Paste's The 100 Best Anime Movies of All Time

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An official iCheckMovies list (adopted from DulceDoes).

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Establishing the best anime movies can be tricky. After all, despite now being one of the most ubiquitous cultural properties of the 21st century, anime, thanks to over a century’s worth of the medium’s evolution and reinvention, is especially difficult to define. From the five-minute shorts of Oten Shimokawa in 1917, to the feature-length animations produced during World War II, to the pioneering production cycles of Tezuka in the ’60s and the auteurist innovations of the likes of Miyazaki and many others towards the latter half of the last century, anime has morphed through countless phases. Amateur efforts, nationalist propaganda fodder, niche cultural export turned eventual global phenomenon: Each iteration conforms to the shape of the times in which it was produced. Television expanded the medium during the 1960s, birthing many of the essential genres and subgenres that we know today and forming the impetus for the anime industry’s inextricable relationship to advertising and merchandising from the 1970s onward. The arrival of home video catapulted anime to its commercial and aesthetic apex, fanning outward from island nation of Nippon to the far shores of North America and back, before again being revolutionized by the unprecedented accessibility of the world wide web throughout the ’90s and early aughts. Anime film owes much to the evolving means of production and distribution throughout the late 20th century, the breadth and audacity of the medium’s content widening and contracting along with its running time to cater to the emerging palettes of audiences both new and old, at home and abroad. But where does one begin to tackle the aesthetic and historical precedent that anime film has left on pop culture and global entertainment in the last century?

This list is an attempt to do just that: to create a primer of 100 of the most influential and essential films that Japanese animation has produced, and to offer a thorough aesthetic, technical and historical breakdown of why these film matter. With that aim in mind, Paste is proud to enlist the curatorial talents of Jason DeMarco, on-air creative director of Adult Swim and co-creator of Toonami, whose unique role in anime’s emerging popularity in the West has helped to hone this list. Given the shared evolution between anime film and television and the aforementioned significance of the home video revolution, this list includes not only traditional features but also original video animations made for home video (OVAs) and anthology films— with the stipulation of each entry having at some point premiered in theaters. It is our hope that in creating this list we have created an entry point for both the expert and the layperson to trace the rich history of anime’s legacy on both film and popular culture, and to offer newcomers a comprehensive guide through to learn, rediscover, and explore the fullness that the genre of Japanese animation has to offer now and into the future.

Originally published in January 2017. Last updated October 23, 2023.
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  1. 2 -

    Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi

    2001 — a.k.a. Spirited Away, in 39 top lists Check
  2. 10 -1

    Tonari no Totoro

    1988 — a.k.a. My Neighbor Totoro, in 23 top lists Check
  3. 13 -1

    Mononoke-hime

    1997 — a.k.a. Princess Mononoke, in 18 top lists Check
  4. 4 -1

    Hotaru no haka

    1988 — a.k.a. Grave of the Fireflies, in 21 top lists Check
  5. 1 -

    Akira

    1988, in 22 top lists Check
  6. 52 -1

    Hauru no ugoku shiro

    2004 — a.k.a. Howl's Moving Castle, in 18 top lists Check
  7. 25 -1

    Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä

    1984 — a.k.a. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, in 10 top lists Check
  8. 5 -1

    Kôkaku Kidôtai

    1995 — a.k.a. Ghost in the Shell, in 12 top lists Check
  9. 38 -1

    Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta

    1986 — a.k.a. Castle in the Sky, in 10 top lists Check
  10. 8 -1

    Pâfekuto burû

    1997 — a.k.a. Perfect Blue, in 13 top lists Check
  11. 6 -1

    Paprika

    2006, in 7 top lists Check
  12. 32 -1

    Majo no takkyûbin

    1989 — a.k.a. Kiki's Delivery Service, in 8 top lists Check
  13. 69 -1

    Kaguya-hime no monogatari

    2013 — a.k.a. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, in 8 top lists Check
  14. 30 -1

    Kimi no na wa.

