Highlights
Anime generally starts more than 1 hour and lasts up to 3 hours. In Japanese it simply describes something animated. Anime is not defined by aesthetics but rather by where the animation was produced. While many associate anime with TV shows, many incredible anime movies are must-watches for most anime lovers.
Its early history goes as far back as the 1900s with modern history starting from the 1960s. The most popular anime of all time are given below. Take a look at the best 25 anime of all time.
25) The Anthem of the Heart:
Rated 7.3 out of 10 this anime film is at the 25th position in our list. It was released in 2015. The plot revolves around a young girl who had her voice taken away magically so that she would never hurt other people with it, but her outlook changes when she enters the world of music and starts making friends. The film stretches to about 1 hour 59 minutes. It is directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai and stars Inori Minase, Koki Uchiyama, and Sora Amamiya.
24) The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
Rated at 8.0 out of 10, the anime film stretches to 2 hours and 42 minutes and was released in 2010. The plot goes as a week before christmas, Kyon wakes up in a world where the SOS Brigade does not exist. The other characters in the movie, Miruku and Yuki, don’t recognise Kyon while Haruhi and Itsuki seem to have vanished into thin air. The anime is directed by Noriyuki Kitanohara, kazuya Sakamoto and Noriko Takao and stars Aya Hirano, Tomokazu Sugita and Minori Chihara.
23) My Neighbour Totoro
When two girls move to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with wonderful forest spirits that reside nearby. The anime was released in 1988 and was 1 hour and 26 minutes long. It was directed by Hayao Miyazaki and starred Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, and Chika Sakamoto. It is rated 8.1 out of 10.
22) When Marnie was There
The plot revolves around Anna, a shy 12 year old girl, who is sent in to spend some time with her aunt and uncle who live in the countryside, away from bustling cityscapes. Here she meets Marnie, and the two become the best of friends. But after some time, Anna learns after a while that Marnie is not what she appears to be.
21) Summer Wars
Rated 7.4, the anime goes for about 1 hour 54 minutes revolving around a student who tries to fix a problem that he caused in OZ, while trying to be the fiance to his friend at her grandmother’s 90th birthday. It’s directed by Mamoru Hosoda.
20) Sword of the Stranger
Released in 2007, the story goes as a swordsman from a strange land is caught between morality, righteousness, and devotion, as he reluctantly agrees to take a boy and his dog to a remote Buddhist temple. The movie is 1 hour 43 minutes long and is directed by Masahiro Andou.
19) The girl who leapt through time
A high school girl named Makoto acquires the power to travel back in time and decides to use it for her own personal benefits. It turns out that she is affecting her life along with others by travelling back in time. The anime is directed by Mamoru Hasoda and is 1 hour 38 minutes long.
18) Perfect Blue
A pop singer gives her career to become an actress but slowly goes insane when she is stalked by an insane fan who seems to be later a ghost of her past. The movie directed by Satoshi Kon stars Junko Iwao, Rita Matsumoto and Shinpachi Tsuji and has a star rating of 8 out of 10 released in the year of 1997.
17) Grave of the Fireflies
Based on a sibling story during World War 2, it shows a brother and a sister struggling to survive in war torn Japan during the era. It was released in 1988 and was 1 hour 28 minutes long directed by Isao Takahata and has a rating of 8.5 out of 10.
16) Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion
It is the end of the concurrent TV anime series titled Neon Genesis Evangelion. The anime is directed by Hideaki Anno and is 1 hour 27 minutes long.
15) Castle in the Sky
Pazu’s life changes when he meets Sheeta, a girl whom pirates are chasing for her crystal amulet. The interesting thing is the amulet has the power to locate Laputa, a legendary castle in the sky.
14) The Boy and the Beast
The plot goes as a young orphaned boy living on the streets of Shibuya stumbles upon the world of beasts, he’s taken in by a gruff warrior beast looking for an apprentice. Directed by Mamoru Hasoda the anime has a duration of 1 hour 59 minutes.
13) Redline
It involves the most popular racing event in the galaxy and shows the race along with the participant’s journey in this anime movie. It is directed by Takeshi Koike.
12) 5 Centimetres per second
Told in 3 interconnected segments, Takaki tells the story of his life as cruel winters, cold technology and finally adult obligations and responsibility converge on delicate petals of love.
11) Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Having a rating of 8 out of 10, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the anime tells the story of warrior and pacifist Princess Nausicaa struggling to prevent two warrior nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.
10) Mind Game
Released in 2004, it shows the story of a deadly encounter with two Yakuza, a loser with a crush on his childhood girlfriend goes to heaven and back embarking on a self discovery experience with her and her childhood friends.
9) Cowboy Bebop
A terrorist explosion releases a deadly strain of viruses killing thousands of the masses and it’s up to bounty hunting Bebop and his crew to catch the culprit sustaining the virus. Directed by Tensai Okamura the anime has a rating of 7.8/10.
8) Howl’s Moving Castle
When an unconfident young woman is cursed with the body of an old lady by a witch, her only chance of surviving lies with a self indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged walking castle.
7) The Wind Rises
Jiro Horikoshi studies to fulfil his dream of becoming an aeronautical engineer. As world war 2 begins, his designed aircraft gets used by the Japanese Air Forces against its foes. The anime is directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
6) The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
In the era of Japan’s Meiji Restoration, an assassin gets his humanity. The anime is rated 8.6 and is directed by Mayo Suzukaze.
Kaguya is a beautiful young woman coveted by 5 young nobles. To try to avoid a stranger she doesn’t love, she sends her suitors on impossible tasks but has to meet her fate and face the consequences.
5) Wolf Children
After her werewolf lover dies in an accident while hunting food for the children, the young wife must raise her werewolf son and daughter hidden from society,
4) Ghost in the Shell
A cyber police woman and her partner hunt down a mysterious computer hacker called the Puppet Master.
3) Princess Monoke
While on the journey to find the cure of Tatarigami’s curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest guards and Tatara, a colony of miners. In this quest, the princess also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.
2) Spirited Away
During her family’s move to the suburbs, a sullen girl of 10 years age, wanders into a world rule by Gods, witches and spirits and where humans are changed to beasts.
1) Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal
In the era of Japan’s Meiji Restoration, an assassin gets his humanity. The anime is rated 8.6 and is directed by Mayo Suzukaze.
