I’d been watching various anime for ages and I can’t stop myself from writing this content article about my Top 10 Anime Films of All Time. Well, this is very common because there are so many blog posts, articles, newsletters or any piece of writing that do the same. Of course, everyone is entitled to do their owned list of Top Anime films or series based on their own taste or point of view – that’s why I never think that there’s really such thing as “best” or “greatest” anime film by simply looking from a single perspective. Since everyone have the right to tell the world about their ‘tops’ then so am I – ahead of this piece of **** are my Top 10 favorite anime films.
I prefer to watch an anime film instead of a series because I really don’t like to sit for such a long period of time just to finish several episodes. But there are some exception such as the “Magi” series, FairyTail and several anime that totally suits my taste and will keep me on watching no matter how long it takes. Let’s back to anime film, I’d watched countless movies and I just can’t remember all of them but there are some that totally made a mark in my memory. I know that this post is subject to change because in the future, I may be able to watch a new film that will strike me down right on my heart and capture my inner self – which will made my current Top 10 to alter in the future. But let’s not talk about the future and just discuss what we have right now – I mean what anime films you had watched and enjoyed until this very moment. For me, there are various anime movies that makes me laugh so hard as if I was going to roll on the floor (just a lil’ bit of exaggeration), some are just ‘K’ – that’s why I always said when I am watching a boring film – there are also that are just crazy as hell like One Piece franchise (Yeah, the One Piece films are hilarious and I just love it that way). However, there are some movies that will just hit you directly in the heart for no reason, some will give you nostalgia (and this genre always catch my attention), while there are others will show us a slice of life story that will make us think deeper of our own existence.
I prefer to watch an anime film instead of a series because I really don’t like to sit for such a long period of time just to finish several episodes. But there are some exception such as the “Magi” series, FairyTail and several anime that totally suits my taste and will keep me on watching no matter how long it takes. Let’s back to anime film, I’d watched countless movies and I just can’t remember all of them but there are some that totally made a mark in my memory. I know that this post is subject to change because in the future, I may be able to watch a new film that will strike me down right on my heart and capture my inner self – which will made my current Top 10 to alter in the future. But let’s not talk about the future and just discuss what we have right now – I mean what anime films you had watched and enjoyed until this very moment. For me, there are various anime movies that makes me laugh so hard as if I was going to roll on the floor (just a lil’ bit of exaggeration), some are just ‘K’ – that’s why I always said when I am watching a boring film – there are also that are just crazy as hell like One Piece franchise (Yeah, the One Piece films are hilarious and I just love it that way). However, there are some movies that will just hit you directly in the heart for no reason, some will give you nostalgia (and this genre always catch my attention), while there are others will show us a slice of life story that will make us think deeper of our own existence.
Most of the films that totally caught my attention are those from Studio Ghibli (and if I am right, majority of the people will say the same); Hayao Miyazaki’s works are probably on top of the industry however, there are rising anime creators will surely change the anime world someday.
The following films are my Top 10 among my favorites and I am glad to share this list to everyone because I know, somehow there are some people out there that exactly have the same taste as me.
The following films are my Top 10 among my favorites and I am glad to share this list to everyone because I know, somehow there are some people out there that exactly have the same taste as me.
10. Wolf Children – a fairy tale like story, Wolf Children tells about the story of a mother who raise her two children after her werewolf husband died on some tragic event. It touches the hardship of being a single mother as well as raising children who aren’t normal and dealing with their choices when they finally grow up. There are some parts of the movie that are sad but entire film was really enjoyable especially those part where she struggling on their early days in the countryside. The story became serious and even deeper when her children grow up and she must deal with the changes as both Yuki and Ame discover the path that they need to take.
I just can’t explain my feelings but I feel like I am living on a separate world while watching the movie from start until the end. The twist that Yuki chosen to became a normal human girl because was exactly opposite with her behavior when she was a kid, the same with Ame too. I never expect that Ame will decide to go a different path as he was the shy type when he was little but ended up as strong guardian of forest as an adult werewolf. In the end, I know that Hana was contented even she’s alone living in her house with both of her wolf children was away and dealing with their own respective lives.
