Our team compiled the best anime movies on Netflix here is what they came up with
Anime is such a fascinating medium of Japanese animation that veers into areas western animation is just now starting to grace. Everything from giant robot action to slice-of-life drama is present in this medium, and it’s only grown in allure over the decades. Netflix has caught on with this trend and is hosting several anime movies. Here are the 12 best anime movies on Netflix to check out on the streaming service.
Here is a list of 12 best anime movies on Netflix
1. Best Anime Movies on Netflix – Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway
In this sequel to Char’s Counterattack, Hathaway takes place when Earth deals with refugees from space colonies following wars between the Federation and Zeon. With Zeon wiped out, the Federation ends up going too far in both their harmful actions on Earth’s environment and their mistreatment of refugees. The turmoil leads to Hathaway Noa, son of the revered Federation commander Bright Noa, waging war against the corrupted Federation. In addition to being a stirring political thriller, Hathaway has some of the most gorgeous animations as mobile suits wage war on Earth.
2. Mirai
From acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda (The Boy and the Beast), Mirai mixes sci-fi time jumps with meaningful family drama. The four-year-old Kun attempts to run away from home and unwittingly stumbles into a time gateway that allows him to see his mother as a little girl. He also views his older sister as a little kid. This experience allows Kun to witness the world from a different perspective, realizing that everybody was a child once. The film won the Best Animated Feature Independent at the 46th Annie Awards and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
3. End of Evangelion
In this theatrical remake of the final two episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the world ends amid giant robot battles. The Japanese science organization NERV is coming close to achieving its transcendence project when it is attacked by outsider forces and supernatural angels. The only one who could save the day is the teenager Shinji Ikari. This features one of the most surreal third acts of any anime movie ever made.
4. Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop
On a sunny day in Japan, two souls meet at a mall. A shy boy finds that he can only communicate through the written form of haikus. A shy girl wears a mask and tries to hide from the world. When they meet, a summer romance becomes a touching tale of what it means to form meaningful relationships. This premiered at the 2020 Shanghai International Film Festival and is a touching drama about finding love and friendship in the most unlikely of people.
5. NiNoKuni: The Movie
Based on the video game series of the same name, NiNoKuni follows the adventures of high school students and friends Yuu and Haru. While they attend school in modern-day Japan, they are magically transported to a fantasy world. Dashing between worlds, they race against time to save the life of their friend Kotona. The film is set centuries after the game Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, portraying a different world and dilemma. The contemporary fantasy comes from director Yoshiyuki Momose (Modern Heroes) and screenwriter Akihiro Hino, the original writer of the video games.
6. Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack
Taking place many years after the first Gundam series, Char’s Counterattack is the theatrical conclusion to the rivalry between Amuro and Char. Having grown more politically distant and enraged by the state of the galaxy, Char sets his sights on waging war. History repeats itself as Char assembles a new faction in space that once more aims to drop a space colony on Earth, the inciting incident of the One-Year War. As the first Gundam movie after the Gundam movie trilogy, the film features intriguing politics on the nature of humanity, meshing with vibrantly detailed anime action.
7. Children of the Sea
Three teens find themselves entranced by a supernatural force where they come into closer connections with aquatic life. They might end up saving the world with what secrets they learn underwater. Based on the manga by Daisuke Igarashi, who also writes the screenplay, this is a wondrous coming-of-age anime directed by Ayumu Watanabe (Komi Can’t Communicate).
8. Mobile Suit Gundam: Movie I
Despite being canceled prematurely from television, Mobile Suit Gundam found new life on the big screen with a movie recap trilogy. The first movie in the series sets the tone nicely for a galaxy at war between Earth’s people led by the Earth Federation and those residing in man-made space colonies led by Zeon. Thrown into the conflict is Amuro Ray, a teenager forced to pilot the Federation’s most powerful mobile suit known as Gundam. He’ll experience the horrors of war and face off against Zeon’s expert pilot Char Azanable, referred to as The Red Comet. This film would launch Gundam as a major mecha anime and further push the real-robot mecha subgenres.
9. Mobile Suit Gundam: Movie II
The second film centers around the ground campaign in the One Year War of Gundam, where the Federation-led White Base fights off Zeon forces on Earth. Amuro Ray, the pilot of the powerful Gundam robot, becomes further horrified by the war that he abandons White Base. As the war intensifies, Amuro musters up the courage to continue. This is one of the more important movies, considering the unforgettable scene where Amuro’s mother watches as her son mercilessly guns down fleeing Zeon soldiers, highlighting how combat ages of children too fast.
10. Mobile Suit Gundam: Movie III
The finale of the Gundam movie trilogy brings the One Year War to a grand closure. This leads to an operatic showdown of the Earth Federation versus Zeon, where the casualties mount higher as the kills become more gruesome in this operatic conclusion. This Gundam film is most notable for the compelling soundtrack, and emotional conclusion as the saga introduces the mysterious magic of Newtypes (essentially the Jedi of Gundam).