anime film gems

[daikenjo]

i've grown tired of asking my friends and other anime-enthusiasts if they've seen anime films, but having them all reply "no", or "i think i've heard of it", considering there's so many out there that should be seen. anime films are more accessible than watching entire seasons--it's a one-shot production. the hardcore crowd look up and do research find out about these films, but it shouldn't be limited to just them, it should be spread and seen by anyone interested.

If you haven't seen these films, but enjoy anime, i urge you to check these out :]

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Here's one that almost no one has seen, but needs to be:


Mindgame : it's made by the same animation studio(Studio 4°C) as Tekkonkinkreet(another anime film you need to check out if you haven't already), and you can tell. simple line drawings amazing animation is this studio's trademark, and this movie delivers everything good about animation. do NOT blow this movie off because you don't agree with the way this movie looks. this film is an insane experience, and highly recommended. it has so much content, abstract and concrete, just keep an open mind. it won't explain everything to you, but you understand by feeling it(just trust me on this, if you do it you'll know what i mean). great set pieces and characters, the climax of this film is among the best i've ever seen. here's the trailer:


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now that i got the "arthouse" type anime out there, here's something for the more traditional crowd:


Sword of the Stranger : The animation is done by Bones, who did Cowboy Bebop: Knockin on Heaven's Door, Xam'd, Full Metal Alchemist, Eureka SeveN, and Soul Eater--quite an impressive track record, so i don't really need to get into how great the animation is. the story is about an orphan boy who is sought after by assassins, who runs into a nameless ronin who agrees to escort him to safety. the film is full of amazing and fluid action sequences, but it doesn't skimp on character and story either. this film brought back to the surface all the appreciation and love i had for classics like Rurouni Kenshin and the Samurai X OVAs, i can't recommend this enough for those who enjoyed them. here's a sneak preview:

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This one may appeal to the classic rpg fan:

Brave Story : Done by studio Gonzo who have done Gantz, Samurai Seven, and Afro Samurai. The story follows a boy who's family has fallen apart, and his mother had just collapsed and taken to a hospital. he finds an entrance to another world, which may have the solution he seeks to save his mother and piece his family together. this movie had a lot of tongue-in-cheek j-rpg elements, for example, there is an old man who scans his "stats" and gives him a job class and weapon accordingly before he is let out into the world. there's a lot for a jrpg fan to pick up as the story goes along such as traveling from town to town, peculiar enemies, and quests for items. as much as this film is fun, there is a very serious and heavy side to the characters and story. i found this film refreshing and a great watch.


if there's any anime films that you think are unappreciated, post it!

[emiemipoemi]

There's a sweet childrens movie called Arashi No Yoru Ni or One Stormy Night that I love. It's about a wolf and a goat who become friends.

[Setre]

I’ll defiantly check out Sword of the Stranger. What horror movie anime do you recommend?

[daikenjo]

i haven't seen a lot of good anime horror movies that i recommend. i know more anime series that i'll recommend. but here's what i know:




Perfect Blue(film) - it's about an extremely popular pop idol who wants to get into the acting business but as she does, unsettling events cause the main character to lose her grip on reality, and take a turn for the worse. can't say much without giving it away, but it's a classic (came out in 1997) but it still holds up extremely well. it's not horror in a supernatural sense, but a psychological thriller. Also, Paranoia Agent is an anime series by the same director, which has an unsettling, eerie premise as well.




Monster(tv series) - i read the manga series a while ago, and i just started to watch the anime adaptation. it's pretty faithful and i highly, highly recommend it. it's another psychological thriller, with some really frightening twists and charming (and horribly demented)characters. while the plot itself doesnt seem outright scary, every layer that gets peeled back with each episode reveals something awfully twisted and chilling at the core. it's a relatively long series, finishes at 70 or so episodes. but once the story starts, it's really captivating, and it's among my favorite murder mystery/thriller stories of all time.




School Days(tv series) - maybe this wouldn't be considered horror by some, but it's absolutely horrifying to me. starts off as any light-hearted, generic love-triangle story with cutely drawn characters, but halfway through the tension that built in the first half finally breaks into a truly disturbing dance with the devil. just talking about it gives me chills. it's a short series too, 12 episodes, so it could technically be seen altogether as a movie. i saw it all in one sitting and the end...well, you'll see it when you see it.

[Setre]

Thanks for the suggestions. I actually bought Perfect Blue the other day, just waiting for it to arrive in the mail (same with Paranoia Agent). I’ve heard about Monster and School Days. I’m going too eventually get around to watching Monster and I’ve heard the ending to School Days is pretty messed up. You don’t happen to have any suggestions for Sci-Fi/Space Opera movies do you?

