Japanese anime movies to watch: Here are the 49 good anime films that Japan has released so far!
Even though many great films have come from American superpower businesses like Hollywood, Warner Brothers, and Disney, Japanese anime films have their fair share of cinematic masterpieces that movie fans should not miss.
Watching television shows is a great way to improve your listening skills and help you learn Japanese.
Because anime is a popular medium that comes in many different genres and shapes, many movies have been made from popular television shows like One Piece, Pokémon, Attack on Titan, Naruto, Death Note, and Bleach, among others.
These Japanese films, which come from a variety of studios in addition to the well-known Anime Studio Ghibli, have been chosen for their compelling plots, widespread appeal, and authorial insight.
If this has got you excited, you’ve come to the right place to learn about the best Japanese anime films to watch.
49. Kud Wafter
This 2020 anime film, Kud Wafter, which was released precisely on November 28th and is just under an hour long (50 minutes to be exact), is the first on the list of the best Japanese anime movies. It is more of a magnificent short story than a full-length movie, but it has still entertained many anime fans worldwide.
This is one of the best anime movies to watch right now, with themes like comedy and love.
48. Happy-Go-Lucky Days
This is a good anime movie with the theme of love, also known as “Dounika Naru Hibi.” The story emphasizes that the difficulties of being in love will be pleasant memories, regardless of who your love interests are or how it develops.
The anime film has a very distinctive art style, drama, romance, and some slice-of-life themes, and many fans have enjoyed it thus far, making it unquestionably one of the best anime films to watch.
47. Majo Minarai wo Sagashite
Next up is Majo minarai wo Sagashite, also known as “Searching for Witch Apprentices” in English. In this story, three girls meet, and none of them would have met if not for a magical gem.
In this enjoyable comedy with a lot of magic, three girls—one working in an office, another attending college, and the third working part-time in a shop—are mysteriously brought together.
46. Burn The Witch
Burn The Witch is a one-hour film made from a manga that only had four chapters and an anime television series with only three episodes, each 20 minutes long.
Lucky for people who like fantasy, this is a story with action, magic, and fantasy. It is about Noel Niihashi and Ninny Spangcole, who work as protection agents for the Wing Bind organization and are witches whose job it is to keep the dragons in London safe and under control for the people’s benefit.
45. Kimi Wa Kanata
“Kimi Wa Kanata,” also known as “You Are Beyond,” is the next best Japanese anime movie on our list. This drama and fantasy anime movie is 1 hour and 35 minutes long and tells the story of Mio, one of the main characters, who likes Arata but can’t seem to tell him. Over time, something terrible happens, and this is where the story gets even more interesting.
44. Her Blue Sky
Aoi, a second-year high school student who aspires to be a musician, is the focus of the story in “Her Blue Sky,” a good Japanese animated film. The film opens with Aoi practicing her bass, drowning out all sounds. The music touch makes the story so enjoyable, and you will gradually discover some interesting characters and how Aoi feels about them. There is also a flashback of her past events that demonstrates why the two sisters are living together when her love interest Shinno
43. The Relative Worlds
One of the best Japanese drama-sci-fi anime films I’ve ever seen is The Relative Worlds, about Shin Hazama and a different version of himself who lives in a different Japan. A crack opens in his everyday life, which he thought was impossible to change. Boys and girls have to decide what to think and choose when the world completely changes. The battle with another world and another self starts.
42. Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms
This drama-fantasy tells the story of Maquia, a 15-year-old who is going to live for centuries without aging past adolescence. She belongs to the Iorph, a clan of ageless beings who can live for hundreds of years and remain separate from humans’ lives and daily problems. The truth is that this amazing anime movie is so good, with great animation, and has a story that is truly captivating.
Despite being surrounded by her people, Maquia has always felt alone because she was orphaned at a young age. She daydreams about the surface world, but the clan chief warns her not to leave her home. To escape the war, she finds a single surviving infant and decides to raise him as her son. This is where the drama and fun of this best movie begin.
