By
Casandra Ronning
Published 48 minutes ago
Casandra Ronning is a staff writer for Screen Rant's anime section. Since mid-2024, she has dedicated herself to expanding her knowledge and experience in the entertainment industry. She is most proud of conducting an exclusive interview with popular voice actor Stephanie Nadolny.
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There are plenty of anime films that blend stunning visuals with deeply resonant storytelling. They create experiences that sit with viewers long after the closing credits and exist across a range of genres and decades. Among them are a select few that deliver unforgettable, heartfelt narratives with unique perspectives, universes, and characters.
These films often encourage viewers to reflect on the story and connect with the characters, standing out for their stunning visuals and always hitting emotional notes. Whether it’s a historical drama or a fantastical adventure, every story is filled with passion and heart, making them ideal for cozy weekends alone, with family, or with a close group of friends.
A Whisker Away
A Whisker Away follows Miyo, a quiet middle schooler who hides her feelings for her classmate Kento. She struggles to express herself, but one day comes across a magical mask that grants her the ability to transform into a cat. Using this ability, she interacts with the world in ways that she never could before, including spending time with Kento.
Her adventures steadily begin to blur the line between fantasy and reality, creating a heartfelt narrative about youth, longing, and the universal desire to be seen and understood. The film is both playful and reflective, filled with beautiful animation and character moments that keep audiences engaged from start to finish.
Drifting Home
Several kids fly in the air from Drifting Home
Drifting Home tells the story of Kosuke and Natsume, childhood friends who reunite during a summer break in their old apartment complex. When a sudden flood isolates their building and submerges the surrounding city, they, along with their friends, become stranded in the middle of the sea. To survive, they must confront their past regrets and unspoken feelings.
Kosuke and Natsume’s journey is one filled with both wonder and danger, with themes of grief, memory, and coming of age. Drifting Home stands out most for its stunning animation and grounded emotional core. It’s a heartfelt story that leaves behind a long-lasting impact on viewers and invites reflection from the audience.
In This Corner of the World
In This Corner of the World centers around Suzu, a young woman who moves to Kure after marrying a local man during the height of World War II. As she adjusts to wartime life while adapting to living in a new household, learning domestic responsibilities and maintains her love of drawing.
As the war encroaches on everyday life in Japan, Suzu witnesses air raids, food shortages, and the gradual transformation of her city, all while trying to hold onto the small joys and bonds that she creates. Through Suzu’s perspective, the story captures small and often overlooked details of survival during wartime.
The film is quiet, intimate, with moments of warmth and tension, and unyielding resilience in the face of hardship. In This Corner of the World is crafted with gorgeous hand-drawn animation and themes that are universally moving. The story’s focus on Suzu’s experiences shares that endurance, creativity, and compassion exist even in the darkest times, making it an unforgettable must-watch.
Penguin Highway
Penguin Highway promotional art featuring protagonists Lady and Aoyama riding a way of floating penguins
Penguin Highway follows Aoyama, an inquisitive fourth-grader whose suburban town suddenly experiences mysterious penguin appearances. The strange phenomenon is linked to a mysterious woman at his dental office and to a strange, floating sphere of water they find in a field. Aoyama observes and documents the unusual appearances in an attempt to understand the supernatural occurrence.
The story stands out for its blend of science fiction, magic, and coming-of-age narrative, creating an experience that is both charming and lighthearted. With themes of love and protecting the environment, Penguin Highway is heartfelt and whimsical yet thoughtful, making it a perfect film for a cozy night in.
Look Back
Stills from Look Back
Look Back centers on Fujino and Kyomoto, two young manga artists whose lives become intertwined through their shared passion for drawing. Their friendship grows as the two learn their own strengths and weaknesses while working together to create manga. The film captures the joys, frustrations, and impact the two have on one another.
Look Back stands out for its experimental animation style and its condensed storytelling, leaving a lasting impression. Its story doesn’t shy away from tragedy, grief, and self-doubt, allowing it to reach and connect to audiences on a deeply personal level. The film’s short run time makes it accessible and easy to fit into busy weekend schedules.
