50 Anime Movies Like Grave of the Fireflies To Watch

Grave of the Butterflies is one of those anime movies that will have you reach for the tissues. Saying that the ending of the movie is Tragic is an understatement. It’s a War-Drama Anime film about two siblings. The film takes place in 1945 in Kobe, Japan, in the midst of the Second World War. The siblings, a boy, and a girl survived the initial bombing. However, their mother was not as Lucky.

She perished from the severity of her injuries. The Older Sibling Seita hides their mother’s death from his younger sister Setsuko. However, the truth came out eventually, and the siblings were forced to move in with their aunt. But it was short-lived as the Aunt became abusive over time, and they had to leave their home yet again. This time they decide to move into an abandoned Bomb Shelter. 

The Siblings are now forced to send for themselves. With supplies running out quickly, they must find some way to make do. Things start taking a turn for the worse when Setsuko falls ill. She is diagnosed with malnutrition, and if she continues like this, she will die. As a last-ditch effort, Seita withdraws the last bit of money that was in his mother’s Bank Account and buys food.

However, it was too late, Setsuko. She dies as Seita is preparing for her. Seita cremates his baby sister and collects her ashes in a tin can. To add insult to injury, he finds out that Japan has surrendered to America.

With that, he let go of the last bit of hope he was clinging to so desperately. With nothing and no one to live for anymore, Seita sets off with his sister’s ashes. In the September of the same year, Seita also succumbs to malnutrition.

• Genre: War, Drama, Family
• Director: Isao Takahata
• Studio: Studio Ghiblii
• Duration: 1h 29min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: J. Robert Spencer, Shannon Conley, Corinne Orr, Amy Jones, Veronica Taylor.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Kazumi Nozaki, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi, Yoshiko Shinohara. 

1. 5 Centimeters per Second

5 Centimeters per Second is about two people and their budding love story. But due to different circumstances, they are unable to be together. Even though they are virtually on the other side of the country, they attempt to stay in touch. But as time goes by, they drift apart. However, the longing for each other is still very alive.

The movie is split into 3 parts, each part portraying different stages in their lives. Starting from their childhood all the way to their adult life. It is not the most tragic of movies, but it is Tragic nonetheless. The movie protagonists are Takaki Tōno and Akari Shinohara.

They met in Elementary School and quickly became friends. As time went by, their friendship grew into something more. However, at the end of Elementary School, Akari’s family was moving away. The duo keeps in touch by writing letters. But when Takaki’s family was also moving away.

They meet for the last time and spend the night together. Now in Highschool Takaki is often seen writing Emails for Akari. But it is later revealed that he never sends any of them. He has a hole in his heart that can only be filled by one person. But that person is forever out of his grasp. 

• Genre: Family, Romance, Drama
• Director: Makoto Shinkai
• Studio: CoMix Wave Inc
• Duration: 1h 3 min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Amazon Prime
• English Voice Cast: David Matranga, Hilary Haag, Kira Buckland
• Japanese Voice Cast: Kenji Mizuhashi, Yoshimi Kondō, Satomi Hanamura.

2. A Silent Voice

A Silent Voice is a story about a bully who realizes the error in his ways when it is too late. He was exposed as a bully leading him to become a social pariah. Who was once the bully now has become the one who gets bullied. He developed severe depression from this and even contemplated suicide. 

However, he decides otherwise at the last moment and seeks forgiveness. The person whom he bullied was Shōko Nishimiya. She was a transfer student at his elementary School and is deaf. This made her an easy target for Shōya Ishida. Even though she was getting bullied, she never harbored any ill will. 

Shōya, who is now in high school, finds Shōko to apologize for his past behavior. Instead, he asks to be friends with her, which Shōko accepts. Even though Shōko seems to have forgiven him, her younger sister Yuzuru has not. She gets Shōya suspended from School.

Shōya makes up with Yuzuru, and they become friends. As time goes by, their little friend group becomes bigger and bigger. However, not everyone is happy that Shōya is friends with Shōko. We see Shōko confessing her feelings for Shōya, but he mishears her and remains oblivious.

• Genre: Drama
• Director: Naoko Yamada
• Studio: Kyoto Animation
• Duration: 2h 10min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Netflix
• English Voice Cast: Robbie Daymond, Lexi Cowden, Kristen Sullivan, Graham Halstead, Kira Buckland, Mellisa Hope, Amber Lee Connors, Max Mittelman.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Miyu Irino, Saori Hayami,  Aoi Yūk, Kenshō Ono,  Yūki Kaneko, Yui Ishikawa, Megumi Han, Tashiyuki Toyonaga, Mayu Matsuoka. 

3. Angel’s Egg

Angel’s Egg takes place in a Dystopian Future and is about a young girl and a strange egg. She takes the egg wherever she goes and cares for it as if her own. She protects it from those who want to steal it. Or wants to break it to see what’s inside. She spends her day scavenging for food and water.

On one such day, she comes across a boy. Seeing the boy, the girl is frightened and flees, leaving the egg behind. The boy sees this, and much to everyone’s surprise. He returns the egg to the girl. He expresses his concern and warns her not to leave her belongings out in the open. 

This makes the girl trust the boy, and she leads him back to her settlement. The boy inquires about what’s inside the egg. And wants to smash it open to see what’s inside. The girl, of course, rejects his advances. She clarifies that she wants to hatch the egg. Furthermore, she takes him to the remains of a giant bird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIhKqaNp4Dc

The one who supposedly laid the egg. When the girl was sound asleep at night, the boy grabbed the egg and smashed it open. And then flees her compound. She wakes up to the egg destroyed and is distraught beyond recognition. She pursues the boy and accidentally falls into a ravine causing her to transform. 

• Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Drama
• Director: Mamoru Oshii
• Studio: Studio Deen
• Duration: 1h 11min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: YouTube
• English Voice Cast: None 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Jinpachi Nezu, Mako Hyōdō

4. Anohana The Movie: The Flower We Saw That Day

Anohana the Movie: The Flower We Saw That Day is about a group of kids. One of whom is visited by the ghost of a deceased friend. The death of one of their friends hit them hard. And the remaining one drifted apart. The girl’s ghost shows up out of the blue 5 years later. However, there is a catch. Only one of them can see her. 

The movie follows the life of Jinta Yadomi, Meiko Honma, Naruko Anjo,  Atsumu Matsuyuki, Chiriki Tsurumi, and Tetsudo Hisakawa. They were a bunch of lively 12-year-olds and the best of friends. They used to play every day, the typical 12-year-old lifestyle. They even had a secret hideout.

However, disaster struck when one of their friends, Meiko Honma, died unexpectedly. The experience was too traumatic for the kids, and the group disbanded. It was particularly hard for Jinta, and with time, he started becoming a recluse and did not even attend School anymore.

Little did he know all of that was about to change. Five years later, the spirit of Meiko appears to Jinta. She explains that she has a wish that is yet to be fulfilled and is unable to move on. The story progresses as Jinta assembles the gang back together. They are very skeptical as Jinta is the only one who can see Meiko.

• Genre: Family, Fantasy, Drama
• Director: Tatsuyuki Ngai
• Studio: A-1 Pictures
• Duration: 1h 39min
• Viewer Rating: PG-MA
• Where to Stream: Amazon Prime, Netflix
• English Voice Cast: Tara Sands, Xanthe Huynh, Erica Lindbeck, Michelle Ruff, Erica Mendez, Abby Trott.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Mutsumi Tamura, Ai Kayano, Haruka Tomatsu, Asami Seto, Saori Hayami, Aki Toyosaki.

5. Barefoot Gen

Barefoot Gen is about the Nakaoka Family, who used to live in Hiroshima before the atomic bomb was dropped. The family is struggling to meet ends meet and is on their toes as an attack can come at any second. However, there have been no air raids at their location which is eerily suspicious. 

Even though they are amidst war, Gen Nakaoka still goes to School. When not at school, he helps his father in his wheat fields. His mother, Kimie, is pregnant with another child. Her health is declining due to a food shortage, so she is severely malnourished.

When the first Atomic Bomb was dropped, Gen was at School. He survived but got buried in the rubble. He escapes and rushes to see if his family is okay. To his horror, he finds that his mother is the only survivor. Furthermore, the shock causes Kimie to go into labor. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpAgmvjJCtI

She gives birth to a Beautiful Baby Girl Tomoko. Now with an additional mouth to feed, Gen goes out looking for food. He comes face to face with the consequences of being exposed to radiation for a prolonged time. The story progresses as he finds odd jobs to earn money to feed his family. 

• Genre: Drama, History, War
• Director: Mori Masaki 
• Studio: Madhouse
• Duration: 1h 23min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: YouTube
• English Voice Cast: Cathrine Battistone, Kirk Thornton, Iona Morris, Wendee Lee, Brianne Siddall, Barbara Goodson, Michael McConnohie, Ardwight Chamberlain, Dan Woren, Joyce Kurtz. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Issei Miyazaki, Takao Inoue, Yoshie Shimamura, Seiko Nakano, Masaki Kōda, Takeshi Aono, Junji Nishimura, Katsuji Mori, Taeko Nakanishi, Tatsuya Jō.

6. Castle In The Sky

Castle In The Sky is a story about a mystical Floating Island rumored to hold riches and technology far more advanced than anything available to the rest of the planet, almost like an Anime Version of Wakanda. However, the people of that island left it to live normal lives on earth.

However, not everyone was of the same idea. Now one seeks to return to the island. And use its resources to take over the world. The key to it is in possession of a Sheeta, a former royal of the Floating City of Laputa. She was abducted by Masuka, who is later revealed to be Royal himself.

The reason for her abduction is her Amulet. The Amulet has magical abilities which react to Sheeta. The ship was in gets attacked by pirates who were also after Sheeta and her amulet. She falls out of the sky but is saved by the Amulet. It slows her descent to earth, thus saving her life.

There she meets Pazu, who takes her to his home. Her solace is short-lived as she again gets kidnapped by Masuka. She is forced to reveal the location of Laputa. Pazu joins the pirates in an attempt to save her. The story progresses as they reach the island, and Masuka awakens an ancient weapon of mass destruction.

• Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Drama
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 2h 5min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV
• English Voice Cast: Barbara Goodson, Lara Cody, Rachel Vanoween, Jeff Winkless, Mike Reynolds, Edward Mannix, Barry Stiler, Dave Mallow, Eddie Frierson, Clifton Wells, Daniel Foster.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui, Ichirō Nagai, Fujio Tokita, Takuzō Kamiyama, Yoshito Yasuhara, Sukekiyo Kamiyama, Hiroshi Ito, Machikko Washio, Tarako, Ryūji Saikachi, Tomomichi Nishimura.

