The best anime movies
by ermeeha | created - 7 months ago | updated - 7 months ago | PublicBest of the anime movies
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1. 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: 205,430 | Gross: $0.55M
2. Ninja Scroll (1993)
Not Rated | 94 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A vagabond swordsman is aided by a kunoichi and a spy in battling a demonic clan of killers - led by a ghost from his past - who are bent on overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri | Stars: Kôichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono, Osamu Saka
Votes: 40,750
3. 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: 46,794 | Gross: $0.13M
4. 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: 95,717 | Gross: $0.78M
5. Sword of the Stranger (2007)
Not Rated | 103 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A swordsman from a strange land is caught in a struggle between morality, righteousness, and devotion as he reluctantly agrees to take a raggedy boy and his dog to a remote, Buddhist temple.
Director: Masahiro Andô | Stars: Tomoya Nagase, Yuri Chinen, Kôichi Yamadera, Akio Ôtsuka
Votes: 18,316
6. 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: 157,025 | Gross: $0.52M
7. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (I) (2004)
PG-13 | 100 min | Animation, Drama, Mystery
In the year 2032, Batô, a cyborg detective for the anti-terrorist unit Public Security Section 9, investigates the case of a female robot--one created solely for sexual pleasure--who slaughtered her owner.
Directors: Naoko Kusumi, Mizuho Nishikubo, Mamoru Oshii | Stars: Akio Ôtsuka, Atsuko Tanaka, Tamio Ôki, Kôichi Yamadera
Votes: 40,328 | Gross: $1.04M
8. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)
R | 102 min | Animation, Action, Drama
A traumatized member of an elite para-military police force falls for the sister of a female terrorist courier who died in front of him on duty.
Directors: Kenji Kamiyama, Hiroyuki Okiura | Stars: Michael Dobson, Yoshikazu Fujiki, Sumi Mutoh, Moneca Stori
Votes: 18,775 | Gross: $0.09M
9. Millennium Actress (2001)
PG | 87 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
A TV interviewer and his cameraman meet a former actress and travel through her memories and career.
Directors: Satoshi Kon, Kô Matsuo | Stars: Miyoko Shôji, Shôzô Îzuka, Mami Koyama, Fumiko Orikasa
Votes: 32,098 | Gross: $0.19M
10. 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: 49,530
11. Memories (1995)
PG-13 | 113 min | Animation, Sci-Fi, Thriller
An animated science fiction anthology from the visionary anime director, Katsuhiro Otomo.
Directors: Kôji Morimoto, Tensai Okamura, Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Marc Swint, Robbie Daymond, Frank Todaro, Laura Post
Votes: 21,412
12. Tekkonkinkreet (2006)
R | 111 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Two boys defend Treasure Town and Yakuza try to take over and clear it for new development.
Directors: Michael Arias, Hiroaki Andô | Stars: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yû Aoi, Yûsuke Iseya, Kankurô Kudô
Votes: 14,565
13. Summer Wars (2009)
PG | 114 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A student tries to fix a problem he accidentally caused in OZ, a digital world, while pretending to be the fiancé of his friend at her grandmother's 90th birthday.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura, Takahiro Yokokawa
Votes: 31,798 | Gross: $0.08M
14. 5 Centimeters per Second (2007)
TV-PG | 63 min | Animation, Drama, Family
Told in three interconnected segments, Takaki tells the story of his life as cruel winters, cold technology, and finally, adult obligations and responsibility converge to test the delicate petals of love.
Director: Makoto Shinkai | Stars: Kenji Mizuhashi, Yoshimi Kondou, Satomi Hanamura, Ayaka Onoue
Votes: 63,820
15. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
TV-PG | 98 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A high-school girl named Makoto acquires the power to travel back in time, and decides to use it for her own personal benefits. Little does she know that she is affecting the lives of others just as much as she is her own.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura, Ayami Kakiuchi
Votes: 70,909
16. Metropolis (2001)
PG-13 | 108 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
Kenichi and his uncle Shunsaku Ban must find the mystery behind robot girl Tima.
Director: Rintarô | Stars: Toshio Furukawa, Scott Weinger, Yuka Imoto, Kei Kobayashi
Votes: 22,623 | Gross: $0.64M
17. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)
TV-14 | 115 min | Animation, Action, Crime
A terrorist explosion releases a deadly virus on the masses, and it's up to the bounty-hunting Bebop crew to catch the cold-blooded culprit.
Directors: Shin'ichirô Watanabe, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Tensai Okamura, Hiroyuki Okiura, Yoshiyuki Takei | Stars: Beau Billingslea, Melissa Fahn, Nicholas Guest, Kôichi Yamadera
Votes: 53,193 | Gross: $1.00M
18. Wings of Honneamise (1987)
Unrated | 121 min | Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi
In an alternative Earth, a young astronaut participates in a controversial fledgling space program.
