The hit 2016 animated movie Your Name was created by well-known anime director Makoto Shinkai. Many fans still hold this film dear to their heart today because of its stunning art style, beautiful animation, memorable soundtrack, and great characters. These elements will convince any anime fan to give this movie a watch during their lifetime.
Your Name's short appearance in the anime industry may have come and gone, but many will consider it to be a classic anime film for years. Therefore, here are ten anime to watch if you enjoyed Your Name.
Update July 31st, 2020 by Louis Kemner: Makoto Shinkai's magnum opus Your Name continues to set a high standard for animated movies with themes of love, loss, and destiny, and the good news is that it's not alone. Many animated films can strike a chord with readers when they pack in enough humor, romance, drama, and suspense, and it's time to explore a few more options. These short but sweet anime movies and series should hit the spot for any Your Name fan.
15 Violet Evergarden
This series is 12 episodes long and depicts a lush world based on early 20th century Europe or so. In this series, a war is winding down, and young women are vital for typing heartfelt letters that people send each other during these trying times.
The heroine, Violet Evergarden, lost both arms in the war, but not her faith in humanity. With her metal hands, she will help her clients pour their hearts into their letters, and Violet gets caught up in the affairs of her clients soon enough.
14 Waiting In The Summer
Kaito Kirishima is a high schooler with a love of film, and he's ready to make his own documentary or sci-fi feature if he can get enough actors and support staff. He crosses paths with the lovely and upbeat Ichika Takatsuki, who is much more than she seems. In fact, she is an alien (the curious, harmless kind).
Ichika absolutely adores everyday human life, and she would much rather help Kaito pursue his dream project and make friends than report back to her own people. But duty calls, and Ichika may struggle to hold onto the new life that she's built.
13 Plastic Memories
Plastic Memories is set in the near future, where highly realistic androids and gynoids are commonplace. But these mechanical beings have short lifespans, and it's up to Tsukasa Mizugaki and his fellow professionals to retire them and take them away.
This makes Tsukasa something of a grim reaper for androids, and things get complicated when he falls for his co-worker, a dying gynoid named Isla. Her heart may be plastic and wires, but the feelings are real, and Isla is running out of time.
12 A Place Further Than The Universe
At first, A Place Further Than The Universe seems rather different than Your Name. It's the story of four high school girls who qualify for a trip to Antarctica, a thrilling adventure of a lifetime. But for one of them, Shirase Kobuchizawa, the trip is more personal.
Shirase's mother went missing in Antarctica some time ago, and Shirase will stop at nothing to find her. And when she does set foot on the world's coldest continent, she will get answers... but perhaps not the one she hoped for. And like Your Name, this anime has themes of friendship, grief, and finding the strength to move on.
11 One Week Friends
This is a high school drama with a lot of cute moments, allowing it to have a well-balanced and well-rounded tone. Ordinary high school student Yuki Hase takes note of his cold and distant classmate Kaori Fujimiya, and approaches her. He's in for a surprise.
Kaori has a warm heart, but can't share it because she loses all memories of all her friends every Monday, making friendships and love impossible. Yuki won't accept that; he will be Kaori's true friend, even if Kaori has to write notes to herself to keep the friendship alive past the week.
10 Erased
Erased is about a male named Satoru Fujinuma who can time-travel. After being blamed for a murder, Satoru uses his powers to go back in time to when he was a child. He later discovers that a childhood classmate's death also connects to the murderer. Thus Satoru's goal is to uncover the mystery behind both cases and to protect everyone he cares about in both timelines.
Like Your Name, Erased tackles the time-traveling component concerning fulfilling the protagonist's wishes to change the past. Not to mention that both anime love to toy with viewers' emotions when it comes to dramatic scenes. If you enjoyed the timeline hopping ability and moving scenes in Your Name, Erased will not disappoint.
9 Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is about a male lead named Jinta Yadomi, who is being followed by his deceased friend Menma's spirit. After reuniting with old friends, it's up to them to assist Jinta in helping Menma's spirit move on to heaven.
Like Your Name, Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is a heartbreaking anime that will leave many fans in tears by the series end. Both anime have soundtracks that build upon the characters' emotions. If viewers enjoyed Your Name, they should watch Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day next.
