Your top ten best anime films ever watched

[Ebele]

Hello, I'm just getting into anime really, and I want a chance to discover and watch some great anime. So I was wondering what is your personal list of best anime films you've seen?

 

[Weeaboo Name]

Kiki's Delivery Service
The Ideon: Be Invoked
Revolutionary Girl Utena: Adolescence Apocalypse
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 1st
Kanashimi no Belladonna
Senya Ichiya Monogatari
Grave of the Fireflies
Paprika
Redline
Kara no Kyoukai series
Voices of a Distant Star
5 Centimetres Per Second
Spirited Away
Ghost in the Shell
Karigurashi no Arrietty

 

[ShadowStriatonTriad]

Pokemon: 2000
Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back
Air
Naruto Shippuden: Movie 5 Blood Prison
Naruto: Ninja Clash In The Land Of Snow
Street Fighter II Movie
Grave Of Fireflies
Pokemon Heroes
Case Closed: Captured In Her Eyes
Angel Blade Punish

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

If you're starting off with anime, you can't really go wrong with Studio Ghibli. Indeed, half of this list will be composed of titles from Japan's best animation studio. Spirited Away, apart from being one of the best films ever made, is a good gateway to the studio's output. An Alice in Wonderland-esque tale of self-discovery and growing up, it's justly acclaimed not only in Japan but in the wider world as one of the finest animated films. Afterwards, may I suggest a double feature of Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbour Totoro? Originally released in Japanese cinemas as a double feature in 1988, the former is a grisly and emotionally devastating story set in Japan in WWII while the latter is a sprightly tale of two girls meeting a woodland creature and getting to grips with nature. The most recent output - to English-speaking audiences - of Studio Ghibli is also one of its best: Arrietty, based upon the classic children's book The Borrowers. It's both remarkably faithful to the book and yet it has its own quintessential Japanese charm to it. The final Ghibli suggestion I'd make is my own personal favourite - barring the sublime Spirited Away - The Cat Returns. A quirky comedy/drama about a girl who follows a cat to a mysterious land called The Cat Kingdom, it has a decidedly offbeat sense of humour and very memorable characters. I don't know why it's not as loved as some of the other films on this list, but it's one of my faves.

Along with the works of Studio Ghibli, Akira was also instrumental in showcasing anime to a Western audience, so it's a good idea to check out what people were raving about in the 80s.

The next three all have a connection to television in some way, so your mileage may vary on a lot of them. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie could be described as an elongated episode of the television series of the same name, but that would be an insult to its intricate plotting and tight structure. It's a very Westernized anime, and owes a lot to Hollywood tropes, so hopefully it should be another good entry point. Ghost in the Shell is a sci-fi anime that ended up spawning two TV series, and was a direct inspiration for The Matrix. This last TV-based one is sort of a cheat, but I find it very beneficial to watch all 6 episodes of FLCL in one long binge. For one, it's a very mind-bending experience that doesn't start to coalesce until the end. As well as this, each subsequent episode makes reference to what has come before it, so knowledge of these is key. It's technically a TV series, but watching it as a film is very good.

The final film in my list may not be for everyone: Perfect Blue. All I'll say is that if you like Black Swan, you'll hopefully like this.

 

[Cherrim]

You can't go wrong with pretty much any of the Ghibli studio films. (My favourites are Secret World of Arrietty, Spirited Away, and The Cat Returns.) They're very well animated and they have a lot of character.

I also really like Makoto Shinkai's films. They are absolutely gorgeous, with all the backgrounds being something you could feasibly set as your wallpaper and never want to change. 5 Centimetres per Second is likely my favourite, but The Place Promised in Our Early Days is good too and, although it's short, the music in Voices of a Distant Star is phenomenal. (Actually I love all the music in them. :x) I haven't seen his most recent film but I'd really like to.

Paprika was good. Really weird, but good. I also liked the Evangelion movies but I don't know if that's because I'd already seen the series and preferred the new movie adaptations or because they're legitimately good. :P While we're on the note of adaptations, the Gurren Lagann movies were good and they condensed the series very well. It's a series I'd recommend to anyone so I'd also recommend watching the movies either in lieu of the series or in addition. Summer Wars was good too, although the plot felt a lot like a rip off of the Digimon movie I saw when I was a kid. XD;

 

[blackmorale]

You can't go wrong with pretty much any of the Ghibli studio films. (My favourites are Secret World of Arrietty, Spirited Away, and The Cat Returns.) They're very well animated and they have a lot of character.

