. You can watch most of them by unblocking Japanese Netflix. Don’t forget to check out our blog on best anime on HBO Max in Australia.

The following best family anime movies will make you laugh, weep, and smile, as each film’s plot is unique.

Paprika (2006)

Director: Satoshi Kon

Writers: Satoshi Kon

Cast: Tôru Furuya,  Katsunosuke Hori,  Megumi Hayashibara

IMDB Rating: 7.7/10

The D.C. Mini, a gadget designed by three scientists at the Institute for Psychiatric Research that allows users to record and view their dreams, is not secured. When individuals are awake, a burglar utilizes the gadget to penetrate their brains and divert them with their own and others’ dreams. The result is chaos. The three – Chiba, Tokita, and Shima – must strive to identify the thief while fending against the criminal’s attacks on their psyches, with the help of a police inspector and a sprite named Paprika. Characters debate the limitations of science and the morality of Big Brother when dreams, reality, and cinema collide.

Your Name (2016)

Director: Makoto Shinkai

Writers: Makoto Shinkai

Cast: Mone Kamishiraishi, Aoi Yûki, Ryûnosuke Kamiki

IMDB Rating: 8.4/10

Mitsuha is the daughter of a tiny mountain town’s mayor. She’s a simple high school student who lives with her sister and grandmother and has no problems expressing her disinterest in Shinto ceremonies or volunteering for her father’s election campaign. Instead, she fantasizes about leaving the dull village and attempting to make it in Tokyo. Taki is a Tokyo high school student who works part-time at an Italian restaurant and wishes to pursue a career as an architect or artist. He has a bizarre dream every night in which he transforms into a high school girl in a little mountain town. “Your name” has been rated as one of the best family anime movies.

Koe Na Katachi (2016)

Director: Naoko Yamada

Writers: Reiko Yoshida

Cast:   Saori Hayami, Kenshô Ono, Yûki Kaneko

IMDB Rating: 8.2/10

Shôko Nishimiya, a grade school kid with hearing loss, is the protagonist of the novel. She is tormented by her classmates, particularly Shôya Ishida, after she goes to a new school. Shôya is isolated and tormented due to her transfer to another school, and she has no friends to talk to and no plans for the future. Years later, he embarks on an epic quest for atonement.

Redline (2009)

Director: Takeshi Koike

Writers: Katsuhito Ishii

Cast: Yû Aoi, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Takuya Kimura

IMDB Rating: 7.5/10

Despite two galactic wars, “Sweet” JP races in the Yellow line car race, the galaxy’s legendary last elimination race, to the most popular race in the galaxy, the Redline, on the planet Dorothy. The event is being shown live on a big outdoor monitor screen in the desert village of The Water Stop. Frisbee, JP’s extraterrestrial mobster mechanic, is watching the broadcast race with a mafia boss who rubs his gums with cocaine all the time. This film holds a top position in the list of best non-ghibli anime movies.

In This Corner Of The World (2016)

Director: Sunao Katabuchi

Writers: Sunao Katabuchi

Cast: Ava Pickard, Karen Strassman, Michael Sorich

IMDB Rating: 7.8/10

Suzu is a happy woman who lives in Eba[a], a coastal town near Hiroshima. At 18 years old, Suzu marries Shusaku, whom she had met as a youngster, and joins his family as a navy civilian in Kure City, a huge naval port city 15 miles from Hiroshima City. The risk of the Pacific War begins to creep on the locals as she adjusts to her new existence. Suzu gradually regains her zest for life, thanks to the courage and love of her friends and family. As the credits roll, their adoptive daughter is seen growing up in the Hojo household in postwar Japan, making garments with Suzu’s help.

1.    Cobra (1986)

Director: George P. Cosmatos

Writers: Paula Gosling

Cast: Brigitte Nielsen, Andrew Robinson, Sylvester Stallone

IMDB Rating: 5.8/10

 

Crime is at an all-time in the United States, the tough yet ambitious LAPD Lieutenant Marion “Cobra” Cobretti is the only solution to the crime-infested urban jungle of Los Angeles. However, a series of apparently unrelated and unjustifiable random assaults on people will eventually draw the seasoned officer into a deadly battle with the killers of “The New World,” a hidden group. The Lieutenant’s one-man army is perhaps the only thing in their way. Are they ready to face Cobra’s poisonous bite?