41. Our Seven-Day War
The only thing I can say about this anime film with a rating of 6.7/10 on Myanimelist and 6.1/10 on IMDB is that it is so good that you must watch it because you will love it and fully enjoy it!
The plot of this 2019 anime film, which was directed by Yuta Murano, takes place in the picturesque town of Saima. Just as summer is about to begin, a group of six high school students plans to go on an enigmatic adventure by spending seven carefree days in a defunct mining facility.
40. Hello World
One of the greatest anime films ever made is Hello World, a Japanese sci-fi love story set in Kyoto in the year 2027. Naomi Katagaki, a shy boy who loves books, and Ruri Ichigyou, a girl with a cold personality who is often blunt with people, live in the city. Despite their similar interests, Naomi is afraid to approach Ruri because of her unfriendly nature.
39. Blame!
You will watch Blame! with wide-open eyes because you can’t skip the fight scenes and visuals that are very well done, while the story stays simple and to the point. It is one of those good anime films that will make you enjoy every minute of it.
A virus causes these automated systems to malfunction, sending humanity to the brink of extinction as their own defenses turn on them. Here, suspense, excitement, and the way to solve the virus problem begin at the end of this great anime movie.
Overall, this Japanese animated film is set in the distant technological future, where civilization has fully integrated with cyber-technology, resulting in automated cities and a multi-leveled city structure that replicates itself infinitely in all directions.
38. ARAGNE: Sign of Vermillion
This is one of the best supernatural horror anime movies you may have ever seen! Aragne: College student Rin’s life might be better, but the apartment she has rented is not the pretty palace that the rental listings suggested. The housing complex is rundown, grim, and haunted by troubled souls lurking in dark corners. Ghastly crimes are taking place in the area, and a smiling stranger makes his unsettling presence known. Beyond all of this, Rin is coming to understand that something even more sinister is manifest
37. Penguin Highway
Let me introduce you to yet another one of the best anime films I’ve ever seen! The plot follows the brilliant Aoyama, who is only in his fourth grade but already has a career as a scientist. When penguins start appearing in his sleepy suburb, many miles from the ocean, Aoyama vows to solve the mystery, and he and a woman from his dentist’s office team up for an unforgettable summer adventure!
36. The Wonderland
Let’s follow a girl without self-confidence who meets a mysterious alchemist Hippocrates and his student Pipo who are on a mission to save lots of the world. Together, they laid the groundwork for “Wonderland,” and Akane is labeled as Wonderland’s savior. Japanese anime movies are all good, but this one is fire, the animation is fire, the story is fire, and you will watch it on fire. Wonderful and mysterious birthday adventure, one
35. Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over the Rainbow
This is by far one of the best school anime movies. It tells the story of the closure of Uranohoshi Girls’ high school, where the third-year students—Dia Kurosawa, Kanan Matsuura, and Mari Ohara—have just graduated, leaving Aqours with only the primary and second-year students. While looking for a new place for the remaining members to practice, they plan to visit the new school they will soon enroll in. However, to their surprise, the building appears to be abandoned
34. Promare
If you liked the Fire Force anime series, which is one of the best new 2019 anime series, you should check out Promare, one of the best new anime movies, especially if you like Studio Trigger. The story takes place thirty years after Burnish, a race of flame-wielding mutants who destroyed half of the world with fire, appeared. When a new group of aggressive mutants appears, Galo Thymos must fight Lio Fotia, the leader of Mad Burnish. Will Galo
33. Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel II. Lost Butterfly
Due to its amazing animation, visuals, fighting scenes, epic soundtracks, and good story, I greatly like the fate series. Fortunately, there is a good movie adaptation of Heaven’s Feel, the third and final route of the visual novel Fate/stay night. The story is based on the grail War and the relationship between Shirou Emiya and Sakura Matou, two teenagers who participate in the conflict. After Shirou is eliminated from the war as a Master, he continues to
32. A Letter to Momo
Momo, a young girl, and her mother have moved from the bustling city of Tokyo to the remote island of Shio since her father’s recent death. While Momo is still perplexed by an unfinished letter from her father, she also has to adjust to her new surroundings and make new friends.
