The anime world in cinema is large, expansive, and full of engaging and compelling stories. With so many talented creatives in the space consistently making magic for everyone to enjoy,plenty of films out there are pretty darn close to perfect. Anime movies likeSpirited AwayandGhost in the Shellare worthy of being called “masterpieces” thanks to their profound impact on the medium and cinema as a whole.
Then there are some anime movies that come incredibly close to perfection without ever achieving it. It’s incredibly difficult to craft a perfect film, so even the greatest most likely can’t be considered perfect. Sometimes,a film gets close to being flawless, but there’s just one aspect that holds it backfrom reaching that incredibly high standard. However, that doesn’t make them any less worthy of appreciation; if anything, their flaws make them all the more interesting.
10’Cowboy Bebop: The Movie' (2001)
Directed by Tensai Okamura, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Shinichiro Watanabe & Yoshiyuki Takei
Cowboy Bebopis commonly known asone of the best anime series of all time, so when the film came around, many eagerly waited to see if the quality would follow suit. Upon release,Cowboy Bebop: The Moviewas met with audience praise from all around the globe. Whether from people who had already fallen in love with Spike (Koichi Yamadera) and his crew or newcomers who got dragged along with friends and found a new favorite franchise.
While being a very well-received film,Cowboy Bebop: The Moviecanstruggle with characterization and slower pacing, which keep it from being perfect. That doesn’t take away from all its achievements, andCowboy Bebop: The Movieis still an explosive rollercoaster of a ride most of the time that more than lives up to the legacy of its revered predecessor.
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
9’Toyko Godfathers' (2003)
Directed by Satoshi Kon
Tokyo Godfathershas an incredibly fun premise. On Christmas Eve, a found family ofthree homeless people come across a newborn baby while searching for food in trash bins. Without much intel on whom the baby may be, they begin a search around Tokyo to seek out the baby’s parents.
Tokyo Godfathersis a wonderfully put-together Christmas film that is very heartwarming and fun at its core. The only thing keeping it from being a perfect film is that, at times,some of the emotional beats don’t tend to hit as wellas they’re intended to. ButSatoshi Kontaking the major riskof putting a genre that is typically best in live-action into animation, is a huge accomplishment.
Tokyo Godfathers
8’Wolf Children' (2012)
Directed by Mamoru Hosoda
A young woman named Hana (Aoi Miyazaki) falls in love with a Wolf Man (Takao Ohsawa) and gives birth to two halfling wolf babies. However, her world is turned upside down when the love of her life tragically dies. After such a tragedy, she seeks a new home in a small town and does her best to rebuild her life from the ground up, caring for her ever-growing wolf babies.
Wolf Childrenis a love letter to single parentsand a cinematic achievement spearheaded by the likes of the astoundingly talentedMamoru Hosoda. The film’s only issue is thatthe plot can tread the line of being bland at some points. However, any minor shortcoming in the film is offset by the beautiful animation and timeless message about growing pains and letting go.
Watch on Crunchyroll
7’Whisper of the Heart' (1995)
Directed by Yoshifumi Kondo
Whisper of the Heartis one of the most underrated Studio Ghibli efforts and one ofthe best anime movies of the ’80s. Being a smaller romance film, it is quite different compared to the rest of Studio Ghibli’s vast catalog of films. Indeed,Whisper of the Heartis a mature and quiet film that takes its time with its characters and connects them to audiences well.
It’s quite difficult to find any flaws within Studio Ghibli films with their consistently top-tier quality. In the case ofWhisper of the Heart, it simply struggles with feeling eventful at times, but that is very much part of its intention. Whether it’s deliberate or not, this distinctive approach can cause the film tofeel a little too slow or uneventful for portionsof its 1-hour and 51-minute runtime.
