Top 10 Anime Movies You Must Watch

We know that anime movies are not considered as a mainstream form of movies. For most, anime is the same cartoon but say this to a dedicated anime lover and they will start a war with you. The thing with anime is, unlike other animation genres, the topics range from a kid show to extremely adult shows. There are anime and movies that deal with light kid stuff as well as deep adult stuff. Today we present you with 10 anime movies that deal with teen and adult concepts that you must watch. 

1. Kimo no Na wa (Your name)

This is one of those well-known anime movies. Released on July 3rd, 2016 in anime expo, this anime deals with the pain of forgetting someone you care about the most. This, in essence, is a love story between two people at different times. Through a supernatural phenomenon, two young teens, Tachibana Taki and Miyamizu Mitsuha change their bodies at random. Initially, they don’t think much about it besides being annoying but as they live each other lives, they fall for each other. 

Dealing with the pain of forgetting someone you deeply care for, this movie tugs our heart. How does it do this? Well for that you will have to watch the movie.

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2. Kimi no Suizo wo Tabetai ( I want to eat your pancreas)

Before you say anything, this is not a gore movie. The movie is about a loner book worm guy finding a cherry girl. Shiga Haruko is a typical loner bookworm who does not have any interest in anyone besides books. That interest leads him to Yamaguchi Sakura. The typical girl that is in every group. She is a girl who is cheerful and has no specific interest. The girl with a shadow in her heart.

This movie deals with the pain of slow separation and how it feels for those who know that they won’t be together but can’t do anything but be together till that time comes. It is a movie that should be watched with a box of tissues.

3. Hotarubi no Mori e (Into the forest of Fireflies)

Sticking to the theme of love and pain, this is one of the more well-known movies among the anime community. Takegawa Hotaru is a 6-year-old girl who gets lost in a forest. That forest is said to be the home of Yokai’s. Yokai in Japanese folklore are the spirits who managed to gain body. There she finds Gin. Gin is a wired existence who is neither a human nor a Yokai. He guides Hotaru out of the forest meanwhile telling her that if a living human touches him, he will disappear. She likes him and goes there again and again. Over time Hotaru grows up and falls for Gin. 

 This movie similarly deals with the pain of loss but at the same time, the meaning of accepting the loss as well. This one of those anime movies that you should definitely watch, 

4. Tonari no Totoro  (My neighbour Totoro)

Sticking to the theme of spirits, this is one of the most significant anime movies of all time. The plot may seem somewhat childish but it really is not. Mei and Satsuki’s mother is hospitalized so the father shifts to a house near the hospital. The kids soon find out that the house is inhabited by small spirits. They soon find another large spirit “Totoro”. She tries to hell her family but who would believe a kid and her imagination? Soon Totoro and the spirits are put behind where they watch their friend play happily.

On the surface, this is indeed a kids anime movie but if you think for a bit then it can be both a dark and an enlightening anime. When you watch the movie, think of Totoro as a spirit of the forest and then the entire movie will make more sense. One of the must-watch anime movies. 

5. Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited away)

As you can guess from the name this is a movie related to spirits. What the name of the movie also gives aways is the theme. The theme of death. In the movie, a 10-year-old kid Chihiro and her parents come across a park The abandoned amusement park is seemingly home to monsters who come there to take a break. They meet a mysterious spirit named Haku. That spirit tells them that she needs to work to free her and her parents from this monster park. Also that this park is not in the human realm but in the spirit realm. 

This movie also mimics how the POW camps were like in the war times so this movie despite having a child as the main character is really deep and hard-hitting. 

6. Seinto Oniisan (Saint Young Men)

So the movies here have been heavy so far so let’s talk about a lighter one. This movie is basically a parody movie. The plot is kinda dumb but the concept is interesting. This movie revolves around Jesus Christ and Gautam Buddha taking a vacation on Earth and living together. Somehow they manage to live as ordinary humans. Jesus here loves everything and among these shopping seems to be his favorite. Buddha, on the other hand, is calm and chill about everything. He seems to like the reading manga a lot.

This anime movie has no point besides to make us think about how gods of different religions would live as normal humans and make us laugh with their gags and puns. Is this deep? No! Should you watch this? Definitely. It is a good choice to just chill and enjoy without thinking of anything.

7. Kaguya-hime no Monogatari (Tale of Princess Kaguya) 

This is another anime movie based on the Myths of Japan. The plot of this movie surrounds Kaguya – the princess of the Moon. She is in awe of human lives and breaks the law of the moon hoping to be banished to Earth. Her wish is fulfilled and she is banished to earth where she is adopted by a bamboo cutter. The bamboo cutter finds her in bamboo and thinks that she is a divine being and names her Princess Kaguya. She grows in beauty and her name spreads. Soon the people of the moon come to take her back which causes some emotional and heartbreaking breaking moments. In the end, she has to go back regardless of her wishes. 

Dealing with how a simple wish can cause a chain effect this movie is the one you must watch if you are into old tales of japan. 

8. Okami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki (Wolf children)

The movie begins with a girl falling in love with a wolfman. They later have a son and a daughter. At the starting of the movie the father is killed and thus begins the movie’s main theme. The single mother has to raise her two unusual children. The children randomly and constantly switch from their wolf form to human form seeming to have no control. Due to this, she has to hide her kids from the world. The kids soon have doubts within themselves and fall into an identity crisis. 

This movie deals with the concept of accepting one’s inner self and explores what it means to accept and control our weirdness so that others don’t get hurt while being true to themselves. An anime movie you must watch. 

9. Ghost in the shell

This is the only movie on this list that does not have a Japanese name. The movie which is still considered one of the greatest cyberpunk anime of all time is something that a lot of boys will love. Being filled with action, the plot of this movie revolves around an android who is made designed to stop crime. At first the android “Motoko Kusanagi” thinks that she was saved from death and turned into an android but as she keeps on stopping the criminals she soon finds out that her memory has been altered and that she was an experiment. Her memory is not fully recovered yet so she decides to punish who did this to her while trying to find out more about her past.

Dealing with the concept of fake life and taking back what just yours, this is one of the must-watch anime movies of all time. 

Note* there are some disturbing scenes so be prepared for that as well.

10. Koe no Katachi (A silent voice)

Back in real life, this is among the recent and popular anime movies. Dealing with the concept of regret and acceptance. Shoko Nishimiya is a deaf girl who transfers to a school. Being a bunch of kids, they bully her. Among them, Shoya Ishida is the one who bullies her the most. Unable to take on the bullying, she transfers to another school. A few years of time skip and Ishida is an outcast. He remembers how she used to bully that innocent girl and seeks to make amends with her. In this journey both Ishida and Nishimiya fall for each other and soon the whole group is re-united although not completely. 

Be ready for some moments that will make you cry and wet your eyes as they explore what is hidden within their heart.