7. Children Who Chase Lost Voices

Children Who Chase Lost Voices is a story about a young girl who finds herself in the middle of a war between an ancient civilization and the humans currently living on the planet. The ancient civilization that supposedly knew the secrets of life and death retreated back to the depth and has grown wary of the Surface Dwellers. 

Asuna Watase is the only child in her family. She lost her father at a very young age. Since then, her mother has become distant. And often never at home. She spends most of her time at the hospital. She works as a nurse. Asuna is almost always left to fend for herself, with only her cat to keep heCompanyny. 

Her boring existence was coming to an end. She just didn’t know it yet. One day she comes across Shun. Asuna sees him battle some unknown creature and sustain some heavy injuries. She tries her best to nurse him back to life. The boy tells her of the country of Agartha, which piques her interest. 

She learns from her teacher about the Quetzalcoatl and their history. After School, she tries to find Shun. But she gets attacked by a mysterious group of men who call themselves the Arch Angels. They are trying to gain access to Agartha, which is led by none other than Asuna’s teacher.  

• Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Fantasy
• Director: Parasite Movie Ending Explained: What Happened To The Kim Family?
• Studio: CoMix Wave Films
• Duration: 1h 56min
• Viewer Rating: PG-14
• Where to Stream: YouTube, Prime Video, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Hilary Haag, David Matranga, Corey Hartzog, Leraldo Anzaldua, Brittney Karbowski
• Japanese Voice Cast: Hisako Kanemoto, Kazuhiko Inoue, Miyu Irino,  Yūna Inamura.

8. Colorful

The story is about a soul who is given a second chance at life. But only for a limited time. He must use his limited time to discover why the previous owner of the body took his own life. Furthermore, he must also find the greatest sin from his past life.

The soul is placed in the body of Makoko Kobayashi. He finds the boy to be a loner and an underachiever at school. His family dynamic is in shambles. An older brother who does not care, A dad who works ridiculously long hours, A mother who is cheating with her dance instructor, etc. 

With this new chance at life, he tries his best to get by. He learns how hard of a life Makoto has been living till now. Furthermore, he is now where close to finishing either of his tasks. As time goes by, he finds a new friend, Saotome. This was a very big deal for the soul as it felt like this was the first time he felt joy.

The duo starts spending time together and even starts paying attention to School. They decide to attend the same High School, and his parents accept. As his 6-month timeline is coming to an end, he meets Purapura. There he discloses that he has found the answer to all of his tasks. 

• Genre: Family, Fantasy, Drama
• Director: Keiichi Hara
• Studio: Sunrise
• Duration: 2h 6min
• Viewer Rating: PG-14
• Where to Stream: None
• English Voice Cast: Greg Ayres, Clint Bickham, Emily Neves, Brittney Karbowski, Chris Patton, Carli Mosier, David Wald, Luci Christain, Dabis Matranga, Genevieve Simmons, Mark V Laskowski. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Kazato Tomizawa, Jingi Irie, Akina Minami, Aoi Miyazaki, Akiyoshi Nakao, Kusumi Asō, Katsumi Takahashi, Michael Murakami, Keiji Fujiwara, Manatsu Hayashi, Hideyuki Tanaka. 

9. From Up On Poppy Hill

From Up On Poppy Hill is a story about a young girl who tries to save an old building from demolition. The building in question is in a dilapidated state, and demolition would seem like the only solution. But she convinces those in power to renovate the building instead. But her efforts pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears. 

Umi Matsuzaki is the primary caretaker of her family. Her Father is a deceased war veteran, and her mother is studying medicine abroad. This leaves her younger sister and grandmother in her care. She runs the boarding home they stay for a while, also taking care of her family.

Her daily routine consists of raising a flag with the message,” I Pray For Safe Voyages.” Shun Kazama, a student at the local high school, sees these flags every day on his way to school. And with the help of the Student Council, he published a poem about said flag in the High School Newspaper.  

She goes to see him and finds out that the Latin Quarter, the building that acts as the Highschool’s Clubhouse, is set to be demolished. She convinces the Student Body President and Shun to fix up the building instead. She even goes to the Board of Education to persuade them to demolish the building.

• Genre: Drama, Romance
• Director: Gorō Miyazaki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 1h 31min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Prime Video, AppleTV, Netflix
• English Voice Cast: Sarah Bolger, Anton Yelchin, Edie Mirman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gillian Anderson, Chris Noth, Bruce Dern, Charlie Saxton, Beau Bridges, Alex Wolff, Raymond Ochoa, Aubrey Plaza, Christina Hendricks, Emily Osment, Bridget Hoffman, Ronan Farrow, Jeff Dunham, Ron Howard.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Masami Nagasawa, Junichi Okada, Keiko Takeshita, Jun Fubuki, Yuriko Ishida, Nao Ōmori, Takashi Naito, Shunsuke Kazama, Teruyuki Kagawa, Haruka Shiraishi, Tsubasa Kobayashi, Rumi Hiiragi, Eiko Kanazawa, Toshimi Kanno.

10. Garden Of  The Words

Garden Of The Words is about a High School Boy who wishes to be a shoemaker. He remains true to his dream. And can often be seen skipping School to make shoe designs instead. He frequents the Shinjuku Garden on rainy days. There he often interacts with a woman but does not know her name yet. 

Takao Akizuki likes to spend rainy mornings in the Park. There he works on his shoe designs. There he meets Yukari Yukino. She loved rainy mornings, so she skipped work to spend mornings at the park. The duo developed a friendship over the years.

On one such occasion, Takao decides to make her a pair of shoes in her size, but she never shows up. As that was the end of the rainy season, Takao, too, stopped going to the park. And starts focusing on not failing School. Back at School, he again comes across Yukari, who turns out to be a teacher.

She has become the focus of school gossip and rumors prompting her to skip work in the first place. However, things were not looking great for her, and she quit her job, much to the dismay of Takoa, who has developed romantic feelings for her.  

• Genre: Romance, Drama
• Director: Makoto Shinkai
• Studio: CoMix Wave Films
• Duration: 46min
• Viewer Rating: TV-14
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Crunchyroll, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Blake Shepard, Hilary Haag, Allison Sumrall, Mike Yager, Brittaney Karbowski, Crash Buist, Shelly Calene-Black, Maggie Flecknoe.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Wataru Sekine, Kana Hanazawa, Fumi Hirano, Takeshi Maeda, Yuka Terasaki, Megumi Han, Suguru Inoue, Mikako Komatsu.

11. Giovanni’s Island

Giovanni’s Island is a story about two siblings forced to brave the Soviet Invasion of their Island. Overnight their life is turned upside down. The Soviets occupy their land they are literally forced out of it. The siblings and their families had to give up their house to the Family of a Soviet Commander.

At School, the siblings Junpei and Kanta get acquainted with Tanya. The daughter of the Soviet Commander moved into their house. The trio becomes good friends, which leads to Tanya inviting the siblings back to “her place” for dinners and such. For the time being, they are living a good life. 

Unbeknownst to them, their father, Tatsuo, has been stealing supplies from the Soviets to feed the people of the village. Hideo, the sibling’s uncle, attempts to sell the supplies outside the island and gets caught. His greed exposed their entire operation to the soviets, and everyone involved was arrested. 

The same year an order to clear out the Island came. The people were being moved to the mainland. The siblings set out with their teacher while their Grandfather chooses to remain on the island. The story progress as they find out that their father is alive and tries to go find him.

• Genre: Family, History, War, Drama
• Director: Mizuho Nishikubo
• Studio: Production I.G
• Duration: 1h 42min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: AppleTV, YouTube
• English Voice Cast: Austin Nash Chase, Lauren Conn, Grant George, Aleksandr Golovchanskiy, Kannon Gowen, Natalie Hoover, Sean Ryan Petersen, Laura Post, Keith Silverstein. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Masachika Ichimura, Yukie Nakama, Kanako Yanagihara, Yūsuke Santamaria, Kōta Yokoyama, Junya Taniai, Polina Ilyushenko, Saburo Kitajima, Hiroshi Inuzuka, Kaouru Yachigusa, Tatsuya Nakadai. 

12. Hal

The story is about a girl who lost her boyfriend unexpectedly. Lucky for her, she lives in an alternative universe to ours. This universe is very technologically advanced. They have developed the technology to make androids that can mimic human behavior and are used as a form of therapy.

Kurumi and her boyfriend Hal were very much in love. She was envisioning a future with her. But it all came to an end when Hal suddenly passed away in an aerial incident. This left Kurumi heartbroken and depressed. She started to isolate herself as everything reminded her of Hal.

The fact that Hal was no longer with her was too much for her to bare. As a last-ditch effort, her Grandfather orders an android to help her cope with her new reality. The android Q01 arrives at her house, trying to persuade her to reintegrate into society.

Q01 looks and sounds exactly like Hal. He tries to reach her, but she rejects all his advances. But with time, he started wearing her down, and she started warming up to Q01. She must now come to terms with the fact that Hal is lost to her forever. And she should move on for her own mental health.

• Genre: Romace, Drama, Sci-Fi
• Director: Ryōtarō Makihara
• Studio: Wit Studio
• Duration: 1h
• Viewer Rating: PG-14
• Where to Stream: YouTube, Prime Video
• English Voice Cast: Chris Burnett, Bryn Appril, Todd Haberkorn, Bill Flynn, Grant James, Pam Dougherty, Juli Erickson, Linda Leonard, Laurie Steele, Mike McFarland. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Yoshimasa Hosoya, Yōko Hikasa, Mamoru Miyano, Shinpachi Tsuji, Tamio Ōki, Ako Mayama, U-ko Tachibana, Yono Hikari, Shōko Tsuda, Ikki.

13. How Do You Live?  

Based on the Novel of the same name, the story is about a teenage boy. He lost his father at a young age. And his uncle has diligently stepped into a fatherly role. He is a very bright child and has an excellent worldview. He is clearly destined for great things, and his uncle supports him in all his endeavors. 

Junichi Honda, nicknamed Koperu, is his school topper in both sports and academics. His father was a bank employee and passed away long ago. Koperu was only a child. The name Koperu was derived from the famous astronomer Nicholas Copernicus.