    2016 — a.k.a. Your Name., in 12 top lists Check
  15. 7 -1

    Kaze tachinu

    2013 — a.k.a. The Wind Rises, in 4 top lists Check
  16. 80 -1

    Gake no ue no Ponyo

    2008 — a.k.a. Ponyo, in 3 top lists Check
  17. 44 -1

    Kurenai no buta

    1992 — a.k.a. Porco Rosso, in 3 top lists Check
  18. 63 -1

    Mimi wo sumaseba

    1995 — a.k.a. Whisper of the Heart, in 4 top lists Check
  19. 18 -1

    Sennen joyû

    2001 — a.k.a. Millennium Actress, in 7 top lists Check
  20. 26 -1

    Omohide poro poro

    1991 — a.k.a. Only Yesterday, in 3 top lists Check
  21. 43 -1

    Toki o kakeru shôjo

    2006 — a.k.a. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, in 2 top lists Check
  22. 73 -1

    Tenshi no tamago

    1985 — a.k.a. Angel's Egg, in 4 top lists Check
  23. 31 -1

    Tôkyô goddofâzâzu

    2003 — a.k.a. Tokyo Godfathers, in 5 top lists Check
  24. 21 -1

    Mind Game

    2004, in 6 top lists Check
  25. 47 -1

    Shin seiki Evangelion Gekijô-ban: Air/Magokoro...

    1997 — a.k.a. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion, in 8 top lists Check
  26. 55 -1

    Byôsoku 5 senchimêtoru

    2007 — a.k.a. 5 Centimeters per Second, in 1 top list Check
  27. 59 -1

    Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro

    1979 — a.k.a. Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, in 3 top lists Check
  28. 100 -1

    Omoide no Mânî

    2014 — a.k.a. When Marnie Was There, in 2 top lists Check
  29. 14 -1

    Heisei tanuki gassen ponpoko

    1994 — a.k.a. Pom Poko, in 2 top lists Check
  30. 50 -1

    Innocence

    2004 — a.k.a. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, in 3 top lists Check
  31. 27 -1

    Tekkon kinkurîto

    2006 — a.k.a. Tekkonkinkreet, in 4 top lists Check
  32. 19 -1

    Kanashimi no Beradonna

    1973 — a.k.a. Belladonna of Sadness, in 3 top lists Check
  33. 82 -1

    Samâ uôzu

    2009 — a.k.a. Summer Wars, in 2 top lists Check
  34. 91 -1

    Neko no ongaeshi

    2002 — a.k.a. The Cat Returns, in 1 top list Check
  35. 41 -1

    Koe no katachi

    2016 — a.k.a. A Silent Voice: The Movie, in 4 top lists Check
  36. 15 -1

    Hadashi no Gen

    1983 — a.k.a. Barefoot Gen, in 2 top lists Check
  37. 20 -1

    Redline

    2009, in 2 top lists Check
  38. 84 -1

    Cowboy Bebop: Tengoku no tobira

    2001 — a.k.a. Cowboy Bebop the Movie: Knockin' on Heaven's Door, in 1 top list Check
  39. 54 -1

    Hôhokekyo tonari no Yamada-kun

    1999 — a.k.a. My Neighbors the Yamadas, in 1 top list Check
  40. 23 -1

    Jûbê ninpûchô

    1993 — a.k.a. Ninja Scroll, in 2 top lists Check
  41. 29 -1

    Urusei Yatsura 2: Byûtifuru dorîmâ

    1984 — a.k.a. Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, in 3 top lists Check
  42. 57 -1

    The Animatrix

    2003, in 1 top list Check
  43. 95 -1

    Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

    2000, in 2 top lists Check
  44. 24 -1

    Memorîzu

    1995 — a.k.a. Memories, in 1 top list Check
  45. 40 -1

    Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar...

    2003, in 3 top lists Check
  46. 51 -1

    Deddo ribusu

    2004 — a.k.a. Dead Leaves, in 2 top lists Check
  47. 16 -1

    Metoroporisu

    2001 — a.k.a. Metropolis, in 2 top lists Check
  48. 48 -1

    Jin-Rô

    1999 — a.k.a. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, in 1 top list Check
  49. 9 -1

    Kidô keisatsu patorebâ: The Movie 2

    1993 — a.k.a. Patlabor 2: The Movie, in 1 top list Check
  50. 53 -1

    Nekojiru-sô

    2001 — a.k.a. Cat Soup, in 2 top lists Check
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Last updated on Nov 15, 2023 by Fergenaprido; source