This. Plus Howl's Moving Castle.

Other movies: Fullmetal Alchemist movie: Conqueror of Shamballa, Naruto: Inheritor of Will of Fire (or something like that), Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back, Pokemon Heroes, Pokemon 4ever, Naruto Shippuuden: The Lost Tower.

I haven't watched Grave of the Fireflies yet but I heard it's really really good.

 

[CarefulWetPaint]

I'll just leave a few here:

Howl's Moving Castle. Just amazing... I might actually go re watch it right now.

Spirited Away. Another fantastic one, Im sure this has been recommended already

Spriggan. My first non-pokemon non-dragonball z anime movie. I love i re watched it recently and its fantastic. Though it is a little gory in some parts and is action based.

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie Or whatever it was called I loved it, great anime in every aspect.

Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children Complete technically not anime but still an amazing animated movie. Especially the complete version! It added so much to the movie!

That's enough for now as I can't remember anymore.

I really hope all these suggestions are helping you get into anime heaps!

 

[Cherrim]

This. Plus Howl's Moving Castle.

I remember really liking this movie too but I haven't seen it since it was released briefly in theatres after it was dubbed here. So I'm not sure if I liked it because I was so into anime back then and felt obligated to or if I genuinely really enjoyed it, so I didn't mention it. XD;

I haven't watched Grave of the Fireflies yet but I heard it's really really good.

GotF is generally considered to be one of the best ones but I really didn't like it. I saw it for the first time last year and then again a few weeks ago since it was one of the options for my film class essays and it just... stresses me out. :( So not high on my rankings of Ghibli movies to see for first-timers. But this opinion is pretty unpopular so... *shrugs*

 

[Kyogia]

1. Clannad -After Story- (sequel to Clannad)
2. Clannad
3. Clannad (Movie/Motion Picture)
4. Clannad: Another World, Tomoyo Chapter
5. Clannad: Another world, Kyou Chapter
6. Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru
7. Lucky Star
8. Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu
9. To Love-Ru
10. Rosario + Vampire

That's right. Half of my list is Clannad. Clannad's just that awesome to me.
My reasons are explained here.

 

[Sir Codin]

I don't watch too many anime movies, but my favorite one so far is Ninja Scroll.

 

[Huggie]

Howl's moving castle
Spirited away
Mewtwo strikes back
Naruto shippuden Bonds

Not in that order :P

 

[Firox]

Besides Pokemon movies, the only other Japanese animated movies I seen are - Bagi The Monster of Mighty Nature, The Cat Returns.

 

[icomeanon6]

Hmm, let me pull out my list. (yes, I actually keep track of every anime I've seen and have them ordered in a text file)

1. Princess Mononoke -- Absolute must. Brilliant direction, unforgettable moments, intelligent story, handles environmental themes without being preachy. Hayao Miyazaki's best.

2. Spirited Away -- Also an absolute must. Miyazaki's second best.

3. Summer Wars -- This is by a relatively new director called Mamoru Hosoda, and I think in a few decades he's going to be nearly as beloved in Japan and among Western anime fans as Miyazaki is today. Summer Wars in particular has phenomenal characterization considering its immense cast, thrilling action scenes, and is profoundly touching.

4. Redline -- Break this one out for balls-to-the-wall testosterone night. Far and away the best example of traditionally animated vehicles.

5. Akira -- Kickass and thematically powerful. Good view into late 80's Japanese zeitgeist and also exciting as hell and exquisitely animated.

6. Grave of the Fireflies -- One of my math teachers in high school called this the saddest movie ever made, period. He was absolutely right. Best of non-Miyazaki Ghibli, and also important historically. Bring tissues.

7. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie -- The TV show is indispensable, and this movie is like a long, excellently animated episode. Notable for matching action perfectly with soundtrack (Yoko Kanno!).

8. Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance -- This is part of a series of movie remakes of the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series, and in my humble opinion the remakes are actually superior. It's powerful stuff, and there is no better mecha anime.

9. Kiki's Delivery Service -- One of Miyazaki's earlier movies. Heartwarming fun for the whole family.

10. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time -- Hosoda's first "real" movie. Emotional, charming, funny, and outstanding character animation.

Honorable Mentions:

- Anything directed by Hayao Miyazaki, ever.

- Ghost in the Shell (1995), if you're in to philosophy-heavy, action-packed cyberpunk.

