When it comes to determining the everlasting quality of an anime film, a lot of factors contribute to its status. From performance at the box office, to the way these movies captivated viewers on an emotional and social level, a lot of movies do more than just stand out, they withstand the test of time. There have been so many memorable anime movies over the years that fans return to watch over and again. Some of the most popular among them have been around for decades, with fans who originally watched them after the initial release returning to share them with the next generation of budding anime fans.
While many believe anime to be a culture, there’s something about the best of the best that resonates with audiences no matter what. Whether these movies are rewatchable for the masses because of how they enhance an ongoing anime series, Like Naruto or Demon Slayer, or simply because they’ve impacted viewers in a way that continues to be thought-provoking years after the first time they saw it, they all share one thing in common: a sense of cultural relevance everyone can relate to.
Despite the vastness of this list, many of the most rewatchable films have all come from the same highly-praised studio, Studio Ghibli. Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli’s penchant for culturally relevant, impactful anime films has inspired generations of both anime fans and anime creators.
The list of most rewatchable anime movies is always growing as the genre continues to grow. Let’s start with 20 of the absolute best, and take a broader look at what makes them so special.
20 Princess Monoke (1997)
Human respect for the planet and the wildlife it contains is one of the most outstanding themes of Studio Ghibli‘s 1997 film, Princess Mononoke. When Prince Ashitaka is mortally wounded fending off a demon, it curses him before dying. The curse grants him incredible strength, but with great physical pain and at the eventual cost of his life. After discovering that the demon was a former boar god that’d been corrupted by an iron ball, Ashitaka sets out to find a cure for his curse in the west after being exiled from his home. After arriving in Iron Town, where the curse originated, he meets and falls in love with a girl of the forest named Princess Mononoke. Mononoke and the wolf who raised her are deeply despaired by the actions of Iron Town, and when it comes down to a final conflict, Ashitaka realizes his need to side with nature in order to protect both the forest gods and animals, as well as the people they share their world with.
With current hot-button topics like climate change, overpopulation, pollution, and deforestation always in the news, Princess Mononoke‘s core message continues to resonate with viewers 25 years after its release. The corruption of the planet’s natural resources, including its forest gods, led to destruction and strife for everyone. This important lesson is as relevant today as it was when the environmentalist film was originally released, and will continue to resonate for time immemorial.
19 The Wind Rises (2013)
Another Studio Ghibli production, 2013’s The Wind Rises is often considered one of Miyazaki’s most culturally controversial films, with critic Inkoo Kang calling it “morally repugnant” before criticizing Miyazaki for promoting the Japanese tendency to misremember and/or ignore the disastrous consequences of their participation in WWII, which included more than 30 million deaths executed by the Japanese Imperial Army. While Kang’s criticisms may have merit, the film resonates with viewers for a long list of entirely different reasons.
A fictional biography of the designer of the Mitsubishi A5 fighter plane and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, Jiro Horikoshi, the film explores Jiro’s struggle to achieve his dreams, which shift from piloting to building planes. Unable to fly because of his eyesight, Jiro dreams of his hero, Italian engineer Giovanni Battista Caproni, who convinces him that building planes is better than flying them. The story explores his trials and errors, the depression that sinks in with each failure, and the press to keep on living and dreaming despite life’s many hardships and difficulties. The romance with his wife Nahoko is one of the most heartwarming aspects of the film because she is his tether, keeping him grounded in reality when his fantastical dreams try to carry him away.
18 Pokemon: The First Movie (1998)
The very first theatrical Pokémon film, Pokémon : The First Movie released in 1998 and received high praise for its ethical exploration on the highly controversial nature of genetic engineering and cloning. Introducing Mew’s clone, Mewtwo, the Pokémon awakens in the lab only to discover his creator, Dr. Fuji, thinks of him as nothing more than a scientific experiment. Unleashing his rage on the lab, he destroys it and kills Dr. Fuji, only to be approached by the sinister Giovanni, who wants to use him as a weapon. Rebuilding Dr. Fuji’s lab, Mewtwo plots the destruction of both humanity and Pokémon.
One of the reasons this film is so rewatchable is the emotion it provokes. There are scenes in this movie that continue to resonate, including Ash being turned to stone. As Pikachu tries desperately to restore his trainer, his sorrow spreads to all the surrounding Pokémon, and their combined tears begin to flow into Ash and restore him to health. While it’s always been obvious Pikachu cares about Ash, this touching display is impossible to forget.