What others say about this?
Tim Robey from Telegraph described Wolf Children as a hauntingly romantic fairytale.
I just can’t explain my feelings but I feel like I am living on a separate world while watching the movie from start until the end. The twist that Yuki chosen to became a normal human girl because was exactly opposite with her behavior when she was a kid, the same with Ame too. I never expect that Ame will decide to go a different path as he was the shy type when he was little but ended up as strong guardian of forest as an adult werewolf. In the end, I know that Hana was contented even she’s alone living in her house with both of her wolf children was away and dealing with their own respective lives.
What others say about this?
Tim Robey from Telegraph described Wolf Children as a hauntingly romantic fairytale.
9. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time – a coming-of-age story about a girl who discovered that she gain a mysterious power and that is to “Time Leap”. She don’t know that the number of times she can Time Leap is limited only and she waste most of those chances for unnecessary things; but those mistakes actually makes the film funny, lucid and energetic. The tagline of the movie is “Time Waits for No One” and in reality, that was a very powerful message – a message that each and every one of the viewers should take seriously because time does really matters in our daily lives. It teaches the viewers to spend their time wisely and obviously avoid being lazy sometimes, it also emphasized human’s vulnerable side to temptation of the power they had. Like in the film, if you had the power to Time Leap, you’ll be able to change the future and that using such power in non-sense doesn’t give you back anything good.
The energetic atmosphere of the film gives a nostalgic feeling, especially those emotions and experience back when you’re just a high school teenager. All in all, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a very enjoyable film despite of the fact that I am saddened of Chiaki’s departure as well as Kosuke unexpected friendship with his secret admirer.
Critic "Justin Sevakis" wrote in his review at Anime News Network that the film was heartwarming and triumphant. If only the conclusion could have taken the ball and run with it, we could have had a masterpiece. But instead, we'll have to settle for “great.” Like Makoto, we'll just have to deal with it.
The energetic atmosphere of the film gives a nostalgic feeling, especially those emotions and experience back when you’re just a high school teenager. All in all, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a very enjoyable film despite of the fact that I am saddened of Chiaki’s departure as well as Kosuke unexpected friendship with his secret admirer.
Critic "Justin Sevakis" wrote in his review at Anime News Network that the film was heartwarming and triumphant. If only the conclusion could have taken the ball and run with it, we could have had a masterpiece. But instead, we'll have to settle for “great.” Like Makoto, we'll just have to deal with it.
8. Howl’s Moving Castle – One of my favorite works of Hayao Miyazaki is Howl’s Moving Castle and definitely, it was Howl that caught my heart, the same way that Calcifer got his heart. So, what makes this film exciting is that fact that it was funny, magical and the design was just cool. The castle is probably an enticing one to live with, while the magical door is totally cool (that’s why I really understood Sophie’s feeling when she was amused about it).
The conflict with the Witch of the Waste was kinda complicated because until now, I can’t accept her as one of those people that gets closer to Howl. When Howl’s life was in trouble because of her, I was like “Hey you, old hag, return don’t you ever dare to touch Calcifer once more or I’ll you”.
The entire film was truly amazing with lots of beautiful places featured in the animation. Probably, my most favorite part is the secret place by Howl where he was hiding back when he’s just a kid, that place is really stunning and magnificent. From the beginning of the film until the end was like a magical ride into the wonderland while riding inside of the most handsome wizard in town (I am talking about Howl). The only thing I don’t like about it is Madame Suliman, I wish that old bitch should have been punish for all the hard times she gave to Howl and Sophie.
Cinefantastique Online wrote described the film as "Howl's Moving Castle is a perfect epitome of Miyazaki's work, in all its strengths and weaknesses: it's filled with heart-felt themes...but how these elements connect on a plot level is subjugated to how beautifully they are rendered on screen."
The conflict with the Witch of the Waste was kinda complicated because until now, I can’t accept her as one of those people that gets closer to Howl. When Howl’s life was in trouble because of her, I was like “Hey you, old hag, return don’t you ever dare to touch Calcifer once more or I’ll you”.