Due to her mother’s refusal to believe these strange happenings, Momo embarks on an odd adventure to find the source of the strangeness, which leads her to the trio of troublesome spirits. Together, Momo and those spirits discover that her move to this island is somehow connected to her father’s mysterious letter that has not been finished.
This is one of the best Japanese anime films that tells a lovely story about friendship. It also has high-quality sound editing and visual effects. It has a slow start, some funny parts in the middle, and really touching scenes at the end that might make you cry.
31. From Up on Poppy Hill
This 2011 animated film retains the flawless Studio Ghibli visual effects, but unlike many other Miyazaki anime films, it lacks any hint of sparkling fantasy.
Additionally, it tells a straightforward story about a group of Yokohama students attempting to avert the destruction of their school’s clubhouse in preparation for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Because it depicts the lives of Japanese students and other residents from 1963 to 1965, I believe this film will evoke feelings of nostalgia in the elderly.
30. Children Who Chase Voices From Deep Below
Shinkai Makoto directed and Comix Wave film studio animated this 2011 coming-of-age anime film about a young love and the mysterious music coming from a crystal radio left by an absent father that leads a young heroine deep into a hidden world.
This film is another product of the same producer as Five Centimeters Per Second, so it’s easy to understand how they achieved the stunning beauty of the animation! Despite the rating not being what I expected, the storyline about characters who have to deal with difficult issues like independence, loss of loved ones, and life-changing decisions makes it interesting.
29. The Place Promised in Our Early Days
The story takes place in a different postwar Japan, where the North is controlled by the Soviet Union and the South is controlled by the United States. There is a huge tower on Hokkaido that can be seen even from Tokyo. In the summer of 1996, three middle school students promise to cross the border and discover the tower’s secret. However, their project was abandoned when one girl, Sayuri Sawatari, mysteriously fell ill and was moved to Tokyo.
The film’s pace is a romantic reflection of loneliness and bittersweet affection. Even though the romance was not impressive to critical viewers, the music and storytelling style made up for everything else. This is a must-watch Japanese anime movie that is a fascinating dystopic look at the postwar era. Years later, on the brink of another war, a boy named Hiroki Fujisawa discovers that Sayuri had been in a coma since then. He asks Takuya Shirakawa to
28. Steamboy
Rei, a young inventor from his grandfather Roid in the United States, finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly conflict over a revolutionary advance by an organization called Ohara Foundation. Meanwhile, the Ohara Foundation has sent men to acquire the Steam Ball so that they can use its hidden power toward their own illicit ends. Steamboy is a 2004 Japanese anime movie that takes place in the middle of the 19th century, prior to the first world’s Expo.
27. The Secret World of Arrietty
The Secret World of Arrietty, a 2010 television movie that highlights a story that follows the 14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family, which consists of four-inch-tall creatures that secretly live in a human house, is one of the best fantasy anime movies.
As a result, they maintain their quiet anonymity by building their own home out of items they borrow from the homes of the humans, but when Arrietty is found, the Clocks’ lives are forever altered.
26. Millennium Actress
The story of Madhouse’s Millennium Actress, one of the best Japanese anime films, follows a TV interviewer and his cameraman as they meet a former actress and travel through her memories and career to find a man she was in love with.
Millennium Actress is one of those good anime films that is slow-paced, simple, and flowing, full of memoirs, with a charming Japanese storyline and a rather sad ending. The drama of her personal life and the color of her working life blur the line between fiction and reality.
25. The Anthem of the Heart
The story of this one of the best movies ever is about Jun Naruse, a girl who carries the guilt of ending her family with the words she carelessly uttered. When she was young, she saw her father exit a love hotel among other women. Without understanding the case, she tells her mother, which leads to her parent’s divorce. Consequently, while she was crying, she saw a fairy egg that cursed her by sealing her words so that she would not hurt people again.
24. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Resurrection
Allow yourself to dive into an epic story that depicts: After Lelouch’s passing at the top of Code Geass R2, the planet has enjoyed unprecedented peace under the guidance of the United Federation of countries. That peace proves to be as fragile as a bubble when Nunnally and Suzaku are both abducted. The search for the two of them leads Kallen Stadtfeld and her fellow investigators to the dominion of Zilkhstan, where they find C.C., who is on
23. Mirai
The story of a young boy named Kun, who feels forgotten by his family when his little sister Mirai arrives, is the type of anime movie that adults will enjoy more than kids. Running away from home, Kun stumbles upon a magical garden that serves as a time-traveling gateway where he encounters his mother as a little girl and has a series of adventures with his baby sister, who is all grown up, opening a new perspective on his world. Mirai is a good Japanese anime movie that has
22. I Want to Eat your Pancreas
In a hospital waiting room, a distant boy finds a book. He quickly discovers that the book is a diary written by a popular classmate who tells him that she is secretly ill with a fatal pancreatic disease. He tries to help her do everything she wants to do before she dies.
Through this process, he discovers profound truths about himself and the world, which began as a web novel in 2014 and has since evolved into a manga, a live-action film, and now, one of the best anime films ever made
21. The Cat Returns
This 2002 anime film is about Haru, a girl who has a bad life in most ways. She helps a cat that got stuck in a truck and ends up getting engaged to a cat prince in a magical world where her only hope of freedom is a dapper cat statuette that also comes to life in the story.
Even though the film lacks the beauty and depth of some of Studio Ghibli’s other anime films, it is still a lighthearted and entertaining work of art with a fun, adventurous plot that kids will love. This is a great movie to watch with the family and for cat lovers as well!
20. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Just watch this excellent Madhouse anime film from 2006, loosely based on the novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui. Japan never ceases to amaze you! Are you wondering what makes a girl who can travel through time and tries to use it to solve problems so special?
The main character, Makoto Konno, is in her final year of high school and is having a hard time figuring out what she wants to do with her life. Between dealing with the pressure from her teachers and spending time with her best friends, Makoto’s life suddenly changes when she finds out she can jump through time. She is going to try to use this newfound ability to her advantage.
19. To the Forest of Fireflies’ Light
Hotaru, a young girl, returns to the countryside each summer for a trip. One day, she gets lost in the forest and is rescued by a spirit named Gin. Despite the spirit’s warning that he will vanish if he is ever touched by a human, the two become friends, and their friendship will lead to a love story.
You’ll feel refreshed after watching this 2011 anime film from Brain’s Base studio, which has a sad and romantic story.
18. Howl’s Moving Castle
Howl’s Moving Castle, a love story about an 18-year-old girl named Sophie who is cursed by a witch and lives in the body of an old woman, is the next best Ghibli anime film. Sophie sets out to find a cure for her condition, which leads her to Howl’s strange moving castle.
In the castle, Sophie meets Calcifer, the fire demon who is under Howl’s command. The demon makes a deal with Sophie: if she breaks the contract, which means he is under Howl’s command, he will lift the curse and Sophie will return to her 18-year-old self again. I think this is a great movie, from the music to the plot. The characters are interesting and their personalities are well-described. It is a good anime movie from the 2000s
17. Colorful
The epic story of Colorful, which was adapted from the novel of the same name by Eto Mori and produced by Sunrise studio, is one of the best Japanese anime films of 2010. The solid plot centers on a sinful spirit who is given the opportunity to prove that he is worthy of rebirth by inhabiting the body of a student who committed suicide. With a second chance at life and a neutral spirit watching over him, the spirit travels to come to terms with his past sins and figure out what drove the
16. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
The 2008 anime film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea tells the story of Sosuke, a five-year-old boy, and his relationship with Ponyo, a goldfish princess who wants to become a human after falling in love with him.