17 When Marnie Was There (2014)
Studio Ghibli’s When Marnie Was There is an incredibly deep and psychological film that follows a young girl named Anna to the countryside to recover from health issues. There are so many relatable things about Anna, from her low self-esteem and uncertainty about the world around her, to her fears of abandonment and struggles with the foster care system. After learning that her foster parents receive money to take care of her, she begins to deeply question whether they actually care for her at all. In the country, she meets a girl named Marnie who seems to live in the abandoned mansion nearby, but when a new family moves into the mansion, she begins to question everything.
When the girl who now lives there shares Marnie’s diary with Anna, but there are missing pages. Uncovering the mystery of Marnie, and her actual connection to Anna, is such a heartrending story, but the happy ending reaffirms that true family are those that choose to love and care for us.
16 Weathering With You (2019)
The bright and lively animation style of Makoto Shinkai‘s Weathering With You may make the film visually appealing, but there are some seriously dark undertones in this movie that pack an emotional punch. Following the story of Hodaka, a teenage runaway who fled a troubled home life in Kozu-Shima only to end up struggling on the streets of Tokyo, the movie explores themes of friendship, happiness, homelessness and climate change.
Befriended by a girl named Hina who takes pity on him, Hodaka finds himself having to hide from the law after his family files a missing persons report. When he’s hired to work on an occult magazine investigating the unusual Tokyo weather, the concept of the “sunshine girls” is introduced to him, and though they may have the power to help control the weather, it comes at great sacrifice. One of the most prevalent messages is how important it is to consider one’s own happiness. While it’s often fulfilling to please others, it’s essential to make sure one’s own needs are met in order to thrive.
15 Ponyo (2008)
Much like the aforementioned Princess Mononoke and Weathering With You, Ponyo‘s central theme revolves around mankind’s responsibility to care for nature, most especially the oceans. Inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, Ponyo features a young mermaid girl named Brunhilde who sneaks away from her human father and sisters only to get caught in a fishing trawler and wind up trapped in a jar. Washing ashore on the banks of a small fishing village, she’s discovered and befriended by a little boy named Sosuke. The wizard, believing his daughter was kidnapped, sets out to find and rescue her, calling upon his wave spirits to help and creating a massive tsunami that leaves Sosuke’s home surrounded by water. Brunhilde no longer wants to stay with her father, but instead longs to be human and return to Sosuke.
Exploring themes of unconditional love, friendship, growing up, and the aging population of Japan longing for a younger generation to carry on traditions, so they aren’t lost, Ponyo may have some incredibly wacky moments, but those are also some of the most endearing and rewatchable.
14 Your Name (2016)
It’s not an uncommon theme to find people, both young and old, wishing for a life much different than the one they were given. This is one of the core themes of Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name, which finds a young country girl named Mitsuha longing to be a boy living in the city. The depth of her longing leads to her waking up in the body of a young high school student named Taki. With the pair now living each other’s lives, the repercussions of the choices each make deeply impacts their futures. One of the most interesting concepts is a longing for this pair to come together, but though their fates are obviously linked, the closer they come to one another, the faster their memories of each other begin to fade.
Fans and critics alike have come to agree that Your Name is Shinkai’s most outstanding masterpiece. Not only is it visually gorgeous, but the story and characters are highly relatable, making viewers want to relive the experience again and again.
13 Castle In the Sky (1986)
Studio Ghibli has an affinity for touching on modern issues by seemingly stepping back in time. The 1986 film Castle In the Sky is a prime example, exploring the concept of technology and its effects on society when combined with humanity’s use. Featuring Laputa, a once great floating city with incredible technological advancements, the people of Laputa were forced to flee after a catastrophic event. Over the years, Laputa has become a myth, but when an orphan girl named Sheeta falls from a skyship, the boy who rescues her takes her home. As she explains her circumstances and the mysterious crystal in her necklace that has both pirates and the military hunting her down, the pair set out to find the lost castle.
They come up against numerous obstacles and trials on their journey, but when they do finally locate the abandoned floating city of Laputa, the military tries to overpower them to take it for their own. Destroying the city and all of its wondrous secrets is the only way to protect it, a theme that has arisen time and again throughout the ages to suggest that until humanity learns to care for the world around it, perhaps they aren’t worthy of advanced technology.
12 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train (2020)
The very first movie in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba franchise is still considered to this day to be one of the most brutal and emotional of the three films produced. Covering the “Mugen Train” arc of the story, Tanjiro and his fellow Demon Slayers find themselves on a mission to aid Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku uncover the mysterious disappearance of the Mugen train’s passengers. Memorable for trapping the train’s riders in a demonic dream state meant to lull them into a state of euphoria, so the demon could devour them, Tanjiro’s dreams of his family are some of the most emotionally distressing moments in the Demon Slayer franchise.
