Here's When You Can Finally Watch The Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Movie At Home

Watch Jujutsu Kaisen 0 full movie with english sub FREE

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BY MIKE WORBY/SEPT. 16, 2022 6:09 PM EDT

"Jujutsu Kaisen" has been one of the latest break-out hits as anime continues to grow in popularity around the globe (via Comic Book). The series follows a group of Jujutsu Sorcerers, warriors who specialize in a type of magic that allows them to battle the living curses that wreak havoc all over Japan.

Though the series can be incredibly violent and even downright disturbing, its content is right at home with other massive anime series currently overtaking the cultural zeitgeist like "Attack on Titan" and "The Rising of the Shield Hero." With that in mind, though, some parents might want to look into "Jujutsu Kaisen" before letting their kids watch it.

Either way, after a strong first season, the incredible shonen anime is set to return for more with its upcoming second season. However, to get the full breadth of the story, fans will want to check out the prequel movie "Jujutsu Kaisen 0" beforehand. Luckily you'll be able to watch the film from the comfort of your own home very soon.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 comes to Crunchyroll on September 21

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"Jujutsu Kaisen 0" will be arriving on Crunchyroll just as the autumn season begins. Starting on September 21, the movie will be available to watch for anyone with an account on the anime streaming service but may be restricted to Premium members for a time. Though Crunchyroll boasts a free tier with ads, newer and more in-demand content is occasionally locked behind the paywall.

Regardless, "Jujutsu Kaisen 0" follows Yuta Okkatsu (Megumi Ogata/Kayleigh McKee), a bullied student who is regularly defended by the spirit of his dead friend, who haunts him still. However, when he meets with the Jujutsu Sorcerers, they begin to help him gain control over the spirit in hopes of using its power for good.

The film was a success both critically and financially, scoring over $160 million in worldwide box office revenue (via Box Office Mojo). Though the movie isn't considered essential viewing by all fans of the anime series, it does provide a lot of earlier context and key information regarding many of the Jujutsu Sorcerers in the show. It looks like Crunchyroll has exclusive rights to stream the movie as it's not available to rent on platforms like YouTube as of press time. With that in mind, "Jujutsu Kaisen" fans who don't already have an account with the service will probably want to at least get a trial account when the movie drops on September 21.

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50 Best Anime Movies Of All Time Ranked

Tohokushinsha Film

BY PHIL ARCHBOLD/UPDATED: MAY 10, 2022 6:15 PM EDT

With so much to choose from across a myriad of different genres, the wonderful world of anime can sometimes seem a little inaccessible to newcomers. The history of Japan's lucrative animation industry can be traced back to the early 20th century, when a five-minute, chalk-drawn film was created by Shimokawa Oten. The medium grew steadily in the decades that followed (experiencing a boom during World War II, when the Japanese government used anime for propaganda purposes) and would come to be recognized as part of the country's cultural identity, both at home and in the West.

The anime industry is bigger than ever nowadays, and, with the rise of streaming services, fans have never been more stuck for choice. Whether you're a newbie looking for your perfect entry into anime, or an aficionado on a mission to see every unmissable anime film ever made, we've got you covered.

Updated on May 10, 2022: New anime films get released all the time. When they're so good that you simply need to know about them, they will appear right here. We're regularly updating this list to make sure it includes the latest masterpieces alongside the all-time classics.

50. Tekkonkinkreet

Asmik Ace Entertainment

Tokyo-based American Michael Arias became the first foreign director of a major anime film in 2006, when his adaptation of Taiyō Matsumoto's manga "Tekkonkinkreet" hit cinemas. It follows orphaned street kids Kuro and Shiro (Black and White) as they attempt to drive the yakuza out of Treasure Town, a sprawling, gaudy metropolis inspired by real-life locations all across Asia. It takes place in "a parallel universe that is kind of like Japan, but it's not Japan," Arias told the Los Angeles Times, revealing that he considered the film's memorable location a "central character of the film."

Original Voice Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yu Aoi, Yusuke Iseya

English Dub Cast: Scott Menville, Kamali Minter, Rick Gomez

Director: Michael Arias

Year: 2006

Runtime: 111 minutes

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

49. Vampire Hunter D

Toho

One of the most memorable anime imports of the 1990s, Gothic horror "Vampire Hunter D" rapidly earned a cult status upon its arrival in America. The story begins when the eponymous vampire hunter gets hired by Doris Lang, a farm girl who wandered into the domain of 10,000-year-old vampire Count Magnus Lee and paid the ultimate price for it. The Count bit her, and the only way she won't turn into a vampire is if D manages to kill Lee before her transformation is complete.

Original Voice Cast: Kaneto Shiozawa, Michie Tomizawa, Seizo Kato

English Dub Cast: John Gremillion, Luci Christian, David Wald

Director: Toyoo Ashida

Year: 1985

Runtime: 80 minutes

Rating: NR

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%

48. Redline

Tohokushinsha Film

Considered one of the all-time great racing movies, "Redline" is an eye-popping sci-fi thrill ride that's become a firm cult favorite. The title of the film (which took seven years to complete) refers to the most popular race in the galaxy, one that cocky but lovable driver Sweet J.P. longs to win. He manages to qualify for the all-important race, but he'll need the help of fellow racer Sonoshee "Cherry Boy Hunter" McLaren if he's going to make it to the finish line in one piece — J.P. is in trouble with both the authorities and the mafia.

Original Voice Cast: Takuya Kimura, Yu Aoi, Tadanobu Asano

English Dub Cast: Patrick Seitz, Michelle Ruff, Liam O'Brien

Director: Takeshi Koike

Year: 2009

Runtime: 102 minutes

Rating: NR

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%

47. The Cat Returns

Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli film "The Cat Returns" features an appearance from Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, the living cat statue from "Whisper of the Heart." The Cat Kingdom is thoroughly fleshed out during this delightful spinoff, in which Haru Yoshioka (a sheepish high schooler who hides the fact that she can communicate with felines) gets a marriage proposal from Lune, prince of the aforementioned kitty kingdom. She's whisked away before she can answer, and it seems as though the Baron is her only hope of escape.

Original Voice Cast: Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Tetsu Watanabe

English Dub Cast: Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle

Director: Hiroyuki Morita

Year: 2002

Runtime: 75 minutes

Rating: G

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

46. Ninja Scroll

Tokyo Theatres

Yoshiaki Kawajiri's ultra-violent period piece "Ninja Scroll" was among the first wave of anime films that made their way West in the 1990s, quickly becoming a cult favorite. Set in Japan's feudal era, it's the tale of mercenary Jubei Kibagami, a skilled swordsman hunted by a team of supernatural ninjas loyal to the treacherous Yamashiro clan. With the help of female ninja Kagero (who he meets during a particularly disturbing scene that justifies the film's rating), Jubei faces off against the Eight Devils of Kimon in a series of unforgettable battles. If you have a strong stomach and love a good ninja fight, this one's an absolute must-see. 

