Paste's The 100 Best Anime Movies of All Time
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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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93 -1
Momotarô: Umi no shinpei
1945 — a.k.a. Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors, in 1 top list Check -
22 -1
Hakuja den
1958 — a.k.a. Panda and the Magic Serpent, in 1 top list Check -
58 -1
Sen'ya ichiya monogatari
1969 — a.k.a. One Thousand and One Nights, in 1 top list Check -
36 -1
Panda kopanda
1972 — a.k.a. Panda! Go Panda!, in 1 top list Check -
19 -1
Kanashimi no Beradonna
1973 — a.k.a. Belladonna of Sadness, in 3 top lists Check -
46 -1
Ginga tetsudô Three-Nine
1979 — a.k.a. Galaxy Express 999, in 1 top list Check -
59 -1
Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro
1979 — a.k.a. Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, in 3 top lists Check -
66 -1
Hi no tori 2772: Ai no kosumozôn
1980 — a.k.a. Phoenix 2772, in 1 top list Check -
101 -1
Darosu
1983 — a.k.a. Dallos, in 1 top list Check -
96 -1
Golgo 13
1983 — a.k.a. Golgo 13: The Professional, in 1 top list Check -
15 -1
Hadashi no Gen
1983 — a.k.a. Barefoot Gen, in 2 top lists Check -
17 -1
Chôjikû Yôsai Macross: Ai Oboeteimasuka
1984 — a.k.a. Super Space Fortress Macross, in 1 top list Check -
25 -1
Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä
1984 — a.k.a. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, in 10 top lists Check -
29 -1
Urusei Yatsura 2: Byûtifuru dorîmâ
1984 — a.k.a. Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, in 3 top lists Check -
61 -1
Ginga-tetsudô no yoru
1985 — a.k.a. Kenji Miyazawa's Night on the Galactic Railroad, in 2 top lists Check -
39 -1
Kyûketsuki hantâ D
1985 — a.k.a. Vampire Hunter D, in 2 top lists Check -
73 -1
Tenshi no tamago
1985 — a.k.a. Angel's Egg, in 4 top lists Check -
76 -1
Hokuto no Ken
1986 — a.k.a. Fist of the North Star, in 2 top lists Check -
38 -1
Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta
1986 — a.k.a. Castle in the Sky, in 10 top lists Check -
11 -1
Meikyû monogatari
1987 — a.k.a. Neo Tokyo, in 1 top list Check -
12 -1
Ôritsu uchûgun Oneamisu no tsubasa
1987 — a.k.a. Wings of Honneamise, in 1 top list Check -
35 -1
Robotto kânibaru
1987 — a.k.a. Robot Carnival, in 1 top list Check -
75 -1
Yôjû toshi
1987 — a.k.a. Wicked City, in 1 top list Check -
1 -
Akira
1988, in 22 top lists Check -
4 -1
Hotaru no haka
1988 — a.k.a. Grave of the Fireflies, in 21 top lists Check -
34 -1
Kidô Senshi Gundam: Gyakushû no Shâ
1988 — a.k.a. Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, in 1 top list Check -
10 -1
Tonari no Totoro
1988 — a.k.a. My Neighbor Totoro, in 23 top lists Check -
70 -1
Kidô keisatsu patorebâ: Gekijô-ban
1989 — a.k.a. Patlabor: The Movie, in 1 top list Check -
32 -1
Majo no takkyûbin
1989 — a.k.a. Kiki's Delivery Service, in 8 top lists Check -
92 -1
Venus Senki
1989 — a.k.a. Venus Wars, in 1 top list Check -
81 -1
Kaze no na wa amunejia
1990 — a.k.a. A Wind Named Amnesia, in 1 top list Check -
104 -1
Kidô senshi Gundam F91
1991 — a.k.a. Mobile Suit Gundam F91, in 1 top list Check -
26 -1
Omohide poro poro
1991 — a.k.a. Only Yesterday, in 3 top lists Check -
28 -1
Rôjin Z
1991 — a.k.a. Oldman Z, in 1 top list Check -
97 -1
Chumon no ooi ryori-ten
1992 — a.k.a. A Well-Ordered Restaurant, in 1 top list Check -
44 -1
Kurenai no buta
1992 — a.k.a. Porco Rosso, in 3 top lists Check -
64 -1
Dragon Ball Z: Moetsukiro!! Nessen Ressen...
1993 — a.k.a. Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan, in 1 top list Check -
60 -1
Gunnm
1993 — a.k.a. Battle Angel, in 1 top list Check -
23 -1
Jûbê ninpûchô
1993 — a.k.a. Ninja Scroll, in 2 top lists Check -
9 -1
Kidô keisatsu patorebâ: The Movie 2
1993 — a.k.a. Patlabor 2: The Movie, in 1 top list Check -
14 -1
Heisei tanuki gassen ponpoko
1994 — a.k.a. Pom Poko, in 2 top lists Check -
67 -1
Gekijouban Makurosu Purasu
1995 — a.k.a. Macross Plus Movie Edition, in 1 top list Check -
5 -1
Kôkaku Kidôtai
1995 — a.k.a. Ghost in the Shell, in 12 top lists Check -
24 -1
Memorîzu
1995 — a.k.a. Memories, in 1 top list Check -
63 -1
Mimi wo sumaseba
1995 — a.k.a. Whisper of the Heart, in 4 top lists Check -
99 -1
Gekijôban Furandaasu no inu
1997 — a.k.a. The Dog of Flanders, in 1 top list Check -
13 -1
Mononoke-hime
1997 — a.k.a. Princess Mononoke, in 18 top lists Check -
8 -1
Pâfekuto burû
1997 — a.k.a. Perfect Blue, in 13 top lists Check -
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 -
56 -1
Shin Kido Senki Gundam Wing Endless Waltz
1998 — a.k.a. Gundam Wing: The Movie - Endless Waltz, in 1 top list Check
Last updated on Nov 15, 2023 by Fergenaprido; source