(Photo by Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection)
The Tomatometer takes on the best anime movies of all time! That means we’re ranking everything from the feverishly dark 1980s/1990s films (Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll), to the Studio Ghibli golden era (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies), and into today’s mainstream renaissance (Your Name, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen 0).
The list begins with Certified Fresh films first: Movies with at least 75% on the Tomatometer after enough critics reviews (40 or 80 reviews, depending on the type of release). These are movies seen by a wide swath of critics for potential wide audiences, including most films by Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki’s Delivery Service, The Wind Rises), Isao Takahata (The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Only Yesterday), Satoshi Kon (Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika), Mamoru Hosoda (Belle, The Boy and the Beast, Mirai), and Makoto Shinkai (Weathering With You).
After those are the Fresh movies, and a definitely rewarding dive for fans. Though anime has bubbled up in pop culture over the last two decades, many of these Fresh-rated films still need reviews to cross the Certified Fresh threshold. Though what reviews are there are pretty good! These Fresh movies include classics like The Castle of Cagliostro, Perfect Blue, and Vampire Hunter D, along with newer favorites Promare, Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, and A Silent Voice.
On the second page, you’ll find even more Fresh movies hovering on the fringe like the Cowboy Bebop movie, along with Rotten-rated anime, including from Studio Ghibli (Tales From Earthsea), Pokemon, and Final Fantasy.
We defined anime at its most fundamental — simply, movies that were drawn and animated in Japan. This includes earlier efforts like 1973’s Belladonna of Sadness, movies directed by non-Japanese folks (Tekkonkinkreet, The Red Turtle), anthologies (The Animatrix, Gotham Knight), and even for-hire international productions, like Topcraft (whose core members would go on to found Studio Ghibli) animating The Last Unicorn and J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations for Rankin/Bass.
Most recently: We added 1987’s Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise (which was scored by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, and a movie Roger Ebert called “a visually sensational two-hour extravaganza”), Shinkai’s Suzume (an action/fantasy set all across modern-day Japan), and Keiichi Hara’s Lonely Castle in the Mirror. —Alex Vo
#1
Adjusted Score: 103186%
Critics Consensus: Boasting narrative depth, frank honesty, and exquisite visual beauty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a modern animated treasure with timeless appeal.
#2
Adjusted Score: 102539%
Critics Consensus: Only Yesterday‘s long-delayed U.S. debut fills a frustrating gap for American Ghibli fans while offering further proof of the studio’s incredibly consistent commitment to quality.
#3
Adjusted Score: 102132%
Critics Consensus: An achingly sad anti-war film, Grave of the Fireflies is one of Studio Ghibli’s most profoundly beautiful, haunting works.
#4
Adjusted Score: 105455%
Critics Consensus: As beautifully animated as it is emotionally satisfying, Your Name adds another outstanding chapter to writer-director Makoto Shinkai’s filmography.
#5
Adjusted Score: 99616%
Critics Consensus: Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie offers a thrilling, beautifully animated gift for fans of the anime — and a story that holds up as a standalone effort.
#6
Adjusted Score: 99435%
Critics Consensus: Demon Slayer‘s visually stunning animation and masterful action set pieces serve a heartfelt plot that is sure to satisfy fans.
#7
Adjusted Score: 99311%
Critics Consensus: Kiki’s Delivery Service is a heartwarming, gorgeously-rendered tale of a young witch discovering her place in the world.
#8
Adjusted Score: 102971%
Critics Consensus: Spirited Away is a dazzling, enchanting, and gorgeously drawn fairy tale that will leave viewers a little more curious and fascinated by the world around them.
#9
Adjusted Score: 101391%
Critics Consensus: In This Corner of the World offers a unique ground-level perspective on an oft-dramatized period in history, further distinguished by beautiful hand-drawn animation.
#10
Adjusted Score: 102631%
Critics Consensus: Suzume sees director Makoto Shinkai falling just a bit short of the bar set by previous outings — but when the results are this visually thrilling and emotionally impactful, it’s hard to find much fault.
#11
Adjusted Score: 100269%
Critics Consensus: A remarkable story brought to life with dazzling animation, Belle finds writer-director Mamoru Hosoda setting a brilliant new benchmark.
#12
Adjusted Score: 96485%
Critics Consensus: A stunning feat of modern animation, Ghost in the Shell offers a thoughtful, complex treat for anime fans, as well as a perfect introduction for viewers new to the medium.
#13
Adjusted Score: 99652%
Critics Consensus: Visually lush, refreshingly free of family-friendly clatter, and anchored with soulful depth, The Secret World of Arrietty lives up to Studio Ghibli’s reputation.