His uncle on his mother’s side plays a very big role in his life. He lives fairly close by and often visits. He loves spending time with his uncle. And it’s evident that he sees him as a paternal figure. His uncle records his interaction with Koperu in his diary.

He hopes to one day give the Dairy back to Koperu as a Gift. The diary is filled with stories of their interactions intertwined with his emotions and provides an insight into the ethical values Koperu possessed. This summary is based on the original novel, as the movie is yet to be released(July 14th, 2023). Director Hayao Miyazaki is Coming out of Retirement for this movie.

• Genre: Family, Drama
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 2h 5min
• Viewer Rating: To Be Announced
• Where to Stream: To Be Announced
• English Voice Cast: To Be Announced
• Japanese Voice Cast: To Be Announced

14. I Want to Eat Your Pancreas

I Want to Eat Your Pancreas is about a girl who is dying of an illness. The disease is fatal, and the girl has come to terms with her Fate. Later she meets a boy. He accidentally learns about her condition and remains nonchalant. This intrigues the girl, and they start spending time together, their relationship slowly turning romantic.

Haruki Shiga is in a Hospital Waiting Room and picks up a book to read. He then realizes that it is not a magazine. But a personal diary belonging to Sakura Yamauchi. Sakura is one of the most popular girls in his School, and in her diary, she explains what is killing her.

Despite her condition, Sakura wants to have a normal life. At least seem normal to others. She takes a liking to Haruki, and they start spending time together. However, other students grow jealous of the attention Sakura is getting from Harugi.

To celebrate Sakura being released from hospice care, she invites Harugi out for lunch. However, she never made it to their meeting place. Later he finds out what happened. Turns out Sakura had passed away from a stab wound. The only Harugi has of Sakura is her Dairy, which has a message for him. 

• Genre: Romance, Drama
• Director: Shinichiro Ushijima
• Studio: Studio VOLN
• Duration: 1h 49min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: None
• English Voice Cast: Robbie Daymond, Erika Harlacher, Kira Buckland, Kyle McCarley, Khoi Dao, Dorah Fine.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Mahiro Takasugi, Lynn, Yukiyo Fujii, Yuma Uchid, Jun Fukushima, Atsuko Tanaka, Shin-ichiro Miki, Emi Wakui, Kenta Kataoka, Tomoyuki Arai, Junnosuke Kuroda, Takayuki Ogawa.

15. In This Corner of the World

In This Corner of the World is a story about a woman who was fond of drawing. She has been drawing all her life and is quite good at it. Even though she is a little airheaded at times, she means well. Little did she know that her life would take a turn for the worse as World War II raged on.

At 18 years old, she joins the Kure family after marrying Shusaku. She has known Shusaku all her life, and she moves to his home 15 miles away from Hiroshima. As the war is at its peak, food shortages are running rampant all around the country, and to fight it, the government issues strict Food Rationing. 

As she is now a navy civilian, Suzu was recruited to watch over the food distribution from time to time. Other times she would be attending training sessions against possible air raids. Even though times are rough, Suzu still has a passion for art and finds time to develop her skills further.

During an air raid in 1945, Suzu lost her right hand. The hand she used to draw. The realization that she will never be able to draw again puts her in a downward spiral. When she learns about the detonation of an atomic bomb above Hiroshima City, she devolves deeper into depression. 

• Genre: Family, History, War, Drama
• Director: Sunoa Katabuchi
• Studio: MAPPA
• Duration: 2h 9min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Prime Video, Netflix, PeacockTV
• English Voice Cast: Karen Strassman, Jason Palmer, Julie Ann Taylor, Christine Marie Cabanos, Tony Azzolino, Melodee Spevack, Michael Sorich, Kenna Pickard, Kira Buckland, Kirk Thornton, Barbara Goodson, Todd Haberkorn. Laura Post, Ava Pickard. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Rena Nōnen, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Mayumi Shintani, Shigeru Ushiyama, Minori Omi, Natsuki Inaba, Tsuyoshi Koyama, Masumi Tsuda, Natsumu Omori, Megumi Han, Hisako Kyouda, Daisuke Ono, Nanase Iwai.

16. Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light

Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light is a story about a girl who gets lost in the Jungle. To her luck, she comes across a Mountain Spirit who decides to help her. However, he had one condition. She must never touch him. The spirits lead her out of the Jungle. After that, the girl begins to frequent the forest more and more.

As time goes by, Summer comes to an end, and Hotaru now has to return back to the city. However, before leaving, she promises Gin that she will return the following Summer. And ever since, she has come to visit Gin every Summer without fail.

Hotaru has grown up into a beautiful young woman, but Gin stays the same. The pair is deeply in love with each other. And it pains them deeply that they cannot hold each other. During her last visit, Gin asks her out on a date to the Spirit Festival. A festival hosted by Spirits.

Little did they know, It was going to be their last night together. A young child has made his way into the festival unbeknownst to anyone. And by the time he was found, it was too late. Gin had touched him and started to wither away. Hotaru hugs Gin in gives him a tearful goodbye. 

• Genre: Drama, Romance, Fantasy
• Director: Takahiro Omori
• Studio: Brain’s Base
• Duration: 45min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: None
• English Voice Cast: None
• Japanese Voice Cast: Ayane Sakura, Kōki Uchiyama, Shinpachi Tsuji, Izumi Sawada, Hayato Taya, Kanehira Yamamoto, Masanori Machida, Hiroki Gotō, Asami Imai, Mami Uchida, Kimiko Tashiro.

17. Josee, The Tiger, And The Fish

Josee, The Tiger, And The Fish is about a wheelchair-bound young woman and her caretaker. The duo met when the latter saved her life as we were returning from class. As a thank you, she invites him over for dinner. At her house, her grandmother offers him full-time as her caretaker, which he accepts. 

Tsuneo Suzukawa works part-time at a Diving Shop and is a full-time student. Furthermore, he accepts an offer to become a caretaker for Josee. Josee acts very hostile towards Tsuneo in the beginning. She asks him to do irrational things and blows up at him over the littlest of things. 

By this time, Tsuneo was contemplating quitting. He almost did so, but the same day, Josee went missing. He is able to track her down, and in the process, he learns that Josee wants to go to the sea. He fulfills her wish, and the duo has a wonderful time at the beach.

After this, Tsuneo starts taking Josee out frequently. Tsuneo received a scholarship to study abroad and is excited about this opportunity. Disaster struck when Tsuneo broke his foot trying to save Josee. He finds out that he may never walk again and thereby loses all hope in his future.

• Genre: Romance, Drama
• Director: Kotaro Tamura
• Studio: Bones
• Duration: 1h 39min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Crunchyroll, Prime Video, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Howard Wang, Suzie Yeun, Dani Chambers, Zeno Robinson, Megan Shipman, Casey Casper, Larry Brantley, Anthony Bowling, Philip Weber. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Taishi Nakagawa, Kaya Kiyohara, Yume Miyamoto, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Lynn, Chiemi Matsutera, Shintarō Moriyama, Lily Mitorizu, Kengo Kawanishi, Kanji Obana, Masaki Terasoma.

Read More: How To Watch Josee, The Tiger, and The Fish Online?

18. Kiki’s Delivery Service

Kiki’s Delivery Service is a story about a Young Witch who comes to the big city to make a name for herself. Accompanied by her Black Cat travels to Koriko City. There she finds accommodation at a local bakery. She starts her own delivery service where she delivers items on her broomstick.

She names the Deliver System after herself, Kiki’s Delivery Service. In the city, she meets Tombo, who seems to have an unhealthy obsession with flight And is fascinated by Kiki’s ability to fly. She starts her business and receives her first assignment. She fails miserably but is able to salvage it.

As time goes by, she becomes close to Tombo. He shows her his prototype flying machine and even takes her on a test run. Things come to a standstill when Kiki suddenly loses all her magical abilities. She is no more able to converse with her cat or is able to fly.

This causes her to spiral into depression. Her friend Ursula visits her to try and snap her out of her depressive state. Ursula believes that her powers are simply blocked, and they will come back under the right circumstance. Luckily she didn’t have to wait long for an opportunity to present itself.

• Genre: Fantasy, Drama
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 1h 43min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video
• English Voice Cast: Lisa Michelson, Kerrigan Mahan, Alexandra Kenworthy, Edie Mirman, Eddie Frierson, Greg Snegoff, Barbara Goodson, John Dantona, Melanie MacQueen, Wendee Lee, Lara Cody, Daine Michelle, Steve Kramer, Mike Reynolds, Doug Stone, Carl Macek, Dave Mallow, Greg Snegoff.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Keiko Toda, Kappei Yamaguchi, Kōichi Yamadera, Mieko Nobusawa, Kōichi Miura, Haruko Kato, Hiriko Seki, Yūko Kobayashi, Keiko Kagimoto, Yuriko Fuchizaki, Kikuko Inoue, Mika Doi, Takaya Hashi, Yoshiko Asai, Shō Saito, Michihiro Ikemizu, Shinpachi Tsuji, Kōichi Yamadera, Takashi Taguchi, Akio Ōtsuka, Tomomichi Nishimura, Chika Sakamoto, Yūko Tsuga, Yoshiko Kamei, Hiroko Maruyama. 

19. Mary and the Witch’s Flower

Mary and the Witch’s Flower is a story about a young girl who comes across a flower that can grant immense Magical Powers to the one who wields it. And is therefore heavily sought after. When she unknowingly lets loose that she has the flowers in her possession, she is forced to retrieve them against her will.

Mary Smith has always been an energetic little girl. But after moving in with her aunt, she finds it difficult to have fun. She tries to keep busy by doing household chores but fails miserably. She becomes friends with Peter, a local boy with two cats. The cats Tib and Gib one day lead Mary to the Garden.

There she encounters a mysterious plant. Mary thinks they are mysterious as the flowers seem to be glowing. The Gardner informs her that they are a rare flower called the Fly-by-Night. They are rumored to possess magical abilities beyond imagination.

The next day the cats again lead Mary, but this time to an abandoned Broomstick. When she accidentally touches the broom with the bulb of a Fly-by-Night flower, the broom comes alive. The broom takes Mary and the cat to the Endor College for Witches and is welcomed under the pretense that she is a new admission. 

