Streaming services that appeal to a larger variety of viewers than just anime fans have
begun to add anime to their rotation, acknowledging that the medium is more than just a niche
concern. On Netflix right now, there are anime films that run the gamut from old classics
to modern hits. Here are some of the very best.
Before Hayao Miyazaki was a household name, he got his start co-writing and directing
the 1979 film Lupin The Third: The Castle of Cagliostro. For this
debut, he got to work with the international thief character Arsene Lupin, intellectual
property of "Monkey Punch" Kazuhiko Kato, who himself "borrowed" the idea from French
novelist Maurice Leblanc.
Lupin is the cheeky thief who likes to announce his heists before enacting them, dragging
his loyal co-conspirators like Daisuke Jigen into the fray, and getting sidetracked by
the sexy Fujiko Mine.
Those familiar with the Lupin The Third franchise will readily admit that Miyazaki's take on
the character differs hugely from Monkey Punch's original manga, as well as from the countless
anime adaptations that followed it.
In Cagliostro, Lupin discovers that he recently absconded with tons of counterfeit cash and
decides to find its source. Once there, he meets a young lady named Clarisse who is betrothed,
against her will, to Count Cagliostro. Lupin strikes a deal with his long-time nemesis,
Interpol's Inspector Zenigata, to rescue Clarisse from this dismal fate.
Lupin's unselfish actions in this film aren't in keeping with the gentleman thief's usual
modus operandi, but it is interesting to see how the film presages many of the themes and
techniques Miyazaki would use in his films for years to come.
Miyazaki is not the only director whose lesser-known works have found a niche at Netflix. Makoto
Shinkai has recently enjoyed fame with his 2016 hit film Your Name. He was directing
plenty of films before that, however, including 2013's The Garden of Words.
At the start of this short, moody film, high school student Takao Akizuki chooses to skip
school in favor of sketching shoes in the garden at Shinjuku Gyoen, a large park in
Tokyo. While there, he runs into Yukari Yukino, a mysterious 27-year-old woman who is skipping
work to enjoy beer and chocolate in the park.
All through the rainy season, the two meet up and get to know each other, and Takao becomes
more and more invested in becoming a shoemaker and making a pair of shoes for Yukari. When
Yukari's job, and her reasons for neglecting it, become known, the pair finds themselves
being pulled apart by the pressures of society.
There's heaps of drama to be had in only 46 minutes, and if you can get over the questionable
adult-teen relationship, the film is an absolute treat for the eyes, especially the garden
scenery.
For those looking for a real tear-jerker, Netflix has the exceptional teenage drama
A Silent Voice, based on the seven-volume manga of the same name by Yoshitoki Oima.
The film begins with protagonist Shoya Ishida as an elementary schooler, learning that his
class has a new student, Shoko Nishimiya. He and some other boys in his class begin
to pick on her, especially after they all find out that she is deaf.
"You know something? We're all sick of you and your notebook."
Fast forward to high school, and Shoya regrets the selfish actions of his early childhood,
actions which ultimately led to him being ostracized in the same way he was attempting
to ostracize Shoko. He runs into her by chance and realizes that he wants to make amends
for the way he treated her, and as the two begin to navigate this rocky friendship, Shoya
is able to learn how to make friends with others as well.
This is a truly beautiful film which tackles big issues like bullying, disability, and
regret, with sensitivity and an excellent sense of narrative drama. Just make sure you
have a box of tissues alongside your popcorn, you'll need it for the climax, for sure.
Though high school dramas make up a great deal of anime offerings, there are a fair
number of historical selections available, as well.
In This Corner of the World gives viewers a glimpse of an average woman's life in the
chaos of World War 2. Suzu, an innocent young woman from Eba in Hiroshima, gets married
to a man named Shusaku, a navy civilian. She moves to his family's home in Kure, and there
must contend with the rapidly shifting expectations placed upon her as a housewife and as a citizen
living during wartime, as well as the return of her childhood friend Tetsu.
The film largely takes place from 1944 through 1945, toward the end of World War 2, but also
provides glimpses of pre- and post-atomic bomb Hiroshima, with the early war years depicted
as more carefree and humorous, giving way to a more anxious tone as time passes. The
fearsome tools of war are a grim contrast to the traditional, close-to-nature culture
of Hiroshima. This is another film where a handkerchief would not go unused!
Another historical film, Miss Hokusai, is based on the real-life artist Katsushika Oi,
daughter of the famous Hokusai. It takes place during the Edo period, when Hokusai is already
in his fifties and considered a renowned artist in Japan.
O-Ei is one of his four daughters, and she lives with him and must put up with his many
flaws, all while completing many of his commissions without any recognition. The pair live more
like roommates than father and daughter, and the film explores their turbulent relationship,
as well as O-Ei's relationship with her half-sister, the blind and sickly O-Nao.
This is one of those movies that is far more about characters than plot, but the characters
are so alive, and the animation, especially when bringing the artists' paintings to life,
is absolutely lovely. It also provides some insight into the life of a beloved painter
through his relationships with others, as well as the all-too-familiar story of a brilliant
woman whose work is overshadowed by the important men in her life.
Netflix may not have any of the Studio Ghibli films for North American streaming, but aside
from Miyazaki's film debut with Lupin The Third, they also have Studio Ponoc's Mary
and the Witch's Flower.
Studio Ponoc was founded by Ghibli alumnus Yoshiaki Nishimura, and this initial work
from the studio definitely bears a resemblance to the works of Ghibli, both visually and
in tone and theme. The movie, based on Mary Stewart's novel The Little Broomstick, follows
the young Mary Smith, who has just moved into her great aunt Charlotte's very English estate.