- Hosoda's two Digimon movies are worth seeing. They were released in butchered form as Digimon: The Movie in North America along with one other short Digimon movie. I hate to say it, but watch these fansubbed. Look for "Digimon Adventure (movie)" and "Digimon Adventure: Our War Game."

Dishonorable mentions:

- I would not recommend seeing any of the Pokemon movies, except maybe the first, and even then that's a stretch. It's just not a good movie. (Don't hate, I'm here because of the games.)

- I don't care what any delusional old-timers say, Ninja Scroll is not required viewing. It's gratuitous and stupid. I couldn't sit through the whole thing. (Note that the old-timers are absolutely right about a number of other movies, such as Akira and Ghost in the Shell.)

 

[twocows]

I don't usually have the patience to sit through an entire feature-length film, but of the ones I have seen, I think my favorite is probably CCS movie 2, followed by Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu.

 

[Esper]

Most of the things that come from Studio Ghibli are great to excellent. My personal favorites are Porco Rosso and Whispers of the Heart (which I would recommend to watch before The Cat Returns. Not necessary, but there is a small amount of tie-in). I would recommend against Tales of Earthsea though, much as I love the books they're based one, since it's just dull.

Ghost in the Shell and Jin-roh are good movies if you like something darker. I especially like the Red Riding Hood themes in Jin-roh. The second GitS movie is okay, but not nearly as good as the first.

Anything by Satoshi Kon is good, too. Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress (the best of the bunch), Tokyo Godfathers, and Paprika. His stuff is always so strange and surreal, but lots of fun. Perfect Blue is also pretty suspenseful for an animated movie.

I've seen a couple other good movies that were continuations/adaptation of series, but they aren't the kind of thing I'd recommend to someone who hasn't seen the series with the exception of the new Evangelion movies which, I think, make watching the TV series unnecessary.

 

[Zappra]

My personal List are:

Bleach
Naruto Shippuden
Fairy Tail
Vampire Knight
Rorouni Kenshin
Hunter x Hunter
Samura 7
Fate/Zero
Soul Eater
Kuroko no Basket
Medaka Box
Blood C
Blood +
Van Hellsing

 

[smile!]

I came here to suggest Studio Ghibli movies and see tons of post before me saying the same thing. XD

But yeah, the movies are pretty decent. Take Spirited Away, for example. It's not exactly what you'd be looking for if you want, you know, an action movie full of fighting or such but the plot is pretty decent. Most of the SG movies are similar in the way that the storyline is very nicely written. A lot of thought is put behind the movies.

 

[LadyAyeka]

Yeah, you really can't go wrong with Studio Ghibli. Especially Spirited Away, which is the one most average Americans have heard of because it won the Best Animated Feature Film Oscar. I've liked every Ghibli film I've seen so far. My favorite one is Kiki's Delivery Service, but I also really liked Ponyo and the most recent one, The Secret World of Arrietty. And the dubs are fantastic, mostly due to Disney's great casting and also probably due to Ghibli putting their foot down and saying Disney can't change anything about the films except the dialogue.

Other than that:

• The Tenchi Muyo movies. I personally consider the first one (Tenchi Muyo in Love) to be my fave, but all three are great. They are called Tenchi Muyo in Love, Daughter of Darkness, and Tenchi Forever respectively.
• The three Sailor Moon movies. I don't have a favorite among them really, although the first (R Movie) has "Moon Revenge," one of my favorite Sailor Moon songs of all time. The movies are known as the R movie, S movie, and SuperS movie respectively, or by their dub subtitles The Promise of the Rose, Hearts in Ice and Black Dream Hole.
• The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. I keep trying to see this one but I haven't had a chance yet. I have heard it is really excellent though, so I am going to recommend it anyway.
• Any of the Pokémon movies (which people have already suggested)
• The two Cardcaptor Sakura movies, Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie and Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card. Both are great, though the first one is better if you're not familiar with the series, since the second one is essentially a continuation of where season 3 left off and thus assumes some familiarity with the series.
• The Tsubasa Chronicle and xxxHolic movies. Given that they were originally released together and do connect to one another (just as those two manga series intertwine with each other), it'd be best to watch them both together. (Thankfully, Funimation did come out with a double feature DVD pack that has them both).

Those are all the ones I can think of. Hope it helps!

 

[tmc02086]

IT's difficult for me to list top 10 anime film. But some of them I strongly recommend to you guys.

Patlabor Movie 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FEwZxoAoWQ


Patlabor Movie 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlyjlMhKb3E

Truly outstanding anime films.
Today's anime film can't not compare with these two.