The entire film was truly amazing with lots of beautiful places featured in the animation. Probably, my most favorite part is the secret place by Howl where he was hiding back when he’s just a kid, that place is really stunning and magnificent. From the beginning of the film until the end was like a magical ride into the wonderland while riding inside of the most handsome wizard in town (I am talking about Howl). The only thing I don’t like about it is Madame Suliman, I wish that old bitch should have been punish for all the hard times she gave to Howl and Sophie.
Cinefantastique Online wrote described the film as "Howl's Moving Castle is a perfect epitome of Miyazaki's work, in all its strengths and weaknesses: it's filled with heart-felt themes...but how these elements connect on a plot level is subjugated to how beautifully they are rendered on screen."
7. The Princess and the Pilot – “Aerial adventure with chilling romantic atmosphere” are the best phrase that I can describe for this piece of art. The Princess and the Pilot is the film adaptation of a visual novel with the same name and also connected to the anime series “The Pilot’s Love Song”, though both of Fana and Charles are just minor characters in the series. So, let’s back to the film, the story was common with a princess forced to flee in order to save her life and also for her country but the twist comes with the missionary named Charles Karino who was task to deliver Fana del Moral (the fiancée of crown Prince of Levamme Empire) to the capital.
The aerial exhibitions and sceneries that were shown in the film are amazing including the aerial fights on which Charles was wounded. Fana as the typical royal princess is just a sweetheart in the story but acting tough and trying her best to help Charles were among her strength. I can say that the most stunning as well as shocking scenes about Fana is when she finally able to use the gun equipped on Santa Cruz and by some circumstances she ended up heating one of the wings of the enemy’s fighter plane. The part where Fana and Charles stayed in the island is my favorite because of some funny moments between the two as well as the dramatic revelation about Charles background being a ‘bestado’.
When the film ends, I just couldn’t agree that it ends that way, to be honest, I wasn’t satisfied but it is better because none of them died. For me, the entire film was far different from the common story of today’s anime – somehow it leaves a hole in my heart and makes me wish that Charles bravery and actions will be recognized by the entire Levamme Empire.
Richard Eisenbeis wrote at Kotaku.com that "The Princess and the Pilot Is Full of Aerial Adventure and Tragic Love". In his final thoughts about the film, he stated:
The aerial exhibitions and sceneries that were shown in the film are amazing including the aerial fights on which Charles was wounded. Fana as the typical royal princess is just a sweetheart in the story but acting tough and trying her best to help Charles were among her strength. I can say that the most stunning as well as shocking scenes about Fana is when she finally able to use the gun equipped on Santa Cruz and by some circumstances she ended up heating one of the wings of the enemy’s fighter plane. The part where Fana and Charles stayed in the island is my favorite because of some funny moments between the two as well as the dramatic revelation about Charles background being a ‘bestado’.
When the film ends, I just couldn’t agree that it ends that way, to be honest, I wasn’t satisfied but it is better because none of them died. For me, the entire film was far different from the common story of today’s anime – somehow it leaves a hole in my heart and makes me wish that Charles bravery and actions will be recognized by the entire Levamme Empire.
Richard Eisenbeis wrote at Kotaku.com that "The Princess and the Pilot Is Full of Aerial Adventure and Tragic Love". In his final thoughts about the film, he stated:
6. From Up on Poppy Hill – Another film from Studion Ghibli in my list is this cute, romantic and nostalgic story directed by Gorō Miyazaki. The entire atmosphere of the film was just amazing that it makes me think back of my cute and funny high school days. It was a pure, romantic and funny slice of life story that tells about Umi and Shun who gets entangled in some complicated twist by their parents owned action from the past. Aside from the parental issue on which Umi and Shun might be siblings and that they need to restraint their growing feelings for each other – the scenario in schools exactly define the good old days of every individual’s story when they are in their early teenage years.
