Over the past year, I’ve become more of a consumer of YouTube videos than I thought possible, watching content on subjects as varied as random American history to how to create the perfect camper out of a Jeep Wrangler, complete with a pop-up roof tent. One channel I’m a fan of is CineFix by IGN, which breaks down films into top ten lists like “the best film openings” or “the best surprise endings.” When they did a video on The Top Animated Films of All Time, I took great interest, being a lifelong student of animation. I decided to write a “reply” post with my own picks of the top anime films and related works.
What Animated Films Did CineFix Include In Their List?
The way the CineFix format works is, they take an overall topic then slice it into ten sub-genres, then select one entry from several worthy candidates. While they tend to get a little overly esoteric, slipping a 1973 Polish-language film you’ve never heard of just to show how much they know about film history (something Mrs. J-List calls chin chin kurabe or “comparing dick sizes”), overall it’s a great format, and I always come away with some new films to track down and watch.
The categories they chose for the top animated films of all time video were:
- fairy tales
- adventure films
- sci-fi
- action
- horror
- musical
- comedy
- serious drama
- dramas for older viewers
- genre-defying mind-bending high-concept
Click the arrow to reveal the films IGN picked for each category (spoiler warning).
- fairy tales: Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli (though they pronounced it with a hard “g”), 2001
- adventure film: Boy and the World, a Brazilian animated film by Alê Abreu, 2014
- sci-fi: Akira, 1988
- action: Into the Spider-Verse, 2019
- horror: The Wolf House, a Chilean claymation film, 2018
- musical: Fantasia, 1940
- comedy: The Wrong Trousers, a claymation film by Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park
- serious drama: Toy Story, 1995
- drama for older viewers: Persepolis, a dark film about the 1980 Iranian revolution seen through the eyes of a child living through it, 2007
- genre-defying mind-bending high-concept: It’s Such a Beautiful Day, by Don Hertzfeldt, 2012.
I Made my Own List of Top Anime Works of All Time… with Blackjack and Hookers!
Having one of my favorite YouTube channels throw down the gauntlet like that left me no choice but to counter with a list of my own, centered specifically around anime, because that’s what I know best. To discover the top anime works, I asked for help from J-List’s awesome customers. I hope you enjoy the list we came up with!
I’m going to cheat just a bit: while the original list is all about animated films, I’m trying to look at both traditional films and short-format OAVs. If there are no viable options in anime films or OAVs, I’ll look at traditional series.
Remember, this list is totally subjective and no one will agree with all of my picks. If you disagree with any of the choices I’ve made, tell me in the comments below!
Top Anime Fairy Tale: Spirited Away, 2001
I’ll agree with IGN that Spirited Away works as an outstanding fairy tale-esque story of a character going on a grand adventure, as Chihiro is kidnapped into a world inhabited by spirits which she must find a way back from, by growing as a person. It’s also the top-ranked film by Hayao Miyzaki.
Top Anime Adventure Film: Castle in the Sky Laputa, 1986
The second Studio Ghibli film has it all: a dangerous chase to find a mythical floating castle…great characters and story structure, and one of anime’s best villains…questions that are raised by the story then paid off to the great satisfaction of the audience. I consider Laputa (known internationally as Castle in the Sky for reasons) to be one of the best-written anime films ever.
Top Sci-fi Movie: Ghost in the Shell, 1995
While Akira was a legendary film, I think Ghost in the Shell by Shirow Masamune and Mamoru Oishi is the more influential work, changing how Hollywood viewed anime forever, and defining the cyberpunk genre so perfectly, every other anime studio might as well pack up and go home.
Top Action Anime Film: Street Fighter II – The Animated Movie, 1994
When I heard they were making a film based on the Street Fighter II characters, I guffawed at such a silly idea. But the film was done so well, with passion poured into it by character designer Satoshi Urushihara and the rest of the staff, that it became a beloved fan favorite.
Top Anime Horror: Fight! Iczer-One, 1985
The mid-80s was a very exciting time to be an anime fan, and our horizons were being broadened with every new work. The influential horror/sci-fi OAV series Fight! Iczer-One introduced me to everything from the Cthulhu horror of H.P. Lovecraft to anime lesbians.
Top Anime Musical: Your Lie in April, 2016
Since nothing like a “musical” exists in anime, I had to interpret the category as “anime in which music is so important to the story, you could never separate the two.” To me, the anime series that best fits this is Your Lie in April, a lighthearted rom-com about a girl playing an April Fool’s joke on her crush. No, really!
(When I asked Mrs. J-List what I should put for this slot, she immediately replied, “That’s easy! It’s Beauty and the Beast.” This highlights the reality that, as far as Japanese people are concerned, all animation is anime, and they don’t obsessively separate animation into categories like Western fans do.)
Top Comedy: The Devil Is A Part-Timer!
Traditional comedy is another genre that isn’t specifically done in anime, so I had to go with the anime work that made me laugh more than any other…which was Hataraku Maoh!, a hilarious “reverse isekai” about a demon lord who comes you our world…and gets a job at McDonald’s McRonald’s. It’s full of hilarious jokes that only adults who work for a living can properly appreciate. Oh, and it’s finally getting a long-awaited second season!
Top Serious Drama: Your Name, 2016
One of the top-grossing anime films in history, Your Name became a social phenomenon in Japan, with theatres packed with moviegoers…even at the 3 a.m. showing. It had one of the most dramatic and exciting stories I can think of, and make director Makoto Shinkai internationally famous.
Top Anime Drama for Older Viewers: A Silent Voice, 2016
Have you ever been cruel to someone, and spent years regretting it? That’s the theme behind A Silent Voice, a gorgeous film by Kyoto Animation that everyone should see.
Top Mind-bending Anime: Perfect Blue, 1998
While any of Satoshi Kon’s works could go here, the film that gave me the chills more than any other was Perfect Blue, which provided dark commentary on Japan’s fascination with idol culture even before it assumed its current monstrous modern form.
Thanks for reading this blog post trying to cover the ten top anime films in each category. How many of my picks did you agree with? Let us know in the comments below or share them with us on Twitter!
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