5 Top Must-See Anime Movies

While there have been thousands of full length anime movies made, there have been few that were earth shattering enough, pioneering enough, or dynamic enough to be considered great.  I submit to you five humble offerings of anime films that I believe have passed the test of time, cultural relativity, and quality to go on and impact various genres of art and media unlike any others.  If you’re new to anime, these are great places to start.

In no particular order…

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Director Katsuhiro Ôtomo left his mark on the world with the production of the classic Akira.  Released in 1988, Akira set standards of detail, animation, and epic storytelling that still stand tall to this day.  A futuristic tale of a violent biker gang in Neo-Tokyo whose leaders and his friend get involved in a secret government program granting one of them amazing psychic powers.  The battles for good, greed, power, and friendship war with each other and are interwoven with the simple struggle to belong.  A live action film is in the works by the writer of The Book of Eli and Leonardo di Caprio’s production company.

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Hayao Miyazaki, the great and arguably superior Walt Disney of Japan, tells a heart warming tale of two sisters (voiced by Dakota and Elle Fanning) who move to the country with their parents so their mother can receive better medical care.  Along the way they discover an entire world of friendly spirits that live in a large grove by their new home.  This is perhaps Miyazaki’s most classic work and a fantastic tale for both the young and old alike.

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The Wachowski brothers have quoted the classic cyber-espionage story by director Mamoru Oshii to be the influence for their highly successful film, the Matrix.  The story is set in 2029 cyberpunk future where the Public Security Sector 9 anti-terrorist group is focused on acts of cyber terrorism.  The rouge cyber criminal called the Puppet Master is loose and wrecking havoc and it’s up to the mostly cybernetically enhanced members of Sector 9 to bring him down.  While the movie is great and ground breaking in animation techniques, the follow up series are even better, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 1 & 2.  Excitingly enough Dreamworks and Spielberg acquired the license for a live action version of Ghost in the Shell in 2008 and it is scheduled for release this year.

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Director Rintaro in 2001 produced a full-length silent film adaptation of Osamu Tezuka’s manga.  It stunningly presents the detailed struggle between two social classes.  Amazing artwork, dynamic storytelling, and lavish animation create a timeless classic.

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While I desperately tried to keep from posting two films by Hayao Miyazaki, I couldn’t help it; his work is that significant to anime and the world over.  This more recent release from Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli is a fantastic primer on his work.  All elements of his unique style come through with his quirky children characters, steampunk technology, war torn world inundated by powerful magic, humor, and ethical/moral storytelling.  While this is not his most violent films, it is certainly considerably darker in tone than some of his earlier and later work.  It tells of a young girl Sophie who’s cursed by a witch to become an old woman.  She’s taken in by the eccentric Howl (Christian Bale) as maid in his mechanical castle powered by the fire demon Calcifer (Billy Crystal).  Her curse can only be broken by true love, something the self absorbed Howl seems incapable of.

Well there you have it.  My recommendations for five films you need to go watch right this instant!  If you’d like a different perspective on top anime films check it out here.  And just check out all those Miyazaki movies in the top 20…amazing.

Let us know what your top five anime films are!