Japan is famous for its animation industry, aka anime. Anime leaves an indelible impression in the hearts of viewers because of its creative ideas, close and pure character creation, imbued with Japanese culture. In addition to providing viewers with moments of relaxation, it also conveys profound and meaningful philosophical lessons about life. Here are the top 5 best Japanese anime you should watch.
1 Spirited Away
Sen and Chihiro in the Mystic World is a fantasy Japanese teen animated film. The film's plot tells the story of Ogino Chihiro (Hiiragi), a 10-year-old girl who is always bored. While moving to her new home, she gets lost in the spirit world of Japanese Shinto folk beliefs. After her parents were turned into pigs by the witch Yubaba, Chihiro was forced to work at Yubaba's public bath. And find a way to free my parents and myself and return to the human world. The film became the most successful animated feature film in the history of Japan. It grossed over $331 million worldwide and received mostly positive reviews. And often ranked among the greatest animated films ever made. The work won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards. It also won the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival and was in the top 10 of the list of 50 movies you should see when at the age of 14 from the British Film Institute.
2 Grave of Fireflies
Grave of the Fireflies is a 1988 Japanese animated film produced by Ghibli animation studio, written and directed by Takahata Isao. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Nosaka Akiyuki, which the author wrote in a semi-autobiographical form as an apology to the author's own sister. The film is noted for its high quality both artistically and visually. The film is set at the end of World War II in Japan, telling the poignant and touching story of the brotherhood of two orphans Seita and his younger sister Setsuko. Two brothers lost their mother after the fierce bombing of Kobe by the US Air Force while their father was fighting for the Imperial Japanese Navy. So Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive between starvation and the callous indifference of those around them. In the end Setsuko died from lack of food, the drawings depicting her suffering and death can be considered the most tragic scenes in the history of Japanese animation.
3 5 Centimeters Per Second
5 Centimeters/sec is an anime film directed by Makoto Shinkai and produced by CoMix Wave. The plot revolves around the relationship of a boy named Tōno Takaki with a girl who was a friend from school days around the 1990s to modern times. But there is always a distance between them and they usually only communicate from afar by mail or phone. The film won the award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 2007 Asia Pacific Film Awards. So far, the ending scene when the two young people are separated by a train is still one of the most memorable. The most controversial ending in the world.
4 The Cat Returns
The Cats' Return is an anime film made by Studio Ghibli and directed by Hiroyuki Morita. The film is adapted from the manga series of the same name by Hiiragi Aoi. The film premiered on July 19, 2002. The plot revolves around Haru, a high school girl after she saves a strange cat from being hit by a car. That cat is actually the Prince of the Cat Kingdom. To repay her, the king decides that the whole kingdom will do anything to repay Haru's kindness. She was appreciated by the cats and then she was sent to the cat kingdom to become the crown prince's wife. Haru's adventure begins. The film won the Excellence Award in the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival.
5 Ponyo
Ponyo is an anime film made by Studio Ghibli that premiered in 2008. The plot revolves around a goldfish girl named Polumisharudin who wants to become a human, she befriends a young boy named Sosuke and is named by him. Ponyo. While licking Sousuke's wound, Ponyo swallowed human blood and became unexpectedly strong, able to transform limbs at will. At the same time as becoming a human, Ponyo's special ability also gradually disappeared. The film won many different awards, including the award for the best animated film of the year by the Japanese Academy. The film ranked 9th for the highest-grossing films in its opening weekend in the United States.
