What Are the 10 Best Japanese Anime Movies of All Time?

Having watched one or two anime movies, it is natural to look for a list of the best there are in the Japanese market. Anime and manga portray an important part of the Japanese culture which is quite interesting. Here are the ten best anime movies you will find of all-time.

Spirit Away

This is a classic that blends both modern and ancient Japanese culture. The story revolves a family who on their way to a new home comes across an abandoned park. This marks the beginning of their daughter’s war to rescue her parents from a strange spirit. The girl is either assisted or hindered by different beings along the way. The movie is an exciting adventure from Studio Ghibli.

Princess Mononoke

With an English voice cast, the movie is another one of the famous Japanese anime movies. The story tells of the life of a cursed Prince’s exile as he struggles with ancient spirits and industrializing humans. The movie has a romantic twist making it ideal for the lovers of fantasy movies. One can view it as a cartoon movie with a romantic twist; hence it can also be watched by those who do not love anime movies.

Castle in the Skies

This was the Studio Ghibli debut movie. It is another popular fantasy movie whose setting is around flying cities and air pirates. The story is about a couple who have a mission to off ambitious and cruel men from a magic crystal. This mission is faced with many ups and downs but has an amazing ending. The anime movie is full of action, adventure, and beauty.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

The epic anime movie tells the story of Princess Nausicaa who fights to unite a world torn apart and changed by apocalyptic war. In her quest, she makes friends with giant mutant insects that come from a toxic jungle. She seeks to defend these insects from human beings who are afraid of them. The movie is a bit different but great with a lot of hope and tragedy in it.

Kim No Na Wa; Your Name

This is one of the recent anime movies with a high school setting. The movie was released in 2016 and is about a boy and girl who swipe bodies. As common as it sounds, it has some complex aspects in it. You will not miss a romantic touch as well as some intense scenes. Recently, the movie has been dubbed into English making its audience to grow even higher in foreign countries.

Akira

Let’s talk tech for a while. Akira has a cyberpunk future setting with its characters being part of a motorbike gang. There is a war between these motorcycle gangs in Neo Tokyo where one of the members encounters a psychic esper which brings about some apocalyptic consequences. The movie has a science fiction touch and can be a bit strange. There is a lot of abnormal climatic sequence and disturbing imagery.

Howl’s Moving Castle

This movie was created out of Howl’s Moving Castle novel by Diana Wynne Jones. The movie, however, has a bit of variation from the novel. If you have read the novel, you still need to watch this famous movie. The movie is about a young girl Sophie, who is rescued from an evil witch by a showy wizard. The rescue caused her to be cursed by the same witch into an old woman. The movie is one of the greatest funny anime movies.

Kiki’s Delivery Service

The movie revolves around the life of Kiki who opens a delivery service by broom. She goes through a good amount of adventure as she grows both as a person and as a witch. This one too was a Studio Ghibli creation, and the cartoon can show their touch in it. The main characters are children, making it suitable for kids.

Grave of the FireFlies

Grave of the FireFlies is not good for kids since it shows a lot of human pain and loss after loss. The story revolves around two siblings who struggle to survive during the early days of World War II. Although the film is seen as an anti-war movie, the director does not agree with that interpretation. The movie is very dark, and one needs a lot of emotional restraint to be able to watch it.

My Neighbor Totoro

This is one of the best sweet anime movies of its time. It is a family movie based on a family that moves into a neighborhood to find the nature spirits that live in the area which are quite friendly. The spirits help the family deal with their problems as the family learns more about the strange world of the spirits. It is a funny, sweet, sad as well as a frightening movie.

Cartoons have been used to come up with top entertainment characters, and with anime movies, this is no different. The entire family can watch most anime movies with sweet and interesting storylines. In the Manga world it is all about adventure which never disappoints.