Original Voice Cast: Koichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono

English Dub Cast: Dean Wein, Wendee Lee,  Stephen Apostolina

Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Year: 1993

Runtime: 94 minutes

Rating: NR

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

45. Pom Poko

Studio Ghibli

They're incorrectly referred to as raccoons in the English language dub, but the creatures that make up the cast of little-seen Studio Ghibli gem "Pom Poko" are in fact tanuki, important animals in Japanese folklore. The film begins in the 1960s, when Tokyo's urban sprawl was consuming rural communities and green spaces alike. When a group of tanuki living in a forest south of the city discover that their home is to be flattened to make way for a new suburb, they form a resistance and fight back.

Original Voice Cast: Makoto Nonomura, Shigeru Izumiya, Nijiko Kiyokawa

English Dub Cast: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Clancy Brown,  Tress MacNeille

Director: Isao Takahata

Year: 1994

Runtime: 119 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

44. The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl

Toho

Before they brought us the hit Netflix series "Devilman Crybaby," anime studio Science SARU and director Masaaki Yuasa combined on the award-winning "The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl," an adaptation of Tomihiko Morimi's romantic comedy novel of the same name. It follows two Kyoto University students (credited simply as Senpai and Kohai, which roughly translates to Senior and Junior) on a wild night out in Japan's former capital. The smitten guy plans on confessing his love to his female friend at the end of the evening, though fate keeps conspiring to keep them apart.

Original Voice Cast: Gen Hoshino, Kana Hanazawa, Hiroshi Kamiya

English Dub Cast: Kellen Goff, Jackie Lastra, Eddy Lee

Director: Masaaki Yuasa

Year: 2017

Runtime: 93 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

43. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

Nippon Herald Films

From "Ninja Scroll" director Yoshiaki Kawajiri, "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust" is an adaptation of the third installment in Hideyuki Kikuchi's series of "Vampire Hunter" novels. It pits D against the villainous Baron Meier Link, a high-ranking vampire accused of kidnapping beautiful brunette Charlotte Elbourne from her home. After being hired by her worried family for a tidy sum, the vampire hunter tracks the girl down and discovers that she left willingly — she's fallen in love with the baron and doesn't want to leave.

Original Voice Cast: Hideyuki Tanaka, Koichi Yamadera, Megumi Hayashibara

English Dub Cast: Andy Philpot, John Rafter Lee, Pamela Adlon

Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Year: 2000

Runtime: 102 minutes

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%

42. Dragon Ball Super: Broly

Toei

Even those with a mere passing interest in anime have heard of the "Dragon Ball" franchise. Akira Toriyama first adapted his own manga series in the '80s, though fans in the West will be more familiar with the sequel series "Dragon Ball Z," a huge crossover hit in the '90s. Dozens of spinoff movies followed, but the best of the bunch by a considerable distance is 2018's "Dragon Ball Super: Broly," which remolds the titular Saiyan warrior into a more sympathetic figure. This record-breaking box office hit follows Nagamine's updated version of Broly from his exile in childhood to his inevitable showdown with his fellow Saiyans, Goku and Vegeta.

Original Voice Cast: Bin Shimada, Masako Nozawa, Ryo Horikawa,

English Dub Cast: Vic Mignogna, Sean Schemmel, Christopher Sabat

Director: Tatsuya Nagamine

Year: 2018

Runtime: 100 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%

41. The Castle of Cagliostro

Toho

The directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki, crime caper "The Castle of Cagliostro" follows gentleman thief Arsène Lupin III as he attempts to trace the source of some counterfeit bills while aiding a runaway bride. After realizing that the money he just stole from a casino is fake, our suave anti-hero heads for the Grand Duchy of Cagliostro, hoping to find a lead. After saving a young woman from some local thugs, Lupin finds himself embroiled in a shady count's plot to marry the princess, his way of gaining access to the fabled treasure of Cagliostro.

Original Voice Cast: Yasuo Yamada, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Eiko Masuyama

English Dub Cast: David Hayter, John Snyder, Dorothy Elias-Fahn

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Year: 1979

Runtime: 100 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

40. In This Corner of the World

Tokyo Theatres

If you want to watch an anime movie about the Hiroshima bombing that opts for gut-wrenching storytelling over graphic imagery, Sunao Katabuchi's "In This Corner of the World" is for you. The film begins in the run-up to WWII and spans an entire decade, focusing on a kind and hardworking Hiroshima native named Suzu Hojo. She moves to the port city of Kure with her Navy husband and does her best to maintain a positive outlook amid the conflict, even after losing a hand in an air raid. When news of her home city's total annihilation reaches her, we're left as devastated as she is.

Original Voice Cast: Rena Nonen, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Mayumi Shintani

English Dub Cast: Laura Post, Todd Haberkorn, Barbara Goodson

Director: Sunao Katabuchi

Year: 2016

Runtime: 129 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89% (Audience Score)

39. I Want to Eat Your Pancreas

Aniplex

Released in 2018, "I Want to Eat Your Pancreas" is an exquisitely animated film about a girl with a terminal illness. When high school student Haruki discovers that popular classmate Sakura is hiding her pancreatic condition from everyone at school so she can live out her final days in relative normality, he decides to help her tick off everything on her bucket list before it's too late. One of the saddest anime storylines ever, you'll need a steady supply of tissues for this one.

Original Voice Cast: Mahiro Takasugi, Lynn, Yukiyo Fujii

English Dub Cast: Robbie Daymond, Erika Harlacher, Kira Buckland

Director: Shinichiro Ushijima

Year: 2018

Runtime: 109 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

38. The Secret World of Arrietty

Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli's "The Secret World of Arrietty" (or "Arrietty the Borrower" in Japan) is the story of a little girl with a big heart. An adaptation of Mary Norton's novel "The Borrowers," the film follows a sick boy named Shō, who finds a family of tiny people living beneath the floorboards of his mother's home. He befriends the curious Arrietty and hopes to win over the rest of her family before Haru, the suspicious housemaid, calls in pest control.

Original Voice Cast: Mirai Shida, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Shinobu Otake

English Dub Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, Olivia Colman

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Year: 2010

Runtime: 95 minutes

Rating: G

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

37. Metropolis

Toho

Written by "Akira" creator Katsuhiro Otomo and directed by mononymous anime veteran Rintaro, "Metropolis" is a tale of class, prejudice, and robots. The story begins with private detective Shusaku Ban and his nephew Kenichi, on the hunt for a wanted scientist. They get to him minutes too late: he's been shot, and the killer has set his lab on fire. Kenichi manages to escape the blaze with a young girl named Tima. What neither of them know is that she's actually a robot, created by the scientist at the behest of Metropolis' crooked ruler, Duke Red.

