The Wind Rises is considered an animated masterpiece because of the homely feel it bought to the fans in 2013, and many have been re-watching it since then. The plot of this movie is what takes the cake piece, actually. Naturalistic themes surround love and everything that comes with it.
The plot of this movie is as follows. However, Jiro Horikoshi’s presbyopia stops him from achieving his dream of becoming a pilot in 1916. Later one night, he has a dream about his hero, Italian aviation designer Giovanni Battista Caproni, who informs him he has never piloted an airplane in his life and that designing airplanes is preferable to flying them.
A young lady named Naoko Satomi is traveling with her maid when Jiro meets her while taking a train to Tokyo Imperial University to study aeronautical engineering seven years after the end of World War I. Jiro assists Naoko and takes her to Naoko’s house after Jiro’s maid suffers a broken leg during the Great Kant quake but doesn’t give his identity.
Years later, Jiro approaches Naoko’s father to request his approval for their engagement and subsequent marriage. Nahoko, who has tuberculosis, prefers to put off getting married until after she recovers. Before evading capture by the Japanese secret police, Castorp helps the romance.
20 Anime Like The Wind Rises: An Animated Masterpiece
Jiro hides at his boss’ house as he develops a new fighter aircraft technology for the Imperial Navy because he is wanted in relation to Castorp. After suffering a lung hemorrhage, Naoko heals in a sanatorium in the mountains, but she is unable to live without Jiro and comes to wed him.
Since tuberculosis is an incurable disease, Jiro’s sister Kayo, a doctor, cautions him that his wedding to Naoko will end tragically. Despite Naoko’s declining health, she and Jiro cherish their time together.
Also Read Top 25 Anime Like Rurouni Kenshin You Must Watch
20. The Tale of Princess Kaguya
A young girl is discovered growing quickly into a beautiful young lady by an elderly bamboo trimmer and his wife within a dazzling branch of bamboo. All who come into contact with the intriguing young princess are captivated. But in the end, she will have to accept her fate and the cost of her crime.
19. Only Yesterday
1982 finds Taeko, who has spent her entire life in Tokyo, at the age of 27, single and mundanely non-pleasing. She makes the decision to travel to see her relatives on the farm, where she starts to rekindle old longings. Taeko considers the course of her life and questions if she has lived up to the dreams she had as a young child in poetic cuts between the current and the past.
18. Ponyo
Sosuke, a 5-year-old boy and the son of a seaman, currently lives with his mother, Lisa, in peace on a cliff overlooking the sea. He rescues a lovely goldfish held captive in a bottle here on the beach one unfortunate day, giving her the name Ponyo. However, she is not your typical goldfish.
17. Castle in the Sky
Legends speak about Laputa, a mythical hovering island in the Sky where treasure beyond one’s wildest fantasies is said to be hidden. A unique Levistone necklace that Sheeta, an orphan girl, is wearing and which mythology claims will point the road to Laputa has drawn the attention of hunters.
Pazu, a mining apprentice and another orphan, saves her one day, and the two of them set out to free her from her would-be captors. Sadly, in order to keep Laputa’s location a secret, their friendship must endure interminable hardships. What is Sheeta’s enigmatic legacy, and why do Sheeta’s adversaries want to discover Laputa so badly?
16. From Up on Poppy Hill
1963 in Yokohama. As it recovers from the destruction of World War II, Japan is getting prepared to host the Olympics. As the younger generation attempts to break free from the constraints of a traumatic past, there is a sense of both hope and tension in the air.
High school students Umi and Shun’s friendship starts to take off against this theme of hope and change, but a long-buried truth from their past comes to light, casting a shadow over their future and tearing them apart.
15. The Cat Returns
On her journey home from school one evening, Haru rescues a cat from being run over by a truck. When the cat thanks her, she receives the shock of her life. She is welcomed that evening by a procession of cats. As a token of appreciation, Haru is suddenly showered with mice and catnip gifts.
This leads to the revelation she will be brought to their country to wed the prince. Haru, who doesn’t want to marry Prince Lune, asks The Baron and Muta of the Cat Bureau for assistance. Unable to stop them, though, Haru is carried away by a swarm of cats. Can Haru avoid this unsatisfactory union and get back home before becoming a cat herself?