This film is a romantic fantasy that very much resembles Disney’s animated film The Little Mermaid. It is a very good representation of Miyazaki’s style, and if you want to watch it with the whole family, they will also absolutely adore it!
15. Wolf Children
The 2012 anime film Wolf Childen, which was made by the well-known studio “Madhouse” and received an excellent 8.2 on IMDb, is about a college student named Hana who falls in love with another student who turns out to be a werewolf and will leave her behind as soon as he dies in an accident after the birth of their second child.
After that, Hana decided to relocate to the rural area where her husband grew up to raise her two children, who are half-wolf and half-human. Hana’s daughter, Yuki, longs to blend in with humans and give up her wolf identity, while her son, Ame, wants to live as a wolf. This Japanese animated film is delightful from the beginning to the end. The story was extremely moving and moving, the animation was done in an excellent style, and the
14. Asura
Asura, produced by Toei Animation and directed by Keiichi Sato, is one of the best Japanese anime films you should watch. It follows a savage, enraged orphan named Asura who does whatever it takes to survive in the wild and must learn to tame the beast within when he meets people from civilization.
It made me feel sorry for Asura because he has to suffer despite the fact that it is not his fault. I also felt sorry for all of the characters, even if they did horrible things to each other because it is mostly because of the harsh circumstances of life that force them to behave that way. As a result, you should watch this good anime movie if you want to immerse yourself in deep feelings about human nature.
13. Grave of the Fireflies
Grave of the Fireflies is a sad drama anime film about a young boy and his sister’s struggle to survive in Japan during World War II after their mother passed away and their father’s fate is unknown. They leave their aunt’s house and make their home in an abandoned shelter, where they must rely on each other for survival.
This anime film, made by Toho’s studio and regarded as one of the best animated films, is a lesson for anyone who wants to harm the world without considering what happens to ordinary people and those who are frequently forgotten. Despite the story’s sadness, this work of art also conveys a feeling of nostalgia.
12. 5 Centimeters Per Second
Makoto Shinkai is the director of the Comix Wave Film production 5 Centimeters Per Seconde. The story follows Takaki and Akari, who have been classmates since elementary school and become close friends. However, their friendship is tested when Akari moves to a different city because her parents work there.
When Takaki learns that he is moving further away, he decides to pay Akari one last visit. The two of them struggle to maintain their friendship through letters, and time and distance gradually separate them.
Watch this 2007 good Japanese movie if you’re looking for a romantic story with stunning animation and visual effects, beautifully moving piano pieces, and a slow-paced storytelling style.
11. Ninja Scroll
One of the best adventure-action anime films is Ninja Scroll, which follows Jubei, an overpowered hired swordsman.
Jubei tracks down eight powerful ninjas who want to overthrow the land’s rulers. The story is sparse, but it all serves to create dynamic and hilarious fight scenes.
In addition, Ninja Scroll is a classic 1993 film that does not contain a lot of philosophical or philosophical musings, but it does excel in fist-pumping excitement in ways that other similar anime films do not.
10. Ghost In The Shell
One of the most influential Japanese anime films is without a doubt Ghost in the Shell. In it, Motoko Kusanagi and her partner go on an adventure in search of a powerful and enigmatic hacker known as the Puppet Master, who illegally hacks into the computerized minds of cyborg-human hybrids.
Ghost in the Shell is a futuristic thriller with intense action scenes mixed with slower artistic sequences and numerous philosophical questions about one’s soul, gender, and human identity. As a result, Motoko is left pondering her own makeup as a result of this pursuit.
9. Weathering With You
The story of sixteen-year-old runaway Hodaka, who tries to provide for himself by living on the streets of Tokyo during a torrential summer is a good one. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day as if to suggest his future. He lives his days in isolation, but eventually finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. Then one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong-wille
This fantastic fantasy anime film came out in 2019 and is about people who can control the weather. It addresses both personal and social issues while still being a fun story.