• Genre: Family, Fantasy, Drama
• Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
• Studio: Studio Ponoc
• Duration: 1h 43min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Ewen Bremner, Teresa Gallagher, Rasmus Hardiker, Morwenna Banks, Lynda Baron, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslet, Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Ruby Barnhill.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Hana Sugisaki, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yūki Amami, Fumiyo Khinata, Shinobu Otake, Hikari Mitsushima, Eri Watanabe, Kenichi Endō, Hikari Mitsushima, Jiro Sato.

20. Millennium Actress

Millennium Actress is a story about a retired movie star who is giving an interview. She dives deep into her acting career. Telling the viewers everything from her inspiration to taking up acting. To why she quit acting and retired to the background. The movie portrays itself as a story within a story, with parts of the actress’s real-life intertwined with her movies.

The once-prestigious Ginei Studio, known for producing movies, started back in the day and sadly closed its doors. The Studio has been on a downward spiral for a while now. And apparently, it has caught up to them And is now bankrupt. TV Interviewer Genya Tachibana is doing a piece in the Studio.

And to add perspective, he has invited Chiyoko Fukjiwara. Fujiwara is known as the biggest star produced by the Ginei Studio. Even though she dropped out of the limelight a long time ago, she agreed to do the interview. The reason she got into show business was because of an artist who saw potential in her.

Sadly they never met again. And becoming a movie star was her way of making it easy for the said artist to find her. As years roll by, she loses hope that she will ever meet that man again. Turns out his opposing views against the war made him a target. And that he was tortured and murdered long ago.

• Genre: Drama
• Director: Satoshi Kon
• Studio: Madhouse
• Duration: 1h 27min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G 
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Regina Reagan, John Vernon, Stuart Milligan, Jo Lee, Stephen Bent, Samantha Shaw, Felicity Duncan, David Kitchen, Matt Devereaux, Cindy Robinson, Erin Yvette, Abby Trott, Christopher Swindle, Benjamin Diskin.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Mami Koyama, Shōzō Iizuka, Fumiko Orikasa, Masamichi Satō, Masaya Onosaka, Shōko Tsuda, Hirotaka Suzuoki, Tomie Kataoka, Takkō Ishimori, Kan Tokumaru, Hisako Kyōda, Kōichi Yamadera, Masane Tsukayama.

21. Mirai

Mirai is a story about a young boy who feels neglected after the birth of his baby sister. Before that, he was the only child and thus the focus of all his parent’s attention. He grows jealous of his sister for getting more attention than him. Which slowly develops into resentment. 

He starts throwing tantrums at every instance. But his parents remain patient. After one such tantrum, the boy, Kun, stomps off to the garden. There he sees a stranger whom he has never seen before. The man rants about how after Kun was born, he did not get as much attention as before. 

The man is revealed to be their pet dog turned human. This was just the beginning of strange incidents that was going to take place in that Garden. The next one is his baby sister Mirai who has come from the future. She is here to put away the dolls her dad put up for Hinamatsuri. 

Every extra day the doll is not taken down adds another year to when she can get married. The parents keep trying to show him that they still love him. But Kun remains firm. Still throwing tantrums at the smallest inconveniences. However, With each passing incident in the Garden, Kun becomes more and more accepting of his sister. 

• Genre: Family, Drama, Fantasy
• Director: Mamoru Hosoda
• Studio: Studio Chizu
• Duration: 1h 38min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video
• English Voice Cast: Stephanie Sheh, Daniel Dae Kim, Victor Brandt, Valarie Arem, Crispin Freeman, Rebecca Hall, Madigan Kacmar, John Cho, Victoria Grace, Even Smith, Jaden Waldman.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Moka Kamishiraishi, Tasuku Hatanaka, Haru Kuroki, Kaede Hondo, Gen Hoshino, Kumiko Aso, Mitsuo Yoshihara, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Koji Yakusho, Masaharu Fukuyama, Asami Sanada. 

22. My Neighbor Totoro

My Neighbor Totoro is about a young girl who befriends a spirit. The duo becomes Quick Friends and seems to genuinely like her company. However, the spirit does want to be seen by others. Every time the girl tries to show others where the spirit is, she is unable to find him. 

Satsuki and Mei Kusakabe moved into another house to be closer to their mother. Their mother is suffering from a chronic illness and is hospitalized. They have their father with them, who works at the University as a Professor. Since it was an old house, there were several small spirits who took up residence there.

But after the new family was moved in completely, the sports left for greener pastures. Mie, the youngest of the two siblings, finds two spirits while playing outside. They lead her to a hollowed-out camphor tree. Inside, she finds Totoro, whom she assumes is the troll from her picture book.

The older sister Satsuki encounters Totoro at the bus stop while she is waiting for her father. She shared her umbrella with him. A delighted Totoro gives her lots of seeds and nuts in return. The siblings become fast friends with Totoro and are seen helping them out in times of need.

• Genre: Family, Fantasy, Drama
• Director: Hayao Miyazuki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 1g 26min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Lisa Michelson, Cheryl Chase, Greg Sengoff, Alexandra Kenworthy, Kenneth Hartman, Natalie Core, Carl Macek, Brianne Siddall, Melanie MacQueen, Stebe Kramer, Edie Mirman, Kerrigan Mahan, Lara Cody, Doug Stone, Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Tim Daly, Lea Salonga.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi, Sumi Shimamoto, Toshiyuki Amagasa, Tanie Kitabayashi, Naoiki Tatsuta, Chie Kōjiro, Hiroko Marayuma, Masashi Hirose, Machiko Washio, Reiko Suzuki, Daiki Nakamura, Yūko Mizutani, Tomomichi Nishimura, Shigeru Chiba.

23. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind takes place in a Post-Apocalyptic world. About 1000 years ago, the inhabitants of the planet raged a 7 days war. The war was so destructive that it wiped out entire civilizations. At the same time, it poisoned the land, and every that grew there became mutated.

 A giant poisonous jungle spurted on the toxic land. And the jungle is infested with mutant insects that grow to extraordinary sizes. Nausicaä is the princess of the Valley of the Wind. One of the few communities that survived the war. Nausicaä wants to broker peace between the jungle and mankind.

On one of her exploratory missions, she witnesses a Tolmekain Aircraft falling out of the sky. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to save the ship. The only survivor was Lastelle. She is a princess from Pejite. In her possession is Giant Warrior Embryo.

The very thing that was responsible for much of the destruction during the 7 Days War. The Tolmekians want to use the Giant Warrior to burn the Toxic Jungle. But little did they know the jungle was slowly fixing the environment. The story progresses as Nausicaä tries to stop the Tolmekians from restarting the fire that once burned down their world.

• Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action, Drama
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki 
• Studio: Topcraft
• Duration: 1h 57min
• Viewer Rating: 
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, AppleTV, HBO Max
• English Voice Cast: Tony Jay, Ashley Rose Orr, Allison Lohman, Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman, Shia LeBeouf, Edward James Olmos, Chris Sarandon, Tress MacNeille, Frank Welker, Mark Silverman, Emily Bauer, Mark Hamil, Jodi Benson, Rihoko Yoshida.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Gorō Naya, Yoshiko Sakakibara, Ichirō Nagai, Iemasa Kayumi, Mahito Tsujimura, Kōhei Miyauchi, Miina Tominaga, Hisako Kyōda, Takako Ōta, Sumi Shimamoto, Yōji Matsuda, Makoto Terada, Akiko Tsuboi, Rihiko Yoshida, Tetsuo Mizutori.

24. Only Yesterday

Only Yesterday is a story about an unmarried woman in her late 20s who is visiting her hometown after a very long time. As she is riding the train there, she becomes nostalgic. And starts thinking about her school days and how she wanted nothing more than to get out of her town. 

Taeko Okajima is picked up from the train station by a distant cousin Toshio whom she has no real relationship. The more time she spends in her hometown of Yamagata, the more nostalgic she becomes. However, the stress that accompanies you in adulthood creeps up on her from time to time.

The trip is an eye-opener for Taeko and brings back so many forgotten memories. Albeit not all of them are good. She begins to question her choices in life. She begins wondering if she is living her best life. Or is she just going through the motions day after day after day? 

By the end of the trip, she realizes something. She has been ignoring it for a long time. And it’s time to address the elephant in the room. For that purpose, she decided not to return to Tokyo. She also realizes that Toshio has been with her every step of the way. And she may have started to take a romantic interest in him.

• Genre: Family, Drama, Romance
• Director: Isao Takahata
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 1h 59min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Alison Fernandez, Daisy Ridley, Dev Patel, Hope Levy, Stephanie Sheh, Ava Acres, Madeleine Rose Yen, Jaden Betts, Gianella Thielmann, Grey DeLisle, Matthew Yang King, Laura Bailey, Ashley Eckstein, Mona Marshal, Matthew Yang King, Sumalee Montano. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Yōko Honna, Miki Imai, Mayumi Iizuka, Meei Oshitani, Yūki Masuda, Megumi Komine, Yukiyo Takizawa, Masahiro Itō, Michie Terada, Yorie Yamashita, Yuki Minowa, Kōji Gotō, Chie Kitagawa, Shin Itō, Masako Watanabe, Toshirō Yanagiba, Sachiko Ishikawa. 

25. Paprika

Paprika centers around a device that can be used to enter the dreams of others. Which was once intended to be used for therapeutic purposes, has fallen into the wrong hands. And what follows is utter chaos. Many scientists who were part of developing the machine fell prey to it. 

The one who developed the prototype was Dr. Kōsaku Tokita. The one who uses it for treatment is Dr. Atsuko Chiba. His dream alter-ego Paprika helps patients with Mental illnesses to return to reality. Their latest patient is Toshimi Konakawa. He is a Police Detective suffering from recurring dreams.

One of the machines gets stolen, and they track down the culprit Dr. Seijirō Inui. He is the chairman of thCompanyny that developed the device. He is almost delusional and believes he must protect his dreams. And must prevent humanity from corrupting them.

What follows is an intense chase between the psyche of several people. Invading other people’s bodies, Fighting to take control of one’s own body. Towards the end, dreams and reality start to merge into something grotesque. The movie ends as they finally take down Inui but at the sacrifice of Paprika. 

• Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action, Drama, Thriller
• Director: Satoshi Kon
• Studio: Madhouse
• Duration: 1h 30min
• Viewer Rating: PG-R
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Brain Beacock, Doug Erholtz, Paul St. Peter, David Lodge, Michael Forest, Yuri Lowenthal, Cindy Robinson, Ezra Weisz. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Megumi Hayashibara, Tōru Furuya, Tōru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori, Akio Ōtsuka, Hideyuki Tanaka, Daisuke Sakaguchi, Mitsuo Iwata, Kōichi Yamadera, Rikako Aikawa, Yasutaka Tsutsui, Satomi Kōrogi, Satoshi Kon. 