14. Howl’s Moving Castle
Inside the walls of the hat shop where she works, the sensible Sophie leads a pretty normal existence in safety from the terrible wizard Howl, who is said to prowl the countryside in his moving black castle. Poor Sophie finds herself changed by a witch’s spell that makes her look to be an elderly woman after a fortuitous and mysterious encounter, and she sets off on a quest to discover Howl’s castle and break the curse. For those who seek the fabled Howl, a mythical realm filled with talking flames, intelligent scarecrows, and plenty of magic awaits.
Also Reads: The Tatami Time Machine Blues Episode 5 and 6 Release Date: A Sloppy Anime Series
13. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
People today are constantly concerned about the Toxic Jungle 1,000 years after the Giant Warriors sparked the horrific event known as the “seven days of fire.” This forest is constantly expanding and is home to deadly air, enormous, monstrous animals, and deadly flora.
Princess Nausicaa hails from the little, tranquil nation of the Valley of the Wind, which has thus far managed to halt the growth of the forest. She is compassionate and wise. One evening, a huge airship carrying a Giant Warrior crashed into the valley.
Soldiers from Tolmekia, a great country, assault the Valley of the Wind the following day in an effort to rescue and revive the warrior. Nausicaa, the only person who genuinely thinks that there exists a way for people to coexist with insects, must figure out how to put an end to the war that now endangers her people and safeguard the Toxic Jungle well before Tolmekians destroy it.
12. Tales From Earthsea
Due to human greed, mythical creatures and humanity no longer coexist peacefully on the beautiful fantasy planet of Earthsea. The future King Arren lives in this world; he is a young fellow who is discouraged, disturbed, and terrified of the main objective of life: death.
Arren rides forth into the unknown countryside on his faithful steed to experience the joys and evils of humanity after murdering his father and stealing an ancestral sword forged by magic.
SArren needs to regain his motivation to live while wicked forces threaten the survival of his priceless life, along with the strong magician Sparrowhawk, an unusual companion, and his own inner turmoil.
11. Kiki’s Delivery Service
Kiki is a little witch who recently turned thirteen, and according to custom, she now needs to leave the security of her house for a year in order to complete witch schooling. Kiki, accompanied by her cat Jiji and her mom’s broomstick, sets out one clear night to begin a new life.
She ends up in a town close to the coast, but she is saddened to discover that the locals aren’t nearly as hospitable as she had anticipated. Without anywhere to stay and only the ability to fly, Kiki starts to question whether she has come to the proper location.
However, after giving a pacifier back to a client at a nearby shop, Osono, the owner, gives her a location to stay. Kiki quickly makes the decision to launch her own shipping service, and with the aid of her new pals, she embarks on a quest to learn about herself and how to succeed on her own.
10. When Marnie Was There
When shy, creative Anna relocates to the coast to live alongside her aunt and uncle, she discovers Marnie, the charming but mysterious young girl who lives in the old home that is bordered by marshes. The two girls establish a special bond and camaraderie right away that melds truth and fiction. As the days pass, Anna finds herself drawn back to the Marsh House repeatedly, and she starts to piece together all the truth about her peculiar new friend.
9. Porco Rosso
Marco Paggot, a glider pilot, was cursed many decades previously, turning his appearance into a pig’s. Now, as the famed Porco Rosso, he leads a solitary existence while policing the Adriatic skies and defending citizens from sea aircraft pirates.
But one day, Marco runs across Donald Curtis, a legendary American fighter pilot, and the two have a fight that destroys his jet. But Curtis, who is hungry to win, makes the stern pilot a deal he can’t turn down after learning that Marco escaped his earlier attack.
Also Read: 20 Best Slice of Life Anime Series to Watch: From BL(s) to Classics
8. Princess Mononoke
Humans and nature became more in conflict as the Iron Age advanced in feudal Japan. Many of the older animal gods give way to their fury as mankind encroaches more and more on the realm of the creatures and lashes out at both rural and urban communities while cursing themselves.
A young Ashitaka, the village’s hero, is given one of these plagues after killing a mad god, so he forcibly leaves his village to avoid further harm. His curse quickly becomes the least of his troubles as he sets out into the world and realizes just how bad things have gotten.
With man and beast poised to go to war, he finds out just how bad things have gotten. Ashitaka puts his personal issues aside in order to try and stop the animosity before it becomes uncontrollable as both parties teeter perilously close to committing outright genocide against one another.