Koto No Ha No Niwa (2013)

Director: Makoto Shinkai

Writers: Makoto Shinkai

Cast: Kana Hanazawa, Gou Maeda, Miyu Irino

IMDB Rating: 7.5/10

Takao Akizuki, a 15-year-old amateur shoemaker who frequently misses lessons to practice, is the subject of this short video. Takao, a shoemaker in training, skipped school and is drawing shoes in a Japanese-style garden. He encounters Yukino, a fascinating woman who is older than he is. Then, without planning ahead of time, they begin to see each other frequently, but only on rainy days. They build their bond and become more open to each other. However, the rainy season is drawing to a close.

The Wind Rises (2013)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writers: Hayao Miyazaki

Cast: Miori Takimoto, Hideaki Anno, Stephen Alpert

IMDB Rating: 7.8/10

Jiro Horikoshi dreams of becoming a pilot in 1918, but his nearsightedness hinders him from doing so. He learns about Giovanni Battista Caproni, a prominent Italian aircraft designer, and dreams about him that night. For as long as he can remember, Jirô Horikoshi (Hideaki Anno), an aviation-obsessed engineer, has admired the beauty, spirit, and science of flying. He’s been working on his dream plane, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, for years, and it’s now finished. Jiro’s hopes, however, are dashed when he discovers, to his dismay, that his creation would be utilized in a World War II battle.

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writers: Hayao Miyazaki

Cast: Minnie Driver, Billy Crudup, Claire Danes

IMDB Rating: 8.4/10

A successful young warrior, Ashitaka, gets struck by a dreadful curse while saving his community from a rampaging boar-god/demon. To preserve his life, he must travel to the western woodlands. Once there, he becomes entangled in a furious human campaign against the forest. Lady Eboshi and her devoted clan use their firearms to fight the forest gods and Princess Mononoke, a strong young woman raised by a wolf-god. Ashitaka recognizes the good on all sides and attempts to stop the bloodshed. Both sides are enraged by this, as they both perceive him as a supporter of the adversary.

Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind (1984)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writers: Hayao Miyazaki

Cast: Mahito Tsujimura, Gorô Naya, Kohei Miyauchi

IMDB Rating: 8.1/10

Man has destroyed the City in the “Seven Days of Fire” in the far future. There are now a few pockets of humankind that have survived. One of the pockets is the Valley of Wind, where a Princess named Nausicaä strives to understand the Toxic Jungle rather than destroy it. The old US edition dubbed “Warriors of the Wind” is a significantly modified “kiddiefied” version of the original film, resulting in a completely different tale.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train (2020)

Director: Haruo Sotozaki

Writers: Koyoharu Gotouge

Cast: Akari Kito, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Takahiro Sakurai

IMDB Rating: 8.3/10

Tanjiro Kamado, together with Inosuke Hashibira, a kid reared by boars who wears a boar’s head, and Zenitsu Agatsuma, a fearful youngster who exposes his real strength when he sleeps, embark the Infinity Train on a special assignment with the Flame Pillar, Kyojuro Rengoku, to destroy a demon that has been torturing the people and murdering the demon slayers Tanjiro and Nezuko, together with Zenitsu and Inosuke, join Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, one of the Demon Slayer Corps’ most formidable swordsmen, to battle the demon onboard the Mugen Train, which is on its way to doom.

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writers: Hayao Miyazaki

Cast: Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa, Ryûnosuke Kamiki

IMDB Rating: 8.2/10

A love story between Sophie, an 18-year-old girl, cursed by a witch to live in the body of an elderly lady, and Howl, a magician. Sophie sets out to find her riches under the curse, which leads her to Howl’s bizarre shifting castle. Sophie encounters Howl’s fire demon, Karishifâ, in the castle. When the demon realizes Sophie is cursed, he bargains with her: if she breaches the contract he has with Howl, Karushifâ will relieve the curse, and Sophie will revert to her 18-year-old form.

