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- Recent releases like Bubble, Suzume, and Drifting Home underscore the enduring interest in well-crafted anime films. There's no shortage of the best anime movies, but only a few of them are enjoyable on the second viewing. Audiences looking for more rewatchable anime movies should consider some classics as essential viewing.
The world of Japanese animation is one of vast proportion, intoxicating with its vibrant cinematography and boundary-pushing story-telling, providing international audiences with a spotlight on some of cinema’s most gifted filmmakers of all time.
There is but one job each film sets out to do when released into theaters around the world, and that is to fill seats to meet opening weekend projections. But a film’s rewatchability is contained within its traits that lie beyond entertainment value and run through the layers of themes and provocations that, even after a single two-hour viewing, leave the viewer asking questions and wanting more.
Updated on November 16th, 2022, by Hannah Saab:
Recent releases like Bubble, Suzume, and Drifting Home underscore the enduring interest in well-crafted anime films. There's no shortage of the best anime movies, but only a few of them are enjoyable on the second viewing. Audiences looking for more rewatchable anime movies should consider some classics as essential viewing.
'Akira' (1988)
Available to stream on Hulu.
A bomb is about to be dropped on 1988 Neo-Tokyo after ESP experiments performed on children go south. But our story takes place thirty-one years after the explosion when biker gang member Kaneda struggles to rescue his friend, Tetsuo after he’s captured by the government and becomes the subject of a mysterious and twisted experiment.
It takes no more than a brilliantly executed opening sequence containing almost no words of dialogue to inform the viewer they’re in for a treat when Akira begins, and the ride doesn’t stop until it reaches its true maximum potential, which is astronomically high. Through groundbreaking hand-drawn cell animation, the world of Akira is richer and full of more character than its stripped-down reputation gives it credit for.
'Ocean Waves' (2016)
Available to stream on HBO Max.
Taku Morisaki journeys back to Tokyo to attend an intimate High School Reunion as he recounts memories of his High School days, focusing on one summer that spurred a love triangle between him and his two closest friends.
Ocean Waves reflects on the naivety of the High School experience through the memory of a weathered adult, with characters who are as full of life as they are frustrating to spend time with. Through a soft color palette and eighties gloom, Ocean Waves retells a timeless tale of a young man torn between desire and anger while navigating a friendship in the process.
'Your Name' (2016)
Available to rent on Vudu.
When two teenagers find themselves tied together through a cosmic bond, their mundane lives become infinitely complicated when they decide to meet.
There have been few animated achievements in recent memory that brought fans of the anime director together similar to what Makato Shinkai accomplished in Your Name, which takes the delicate beauty of hand-drawn cell animation to a whole new level. But the awe-inspiring cinematography is only the canvass on which this emotionally complex and truly epic story is painted.
'The Case of Hana and Alice' (2015)
Available to stream on Kanopy.
When fourteen-year-old Tetsuko moves into a new school, she’s bullied after being given the seat of a student who was murdered and sets out on a quiet investigation into her mysterious death.
The Case of Hana and Alice could be an excellent gateway into the slice-of-life genre through its small in-passing moments that make the film stand out in the genre. The watercolor-esque palette aligns with the rest of the film's eccentric qualities and is beautifully reflected onto the two main characters who embark on an emotional and at times very comedic journey.
'Perfect Blue' (1997)
Available to stream on AMC+ Amazon Channel.
When famous singer Mima abruptly ends her career to pursue acting full-time, the lines between reality and fiction start to blur as she’s followed a grotesque stalker.
Fiction and reality are indeed separated by an increasingly blurry distinction, even after the credits roll on Perfect Blue. A masterclass in modern horror and the vicious relationship between Hollywood and its leading talent, Perfect Blue is as gorgeous as it is truly disturbing and creepy and takes the viewer on a ride that only gets more horrifying with every watch.
'Ponyo' (2008)
Available to stream on HBO Max.
When a goldfish princess escapes her exclusion from the outside world and befriends little boy Sosuke, who gives her the name Ponyo, the two become inseparable as Ponyo’s desire to become human quickly grows.
One watch isn’t enough to take in the true scope of Ponyo, whether through its environmental commentary on ocean pollution or the sheer accomplishment of hand-drawn animation that is infinitely rich with detail. Ponyo is as artistically profound as it is almost tear-jerkingly adorable.
'Kiki's Delivery Service' (1989)
Available to stream on HBO Max.
When the thirteen-year-old witch-in-training Kiki, along with her talking cat Jiji move to a new harbor town in accordance with her village's training traditions, she finds her purpose in an unfamiliar place by using her flying abilities to deliver for a local bakery that gives her a place to live.
Upon multiple watches, the true heartbeat of Kiki’s Delivery Service can be found in the timeless struggle of artistic liberation and the journey of finding yourself in order to find your purpose in the world you live in. And this world is laid out in brilliant detail by writer/director Hayao Miyazaki, who proves, yet again, his status as a master of storytelling through an endless supply of fleshed-out characters and an animation style that never ceases to impress.
'Paprika' (2006)
Available to rent on Vudu.
In a world where therapists use a machine to enter their patients' subconscious, one psychologist turns into the titular dream detective when the important device goes missing in Satoshi Kon's Paprika. What follows is a mind-bending journey that takes the protagonist to some dangerous places in pursuit of the criminals who are spreading nightmares.
Before Inception, there was Paprika, which explored the idea of staging a daring heist and depicting the ensuing chaos within dreamers' minds. Its complex story and overwhelming visuals warrant more than one viewing, as audiences will undoubtedly want to dive back into the unique world of the often-overlooked movie.
'Ghost in the Shell' (1995)
Available to stream on The Roku Channel.
Those who are into the anime noir aesthetic have probably already seen Ghost in the Shell. Set in the (now) not-so-distant cyberpunk future of 2029, the film follows the cyborg agent Motoko Kusanagi, who's tasked with hunting down a notorious brain-hacker known as The Puppetmaster.
The dark and gritty movie doesn't shy away from hard-hitting themes like technology's relationship with humanity, morality, and identity in the face of cybernetics. These complicated subjects definitely make the film rewatchable, as they're explored incredibly well through its riveting crime story.
'Spirited Away' (2001)
Available to stream on HBO Max.
Spirited Away is a Ghibli film that needs no introduction. Arguably Miyazaki's most popular masterpiece, even those who have never seen the movie will recognize ten-year-old Chihiro Ogino, who goes on a dangerous adventure through the spirit world in an attempt to rescue her parents.
Its iconic creatures and gorgeous visuals are more than enough reasons to watch it twice, but it's the surprising emotional depth of Chihiro's story that truly calls for a second viewing. More than a simple tale of misadventure, it's a film that invites viewers to recognize their own independence and bravery just as the protagonist does by the end of her journey – it's a unique and wondrous feeling that the movie can bring out every single time.