26. Perfect Blue

Perfect Blue is a story about a J-Pop Idol who left her group to pursue a career in Acting. However, acting life was not as glamorous as she thought it was going to be. Her life was made more complicated as an obsessive fan began stalking her. To add insult to injury, she finds out that someone is impersonating her.

There is an entire website that is filled with personal entries about her. What’s Mysterious is the accuracy with which the events are written about. Almost as if she was the one writing it. She voiced her concerns to her manager and good friend, Rumi Hidaka but was told to ignore them. 

Before long, Mima Kirigoe lands her first acting gig. This role is minor, but Beggars can’t be Choosers, so she agrees to it. However, her agent intervened and negotiated a much bigger role for her. Rumi is not on board with this decision, but Mima goes along with it anyway.

Toward the End of the Movie, Mima begins hallucinating. It gets to a point where she cannot distinguish reality from imagination. Furthermore, people involved in the shoot start dropping like dominos. And Mima fears that she is the culprit behind the murders but does not remember anything. 

• Genre: Mystery, Drama, Thriller
• Director: Satoshi Kon
• Studio: Madhouse
• Duration: 1h 21min
• Viewer Rating: NC-17
• Where to Stream: Prime Video, YouTube
• English Voice Cast: Ruby Marlowe, Wendee Lee, Bob Marx, Sparky Thorton, Steve Apostolina, Steve Blum, Bob Buchholz, Steve Bulen, Christopher Carroll, Dyanne DiRosario.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Masaaki Ōkura, Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Yōsuke Akimoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Yoku Shioya, Hideyuki Hori, Tōru Furusawa, Emi Shinohara, Masashi Ebara, Kiyoyuki Yanada, Emiko Furukawa, Shiho Niiyama, Akio Suyama.

27. Ponyo

Ponyo is a story about the daughter of a powerful wizard of the sea who falls in love with a Human. She ventures out on her own while on an outing with her family and accidentally gets trapped in a glass jar. The jar drifted ashore to the hands of a young boy. The boy shatters the jar and releases the girl.

He names the girl Ponyo and promises to stay by her side forever. By this time, her father, Fujimoto, is searching for her frantically. He assumes the worse and calls upon all his power to return his daughter back to him. Ponyo is once again back with her father.

However, she does not want to stay. She wants to become a human and return to the boy, Sōsuke. Her father is against this obviously and decides to involve her mother. When her father was away, she escaped. Furthermore, she uses his powers to turn into a human.

She later learns that her actions have severe consequences. The process released massive amounts of magical energy into the world. So much that it tipped the balance. If the balance is not restored, the world as she knows it will be destroyed. Will her love for Sōsuke be enough to save the world?

• Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Romance
• Director: Hayao Miyazuki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 1h 41min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Noah Cyrus, Frankie Jonas, Tina Fey, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Mona Marshall Bob Bergen, Akiko Yano, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, Cloris Leachman, Colleen O’Shaughnessy. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Emi Hiraoka, Yūki Amami, Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi, Tomoko Yamaguchi, Shinichi Hatori, Shirō Saitō, Kazushige Nagashima, George Tokoro, Rumi Hiiragi, Nozomi Ōhashi, Kazukko Yoshiyuki, Tomoko Naraoka, Tohie Hidari, Akiko Yano.

28. Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke is about a prince who was cursed while trying to protect his village. As a result, he received super strength. But it is not without consequence. He is also in pain which will gradually increase and end with taking his life. He is asked to leave the village to find a cure for his solution. 

Prince Ashitaka ventures out of the village, looking for a cure. He comes across a monk who advises him to go to the Great Forest Spirit for help as he might be the only person strong enough to lift the curse. But there is a catch. He has to meet the Spirit in the morning.

At night the Great Forest Spirit turns into a Night Walker and running into him while in this form is suicide. He finds a town in the middle of the forest. The town is centered around the mining of Iron and is led by Lady Eboshi. It is later revealed that she is trying to kill the Great Forest Spirit.

The emperor has offered a tidy sum for the head of the Great Forest Spirit. With which he hopes to gain immortality. And she was almost successful. She cut off the head, but Ashitaka was able to retrieve it back. Even though he returned the head, the spirit is no more. But in doing so, he was able to lift his curse. 

• Genre: Fantasy, Action, Drama
• Director: Hayako Miyazaki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 2h 14min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Netflix, HBO Max, Apple TV, Prime Video
• English Voice Cast: Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Tara Strong, Minnie Driver, Billy Bob Thorton, John DeMita, John DiMaggio, Gillian Anderson, Debi Derryberry, Keith David, Jada Pinkett Smith. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Akihiro Miwa, Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yūko Tanaka, Kaoru Kobayashi, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Masahiko Nishimura, Mitsuko Mori, Hisaya Morishige, Akira Nogoya, Kimihiro Reizei, Tetsu Watanabe, Makoyo Sato, Sumi Shimamoto.

29. Rascal Does Not Dream Of A Dreaming Girl

Rascal Does Not Dream Of A Dreaming Girl is about a girl who travels back in time to save her savior. When she was younger, she received a heart transplant. The doner was her Ex-Boyfriend who had died in a motor vehicle accident. She has come to the past to save him from getting killed that night.

Even though she knows that in doing so, she is risking her own life, the movie is a direct sequel to Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai Anime Series. The movie takes place 6 months after the events of the Series. We are introduced to Shoko Makinohara, Sakuta’s first Love. 

We get to know that Shoko is in failing health. And her only hope is a heart transplant. Then we are introduced to Adult Shoko, who supposedly has come from the future. She informs them that on the day of Christmas Eve, Sakuta will be in a Fatal accident and will be declared brain dead.

Young Shoko receives his heart and lives a healthy life. She has come back to stop that from happening.o prevent Sakuta’s death. But Sakuta wants to go through with it and even tries to sacrifice himself. If not for Mai, he would have. She pushes him out of the way at the last second, only to get hit herself. 

• Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Romance
• Director: Sōichi Masui
• Studio: CloverWorks
• Duration: 1h 29min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Google Movie&TV
• English Voice Cast: None
• Japanese Voice Cast: Kaito Ishikawa, Asami Seto, Inori Minase, Nao Tōyama, Atsumi Tanezaki, Maaya Uchida, Yurika Kubo. 

30. Ride Your Wave

Ride Your Wave is about a girl who moves to a beachside city for college. She has a passion for surfing, so this was a win-win situation. Disaster struck when her apartment building was set on fire using fireworks. She is saved by a firefighter whom she develops feelings for. 

However, their relationship was short-lived. At the same time, surfing, he sacrifices his life to save another from drowning. Even though he died, Fate had other plans for the two of them. The girl, Hinako Mukaimizu, is distraught about the whole ordeal. The memories are just too painful.

When she was singing the song “Brand New Story,” something magical happened. Whenever she sings that song Minato Hinageshi, the firefighter, appears in the water. It appears that only Hinako can see him. They start spending time together but soon realize that they are holding each other back.

Hinako is keeping Minato from moving on to heaven, while Minato is keeping Hinako from moving on with her life. In memory of Minato, Hinato joins a Life Guard Training Course. The pair finally bids farewell to each other. Later that year, Hinako received her certification. She tries to summon Minato by singing the song, but nothing happens. 

• Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Drama
• Director: Masaaki Yuasa
• Studio: Science SARU
• Duration: 1h 35min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Griffin Robert Faulkner, Michael Johnson, Billy Kametz, Merit Leighton, Erica Lindbeck, Kyle McCarley, Griffin Pautu, Joey Ritcher, Michael Sorich, Kirk Thornton, Erica Schoeder, Sarah Anne Williams, Brad Venable.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Ryôta Katayose, Rina Kawaei, Honoka Matsumoto, Kentaro Ito, Mami Horikoshi, You Taichi, Mai Nishikawa, Daiki Hamano, Kenji Sugimura, Kunihiro Kawamoto, Shegeo Kiyama, Kento Hama, Haruki Ishiya, Satoshi Yamazaki.

31. Ringing Bell

Ringing Bell is a story about a little lamb and his quest for revenge. At first glance, the movie might look like a typical children’s movie. But it becomes very dark very fast. One day a wolf descends down his mountain into the farm. He only has one goal to kill the Sheep.

The young lamb’s mother sacrifices herself to save him. Wanting vengeance for his mother’s death, Chirin sets out in pursuit of the Wolf. He follows him all the way to his lair. But at the last minute, he realizes that he is not a match for the big bad wolf. 

Chirin tries a different approach. He approaches the wolf and asks him to train him. For some reason, the wolf obliges. He does not know that the thing Chirin is training for is to kill his own master. After 3 gruesome years of training, Chirin has become just as deadly an Assassin as the wolf.

But now Chirin is having second thoughts as, in these past 3 years, he has grown close to the wolf. And seems to have developed a bond with him. He values that bond more than his thirst for revenge. However, that quickly changes when the wolf tries to kill the sheep once again. 

• Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Family, Drama
• Director: Masami Hata
• Studio: Sunrise
• Duration: 47min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: YouTube
• English Voice Cast: Ron Gans, Alexandra Kenworthy, Bill Capizzi, Gregg Berger, Barbara Goodson, 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Seizō Katō, Hitoshi Takagi, Taeko Nakanishi, Akira Kamiyama, Minori Matsushima.

32. Spirited Away

Spirited Away is about a young girl who gets stuck in an abandoned amusement park. The amusement park, in reality, is a place where spirits congregate. Her parents accidentally consume some food they found while exploring the park, which causes them to turn into pigs.

She meets a friendly Spirit, Haku, who tells her to cross the river before sunset or she will be stuck there. With her parents in this condition, she cannot cross the riverbed. Haku finds her again and asks her to find a job at the bathhouse. She eventually finds work at the bathhouse.

Then we see a Dragon being chased by a paper shikigami. The Dragon is revealed to be Haku who crashes into the bathhouse and is clearly injured. The shikigami seems to have retreated for now. Or so they thought. It turns out that Haku stole a cursed golden seal from a witch called Zeniba, and she sent the shikigami after him. 