The Secret World Of Arrietty (2010)

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Writers: Mary Norton

Cast: Tomokazu Miura, Mirai Shida, Keiko Takeshita

IMDB Rating: 7.6/10

Sho a.k.a. Shou, a.k.a. Shawn is a twelve-year-old boy with a heart ailment mistreated by his parents in Tokyo. Arrietty, fourteen, and the rest of the Clock family live in tranquil obscurity, constructing their own home from objects borrowed from the house’s human residents. However, the Clocks’ lives are turned upside down when a human boy encounters Arrietty.

Patema Inverted (2013)

Director: Yasuhiro Yoshiura

Writers: Yasuhiro Yoshiura

Cast: Nobuhiko Okamoto, Shinya Fukumatsu, Yukiyo Fujii

IMDB Rating: 7.4/10

In the year 2067, scientists seek to harvest energy from the Earth’s gravity. The experiment, however, fails, and gravity reverses, forcing practically everyone and everything on Earth to begin floating away. The notes concerning his son Lagos are read by the Elder. Now that the truth has been revealed, he, Porta, and Jaku realize that their worlds should work together.

Hoshi O Ou Kodomo (2011)

Director: Makoto Shinkai

Writers: Makoto Shinkai

Cast: Kazuhiko Inoue, Hisako Kanemoto, Junko Takeuchi

IMDB Rating: 7.2/10

Asuna Watase is an elementary school student who has been pushed to develop rapidly after her father died and her mom, who is a nurse, works long nights at a hospital. Asuna spends her lonesome days with her beloved cat Mimi, who has peculiar red markings on her fur, listening to the odd music flowing from the cat’s-whisker radio her father gave her as a souvenir.

Bakemono No Ko (2015)

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Writers: Mamoru Hosoda

Cast: Aoi Miyazaki, Suzu Hirose, Mamoru Miyano

IMDB Rating: 7.6/10

Asuna Watase is a young elementary school girl who is forced to act like an adult as her mother tries to make ends meet with her long nurse shifts at the hospital. Asuna likes spending her days listening to soothing music with her cat Mimi and she goes about her day till her mother is back. Sounds perfect, right? Well, the strange thing you need to explore here is the cat’s red markings, which are unusual. Watch the movie to find out more!

Summer Wars (2009)

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Writers: Mamoru Hosoda

Cast: Nanami Sakuraba, Takahiro Yokokawa, Nanami Sakuraba

IMDB Rating: 7.5/10

Kenji Koiso, an eleventh-grade math whiz, volunteers as a summer intern in Natuski’s hometown of Nagano. He discovers that her whole family has gathered to celebrate the family matriarch’s 90th birthday when he arrives. His role is to impersonate Natsuki’s fiancé. Meanwhile, his endeavor to solve a mathematics problem results in the collision of a parallel planet with Earth.

Mirai No Mirai (2018)

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Writers: Mamoru Hosoda

Cast: John Cho, Rebecca Hall, Victoria Grace

IMDB Rating: 7.9/10

The film follows a 4-year-old boy as he struggles to adjust to the addition of a younger sister to his family until things take a miraculous turn. A mysterious garden in the boy’s backyard becomes a portal, allowing him to travel back in time and meet his mother as a young girl and his great-grandfather as a young man. These imaginative excursions allow the youngster to broaden his horizons and help him grow into the big brother he was born to be. Hence it is one of the best non-ghibli anime movies.

When Marnie Was There (2014)

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Writers: Joan G. Robinson

Cast: Kasumi Arimura, Susumu Terajima, Toshie Negishi

IMDB Rating: 7.7/10

Anna, 12, feels she is beyond the invisible magic circle to which most people belong, and she isolates herself from the rest of the world. Anna’s foster mother, concerned for her health, decides to move her to rural Hokkaido, where she will remain in a tranquil seaside village. There she meets Marnie, an energetic young girl who appears out of nowhere. The two become inseparable very fast.

