What am I missing? What should an old fart who's becoming convinced things were better in the old days put myself infront of?
Tokyo Godfathers is an amazing and deeply human christmas comedy about homeless people in the Tokyo streets, filled with magical moments of cinematography.
Paprika is a less lighthearted story about inner lives, dreams and ambitions set across a sci fi backdrop where people are learning to enter each other's dreams and link them together. It has gorgeous dreamscapes and an amazing soundtrack as well as a fascinating plot and interesting characters.
Thre's also Makoto Shinkai's movies, which have good cinematography and interesting themes and soundtrack, as well as somewhat interesting characters (though a bit samey). Your Name is excellent, with Weathering with You and Suzume being good but not great. 5 Centimeters per second is nice as well. Children who chase lost voices underground is his most Ghibli movie and I'd say it definitely gets the tone and aesthetics right for the Nausica/Mononoke era of Ghibli.
On the Ghibli side, I quite enjoyed Studio Ponoc's Modest Heroes, which was a collection of shorts by Studio Ponoc (which has some Ghibli Veterans in it as well as younger talent I believe). Kanini and Kanino has the adventure elements and aesthetics, Life ain't gonna lose has the small child PoV element, Invisible has the social elements.
Also seconding Your Name - hits the whole emotional spectrum, even on second and third watch when you know what's happening.
As lesser-known recommendations from Ghibli, I think Porco Rosso and From Up On Poppy Hill are both underrated-and-good in their own way, though they don't quite leave the impact that some of the others do.
I also enjoyed "Your Name".
Candidates start with 5 points. If they have a positive score after applying the system, they're at least worth checking out (although they will not necessarily be good). If not, you are likely wasting your time.
1) Every word in the title past the third is worth -1 point. This includes particles and abbreviations.
2) Each word in the subtitle is worth -0.5 points.
3) Any of the following words or close synonyms are worth -2 points on top of any other penalties: Academy, Ability, Cheat, Dungeon, Elf, Game, Goblin, Harem, Hero, Idol, Isekai, Level, Loop, Maou, MMO, Mob, Online, Overlord, Party, Player, Re(used as a prefix), Reincarnation, "The Animation"(verbatim only), Vampire, Villainess, Virtual, VR, VTuber, Wizard
4) Subtract an additional point for every word that implies this is a remake, spinoff, adaptation or sequel, such as "Kai", "Gaiden", "2nd" (3rd, etc.), "New", et cetera.
5) Even though you already subtracted a point for "Isekai" in step 3. If the title contains the word "Isekai", subtract an additional 5 points.
6) Apply the following adjustment based on the source material: History: +3 (Applying only to direct adaptations of historical events, not merely using historical theming) Literary Fiction: +2 Original Work: +1 Other: +1 OVA: +0.5 Live Action: +0 Web Animation/Motion Comic/Music Video: +0 Comic: +0 Video Game: -1 Light Novel: -1 Writeup of someone's D&D session: -1 CCG: -2 Web Novel: -5 Mobile Game: -10 "Multimedia Project" (This is just a mobile game that doesn't exist yet): -10 Social Media Post: -100
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dsetsuka_ni_Nar%C5%8D
Which invariably feature the reincarnation of ordinary people in an RPG fantasy world, that is, the genre "isekai":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isekai
Fair enough, I guess, they're silly and unabashedly cliched and are not Miyazaki. But I watched a few and kind of liked them: How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, I'm in Love with the Villainess, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Parallel World Pharmacy. (That's four different titles, to be clear.)
I could comfortably watch another right now, I'm tempted by Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon. But I would not like to watch GITS, which exists in my mind as a vague painful memory of a self-important plot about cyborgs and a lot of characters jumping around on rooftops and shooting at each other. It's a "neo-noir cyberpunk action thriller", as Wikipedia puts it, or in my terms "not any fun". But I guess it was seminal and genuinely important at the time.
There have been some legit good series recently that play with these fantasy genres, have solid writing and animation.
* Friern: Beyond Journey’s End - an extremely sentimental coming of age tale that explorers children raising parents, loyalty, and platonic love.
* Delicious in Dungeon - a really silly story that subverts the dungeon crawling genre by crossing over with the food/cooking genre and playing with all kinds of genre/tropes.
* Pluto - a classic scifi morality tale on what it means to be human. This series tried really hard to be a modern Ghost in the Shell. It was successful in some ways and fell flat in others. Definitely worth watching though.
There are lots of entertaining anime out now, but so little of it is well made or written. Maybe that’s ok though. I still watch lots of the low quality stuff because it’s like popcorn/candy and is easy to watch.
