Watching and discovering new anime movies is an amazing way to dive into the world without committing to a multi-season/episode show. There is a wide number to chose from, some of which are unique stories while others serve as extensions to an already existing series. One of the most prominent companies for anime movies is Studio Ghibli, who is best known for Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and My Neighbor Totoro.
Popular anime shows typically also have anime movies that are set in-between story arcs, such as My Hero Academia: Heroes: Rising. But many anime movies go unnoticed due to a lack of a big name being attached. These movies are also harder to come by outside of Japan. Here is a list of anime movies you definitely need to see, even if you haven't heard of them before.
10 Memories
Memories is a movie from 1995 and is broken up into three short films, with each short featuring a different director and sci-fi elements. The three films all have wildly different tones between horror, comedy, and political commentary.
The first film is called "Magnetic Rose," a space horror. A space crew dispatch on a distress call, only to discover that a phantom is on the other side of the call. The second short is called "Stink Bomb" and is about a man who works for a science lab who accidentally takes a pill that makes him smell so bad, it kills anyone he comes near. The final film is called "Cannon Fodder" and is the shortest of the three. This story is a commentary on wartime and the viewpoint of it between adults and the youth.
9 Redline
This anime movie is a gritty action flick. The Redline is the hottest race in the galaxy with a wide range of characters competing in it, including racers humans and all sorts of aliens. If Initial D had a love child with Space Dandy, the result would be Redline.
Redline has an utterly groovy soundtrack to accompany the racing. JP, the film's protagonist, drives a Trans Am 20000 WR, with some slight spacey modifications. With his leather jacket and greased up hair, he is meant to look like a 1950s greaser. The art style is filled with thick black lines that make the colors boldly stick out.
8 Tokyo Godfathers
Picture this, it's New Years' Eve night in Tokyo, Japan. Three homeless people are digging through a trash heap to discover their latest finds when they come across a wailing baby. There are no parents left insight, and it's all alone.
Tokyo Godfathers is the heart-warming tale of three individuals who ban together to reunite the baby with her mother. They roam all over Tokyo to find her while uncovering truths about their own lives and why they have become homeless. The three follow clue after clue during their search, often getting themselves into messy situations.
7 The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a sci-fi romance story about a high school girl, Makoto, who acquires the ability to jump into time. Makoto begins to go back to the past for her own benefit, but quickly realizes she is affecting the lives of those around her as well as her own.
Like everything regarding time travel, things get confusing pretty quickly. The movie does an excellent job of explaining Makoto's new ability as she learns that she has a limited amount of time-leaps before they run out. The movie is beautiful and sweet and will leave viewers wanting more in the most satisfying way.
6 Into The Forest Of Firefly Lights
Based on a one-shot shoujo manga, Into the Forest of Firefly Lights is a romance story. This movie is short and sweet, spanning only a 45-minute run time. As a young girl, Hotaru wanders into a forest that is filled with strange spirits, the most notable being the mountain spirit. In the forest, she meets Gin, a strange boy who wears a mask. Gin tells her that he is also a spirit and that if a human were to touch him, he would disappear.
After helping her down the mountain, Hotaru promises to return every summer when she isn't in school. As the years go on, Hotaru nears the age that Gin appears and a budding romance begins. The only thing is, they still can't touch. This film is short and tragic, but worth every second.
5 Summer Wars
From the same director as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars is sure to be a hit with most anime fans. Math genius Tenji has been hired by his crush, Natsuki, to act as her fiance during a family reunion; however, after a breach in the virtual world known as OZ, the virtual reality threatens to collide with Earth.
Virtual reality, also known as Love Machine, begins to threaten everyday life by corrupting traffic and, eventually, setting a track for an asteroid probe to collide with a nuclear power plant. This film has a little something for everyone, be it romance, action, and sci-fi.
4 Gyo
This anime film is based on the hit Junji Ito manga, Gyo. Junji Ito is known for being one of the best horror manga artists and has a number of horrific works that have been rendered into an anime series, multiple live-action movies, and an anime film.
Gyo is a wild story about parasites taking over the bodies of sea creatures, giving them legs to walk onshore. With the parasite comes a horrible stench that permeates the area and characters of the film. The parasite only evolves from there, eventually moving on from sharks and fish to human beings.
3 Whisper of the Heart
The fact that a Studio Ghibli movie is on this list might be a bit surprising, however, Whisper of the Heart oftentimes goes unnoticed.
Whisper of the Heart is one of Ghibli's most realistic stories. It's about a high-school girl who is unsure of what direction to take in life. She meets a boy who is a passionate violin player, with the goal to attend school in Italy. After meeting him, she becomes truly inspired to find her own calling and takes a liking to the idea of becoming a writer. While he is in school, she vows to write and complete her first novel, so that when they reunite, they both would have accomplished a dream.
2 The Beast And The Boy
Young orphan Ren (who later goes by Kyuta) lives all alone on the busy streets of Shibuya until he is whisked away to a fantastical beast world by the giant gruff Kumatetsu, a beast.
Kumatetsu takes in Ren as his apprentice but ends up raising the boy in the process. After returning to the human world, Ren meets a new friend and his father who had been searching for him. Ren struggles to live a double life, one in the human world and one in the beast world.
1 Sword Of The Stranger
Sword of the Stranger is a definite must-see anime movie. Not only is the animation superb but the story is also gripping. Set in Sengoku-Japan, a mysterious ronin called "Nanashi" rescues a boy and his dog who are on the run.
For some reason, the boy is being chased by a group of Ming swordsmen led by a fearsome Western foreigner. Nanashi and the boy make a deal, and the ronin agrees to escort the boy to the Buddhist temple he is venturing to. This story is filled with a number of twists and turns and is utterly captivating.