Some anime movies from “Flavors of Youth” and “Ghost in the Shell” offer a wide variety of plots and characters for you to enjoy. Collage by Katelyn Nguyen. Photos by MADHOUSE In., Comix Wave Films, Production I.G., Kyoto Animation, Studio Chizu and Hamed Saber [CC BY 2.0]
By Catherine Vu
Studio Ghibli films are heartwarming and easily digestible, making them perfect gateway films into the world of anime. But if you’ve watched every Ghibli movie and are looking for something new, here are some multi-genre recommendations.
If you enjoy (not necessarily light-hearted) slice-of-life…
“Wolf Children”
“Wolf Children” is a story about finding your identity. College student Hana falls in love and has two children with a man who can transform into a wolf in Tokyo. However, he dies soon after, leaving her to raise her wolf-children Yuki and Ame alone. The family move to the countryside and live relatively peacefully for 13 years until Yuki and Ame must find their own paths. Ultimately, viewers are allowed to draw their own conclusions about right and wrong just as the characters do, keeping viewers at the edge of their seats until the bittersweet end.
“In This Corner of the World”
“In This Corner of the World” illustrates the experiences of 18-year-old Suzu Hojo during the final years of World War II in vivid color. Suzu transforms from a naive young bride adjusting to her new life in a town near Hiroshima to a brave woman who perseveres through countless struggles and tragedies. While most coming-of-age protagonists try to change the entire system they live in, Suzu simply tries to make the best of her corner of the world. Even through all this, she never loses hope that better days will come.
If you want your heart broken…
“5 Centimeters per Second”
“5 Centimeters per Second” is a metaphor for lovers growing apart. The story unfolds through a three-part anthology. In the first episode, the main character Takaki Tono meets his childhood crush Akari. Before long, the two move far away from each other, never confessing their feelings for each other. Parts two and three show Takaki trying to let go of his first love. Although time separates him and Akari like two like cherry blossoms drifting apart five centimeters per second, it has yet to heal Takaki’s wounds.
If you want your heart broken and pieced together again…
“Your Name”
“Your Name” is a much happier story of love that transcends time and space. Highschoolers Mitsuha Miyamizu and Taki Tachibana begin to switch bodies for a day at a time. As each teen adjusts to the other’s drastically different lifestyle, they realize they can leave messages to help each other. Mitsuha realizes she is in love with Taki and tries to go to Tokyo to see him in person. However, their meeting is ill-fated for multiple reasons she can’t anticipate. After this, Taki stops waking up in Mitsuha’s body and all of their communications disappear. He embarks on a journey to find out what happened and uncovers the truth behind their situation along the way. This movie combines masterful storytelling with beautiful animation and soundtracks that perfectly complement its metaphors and foreshadowing.
Shoya and Shoko try to heal old wounds in “A Silent Voice.” Photo by Kyoto Animation Co.
“A Silent Voice”
“A Silent Voice” is a poignant drama that explores difficult themes such as bullying, disability, depression and suicide. Shoya Ishida deeply regrets bullying his deaf classmate Shoko Nishimiya in grade school to the point she is forced to transfer schools. Years later, he is a depressed and suicidal outcast unable to look others in the eye due to his fear of ostracization. Eventually, Shoya gets an opportunity to right his wrongs after he meets Shoko again in high school. Although this plot seems to excuse bullying, Shoya never denies responsibility for his actions and all of the characters get the chance to heal from their trauma.
If you want to go on an action-packed adventure…
“Akira”
“Akira” is a science fiction cyberpunk action movie set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo in 2019. It follows two friends biker gang leader Shotaro Kaneda as he tries to save his childhood friend Tetsuo Kaneda from being abducted from a secret government experiment. On their journey, the friends team up with a terrorist group to battle corrupt politicians, mad scientists and supernatural experimental subjects. Akira was a pioneer in its genre, inspiring works like “Stranger Things,” “Blade Runner,” “Tron” and more.
“Ghost in the Shell”
“Ghost in the Shell” takes place in a futuristic cyberpunk Japan in 2029. Not only can humans augment or replace their body parts with cybernetic ones, but they can also even fuse their brain (ghost) to an enhanced cyborg body (shell). Ghost Major Motoko Kusanagi is a Public Security assault-team leader in New Port City in Japan. She is pursuing “The Puppet Master” who is hacking into ghosts’ brains and controlling them. Along the way, she uncovers the truth about her world. This 1995 film raises moral dilemmas about artificial intelligence, autonomy, control, information manipulation and corruption that are still relevant today.
If you enjoy mystery…
“Tokyo Godfathers”
“Tokyo Godfathers” is a tragicomic adventure that follows a trio of homeless people on a quest to find an abandoned baby’s parents. Middle-aged alcoholic Gin, former drag queen Hana and teenage runaway Miyuki’s backstories are slowly revealed as they follow leads on baby Sachiko. This film lends voice to, in director Satoshi Kon’s own words, the “discarded.” Abandoned and runaway children, addicts, trans people and the homeless are often lumped into monoliths that society wants to disregard. Telling the stories of individuals from these marginalized groups attempts to humanize them in hopes viewers see past these people’s negative stereotypes.
If you want a psychological thriller to think about for days after…
“Perfect Blue”
“Perfect Blue” explores themes of dual identity, privacy and possession. This film blurs the line between imagination and reality in a style reminiscent of classic Alfred Hitchcock films like “Psycho.” Former J-POP band member Mima Kirigoe leaves her group to pursue acting. She begins to suffer a mental breakdown after battling the dark side of the film industry, stressing over her violent stalker and grappling with the guilt of leaving her J-POP group. Fans of films like “Inception,” which was inspired by “Perfect Blue,” will enjoy trying to make sense of the nonlinear storytelling through an unreliable narrator.
“Millennium Actress”
“Millennium Actress” is the sister film of “Perfect Blue.” The drama’s plot and use of flashbacks and imagination resemble Orson Welles’s iconic movie “Citizen Kane.” Two documentary filmmakers, Genya Tachibana and Kyoji Ida, interview retired actress Chiyoko Fujiwara about a mysterious key she lost years earlier. From then on, Chiyoko leads the two filmmakers on a surreal journey through her acting career and real-life to uncover the truth behind her precious key. Viewers must decipher Chiyoko’s film scenes and imagination from reality to follow along.
These suggestions are just a few of the thousands of anime movies out there. Hopefully, you will enjoy watching these unique films and use this guide as a starting point into the world of anime. So kick back and relax Barons! Have fun watching!
