Anime films

[Theowne]

I have seen all Ghibli films, and am a big fan. My favourites are Princess Mononoke, Whisper of the Heart, Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro....etc.

I'm wondering if there are any other gems in anime films that I should try looking at? I realize that they may not be on Ghibli level, but that's okay. My dislikes are primarily action or horror. On the other hand, I can like any other genre and like stories of varying atmospheres (bittersweet, tragic, heartwarming) and themes (friendship, courage, loyalty, subtle love).

http://theowne.myanimelist.net should give a good idea of my taste.

So...any ideas? The age doesn't matter much.

(Yes, I've seen Girl who Leapt Through Time. First half was great, but faltered in the second, in my opinion).

[Guardian Enzo]

Of recent vintage, Sword of the Stranger and Piano no Mori stand out. Both are flawed but very good - Sword is better, in terms of plot and character development. Piano no Mori is beautifully drawn and has some sublime moments, although I'm not a huge fan of the casting and there are a few plot holes. I think Steamboy is pretty worthwhile - a truly great director and a great looking film, though again there are some definite plot issues there. I also enjoyed Paprika - another great director at work, a very interesting psychological mind-bender.

[james0246]

You're missing a fe Ghibli titles...

Seconding Stranger-Mukou Hadan and Paprika...

Great films:
Millennium Actress (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=570)
Brave Story (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=2879)
The Place Promised in Our Early Days (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=469)
Memories (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=262)
Metropolis (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=78)
Night On The Galactic Railroad (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=1250)
The Sky Crawlers (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=5310)
Mind Game (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=1834)
Junkers Come Here (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=1325)

Mix Bag (good but not great):
Terra e... (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=1416)
Kappa no Coo to Natsuyasumi (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=5056)
Tekkon Kinkreet (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=4054)
Princess Arete (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=1190)
Wonderful Days (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=1022)
Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=66)
Kakurenbo (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=2178)
Arashi no Yoru ni (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=3436)
First Squad: The Moment Of Truth (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=4401)

There are also plenty of good series based movies if you are interested...

[acejem]

If your into drama/romance and have a ear for good music and superb animation, try any of Makoto Shinkai films:

Voices of a Distant Star
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
5 Centimeters Per Second

[Daniel E.]

Oh, I was gonna mention Memories with Teardrops, but you do have it listed as Only Yesterday. :p

[Theowne]

Memories with Teardrops? That's kind of stretching it as a translation of Omohide Poroporo :heh: (Well, still better than renaming it "Only Yesterday")

[Guardian Enzo]

I'd also recommend Brave Story - it's good, though the book is much, much more richly detailed and darker. It's the polar opposite of the way Moribito was adapted, actually.

[mit7059]

Although I haven't seen it there's a new Miyazaki movie in theaters that's getting good reviews Ponyo (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ponyo/)

If you haven't seen Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin-Roh) you should, it was a very interesting dystopian set in an alternate history where the Nazi's won WWII and ended up taking over Japan.

[Telmah]

If your into drama/romance and have a ear for good music and superb animation, try any of Makoto Shinkai films:

Voices of a Distant Star
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
5 Centimeters Per Second


I'll second these--you've already seen 5 Centimeters, but the other two are pretty good--I thought 5 Centimeters final arc was somewhat weak, especially compared to the first one. Voices is really an ova, just 30 minutes long, but I still think it is pretty incredible as movies go.

[deathreape98]

I see that you liked Air, so I would advise watching the Clannad movie. However, I feel that the anime is better... and watching the movie will spoil the single most important event in the anime.

[signorRossi]

Second Sword of the Stranger, Princess Arete (little gem), Millennium Actress (you have to be a film buff to enjoy it completely) and Jin Roh (you have to take it as what it is and then it is great, some scenes are very scary). Add in Tokyo Godfathers (funny as hell) and Chie, the Brat (funny Takahata movie).

signorRossi.

[Slice of Life]

Honneamise no Tsubasa ("Wings of Honneamise") hasn't been mentioned yet, it seems.

[Ermes Marana]

Unfortunately even most highly rated anime films aren't very good.

That includes Sword of the Stranger, everything by Makoto Shinkai, and The Girl who Leapt Through Time (which was ruined by a brutally awful second half).

Anyway, these are missing from your list but you probably saw them:

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro
Laputa: Castle in the Sky


Other than Ghibli-related films, Satoshi Kon is my highest recommendation:

Tokyo Godfathers
Millennium Actress
Paprika
Perfect Blue

The first three are must-watch (especially Tokyo Godfathers). Perfect Blue is an incredible suspense film, but quite disturbing at times.

After that, there is a drop off, but I recommend these:

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
Princess Arete
Mind Game
Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust

And finally, you should be familiar with the series for these excellent movies:

Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Lupin III Episode 0: First Contact
Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer

[Timdog]

Major second for Sword of the Stranger. Has great animation, story isn't the greatest but it's still good but the sword fighting is the best I've ever seen. The ending duel is a masterpiece.

[Ichihara Asako]

Arashi no Yoru Ni (http://myanimelist.net/anime/1961/Arashi_no_Yoru_ni) was a nice movie for all ages. It had kind of Disneyish vibes, though some people apparently see it as being somewhat "gay" due to the closeness of the two male characters.

And Miyori no Mori (http://myanimelist.net/anime/2751/Miyori_no_Mori) has distinct Ghibli vibes with its naturalist themes and something of an outcast main character who makes friends and such over the course of the story. Some gorgeous animation too; a must see in HD.

[james0246]

I can't believe that I forgot Honneamise no Tsubasa (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=196)...big second for this classic Gainax title.