In my own opinion, this is one of the strongest films from Studio Ghibli outside the fantasy-adventure genre together with Whisper of the Heart. Though, many people compare both From Up on Poppy Hill and Whisper of the Heart, I can say that there are big differences between these two epic pieces of art. While latter have a deeper story and funnier atmosphere, it tells about the story of a girl who fall in love for the first time and wishing not to be left behind by her colleague and the person she love. From Up on Poppy Hill is a more mature story and the fact that it suits those viewers who are in their high school days, it is more detailed when it comes to showing the daily lives of the a normal high school girl who falls in love to a poetic guy.
While watching the film, I always caught myself smiling even for the most shallow jokes in it, maybe it is because I can relate it with some part of the my past which I remember as the movie gives me the nostalgia.
A user from IMDb wrote this review and I totally agree in it:
In my own opinion, this is one of the strongest films from Studio Ghibli outside the fantasy-adventure genre together with Whisper of the Heart. Though, many people compare both From Up on Poppy Hill and Whisper of the Heart, I can say that there are big differences between these two epic pieces of art. While latter have a deeper story and funnier atmosphere, it tells about the story of a girl who fall in love for the first time and wishing not to be left behind by her colleague and the person she love. From Up on Poppy Hill is a more mature story and the fact that it suits those viewers who are in their high school days, it is more detailed when it comes to showing the daily lives of the a normal high school girl who falls in love to a poetic guy.
While watching the film, I always caught myself smiling even for the most shallow jokes in it, maybe it is because I can relate it with some part of the my past which I remember as the movie gives me the nostalgia.
A user from IMDb wrote this review and I totally agree in it:
5. The Garden of Words – This 2013 film directed by Makoto Shinkai (one of my favorite anime directors of today’s generation) got the 5th place in my list because of few reasons but made a huge impact on me. The rains, the simplicity in the story, the laziness in the atmosphere – I feel like I belong as one of the characters in it. I really love the rain and the way they put rain as very important factor in the film was really magical. Though, it was only a short film, the progress is also slow as if you’re only following those times that Takao goes to the park just to see Yukino.
I also thought that it was like a stupid scenario that he keeps on seeing Yukino in the park every time the rain comes but both of them still don’t know each other’s name. Takao even share and talks about his dreams to Yukino when they are in the park – but I just realized, when you fall in love it doesn’t actually need to talk or ask; what’s important is the presence of someone you love. I think that’s the reason behind Takao’s naiveté behavior, and the Yukino’s calm and quiet personality simply adds a mystery in the story that will make you think she’s hiding a dark secret within her sleeves.
The conflict is kinda shallow if I will give my own opinion, it was like what’s the big deal if Yukino is a teacher and she’s older than Takao? However, those flaws can be easily covered the astounding and magical animation that can be seen and felt in the entirety of the film. It was simply soothing and relaxing to watch, most especially if you have nothing to do or the rain is pouring heavy outside the windows.
The Ani-Tay Review from Kotaku.com wrote about Garden of Words:
"In the end, The Garden of Words lives up to Makoto Shinkai's pedigree and then some. The gorgeous visuals and great music combine with a rather fresh take on a romance story to make for a more than enjoyable experience. It is quite possibly my favorite Makoto Shinkai film, probably because it is the only one of his films to not leave me a depressed mess upon completion."
I also thought that it was like a stupid scenario that he keeps on seeing Yukino in the park every time the rain comes but both of them still don’t know each other’s name. Takao even share and talks about his dreams to Yukino when they are in the park – but I just realized, when you fall in love it doesn’t actually need to talk or ask; what’s important is the presence of someone you love. I think that’s the reason behind Takao’s naiveté behavior, and the Yukino’s calm and quiet personality simply adds a mystery in the story that will make you think she’s hiding a dark secret within her sleeves.
The conflict is kinda shallow if I will give my own opinion, it was like what’s the big deal if Yukino is a teacher and she’s older than Takao? However, those flaws can be easily covered the astounding and magical animation that can be seen and felt in the entirety of the film. It was simply soothing and relaxing to watch, most especially if you have nothing to do or the rain is pouring heavy outside the windows.