#14
Adjusted Score: 104318%
Critics Consensus: The Red Turtle adds to Studio Ghibli’s estimable legacy with a beautifully animated effort whose deceptively simple story boasts narrative layers as richly absorbing as its lovely visuals.
#15
Adjusted Score: 99426%
Critics Consensus: With its epic story and breathtaking visuals, Princess Mononoke is a landmark in the world of animation.
#16
Adjusted Score: 94179%
Critics Consensus: The story of an aging movie actress’ complicated personal saga unfolds in this sophisticated anime film that deftly blurs memory and make-believe into a meditation on the nature of cinema itself.
#17
Adjusted Score: 95478%
Critics Consensus: Miss Hokusai illuminates the life and creative legacy of its brilliant subject with a beautifully animated biopic whose absorbing visuals are matched by its narrative grace.
#18
Adjusted Score: 94306%
Critics Consensus: My Neighbor Totoro is a heartwarming, sentimental masterpiece that captures the simple grace of childhood.
#19
Adjusted Score: 95153%
Critics Consensus: When Marnie Was There is still blessed with enough visual and narrative beauty to recommend, even if it isn’t quite as magical as Studio Ghibli’s greatest works.
#20
Adjusted Score: 97538%
Critics Consensus: Beautifully animated and narratively engaging, Weathering with You further establishes writer-director Makoto Shinkai as a singularly talented filmmaker.
#21
Adjusted Score: 97266%
Critics Consensus: While not Miyazaki’s best film, Ponyo is a visually stunning fairy tale that’s a sweetly poetic treat for children of all ages.
#22
Adjusted Score: 92893%
Critics Consensus: Beautiful and substantive, Tokyo Godfathers adds a moving — and somewhat unconventional — entry to the animated Christmas canon.
#23
Adjusted Score: 92812%
Critics Consensus: Masaaki Yuasa fans will come to Inu-Oh expecting a visual feast — and this musical animated extravaganza won’t leave them disappointed.
#24
Adjusted Score: 94180%
Critics Consensus: Akira is strikingly bloody and violent, but its phenomenal animation and sheer kinetic energy helped set the standard for modern anime.
#25
Adjusted Score: 91792%
Critics Consensus: My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising sends fans of the saga on an exhilarating adventure that ends the series on a beautifully animated high note.
#26
Adjusted Score: 92796%
Critics Consensus: Mary and the Witch’s Flower honors its creator’s Studio Ghibli roots with a gentle, beautifully animated story whose simplicity is rounded out by its entrancing visuals.
#27
Adjusted Score: 94751%
Critics Consensus: The Wind Rises is a fittingly bittersweet swan song for director Hayao Miyazaki.
#28
Adjusted Score: 91139%
Critics Consensus: The Boy and the Beast combines familiar parts to create a gripping, beautifully animated adventure with inventive storytelling to match its visual appeal.
#29
Adjusted Score: 93198%
Critics Consensus: Exquisitely illustrated by master animator Miyazaki, Howl’s Moving Castle will delight children with its fantastical story and touch the hearts and minds of older viewers as well.
#30
Adjusted Score: 89755%
Critics Consensus: Gentle and nostalgic, From Up on Poppy Hill is one of Studio Ghibli’s sweeter efforts — and if it doesn’t push the boundaries of the genre, it remains as engagingly lovely as Ghibli fans have come to expect.
#31
Adjusted Score: 88476%
Critics Consensus: A remarkable technical achievement, Metropolis‘ eye-popping visuals more than compensate for its relatively routine story.
#32
Adjusted Score: 87896%
Critics Consensus: Following its own brand of logic, Paprika is an eye-opening mind trip that is difficult to follow but never fails to dazzle.
#33
Adjusted Score: 84421%
Critics Consensus: Dragon Ball Super: Broly may seem like colorful chaos to newcomers, but for longtime fans, it represents this long-running franchise near its action-packed apogee.
#34
Adjusted Score: 79761%
Critics Consensus: Lu Over the Wall can be more fun to watch than to follow, but director Masaaki Yuasa’s distinctive visual style offers colorful compensation for an occasionally scattered story.
#35
Adjusted Score: 100423%
Critics Consensus: Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms anchors its colorfully imaginative fantasy setting in universal — and deeply poignant — real-world themes.
#36
Adjusted Score: 100270%
Critics Consensus: With its characteristic boldness, Evangelion:3.0+1.01 more than thricely rewards fans with a cathartic finale to the 26-year-old iconic anime tale.