Your Name
Your Name follows Mitsuha, a high school girl from a rural town, and Taki, a boy living in Tokyo. When they mysteriously begin swapping bodies, they must navigate each other’s lives and leave notes to guide one another through their routines. Through these exchanges, they form a unique bond as they try to uncover the cause of their connection.
Your Name stands out as one of the most critically acclaimed anime films of all time, filled with breathtaking animation, a beautiful soundtrack, and an unforgettable, moving story. The film’s exploration of memory, love, and fate is profound and resonant, achieving a rare, timeless sense of connection that continues to captivate audiences.
Wolf Children
Wolf Children follows Hana, a young woman who falls in love with a man who can transform into a wolf. The two start a family and have two children, Yuki and Ame, who inherit their father’s ability to shift between human and wolf. However, after their father's sudden, tragic death, Hana is left to raise their children on her own.
As Hana navigates parenthood, she moves to the countryside, where she nurtures and protects Yuki and Ame while trying to help them understand and accept their dual nature despite her little knowledge of their world. She teaches Yuki and Ame to balance their human lives with their animal instincts, as each day presents unique challenges and discoveries.
The children grow in personality and independence at different paces, finding their own unique paths in life. The film stands out for this heartfelt portrayal of family and coming-of-age, with its gentle, beautiful animation and realistic depiction of motherhood (despite its fantastical elements) that grounds the story. Wolf Children is bittersweet and unforgettable.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Makoto jumping through the clouds in The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time centers on Makoto, an ordinary high school girl who stumbles upon a walnut-shaped object in a classroom. Later that same day, the brakes on her bike fail, and she is thrown onto the railroad and is nearly hit by an oncoming train. However, rather than suffering any injury, she finds herself transported back in time.
At first, she uses this newfound ability for trivial matters such as skipping tests, avoiding mistakes, and simply seeking fun. Yet, she comes to learn that her actions have consequences that affect those around her. As she tries to fix the damage she’s caused, Makoto also tries to navigate everyday life, from friendships to romance to personal responsibilities.
The film stands out for its relatable characters, blend of science fiction and romance, and its exploration of youth, consequence, and coming-of-age. With its dynamic pacing and a strong soundtrack, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time keeps audiences engaged from start to finish.
Only Yesterday
Only Yesterday centers around Taeko, a 27-year-old office worker from Tokyo who takes a trip to the countryside to help her sister’s family with the safflower harvest. As she works alongside her sister’s in-laws, she reflects on her childhood in the 1960s, recalling everything from family life to school experiences to moments that shaped her into who she’s become.
Those memories prompt her to question the choices she’s made and whether or not she’s achieved what young Taeko would have wanted for herself. The film's gentle pacing is built on this reflection as the story explores themes of societal expectations, personal fulfillment, and ambition. Only Yesterday's greatest strength is its intimate, introspective, and realistic portrayal of personal reflection.
Porco Rosso
porco rosso anime 1992
Porco Rosso follows Marco Pagot, “Porco Rosso,” a skilled, former World War I fighter pilot who has mysteriously turned into an anthropomorphic pig. The story takes place in the early 1930s and follows Porco’s life as a bounty hunter in the Adriatic Sea. There, he takes on sky pirates, rival pilots, and confronts his haunted past.
Despite his gruff exterior and cynicism, Porco strives to find redemption by facing his past trauma and learning to let others back in. His longstanding friendship and complicated romantic feelings for the singer Gina and newfound friendship with a young mechanic named Fio help restore his faith in humanity and rebuild his self-worth.
The anime is one of Studio Ghibli’s most underrated masterpieces, standing out for its complex exploration of freedom, redemption, authoritarianism, and the cost of war. Porco Rosso blends action with heartfelt storytelling, making it a memorable and worthwhile story that every anime fan must experience at least once.
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