The 49 Best Japanese Anime Movies To Watch Right Now!

Japanese anime movies to watch: Here are the 49 good anime films that Japan has released so far!

Japanese anime movies have their fair share of cinematic masterpieces that should not be skipped over by movie enthusiasts, Although many great movies have come from American superpower businesses such as Hollywood, Warner Brothers, and Disney.

If you are interested in learning the Japanese language, watching TV shows is a great way to improve your listening skill.

Anime is a popular medium that comes in various genres and shapes, therefore, there are many movies adaptation from popular tv shows such as One Piece, Pokémon, Attack on Titan, Naruto, Death Note, Bleach, and others.

These Japanese films are not just movies produced by the well-known Anime Studio Ghibli, but also by many others studios. These anime films have been selected for their great storylines, popularity, and the writer’s personal experience.

Are you excited now? Chill, because you have come to the right place to discover the best Japanese anime movies to add to your watch list.

32. A Letter to Momo 

Since her father’s recent death, a little girl named Momo and her mother move from the crowded town of Tokyo to the remote island of Shio. While still confused by an unfinished letter of her father’s, Momo also has to get used to the new living environment and make new friends.

At that time, bizarre events occur inside Momo’s house, including strange whispers coming from the attic. Because of her mother’s refusal to believe these strange events, Momo throws herself into an odd adventure to discover the source of the weirdness, which leads her to the trio of troublesome spirits, and together, she and those spirits figure out that her moving to this island is somehow connected to her father’s unfinished mysterious letter.

This is among the best Japanese anime movies that depict a lovely story of friendship. It also has high-quality visual effects and sound editing. Also, It has a slow pace at the beginning, some humorous moments in the middle, and really touching scenes at the end that could make you shed some tears while watching!

31. From Up on Poppy Hill 

Unlike many other Miyazaki anime movies, this 2011 animated film has no trace of sparkling fantasy, though it still keeps the flawless visual effects that Studio Ghibli is so well-known for.

It also has a simple story about a group of Yokohama students looking to save their school’s clubhouse from the wrecking ball in preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

I personally think elderly people will have nostalgic feelings when watching this movie, as it reflects the lives of Japanese students as well as other residents during the years 1963-1965.

30. Children Who Chase Voices From Deep Below 

This coming-of-age 2011 anime movie is directed by Shinkai Makoto and animated by Comix Wave film studio. The story involves young love and 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.

Although the rating is not what I expected, the storyline about the characters who have to deal with difficult issues (for instance, loss of loved ones, independence, and life-changing decisions) makes it interesting. This movie is another product of the same producer as Five Centimeters Per Second, therefore, it’s easy to understand how they achieved the stunning beauty of the animation!

29. The Place Promised in Our Early Days 

The story takes place in an alternate postwar period, where Japan is divided into the Soviet Union-controlled North and the US-controlled South. An enormously tall tower was built on Hokkaido, which could even be seen from Tokyo. In the summer of 1996, three middle-school students make a promise that they’ll cross the border and unravel the tower’s secret, but their project was abandoned after one girl, Sayuri Sawatari, became mysteriously ill and was transferred to Tokyo.

Years later, on the brink of another war, a boy named Hiroki Fujisawa finds out that Sayuri had been in a coma since then, and he asks Takuya Shirakawa to help him find a way to wake her up, so as to fulfill the promise between the trio. The film’s pace is a romantic reflection of loneliness and bittersweet affection. Even though the romance was not impressive to critical viewers, the music and storytelling style made up everything else. This is a must watch Japanese anime movie that is a fascinating dystopic look at the postwar era.

28. Steamboy 

Steamboy is a 2004 Japanese anime movie set In the middle of the 19th century, before the world’s first Expo, an invention called the “Steam Ball”, has been sent to Rei. Rei, is a young inventor, from his grandfather Roid in the US. Therefore, he then finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly conflict over a revolutionary advance by an organization called Ohara Foundation. Meanwhile, the Ohara Foundation has sent men to acquire the Steam Ball so that they can use its hidden power towards their own illicit ends.

27. The Secret World of Arrietty

Among the best fantasy anime movies is The Secret World of Arrietty, a film that aired in 2010, and highlights a story that follows the 14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family, which consists of four-inch-tall creatures secretly living in a human house.

Hence, they live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items that they borrow from the human inhabitants’ houses. However, life changes for the Clocks forever when a human boy discovers Arrietty.

26. Millennium Actress

Next up among the best Japanese anime movies, we have Madhouse‘s Millennium Actress. The plot follows a TV interviewer and his cameraman, who meet a former actress and travel through her memories and career, where she initially became an actress to track down a man she was in love with.

With the drama of her personal life and the color of her working life, the line between fiction and reality becomes blurred. Millennium Actress is one of those good anime movies that are slow-paced, simple, flowing, and full of memoirs with a charming Japanese storyline and a rather sad ending.

21. The Cat Returns 

This 2002 anime movie is about Haru, an unfortunate girl in most aspects of her life. After helping a cat that got stuck in a lorry, she finds herself involuntarily engaged to a cat prince in a magical world where her only hope of freedom lies with a dapper cat statuette, which also comes to life in the story.

While the movie doesn’t have the beauty and depth of some other anime films from studio ghibli, it’s still a breezy and entertaining piece of art with a fun, adventurous plot that children would love. This is a great film to check out with your family, and for cat lovers, too!

20. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time 

Just watch this 2006 good Madhouse anime movie, loosely based on the novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui of the same name, and you’ll know because Japan never fails to amaze you! Are you wondering what could be so special about a girl who has the ability to time travel and tries to use it to solve problems?

The plot follows Makoto Konno, who is in her last year of highschool, but has a tough time deciding what to do with her future. In between enduring the pressure of her teachers and killing time together with her best friends, Makoto’s life suddenly changes when she accidentally discovers that she is capable of literally leaping through time, she is going to attempt to use this newfound ability to travel through time to her advantage.

19. To the Forest of Fireflies’ Light 

Every summer, a little girl called Hotaru comes back to the countryside for a summer trip. One day, she is rescued by a spirit named Gin when she gets lost in a forest. Despite the spirit revealing that he will disappear if he is ever touched by a human, the two become friends, and this friendship will develop into a love story.

This is a 2011 anime movie made by Brain’s Base studio, which has a sad romantic story and you will feel refreshed after watching it.

18. Howl’s Moving Castle 

Next up among the best Ghibli anime movies is Howl’s Moving Castle, a love story between an 18-year-old girl named Sophie, cursed by a witch and living in an old woman’s body, and a magician named Howl. Under the curse, Sophie sets out to seek a cure for her condition, which takes her to Howl’s strange moving castle.

In the castle, Sophie meets Howl’s fire demon, named Calcifer. The demon makes a deal with Sophie – if she breaks the contract which means he is under Howl’s command, then he will lift the curse, and she will return to her 18-year-old self again. In my opinion, this is an excellent movie, from the music to the plot. The characters are interesting and their personalities are described significantly. It is a good anime movie of the 2000s that you simply can’t miss!

17. Colorful 

Colorful is a good Japanese anime movie of 2010, adapted from the novel of the same name by Eto Mori, produced by Sunrise studio, and has an epic story with top-notch animation. The solid plot focuses on a sinful spirit, who is granted the chance to prove he is worthy of rebirth by inhabiting the body of a student who killed himself. With a second opportunity at life and a neutral spirit watching over him, the spirit journeys to come to terms with his past sins and figure out what drove the student to commit suicide.

16. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea 

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is a 2008 anime movie that tells the story of an adventure of a five-year-old boy named Sosuke, and his relationship with a goldfish princess named Ponyo who seeks to become a human after falling in love with him.

This movie reminds me of Disney’s animated film The Little Mermaid. It is a romantic fantasy that portrays Miyazaki’s style in a very good way, and if you want to watch it with the whole family, they will absolutely love it, too!

15. Wolf Children

Produced by the popular studio “Madhouse”, with a good score of 8.2 on IMDb, the 2012 Wolf Childen is a good anime movie that deals with identity issues. The story follows a college student named Hana, upon falls in love with another student who turns out to be a werewolf, who will leave her behind as soon as he died in an accident after the birth of their second child.

After that, Hana decided to move to the countryside where her husband grew up to raise her two children, who are half-wolf and half-human. Hana’s daughter, Yuki, longs to fit in with humans and leave her wolf identity behind, whereas her son, Ame, wants to live as a wolf. This Japanese animated movie is absolutely delightful from the beginning till the end. The story was really touching and emotional, the animation is of a top-notch style, and the music was really pleasing.

14. Asura

Directed by Keiichi Sato and produced by Toei Animation, Asura is among the best Japanese anime movies that you should really watch. The story follows an abandoned in the barren wasteland of Kyoto, a savage, enraged orphan named Asura, who does whatever it takes to survive in the wild. When he crosses paths with civilization, he must learn to tame the beast within.

Despite the relatively low score from IMDb, this film is a well-told story about human beings and their nature. It made me feel sad for Asura as he has to suffer although it is not his fault. I feel sorry for all of the characters, even if they did horrible things to each other, as it is mostly because of the harsh situation of life that forces them to behave that way. Therefore, if you want to immerse yourself in deep feelings about human nature, you should watch this good anime movie.

13. Grave of the Fireflies 

Grave of the Fireflies is a sad drama anime film telling the story of a young boy and his little sister’s struggle to survive in Japan during World War II after the death of their mother and the unknown fate of their father. After having quarreled with their aunt, they leave her house and make their home in an abandoned shelter. The two must depend on each other to survive.

This anime movie is produced by Toho’s studio and is considered one of the best-animated films that provide a lesson for anyone who wants to harm the world, without thinking about what happens to ordinary people, and those who are often forgotten. Despite the sadness of the story, this piece of art is also providing a nostalgic feel.

12. 5 Centimeters Per Second 

5 Centimeters Per Seconde is directed by Makoto Shinkai and is a production of the studio Comix Wave Film. The story follows Takaki and Akari, who have been classmates since elementary school and they become close friends. Their relationship is tested when Akari moves to another city because of her parents’ jobs.

Both of them struggle to keep their friendship alive through letters, and time and distance slowly pull them apart. When Takaki finds out that he is moving even further away, he decides to visit Akari one last time.

With stunning animation and visual effects, beautifully emotional piano pieces, and a slow-paced storytelling style, there is only one word to summarize this 2007 good Japanese movie: flawless! Watch this if you fancy a romantic tale.

11. Ninja Scroll 

9. Weathering With You