Watch on Max
6’The Wind Rises' (2013)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki & Gary Rydstrom
Another of Studio Ghibli’s most underrated moviesis this gem fromHayao Miyazaki,The Wind Rises. A beautifully crafted picture, it follows Jiro Horikoshi (Hideaki Anno), a young man with big dreams who eventually creates the World War II warplane, the A-6M, and struggles with its legacy.
The Wind Risesis quite different from the rest of Miyazaki’s films, as the director typically delves into the realm of the supernatural rather than biographical, and he struggles to let go of his signature whimsy. Thus,The Wind Risesis longer than it needs to be, andthe characters can feel a bit disingenuous at times. But, at the end of the day, it’s still a Hayao Miyazaki film, meaning it’s pretty darn near perfect.
The Wind Rises
5’Paprika' (2007)
Paprikait’s one of the most distinctive and influential anime movies of the new millennium, and it’s no secret why. It’s a brilliant film in so many different ways,bending reality and style in a magnificent and total mind-trip. The animation aids this feeling, as well. It’s a visual marvel.Paprikawas apparently an influence onInception,Christopher Nolan’s seminal movie about dreams.
Indeed, the film is close to being a masterpiece. The only slight issue with the film some have is that, at times,it can be more concerned with visuals than plot. It’s a valid artistic choice, and to the film’s aid, the visuals are just genuinely spectacular. At the end of the day, though, it’s still an issue that can hold the film back from being as perfect as it can be. Visuals are good and important but should be equally balanced with the story.
Watch on Tubi
4’The Boy and the Heron' (2023)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki’s most recent film,The Boy and the Heron,was critically praised all around, for the most part. So much so, thatit took home multiple awards during 2023’s award season, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, which is phenomenal.
Once again, Miyazaki blew people away with style and an esoterical, demanding narrative. The only issue some can with the movie is how emotionally distant the character of Mahito (Soma Santoki) is, meaningsome of the film’s emotional moments don’t hit as hard as they could have. The overly symbolic plot can also be a tad unsatisfying, but these challenging themes only enrich the film’s already ambitious narrative.
The Boy and the Heron
Buy on Amazon
3’Only Yesterday' (1991)
Directed by Isao Takahata
When the young woman, Taeko Okajima (Miki Imai), visits the countryside to reminisce about her past, she comes face to face with her younger self.Only Yesterdayis a wonderful retrospective on what it means to grow up and become an adult, maturing out of one’s youth and realizing what their life could have been.
Because of itsintrospective narrative, it can be a bit slow at times, which some may enjoy but others won’t. Many going into it also expected the typical Studio Ghibli tropes, only to find a movie that is far from what many expected from the prestigious company.Only Yesterday’s quality is undeniable, especially for those looking for a rich character study accompanied by gorgeous animation.
only yesterday
2’A Silent Voice' (2017)
Directed by Naoko Yamada
WhenA Silent Voicewas released in 2017, it took the world by storm.It’s an emotional, thoughtful and genuinely moving film with an incredibly important message. Audiences and critics alike fell in love with the characters and genuine story at play and to say that it’s borderline perfect is an easy statement to make.
The only issue found here is that many believeA Silent Voice’s protagonist is irredeemabledue to his actions at the beginning of the film, making it difficult to root for him as a main character. While the intention of the writing is to have the protagonist be an unlikeable person at first, only to be redeemed later,some can’t look past his actions and get behind himas a character.
A Silent Voice
Rent on Amazon
1’Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train' (2021)
Directed by Haruo Sotozaki
One of the highest acclaimed anime films of 2021 was from a more mainstream franchise,Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Trainhit theaters and had critics and audiences everywhere absolutely falling in love with its stellar animation, great performances, and thrilling action.
The only thing keepingDemon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Trainfrom being a perfect film is that it could have been a lot shorter. Indeed, at times, itfeels like a few episodes of the anime series put together rather than a proper cinematic narrative, which leaves some fat in the plot that can slow down its pacing. Still, the film remains a triumph for the saga; after all, there’s a reason it has a98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