Mary is bored while she waits for her parents to arrive and for school to start, and she
unfortunately has no aptitude for helping out with anything around the house. She chooses
to explore the estate's grounds and finds herself following a pair of cats into the
woods, where she discovers a strange purple flower.
"Beautiful!"
This flower grants her the power to fly a broomstick, which whisks her away to a magical
school, where she learns that there are drawbacks to wielding magic powers. This is a very fun
and sweet film, appropriate for the very young but still enjoyable for adult viewers who
retain a sense of whimsy.
Those who are familiar with video games might recognize the title NiNoKuni, which is a series
of titles in the fantasy role-playing game genre. The film, which was directed by Studio
Ghibli animator Yoshiyuki Momose and showcases music from Hayao Miyazaki's long-time collaborator
Joe Hisaishi, has a standalone story separate from any of the game plots. In the film, childhood
friends Yu and Haru travel to a fantasy world to save their dying friend Kotona, who has
a counterpart in this world who is likewise in trouble.
This alternate reality is populated by adorable fantasy creatures, grave dangers, and plenty
of magic. So once again, even though Studio Ghibli films are not available on Netflix,
those who love the look and feel of works like Howl's Moving Castle or Castle in the
Sky will find NiNoKuni provides a similar thrilling magical adventure. It's useful to
note that viewers don't need to have any familiarity with the game series in order to enjoy this
film.
Relationships are at the core of the three stories in the Chinese-Japanese anthology
film Flavors of Youth. The movie is split into three parts: The Rice Noodles, A Little
Fashion Show, and Love in Shanghai. All three are set in different areas of modern China,
but they take plenty of time to look into each character's past as well.
In The Rice Noodles, Xiao Ming monologues about time spent with his grandmother while
eating San Xian noodles, lamenting his inability to find quite the same flavor since he has
grown up and moved out of his parents' home.
A Little Fashion Show explores the relationship between a successful model, Yu Lin, who is
providing for her younger sister, Lu Lu, a student with dreams of fashion design. Yu
Lin is putting herself under extra pressure, concerned that her aging will get in the way
of her career. She starves herself while Lu Lu tries to remind her to take care of herself.
The final segment, Love in Shanghai, chronicles the story of Li Mo, a too-serious architect,
who discovers a cassette tape from his childhood friend, Xiao Yu, among his belongings after
he moves. He had neglected to listen to Xiao Yu's message when they were still kids, and
doing so would have changed the entire course of his life afterward.
"No matter what I do I can't get you out of my mind!"
At about 75 minutes, this Netflix original anime film is beautifully animated and touchingly
melancholy, ending on a positive note.
Aside from standalone films, there are plenty of movies that tie into beloved anime series,
such as Inuyasha. Fortunately for fans, Netflix actually has all four of the Inuyasha films
available to stream. It's best to start at the beginning, however, with the first of
these films: Affections Touching Across Time.
In this film, a demon named Menomaru has been released from his imprisonment to take vengeance
against Inuyasha, whose father defeated Menomaru's father 200 years previously. Under the enchantment
of Menomaru's lackeys, Kagome ends up pinning Inuyasha back to the tree where she found
him at the start of the anime series.
Her guilt and some prodding from Inuyasha's former lover Kikyo drive Kagome back to her
own era, the modern age, where she finds she is still able to communicate with Inuyasha
through time, and she finds the strength to return to the Feudal era and help her friends
defeat the demon who is threatening them all.
This is an excellent choice for anyone who is feeling nostalgic for those late nights
they spent watching Inuyasha on Adult Swim, rooting for Inuyasha and Kagome to finally
come to terms with their feelings for each other, though like the series itself, the
film keeps that slow burn going strong.
Though the Berserk manga has been running in Japan since the late '80s, and has seen
various anime adaptations since the late '90s, there is something about Kentaro Miura's dark
fantasy series that keeps cultivating new fans.
Those fans can't possibly miss the three films that adapt the manga's Golden Age arc, all
of which are available on Netflix. The first chapter in this series of films, The Egg of
the King, follows series protagonist Guts, who finds himself forced to join the company
of Griffith, leader of the Band of the Hawk.
The two men come across a demon named Nosferatu Zodd, who warns Guts about Griffith. There
is plenty of intrigue and violence, as a failed assassination attempt forces Guts to do something
that, even though he is a hardened mercenary, fills him with guilt and regret.
The Egg of the King sets the stage for the complicated relationship between Guts and
Griffith, so viewers will want to follow this installment up with The Battle for Doldrey
and The Advent, thus completing the arc.
Director Masaaki Yuasa, already an established director in Japan, skyrocketed to Western
fame at the beginning of 2019 with his extremely successful adaptation of Go Nagai's Devilman
in the Netflix original series Devilman: Crybaby.
Since then, his films The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl, Lu Over the Wall, and Ride Your
Wave have graced movie screens all over America. Lu Over the Wall is now streaming on Netflix,
bringing Yuasa's delightfully strange animation style into living rooms everywhere.
The film centers on moody high school student Kai, who lives in a quiet fishing village
and enjoys producing music in his spare time. When he posts a video of his work online,
a couple of schoolmates, Yuho and Kunio, see it and convince him to join their band.
They practice out on Merfolk Island, a place tied to the town's legends about fearsome
mermaids. While playing the music, Kai hears a mermaid's song and becomes friends with
Lu, a tiny mermaid with a penchant for singing. Of course, he tries to keep Lu a secret from
the town until she plays a concert with their band and accidentally becomes famous.
The movie explores the relationship between Kai and Lu, as well as the harmful prejudices
humankind perpetuates. The visuals don't disappoint, with Yuasa's signature stretched-out movement
sequences in full force for jazzed-up dance numbers and all kinds of water acrobatics.
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