It looks like it has good reviews. I’ll have to check it out.
I really enjoyed Shokugeki No Soma, got a Crunchroll account to keep watching it.
But I do agree with you, they were great because they actually had something to say about the real world.
Shinsekai Yori was great, and a rare case of high-effort worldbuilding that actually delivers on its premise. Highly spoilable.
If Akiba Maid Sensou is not my anime-of-the-decade for this decade, I will be very surprised, but it assumes you understand both yakuza culture and maid cafe culture and I'm not sure what someone who doesn't would get out of it.
Hana to Alice, Satsujin Jiken might not even be anime, since it relies extremely heavily on 1:1 rotoscoping, but it is short and doesn't really look like anything else.
Gankutsuou also gets a ton of points for being visually distinctive, and (at least at the time of release, maybe that's not true anymore) being the most faithful adaptation of Dumas' original to video despite casting a blue-skinned space vampire as the Count.
Princess Tutu is a fantastic use of popular ballet as a framing device that was doing the whole 'meta-narrative' thing long before it was cool.
Mononoke (not the Ghibli film Mononoke-hime) is a good-looking take on the classic supernatural detective genre.
Id:Invaded is also a supernatural detective story, which manages to be entertainingly audacious without ever really feeling like it was just going for cheap shock value.
They would get the final scene of the first episode.
Or Bartender: Glass of God (the ongoing 2024 series), for stories in a real-world setting.
For something more fantastical, To Your Eternity, an adventure that makes you feel and hurt. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End for an adventure that's both young and grown-up - it only came out recently, but has instantly been acclaimed as a modern classic.
For something more childlike yet endlessly creative, Delicious in Dungeon or even Ranking of Kings.
For proper literary sci-fi (despite featuring young protagonists), From the New World (Shinsekai Yori).
For true artistic cinema despite a Japanese high-school setting, Ping Pong The Animation.
Other gems mentioned that I second: ODDTAXI (a tightly written mystery-drama despite its art) and Pluto (serious thinking sci-fi with gravitas).
There are always a few upper-tier shows coming out each year that retain an artistic, mature bent. Not very many but at least they're there.
More seriously, no, you can't "determine if an anime is worth your time by merely looking at the title and what the source material is". Especially if you don't have anything to watch, and all the false positives (plenty!) have infinite negative value.
Have you read Magus of the Library?
Scavengers Reign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWQH8cMpWTU
However both Scavenger's Reign and Pantheon feel distinctly different from Japanese anime. They have a much more Western aesthetic eye visually, narratively, and especially in terms of music I feel.
(Same goes for Solaris, although Tarkovsky's adaptation reverses that.)
To me it looks like Greg Egan's Permutation City, which I found via HN and which made me inhale about seven more of his books in quick succession.
To anyone who's consumed both - is it actually like Permutation City? Or is that too much to hope for?
I'll check it out!
Full metal Alchemist: Brotherhood https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist:_Brother...
Attack on Titan https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Titan
Mushishi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushishi
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieren
Also for some madcap anime FLCL ... that is quintessential anime for me.
Ugh. Such an incredibly padded, dragged out story. :( :( :(
Maybe the first season was decent, but after the 3rd season it was mostly just boring to the point where skipping episodes didn't miss anything.
Never bothered to watch anything after about the 3rd season. It became far too tedious.
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Yeah, Frieren was good. It closely matches the manga version of the story, though the manga goes on quite lot further story wise.
Should be plenty more seasons of material ready for adaptation there. :)
As a quick thought, have you seen Cyberpunk Edgerunners, and Made in Abyss?
For stupid fun (mood dependent), then probably One-Punch Man:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-Punch_Man
It's super famous these days, so you've probably already seen it. ;)
Personally, I also really liked "Hai to Gensou no Grimgar" due to its focus on character growth rather than action:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimgar_of_Fantasy_and_Ash
But, not everyone's a fan.
OPM I really can't stand - dropped it just after a few episodes. :)
Hai to Gensou no Grimgar had a lot of promise with a different take on the common theme, but pity it looks like it will not be continued. :(
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Hai to Gensou no Grimgar has both manga, and light novels, that stretch on for many more chapters past the anime. The Manga was good and continues on well from the anime. After reaching the end of that I picked up the light novels to continue on further.
Unfortunately (around novel 13 I think?) the author clearly didn't know what to do with the story and it turned silly and boring, so I moved on to other stuff. :(
Since you're not into Manga, this url probably won't be of interest then: ;)
https://mangakatana.com/manga/kaiju-no-8.24869/c1
• If you visit it, make sure you have an ad blocker. Too many ads otherwise.