The Girl Who Leaped Through Time (2006)

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Writers: Yasutaka Tsutsui

Cast: Takuya Ishida, Ayami Kakiuchi, Riisa Naka

IMDB Rating: 7.7/10

Being one of the best non-ghibli anime movies, it has entertained a large crowd of audiences in the 2000 era. On July 13, Makoto Konno was running late for school. Her whole day seems to be a string of bad luck: she fails a surprise assessment, singes her hair in a cookery class accident, and gets pushed over by two horsing around boys. Makoto has a tattoo on her hand with a number that appears to be decreasing with time. As she gazes at a beautiful, mystical picture repaired by her aunt, Makoto assures her aunt that she would no longer mess with other people’s feelings by time lunging. Makoto never has another chance to hear his confession and is devastated to see him leave. To her delight, Chiaki murmurs to her that he will be waiting for her in the future.

Flavors Of Youth (2018)

Director: Hauling Li

Writers: Tyler Rhoads

Cast: Taito Ban, Matt Fowler, George Ackles

IMDB Rating:  6.6/10

Xiao Ming reminisces about his recollections with his grandma via his fondness for San Xian noodles in Hunan Province and Beijing. When Xiao Ming was a child, he and his grandmother would eat San Xian noodles from a local noodle business that, in his opinion, showed care and effort in their meal preparation. However, the store went down, prompting rumors that the proprietors were driven out due to jealousy or because a client wanted them to return to Beijing.

Castle In The Sky (1986)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writers: Hayao Miyazaki

Cast: Kotoe Hatsumi, Mayumi Tanaka,  Fujio Tokita

IMDB Rating: 8.0/10

Pazu, an orphaned adolescent lad from a tiny mining town, discovers and captures Sheeta, a young girl drifting from the sky. When she wakes up the next day, she informs him that she is being pursued by pirates and the authorities for her crystal necklace, linked to Laputa’s floating city. Our two heroes must now locate the city before the government and pirates do to discover the secret of Laputa and Sheeta’s relationship to the floating metropolis.

Perfect Blue (1997)

Director: Satoshi Kon

Writers: Sadayuki Murai

Cast: Rica Matsumoto, Yosuke Akimoto, Shinpachi Tsuji

IMDB Rating: 8.0/10

Rumi is the main singer of the popular J-Pop group “CHAM!” and she wants to leave the band to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. However, her career change doesn’t appeal to all her male fans, as one of them starts stalking her constantly. What seems like a stalker is somehow more than that and Rumi is now trapped. What will happen next? Watch this Japanese anime movie to find out!

Tenki No Ko (2019)

Director: Makoto Shinkai

Writers: Makoto Shinkai

Cast: Nana Mori, Kotaro Daigo, Sei Hiraizumi

IMDB Rating: 7.5/10

Hodaka Morishima, a first-year high school student, flees Kzu-shima to Tokyo in June 2021 to escape his terrible home life. When his boat to the city is caught in a thunderstorm, Keisuke Suga saves him and offers him his business card. As Hodaka grows destitute and unable to find a job, he meets Hina Amano, a McDonald’s employee. She feels sorry for him and feeds him.

The Anthem Of The Heart (2015)

Director: Tatsuyuki Nagai

Writers: Chouheiwa Busters

Cast: Koki Uchiyama, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Rie Takahashi

IMDB Rating: 7.4/10

Jun Naruse is a chatty and lively little girl. She observes her father leaving a love motel with another lady one day. She informs her mother about the event without comprehending it, culminating in her parents’ divorce and her father blaming her for it. She likes to imagine a fairy egg cursing her by sealing her speech so she won’t injure anyone again while sobbing. She imagines a fairy egg cursing her by sealing her speech so she won’t injure anyone again while sobbing.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writers: Hayao Miyazaki

Cast: Chika Sakamoto, Noriko Hidaka, Tanie Kitabayashi

IMDB Rating: 8.2/10

Tatsuo Kusakabe and his two daughters, Satsuki and Mei, relocate to an old house in 1950s Japan to be closer to the hospital where the girls’ mother, Yasuko, is recovering from a long-term illness. The home is inhabited by susuwatari, which are little, black, dust-like house ghosts that may be seen traveling from light to dark. The soot ghosts go to find another vacant house once the girls have settled into their new home. Mei is led into the hollow of a big camphor tree by two little ghosts one day.  The fact cannot be denied that this film is top-ranked for best family anime movies.