The duo decides to return the seal back to Zeniba. Toward the End of the Movie, she learns that her parents, who were turned into pigs, are about to be slaughtered. Haku makes a deal to prevent that. They were successful in doing so and were able to turn her parents back to normal. However, they have no recollection of the events that transpired. 

• Genre: Family, Drama, Fantasy
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 2h 5min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix, AppleTV, HBO Max, Prime Video
• English Voice Cast: Jack Angel, Jim Ward, Lauren Holly, Michae Chiklis, Tara String, Rodger Bumpass, Bob Bergen, John Ratzenberger, Paul Eiding, Susan Egan, Davis Ogden Stiers, Suzanne Pleshette, Jason Marsden, Daveigh Chase. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Akio Nakamura,  Ryūnosuke Kamiki, Rumi Hiiragi, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Miyu Irino, Yasuko Sawauchi, Tatsuya Gashūin, Mari Natsuki, Yō Ōizumi, Bunta Sugawara, Takashi Naitō, Yoomi Tmai,  Yō Ōizumi, Takehiko Ono, Koba Hayashi, Ken Yasuda. 

33. Stand By Me Doraemon

Stand By Me, Doraemon is a story about a young boy and his robotic best friend from the future. The robot has come from the future to assist the boy. And to set him up on the correct path. If he continues down the same path, his future is quite grim. The robot is programmed to be not able to return unless he changes the future.

There will be very few who do not know the story of Nobita and Doraemon. This movie depicts their origin story in short. Nobita’s great-great-grandson from the 22nd century sends Doraemon to help him in his daily life. Doraemon has several sp called gadgets capable of amazing feats.

Nobita often uses them to get out of the trouble he created in the first place. Apparently, in this timeline, Nobita is set to Marry Gian’s little sister. And his future is filled with bad luck over bad luck. Doraemon is here to alter his past so he can have a better future.

Unlike the series, the movie gets very emotional. Nobita, at one point, gives up completely. He distances himself from everyone. This is particularly alarming to Shizuka, who believes Nobita is contemplating Suicide. Everything works out in the end, though. Nobita and Doraemon form an everlasting friendship. 

• Genre: Family, Drama
• Director: Takashi Yamazaki, Ryūichi Yagi
• Studio: Shin-Ei Animation, Shirogumi
• Duration: 1h 35min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix
• English Voice Cast: Mona Marshall, Johnny Yong Bosch, Cassandra Morris, Brian Beacock, Kaiji Tang, Max Mittelman, Minae Noji, Spike Spencer, Keith Silverstein, Mari Devon, Tony Oliver, Jessica Gee, Steve Blum.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Megumi Ōhara, Wasabi Mizuta, Mahito Oba, Wataru Takagi, Aruno Tahara, Kotono Mitsuishi, Miyako Takeuchi, Yasunori Mastumoto, Shihoko Hagino, Vanilla Yamazaki, Sachi Matsumoto, Subaru Kimura, Tomokazu Seki, Yumi Kakazu, Satoshi Tsumabuki. 

34. Summer Ghost

Summer Ghost is a stiry about a trio of kids who are trying to meet the Summer Ghost. The Summer Ghost is a spirit that can only be seen during Fireworks. And is supposedly the spirit of a girl who committed suicide long ago. The summer ghost has infinite knowledge about all things related to death.

And she is known to only appear to those who are close to death themselves. These kids are all struggling in life. Struggling so much that they all are contemplating killing themselves. But they want to gather more information before they do anything rash,

Hence they want to meet the Summer Ghost. The kids are Tomoya Sugisaki, who is falling short of his academic obligations. It looks like he might not be able to get into a good university. Then there is Ryou Kobayashi, an ex-basketball player. He was really passionate about the sport.

But his latest medical diagnosis makes it impossible for him to continue his passion. And last but not least, there is Aoi Harukawa. She is a shy and timid girl who is the target of most bullies in her school. The bullying is getting worse. She just wants to have a normal school life.

• Genre: Fantasy, Drama
• Director: Loundraw
• Studio: Flat Studio
• Duration: 40min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Prime Video
• English Voice Cast: Davis Errigo Jr, Kyla Carter, Clifford Chapin, Megan Taylor Harvey, Keith Silverstein, Michael Sinterniklaas, Fiona Kinsella
• Japanese Voice Cast: Chiaki Kobayashi, Miyuri Shimabukuro, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Rina Kawaei. 

35. Tales from Earthsea

Tales from Earthsea is a story about a young prince who does the unthinkable. In the dead of night, he killed his own father, The King of Enlad. After this, he steals his dead father’s sword and flees the capital. He wishes to get as far from Enlad as possible. In his travels, the prince is attacked by a pack of wolves.

However, he is saved by the Archmage Sparrowhawk. The prince decides to accompany Sparrowhawk, and the duo goes to Hort Town. There they go their separate ways exploring the city. The prince runs into some slavers and rescues a girl whom the slavers are trying to kidnap.

In the process, he gets captured, but Sparrowhawk saves him yet again. This angers the local Lord, and he asks Sparrowhawk to be brought to his castle. Seeing that the mage is in trouble cause he saved him, the prince decides to come clean. He confesses his crimes to him. 

The Lord kidnaps the prince and takes him to the castle. He tries to lure the mage to his castle. It is revealed that the Lord was using magic to gain Eternal Life. And that it is causing a shift in the balance. Sparrowhawk was looking for who was responsible for this shift. 

• Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Action
• Director: Gorō Miyazaki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 1h 55min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: HBO Max, Prime Video, Netflix, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Jess Harnell, Kat Cressida, Susanne Blakeslee, Brian George, Cheech Marin, Willem Dafoe, Mariska Hargitay, Blaire Restaneo, Matt Levin, Timothy Dalton. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Bunta Sugawara, Junichi Okada, Aoi Teshima, Jun Fubuki, Yūko Tanaka, Teruyuki Kagawa, Kaoru Kobayashi, Yui Natsukawa, Mitsuko Baisho, Takashi Naito.

36. The Anthem of the Heart

The Anthem of the Heart is a story about a young girl who unknowingly broke her family apart. And as a consequence, she was cursed never to speak again. Every time she tries to speak, she comes under intense stomach pain. And therefore, she has resorted to living without speaking ever again.

Everything started when she, Jun Naruse, was a young girl. She was obsessed with the castle that was atop a hill. In reality, the so-called castle was a love hotel. One day he sees her father exiting the hotel. She excitedly asks him about his visit exposing his infidelity to his wife. 

Her father blamed Jun for breaking up their family. Jun is distraught and is crying endlessly. During this, she encounters a fairy egg. The fairy egg curses Jun by sealing her words. She believed it was necessary so that she would never hurt anyone with her words again. 

At School, she is assigned to a community outreach program by her homeroom teacher. Learning of Jun’s curse, they decide to do a Musical about her story, albeit in the form of a fairytale. The movie progresses as Jun tries to overcome the curse and finally forgives herself for what she did to her family. 

• Genre: Family, Fantasy, Drama, Musical
• Director: Tatsuyuki Nagai
• Studio: A-1 Pictures
• Duration: 1h 59min
• Viewer Rating: P-13
• Where to Stream: Prime Video
• English Voice Cast: None
• Japanese Voice Cast: Inori Minase, Kōki Uchiyama, Sora Amamiya, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Yō Yoshida, Keiji Fujiwara, Kouki Uchiyama, Taishi Murata, Rie Takahashi, Shizuka Ishigami, Takanori Ohyama, Makoto Furukawa, Eizō Tsuda, Kiyoko Miyazawa.

37. The Cat Returns

The Cat Returns is a story about a young girl with the ability to talk to Cats. One day she comes across a cat. She sees that the cat is about to be hit by a truck. And she saves him. The cat reveals itself to be the Prince of Cat Kingdom. And offers his hand in marriage to her.

Haru Yoshioka is shocked at this proposal and therefore fails to deliver an accurate answer. The Prince assumes her reply to be positive. The prince leaves, and Haru has no idea how to proceed. At that moment, she hears a faint voice giving her instructions. The voice tells her to go to the Cat Bureau and that Muta will show her the way.

The duo gets to the cat bureau but is forcibly taken to the Cat Kingdom. The Cat King welcomes Haru with lots of festivities. And holds a great feast in her honor. She starts to notice that she is slowly developing cat-like features. She learns that the more she loses herself, the more she becomes like a cat.

Another cat, Yuki, helps Haru escape the castle. It is revealed that Haru once helped a starving Yuki. It is further revealed that the voice she heard advising her to meet Muta also was the work of Yuki. Haru escapes with the help of the prince and the others. And has found a way to reverse her transformation. 

• Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy
• Director: Hiroyuki Morita
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 1h 15min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, AppleTV, HBO Max
• English Voice Cast: Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle, Elliot Gould, Tim Curry, Andrew Bevis, Judy Greer, René Auberjonois, Andy Ritcher, Kristine Sutherland, Kristen Bell. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Tetsu Watanabe, Yōsuke Saitō, Tetsurō Tanabe, Takayuki Yamada, Aki Maeda, Kenta Satio, Mari Hamada, Kumiko Okae, Hitomi Satō.

38. The Dog of Flanders: The Movie

The Dog of Flanders The Movie is a story about a farm boy with big dreams and his Trusty Dog. The boy lives on the outskirts of town. He earns a living by selling milk in the city. He is good friends with the daughter of his landlord. The landlord does not approve of their friendship and is actively trying to sabotage it. 

The landlord believes Nello is not of the same class as his daughter. He is just some boy who is living on his land. To break their friendship, the landlord sends her away to a school in the city. Now the latter cannot meet with his friend. One time while he was selling milk in the city, he came across an Ad.

It was about an Art contest around a famous artist. The winner will receive a very handsome cash prize along with admission to a prestigious art school. Nello desperately wants that spot in the Arts School. He gets to work right away. Even though he is an excellent artist, there are other forces at play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMXm_qZvpMs

Forces who do not want him to succeed and possibly become equal to them. However, among all of his obstacles, there is one who never left his side. That is his dog. The bond between a man and his dog is one of the purest forms of friendship to exist. With his dog by his side, there is nothing Nello cannot do. 

