Studio Ghibli has a reputation for creating some of the finest animated films of all time. The studio’s classic films, such as My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, remain amazing fantasy films that every anime fan should watch. Almost no other studio has crafted so many well-remembered fantasy films in such a relatively short period. However, there are still plenty of fantasy anime films that trounce Ghibli’s classic titles.
Studio Ghibli has so many iconic movies that it’s easy to forget that other anime movies can still surpass them in quality. Films by acclaimed directors like Makoto Shinkai and Satoshi Kon are just as fantastic as anything released by Studio Ghibli. Ghibli’s reputation and the quality of their output overshadow other acclaimed hidden gems that might not get as much recognition. These entries show just how much variety and quality non-Ghibli movies can have.
10 The Boy and the Beast Is An Underrated Gem of a Movie
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Originally released in 2015, The Boy and the Beast is an adventure fantasy film that sees a homeless boy taken into the fantastical Beast Kingdom. The boy, Kyūta, quickly befriends the solitary warrior Kumatetsu. The two quickly begin training together as master and student, and the movie does a great job of making the relationship between the lazy Kumatetsu and the hot-headed Kyuta feel real. For a movie that often switches between two worlds, both of them feel equally intriguing and add to the dynamic of the two leads.
Kumatetsu may be exceptional at kendo, but his lack of supporters causes him to lose confidence in himself. Conversely, Kyūta’s lack of a parental figure after the death of his mother allows Kumatetsu to fill that void in his life. The pair work off each other tremendously well, and their bond helps make the movie’s emotional scenes hit hard. The Boy and the Beast is a great movie overall and truly deserves to be talked about as a modern classic.
9 Paprika is a Sci-Fi Fantasy Film, Unlike Anything Anime Fans Have Seen Before
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Paprika is an anime film with a premise that has yet to be replicated almost 20 years after its release. The movie follows Dr. Atsuko Chiba helps her patients using a device called the DC Mini. Thanks to the device, Dr. Atsuko can assume her alternate persona, Paprika, and enter her patients’ dreams to determine what’s plaguing them. After learning of the theft of three prototype DC Minis, Atsuko quickly becomes involved in a larger case that blends dreams with reality.
The movie often blends Atsuko’s perspective with her Paprika persona. The movie often has Paprika directly advising the doctor, as more of Atsuko’s colleagues fall victim to the negative effects of the DC Mini. The movie’s surreal nature and focus on dreams make the story have an uncanny quality that sucks viewers into its story. To this day, there are very few movies that capture the same themes of how dreams affect people’s psyches, like Paprika.
8 NiNoKuni is a Beautiful Reimagining of a Stellar Video Game
Streaming on Netflix
NiNoKuni is already an amazing JRPG franchise that’s heavily inspired by the works of Studio Ghibli. However, the franchise’s film entry takes everything special about the games and amplifies it to the next level. As the wheelchair-bound Yu and his best friend Haru are transported to a strange fantasy world, the two go on separate paths to find a cure for their ill acquaintance, Kotona. The boys’ diverging paths led to both of them taking drastic measures to save their friend.
The two best friends’ bond is tested as their ideals begin to diverge from each other. Yu begins to align himself with the king of Evermore, Gnauass. Meanwhile, Haru joins the Black Banner, a group bent on toppling the kingdom of Evermore. Seeing the two friends slowly become at odds with each other is heartbreaking to watch and only gets more harrowing as the story unfolds.
7 Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King Is Severely Underrated Among Shonen Feature Films
Streaming on Netflix
Among shonen anime movies, many might forget that Black Clover‘s lone cinematic entry was one of the better ones. In the film, the Clover Kingdom hosts a fighting tournament called the Triumph, supposed to be held every ten years. However, things take a turn for the worse when the treacherous Wizard King Conrad Leto crashes the festivities. After resurrecting three other Wizard Kings, it’s up to Asta and the other Magic Knights to stop Leto’s rampage.
The film has some of the most jaw-dropping action of any shonen action film. The battles between Yami, Garandos, Asta, and Conrad are some of the very best in recent memory. Asta and Conrad also have a great dynamic, with the latter showing how Asta’s ideals of what a Wizard King should be can get corrupted and used for evil. The movie is heavily underappreciated by those outside of the Black Clover fandom and deserves more recognition.
Black Clover
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6 Suzume Proves That Makoto Shinkai Can Still Masterfully Animated Movies
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Suzume is one of director Makoto Shinkai’s most recent animated films and still stands as one of his best. The film follows a 17-year-old named Suzume Iwato trying to seal mysterious doors that have led to massive earthquakes breaking out across Japan. With the help of the enigmatic Souta Munakata, Suzume’s quest to track down the doors completely upends her everyday life. Her encounters with sentient chairs and supernatural cats are just the tip of the iceberg when examining the film’s themes.