8. Tokyo Godfathers
One of the greatest Japanese anime films ever made, Tokyo Godfathers was released in 2003 by Madhouse. From Satoshi Kon’s mind, the epic story takes place on Christmas Eve when three homeless people—a young girl, a transvestite, and a middle-aged alcoholic—live on the streets of Shinjuku, Tokyo. They find a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents, having many adventures along the way.
7. Perfect Blue
Based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis, written by Sadayuki Murai and directed by Satoshi Kon, Perfect Blue is a 1997 Japanese animated psychological thriller anime film.
One of the most visually stunning Japanese anime films ever made, Perfect Blue follows a retired pop singer turned actress whose sense of reality is shaken when she is followed by an obsessive fan and what appears to be a ghost of her past.
6. Paprika
Because it is a masterpiece of art that you will never forget, the 2006 film Paprika is one of the best drama fantasy anime films you should watch.
The story takes place in the not-too-distant future, when a revolutionary new psychotherapy treatment known as PT has been developed. It looks like a device called the “DC Mini,” and it can enter people’s dreams and explore their unconscious thoughts. Before the government allows the use of such cutting-edge technology, one of the prototypes is stolen. While this Device is in the wrong hands, the potential misuse of the Device could be disastrous.
5. Akira
No one can deny that Akira is one of the best Japanese anime films ever made. The story takes place in Japan, where a boy’s psychic powers explode, causing havoc in Tokyo and starting World War III. They captured the boy and locked him up to stop this from happening again.
Shoutarou Kaneda leads “the Capsules,” a group of misfits known for riding large custom motorcycles. During one of these battles, Shoutarou’s best friend is involved in an accident with an Esper who has escaped confinement from a government institution. Through this encounter, Tetsuo begins to develop his own mysterious abilities. Now, Neo-Tokyo stands in its place. Neo-Tokyo is rife with gang violence and
4. Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke, a 1997 film directed by Miyazaki Hayao and produced by Studio Ghibli, has an 8.4 IMDb score and is set during the Muromachi period (1336-1573).
Ashitaka, the last Emishi Prince, finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony, as he seeks a cure for a curse that has affected him and will eventually kill him. This leads him to meet a human girl named San: Mononoke “Hime,” or princess.
This is another moral lesson for humans about appreciating and living peacefully with nature. This anime movie is thought-provoking about how human development affects nature. Peace is the way between the forces of humans and the gods of nature.
3. Spirited Away
Spirited Away is a 2001 release by Hayao Miyazaki, one of the most highly regarded Japanese anime films ever made.
A wondrous studio ghibli fantasy about a young girl named Chihiro who discovers a secret world of strange spirits, creatures, and sorcery and must summon the courage she never knew she had to free herself and bring her family back to the outside world after her parents are mysteriously transformed.
2. Koe No Katachi
The 2016 anime film Koe no Katachi, also known as A Silent Voice in English, tells the touching story of Shouya’s reunion with Shouko.
When deaf Shouko Nishimiya transfers into his class, Shouya and the rest of his class recklessly bully her for fun. This is where everything begins: in elementary school, where student Shouya Ishida sought to beat boredom in the cruelest ways.
Shouko transferred out of the school, so Shouya was left at the mercy of his classmates. They heartlessly ostracize him throughout the elementary and middle school while teachers turn a blind eye. However, when Shouko’s mother notifies the school, they single him out and blame him for everything that has been done to her.
1. Your Name
Keep in mind that “Your Name” is one of the best Japanese anime films you should not miss because it is the highest-grossing anime film worldwide.
The story begins one day when Mitsuha wakes up in a room that isn’t her own and finds herself suddenly living the life of a dream in Tokyo, but in Taki’s body!
In other places, Taki finds himself living Mitsuha’s life in the humble countryside, and they both start looking for each other in search of an explanation for this strange phenomenon.
The movie “Your Name” is about two people, Mitsuha and Taki, who start to influence each other’s lives without realizing it. Their lives become intertwined through fate and chance.