Original Voice Cast: Kei Kobayashi, Yuka Imoto, Kosei Tomita

English Dub Cast: Brianne Siddall, Rebecca Forstadt, Tony Pope

Director: Rintaro

Year: 2001

Runtime: 113 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

36. When Marnie Was There

Studio Ghibli

"When Marnie Was There" is the last film that Hiromasa Yonebayashi directed for Studio Ghibli before leaving to found Studio Ponoc, and he went out on a real high. It's the story of a loner girl named Anna, whose foster parents decide to take her away to the countryside for summer break. She begins to conquer her self-esteem issues with the help of Marnie, a mysterious but charming local girl who, as Anna comes to discover, is more than meets the eye. Yonebayashi's adaptation of Joan G. Robinson's novel changes the setting from the U.K. to Japan, but he insisted on Marnie remaining English.

Original Voice Cast: Sara Takatsuki, Kasumi Arimura, Hana Sugisaki

English Dub Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Kiernan Shipka, Ava Acres

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Year: 2014

Runtime: 103 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

35. Summer Wars

Warner Bros.

Mamoru Hosoda's Animation of the Year winner "Summer Wars" is part cyber-thriller, part family dramedy. It follows math genius Kenji Koiso, who works as a mod for the company behind a computer-simulated virtual reality world known as OZ. When his account gets hacked and an AI avatar begins terrorizing OZ, Kenji has to figure out how to stop it before the damage spills over into the real world. Aiding him are his friend (and crush) Natsuki Shinohara and her huge family, proud descendants of a samurai clan. The action takes place between OZ and Natsuki's grandmother's estate in the country.

Original Voice Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura,

English Dub Cast: Michael Sinterniklaas, Brina Palencia, Maxey Whitehead

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Year: 2009

Runtime: 114 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%

34. Mirai

Toho

Mamoru Hosoda's Annie Award-winning fantasy film "Mirai" explores the complexities of family dynamics and how they can change over time. It's the story of a naughty little boy named Kun, who runs away from home when his new baby sister, Mirai, starts stealing his limelight. The jealous four-year-old accidentally stumbles across a time portal while sulking in a nearby garden, which gives him a chance to get to know his sister — a future version of Mirai shows up, and she needs Kun's help.

Original Voice Cast: Moka Kamishiraishi, Haru Kuroki, Gen Hoshino

English Dub Cast: Jaden Waldman, Victoria Grace, John Cho

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Year: 2018

Runtime: 98 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

33. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Toei Company

While it technically predates the company, Hayao Miyazaki's "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" is often viewed as an unofficial Ghibli film, as its success led to the formation of the famous anime studio. Based on Miyazaki's manga of the same name, it takes place a thousand years into the future, in a toxic world largely destroyed by bioweapons. Humans do battle with giant, mutated insects, though Nausicaä (princess of the titular valley) hopes to find a way for them all to live in harmony. The environmental and anti-war themes explored here would go on to become a staple of Studio Ghibli's films.

Original Voice Cast: Sumi Shimamoto, Goro Naya, Yoji Matsuda

English Dub Cast: Alison Lohman, Patrick Stewart, Shia LaBeouf

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Year: 1984

Runtime: 117 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

32. Mary and the Witch's Flower

Toho

The first feature film from Studio Ponoc, founded by a group of former Studio Ghibli animators and producers, "Mary and the Witch's Flower" is a charming anime adaptation of Mary Stewart's "The Littlest Broomstick." Set in Northern England, it's the magical tale of Mary Smith, who comes across a rare flower named fly-by-night. As she'll soon discover, the flower is called fly-by-night because the powder held in its bulbs will transform you into a witch. After breaking one of the bulbs, Mary is transported to Endor College, a school for witches that's hidden in the clouds.

Original Voice Cast: Hana Sugisaki, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yuki Amami

English Dub Cast: Ruby Barnhill, Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Kate Winslet

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Year: 2017

Runtime: 103 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

31. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Madhouse

Mamoru Hosoda burst onto the anime scene with "Digimon: The Movie" at the turn of the millennium, and he followed that up with "Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island," consistently ranked among the best "One Piece" movies. His next film, sci-fi romance "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time," led to him being dubbed the next Hayao Miyazaki. It follows Makoto Konno, a 17-year-old high schooler who discovers that she has the ability to time jump after she's hit by a train and miraculously reappears right before the accident occurs.

Original Voice Cast: Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida,  Mitsutaka Itakura

English Dub Cast: Emily Hirst, Andrew Francis, Alex Zahara

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Year: 2006

Runtime: 98 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

30. Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

Showgate

She's been a leading female voice among anime writers for years, and in 2018, Mari Okada made her directorial debut with the hit fantasy film "Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms." Okada's award winner follows a girl called Maquia, who belongs to a race of near-immortal beings called Iorphians. When her people get attacked by the humans (who are desperate to learn the secrets of their longevity), she flees her home, rescuing a recently orphaned child along the way. She names the boy Ariel and decides to raise him as her own.

Original Voice Cast: Manaka Iwami, Miyu Irino, Yuki Sakurai

English Dub Cast: Xanthe Huynh, Eddy Lee, Ryan Shanahan

Director: Mari Okada

Year: 2018

Runtime: 115 minutes

Rating: NR

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

29. Tokyo Godfathers

Sony

Anime films set in Tokyo tend to focus on the famous green spaces and neon-lit neighborhoods, but Satoshi Kon's gritty Christmas classic "Tokyo Godfathers" shows us a different side of the city. It's the story of three homeless people who discover an abandoned newborn on Christmas Eve. Transgender woman Hana, aging alcoholic Gin, and teenage runaway Miyuki (who names the newest member of their makeshift family Kiyoko, meaning "pure child") set out on a quest to return the baby girl to her parents.

Original Voice Cast: Tooru Emori, Yoshiaki Umegami, Aya Okamoto

English Dub Cast: Jon Avner, Shakina Nayfack, Victoria Grace

Director: Satoshi Kon

Year: 2003

Runtime: 92 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

28. Porco Rosso

Studio Ghibli

Hayao Miyazaki has always been fond of Italy (the word "Ghibli" is actually an Italian term that means "hot desert wind"), and the filmmaker reportedly visited the country in 1990 to do some location scouting for "Porco Rosso." Set in a fictional version of Italy in the aftermath of the First World War, this vividly animated film follows a former fighter pilot who's been turned into an anthropomorphic pig by an unidentified curse. Now a world-weary bounty hunter, he spends his days pursuing seaplane pirates over the azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Original Voice Cast: Shuichiro Moriyama, Akio Otsuka, Akemi Okamura

English Dub Cast: Michael Keaton, Cary Elwes, Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Year: 1992

Runtime: 94 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

27. From Up on Poppy Hill

Toho

Directed by Goro Miyazaki, son of the great Hayao Miyazaki, "From Up on Poppy Hill" takes place in Yokohama during the post-war period. It's the story of Umi Matsuzaki, a 16-year-old girl who lives in a boarding house overlooking the city's famous port. When a poem about the signal flags she raises every morning gets published in the local high school's newspaper, Umi decides to help staffer Shun Kazama in his quest to save the school's clubhouse from demolition. The teens develop feelings that become extremely complicated when they discover an old photograph that seems to suggest they're long-lost siblings.

