Anime: Make Way for Movies

If you're interested in anime, then you have most likely read my first anime blog where I talked about the different anime-hosting apps, trending anime, and personal recommendations. This time I will be talking all about anime movies.

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Most if not all top anime movies you've heard of have come from Studio Ghibli. Studio Ghibli is a well-known Japanese film company that has created many breathtaking movies and short films. Most of these films were written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Much of them are from Studio Ghibli and are featured on the apps that I talked about in the first anime blog, so make sure you read that one first!

First we have an action/fantasy film, Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke is about prince Ashitaka who killed a demon when it attacked his village. The demon turns out to be a boar god, Nago, who became corrupted by an iron ball that was lodged in his body. Prince Ashitaka’s right arm became cursed from fighting the boar and in return given inhuman strength. Soon the curse would spread through his body and kill him. In hope to find a cure, prince Ashitaka sets out to the western lands where Naga came from and is never able to come back home. You can watch Princess Mononeko on HBO max.

Next, we have another action/fantasy film called The Cat Returns. It's about Haru, a high school student, who saved a cat from being hit by a truck while walking home from school one day. The cat talks to her and says that she will be repaid for her kindness. Later that night, she is visited by the king of cats. The king states that in return for saving his only son, Lune the prince of cats, she will be rewarded with many gifts, and she will marry the prince. You can watch The Cat Returns on YouTube or Apple TV.

If you want something to get your heart pumping, how about a heist/romance movie called The Castle of Cagliostro? Revolving around master thief Lupin III, he finds out that the money he robbed from a casino is a counterfeit, so he sets off for Cagliostro that is rumored to be the one behind the fraudulent cash. He wishes to then take over Cagliostro and make the money his. You can watch The Castle of Cagliostro on Netflix.

A great romance/drama movie is A Silent Voice. As an elementary school student, Shouya Ishida met Shouko Nishimya, a deaf transfer student. To relieve his boredom, Shouya teased and bullied Shouko along with his other classmates. When Shouko’s mother gets involved in having to replace her daughter's hearing aids countless times, Shouya is singled out as her only bully. Going into middle school and high school years later, Shouya is left out for being a bully. You can watch A Silent Voice on Netflix.

An amazing romance/fantasy film is Howl’s Moving Castle. It's about Sophie, a hat shop worker who gets cursed by the wicked witch of the west. Rumor has it that there's a powerful magician in the outskirts of town called Howl who lives in his moving black castle. So in hope that he can put an end to her curse, she sets off to the outskirts to find him. Howl's Moving Castle is on HBO max.

Another romance/fantasy movie is A Whisker Away. This movie is about Miyo Sasaki who is rejected every day by her crush Kento Hinode. When a mysterious mask seller gives her a Noh mask, she can transform into a cat. Striving to get Kento’s attention in any way, Miyo pretends to be a cat, so that she can spend time with him, but the line between cat and human begins to fade. A Whisker Away is on Netflix only.

An adventure/fantasy - Ponyo! Ponyo is about a goldfish princess who takes a forbidden excursion to the surface world where she encounters Sosuke. Sosuke names the girl Ponyo. Soon after, Ponyo’s father brings her back to the ocean kingdom. Wanting to live with Sosuke on the surface world as a human, Ponyo breaks free. While escaping, Ponyo spills a collection of magical elixir that puts Sosuke's village in danger. You can watch Ponyo on HBO max.

Spirited Away is an adventure/fantasy movie. On the way to their new home, Chihiro and her parents stumble upon an abandoned amusement park. After her parents begin to eat food, they found at one of the park's stands, and they are turned into giant pigs. Now Chihiro has to find a way to save her parents with the help of Haku, a strange boy that found her. You can watch Spirited Away on HBO max.

Another adventure/fantasy movie is called Kiki's Delivery Service. Kiki, a young witch in training, leaves her village on a full moon with her talking cat Jiji. In her village, it is tradition for all 13-year-old witches to leave and not return for a year as training. Kiki takes shelter from the rain and the next day stumbles upon a seaside town where she hopes to find a witch and become her apprentice. Kiki's Delivery Service is on HBO max.

The last movie on my list is Grave of the Fireflies, a war/drama about Seita and Setsuko. With their father overseas and their mother who died from a firebomb, the two siblings go and live with their aunt. They soon run away because of their aunt's cruel treatment and find refuge in an abandoned bomb shelter. You can watch Grave of the Fireflies on Hulu.

Anime comes in many film types in countless genres, so hopefully these recommendations interest you!

Written by Neyda Villanueva