Belladonna Of Sadness (1973)

Director: Eiichi Yamamoto

Writers: Yoshiyuki Fukuda

Cast: Katsuyuki Ito, Shigako Shimegi, Natsuka Yashiro

IMDB Rating: 7.4/10

In late-1800s France, the young peasant Jeanne is blessed—and cursed—with the wonderful but terrible gift of beauty, and she falls in love with the attractive villager, Jean. However, a desperate dive into a world of unsettling hallucinations would finally lead Jeanne to a cursed Faustian deal with the Prince of Darkness when the village’s cruel feudal lord exercises the “Droit du Seigneur” or “Right of the First Night” on the couple’s wedding night.

Fist Of The North Star (1986)

Director: Toyoo Ashida

Writers: Buronson

Cast: Yuriko Yamamoto, Chikao Ohtsuka, Kaneto Shiozawa

IMDB Rating: 7.2/10

A master of the lethal martial art “Hokuto Shinken” joins forces with two youngsters and a “Nanto Suicho-Ken” specialist to combat competitors who abducted his sweetheart and endanger humankind’s prosperity. After a nuclear holocaust rips the planet apart, humankind is forced to face the oppression of those who are far more powerful and the brutal reality of dead earth that appears to be becoming worse by the day. But from the ashes has risen a rescuer, a man who will conquer those who would punish the helpless and return the planet to a habitable state.

Mind Game (2004)

Director: Masaaki Yuasa

Writers: Robin Nishi

Cast: Sayaka Maeda, Seiko Takuma, Toshio Sakata

IMDB Rating: 7.8/10

Nishi, a loser with a crush on his childhood girlfriend, is the protagonist of the film. After a run-in with the Japanese mafia, Nishi embarks on a voyage to paradise and back, only to find himself stranded in an even more improbable location. Nishi (and a few pals) try to break free from their prison and learn what it means to be alive in the process. This is a mind-blowing journey that features some of the most cutting-edge animation ever made.

Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writers: Eiko Kadono

Cast: Kappei Yamaguchi, Minami Takayama, Koichi Miura

IMDB Rating: 7.9/10

Kiki, a 13-year-old witch-in-training, has attained adulthood. All witches of that age are required by custom to leave home for a year to learn how to live independently. Kiki and her talking cat Jiji flee to Koriko, a beach village on the coast of Japan. Kiki must adjust to her new existence after launching her delivery service (using her broom as the delivery vehicle), especially once she loses her ability to fly.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018)

Director: Tatsuya Nagamine

Writers: Akira Toriyama

Cast: Aya Hisakawa, Toshio Furukawa, Masako Nozawa

IMDB Rating: 7.8/10

Galactic warlord King Cold passes the annexation of Planet Vegeta to his son, Lord Frieza. The Saiyans’ monarch, King Vegeta, thinks that Prince Vegeta’s son will free his people from Frieza and dominate the cosmos. He discovers Broly, a Saiyan child born with a power level greater than his own, and exiles him to Planet Vampa, where he and his father Paragus get stuck after their spacecraft are wrecked.

Akira (1988)

Director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo

Writers: Katsuhiro Ôtomo

Cast: Nozomu Sasaki, Tesshô Genda, Mitsuo Iwata

IMDB Rating: 8.0/10

Akira is one of the well-known best non-ghibli; might anime movies. Kaneda is the boss of a motorcycle gang, while Tetsuo is involved in the administration’s Akira project. Kaneda fights an army of inept scientists, anti-government protests, rich politicians, and a powerful military leader in his effort to preserve Tetsuo. The encounter activates Tetsuo’s supernatural power, resulting in the carnage, a coup attempt, and the last battle in the Tokyo Olympics, where Akira’s secrets had been kept concealed for 30 years. It’s a strong contender for the top ten anime films.

Ride Your Wave (2019)

Director: Masaaki Yuasa

Writers: Reiko Yoshida

Cast: Rina Kawaei, Kentaro Ito, Rina Kawaei

IMDB Rating: 6.9/10

Hinako is a surf-obsessed college student who recently relocated to a tiny coastal village. When a fire breaks out in her building, she is rescued by Minato, a gorgeous firefighter, and the two fall in love quickly. Minato dies in a boating accident just as they become attached. She can now summon him on any aquatic surface by singing their song, but will they be able to be together indefinitely? And what exactly is the significance of Minato’s abrupt reappearance?