Original Voice Cast: Masami Nagasawa, Junichi Okada, Keiko Takeshita

English Dub Cast: Sarah Bolger, Anton Yelchin, Edie Mirman

Director: Goro Miyazaki,

Year: 2011

Runtime: 92 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

26. Only Yesterday

Studio Ghibli

Isao Takahata's "Only Yesterday" isn't your typical Studio Ghibli film. The company co-founded by Takahata is known for its whimsical fantasies, but he decided to make a movie for a different audience here, creating a straight-up drama targeted at grown-ups. Based on Hotaru Okamoto and Yuko Tone's manga of the same name, it follows 27-year-old city dweller Taeko Okajima during a visit to the Japanese countryside. She's dedicated years to her job in Tokyo, but the memories triggered by her trip (and the attentions of her brother-in-law's second cousin, Toshio) lead to a reevaluation of her life choices.

Original Voice Cast: Miki Imai, Toshiro Yanagiba, Yoko Honna

English Dub Cast: Daisy Ridley, Dev Patel, Alison Fernandez

Director: Isao Takahata

Year: 1991

Runtime: 118 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

25. Ride Your Wave

Toho

Surfing is the focus of Masaaki Yuasa's "Ride Your Wave," the director's most polished-looking feature to date. The wild, surreal style of animation he's known for (inspired in part by the Beatles film "Yellow Submarine") is toned down massively, making way for crisp blue skies and crystal clear waters. The film follows college student Hinako Mukaimizu, who falls in love with a firefighter after moving to a surf town on the coast. Sadly, the man of her dreams drowns while rescuing a stricken jet skier, though she soon discovers that he appears to her in water whenever she sings their favorite song.

Original Voice Cast: Ryota Katayose, Rina Kawaei, Honoka Matsumoto

English Dub Cast: Joey Richter, Merit Leighton, Sarah Anne Williams

Director: Masaaki Yuasa

Year: 2019

Runtime: 96 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

24. A Whisker Away

Netflix

Coronavirus-related complications meant that Netflix users had to wait a little longer than expected for the English language version of "A Whisker Away," a beautifully animated romantic dramedy. By the time the highly anticipated dub dropped on the streaming platform in June 2020, the film was already on its way to becoming one of the summer's big hits. It's the story of Miyo Sasaki, a middle school girl who comes into possession of a mask that allows her to transform into a cat. She befriends her crush while in cat form and begins to consider making the change a permanent one.

Original Voice Cast: Mirai Shida, Natsuki Hanae, Hiroaki Ogi

English Dub Cast: Cherami Leigh, Johnny Yong Bosch, Robert Buchholz

Directors: Junichi Sato and Tomotaka Shibayama

Year: 2020

Runtime: 104 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

23. Wolf Children

Toho

Mamoru Hosoda's "Wolf Children" is the tale of an unusual family forced to deal with some very normal issues. It follows a young woman named Hana, who falls head over heels for a man who's half wolf. They start a family together, but he's killed on a hunt when their two kids are still infants. Like their dad, Yuki and Ame can transform into anthropomorphic wolves, a fact they strive to keep hidden. Hana, now a single mother, decides to start over in the countryside, hoping her mischievous wolf children will somehow blend in.

Original Voice Cast: Aoi Miyazaki, Haru Kuroki, Yukito Nishii

English Dub Cast: Colleen Clinkenbeard, Jad Saxton, Micah Solusod

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Year: 2012

Runtime: 117 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

22. Ponyo

Studio Ghibli

It's one of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's most child-friendly offerings, but there's still plenty for adults to enjoy in "Ponyo," the story of a goldfish girl who desperately wants to become human. Real name Brunhilde, Ponyo is the daughter of a sea-dwelling wizard and the goddess Granmamare, queen of the ocean. Against her father's wishes, she escapes to land and forms a bond with a human boy named Sōsuke, using her magic to turn herself human. She's promptly taken in by Sosuke's hardworking mom, brilliantly voiced by Tina Fey in Disney's English dub.

Original Voice Cast: Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi, Tomoko Yamaguchi

English Dub Cast: Noah Cyrus, Frankie Jonas, Tina Fey

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Year: 2008

Runtime: 101 minutes

Rating: G

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

21. Millennium Actress

KlockWorx

One of several anime masterpieces from genius director Satoshi Kon (who died of pancreatic cancer in 2010 at the age of 46), "Millennium Actress" follows two TV journalists tasked with interviewing the former star of a bankrupted film studio for a documentary. The elderly Chiyoko Fujiwara is unwilling to cooperate at first, but when the pair present her with a key she hasn't seen in three decades, the reclusive actor proceeds with her story, a tale of jealousy and lost love that takes them back to her youth.

Original Voice Cast: Mami Koyama, Shozo Iizuka, Masaya Onosaka

English Dub Cast: Erin Yvette, Christopher Swindle, Benjamin Diskin

Director: Satoshi Kon

Year: 2001

Runtime: 87 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

20. Weathering With You

Toho

Makoto Shinkai's "Weathering With You" is a romantic fantasy about an impulsive country boy and a city girl with a huge secret. After arriving in Tokyo to start over, Hodaka Morishima lands a job at an occult magazine. This leads to him investigating the local legend of the Sunshine Girl, who they say has the ability to control the weather. It turns out the Sunshine Girl is Hina Amano, an orphan who works at McDonald's. Hodaka befriends Hina after saving her from some shady types and she decides to reveal her incredible gift to him. The film features cameos by several characters from Shinkai's 2016 hit "Your Name."

Original Voice Cast: Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Tsubasa Honda

English Dub Cast:  Brandon Engman, Ashley Boettcher, Alison Brie

Director: Makoto Shinkai

Year: 2019

Runtime: 112 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

19. The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Studio Ghibli

"The Tale of Princess Kaguya" was widely hailed as one of the most beautiful films of 2013, more than five decades after Isao Takahata first pushed the idea of a feature film about the 10th-century literary character. The girl that comes to be known as Princess Kaguya is discovered inside a bamboo shoot by a farmer, miniature and glowing. She grows into a normal child and becomes a popular figure in the village, but, eager to further her reputation as a divine being, her adoptive parents force her to abandon the countryside for a life in the big city.