Most people would find it impossible to step away from such dreams, especially considering the heartache Tanjiro feels over the loss of his siblings and mother, but he is able to break the spell and face the demon. Another outstanding feature that makes this movie rewatchable is the loss of their powerful Hashira ally and Tanjiro’s realization that demons don’t fight fair, and if he has any hope of surviving long enough to return his sister to her humanity, he’s going to need to get a lot stronger.
11 Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
What makes Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies such a tragic movie is its basis in fact. Based on a short story by Japanese novelist Akiyuki Nosaka, the film follows the struggle of two war orphans as they try to survive after the bombing of Kobe during WWII. With nowhere to go after their aunt and her family mistreat them, elder brother Seita and his baby sister Setsuko take refuge in an abandoned bomb shelter. To light the darkness, they release fireflies in the night, but they don’t survive. The siblings hold out hope for their father’s return from the war, but after learning that the Japanese surrendered, that hope is dashed.
Setsuko doesn’t survive, despite her brother’s efforts to keep her fed and maintain her spirits, and Seita himself dies as well, from starvation, that September. To this day, it is one of the darkest and most heart-wrenching Studio Ghibli films, making it highly rewatchable to those looking for a good ugly cry.
10 Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)
Back in the late 1990s, Cowboy Bepob took the Western world by storm with its intriguing space Western setting and plot. Naturally, when a movie was set in the beloved world, fans were ablaze with excitement. One of the sole factors that make this movie highly rewatchable is simply being a Cowboy Bebop fan from the start. It has an intriguing storyline, lots of violence, and a killer soundtrack, but if you’re not already a fan, it’s going to make it a little hard to follow. That being said, it sets up the perfect opportunity to go future-retro, binge the anime and add another highly rewatchable movie to the list.
9 Ghost in the Shell (1995)
For adults only, Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell is a neo-noir cyberpunk thriller set in the year 2029. Advancements in science and technology have seen the regular replacement of human body parts with cybernetic augmentations, including a cyberbrain casing that grants direct access to the Internet. The bodies housing these cyberbrains are often called shells, and their consciousnesses are the ghosts.
Though the Internet itself had been around for a while the year this movie was released, the fact that it was becoming accessible in households worldwide gave this film a haunting edge that still resonates to this day.
Provoking questions about the nature of humanity, the benefits of technology and the very real truth that one may not always be beneficial to the other, the film leaves a trail of thoughtful horrors that still feel incredibly relevant today. In fact, this movie resonated so highly with audiences that it received an updated re-release in 2008, Ghost in the Shell 2.0 that saw the addition of new scenes and footage created with digital animation technology.
8 Paprika (2006)
Based on author Yakusata Tsutsui’s 1993 novel of the same name, Paprika was director Sokoshi Kon’s fourth and final film before his death in 2010. A cyber-thriller set in the near future, Paprika explores the dangerous use of an experimental prototype called the DC Mini. While using the DC Mini, Dr. Atsuko Chiba is able to view the dreams of others. The tech isn’t secure yet, but she uses her alter ego Paprika to illegally view dreams and offer her assistance. When a dark invader begins tampering with the dreams of others, the eerie dream parade begins and the consequences left in its wake are disastrous.
Exploring themes of self-identity and the difficult nature of dreams and reality, this movie is not just a terrifying thriller, but a longing to connect with both the self and others through the sharing of dreams. It is a dark avenue to discovering aspects of self that most humans fear to explore, which makes it highly rewatchable.
7 One Piece: Stampede (2019)
Over the last 26 years, Echiiro Oda’s One Piece has produced more than 1000 anime episodes and 15 movies. While the majority of the movies aren’t considered canon, one of the things that makes One Piece: Stampede stand out is the celebratory aspect of it. Coming off a difficult story arc is always cause for a celebration, and as the Straw Hats head to Delta Island for Pirate Fest, they find themselves drawn into a setup disguised as a treasure hunt.
Featuring nearly every character introduced into the series over the last two and a half decades, along with some brand-new faces, it’s chaotic and fun, with just the right amount of added danger. The fact that this film was intended to offer a glimpse into the franchise’s future is reason enough to watch it again and again while waiting for the future to unfold.
6 Spirited Away (2001)
Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away is yet another heartrending Studio Ghibli film that falls onto just about everyone’s list of all-time favorites. When 10-year-old Chihiro and her parents are traveling to their new home, they make a rest stop near an abandoned amusement park. As her parents begin feasting on the mysteriously abundant food, Chihiro goes off exploring, but when she returns she discovers her parents have been turned into pigs.
Facing the most horrifying childhood fear of separation from the safety of her parents, Chihiro finds herself in a strange role reversal where she must act as the adult in order to save her parents. Exploring themes about embracing selfhood and overcoming the fears surrounding adulthood, there are elements both horrifying and hilarious that combine to make one of Studio Ghibli’s most rewatchable movies.
