Unfortunately for anime film directors, Top 10s of the best japanese animated movies are most of the time conquered by Studio Ghibli, with Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpieces such as “Spirited Away”,”Princess Mononoke” and Isao Takahata’s “Grave Of The Fireflies” or even “Princess Kaguya”. So today, we’re going to focus on some of the greatest non-Studio Ghibli anime movies, and i’m going to share with you guys, a top 5 of films just as deep and mind-blowing as the former.
5 – Colorful (2010)
I decided to include this one on the list because it’s not as famous as the other ones and is never listed on any top anime, even though “Colorful” is a spectacular piece of art.
Directed by Keiichi Hara, “Coloful” is a story about a sinful soul, granted the oppotunity to have a second chance to live in the real world. He is then placed in the body of a 14 years old boy named Makoto Kobayashi, who has just commited suicide by a overdose of pills. The soul must now figure out what his sin was in his former life, within a 6 months time limit in Makoto’s body.
4 – Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Has anyone watched the 2017 live-action version featuring Scarlett Johansson and Takeshi Kitano ? If so, I hope you checked the original anime movie beforehand, otherwise you’d think the serie’s terrible.
“Ghost in the Shell” is a 1995 anime science fiction film directed by Mamoru Oshii. The story takes place in 2029, with Major Motoko Kusanagi, an assault-team leager for the Public Security Section 9 of “New Port City” in Japan, who hunts a mysterious hacker, the “Puppet Master”.
Considered by many as one of the greatest, “Ghost in the Shell” would please people looking for a very deep and philosophical SF anime movie that makes you think about it the rest of your day.
3 – Perfect Blue (1997)
Satoshi Kon’s “Perfect Blue” is the Japanese version of the famous Darren Aronofsky’s movie “Black Swan”… or in fact the other way round: “Black Swan” was entirely inspired by “Perfect Blue”. If you want to know more about this, check some analysis available on internet. Too many references and hommage, just mindblowing.
“Perfect Blue” is a 1997 anime psychologial horror film, with story focusing on Mima Kirigoe, a member of a Japanese idol group who retires from music to pursue an acting career. But she then becomes victim of stalking, leading her to lose perception of reality and fantasy.
I recommend to watch until the end and not just give up after the first 10 minutes, which doesn’t quite reflect the essence of the film.
2 – Wolf Children (2012)
Maybe the most famous and Miyazakiesque on the list, “Wolf Children” is directed by Mamoru Hosoda, anime director known for his works “Summer Wars” or “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”.
The story takes place in Tokyo, with a young mother who is left ro raise two half-human half-wolf children, Ame and Yuki after the death of their werewolf father.
Stunning visuals, fantasy vibes, an obvious movie recommendation for Ghibli lovers.
1 – Akira (1988)
If we could separate Japanese animated films into two categories, it would be one “Ghibli”, two “Akira”.
“Akira” is a 1988 SF anime movie directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. Depicting a dystopian version of Tokyo, Neo-Tokyo, in the year 2019, the plot focuses on emotional involvement of Tetsuo and his long-term friend Kaneda.
With the film’s futuristic, cyberpunk vibes and its philosophical traits , “Akira” is an anime cult, often regarded as the “Blade Runner” or Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odissey” of Japanese anime. Mind-altering masterpiece.
After Word
That’s it for today’s top 5 of non-Ghibli anime movies. Honorable mentions for Shinkai Makoto’s “Your name” and “5 centimeters per second” which didn’t make this list.
And you, what is your top 5 of non-Ghibli anime movies ?
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