Anime Favorites.
by stevenverghese | created - 09 Jul 2015 | updated - 18 Mar 2022 | PublicHonestly I'm not too big a fan of anime but these are the few anime movies I've seen and actually enjoyed.
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1. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
TV-MA | 83 min | Animation, Action, Crime
A cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.
Directors: Mizuho Nishikubo, Mamoru Oshii | Stars: Atsuko Tanaka, Iemasa Kayumi, Akio Ôtsuka, Kôichi Yamadera
Votes: 156,682 | Gross: $0.52M
Best anime movie ever period! That's why I put it at #1.
2. Perfect Blue (1997)
R | 81 min | Animation, Crime, Drama
A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.
Director: Satoshi Kon | Stars: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ôkura
Votes: 94,939 | Gross: $0.78M
3. Paprika (2006)
R | 90 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients' dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it.
Director: Satoshi Kon | Stars: Megumi Hayashibara, Tôru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori, Tôru Furuya
Votes: 96,655 | Gross: $0.88M
Rumor has it this is one of the movies that inspired Chris Nolan to make "Inception".
4. Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
PG-13 | 92 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.
Directors: Shôgo Furuya, Satoshi Kon | Stars: Tôru Emori, Yoshiaki Umegaki, Aya Okamoto, Shôzô Îzuka
Votes: 46,685 | Gross: $0.13M
Another gem by Satoshi Kon. A colorful, touching story about redemption.
5. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005)
PG-13 | 101 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
An ex-mercenary is forced out of isolation when three mysterious men kidnap and brainwash the city's children afflicted with the Geostigma disease.
Directors: Tetsuya Nomura, Takeshi Nozue | Stars: Takahiro Sakurai, Ayumi Ito, Shôtarô Morikubo, Maaya Sakamoto
Votes: 58,170
I didn't think I was gonna like this movie because I got so frustrated with the game (and swore never to play another RPG again) but I wasn't disappointed. The DVD is packed with neat extras including a short film about a certain character.
6. Spirited Away (2001)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi
Votes: 847,920 | Gross: $10.06M
The first Miyazaki film I ever saw.
7. Wolf Children (2012)
PG | 117 min | Animation, Drama, Family
After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident while hunting for food for their children, a young woman must find ways to raise the werewolf son and daughter that she had with him while keeping their trait hidden from society.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Aoi Miyazaki, Takao Osawa, Haru Kuroki, Yukito Nishii
Votes: 49,407
8. Your Name. (2016)
PG | 106 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Two teenagers share a profound, magical connection upon discovering they are swapping bodies. Things manage to become even more complicated when the boy and girl decide to meet in person.
Director: Makoto Shinkai | Stars: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Narita, Aoi Yûki
Votes: 319,246 | Gross: $5.02M
9. The Garden of Words (2013)
TV-14 | 46 min | Animation, Drama, Romance
On a rainy morning in Tokyo, 15-year-old Takao, an aspiring shoemaker, decides to skip class to sketch designs in a beautiful garden. This is where he meets Yukari, a beautiful yet mysterious woman. They strike an unlikely friendship.
Director: Makoto Shinkai | Stars: Miyu Irino, Kana Hanazawa, Fumi Hirano, Gou Maeda
Votes: 52,443
10. Elfen Lied (2004)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Action, Drama
Two university students come across a seemingly harmless girl named Lucy, unaware that she's actually a mutant serial killer with a split personality.
Stars: Sanae Kobayashi, Chihiro Suzuki, Mamiko Noto, Sam Saletta
Votes: 36,859
I believe the Duffer Bros. cited this as a direct inspiration for "Stranger Things" (one of the reasons I watched it). WARNING (no spoilers): there are gratuitous sex scenes including the rape of a child, plus there's a brutal, traumatizing scene where a puppy gets killed.
11. Akira (1988)
R | 124 min | Animation, Action, Drama
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
Director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tesshô Genda
Votes: 204,950 | Gross: $0.55M
12. Flavors of Youth (2018)
TV-PG | 74 min | Animation, Drama, Romance
Three different stories of youth set in different cities of China.
Directors: Haoling Li, Yoshitaka Takeuchi, Xiaoxing Yi | Stars: White-K, Taito Ban, Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Matt Fowler
Votes: 8,630
13. Belle (2021)
PG | 121 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
Suzu is a shy high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters "U", a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a globally-beloved singer.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Kaho Nakamura, Ryo Narita, Shôta Sometani, Tina Tamashiro
Votes: 17,058
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