Today, “Manga” and “Anime” are becoming household names by receiving high levels of support and acclaim from around the world. While anime has always been an important part of modern Japanese culture since a long time ago, the rapidly growing interest of the rest of the world, in anime, can be highly attributed to the fact that it is proliferating quickly with television series and films reaching a wider audience through different OTT platforms.
While many of us are already die-hard fans of anime, many are newbies as well who’ve never watched anime in their life and are looking forward to it and may need a nice list of recommendations for a good start.
So here we are, with an amazing list of must-watch Japanese anime movies for newbies and anime fans alike.
8 Must-Watch Japanese Anime Movies For Newbies And Anime Fans Alike
Page Contents
Kuroko no Basket: Last Game (2017)
Genre: Anime/Animation
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Kuroko returns to clash with the famous U.S street basketball team one last time. The dream team of “Generation of Miracles” assembles for the final showdown to show that Japanese basketball is at par with their strength basketball.
Boku no Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018)
Genre: Action/Fantasy
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Deku visits the man-made I-island city, via an invitation only to find that there’s more to the island than what meets the eye. Presence of a terrorist on an island of heroes and All Might? All Might and Deku fight with their last chance to prevent the terrorist from succeeding in his mission. “Is it suicide or a ‘seemingly’ naïve plan in motion?
No Game No Life Zero (2017)
Genre: Adventure/Animation
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Tet’s tale of the yore, begins 6000 years ago, revolving around one human youngster and one cybernetic life form. Having met the cybernetic life form, Scwi, who wishes to understand the human heart in an abandoned city, the two form a team to fight a war where humanity’s chance of winning is slim to none. Riku and Scwi battle the impossible odds, against the Old Gods, to keep humanity’s extinction at bay.
Seven Deadly Sins: Cursed by Light (2021)
Genre: Fantasy/Anime
IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
Meliodas and Elizabeth’s peaceful break from the city Liones ends when the news of the Demon World being conquered by two mysterious figures, reaches them. But the resolution of the matter wasn’t the end but the beginning. An enemy far worse than the ones they’d seen, now wants to rekindle the old days of war and bloodshed. Meliodas and his gang fight the most unconventional enemy, who could put the world back into chaos with powers beyond the grasp of humanity.
A Whisker Away (2020)
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
While Sasaki’s repetitive attempts at getting her crush’s attention go numb in the school, a mysterious cat mask seller’s offering opens doors to a new world for Miyo. Her new world as a real cat is now spent with her crush Hinode.
But little does she know that her charming power comes at a price. Pets love their owners too, but how many would trade their Identity for it? The movie deals with a teenage girl’s frustration with her parents leading to escapism, and the eventual realization that escapism is always temporal and human life is taken for granted till you see it slip past you.
A Silent Voice (2016)
Genre: Romance/Drama
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
The movie follows the life of a bully, Shouya, who eventually decides to reconnect with his elementary school classmate whom he used to bully, Shouko.
The endeavors of a delicate young teenager to slowly grow as a human realizes as he stumbles across obstacles of being bullied by classmates, and his redemption from his former victim, yields fruit. Perhaps the voiceless fate brings with it silent redemption.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re; Surrection (2019)
Genre: Fantasy/Action
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Zero, the symbol of hope, works together with Brittania’s ruler Nunnally. But an ambush from a Knightmare squad leaves both of them at the mercy of their kidnappers.
Zilkhstan, being in the front row of the accused, retaliates appropriately. Meanwhile, C.C encounters the covert mission squad, from Japan and Brittania, involving Kallen.
The covert mission seems to have met another covert mission. C.C’s plan is to bring in the strongest piece on the chessboard if they want any real chance to save Nunnally and Suzaku. The real Zero returns with his genius mind to defeat his enemies. The devil’s eyes see no foe, only prey to command.
Also, Read:
- Anime Sequels That We All Are Waiting For
- Why Weathering With You On Netflix Is A Must Watch Anime?
- 6 Anime Characters That Stole The Light From Protagonists
The Last: Naruto the Movie(2014)
Genre: Action/Adventure
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
God judging humanity is what religion speaks of. But humans judging humans is what life brings. Entering the last Naruto movie, we meet the antagonist Ōtsutsuki Toneri, who intends to exact his judgment on humanity for going astray from the original teachings of Haguromo.
With a hostage at hand and an enemy with a legendary bloodline, Naruto stands up to his enemies to protect his people one last time while simultaneously graduating from a bachelor’s mind to learning the secret of the heart’s yearning as Hintergedanke: love.
Catch these anime movies on Netflix in both Japanese (original) and English (dubbed). However our suggestion?
Go for the original Japanese version! Language is a major contributing factor in the popularity of anime with many fans from around the world exploring and wanting to learn the Japanese language ever since getting invested in anime. Also, the true essence of any movie or show lies in its original raw version, right?