Amidst the supernatural elements of the movie, one of the core themes is about overcoming loss. Suzume’s journey to seal the doors constantly reminds her of the trauma she suffers from after losing her mother in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. Suzume’s struggles hit hard for anyone overcoming their forms of trauma, and make the movie feel truly gripping. Anyone who enjoyed Your Name or Weathering With You will have a blast watching Suzume.
5 Children of the Sea Showcases the Hidden Wonders of the Ocean
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Children of the Sea is one of the most beautifully animated movies to come out in the 2010s. As a junior high school student, Ruka visits her local aquarium and quickly befriends two boys named Umi and Sora. Any scene with these three swimming in the water is utterly breathtaking. The water feels alive with how fluidly all the aquarium’s fish swim around it.
As Ruka, Umi, and Sora grow close, they begin to realize that their connection is affecting the Earth’s ocean life. Aquatic animals from around the world gather in Japan and comets begin mysteriously falling into the ocean. Unraveling these mysteries brings the trio together in ways that emphasize humanity’s connection with nature and the ocean. For anime fans looking for a unique, heartfelt fantasy adventure, Children of the Sea is the perfect movie to watch.
4 Inuyasha the Movie is A Solid Entry in A Classic Franchise
Streaming on Tubi
Inuyasha The Movie: Affections Touching Across Time is another underrated film entry in a beloved franchise. In this new adventure, Inuyasha and his friends need to defeat the yokai Menōmaru. Menōmaru is the son of a powerful yokai that Inuyasha’s father defeated centuries ago, and vows to make Inuyasha pay for humiliating his family. For any fan of the original Inuyasha show, there’s plenty to love about this movie.
The action, music, and CGI are consistently on point. Battles featuring Sango and Killika are well-choreographed and lengthy, leaving plenty of pulse-pounding fights to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Kagome also gets some more introspective scenes as well, pondering her connection to the well that ties the two time periods together. Overall, Inuyasha The Movie is a great fantasy action film that doesn’t get enough appreciation.
3 Poupelle of Chimney Town Tells a Delightful Steampunk Adventure
Streaming on Pluto TV
Released in 2020, Poupelle of Chimney Town is a steampunk fantasy story with a lovely art style. Many anime fans may still not enjoy 3D anime, let alone 3D anime movies. But Poupelle of Chimney Town’s striking 3D animation makes each character visually pop out on-screen. The story also feels right at home in a Pixar movie, with a friendly monster named Poupelle out to prove that stars exist beyond the smoggy confines of Chimney Town.
The story and characters of the film are exceptionally charming. Poupelle has a great dynamic with his human companion Lubicchi, and their friendship is the highlight of the movie. Other characters, like the talkative swindler Scoop, also have distinct personalities that are a treat to watch on-screen. Overall, the movie is a wonderful film and perfect to watch during the Halloween season.
2 No Fantasy Anime Movie Is As Heartwarming as Wolf Children
Streaming on YouTube
Wolf Children is one of those animated movies that sticks in viewers’ heads long after their first watch. The story of a single mother raising a pair of half-human, half-wolf children is something that’s as unorthodox as it is heartwarming. As Hana does her best to raise her new kids following her lover’s untimely death, the movie gets to explore how her kids come into their own. The film expertly explores Hana’s struggles as a single human mother with her children’s struggles to fit into human society.
Hana’s children, Yuki and Ame, both begin to notice how their differences affect their peers as they grow older. As the siblings both enter public school, it becomes a real struggle for them to hide their nature as wolves. They struggle to blend in and feel accepted by their peers, echoing what many children feel after transferring to a new school. Wolf Children begins as a heartfelt story about parenting and ends up being an amazing coming-of-age story.
1 Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train Took the World By Storm On Release
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Demon Slayer‘s theatrical debut made one of the biggest splashes for any anime property on release. Despite being released amid the COVID-19 pandemic, its high-quality animation and beloved new characters made it the highest-grossing anime movie of 2020. Taking place after the first season of the anime, the movie adapts the Mugen Train arc of the manga with flying colors. The beautiful adaptation sees Tanjiro help the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, on a mission to hunt a demon that’s caused several recent disappearances.
The action in Demon Slayer‘s first movie is nothing short of breathtaking. The anime was already known for its high-quality visuals, but the Mugen Train movie takes this to another level. Any fight scene featuring Rengoku has more than enough polish to rival the best fights from Dragon Ball or One Piece. Demon Slayer’s first feature film tells a complete story from start to finish that still captivates newcomers to the franchise.