Director: Hiroyuki Yamaga | Stars: Leo Morimoto, David Thomas, Mitsuki Yayoi, Heidi Lenhart
Votes: 5,761 | Gross: $0.06M
19. Barefoot Gen (1983)
TV-PG | 83 min | Animation, Biography, Drama
A powerful statement against war, Barefoot Gen is a disturbing story about the effect of the atomic bomb on a boy's life and the lives of the Japanese people.
Director: Mori Masaki | Stars: Issei Miyazaki, Catherine Battistone, Yoshie Shimamura, Iona Morris
Votes: 9,215
20. Fist of the North Star (1986)
Not Rated | 110 min | Animation, Action, Drama
In a post-nuclear hellscape, a master of the deadly martial art "Hokuto Shinken" allies with two kids and an expert in "Nanto Suicho-Ken" to battle the tyrants who kidnapped his lover.
Director: Toyoo Ashida | Stars: Akira Kamiya, Yuriko Yamamoto, Kenji Utsumi, Chikao Ôtsuka
Votes: 7,297
21. 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: 52,648
22. The Boy and the Beast (2015)
PG-13 | 119 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
When a young orphaned boy living on the streets of Shibuya stumbles upon a fantastic world of beasts, he's taken in by a gruff warrior beast looking for an apprentice.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Aoi Miyazaki, Shôta Sometani, Suzu Hirose
Votes: 26,945 | Gross: $0.45M
23. Piano no mori (2007)
101 min | Animation, Drama, Family
The son of a prostitute and the son of a professional musician develop a bond of friendship through their love of playing the piano.
Director: Masayuki Kojima | Stars: Aya Ueto, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hiroyuki Amano, Mayuko Fukuda
Votes: 1,749
24. Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
TV-14 | 116 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
A coming of age story involving young love and a mysterious music, coming from a crystal radio left as a memento by an absent father, that leads a young heroine deep into a hidden world.
Director: Makoto Shinkai | Stars: Hisako Kanemoto, Miyu Irino, Kazuhiko Inoue, Junko Takeuchi
Votes: 17,023
25. To the Forest of Firefly Lights (2011)
45 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Hotaru is rescued by a spirit when she gets lost in a forest as a child. The two become friends, despite the spirit revealing that he will disappear if he is ever touched by a human.
Director: Takahiro Ômori | Stars: Kôki Uchiyama, Ayane Sakura, Shinpachi Tsuji, Izumi Sawada
Votes: 21,723
26. Colorful (2010)
TV-14 | 126 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
A sinful spirit is granted the opportunity to prove worthy for rebirth, inhabiting the body of a student who killed himself.
Director: Keiichi Hara | Stars: Kumiko Asô, Chris Ayres, Greg Ayres, Clint Bickham
Votes: 7,051
27. Patlabor: The Movie (1989)
Unrated | 100 min | Animation, Action, Crime
The screwball cops of Special Vehicles Section 2 Division 2 must investigate and stop a spree of rampaging construction robots.
Directors: Mamoru Oshii, Kôji Sawai | Stars: Toshio Furukawa, David Jarvis, Doug Erholtz, Mîna Tominaga
Votes: 5,621
28. Patema Inverted (2013)
Not Rated | 98 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
A young girl, from a civilization that resides in deep underground tunnels, finds herself trapped in an inverted world and teams up with a resident to escape and return home.
Director: Yasuhiro Yoshiura | Stars: Yukiyo Fujii, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Shintarô Ôhata, Shin'ya Fukumatsu
Votes: 10,222
29. Time of Eve (2010)
106 min | Animation, Drama, Romance
In a not too distant future, a young man's outlook on his home android begins to change after tracking the android's behavioral log to a mysterious cafe.
Director: Yasuhiro Yoshiura | Stars: Jun Fukuyama, Kenji Nojima, Rie Tanaka, Rina Satô
Votes: 4,075
30. Angel's Egg (1985 Video)
Not Rated | 71 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
A mysterious young girl wanders a desolate, otherworldly landscape, carrying a large egg.
Director: Mamoru Oshii | Stars: Mako Hyôdô, Jinpachi Nezu, Keiichi Noda
Votes: 12,021
31. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000)
R | 103 min | Animation, Action, Drama
A legendary dhampir competes with a motley family of bounty hunters to return a young woman, who has been seemingly abducted by a vampire, to her family.
Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri | Stars: Andrew Philpot, John Rafter Lee, Pamela Adlon, Wendee Lee
Votes: 35,839 | Gross: $0.15M
32. The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004)
TV-PG | 90 min | Animation, Drama, Romance
In an alternate postwar timeline, Japan is divided into the Union-controlled North and the US-controlled South.