But will he succeed, or is he just postponing the inevitable, or is he using his charm and honor to win over the hearts of the people?
7. Pom Poko
Tokyo is significantly altering the habitats of animals, especially those of the tanuki, in contemporary Japan (raccoon-like creatures). Tanuki, however, is an intelligent being that has the ability to shift into other forms and even walk on two legs, something humanity is unaware of.
The two feuding tanuki clans band together to wage war they call “Pom Poko” against humanity in order to ensure their survival. However, humans are a formidable foe. Can the tanuki persuade people to appreciate the splendor of nature before their houses are displaced by yet a new suburb?
6. My Neighbour Tororo
They recently relocated to their new house in the countryside, where exciting experiences await Satsuki, her younger sister Mei, and their father. Mei chooses to follow a small critter she comes across while exploring outside in the garden one day.
Mei ultimately finds herself at the bottom of a big Camphor tree after chasing the animal through the underbrush. As she descends through a hole in the tree’s roots, she lands on Totoro, a sizable forest spirit that is sleeping.
The two sisters make friends with the kind spirit and are added to a fascinating world they could never have imagined, including playing with soot spirits, encountering a Catbus, soaring through the skies, and even growing trees.
But, if Satsuki intends to have any possibility of being able to rescue her sister once Mei vanishes, she must enlist the aid of her new friends.
5. Spirited Away
When Chihiro and her parents come across a neglected amusement park, they are on their route to their new home. Chihiro is thrust into a bizarre world of magic and imagination after discovering that her family has inexplicably turned into pigs. Follow her as she fights for survival in the gods’ bathhouse, which is run by a wicked witch who has taken not just her identity but also her path back to reality.
4. Wolf Children
Before becoming a mother, Hana was a learner. She was intelligent and attractive, and the prospects for her future were unlimited. Later, she met a man who later revealed himself to be a wolf, and the two of them started a family. Hana had a strong love for her partner, but circumstances separated them, leaving her to raise two strange children on her alone.
Hana and her wolf offspring escaped to the country to start a new life out of fear of being found. Her little wild children were a challenge to raise.
Hana was left with scratches, bruises, exhaustion, and happy overawed ness as her puppies grew stronger and ventured farther each day.
This voyage belongs to a mother. Teach them to follow their ambitions and, as they saunter forth into the universe in quest of their future selves, to smile despite their tears. Although Hana wasn’t always such a mother, that is what exactly she was always intended to be.
3. The Secret World of Arrietty
Arrietty has been living under the flooring of a home with her parents for almost fourteen years. The family must hide from humans since they are “little people,” “borrowing” things from them like postage stamps or herbs to use in cooking.
For the first time, Arrietty is old enough just to borrow, and she and her father explore the house for tissues and sugar together. However, Arrietty’s parents worry about their safety when Sho, a child who is seeing his great aunt, notices the couple.
Arrietty, unlike her family, is persuaded that not all people are violent, and she and Sho develop an unexpected bond as a result.
2. Whisper of the Heart
Featuring a little girl named Shizuku, Whisper of the Heart is a heartwarming Ghibli slice-of-life tale. A fat cat is seated next to her on the train she sees.
Finding a shop after pursuing the cat, she is given a charming tale about a gold statue known as “The Baron.” WotH chronicles Shizuku’s growth challenges and her blossoming romance with the son of the shopkeeper.
1. Grave of the Fireflies
Seita and Setsuko, his sibling, are attempting to lead as normal a life as they can while their father, a Navy officer, is serving in an overseas capacity. Their mother is fatally wounded one day in a firebomb attack on the city, turning the two brothers’ life around as they move in with a relative.
Seita and Setsuko choose to leave and move into a bomb shelter after being subjected to their aunt’s abusive behavior and her insistence that their very existence is a burden. Seita and Setsuko struggle mightily to survive day to day as they do not have anyone else to rely on.
However, life for the duo gets harder as food is becoming increasingly limited, and nobody is ready to buy the meager supplies they have to sell. Then, once Setsuko develops a disease, Seita starts to understand how fleeting life is.
Also Read: 15 Anime Series Like Bakemontogari: Children, Weird Happenings, Gruesome Murders, And Love