The Ani-Tay Review from Kotaku.com wrote about Garden of Words:
"In the end, The Garden of Words lives up to Makoto Shinkai's pedigree and then some. The gorgeous visuals and great music combine with a rather fresh take on a romance story to make for a more than enjoyable experience. It is quite possibly my favorite Makoto Shinkai film, probably because it is the only one of his films to not leave me a depressed mess upon completion."
4. 5 Centimeters Per Second – “Do you know? The speed at which cherry blossoms fall… five centimeters per second. At what speed must I live… to be able to see you again?” I am sure you are pretty familiar with one of Makoto Shinkai’s most famous works if you know that line. Yeah, that was the first line spoken by a character from 2007 film “5 Centimeters Per Second”. Believe me, this is one of the film that makes me cry and make me realize that once you have the chance, you better don’t let it go away because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
The story revolved around three characters (Takaki Tōno, Akari Shinohara and Kanae Sumida) and was divided into three chapters namely: Cherry Blossom, Cosmonaut and 5 Centimeters Per Second. Well, I like the film because I have the same personality as Tōno and his longing for Shinohara, his childhood sweetheart is similar to me whenever I miss someone from my past that’s special to me.
I heard from the other people who had seen the film that it was somewhat boring and yeah, they are right but what makes it special is the message it convey and want to share to the people. It was calm and gives you the soothing feeling and peaceful atmosphere that it is necessary to comprehend the real message of the story and the sad reality of life.
Theron Martin from Anime News Network wrote that Five Centimeters Per Second is a story about longing, about the isolating feeling of loneliness and the desire to make and maintain connections.
The story revolved around three characters (Takaki Tōno, Akari Shinohara and Kanae Sumida) and was divided into three chapters namely: Cherry Blossom, Cosmonaut and 5 Centimeters Per Second. Well, I like the film because I have the same personality as Tōno and his longing for Shinohara, his childhood sweetheart is similar to me whenever I miss someone from my past that’s special to me.
I heard from the other people who had seen the film that it was somewhat boring and yeah, they are right but what makes it special is the message it convey and want to share to the people. It was calm and gives you the soothing feeling and peaceful atmosphere that it is necessary to comprehend the real message of the story and the sad reality of life.
Theron Martin from Anime News Network wrote that Five Centimeters Per Second is a story about longing, about the isolating feeling of loneliness and the desire to make and maintain connections.
3. Castle in the Sky or Laputa: Castle in the Sky – is one of the first and most adventurous offering to us from Studio Ghibli, a story of adventure, childish love, comedy and magical escapade. Though the concept is not original due to its similarity to Atlantis and some related places, Laputa as a flying castle in the sky with advanced technology and hide from human civilization was a real convincing mythology.
In case, some people are wondering what I am talking about, Castle in the Sky is about the legendary floating castle named Laputa which folktale is exactly the same with the famous Atlantis, however, instead of sinking in the ocean, Laputa separate itself from Earth by making the entire castle fly powered by some mysterious stone (minerals).
For me, Castle in the Sky is the best works from Studio Ghibli that belongs to fantasy-adventure genre, and to be honest, it was romantic, enjoyable and of course, a full blown adventure.
What others say about this?
Here's a quote from a review of Bill Gibron from Popmatters.com about Castle in the Sky.
In case, some people are wondering what I am talking about, Castle in the Sky is about the legendary floating castle named Laputa which folktale is exactly the same with the famous Atlantis, however, instead of sinking in the ocean, Laputa separate itself from Earth by making the entire castle fly powered by some mysterious stone (minerals).
For me, Castle in the Sky is the best works from Studio Ghibli that belongs to fantasy-adventure genre, and to be honest, it was romantic, enjoyable and of course, a full blown adventure.
What others say about this?
Here's a quote from a review of Bill Gibron from Popmatters.com about Castle in the Sky.
Castle in the Sky is an equally uplifting experience. It’s the perfect place to view where Miyazaki has been and where he intends to go.
