24 Japanese Animated Films Everyone Should Watch

Exploring Japanese cinema through animation opens a world of imagination and ideas. Here are 24 essential feature films, spanning timeless studio classics and bold modern works, described in clear, learner-friendly English.

Mamoru Hosoda

Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki (Okami kodomo no Ame to Yuki)

• Year and country: Japan, 2012
• Genres: Fantasy, Drama
• Duration: 1 hour 57 minutes
• IMDb: 8.1

A single mother raises two children who are part wolf. As the kids grow, they navigate life between the wild forest and human society, learning what family and identity mean in two worlds.

Summer Wars (Sama uozu)

• Japan, 2009; Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy
• Duration: 1 hour 54 minutes
• IMDb: 7.4

When a clever boy is drawn into a digital crisis, he must work with his relatives to protect both the online world and real life. The film blends family dynamics with exciting adventures in a virtual realm.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki o kakeru shōjo)

• Japan, 2006
• Genres: Fantasy, Drama, Romance, Comedy
• Duration: 1 hour 38 minutes
• IMDb: 7.7

A high school girl discovers she can travel back in time. She learns that changing the past has consequences, and she must grow up while facing the limits of her power.

The Boy and the Beast (Bakemono no Ko)

• Japan, 2015
• Genres: Fantasy, Adventure
• Duration: 1 hour 59 minutes
• IMDb: 7.6

A boy loses his family’s support and finds a new mentor in a magical creature from a parallel world. The story explores bonding, responsibility, and finding a place to belong.

Hayao Miyazaki

Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-hime)

• Japan, 1997
• Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Drama
• Duration: 2 hours 13 minutes
• IMDb: 8.3

A young warrior becomes entangled in a conflict between forest spirits and humans who threaten nature. The film raises questions about industry, environment, and coexistence.

Porco Rosso (Kurenai no Buta)

• Japan, 1992
• Genres: Fantasy, Drama, Adventure
• Duration: 1 hour 34 minutes
• IMDb: 7.7

In a fascist-era Italy, a former fighter pilot cursed to look like a pig takes on air pirates. The film blends noir mood with humor and human stories about courage and personal ethics.

The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu)

• Japan, 2013
• Genres: Drama, Biography, History
• Duration: 2 hours 6 minutes
• IMDb: 7.8

The life of an aircraft designer is shown as a poetic, reflective journey. It mixes historical context with the creator’s dreams and the joys and costs of invention.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no Tani no Naushika)

• Japan/USA, 1984
• Genres: Fantasy, Drama
• Duration: 1 hour 57 minutes
• IMDb: 8.0

In a post-apocalyptic world, a brave young princess strives to heal a dying planet and prevent brutal conflicts over dwindling resources. It’s a landmark work that helped launch Studio Ghibli’s signature style.

Makoto Shinkai

Your Name (Kimi no Na wa)

• Japan, 2016
• Genres: Fantasy, Drama, Romance
• Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes
• IMDb: 8.4

Two teens inexplicably swap bodies and must navigate each other’s lives. As their connection deepens, they race to solve a mystery that could separate them forever.

Weathering With You (Tenki no Ko)

• Japan, 2019
• Genres: Fantasy, Drama, Romance
• Duration: 1 hour 52 minutes
• IMDb: 7.5

A boy and a girl with unusual talents try to bend the weather to their needs, while facing the consequences of tampering with nature.

5 Centimeters Per Second (Byousoku 5 Centimeter)

• Japan, 2007
• Genres: Drama, Romance
• Duration: 1 hour 3 minutes
• IMDb: 7.5

Three moments mark the slow drift between two friends who grow apart over long distances. The film shows how time and distance shape love and memory.

Isao Takahata

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Kaguya-hime no Monogatari)

• Japan, 2013
• Genres: Fantasy, Drama
• Duration: 2 hours 17 minutes
• IMDb: 8.0

A bamboo cutter discovers a magical girl who becomes a princess. The story unfolds as a quiet, poignant meditation on childhood, imagination, and the price of beauty.

Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no Haka)

• Japan, 1988
• Genres: Drama, War
• Duration: 1 hour 28 minutes
• IMDb: 8.5

Two siblings struggle to survive during wartime. The film portrays loss, resilience, and the human cost of conflict without sensationalism.

Satoshi Kon

Perfect Blue

• Japan, 1998
• Genres: Thriller, Drama
• Duration: 1 hour 21 minutes
• IMDb: 8.0

A pop star confronts backstage reality and creeping paranoia as her public life collides with her private fears. The film uses a sharp, unsettling focus on identity and media pressure.

Paprika

• Japan, 2006
• Genres: Mystery
• Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
• IMDb: 7.7

Dream investigators use a machine that can enter dreams. When the device falls into the wrong hands, reality and dream blur into a dazzling, surreal chase.

Katsuhiro Otomo

Akira

• Japan, 1988
• Genres: Science Fiction, Action, Thriller
• Duration: 2 hours 4 minutes
• IMDb: 8.0

A biker gang battles a mysterious power rising within a postwar city. The film blends cyberpunk visuals with social commentary about power and control.

D: Vampire Hunter D

• Japan/USA, 2001
• Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action
• Duration: 1 hour 42 minutes
• IMDb: 7.7

A lone hunter navigates a Gothic future where humans and vampires collide in a moody western-meets-horror adventure.

Hiromasa Yonao Bayashi (Hiromasa Yonabayashi)

Arrietty (Karigurashi no Arietti)

• Japan, 2010
• Genres: Fantasy, Drama
• Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
• IMDb: 7.6

A tiny girl from a family of tiny people befriends a human boy, revealing a hidden world of ordinary people and hidden beings living nearby.

When Marnie Was There (Omoide no Mani)

• Japan, 2014
• Genres: Drama, Fantasy
• Duration: 1 hour 43 minutes
• IMDb: 7.6

A shy girl forms a mysterious friendship in a seaside town, uncovering memory and belonging as the seasons change.

From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka kara)

• Japan, 2011
• Genres: Drama
• Duration: 1 hour 31 minutes
• IMDb: 7.4

Two students in 1960s Yokohama work to save a treasured building while discovering first love and the pull of family history.

Yoshiyuki Kondō

Whisper of the Heart (Mimi wo Sumaseba)

• Japan, 1995
• Genres: Drama, Romance
• Duration: 1 hour 51 minutes
• IMDb: 7.8

A book-loving girl discovers a real boy who shares her dreams of writing, and their everyday adventures spark a gentle coming-of-age story.

Mari Okada

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana o Kazaro)

• Japan, 2018
• Genres: Drama, Fantasy
• Duration: 1 hour 55 minutes
• IMDb: 7.4

A timeless being cares for a human child, facing a difficult choice about family and the meaning of growing up and aging.

Blockquote

Japanese animation blends imagination with real world issues, turning stories for all ages into thoughtful cinema.

Expert comment

Expert comment: Animation critics note the breadth of themes and the craft across these films, showing how Japanese animation matured into serious cinema. They highlight how directors use fantasy to explore family, identity, and resilience in everyday life.

Short summary

In summary, these 24 films trace the evolution of Japanese animation from fairy-tale storytelling to nuanced, adult cinema. They offer stunning visuals, memorable characters, and thoughtful messages that resonate with learners and fans alike. The collection also showcases how Studio Ghibli helped shape the genre and how new voices expanded its horizons.

Key takeaway

Japanese animation blends imagination with real world issues, turning stories for all ages into thoughtful cinema.