• Genre: Family, Drama
• Director: Yoshio Kuroda
• Studio: Nippon Animation
• Duration: 1h 33min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: YouTube
• English Voice Cast: Brady Bluhm, Debi Derryberry, Robert Loggia, Sean Young, Richard Cansino, Lara Cody, Randy Montgomery, Scott Menville, Ryan O’Donohue, Bob Papenbrook, Sherry Lynn, Michael McConnohie, Matt K. Miller, Chris Carroll, Louise Chamis, Brianne Siddall, Paul St. Peter, Cliff Wells, Mari Devon. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Makoto Tsumura, Sakura Tange, Kousei Yagi, Honami Suzuki, Katsumi Toriumi, Yuriko Fuchizaki, Masato Hirano, Toshiuki Morikawa, Yoshiko Kamei, Yuko Sasaki, Shinobu Adachi, Hikaru Iujin, Matsuo Matsuo.

39. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a story about a girl who finds out she has the ability to travel time. She lived a normal life up until that time she almost died. Her bicycle brakes failed, throwing her into the path of a train. Only she did not die. She opened her eyes, and she was back on her cycle. 

As a 17-year-old, it is difficult for one not to abuse this ability. That is exactly what Makoto Konno does. She begins to alter time to conditions favorable to her. Failed a test? She would just take it till she got a perfect score. Late to class? Not Anymore. However, she soon finds out that her actions have consequences.

For starters, there is a limit to her Time Leaps. The number of leaps she has left can be seen as a tattoo on her arm. Once she finds out how her actions are causing harm to others, she uses her remaining leps for damage control. However, she would soon realizes that she does not have enough.

Her best friend Chiaki also reveals himself to be a time traveler. He claims that he is from the future. And that her ability is because of a device. He came to the past to ensure the survival of a painting. But like Mokoto, he has used up all his leaps, and now he cannot return back to his timeline. 

• Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Romace
• Director: How To Watch Night Doctor And Episode Schedule
• Studio: Madhouse
• Duration: 1h 38min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Prime Video, AppleTV, Crunchyroll
• English Voice Cast: Davis Hurwitz, Shannon Chan-Kent, Saffron Henderson, Natalie Walters, Kristie Marsden, Alex Zahara, Andrew Francis, Emily Hirst, Tsbiths St. Germain, Kyle Rideout, Nicole Oliver, David Robert Moore, David Kaye, Mark Hildreth, Maryke Hendrikse. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura, Ayami Kakiuchi, Mitsuki Tanimura, Sachie Hara, Yuki Sekido, Yōji Matsuda, Bari Suzuki, Tadashi Nakamura, Sayaka Yoshida, Mami Tokuyama, Nagisa Adaniya, Haruki Watanabe.

40. The Place Promised in Our Early Days

The Place Promised in Our Early Days takes place in an alternate universe where the Soviet Union occupied Japan. After the separation, the Soviet Union took control of the North. And starts building a strange tower. The movie is centered around the life of 3 kids who are all fascinated by the Tower.

The kids are Hiroki Fujisawaa, Takuya Shirakawa and Sayuri Sawatari. The trio comes across as Maritime Self-Defense Force Drone and starts rebuilding it. The trio hopes to ride the drone to the tower once they age. However, Sayuri mysteriously disappears one day.

Almost as if she has fallen off the face of the earth. Years go by with no information about her. Without Sayuri, the friend group breaks up. Fujisawa and Shirakawa both go their separate ways. They also stopped working on the plane as the absence of Sayuri was just so painful.

Before long, 3 years have passed, and Shirakawa is now working as a physicist at the Alliance Scientific Facility. He finds out Sayuri’s whereabouts, Turns out she is hospitalized due to a condition called Narcolepsy. He knows her condition is related to the tower and is working towards saving Sayuri.

• Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Romance, Drama
• Director: Makoto Shinkai
• Studio: CoMix Wave Films
• Duration: 1h 30min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Prime Video, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Brett Coleman, Lesley Tesh, Matthew Crawford, Mariela Ortiz, Hilary Haag, Jacob A.Gragard, Andrew Love, Adam Jones, Illich Guardiola, John Swasey, Kira Vincent-Davis, Andy McAvin, Jessica Boone, Kalob Martinez, Chris Patton.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Hidetaka Yoshioka, Masato Hagiwara, Yūka Nanri, Kazuhiko Inoue, Risa Mizuno, Unshō Ishizuka, Hidenobu Kiuchi, Eiji Takemto, Masami Iwasaki, Takahiro Hirano, Maki Saitou, Yuki Nakao, Kōsuke Kujirai, Rie Nakagawa, Hirochika Kamize.

41. The Secret World of Arrietty

The Secret World of Arrietty is a story about a sick boy who goes to stay over at his mom’s house during summer vacation. There he discovers Borrowers. Borrowers are a race of miniature people who live in secret. And gets by by “burrowing” supplies from humans.

Shō discovers that there is an entire family of borrowers living beneath the floorboards of his house. And since they have been discovered, the family must now move to a new place. However, Shō wants to befriend them and tries to reach out to them.

The daughter of the Burrower family, Arrietty, wants to take him up on his offer, but her father forbids it. Saying how their human curiosity will lead to their ruin. Well, she decides to meet him anyway, and things go well. Shō learns from his aunt that his family has known the presence of Burrowers for generations.

Their family tries their best to accommodate them. The Doll House in their home was made specifically for the Borrowers. Even though Shō tries to help the Burrowers only becomes more and more terrified. They move out. Shō and Arrittey met one last time before she moved out. 

• Genre: Fantasy, Drama
• Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 1h 34min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: AppleTV, Prime Video, HBO Max
• English Voice Cast: Bridgit Mendler, David Henrie, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Carol Burnett, Moisés Arias, Gracie Moore.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Mirai Shida, Ryunpsuke Kamiki, Shinobu Otake, Tomokazu Miura, Kirin Kiki, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Keiko Takeshita. 

42. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a story about a peasant who finds a baby girl inside a Shoot of Bamboo. Believing the baby to be divine, he takes her in and raises her as his own. She developed at a Supernatural rate which made them cemented the belief that she was divine. 

Her father finds some gold and fine cloth inside the bamboo grove, just like her daughter. He uses his newfound resources to give his daughter the best life he possibly can. They move themselves to the Capital city. Buys a mansion complete with house servants, the whole nine yards.

However, the child Takenoko is not happy about this change. She prefers the countryside rather than the busy capital. Furthermore, she desperately misses her friends. But she had no choice but to live according to her father’s wishes. He was hellbent on turning his daughter into an actual princess.

Before long, Takenoko grew into a beautiful young woman attracting suitors from far and wide. Even the emperor is mesmerized by her beauty and tries to kidnap her. It is then revealed that Takenoko is originally from the moon. And now must return back there. Several Celestial Beings came to take her back. 

• Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Romance
• Director: Isao Takahata
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 2h 17min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Caitlyn Leone, Darren Criss, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Lucy Liu, Hynden Walch, George Segal, James Marsden, Oliver Platt, Daniel Dae Kim, Dean Cain, Beau Bridges, John Cho.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto, Atsuko Takahata, Tomoko Tabata, Tatekawa Kamikawa, Hikaru Ijūin, Ryudo Uzaki, Nakamura Shichinosuke II, Isao Hashizume, Tamaki Kojo. 

42. The Wind Rises

The Wind Rises is about a young boy who dreams of flying a plane. However, there is one thing that stands between him and his dream. The boy sufferers from nearsightedness. Making him an unlikely candidate to learn to fly. So he decides to become the next best thing, an engineer who designs flights.

Jiro Horikoshi secures a seat at the prestigious Tokyo Imperial University. On his way there, he meets Nahoko Satomi and her maid. An earthquake strikes causing the maid to suffer from a leg fracture. Jiro carries the maid all the way to Nahoko’s house and leaves soon after. 

He graduates from college and goes to work designing fighter aircraft for the Imperial Army. However, his design, The Mitsubishi 1MF9, does not survive the test run. It quite literally broke apart midair rendering it useless. Resulting in his design getting rejected altogether. 

Toward the End of the Movie, he meets Nahoko again. He asks for her hand in marriage, and she accepts. However, she wants to wait for a little before tying the knot. Turns out she suffers from Tuberculosis and wants to become healthy before she gets married. Jiro goes back to attain his dream of designing an aircraft. 

• Genre: Romance, Drama
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 2h 6min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zach Callison, Emily Blunt, Madeleine Rose Yen, John Krasinski, Martin Short, Werner Herzog, William H. Macy, Edie Mirman, Mae Whitman, Eva Bella, Mandy Patinkin, Jennifer Grey, Stanley Tucci, Elija Wood, Ronan Farrow.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Hideaki Anno, Kaichi Kaburagi, Miori Takimoto, Mayu Iino, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Masahiko Nishimura, Stephen Alpert, Morio Kazama, Keiko Takeshita, Mirai Shida, Maki Shinta, Jun Kunimura, Shinobu Otake, Nomura Mansai, Haruka Shibuya.

44. Violet Evergarden: The Movie

Violet Evergarden: The Movie is about a war veteran who lost her hands and is now forced to retire. She was very much dedicated to her life as a soldier. and was particularly close to her superior. She is adopted into the Evergarden Family. But finds it difficult to live a civilian life. 

In the Anime series, Violet joins the CH Postal Company and becomes known for her skills as a Ghostwriter. She writes beautiful letters on behalf of her clients. She is actively looking for her superior, Major Gilbert Bougainvillea, whom she has not seen ever since the end of the war.

One day Claudia Hodgins, the president of the CH Postal Company and Ex Army Lieutenant, comes across a mysterious letter. She immediately recognizes the handwriting as that of Gilbert Bougainvillea. She tracks down where the letter came from and finds out that it’s from a remote island.

She decides to go visit the island with violet accompanying her. They find Gilbert alive but in a pitiful state. He has lost his right eye and arm. He feels guilty because he hid that he was alive from Violet and did not want to meet her. Violet writes a letter to Gilbert which prompts him to meet her. 

• Genre: History, War, Drama, Romance
• Director: Taichi Ishidate
• Studio: Kyoto Animation
• Duration: 2h 20min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Netflix
• English Voice Cast: Erica Harlacher, Tony Azzolino, Kyle McCarley, Keith Silverstein, Cherami Leigh, Ben Pronsky, Reba Buhr, Christine Marie Cabanos, Anne Yatco, Cassandra Lee Moris, Brittany Cox.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Yui Ishikawa, Daisuke Namikawa, Takehito Koyasu, Hidenobu Kiuchi, Haruka Tomatsu, Kōki Uchiyama, Aya Endo, Minori Chihara, Kaori Mizuhashi, Rina Satō, Sumire Morohoshi.

