Top 5 Anime Movies

Top Five Japanese Animated Films

List by Brent Williams, poster for Summer Wars

Before you could so much as utter the words "cartoons are for kids" I am going to have to stop you right there, and counter that through the medium of animations creators are able to covey meaningful stories with rich colours and vibrant characters that sometimes cannot be done justice otherwise. The following five films I personally believe are capable of changing any misconceptions you have about Japanese animation. 

Disclamer: You won't be seeing work from multiple directors here; looking at you Hayao Miyazaki...Nor shall you be seeing films from the same studio or spinoffs from preexisting series that require previous watching to understand context. These are stand alone films, to which they stand proudly. 

5. Tokyo Godfathers (2003) by Satoshi Kon 

A touching tale about three homeless friends that take in an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve. They embark on a journey to find it's mother. Despite constant hardships experienced by the characters that serve to show how difficult life can be; the film is uplifting. It has an underlining motif of family and a gorgeous art style with impressive realism. Would highly recommend it for a holiday film. 

4. Perfect Blue (1998) by Satoshi Kon

If you were thinking to yourself that its the second point in and this idiot has already contradicted himself by picking two films from the same director. I'd kindly point out that I am not being remiss as a reviewer but rather these films are shockingly contrast in style and content that you would be foolish to miss it. The plot revolves a former idol star trying to escape the clutches of an obsessive stalker as her life continually falls apart and she quickly becomes unable to distinguish fantasy from reality. This film is a masterclass of what makes a good psychological thriller and would definitely leave you thinking.

3. Wolf Children (2012) by Mamoru Hosoda 

Wolf Children taken at face value can be taken for its namesake, its a film about wolf children. However, it gently handles the fantasy so that it never overwhelms the film. There are no transformation hi-jinks or forced comedy or drama. The film treats the wolf children naturally. They seamlessly transform into their wolf-forms and out again. Some of the greatest scenes animated in the movie are these transformations as they move in and out of their dual identities. Wolf Children is the heartwarming story about the challenges of being a single mother in an unforgiving modern world. The soundtrack and incredible scenery make for an emotional film and is a true one of a kind. 

2. Ghost in The Shell (1995) by Mamoru Oshii

In the year 2029, advances in Cybernetics allow people to replace nearly all of their body parts and organs with robotics. Through these prosthetics, the weak are made strong, and the dying are given new life. An advanced cybernetics security task force is tasked to investigate a hacker known as; The Puppet Master. Ghost in the Shell is a futuristic thriller with intense action scenes mixed with slower artistic sequences and many philosophical questions about one's soul, gender and human identity in such an advanced age of technology. It was the first Japanese Animated film to garner attention in the Western media, inspiring a new generation of futuristic films including the matrix. A poignant film that questions what it is to be human.

1. Spirited Away (2001) by Hayao Miyazaki 

 I think it goes without saying that we all knew this was coming. As much as any Studio Ghibli film could have taken this spot it just had to go to this gem.  It is the highest grossing film in Japanese history and has won the Oscar for best animated film. A stubborn and naive child mistakenly wonders off from her parents in an abandoned amusement park, slowly finding out there is more to the park then meets her eyes. For she has unwittingly crossed over into the spirit world. Now trapped, she must summon the courage to live and work amongst spirits, with the help of the enigmatic Haku and the cast of unique characters she meets along the way. It has a quiet, subdued way of telling a simple story about a simple girl in a very strange world. The art is mesmerisingly beautiful and still holds value currently despite its age. Instead of expecting something huge, just sit back, watch, and appreciate the world and story Miyazaki has finely crafted for us all to enjoy. Assisted by a beautiful soundtrack Spirited Away is able to makes the audience feel fear, love and warmth all within the one story. I highly recommend it to any man, woman and child. 

Well Folks there we go, happy watching.