Truthfully, anime movies are the ones that experiment the most with their styles and visual depiction. Sometimes they end up with something decent, but at times, they can be one of the best representations of breathtaking visuals. Anime artists and studios continue to push the envelope for just how beautiful the medium can be.
Updated on June 2, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Anime is a medium where people can truly go off-the-rails as they show incredible stories with dazzling visuals. While an anime series generally has to reign back its animation quality for a multitude of reasons, the same restraints don’t apply to anime movies. As a result, these one-off movies can feature some incredible visuals that are a joy to look at, with the following movies being great examples of how to make a truly dazzling film with awe-inspiring animation.
15 Ghost In The Shell
For a movie that was released almost three decades ago, it’s amazing to see just how brilliant Ghost in the Shell’s animation really is. The movie is a visual extravaganza that still holds up to this day.
It helps that the movie’s story, setting, and presentation are in a class of their own. The fact that Ghost in the Shell was a major source of inspiration for movies like The Matrix goes to show that this cyberpunk adventure is indeed in a class of its own.
14 Bubble
Bubble is a pretty interesting film, using the concept of simple bubbles to tell a riveting story. It chronicles the story of Hibiki and a person made from these otherworldly bubbles, named Uta.
The story is pretty tragic, although the presentation could’ve been way better. However, it’s the animation of Bubblethat is absolutely incredible and makes it well worth a watch.
13 Paprika
Satoshi Kon is considered by many to be one of the greatest anime movie directors of his time. It’s a shame that pancreatic cancer took this man and his genius away, but his amazing work is still present for everyone to see.
Paprika’s story is obviously brilliant given the stellar reputation of its direction. However, it’s the animation that’s a pretty major highlight as well, with Paprika’s visuals being astounding to this day.
12 Redline
Madhouse was the production house behind Paprika, and they make an appearance once again with Redline. As expected from this studio, the animation is simply in a class of its own.
The film was worked on for seven years, and this shows in each and every carefully-animated frame of this movie. The racing scenes are an obvious highlight, with each scene feeling absolutely exhilarating and incredible to behold.
11 Dragon Ball Super: Broly
The end of Dragon Ball Super left many fans starved for more content featuring their favorite Saiyans. This finally appeared in the form of Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which canonized a character who had played a central role in three great Dragon Ball Z films before.
Broly’s character was revamped for the better, with this character’s powers being a joy to witness firsthand. The fact that Goku and Vegeta had to fuse to tackle this threat showed that Broly was not someone to be messed with, and only time will tell how big of a role this character will play in later sagas.
10 Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back
Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back was released in 2o19. The movie has an approval rating of 44% on rotten tomatoes and has an average rating on other websites. However, despite that, it is clearly one of the unique-looking Pokemon content out there.
The movie drops the anime’s traditional 2d style and goes for a full-blown 3D while keeping the art style intact. It is one of the most colorful and detailed Pokemon movies ever made and is certainly worth watching.
9 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train
Released in 2020, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train is a very recent anime film. The Japanese film is many steps up when it comes to traditional animation. It combines various techniques such as bloom, lens flares, and depth of field effects that aren’t very much used in anime movies.
The movies tell the tale of Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke going on a mission to hunt for a demon that has killed over forty demon slayers on the same train.
8 Weathering With You
Weathering with You was released quite recently in 2019. With a 7.5 on IMDb and 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, it is clear that the film has received majorly positive reviews. One part of this can be given to its style of animation and visuals.
This film is breathtaking by every means, especially when it comes to the over-the-top sequences such as falling from the sky. This Japanese anime film actually had a budget of ¥1.2 billion.
7 5 Centimeters Per Second
5 Centimeters per Second has a very similar rating to Weathering with You, coming at around 7.6 on IMDb and 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie clearly stands out for its use of incredible lighting.
The artistically painted environments topped with that animation really give this one an ambient feel, unlike any other anime movie. Moreover, the rating is an exact reason this is a must-watch, if not just the visuals.
6 My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Totoro is such a popular film that there are many gifs of this anime on the internet. The fluffy, squeezy, and round creature is unique in its design and hard to not look at. The film is very popular, with positive reviews blowing off the roof.
The movie is set in 1958 Japan, and the visual depiction is just the right style. The film has a breathtakingly artistic environment, which is enough to make the whole movie worth watching.
5 Akira
It is hard to believe that Akira was released in 1988. The sci-fi action movie is over two hours in length and is entirely hand-drawn. This gives Akira a visual identity unlike any other movie on the list. First, it’s a movie that has paved the way for many different anime movies to come.
Second, the movie’s story is just as good as well, since it has 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8/10 on IMDb. Moreover, the antique nature of the film makes it all the more fascinating to watch.
4 The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a story of 17-year-old Makoto Konno who gets the ability to leap through time, literally. It’s an exciting sci-fi/romance anime film with a straightforward yet comic-like style.
With a saturated, yet not too bright color palette, the movie manages to look very modern for the time it was released in. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has an interesting style that becomes surreal as the story’s events unfold.
3 Spirited Away
Ghibli films are already super popular among the masses and for a good reason. It should come as no surprise that a movie such as Spirited Away is one of the best Ghibli films ever made.
The fantasy adventure movie is incredibly well received by everyone and has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and 96% on Metacritic. The amount of work that has gone into making the world of this movie look, so details are certainly commendable. If that is not enough, the animation takes it to a whole new level.
2 Berserk: The Golden Age Arc
Berserk is why many of today’s popular games exist, and one of them is Dark Souls. Berserk: The Golden Age Arc takes the story of Guts further into the darkness.
Even though The Golden Age isn’t the best Berserk film, it is still vital in the series. Moreover, it’s one of the best well-thought anime movie series out there with a great backstory and characters.
1 Your Name
Your Name was released on August 26, 2016, and soon became one of the highest-rated anime movies on rotten tomatoes. The fantasy romance movie is literally a love letter to people who appreciate the attention to detail and jaw-droppingly good visuals.
The film is super ambient and very well depicted. Moreover, the blend of so many unique elements and traditional style is the reason that makes Your Name a worth watch movie just for the visual glory.
More: Every Satoshi Kon Anime, Ranked According To IMDb