[daikenjo]

off the top of my head,



Ghost in the Shell, which was made in a time where sci fi anime was really popular. essentially a crime drama with heavy sci fi elements, and brings up interesting questions that arise when technology has built itself up to a point where humans can be hacked and programmed. a sequel to the movie came out, but i haven't seen it.



an animated film in korea called Wonderful Days/ aka Sky Blue, while isn't set in space, certainly fills the "opera" romantic aspect of a space opera, as well as highly stylish sci-fi tech. it's about a run down future, where a city called Ecoban has polluted the land to the point where some inhabitants have spent their entire lives never seeing a blue sky. a group of people who call themselves Diggers plan to take down Ecoban, and among them is the protagonist who runs into a girl he discovers to be a childhood friend (who has become an official in Ecoban), and kindles a love interest. without going into too much detail, it becomes an epic operatic love triangle (amid awesome sci-fi stuff). it's not the greatest movie as style does trump substance, but it's a worthy watch.
here's a trailer just to see if it's something you'd be interested in:


films that are heavy on the romantic view of futuristic sci fi is hard to come by nowdays since everything is going for a more realistic approach. for an anime television series, Gurren Lagann would definitely fit the bill for an epic space opera.

[exocel]

i totally recommend perfect blue, in 4 years of studying film at university its the only anime film weve seen as a shining example of its genre done right, in this case the thriller suspense mind f**k.

-in case anyone recommends it i gotta say i find akira to be incredibly overrated.


-whilst its technically not anime i can definitely recommend the film casshern.

[daikenjo]

i can't believe how much time has gone by since it came out. released in 2000, almost a decade ago, it seems to have become a movie that people have overlooked. that's insane to me because this movie was still so fresh in my mind for all those years, so this movie deserves a highlight:



Vision of Escaflowne : the film came out as a re-envisioning of the television anime series, much like how film adaptations are made of books. it takes lots of creative liberties with the original story and characters but in the end, you can't really compare the two--they're different beings altogether. the story is about a girl who is called into a fantasy world, where she is seen as a savior of their crumbling world. did i mention there are ancient transforming mechs that run on blood?

when this film came out, it was without a doubt the most beautiful anime ever screened. people have scorned this film as being more of a spectacle piece with a story that doesn't live up to the visuals, but that is no reason to dismiss it. it NEEDS to be seen, not a cent of the production value was wasted in this film, and the attention to detail was astounding. the design of the world and characters have such a sense of history to it, as if the world actually had been existing for thousands of years. the weapons, clothing and architecture were all done in the manner of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, where they created these things with a sense of history behind each race, country and culture that is communicated through objects alone.

it was also one of the first dark, gritty, and realistic fantasy genre that ever came out that wasn't afraid to go as dark as it needed to. animated by the now-popular studio BONES, no wonder it's such a powerhouse today. it broke boundaries for mainstream anime, and is still one of the only films of its kind. you'd be doing yourself a disservice not to at least look into it. here's the first 5 minutes of the film:

[SnowOwl96]

I've seen escaflowne. My friends in hichschool got me hooked on it along with Oh my goddess, evangelion and several others.

I've seen both the movie and the series and although they both seem somewhat different from each other, they still have a lot of similarities between the two. I love them both regardless and I'm not going to say much more basically because I'd spoil them both. And that's something I don't want to do.

[daikenjo]

very rarely is a sci fi premise like time travel used in a small and contained personal story, without having it be blown up into a world-saving scenario.



The Girl Who Leapt Through Time : the protagonist is living out her ordinary life until she comes across an object that has seemingly given her the power of time travel. while it's not a very original premise, the film does some pretty extraordinary things. all the characters in the film don't serve to fill in certain anime archetypes or follow a formula, they're very much like normal people we encounter everyday.

our heroine is very relatable in a more real sense than most anime; you'll find that she's very much like a friend you know, or even you, yourself. she's just a cheerfully naive average student in high school trying to get by without ridiculing herself. she's also a bit of a tomboy as her two best friends are boys, and have a routine of playing catch on the baseball field everyday after school. the chemistry between them is very well done, and feels very natural. things like this keeps everything grounded in reality when there are strange, sci fi elements that creep into their world.

the story itself, like most movies involving time travel, have twists and and turns that have the danger of being spoiled if i go into too much detail. it's essentially a drama, with all the variety of emotions packed in it. it can't be placed into comedy, or a tragedy. it doesn't dive into extremely dark territory, but there are moments that inevitably shows the repercussions that come with time travel, but luckily without being too heavy handed.

the animation is definitely above par, which wasn't expected in a drama piece, and was pleasantly surprised at the fluidity and emotional range the animators were able to achieve, to make it a very full experience. if you haven't checked it out by now, it comes highly recommended.


Time waits for no one!

[Setre]

I watched The Girl Who Leapt Through Time a week or two ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a great movie and I also second daikenjo’s recommendation.

[divinelighte]

omg not school days...

[Raccoonboi]

I also liked "The girl who Leapt through Time" I enjoyed it and recommend it for anyone. I've heard about "Brave Story" it sounds very interesting. But, I never really got into Animes such as Gantz or Afro Samurai. I'll go check it out one day.

[Kenny]

I've seen most of the previously posted movies and highly recommend them to anyone who likes anime. I'd recommend the movie Dead Leaves to anyone who likes action and humor. The movie is pretty random and violent but is well worth the watch.

[Radgravity]

Digital Devil (If you can find it)

Alien of Darkness (Which has an unfortunate Lesbian Hentai aspect, but it's basically Event Horizon)

Super Century Dimension Orguss02 (3 parter, amazing story)