#37
Adjusted Score: 100440%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#38
Adjusted Score: 88765%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#39
Adjusted Score: 76088%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#40
Adjusted Score: 88536%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#41
Adjusted Score: 68505%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#42
Adjusted Score: 50732%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#43
Adjusted Score: 61096%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#44
Adjusted Score: 50712%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#45
Adjusted Score: 44424%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#46
Adjusted Score: 48011%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#47
Adjusted Score: 40572%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#48
Adjusted Score: -1%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Starring:
Directed By:
#49
Adjusted Score: 29604%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#50
Adjusted Score: 29616%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#51
Adjusted Score: 26348%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#52
Adjusted Score: 21740%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#53
Adjusted Score: 97740%
Critics Consensus: Visually dazzling and narratively exhilarating, Promare is a colorful thrill ride that should entertain adult anime enthusiasts as well as the teens in its target audience.
#54
Adjusted Score: 97204%
Critics Consensus: With a storytelling palette as rich and brilliant as its animation, Castle in the Sky thrillingly encapsulates Studio Ghibli’s unique strengths.
#55
Adjusted Score: 96695%
Critics Consensus: As beautifully crafted as it is powerfully written, A Silent Voice looks at teen bullying from a soberingly hard-hitting perspective that’s uncommon for the animated medium.
#56
Adjusted Score: 95498%
Critics Consensus: Featuring visually striking CGI animation of its famed characters, Lupin III:The First is a charming and old-fashioned adventure romp.
#57
Adjusted Score: 82829%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#58
Adjusted Score: 95260%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#59
Adjusted Score: 76156%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#60
Adjusted Score: 94728%
Critics Consensus: It may not be the best entry point for newcomers, but One Piece Film Red offers everything fans of the franchise will be looking for.
#61
Adjusted Score: 68594%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#62
Adjusted Score: 90261%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#63
Adjusted Score: 94814%
Critics Consensus: Blending beautifully animated action with fresh character development, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is everything fans of the franchise will be looking for.
#64
Adjusted Score: 93975%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#65
Adjusted Score: 93022%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#66
Adjusted Score: 92183%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#67
Adjusted Score: 92184%
Critics Consensus: While it could stand to be a lot more enlightened in its treatment of its protagonist, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is also a sensitive and refreshingly honest look at adolescence.
#68
Adjusted Score: 90634%
Critics Consensus: Inventively animated, boldly creative, and refreshingly ambitious, The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl should resonate deeply with fans of outré anime.
#69
Adjusted Score: 58388%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#70
Adjusted Score: 89140%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#71
Adjusted Score: 89079%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#72
Adjusted Score: 60188%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#73
Adjusted Score: 89013%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#74
Adjusted Score: 87732%
Critics Consensus: Sweetly charming and beautifully animated, The Cat Returns offers anime adventure suitable for the very young and young at heart.
#75
Adjusted Score: 30317%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#76
Adjusted Score: 86471%
Critics Consensus: Fun for newcomers and existing fans alike, My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission is an entertaining interlude between seasons of the series.
#77
Adjusted Score: 82065%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#78
Adjusted Score: 22617%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#79
Adjusted Score: 30537%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#80
Adjusted Score: 66547%
Critics Consensus: An imaginative and thoughtfully engaging anime film with a highly effective visual design. This coming-of-age comedy drama has mad inventiveness to spare.
#81
Adjusted Score: 75792%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#82
Adjusted Score: 62045%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#83
Adjusted Score: 52485%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#84
Adjusted Score: 73459%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#85
Adjusted Score: 36412%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#86
Adjusted Score: 81335%
Critics Consensus: Sweet, sad, and visually striking, A Letter to Momo is a hand-drawn experience for animation fans to savor.
#87
Adjusted Score: 33716%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#88
Adjusted Score: 26243%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#89
Adjusted Score: 25696%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#90
Adjusted Score: 27245%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#91
Adjusted Score: 20293%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#92
Adjusted Score: 79044%
Critics Consensus: Family drama mixes with virtual online action in the breezy and entertaining Summer Wars.
#93
Adjusted Score: 29161%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#94
Adjusted Score: -1%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#95
Adjusted Score: 67566%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#96
Adjusted Score: 25009%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#97
Adjusted Score: 47155%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#98
Adjusted Score: 72360%
Critics Consensus: Vampire Hunter D‘s gothic charms may be lost on those unfamiliar with the anime series that spawned it, but the crisp action and nightmarish style will satiate horror aficionados’ bloodlust.
#99
Adjusted Score: 21040%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#100
Adjusted Score: 19657%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.