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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  1. 3 new

    Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka

    2023 — a.k.a. The Boy and the Heron, in 3 top lists
    Check
  2. 98 -1

    Gekijô-ban hagane no renkinjutsushi: Shanbara...

    2005 — a.k.a. Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa, in 1 top list Check
  3. 56 -1

    Shin Kido Senki Gundam Wing Endless Waltz

    1998 — a.k.a. Gundam Wing: The Movie - Endless Waltz, in 1 top list Check
  4. 9 -1

    Kidô keisatsu patorebâ: The Movie 2

    1993 — a.k.a. Patlabor 2: The Movie, in 1 top list Check
  5. 70 -1

    Kidô keisatsu patorebâ: Gekijô-ban

    1989 — a.k.a. Patlabor: The Movie, in 1 top list Check
  6. 72 -1

    Momo e no tegami

    2011 — a.k.a. A Letter to Momo, in 1 top list Check
  7. 74 -1

    Karafuru

    2010 — a.k.a. Colourful, in 1 top list Check
  8. 45 -1

    Suchîmubôi

    2004 — a.k.a. Steamboy, in 1 top list Check
  9. 62 -1

    Suzumiya Haruhi no shôshitsu

    2010 — a.k.a. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, in 2 top lists Check
  10. 92 -1

    Vinasu senki

    1989 — a.k.a. Venus Wars, in 1 top list Check
  11. 103 -1

    Ongaku

    2019 — a.k.a. On-Gaku: Our Sound, in 1 top list
    Check
  12. 33 -1

    Mirai no Mirai

    2018 — a.k.a. Mirai, in 1 top list
    Check
  13. 83 -1

    Genius Party

    2007, in 1 top list Check
  14. 100 -1

    Omoide no Mânî

    2014 — a.k.a. When Marnie Was There, in 2 top lists Check
  15. 54 -1

    Hôhokekyo tonari no Yamada-kun

    1999 — a.k.a. My Neighbors the Yamadas, in 1 top list Check
  16. 17 -1

    Chôjikû Yôsai Macross: Ai Oboeteimasuka

    1984 — a.k.a. Super Space Fortress Macross, in 1 top list Check
  17. 12 -1

    Ôritsu uchûgun Oneamisu no tsubasa

    1987 — a.k.a. Wings of Honneamise, in 1 top list Check
  18. 68 -1

    Supurigan

    1998 — a.k.a. Spriggan, in 1 top list Check
  19. 90 -1

    Jobanni no shima

    2014 — a.k.a. Giovanni's Island, in 1 top list Check
  20. 77 -1

    Stranger: Mukô hadan

    2007 — a.k.a. Sword of the Stranger, in 1 top list Check
  21. 14 -1

    Heisei tanuki gassen ponpoko

    1994 — a.k.a. Pom Poko, in 2 top lists Check
  22. 41 -1

    Koe no katachi

    2016 — a.k.a. A Silent Voice: The Movie, in 5 top lists Check
  23. 34 -1

    Kidô Senshi Gundam: Gyakushû no Shâ

    1988 — a.k.a. Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, in 1 top list Check
  24. 104 -1

    Kidô senshi Gundam F91

    1991 — a.k.a. Mobile Suit Gundam F91, in 1 top list Check
  25. 99 -1

    Gekijôban Furandaasu no inu

    1997 — a.k.a. The Dog of Flanders, in 1 top list Check
  26. 46 -1

    Ginga tetsudô Three-Nine

    1979 — a.k.a. Galaxy Express 999, in 1 top list Check
  27. 102 -1

    Aa! Megamisama! The Movie

    2000 — a.k.a. Ah! My Goddess!: The Movie, in 1 top list Check
  28. 66 -1

    Hi no tori 2772: Ai no kosumozôn

    1980 — a.k.a. Phoenix 2772, in 1 top list Check
  29. 48 -1

    Jin-Rô

    1999 — a.k.a. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, in 1 top list Check
  30. 101 -1

    Darosu

    1983 — a.k.a. Dallos, in 1 top list Check
  31. 20 -1

    Redline

    2009, in 2 top lists Check
  32. 96 -1

    Golgo 13

    1983 — a.k.a. Golgo 13: The Professional, in 1 top list Check
  33. 35 -1

    Robotto kânibaru

    1987 — a.k.a. Robot Carnival, in 1 top list Check
  34. 37 -1

    Appurushîdo

    2004 — a.k.a. Appleseed, in 1 top list Check
  35. 28 -1

    Rôjin Z

    1991 — a.k.a. Oldman Z, in 1 top list Check
  36. 81 -1

    Kaze no na wa amunejia

    1990 — a.k.a. A Wind Named Amnesia, in 1 top list Check
  37. 75 -1

    Yôjû toshi

    1987 — a.k.a. Wicked City, in 1 top list Check
  38. 29 -1

    Urusei Yatsura 2: Byûtifuru dorîmâ

    1984 — a.k.a. Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, in 3 top lists Check
  39. 22 -1

    Hakuja den

    1958 — a.k.a. Panda and the Magic Serpent, in 1 top list Check
  40. 91 -1

    Neko no ongaeshi

    2002 — a.k.a. The Cat Returns, in 1 top list Check
  41. 79 -1

    Evangelion Shin Gekijôban: Jo

    2007 — a.k.a. Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, in 1 top list Check
  42. 67 -1

    Gekijouban Makurosu Purasu

    1995 — a.k.a. Macross Plus Movie Edition, in 1 top list Check
  43. 27 -1

    Tekkon kinkurîto

    2006 — a.k.a. Tekkonkinkreet, in 4 top lists Check
  44. 42 -1

    Kumo no mukô, yakusoku no basho

    2004 — a.k.a. The Place Promised in Our Early Days, in 1 top list Check
  45. 50 -1

    Innocence

    2004 — a.k.a. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, in 3 top lists Check
  46. 71 -1

    Gyo

    2012 — a.k.a. Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack, in 1 top list Check
  47. 94 -1

    Short Peace

    2013, in 1 top list Check
  48. 93 -1

    Momotarô: Umi no shinpei

    1945 — a.k.a. Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors, in 1 top list Check
  49. 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
  50. 60 -1

    Gunnm

    1993 — a.k.a. Battle Angel, in 1 top list Check
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Last updated on Nov 15, 2023 by Fergenaprido; source