Original Voice Cast: Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii,

English Dub Cast: Chloe Grace Moretz, Darren Criss, James Caan

Director: Isao Takahata

Year: 2013

Runtime: 137 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

18. The Boy and the Beast

Toho

Mamoru Hosoda's "The Boy and the Beast" is a heartwarming tale of loyalty and friendship. It follows nine-year-old street kid Ren, who has been living rough in Tokyo since losing his mother. His fortunes change after an encounter with the equally down-and-out Kumatetsu, a grouchy talking bear who happens to be the potential heir to the hidden Beast Kingdom. After initially balking at the idea, Ren agrees to become Kumatetsu's disciple. He grows up in the Beast Kingdom and becomes a highly trained kendo expert during that time, but he's drawn back to the human world when his long-lost father suddenly resurfaces.

Original Voice Cast: Koji Yakusho, Shota Sometani, Aoi Miyazaki

English Dub Cast: John Swasey, Eric Vale, Luci Christian

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Year: 2015

Runtime: 120 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%

17. Paprika

Sony

The fourth and final film from the late, great Satoshi Kon, "Paprika" is the story of a visionary scientist whose groundbreaking tech falls into the wrong hands. Doctor Atsuko Chiba and her team have perfected a device that allows the user to enter the dreams of others, and she takes it upon herself to use it for good. By night, the psychiatrist secretly uses the device to treat her patients, going inside their heads using her virtual avatar/alter ego, Paprika. When the dream technology gets stolen, a game of cat and mouse played out across the dream world — and the real one — ensues.

Original Voice Cast: Megumi Hayashibara, Toru Furuya, Toru Emori

English Dub Cast: Cindy Robinson, Yuri Lowenthal, Michael Forest

Director: Satoshi Kon

Year: 2006

Runtime: 90 minutes

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

16. Whisper of the Heart

Studio Ghibli

In 1995, Yoshifumi Kondō became the first person other than Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata to direct a Studio Ghibli film, taking the reins on "Whisper of the Heart." This Tokyo-set love story begins when middle school student Shizuku Tsukishima notices that a boy has been checking out all the same library books she has. That boy, she'll later discover, is Seiji Amasawa, who dreams of becoming a master violin maker. Unfortunately, that dream means leaving Japan — and Shizuku — behind for an apprenticeship in Italy.

Original Voice Cast: Yoko Honna, Issei Takahashi, Shigeru Muroi

English Dub Cast:  Brittany Snow, David Gallagher, Jean Smart

Director: Yoshifumi Kondo

Year: 1995

Runtime: 111 minutes

Rating: G

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

15. A Silent Voice

Shochiku

Naoko Yamada's "A Silent Voice" examines the relationship between bullies and their victims. The film opens with remorseful high school student Shoya Ishida going through a crisis. He became an outcast among his peers after relentlessly bullying deaf classmate Shoko Nishimiya during sixth grade, and things have gotten so bad that he's considering suicide. He decides to seek Shoko out and apologize as his final act, but ends up asking her to be friends instead. She agrees, though there's plenty of ups and downs to come before their relationship gets truly repaired.

Original Voice Cast: Miyu Irino, Mayu Matsuoka, Saori Hayami

English Dub Cast: Robbie Daymond, Ryan Shanahan, Lexi Cowden

Director: Naoko Yamada

Year: 2016

Runtime: 130 minutes

Rating: NR

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

14. Laputa: Castle in the Sky

Studio Ghibli

The first film from the world renowned Studio Ghibli, "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" is the story of an orphan boy named Pazu, whose life in a small mining town is thrown into chaos when he decides to shelter a girl with a magical crystal. Sheeta's amulet powers Laputa, the film's floating island fortress, and shady government agent Muska will stop at nothing to get his hands on it. Directed by Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" is a seminal steampunk adventure that's not to be missed.

Original Voice Cast: Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Minori Terada

English Dub Cast: James Van Der Beek, Anna Paquin, Mark Hamill

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Year: 1986

Runtime: 124 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

13. Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise

Toho

It's long been considered one of the best anime of the 1980s, and Hiroyuki Yamaga's "Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise" still more than holds its own against newer entries in the sci-fi genre. Humans have yet to venture into space in Yamaga's film, set on an alternate version of Earth. Interest in space travel is practically nonexistent when failed fighter jet pilot Shiro Lhadatt joins the Royal Space Force, but that all changes when he volunteers to go into orbit. The flight sequences are stunning, and it's impossible not to root for the world's first astronaut.

Original Voice Cast: Leo Morimoto, Mitsuki Yayoi, Aya Murata

English Dub Cast: David A. Thomas, Heidi Lenhart, Wendee Lee

Director: Hiroyuki Yamaga

Year: 1987

Runtime: 119 minutes

Rating: NR

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

12. Ghost in the Shell

Shochiku

Hollywood's remake of "Ghost in the Shell" didn't live up to the standard set by Mamoru Oshii's anime of the same name, which James Cameron once called "the first truly adult animation film to reach a level of literary and visual excellence." Set in the now not-so-distant year of 2029, Oshii's existential cyberpunk thriller is centered around Motoko Kusanagi (aka the Major), a cyborg agent on the hunt for a rogue hacker. In Oshii's cybernetically advanced world, every part of the human body can be augmented, even the brain. Originally rated R in the States, the film has since been deemed suitable for younger viewers.

Original Voice Cast: Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ōtsuka, Iemasa Kayumi

English Dub Cast: Mimi Woods, Richard Epcar, Tom Wyner

Director: Mamoru Oshii

Year: 1995

Runtime: 82 minutes

Rating: NR

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

11. The Wind Rises

Studio Ghibli

Hayao Miyazaki grew up with a love for aviation (his father's company, Miyazaki Airplane, built aircraft for the Japanese military) and the thrill of flight has always been a theme in his work. His passion is at its most unrestrained in "The Wind Rises," the director's most personal film. It tells the (fictionalized) story of Jiro Horikoshi, the real-life engineer of numerous fighter jets used by Japan during WWII. In the film, Jiro turns his attention to engineering after he's told that he's too nearsighted to be a pilot, but his new dream of building beautiful aircraft is complicated by the fact they'll be used for war.

Original Voice Cast: Hideaki Anno, Miori Takimoto, Hidetoshi Nishijima

English Dub Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Year: 2013

Runtime: 126 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

10. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train

Aniplex/YouTube

A direct sequel to the hit anime series of the same name, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train" broke box office records in Japan, dethroning Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" as the country's all-time top earner on its way to breaking the 40 billion yen barrier. It's the continued story of Tanjiro Kamado, who vowed to kill the Demon King after he slaughtered his family and turned his sister, Nezuko, into a demon. Set in Japan's Taisho era, the franchise revolves around Tanjiro's efforts to preserve and restore Nezuko's humanity. In this gloriously animated follow-up film, Tanjiro and his demon-hunting allies investigate a train upon which 40 people have mysteriously vanished.