5 The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014)
One of the greatest complaints about the Naruto franchise over the years has been how poorly it handles the romance between its characters, and while The Last: Naruto the Movie does continue to fumble a little when it comes to Hinata and Naruto’s finally coming together, there are a lot of outstanding moments that mark it as highly rewatchable. When Hinata’s sister Hanabi is abducted by Toneri Otsusuki, Sixth Hokage Kakashi Hatake sends a team to save her and stop the moon from colliding with the earth. Naruto, who’s been completely oblivious to Hinata’s feelings for him since they were small children, finally sees the light when he’s trapped in a mysterious illusion that allows him to view Hinata’s memories and her true feelings for him.
After watching Hinata pine after Naruto for more than a decade, it felt like a triumph for her to not only find her voice, but be rewarded for her infinite patience with the love of her life. Not only does this movie provide a great setup for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, but it establishes the foundation on which the new Uzumaki family will be built.
4 Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Based on the 1986 novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, Howl’s Moving Castle sees the eldest of three sisters, Sophie, cursed with old age by the Witch of the Waste. In hopes of removing the curse, she sets out to look for a cure and finds herself directed to the wizard Howl’s castle. The mysterious wizard within is bound to a fire demon named Calcifer, who petitions Sophie to help free him from Howl. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that Howl has no desire to participate in the war between neighboring kingdoms, and to prove this, he transforms into a giant bird creature to wreak havoc on both sides. While many call him a coward for his lack of desire to engage in war, his growing love for Sophie fills him with the courage he needs to protect her from harm.
The fantasy elements of Howl’s Moving Castle, combined with underlying themes about courage, love, responsibility, and aging, make this another one of Miyazaki’s most beloved and infinitely rewatchable movies.
3 Perfect Blue (1997)
There is nothing more intriguing than a good psychological thriller, and director Satoshi Kon’s ability to turn a twisted story into a beautiful nightmare superbly clear in Perfect Blue. Following former J-pop idol Mima Kirigoe as she launches into her new career as an actress, Mima begins receiving mysterious letters from an obsessed stalker. Unhappy with her choice to abandon her wholesome image as a pop star, the stalker leads her to an online website called Mima’s Room, which features diary entries from her point of view about her day-to-day life. When the stalker’s obsession turns deadly, and the people involved in her acting career start dying off, Mima grows more and more paranoid, and with good reason. Someone she trusts, someone she’s been confiding in, is behind it all, and they won’t stop until they become the real Mima.
This film is as visually stunning as it is narratively compelling. One of the things that makes it a definite rewatch, especially for thriller fans, is just how creepy nearly every moment of this film feels.
2 A Silent Voice (2016)
There are a lot of repercussions when it comes to bullying, and 2016’s A Silent Voice brings nearly every one of them into the light, including how it could potentially affect the bully himself. When a group of elementary school kids that include protagonist Shoya begin bullying a deaf transfer student name Shoko, Shoya takes the brunt of the blame. Though Shoko tries to help him, the pair get into a fight that ends with her being transferred to another school.
Still holding onto the notebook she left behind, Shoya spends the rest of his middle-school career being labeled as a bully, which leads to deep depression and suicidal thoughts. As he plots to make amends for those he wronged before committing suicide, he finds himself drawn back into Shoko’s life, much to the dismay of everyone who witnessed just how much she suffered at the hands of her childhood bullies.
While this film gets mixed reviews for offering absolution, and even love between a bully and the girl he nearly destroyed, there are a lot of powerful moments and messages in A Silent Voice. One of the clearest is the human tendency to not only misinterpret others, but to jump to conclusions about how things really are. Life is often hard, and sometimes people work to make it even harder for those suffering, rather than showing compassion.
1 My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Mystical, magical, and chock-full of deep, underlying meaning, My Neighbor Totoro features young sisters Satsuki and Mei moving to the countryside with their father while their mother recovers in the hospital. While Satsuki is at school, Mei follows the trail of dust bunnies that lead deeper into the forest, where she encounters the Forest King, Totoro. The thing this film keeps just beneath the surface is just how much these little girls are struggling with a deep fear of losing their mother for good. Their father does what he can to provide stability, but their mother’s unnamed illness always looms over them
Thrust into Totoro’s magical world, they come to understand the healing power of nature itself as they begin harvesting corn they helped grow. After their mother’s planned visit home is canceled, four-year-old Mei takes off, running to the hospital to bring her mother an ear of corn. As Satsuki and the villagers search high and low for Mei, she implores Totoro to help her. This film is not just colorful and exciting, but it’s designed to restore a sense of faith in both nature and a higher power. Despite its occasionally dark themes, this movie is a rewatchable favorite for the whole family.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