Directors: Makoto Shinkai, Yoshio Suzuki | Stars: Hidetaka Yoshioka, Masato Hagiwara, Yuka Nanri, Unshô Ishizuka
Votes: 15,145
33. Steamboy (2004)
PG-13 | 126 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
In 1860s Britain, a boy inventor finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly conflict over a revolutionary advance in steam power.
Directors: Shinji Takagi, Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Anna Paquin, Patrick Stewart, Alfred Molina, Anne Suzuki
Votes: 18,729 | Gross: $0.41M
34. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010)
Not Rated | 162 min | Animation, Drama, Family
A week before Christmas, Kyon wakes up in a world where the SOS Brigade doesn't exist. Mikuru and Yuki don't recognize him, and Haruhi and Itsuki seem to have vanished.
Directors: Noriyuki Kitanohara, Kazuya Sakamoto, Noriko Takao, Yasuhiro Takemoto, Hiroko Utsumi, Naoko Yamada, Mitsuyoshi Yoneda, Tatsuya Ishihara | Stars: Aya Hirano, Tomokazu Sugita, Minori Chihara, Yûko Gotô
Votes: 8,016
35. In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World (2016)
PG-13 | 129 min | Animation, Drama, Family
A spirited 18-year-old woman is married off to a man she barely knows as she combats the daily struggles of living in Hiroshima during World War II.
Director: Sunao Katabuchi | Stars: Non, Ava Pickard, Kenna Pickard, Karen Strassman
Votes: 12,460 | Gross: $0.17M
36. Mirai (2018)
PG | 98 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
A young boy encounters a magical garden which enables him to travel through time and meet his relatives from different eras, with guidance by his younger sister from the future.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Rebecca Hall, Daniel Dae Kim, Koji Yakusho, John Cho
Votes: 18,114 | Gross: $0.81M
37. Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)
Not Rated | 115 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
Escaping war, an immortal girl blessed with Eternal Youth finds a lone surviving infant and decides to raise him as her son.
Directors: Masakazu Hashimoto, Jong Heo, Tadashi Hiramatsu, Tatsuyuki Nagai, Mari Okada, Toshiya Shinohara | Stars: Manaka Iwami, Miyu Irino, Yôko Hikasa, Hiroaki Hirata
Votes: 8,413
38. Weathering with You (2019)
PG-13 | 112 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Set during a period of exceptionally rainy weather, high-school boy Hodaka Morishima runs away from his troubled rural home to Tokyo and befriends an orphan girl who can manipulate the weather.
Director: Makoto Shinkai | Stars: Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Tsubasa Honda, Sakura Kiryu
Votes: 55,727 | Gross: $7.80M
39. Dororo (2007)
139 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A female warrior who was raised as a man joins a young samurai's quest to recover 48 of his body parts from 48 demons and to avenge her parents death.
Director: Akihiko Shiota | Stars: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Kô Shibasaki, Kiichi Nakai, Yoshio Harada
Votes: 2,975
40. Children of the Sea (2019)
Not Rated | 111 min | Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
A young girl is drawn into a mystery involving sealife around the world, in which two mysterious boys are somehow involved.
Director: Ayumu Watanabe | Stars: Mana Ashida, Hiiro Ishibashi, Seishû Uragami, Win Morisaki
Votes: 3,696
41. I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (2018)
Not Rated | 109 min | Animation, Drama, Family
A high school student discovers one of his classmates, Sakura Yamauchi, is suffering from a terminal illness. This secret brings the two together, as she lives out her final moments.
Directors: Jun'ichi Fujise, Tomoyuki Itamura, Masaharu Tomoda, Shin'ichirô Ushijima, Daisuke Yoshida, Fumihiro Yoshimura | Stars: Mahiro Takasugi, Lynn, Yukiyo Fujii, Yuma Uchida
Votes: 24,303 | Gross: $0.28M
42. Saint Young Men: The Movie (2012)
90 min | Animation, Comedy
Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha vacation on Earth as roommates in a Tokyo apartment.
Director: Noriko Takao | Stars: Gen Hoshino, Mirai Moriyama
Votes: 901
43. To Every You I've Loved Before (2022)
102 min | Animation, Fantasy, Romance
In a universe of parallel worlds, a love story takes place.
Director: Jun Matsumoto | Stars: Ai Hashimoto, Hio Miyazawa, Miki Mizuno, Tokuma Nishioka
Votes: 711
44. To the Solitary Me Who Loved You (2022)
98 min | Animation, Fantasy, Romance
In a universe of parallel worlds, two lovers search for a place to belong.
Director: Kenichi Kasai | Stars: Aju Makita, Hio Miyazawa
Votes: 700
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