Original Voice Cast: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

English Dub Cast: Zach Aguilar, Abby Trott, Bryce Papenbrook

Director: Haruo Sotozaki

Year: 2020

Runtime: 117 minutes

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

9. Kiki's Delivery Service

Studio Ghibli

Based on Eiko Kadono's book of the same name, "Kiki's Delivery Service" follows a trainee witch who leaves home to find work at the age of 13, as per witch tradition. In this world, witches are neither feared nor unusual, seen as helpful public servants rather than creepy conjurors. Kiki finds the perfect job in Koriko, using her broom to earn her keep in the big city: she delivers packages for a very friendly (and very pregnant) bakery owner. In the words of director Hayao Miyazaki, it's a film for those "who do not deny the joy of youth, nor are carried away by it."

Original Voice Cast: Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Keiko Toda

English Dub Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, Tress MacNeille

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Year: 1989

Runtime: 103 minutes

Rating: G

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

8. Perfect Blue

Rex Entertainment

Satoshi Kon's "Perfect Blue" is the story of J-Pop star Mimi Kirigoe, who decides to quit her band and start over as an actor. The decision doesn't go down well with one obsessive fan, who begins stalking Mimi. When murders start occurring around her, the idol's already eroded grip on reality is lost entirely. It's a psychological thriller very much in the vein of Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan," which, as fans of Kon's film have been keen to point out, actually contains several near-identical shots.

Original Voice Cast: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji

English Dub Cast: Ruby Marlowe, Wendee Lee, Gil Starberry

Director: Satoshi Kon

Year: 1997

Runtime: 81 minutes

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

7. Princess Mononoke

Studio Ghibli

In 1996, Studio Ghibli struck a deal with Disney that made the Mouse House the sole distributor of its films abroad. The first release under that deal was Hayao Miyazaki's fantasy epic "Princess Mononoke," which Disney put out via Harvey Weinstein's Miramax. The now-disgraced producer wanted Miyazaki to make a ton of cuts, but the director insisted that the film be released entirely unedited. Set during Japan's Muromachi period, it follows a wolf-raised woman named San and an earnest prince named Ashitaka, whose cursed arm is slowly killing him. The unlikely pair join forces to stop an impending war between the industrial-minded humans and the angry forest gods.

Original Voice Cast: Yoji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yuko Tanaka

English Dub Cast: Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Minnie Driver

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Year: 1997

Runtime: 133 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

6. Grave of the Fireflies

Studio Ghibli

One of the other great minds behind Studio Ghibli, the late Isao Takahata was best known for his haunting classic "Grave of the Fireflies." The film follows Seita and Setsuko, orphaned siblings clinging to life in the last days of World War II. Routinely ranked among the best wartime movies ever made, "Grave of the Fireflies" is a difficult but ultimately rewarding watch. Veteran film critic Roger Ebert called it "an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation."

Original Voice Cast: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara

English Dub Cast: Adam Gibbs, Emily Neves, Shelley Calene-Black

Director: Isao Takahata

Year: 1988

Runtime: 89 minutes

Rating: NR

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

5. Howl's Moving Castle

Studio Ghibli

Loosley based on the Diana Wynne Jones novel of the same name, Hayao Miyazaki's "Howl's Moving Castle" is routinely ranked among the director's top works. This mesmerizing steampunk adventure takes place in a war-torn kingdom where magic and machinery work hand in hand. It follows a hatmaker named Sophie who, after an encounter with the vindictive Witch of the Waste, is transformed into an old woman. The young milliner sets out on a quest to find the witch and lift the curse, which leads her to the titular castle. She becomes Howl's cleaning lady and begins to care for the wanted wizard, who sees her for what she really is.

Original Voice Cast: Chieko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Tatsuya Gashuin

English Dub Cast: Emily Mortimer, Christian Bale, Billy Crystal

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Year: 2004

Runtime: 119 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%

4. Your Name

Toho

Makoto Shinkai's "Your Name" was Japan's highest-grossing film of 2016, and it took the rest of the world by storm the following year. Shinkai's exquisitely animated coming-of-age fantasy follows Tokyo boy Taki and country girl Mitsuha, a pair of high schoolers who inexplicably wake up in each other's bodies one day. The phenomenon continues to occur throughout the film and the two teens begin to form a special bond, each embarking on a quest to learn the other's name.

Original Voice Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Narita

English Dub Cast: Michael Sinterniklaas, Stephanie Sheh, Kyle Hebert

Director: Makoto Shinkai

Year: 2016

Runtime: 107 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

3. My Neighbor Totoro

Studio Ghibli

The distinctive silhouette of Studio Ghibli mascot Totoro is known the world over nowadays. Hayao Miyazaki's "My Neighbor Totoro" didn't capture the imagination of audiences right away (largely down to the fact that it was released alongside "Grave of the Fireflies" as a double feature), but the film and its eponymous forest spirit went on to carve out a place in Japanese pop culture. It follows sisters Satsuki and Mei, who just moved to the countryside with their father. Their new house is old and drafty, but it's near the hospital that's treating their sick mother. Totoro becomes a guardian to the girls after they discover him in a nearby forest.

Original Voice Cast: Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi

English Dub Cast: Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Tim Daly

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Year: 1988

Runtime: 86 minutes

Rating: G

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

2. Akira

Toho

Hollywood has been trying to adapt "Akira" for years now, but Katsuhiro Otomo's visually striking anime film (based on his manga of the same name) has proved a difficult act to follow. Otomo's post-apocalyptic classic became a cult hit in the West when bootleg copies began to circulate, and it's still considered a benchmark in anime to this day. It follows a young biker gang in Neo-Tokyo, the neon-lit metropolis that sprang up after the previous capital was destroyed in a devastating explosion. When gang member Tetsuo Shima starts developing powerful psychokinetic abilities following an accident, his friends have to stop him from causing another catastrophe.

Original Voice Cast: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama

English Dub Cast: Johnny Yong Bosch, Joshua Seth, Wendee Lee

Director: Katsuhiro Otomo

Year: 1988

Runtime: 124 minutes

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

1. Spirited Away

Studio Ghibli

The Oscar-winning jewel in Studio Ghibli's crown, Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" is the unforgettable tale of a girl named Chihiro, whose parents are transformed into pigs after they wander into what they believe is an abandoned theme park. It turns out to be a bathhouse for spirits, and if Chihiro wants her mom and dad restored to human form, she'll have to work for the witch that runs it. With a host of colorful new friends helping her out, she formulates a plan to save her parents and get back to the human world.