45. Voices of a Distant Star

Voices of a Distant Star is a story about a young girl who is recruited into the army when an alien threat arises over the horizon. Called the Tarsians, these aliens have declared war against Earth for some unknown reason. Humans have charted a mission to look for the Tarsian threat, and the girl is on the ship.

Specifically, she is on the Tracer, a Robotic Mecha designed to fight the aliens. Mikako Nagamine is to piolt the mecha. Mikako remains in contact with her friends on earth via E-Mail. However, the further Mikoko travels, the longer it takes for the messages to reach her.

The time taken to send a message could even be in the years. At some point in her journey, she passes out. And when she wakes up, she is in orbiting some extrasolar planet. She decides to travel to Agartha, which is the 4th planet in their solar system. She sends an Email to her friend back on earth.

But it would only reach him 8 years later. All of a sudden, sirens start blaring all around her. It seems that the enemy forces have surrounded her. Mikako joined the fight and was a crucial part of their victory. But in the end, her Tracer is too damaged to be operable, and it slowly drifts away into deep space. 

• Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Romance
• Director: Makoto Shinkai
• Studio: CoMix Wave Films
• Duration: 25min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Crunchyroll
• English Voice Cast: Adam Conlon, Cynthia Martinez
• Japanese Voice Cast: Mika Shinohara, Makoto Shinkai, Sumi Mutoh, Chihiro Suzuki, Donna Burke.

46. Weathering With You

Weathering with You is about a boy who ran away from home to Tokyo. Once in Tokyo, he must stay out of sight of the authorities. He saw that he was running out of money very quickly. And sets out to find a job. Any job that pays. Since he is very obviously underage, this proves difficult.

In his search, he meets Hina Amano. She works at the local McDonald’s. She sees that Hodoka is in a dilapidated state and offers him some food which he gladly accepts. During that same night, he stumbles upon a Makarov PM Handgun and takes it for himself. 

The next day he finds a job at this small-time occult research magazine publishing company. They specialize in investigating the urban legends related to the almost Supernatural Weather pattern in Tokyo. He encounters Hina again, who is being pressured into working at a club.

Hakoda uses his gun to intimidate them, saving Hina. Hina reveals her ability to control the weather through her prayer. Hakodo sees excellent business potential in this and proposes that they start a business together. The business soon blows out of proportion putting Hina’s life in Danger. 

• Genre: Fantasy, Romance
• Director: Makoto Shinkai
• Studio: CoMix Wave Films
• Duration: 1h 52min
• Viewer Rating: PG-13
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, AppleTV, HBO Max
• English Voice Cast: Stephanie Sheh, Michael Sinterniklaas, Barbara Goodson, Riz Ahmed, Mike Pollock, Emeka Guondo, Alison Brie, Lee Pace, Ashley Boettcher, Brandon Engman. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Shun Oguri, Tsubasa Honda, Sakura Kiryu, Sei Hiraizumi, Yūki Kaji,, Chieko Baisho, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi.

47. When Marnie Was There

When Marnie Was There is a story about a young girl who is suffering from asthma. After having an asthma attack at School, her doctor prescribes that she spend some time somewhere with clean air. Her foster mom sends her to live with some of her relatives who live in a seaside town over the Summer Vacation.

At the town, Anna begins exploring and stumbles upon an abandoned mansion. She goes into the mansion but gets trapped as the tide rises. She is saved by a fisherman. Not before she sees a Blonde Haired Girl. She sees the girl again during the Tanabata Festival. The latter introduces herself as Marnie.

Marnie asks that Anna keep their interaction a secret, and she obliges. Before long, a new family moves into the mansion. Sayaka, the child of the couple who moved into the mansion, finds Anna and gives her Marcie’s diary, which she supposedly found inside a drawer. 

Anna confides in Marnie about her predicament. She found out that her parents are receiving payments from the government to care for her. This, in her mind, translates to her parents does not actually love her. They will only love her as long as they keep getting paid. She resents her birth parents for abandoning her.

• Genre: Family, Drama, Fantasy
• Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 1h 43min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Mickey Kelley, James Sie, Ashley Johnson, Bob Bergen, Raini Rodriguez, Kathy Bates, Fred Tatasciore, Ellen Burstyn, Grey Griffin, John C. Reilly, Geena Davis, Venessa Williams, Mila Brener, Ava Acres, Cathrine O’Hara, Taylor Autumn Bertman, Kiernan Shipka, Hailee Steinfeld.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Sara Takatsuki, Kasumi Arimura, Ryoko Moriyama, Hana Sugisaki, Hitomi Kuroki, Nanako Matsushima, Susumu Terajima, Toshie Negishi, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Ken Yasuda,Akiko Yoritsune, Yo Oizumi, Tajuma Oto’o, Hiroyuki Morisaki, Shigeyuki Totsugi, Renge Ishikawa. 

48. Whisper of the Heart

Whisper of the Heart is a story about a girl who wants to become a Writer. To nurture her talents, she often reads books. At the library, she notices that all the books she has previously checked out have also been checked out by another boy. This intrigues her curiosity. 

One day she sees something out of the ordinary. She witnesses a cat riding the train. She decides to follow the cat, which leads her to an antique shop. She finds the boy there, who reveals that he is the grandson of the owner of the antique shop. The boy hopes to become a luthier.

A person who repairs and builds string instruments. She asks the boy to play the violin for her. He agrees but under a condition. She must sing along. She obliges and Performs the Song “Take me Home, Country Road” by John Denver. The pair have a great time cementing their friendship.  

Before long, Seiji lands an opportunity to learn under a real master in Italy. He will be gone for 2 months and is leaving immediately. This prompts Shizuku to take her dream of becoming s writer seriously. She works day and night on a story. So much so that she starts failing School. Was it worth it?

• Genre: Romance, Drama
• Director: Yoshifumi Kondō
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Duration: 1h 51min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Corey Burton, Walker Edmiston, Cortney Throne-Smith, Martin Spanjers, Abigail Mavity, Mika Boorem, Vicki Davis, Ashley Tisdale, Harold Gould, Cary Elwes, James Sikking, Jean Smart, Davis Gallagher, Brittany Snow. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Yōko Honna, Issei Takahashi, Shigeru Muroi, Takashi Tachibana, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi, Keiju Kobayashi, Maiko Kayama, Minami Takayama, Mayumi Iizuka, Mai Chiba, Yoshimi Nakajima, Yorie Yamashita, Toshio Suzuki, Naohisa Inoue.

49. Wolf Children

Wolf Children is about a girl who falls in love with a Werewolf. Their relationship was almost like any other fairytale. The only thing was that it did not last very long. Her husband dies in an accident while looking for food to feed his family. Now the girl is left alone with their two young children.

Hana finds it very difficult to handle their children. Like their father, they, too, have inherited the ability to transform into wolves. The kids switch back and forth from their wolf form carelessly. The notice prompts a visit from Social Services, who believe the kids are not in a safe environment.

Following that, Hana moves her family to the countryside, away from prying eyes. She strives to become self-reliant. Farming their own corps etc. She even makes some new friends. Her daughter Yuki wants to attend school, while her son Ame wants to stay in the wilderness.

Hana agrees to let Yuki go to School only if she hides her abilities from her classmates, which she obliges to. However, an incident with a new student causes her to lose control and attack the student. However, both of them came out of it without many injuries. Ame spends his time with a fox who is teaching him how to survive in the wilderness.

• Genre: Fatnasy, Drama
• Director: Mamoru Hosoda
• Studio: Studio Chizu
• Duration: 1h 57min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G0909
• Where to Stream: Crunchyroll, Prime Video, AppleTV
• English Voice Cast: Colleen Clinkenbeard, David Matranga, Jad Saxton Lara Woodhull, Micah Solusod, Alison Viktorin, Jason Miebrecht, Lydia Mackay, Jerry Russell, Kenny Green, Wendy Powell, Sonny Strait, R. Bruce Elliot, Bill Flynn, Kent Williams, Mike McFarland, Jamie Marchi, Mark Stoddard, Melinda Wood Allen, Kate Oxley, Bob Magruder, Linda Leonard.
• Japanese Voice Cast: Aoi Miyazaki, Takao Osawa, Haru Kuroki, Momoka Ono, Yukito Nishii, Amon Kabe, Takuma Hiroka, Megumi Hayashibara, Bunta Sugawara, Takashi Kobayashi, Tomie Kataoka, Shota Sometani, Tdashi Nakamura, Tamio Ōki, Hajime Inoue, Kumiko Asō, Mitsuki Tanimura, Rino Kobayashi, Chika Arakawa, Fūka Haruna, Mone Kamishiraishi, Shunya Kaneko, Ruiki Satō, Tensei Matsuoka, Taichi Masu.

50. Your Name

Your Name is about two people separated by time but connected on a deeper level. The protagonists of the story switch bodies from time to time. They do not know what triggers this. Only that it’s random. They would go to sleep and wake up in each other’s bodies.

Mitsuha Miyamizu works as a shrine maiden with her younger sister and is a high school student. Her only wish in life is to be reborn as Tokto Boy. Little did she know her wish was about to be fulfilled, albeit partially. One day she wakes up dazed and in the body of a stranger.

That stranger is Taki Tachibana. Now the duo is forced to live out their day as each other as convincingly as they can. They work up in their own bodies the next day. Since then, body switching has been happening more and more. They are thriving in the other person’s body.

But as time quickly passes by, the duo starts falling for each other. Taki sets out to look for her. He is shocked to find out that the tow and all its people perished over 3 years ago when hit by a rogue asteroid fragment. He tries to warn Mitsuha about what’s to come, desperately wanting her to survive.

• Genre: Romance, Drama, Fantasy
• Director: Makoto Shinkai
• Studio: CoMix Wave Films
• Duration: 1h 46min
• Viewer Rating: PG-G
• Where to Stream: Netflix, Prime Video, AppleTV, Crunchyroll, Funimation.
• English Voice Cast: Katy Vaughn, Michelle Ruff, Scott Williams, Catie Harvey, Glynis Ellis, Laura Post, Ray Chase, Ben Pronsky, Cassandra Morris, Kyle Hebert, Stephanie Sheh, Michael Sinterniklaas. 
• Japanese Voice Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Narita, Aoi Yūki, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kaito Ishikawa, Masami Nagasawa, Etsuko Ichihara, Kanon Tani, Masaki Terasoma, Sayaka Ohara, Kana Hanazawa.

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