Grave Of The Fireflies (1988)

Director: Isao Takahata

Writers: Akiyuki Nosaka

Cast: Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi, Kozo Hashida

IMDB Rating: 8.5/10

World War II, Japan When their city is firebombed by US aircraft, teenage boy Seita and his younger sister Setsuko are left homeless and practically orphaned. They eventually move in with an aunt. Things appear to be going well at first, and life appears to be returning to normal. However, Seita and Setsuko’s relationship with their aunt deteriorates, and they decide to leave and fend for themselves. They pick a location, and everything appears to be going well. Food grows scarcer throughout time, and life becomes a daily fight for existence.

Ponyo (2008)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writers: Hayao Miyazaki

Cast: George Tokoro, Tomoko Yamaguchi, Yuria Nara

IMDB Rating: 7.7/10

Sosuke, the son of a sailor, lives quietly with his mother Lisa on an oceanside cliff. He discovers a lovely goldfish locked in a bottle on the beach one unlucky day and calls her Ponyo after rescuing her. Ponyo’s father sends the ocean’s enormous waves to locate his daughter as the moon edges closer to the earth; the two youngsters go on a once-in-a-lifetime quest to preserve the Earth and realize Ponyo’s ambitions of becoming human.

Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms (2018)

Director: Mari Okada

Writers: Mari Okada

Cast: Yôko Hikasa, Manaka Iwami, Yuki Kaji

IMDB Rating: 7.5/10

Everyone in Iolph’s land stops aging in their mid-twenties and can live for hundreds of years. Despite living in a tranquil and gorgeous environment, Maquia feels lonely. However, the Mesarte army invades Iolph one day, wanting the people’s blood in exchange for immortality. Maquia manages to flee the wreckage and confusion of battle, but she is left alone in a dark wilderness with no home or people. She meets Erial, a mortal baby boy who has lost both of his parents and adopts him as her own. The plot covers the development of their relationship as Erial matures while Maquia does not.

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)

Director: Hiroyuki Okiura

Writers: Mamoru Oshii

Cast: Yoshikazu Fujiki, Moneca Stori, Michael Dobson

IMDB Rating: 7.4/10

Anti-terror police officer Fuse is suspended from duty for ten years when a young terrorist girl commits herself by self-detonation during an operation because he failed to shoot her in time. When he seeks to learn more about her, he runs into her sister, whom he befriends. Both are entangled in the feuds between the police administration and the ‘Jin Roh’ counter-terrorism commando team.

Night On The Galactic Railroad (1985)

Director: Gisaburô Sugii

Writers: Kenji Miyazawa

Cast: Chika Sakamoto, Ayumi Ishijo, Shun Yashiro

IMDB Rating: 7.1/10

Giovanni, a young village boy, has recently faced adversity: his father has gone missing on a hunting trip, his mother has recently become ill, he must balance school and a job at a printing press, and he is frequently picked on by his classmates; and he is too busy to spend time with his only friend Campanella. He chooses to lie down and sleep in the woods, exhausted after his ordeal. And then a train emerges out of nowhere. He gets aboard, intrigued, and is happy to discover Campanella already onboard.

Bekushiru: 2077 Nihon Sakoku (2007)

Director: Fumihiko Sori

Writers: Fumihiko Sori

Cast: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Romi Park,  Meisa Kuroki

IMDB Rating: 6.8/10

By the 2060s, automation had developed to the point that cybernetics was no longer a pipe dream. In 2067, as public opinion begins to shift against robots, the United Nations declares a unilateral embargo on further research and innovation. The limb is constructed of bio-metal, according to the analysis. SWORD then suspects Japan of using the R.A.C.E network to hide massive research of forbidden technology. Vexille remarks as she and Leon are airlifted out of a now-dead Japan that humanity’s soul can never be stripped away.

The Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010)

Director: Tatsuya Ishihara

Writers: Nagaru Tanigawa

Cast: Tomokazu Sugita, Daisuke Ono, Aya Hirano

IMDB Rating: 8.1/10

Kyon discovers that various traces of the SOS Brigade have unexpectedly vanished from his life on December 18. Mikuru and Yuki have no recollection of meeting him, and Haruhi and Itsuki are not students at North High School. Furthermore, all former Division members have reverted to normalcy. Kyon eventually gets a message from Yuki’s extraterrestrial doppelganger, instructing him to collect keys for software that would allow him to return to his reality. This sets Kyon on a path that eventually brings him back to Haruhi’s initial encounter with aliens, time travelers, and espers.

A Whisker Away (2020)

Director: Jun’ichi Satô

Writers: Mari Okada

Cast: Natsuki Hanae, Mirai Shida, Kira Buckland

IMDB Rating: 6.7/10

Miyo Sasaki is a strange second-year junior high girl who falls in love with Kento Hinode, a classmate. Muge attempts every day to get Kento’s attention, but it’s in vain. Despite this, Muge continues to seek Kento while concealing a secret she can’t reveal to anybody. Muge discovers a magical mask that enables her to shift into a cat, but she may never return to her human form if she continues to use the mask.

Promare (2019)

Director: Hiroyuki Imaishi

Writers: Kazuki Nakashima

Cast: Steve Blum, Melissa Fahn, John Eric Bentley

IMDB Rating: 7.1/10

Fires from mass require significant changes; combustions destroyed half of the world’s inhabitants during the Great World Blaze. The Burnish were a group of people that obtained pyrokinetic talents during and after the incident. Galo and Lio work together to defend life on Earth while allowing the Promare to envelop the surface, causing the Promare to burn entirely and harmlessly, satiating their natural need and closing the rift in the core.

Wicked City (1987)

Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Writers: Hideyuki Kikuchi

Cast: Toshiko Fujita, Takeshi Aono, Yûsaku Yara

IMDB Rating: 6.7/10

There has been harmony between the mortal and supernatural realms for generations, but the peace is now being disturbed. Extreme groups from the supernatural realm have crossed across into the human universe with the intent of permanently shattering peace! Mayart is the only man who can preserve the peace between the two realms, but if the Radicals assassinate Giuseppi Mayart, the human world and the Black World’s harmony would be shattered in fear. Can Taki and Makie keep Taki and Makie safe for a long time?

Whisper Of The Heart (1995)

Director: Yoshifumi Kondô

Writers: Hayao Miyazaki

Cast: Issey Takahashi, Shigeru Muroi, Yoko Honna

IMDB Rating: 7.9/10

Shizuku, a 14-year-old teen bookworm, leads a humble existence driven by her passion for stories and writing. One day, she finds that she has checked out all of her library books from the same person: ‘Seiji Amasawa.’ Later, she encounters a vexing individual, might it be her library “friend”? The boy’s grandfather owns a violin business where he sells and services violins. Like his grandfather, the youngster aspires to be a violin maker.

From Up On Poppy Hill (2011)

Director: Gorô Miyazaki

Writers: Tetsurô Sayama

Cast: Jun’ichi Okada, Yuriko Ishida, Takashi Naitô

IMDB Rating: 7.4/10

During the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, Yokohama students fought to keep their school’s clubhouse from being demolished. Umi and Shun progressively draw each other while working there, but they confront a stumbling block. Despite this, they continue without escaping reality’s problems.

The Anime craze is sweeping the nation. Anime is now more popular than it has ever been. Anime is primarily linked with series, but the world of Japanese Anime Films is vast and varied. The difficult aspect is locating gold stuff to monitor. It doesn’t matter if you’re a novice or a seasoned anime fan. The best family anime movies list above focus on Japanese anime films, ignoring anime series that have been shown on television.

Of course, the movie adaptations of the TV series are intended. Check out the top 45 anime films of all time, including the globally-known Studio Ghibli and Makoto Shinkai anime and the most recent films that are very popular among Japanese audiences. Unlike a TV anime series with several episodes, an anime film consists of a single plot that takes no more than 2-3 hours to view and keeps you entertained throughout. You not only enjoy it but also feel the urge to watch it again and again. So now you can decide What is the number 1 anime movie in Japan?

Joshua Garner

Joshua calls himself nerd+geek who is also passionate about rugby. He enjoys comics, animes, and science fiction. He finds his comfort in writing about suspense, thrillers and science fiction shows and movies.

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