Original Voice Cast: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki

English Dub Cast: Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Suzanne Pleshette

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Year: 2001

Runtime: 125 minutes

Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

NEXT UP

Anime Genres Explained

BY JULIET KAHN/UPDATED: SEPT. 29, 2020 4:36 PM EDT

In a world where Studio Trigger's Promare aired in actual movie theaters and Halloween means glimpsing more than a few four-foot-tall Vegetas wandering around, anime is no longer obscure. Cowboy Bebop is getting a live-action series! Internationally famous Russian figure skaters perform tributes to Sailor Moon! Every so often, Kanye West weighs in on just how massively he's been impacted by Akira! Your grandma might not know the difference between One Piece and One Punch Man yet, but watch out — soon she'll be schooling you on the early works of Studio Ghibli.

Yet anime's rise to prominence doesn't mean viewers in the English-speaking world know the medium inside and out. Genre, for example, operates uniquely in anime. Western animation can't really be used as a rigid frame of reference, nor Western genre fiction as a whole: Anime is a storytelling ecosystem unto itself that must be understood as such. That's why we're here with a primer on the major genres found in anime, for all your demystification needs. Sit back, relax, and prepare to learn about all the different sorts of giant robots a hot-headed teen protagonist can find himself piloting.

Shonen

When you think of anime, what comes to mind is likely shonen. My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball Z, Slam Dunk — all of it is comfortably shonen, despite how widely those titles might vary. That's because shonen really just means "for boys," making it more of a demographic category than a genre. In the age of anime as export, however, the term has gained genre connotations that cannot be ignored. When a kid loves Bleach and wants to read something else in that vein, he's going to end up searching for "shonen" — and generally speaking, he's going to find something new to love.

Shonen anime encompasses an enormous variety of subgenres: Sports, fantasy, science fiction, and even horror stories are found beneath this umbrella. Compare something like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, a candy-colored giant robot story, against Eyeshield 21, which follows a high school football team on their way to sports stardom. They feature wildly different motifs, storylines, and settings, and yet they are both solidly shonen. What unites them, and all shonen anime, is a focus on young men, often seeking to become the best at what they do, to right a terrible wrong, and/or to protect the ones they love. These are passionate, idealistic stories about youth at its most zealous, full of action and heart. It's no wonder that shonen is the most popular genre of anime — who can resist a hot-blooded do-gooder, whether he's a rookie shortstop, pirate captain, or wannabe pilot?

Shoujo

Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Fruits Basket, Nana: They might range far and wide in terms of story, but all of these series are shoujo. Like other entries on this list, shoujo (literally "young girl") is technically a demographic, warped by time and export into a genre term. Accordingly, shoujo anime ranges far and wide in terms of subject matter. Sailor Moon falls under this umbrella, as do other magical girl stories of young heroines in fabulous costumes fighting evil with fantastic powers. Yet so does The Rose of Versailles, a historical drama set in Marie Antoinette's Versailles, The Heart of Thomas, a love story between two boys, and Ouran High School Host Club, an often-slapstick school comedy.

What unites shoujo? An emphasis on relationships, for one thing, most obviously evidenced by shoujo's plethora of romance series. Yet this interest in what connects people goes beyond romantic love. Series like Tokyo Mew Mew and Nana might involve love triangles, headlining couples, and fandoms chock-full of shipping, but platonic relationships are just as big a part of their narratives, especially when it comes to friendships between young girls. Moreover, shoujo's visual motifs are strikingly different: though magical girls and shonen-based giant robot pilots might triumph over evil, only the former does it in bursts of hearts, stars, and flowers. There's beating the bad guy, and then there's beating the bad guy with gem-encrusted scepters that summon attacks like "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss."

Seinen

If you're looking for robots, action, magic, and warfare, you've got a lot of options when it comes to anime. But what if you're not interested in wide-eyed hijinks, school stories, or wild teen emotions? That's when you turn to seinen.

Technically, seinen just boils down to meaning "anime for young men." In practice, this translates to a wide variety of stories that can portray R-rated levels of violence and sexuality, murkier morals, and characters that are not promised any sort of absolution. Anime like Black Lagoon and Ghost in the Shell examine characters living on the margins of society, their black-hat hacking and mercenary violence taken as a given. These aren't stories about people looking to save the world — in fact, they're often about people who tried, failed, and now live in the wreckage of that dream. But don't think it's all doom and gloom: Though crime, action, psychological horror, and particularly dark takes on science fiction and fantasy are often the order of the day, comedy falls under the seinen umbrella as well. One-Punch Man, with its bachelor protagonist, is often considered seinen, as well as absurdist romps like Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto. After all, who needs a laugh more than adults?

Josei

There's manga for girls, full of first crushes and school-bound secrets, and then there's josei: manga for women who want to go beyond the schoolyard.  Josei is where you'll find relationships examined beyond the initial kiss, lives after graduation, and a lot more action between the sheets. The distinction might appear to be murky: Josei anime like Paradise Kiss, Princess Jellyfish, and Kids on the Slope deal with breakups, makeups, and all the attendant drama, just as anime aimed at younger girls might do. But here, the starring couple really might end up being fully, finally incompatible, and the road to a better life might require brutal years of change, heartbreak, and disappointment. 

But that's not to say that josei is an entirely melancholy affair — quite the opposite, in fact. Slice-of-life josei can find transcendent joy and laugh-out-loud humor in observing the rhythms of life in Ristorante Paradiso's bustling restaurant, or the world of classical music portrayed in Nodame Cantabile. Another prominent thread in josei is that of BL stories, or "Boys' Love": romances between male characters that can, within josei's more mature environs, be portrayed with far more explicit sexuality. Beyond josei anime lies the creatively fertile world of josei manga, much of it wildly experimental and unlike anything even seasoned anime and manga fans might be familiar with. Erica Sakurazawa, Moyocco Anno, and Kyoko Okazaki in particular are creators whose work is available in English and worth anyone's time.

Ecchi

"Ecchi" is a flexible word in anime. It can be used as an adjective, to describe something sexual in a way that connotes naughtiness — sort of like describing a magazine as "dirty." It can be a noun, applied to someone who is a bit of pervert. You can likely guess what the genre known as "ecchi" contains, by this point. If it's sexy, naughty, risque, and/or flirty, it's squarely ecchi.

There's a major distinction to be mindful of when it comes to ecchi: it's sexy, but it's not pornographic. Oh sure, ecchi anime will refer to sex, even revolve around sex, and is absolutely meant to entice. But ecchi doesn't depict actual, uncensored sex acts, nor is it totally bereft of plot or character development — in fact, there are a great many ecchi series that are as beloved for their world-building and story as for their panty shots and double entendres. Kill la Kill, High School of the Dead, Zero no Tsukaima, and Rosario to Vampire are undoubtedly infamous for their bodacious babes, but fans also flock to them for their storytelling and humor. Humor, in fact, is as much a part of ecchi anime as short skirts and succubi, to the point that some series like Ebichu revolve entirely around sex-centric comedy, sans actual titillation. Yes, ecchi is a diverse field of anime indeed — but you still probably want to make sure not to watch it on the bus.