8 A Silent Voice
A Silent Voice is about a male named Shoya Ishida who wants to meet and apologize to a female classmate from his past since he ran a bullying campaign against her when they were children. Thus the anime showcases Shoya's journey to help his former classmate understand that he's sorry for what he did.
After watching Your Name, there's no doubt that one will receive the same emotional impact when watching A Silent Voice. Both movies contain breathtaking animated sequences and spontaneous scores. Though A Silent Voice tackles darker themes than Your Name, it's a film worth watching.
7 5 Centimeters Per Second
5 Centimeters Per Second is about the struggling bond between two friends named Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara. Certain life instances prevent them from reuniting, and as the years go by, their relationship continues to dwindle. Thus the anime highlights the problems with dating others from other sides of the world.
Like Your Name, Makoto Shinkai directed 5 Centimeters per Second, and the similarities between the two are noticeable. These include both anime's use of similar thematic and plot-driven elements mixed in with well-crafted animation and soundtracks. If Your Name drove a viewer's emotions wild, 5 Centimeters Per Second is worth watching.
6 Clannad
Clannad is about a male named Tomoya Okazaki who finds life to be bland until he runs into a girl named Nagisa Furukawa. After he befriends Nagisa and many other people in school, Tomoya starts understanding the value of family and friendship. Thus the story revolves around Tomoya's journey to realize that life is more interesting than he once thought.
Like Your Name, Clannad tackles romance. Clannad's art style, animation, and soundtrack will leave many viewers in awe. If viewers enjoyed Your Name's characters and atmosphere, Clannad should be on their watchlist.
5 The Garden Of Words
The Garden of Words is about a craftsman named Takao Akizuki, who meets a woman named Yukari Yukino in a stunning garden during a season filled with endless showers. After several meetups, both characters come to terms with each other's problems, which puts their relationship to the test.
Like Your Name, The Garden of Words is a film that will leave viewers teary-eyed. Despite being a possibly forgotten anime film compared to Your Name, The Garden of Words still holds up today. If viewers enjoyed Your Name's visuals, plot, and soundtrack, The Garden of Words is worth watching.
4 Angel Beats
Angel Beats is about a male lead named Otonashi Yuzuru who wakes up in the afterlife and runs into a battlefront leader named Yuri Nakamura, whose goal is to take down Kanade Tachibana because she's a threat. Otonashi decides to side with Yuri in putting an end to Kanade, but unbeknownst to Otanashi, Kanade is not as bad as Yuri claims.
Like Your Name, Angel Beats is an anime that's known for triggering the toughest of anime fans' emotions. Angel Beats also has beautiful animation and an engaging plot. These elements alone should convince any Your Name fan to watch Angel Beats.
3 The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is an anime film directed by Mamoru Hosoda and is about a girl named Makoto Konna, who has the ability to travel back in time. Like most time-traveling series, she later discovers that tinkering with time has its consequences.
Like Your Name, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time focuses on the characters and their environments. Viewers will also notice how both films highlight the protagonist's daily lives to a close degree. Therefore, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is worth watching after Your Name
2 Millennium Actress
Millennium Actress is about a former film creator named Genya Tachibana, who wants to film a documentary on a retired actress named Chiyoko Fujiwara. Along with his cameraman Kyouji Ida, they listen in on Chiyoko's talles of being an actress. However, while the story is being told, Genya and Kyouji end up on a wild illusion-like journey that visualizes these events in Chiyoko's life.
Like Your Name, Millennium Actress tells a tale of a woman who's searching for a lover. Both carry heartfelt messages and will leave some teary-eyed. If one felt Your Name had an impact on them, then Millennium Actress is sure to do the same.
1 Higurashi: When They Cry
Higurashi: When They Cry is about a male named Keiichi who moves into a village and meets four girls, all of whom he eventually befriends. Unbeknownst to Keiichi, he later discovers that this place isn't as peaceful as he once thought. Thus Higurashi: When They Cry presents the viewer with many story arcs that showcases the village's true nature.
Like Your Name, to a degree, Higurashi When They Cry takes place in a village where time-travel plays a massive role. Also, if fans were to watch Higurashi When They Cry's second season, the plot matches up with Your Name's story as it showcases friends partnering up to prevent a terrible event from occurring. If viewers enjoyed Your Name's plot, then Higurashi When They Cry's worth watching.