• Japanese manga is read from right to left, the opposite of western comics. Just saying. :)
But I'd say you are in for a treat: Satoshi Kon.
Perfect Blue, Paprika, Tokyo Godfather are all cinematic master pieces!
I also mostly agree with the hype that surrounded "Your Name", although I don't think Makoto's other works are nearly as impressive.
Everything that is not in “Studio Ghibli” wide angle fairy tale style? A number of external films have imitated it, some of them better than the other.
As a side note, “Studio Ghibli” is also not at all equal to “Hayao Miyazaki”.
Say, “Madoka Magica” is certainly large scale, but in totally different style. “Denno Coil” and “Eizouken” has that sense of adventure you can't really describe. And “Drifting Home” is magical, nostalgic, and colourful in its own manner.
I you need some “respected opinion”, here's a list:
https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/lists/50-key-anime-fi...
It's… okay. Everyone — for a certain definition of attentive viewers — knows most of those.
It is not wise to limit yourself to movies. As mentioned, animated movie is a big investment that can flop at once, while series can be steered somehow in a different production/financing direction, or can become a good merchandise source. Therefore, a lot of movies are more or less straightforward derivatives of existing hit works which rely on the fan crowd. Those make money for more experimental original works.
I suppose for more sci-fi/fantasy, Rebuild of Evangelion (2007-2021) might be interesting, although to me, its popularity in Japan and why the retelling was made is actually more interesting to me than the works themselves. It didn't win any particular awards or acclaim, but I was a fan of the incredibly stylish manga series, and I personally enjoyed the Blame! (2017, Hiroyuki Shesita) CGI anime film for those into the Japanese post-cyber-apocalypse sci-fi aesthetic.
I think these days, the economics of anime has driven more interesting work into series rather than features. Recently some memorable ones I've enjoyed are Steins;Gate (2011-2015, White Fox), Devilman: Crybaby (2018, Studio SARU), Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022, Trigger), Pluto (2023, M2), and Frieren (2023, Madhouse).
Here is the Japanese cultural explainer (spoiler): https://youtu.be/ybLKmO5Kq5A?si=bzIEK436EeWF_o5s
'Patlabor 2: The Movie' has stunningly realistic aerial combat – https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/realistic-aerial-combat-m...
Your Name
Violet Evergarden
Perfect Blue
Paprika
Metropolis
There's a bunch of great animated movies.
If you're referring to series then among the best Seinen classics are shows like:
Berzerk (1997)
Monster (2004) [My personal favorite]
Cowboy Bebop
Steins:Gate
Vinland Saga (newer)
Frieren (newer)
There's a lot of Shounen classics as well, my favorite probably being
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
granted there's several tropes in it that aren't going to be as enjoyable to watch on repeat for older folks. But the storytelling and plot is practically like Breaking Bad but in anime form.
The first five or six episodes are an awful slog, and then there's an exponential curve up through 'quite good' into 'great' then 'I understand why this will print money forever'.
If you're sold but confused how to watch: start with the original release and then watch End of Evangelion; both on netflix.
And thank you for bringing up Metropolis, that film tends to be underrated.
Monster (Chasing a serial killer)
Ergo Proxy (Can't describe it)
Samurai 7 (Sci-fi variant off 7 samurai)
Last Exile (Post appocapltic world with lots of flying machines)
Kino's Journey
Mushishi
Time of Eve
Gargantia
Baccano
Durarara
Psycho Pass
Arslan Senki
Sunaboju (Desert Punk)
Witch Hunter Robin
Hunter x Hunter (old not new)
Texnolyze
Darker than Black
Black Lagoon
Great Teach Onizuka (One of the old and best)
Gintama (Comedy, It's at the level One Piece and Naruto disgusing as Comedy, you have to get past 30 episodes)
Kabaneri of Iron Fortress (Just for animation quality)
Beck (Music career)
Golden Kamui
Terror in Resonance
Ping Pong Animation (Don't let the animation fool you, it's one of the best stories)
Area 88 (Story ends abruptly, watch at your own risk)
Ashita no Joe (Old anime, boxing genre)
Valkyria Chronicles (War story)
Scissor Seven (Comedy, Chinese, assassin, in a strange world)
Shura no Toki (Martial arts, 3 generations)
A Record of Mortal's Journey to Immortality (Chinese cultivation genre, 3D good animation, faithful adaptation of one of the good novels in this genre)
Swallowed Star (Chinese cultivation genre Sci-fi variant, great 3D animation)
[The below are mostly series rather than movies]
For something that's really interesting, and also family friendly, Den-noh Coil is really good:
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den-noh_Coil
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A similar "feel" kind of thing (family friendly) to the above is The Orbital Children:
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Orbital_Children
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For stand out story, probably Made in Abyss:
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_in_Abyss
Due to the animation style, it looks like a kid/teen focused show at first. Don't be fooled, it's really not.