Harem

What's better than one love interest? How about six? Harem anime certainly thinks so, and its popularity proves how many agree. Typically, harem series center around an average dude, somewhere between 15 and 30. He's likely a little rootless, unsure of what he wants in life, nursing a passion he has yet to properly pursue. Then he finds that he is heir to a fantastic destiny, about to be posted to a job in a girls' school, or simply dials the wrong number, and suddenly his life is crowded with gorgeous girls. All of whom, from the wackiest rabble-rouser to the most demure damsel, want desperately to be with him.

Many harem anime series incorporate other genres. Tenchi Muyo spends as much time on its epic space saga as it does its bevy of beauties, for example, while Trinity Seven takes place in a world of magical conspiracy. Certain character types do tend to predominate across subgenre lines, however: The lustful smirker, cheerful young housewife, and blushing tsundere, who will bicker with the protagonist right up until the moment she kisses him, are tried-and-true stalwarts of the genre. But don't think harem is an entirely dude-centric affair. "Reverse harem" series, in which multiple boys vie for a girl's affections, are a small but mighty minority within the genre, represented most famously by Ouran High School Host Club.

Isekai

You can't talk about fiction without talking about escapism. Isekai anime takes this to another level by building a genre entirely around ordinary people being whisked away to fantasy worlds. Sometimes they're familiar with the worlds in question, sometimes they're allowed to bring along their smartphone, sometimes they're reincarnated as a slime. But one thing holds true, across trope or plot: they were an ordinary person in our ordinary world, and now, by virtue of being transported to a fantasy land, they have become extraordinary.

Isekai exploded in popularity in the 2010s. No Game No Life, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Re: Zero – there seemed to be no end to stories about world-jumping, stat-manipulating, and smartphone-wielding. But isekai has been part of anime since the beginning: Fushigi Yugi, Magic Knights Rayearth, and even Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away all fall under the genre's umbrella. Moreover, not every isekai unfolds according to the most obvious tropes available. The Devil is a Part-Timer, for example, deposits a fantastical being — in this case, Satan — into our everyday world. Demons, dragons, magic — none of those wow him like a killer deal on his fast food employer's signature salt and pepper french fries. Isekai, beyond anything, is all about watching a fish out of water acclimate to a new ocean, and that's a fantastically flexible premise indeed.

Mecha

Does anything scream "anime" more than giant robots? Mecha anime, the genre to which giant robot anime belongs, is likely what many picture when they think of anime as a whole. Early works like Mazinger Z and Giant Robo set the stage for genre tentpoles like Patlabor, Full Metal Panic!, and the vast universe of the Mobile Suit Gundam series, creating a history of work that continues today in anime like Darling in the FRANXX.  Brash pilots in enormous robots, fighting for what's right — it's the premise that just won't quit.

An important distinction must be made, however. Within mecha as a genre, there are "super robot" stories, about enormous humanoid robots with incredible powers, and "real robot" stories, which stick closer to the limitations of our world. Some series blend the two — Neon Genesis Evangelion, infamous for blurring all sorts of genre lines, does this — but the two approaches claim a wealth of distinct work all their own. Some, like Code Geass, portray mecha that border upon being magical, their abilities are so vast. Others, like Armored Trooper VOTOMS, find brilliance in the nitty-gritty details of military science fiction. One thing unites them: the possibilities of storytelling in worlds with giant robots.

Slice of Life

It's all in the name, when it comes to slice of life anime: It's a genre containing stories that observe everyday life as it is lived by an individual or group of characters. This is anime that glories in the details, drawing meaning from events as intimate as a single meal or a school ceremony. No one is going Super Saiyan, no one is getting into their 12-story-tall robot. Life is being lived, in whatever form that takes.

It's that last bit that makes slice of life such a unique genre, however. "Life" might mean something like K-On!, a series about a high school club dedicated to making music. But it also might mean Kiki's Delivery Service, a movie in which magic is a very real thing. That's the beauty of slice of life: It takes an intimate approach, even if that approach is being used on very unique people and places. Anime like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Ms. Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, and Aria: The Animation include supernatural phenomena, dragons, time travel, and life on other planets — and yet each is a slice of life series. Sure, Haruhi is a reality-warping quasi-deity, Ms. Kobayashi accidentally befriended a dragon who now lives in her house, and Aria follows the lives of Martian gondoliers. But the story isn't about any of those things to the exclusion of all else. It's about people, living life, one day at a time. Sometimes with dragons.

Kodomomuke

Many of those unfamiliar with anime might think the entire medium could be described as kid's stuff. Yet even those who understand that Cowboy Bebop and Pretty Cure are very different works of art with very different audiences might not know what kodomomuke anime is. it is, in short, it's the actual kid's stuff, for the youngest viewers out there. Some kodomomuke series are familiar to Western fans, like Pokemon, Hamtaro and Yo-Kai Watch. Many, however, are not — consider Doraemon. At most, a Western fan might recognize the titular character from a piece of merchandise at their local anime convention, but few are actually familiar with the robotic cat's story, despite the fact that character is a Japanese institution. Beyond him lie series even more obscure to Anglophone eyes, like Anpanman, a superhero series starring a do-gooder with a pastry for a head. Some might wince at the stigma of watching stuff for the youngest eyes, but be assured that anyone can have a great time watching kodomomuke anime's greatest hits. After all, where else are you going to watch an anthropomorphic red bean bun fight a giant alien germ whose greatest weakness is soap?

Iyashikei

Iyashikei, which means "healing," is a little tricky to describe. Often it overlaps with other genres, especially slice of life, and is more defined by the experience of watching it than the actual story content. Succinctly put, it is anime that soothes you as you watch it. Gorgeously painted backgrounds, gentle scenes of nature, people working together towards a greater goal — that's the stuff of iyashikei, the animated equivalent of a long, hot bath.

As you might guess, there's a fair amount of variation within iyashikei as a genre. Laid-Back Camp is one example, starring a group of girls who enjoy camping. The soundtrack is lilting and gentle, comedy isn't ever over the top, and creating a cozy atmosphere is the clear goal of the entire production. Yet iyashikei can contain dramatic elements as well. Girls' Last Tour takes place in a bombed-out apocalyptic landscape in which two girls, our heroines, wander aimlessly. Their lives are, in some ways, bleak — and yet they find peace and comfort in each other. Iyashikei isn't about any one particular element or feature, but an overall emotion. That can be found in stories set in a wasteland as readily as ones that take place in the foothills of Mt. Fuji.

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