2. Whisper of the Heart – I will never dare to remove the story that introduced Shizuku Tsukishima and Seiji Amasawa to me. There’s no other anime film that makes me satisfied more than what the 1995 Studio Ghibli’s Whisper of the Heart did. The atmosphere has never been gloomy through the run of the film in its entirety. There are only few emotions that will enter your body and mind; and those are romantic feeling every time Seiji will appear, chill and goose bumps whenever funny lines of jokes or dialogue slips from Shizuku’s mouth and some of her weird actions.
The story was inspiring, especially for those who entering the puberty age and doesn’t decided yet what to do next to their lives. It brings back those days when you’re not worrying about anything aside from making assignments, trying to impress your crush in the classroom or in the room and of course, those funny and teasing conversations with your crazy friends. Yet, the drama was also presence; it calls for the modern teenagers to be ready for the future ahead of them. For sure, many viewers relates to the characters when it comes to the fact that most of the teenagers are now seeking for independence. Yeah, it was one of the main plots in the story, and believe – everybody always seeks independence in every decision they make for their lives and for teenagers, that scenario was very common. And who would ever dare to forget about the epic song “Concrete Roads” which is a parody of the song ‘Country Roads’, I supposed it was the one that bridge Seiji and Shizuku to each other aside from those books that they read.
My favorite part in the movie is when Seiji arrived from Italy and comes to Shizuku house before the dawn is breaking. It was just funny and romantic, especially that part when the two of them rode on the bicycle in the streets. At the end, both them confess that they fall in love with each other and Seiji asking for Shizuku’s hand for marriage in the future was simply magical.
A user from Rotten Tomatoes wrote that Whisper of the Heart is "Not only is this wonderful flick a guiltless and effectively heartwarming schoolyard romance, but it also manages to be a timelessly relevant and up-lifting coming-of-age story. " To read the entire review, kindly visit this page "Rotten Tomatoes: Whisper of the Hearts Reviews"
The story was inspiring, especially for those who entering the puberty age and doesn’t decided yet what to do next to their lives. It brings back those days when you’re not worrying about anything aside from making assignments, trying to impress your crush in the classroom or in the room and of course, those funny and teasing conversations with your crazy friends. Yet, the drama was also presence; it calls for the modern teenagers to be ready for the future ahead of them. For sure, many viewers relates to the characters when it comes to the fact that most of the teenagers are now seeking for independence. Yeah, it was one of the main plots in the story, and believe – everybody always seeks independence in every decision they make for their lives and for teenagers, that scenario was very common. And who would ever dare to forget about the epic song “Concrete Roads” which is a parody of the song ‘Country Roads’, I supposed it was the one that bridge Seiji and Shizuku to each other aside from those books that they read.
My favorite part in the movie is when Seiji arrived from Italy and comes to Shizuku house before the dawn is breaking. It was just funny and romantic, especially that part when the two of them rode on the bicycle in the streets. At the end, both them confess that they fall in love with each other and Seiji asking for Shizuku’s hand for marriage in the future was simply magical.
A user from Rotten Tomatoes wrote that Whisper of the Heart is "Not only is this wonderful flick a guiltless and effectively heartwarming schoolyard romance, but it also manages to be a timelessly relevant and up-lifting coming-of-age story. " To read the entire review, kindly visit this page "Rotten Tomatoes: Whisper of the Hearts Reviews"
1. Children Who Chase Lost Voices (Journey to Agartha) - finally, on top of my list is no other than Makoto Shinkai’s best works so far (in my own opinion) and probably, one of the most astounding and fascinating anime film of the decade. It was a cheerful, humorous, heroic and exciting film that tells about the journey of Asuna and her teacher Ryuji to the place called Agartha. A legendary place that said to be the home of the gods and where all the dreams come true.
Asuna is not the typical girl that you’ll ever know and that’s why I loved her a lot ever since the film has just started. I find myself like a little kid giggling due to the cuteness and chemistry of Asuna and Shun in the first part of the story and to be honest, Shun’s presence was very enticing that it leads me to cry that bad because he died too early. So, as the story progress, I still can’t move on with Shun’s death and the arrival of Shin in the story for sure save the tears of other viewers though I am kind of disappointed by Shin is like the opposite of Shun when it comes to personality. Mr. Ryuki, Asuna’s substitute teacher is really creepy and yet, he became a fatherly figure to her in some ways.
