While anime as a medium is most often recognized and popular in serialized and episodic form, there have been a multitude of groundbreaking feature films in the anime world since the genre’s beginning.
Easily the most critically acclaimed and recognizable name when it comes to anime films is Studio Ghibli, the legendary animation studio with iconic titles likeSpirited Away,My Neighbor Totoro,The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, and so many more under their belt.
While the studio is one of the first names that come to mind in the world of feature-length anime,they are far from the only studio creating such high-quality films in Japanese animation, with many films even surpassing Ghibli’s gargantuan standard for quality.
Image by Federico Napoli
Whether it be other classics of the genre that were deeply inspirational alongside early Ghibli films, or more modern films that took inspiration from Ghibli classics yet transformed and modernized in execution, there are a lot of great offerings for non-Ghibli anime films.
15’Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust' (2000)
Directed by Toshiaki Kawajiri
The originalVampire Hunter Dwas already a deeply impactful and memorable anime experience that elevated the concepts of blending horror and action into the animation style seamlessly and prolifically.
However, released 15 years after the original film,Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlustwould improve upon the original film in nearly every way, withstriking visuals and a heightened sense of atmosphere and grace with its storytelling.
Image via Madhouse/Nippon Herald Films
The film easily stands out as the pinnacle ofvampire storytelling in anime, with its hand-drawn style still looking beautiful 25 years later.
The film continues the ventures of the legendary vampire hunter known as D, as he finds himself competing with a family of bounty hunters to track down the missing Charlotte Elbourne, a woman kidnapped by a notorious vampire nobleman.
The gothic iconography and aesthetic that the franchise as a whole presents is at its absolute heights throughoutBloodlust, easily being the quintessential chapter of the story and a defining standalone experience that further elevates the film.
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14’The First Slam Dunk' (2022)
Directed by Takehiko Inoue
Sports anime continues to be one of the most widely explored and effective genres when it comes to flashy visuals andcapturing the adrenaline and fleeting moments of raw, unfiltered competition.
While many different anime movies and series have found success in the genre over the years, the evolution made throughoutThe First Slam Dunkare enough to forever transform and change the genre’s future for the better.
The film follows a high school basketball team’s intense game during the championship finals while also showing the progression of each member of the team and how they were formed.
Most prominently, the film features a beautifully styled 3D animation style that blends together the flair and personality of 2D animation with the finesse and high production of modern 3D animation.
It creates a seamless style that feels as if the animation was taken directly off the pages of the original manga, serving to further amplify the film’s already exceptional emotional core and high-stakes moments.
The film hopefully acts as a turning point for what major anime films are capable of, with more exceptionally styled 3D anime films sure to follow in its footsteps.
Image via Toei Company
13’Night on the Galactic Railroad' (1985)
Directed by Gisaburo Sugii
A spiritual and somber anime experience that follows a similar style of calm melancholy as early Ghibli films, the allure ofNight on the Galactic Railroadmakes ita perfect underrated animated movie.
The film follows young feline boy Giovanni, who lives a draining life due to being often ridiculed by his peers at school and emotionally distant from those at his work and home.
Just as his isolation seems to be getting the worst of him, a mysterious train traveling far across the universe arrives, so he hops on the train accompanied by his school acquaintance, Campanella.
Night on the Galactic Railroadis a film that ismassively elevated by its alluring energy and distinct vision for childlike whimsy and innocence.
Seeing a wide variety of different people and societies through the lens of Giovanni and Campanella makes for a simple yet deeply gratifying experience, even if it certainly leans on the stranger side of things.
While it may be based on a children’s book, the film may be too surrealist and abstract for young audiences to fully appreciate, yet its unique vision for filmmaking, especially for the era it was released, makes it a true anime hidden gem.
Image via Discotek Media
12’Wicked City' (1987)
Anime movies as a whole tend to focus much more on exceptionally well-crafted hand-drawn visuals, giving them a distinct edge as some of the most beautiful and mesmerizing experiences out there.Wicked Cityis a film that takes these notions to heart, beingfilled to the brim with beautifully crafted set pieces that conjure up all sorts of emotional responses, from awe-inspiring and beautiful to deeply disturbing and dreadful.
The film’s deeply original worldbuilding and mythos also go hand in hand with its visual style, able to create highly creative concepts that could only be possible in the world of animation.
It isn’t afraid to shy away from deeply disturbing and unsettling material, lending way to an array of different controversies since its release, yet these shocking moments directly play into its memorability factor and unyielding legacy and influence over the years.
Rarely are animated films so directly adult and sexual with their material, yetWicked Cityrevolutionized the bang out of dark and adult storytelling that the medium could provide.
11’Summer Wars' (2009)
Directed by Mamoru Hosoda
A wildly creative mixture of a high-stakes virtual world action movie and a romantic family drama,Summer Warsbalances these two completely different stories in a seamless and effective way.
The film follows young student Keiji, who acts as a part-time moderator in the massive online virtual world of “OZ” as he ends up being framed for hacking the world by a high-end artificial intelligence known as “Love Machine”.
Image via Joy Pack Film
At the same time, Keiji ends up being invited by a classmate to act as her fiance on her grandmother’s 90th birthday.