It has some incredibly complex (dark) themes. DON'T let young people watch that one (emotional trauma likely!).
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If something "a bit different" is on the cards, then Cyberpunk Edgerunners is extremely good (I reckon):
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk:_Edgerunners
That's more of a Eastern+Western collaboration styling wise rather than pure Japanese anime. It's still a really good watch though. :)
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Another western style one that's really good is Scavengers Reign:
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scavengers_Reign
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Movies wise, probably Redline (2009) and Belle are the first to mind for me:
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redline_(2009_film)
Very unique animation style, not everyone's cup of tea. ;)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_(2021_film)
Also family friendly. :)
Though once I noticed the space station was getting entirely covered in Isako's scribblings, that was... a moment.
I also enjoyed "Wolf Children" a lot. As others have said, "Your Name" is stellar too, and "5cm/sec" is pretty damn excellent.
I think no reply are really getting at this question.
If you consider the two latter Miyazaki movies not being included, I think "greats" to you must be something that is "very unique and distinct from the western (animated) movie but also distinct enough from its own (anime) peers".
If you see it that is way, Howl's was not distinct at all (based on a UK book & doing what worked in spirited away) and boy and the heron (essentially reusing expressions from all the works of Miyazaki).
I think you're just looking for that "wow" factor again. Something that put your mind at edge because your brain couldn't predict what will happen next, because they don't follow usual (selling) clichés in story telling or cinematography.
I don't think many anime of today really have that. The only one I can think of is the original Evangelion but that's quite old now too. Maybe Attack of Titan, Pluto, but that's a bit subjective.
I can think of multiple Mangas that would fall in to that. Mangas allow more artistic freedom because it's made by a smaller team, and requires smaller fan base so can be bold in trying new expressions. But might lose its charm when (if) adapted to animation. Ghost in the shell mentioned in the original post too, is Very different from the Manga. (source material) and to people that really got intrigued by the deeper theme about consciousness they might prefer the Manga more.
I haven't watched it myself but maybe the recent adaptation of Junji Itos horror might fall under that "wow" category. His style (in writing) is very unique.
Reposting my comment from elsewhere here:
For something more fantastical, To Your Eternity, an adventure that makes you feel and hurt. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End for an adventure that's both young and grown-up - it only came out recently, but has instantly been acclaimed as a modern classic.
For something more childlike yet endlessly creative, Delicious in Dungeon or even Ranking of Kings.
For proper literary sci-fi (despite featuring young protagonists), From the New World (Shinsekai Yori).
For true artistic cinema despite a Japanese high-school setting, Ping Pong The Animation.
Other gems mentioned that I second: ODDTAXI (a tightly written mystery-drama despite its art) and Pluto (serious thinking sci-fi with gravitas).
There are always a few upper-tier shows coming out each year that retain an artistic, mature bent. Not very many but at least they're there.
-Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
It single-handedly revived interest in the game for a reason; it's excellent, particularly as a foil to GITS and a spiritual successor to FLCL (which I'm sure you've heard of). The animation style is VERY different from GITS, but no less technically impressive, and while the story is not quite as philosophical, it's still no less complete and satisfying.
-Sonny Boy
Tinges of Nolan, Kurosawa, Carroll, Cheever's The Swimmer. May seem like a slog at some points, but hang on for the sequence during the last episode. You'll know it when you see it. I don't want to give too much away.
-Mind Game
Again, don't want to spoil. I recommend watching late at night, Adult Swim-style. A prime example of anime that can't exist in any other medium.
On the flipside of the spectrum, Grave of the Fireflies and In This Corner of the World are excellent but tragic WW2 films told from the Japanese civilian perspective. Grave of the Fireflies in particular is a difficult watch, but worth seeing once.
Ergo Proxy I just didn't get.
Psycho Pass I really enjoyed; good depth of story and exploration of the pros and cons.
GitS series is probably my favourite anime, and very high up in my favourite anything.
Berserk is good, and descends into Evangelion-level insanity as it progresses.
Ninja Scroll is forever a classic. Worth a re-watch every 5-10 years. I'm due.
People really are ungrateful and deserve the borderline idiotic Attack of the Titans rather than these classics.
(s)
The stand out crappiest anime I'm aware of is the "Blade Runner: Black Lotus" series:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner:_Black_Lotus
Truly terrible in every aspect. Story, animation, dialog, etc. Outstandingly bad. :(