The film isn’t really that original as it picks up some of its elements from myths and folklore but it gives life to a new form of adventure and the amazing animation are simply breathtaking. The Children Who Chase Lost Voices is beautiful, enchanting and only proves that an anime can be magical like fairytales. My favorite quote from that film is the line from Shin before the film ends, he told Ryuki that “I heard a voice telling to keep on living and embrace my loss; you should have heard the same voice too. It’s the curse that we humans must bear”, for me that message was so deep and really hits us hard. It taught me to accept that fact that death is part of humanity’s existence, everyone will come face to face with it, it just happened that some people, even those we loved face it earlier than us. It tells us to accept it and keep on living after all, it is us who live our own lives; we shouldn’t let our happiness depends on someone else’s existence.
What others say about this?
"Children Who Chase Lost Voices does effectively convey some of the sentiment that Shinkai's titles are known for, but it is the least of his works to date in that regard. It is also too gradual in its plot development and spends too much time exploring its setting; at least 10-15 minutes could probably be edited out without significantly impacting the flow of events or feel of the story. It also has the least satisfying and fulfilling ending of any Shinkai effort to date, as the movies ends without Asuna seeming to have grown much from her experience. Still, it is quite a pretty movie with a real potential to be involving." According to the Children Who Chase Lost Voices review written by Theron Martin on Anime News Network.
Asuna is not the typical girl that you’ll ever know and that’s why I loved her a lot ever since the film has just started. I find myself like a little kid giggling due to the cuteness and chemistry of Asuna and Shun in the first part of the story and to be honest, Shun’s presence was very enticing that it leads me to cry that bad because he died too early. So, as the story progress, I still can’t move on with Shun’s death and the arrival of Shin in the story for sure save the tears of other viewers though I am kind of disappointed by Shin is like the opposite of Shun when it comes to personality. Mr. Ryuki, Asuna’s substitute teacher is really creepy and yet, he became a fatherly figure to her in some ways.
The film isn’t really that original as it picks up some of its elements from myths and folklore but it gives life to a new form of adventure and the amazing animation are simply breathtaking. The Children Who Chase Lost Voices is beautiful, enchanting and only proves that an anime can be magical like fairytales. My favorite quote from that film is the line from Shin before the film ends, he told Ryuki that “I heard a voice telling to keep on living and embrace my loss; you should have heard the same voice too. It’s the curse that we humans must bear”, for me that message was so deep and really hits us hard. It taught me to accept that fact that death is part of humanity’s existence, everyone will come face to face with it, it just happened that some people, even those we loved face it earlier than us. It tells us to accept it and keep on living after all, it is us who live our own lives; we shouldn’t let our happiness depends on someone else’s existence.
What others say about this?
"Children Who Chase Lost Voices does effectively convey some of the sentiment that Shinkai's titles are known for, but it is the least of his works to date in that regard. It is also too gradual in its plot development and spends too much time exploring its setting; at least 10-15 minutes could probably be edited out without significantly impacting the flow of events or feel of the story. It also has the least satisfying and fulfilling ending of any Shinkai effort to date, as the movies ends without Asuna seeming to have grown much from her experience. Still, it is quite a pretty movie with a real potential to be involving." According to the Children Who Chase Lost Voices review written by Theron Martin on Anime News Network.
So, that’s my Top 10 Anime Films… just saying that this list is subject to change because there are plenty of films that are in my watch list but I didn’t watch yet. By the way, there are some anime films like Princess Mononoke, Miyori no Mori, The Secret World of Arrietty, Tales from Earthsea, One Piece Film Z, Air The Motion Picture, Buddha, Persona 3 Spring of Birth, Spirited Away, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Voices From a Distant Star and Summer Wars, that almost reached to my Top 10. Still, I would like to recommend them to everyone; they’re all exciting, enjoyable and fascinating.