Summer Warsmakes the most of directorMamoru Hosoda’s experience with other anime stories filled with creative character designs, likeDigimonandOne Piece,to createa perfect mixture of wonder and emotional weight.
While the clear draw comes from the deeply expressive world of OZ, the mellow rom-com-styled side plot of the large family gathering and fake dating adds some much-needed variety to the pacing and story.
10’Ghost in the Shell' (1995)
Directed by Mamoru Oshii
One of the most influential and widely acclaimed sci-fi movies of all time, animated or otherwise, it’s difficult to imagine the state of modern sci-fi filmmaking without the masterful storytelling ofGhost in the Shell.
The film’s brilliant story of autonomy and humanity in an era of cybernetic enhancements and going beyond the confines of the human mind made for one of the most compelling and instantly engaging sci-fi experiences of all time.The film’s legacy and influence are still felt throughout the entire sci-fi genre, especially through its direct inspiration to franchises likeThe Matrix.
However, it’s more than simply a unique original concept that madeGhost in the Shellsuch a major success, as its utilization of exceptionally beautiful animation and deeply engaging characters further compounded the film’s core thesis.
It is widely considered one of the most iconic and celebrated cyberpunk films of all time, ushering in a new era of exceptional cyberpunk storytelling in both anime and live-action in the wake of its major success.
9’The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya' (2010)
Directed by Yasuhiro Takemoto and Tatsuya Ishihara
Adapted from the fourth light novel in the Haruhi Suzumiya series,The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiyadirectly follows events of the previous television series for its enthralling Christmastime sci-fi mystery.
The film follows the SOS Brigade setting up plans for a Christmas time festival among friends, yet only a few days later, one member of the brigade, Kyon, has his entire world flipped upside down.
Image via Kyoto Animation
Kyon arrives at school one day to see that Haruhi Suzumiya has gone missing, none of his classmates remember anything about her, him, or the Brigade, and Kyon is the only one who remembers Haruhi.
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiyamanages to accomplish the near-impossible by not only acting as an effective finale to a fan-favorite series buteffectively standing on its own merits without requiring a viewing of the original series.
Its simple yet enthralling premise of widespread disappearance as if they never existed instantly gets the audience invested and intrigued in the overarching mystery.
Image via Asmik Ace Entertainment
It easily makes for one of thebest anime movies of the 2010s, made that much better for those already familiar with these beloved characters.
8’Mind Game' (2004)
Directed by Masaaki Yuasa
One of the greatest strengths that the medium of anime has been able to provide is the seemingly limitless number of avenues for creative expression in terms of storytelling, visuals, and overarching themes.
No film quite effectively embellishes these aspects quite likeMind Game, a wild journey across time and space that uses a wide variety of different animation styles to tell its story.
The film sees awkward loner Nishi, who, after an encounter with a long-time crush, ends up losing his life in a bar altercation, sending him on a wild journey to heaven and back that gives him a newfound sense of bravery.
Mind Gameseems to have no limits when it comes to creative possibilities, with frequent wild and unpredictable set pieces that continuously create both excitement and humor as the film continues.
However, even with its most absurdist and chaotic elements, thecore of what makesMind Gamework so well is its overarching themes of the fluidity of life itself.
Image via GKids Films
Especially in its final moments, the film has a to to say about how everyone has their own overarching stories that just happen to intersect with one another in fleeting moments of time.
7’Blue Giant' (2023)
Directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa
A stylish and mesmerizing love letter to the art of jazz music and live performance in general,Blue Giantperfectly understands the energy and weight that playing an instrument can provide.
The film follows high school student Dia Miyamoto on his dedicated journey to become an all-star Jazz sensation, spending many nights under the cold sky and practicing saxophone to his heart’s content.
He soon leaves his hometown for the nightclub life of Tokyo, teaming up with a professional pianist and a long-time friend as they become the next up-and-coming jazz stars.
Blue Giantisunmatched in the world of anime when it comes to its music and score, featuring a cacophony of top-notch performances and jazz music that never fail to touch one’s soul and heart.
The animation does an equally effective job of giving said music the maximum impact required, even shifting between a classic 2D animation style and a stylized 3D animation during specific music sequences.
Image via Studio Deen
The film has only grown more of a following since its release, easily being considered one ofthe best anime movies of the 2020s so far.
6’Angel’s Egg' (1985)
WhileGhost in the Shellis often the first anime movie that is associated with acclaimed anime directorMamoru Oshii,Angel’s Eggis yet another masterpiece from the director, telling a deeply experimental story of humanity and life itself.
Thephilosophical animated filmfollows a little girl living in a desolate world of darkness and shadows, spending her time collecting water in jars and protecting a large egg that she carries everywhere.
However, when a mysterious man enters her life, the little girl’s perspective and connection with her life itself begins to change as they discuss the world around them.
With minimal characters and precise animation in every frame,Angel’s Eggis a meticulously crafted work of art that could only truly be accomplished in the breathtaking medium of animation.
The film utilizes every second to create a simple yet timeless story of life, feeling almost like a classic, centuries-old old fairy-tale in its scope and approach to storytelling.
While not as flashy as Oshii’s other works,Angel’s Egghas a sense of ingrained timelessness that will make it a masterpiece of storytelling for decades and centuries to come.
