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A prolific medium with titles to suit whichever form of entertainment the viewers desire, anime has no shortage of wide-ranging epics one could spend months catching up to, short and sweet one-cour shows to watch over the weekend, and multi-seasonal series perfect to enjoy at one’s own pace. An equally multifaceted category, anime movies offer self-contained, impactful narratives with minimal time commitment required.

Embarking on a completely new adventure and losing oneself in a novel, gripping story every day is entirely possible with anime films, leaping from imaginative high fantasy to grounded drama to thought-provoking science fiction. Some of the medium’s most acclaimed, trailblazing exemplars come as feature films, and, in today’s age of streaming, most of them are readily available to enjoy from the comfort of one’s home. With these incredible anime films, all a part of Crunchyroll’s expansive catalog, an entire week of riveting ventures awaits.

Anime filmmaker Naoko Yamada thinks of herself as a cameraman. “I don't think of it like anime is made by drawings,” she tells The A.V. Club. “But actual people and actual backgrounds.” Whether a genki girl learning guitar or a bullied deaf child contemplating suicide, Yamada’s characters resonate with young audiences around the world.

From comfort to conflict, Hayao Miyazaki encapsulated an array of emotions and themes in his movies. His views and ideologies have revolutionized the animation industry in more ways than one. But that is not all, considering the legacy of the Ghibli animator.

Through his portrayal of women in the movies, Miyazaki has reshaped the course of animation and storytelling. And while the studio has bagged accolades, they earned their stripes through arduous efforts. But there might be a bigger problem.

San in a still from Princess Mononoke | Credit: Studio Ghibli

With no one having to lead the Studio, there remains a stalwart who is a true successor to Miyazaki’s legacy. Most fans have relentlessly pointed this out on the Internet in regards to the animator’s work. Surprisingly, it isn’t the esteemed director Makoto Shinkai.

Irrespective of that, Shinkai’s influence on the animation industry and filmmaking shouldn’t be excluded.

A Japanese court on Thursday announced the death sentence for Aoba Shinji, the man who burned down the Kyoto Anime studio in 2019 and killed 36 people.

There was little doubt that Aoba, who himself was badly burned in the blaze, was the perpetrator and set the fire using gasoline.

Shortly after the attack, at a press conference, the Kyoto police said that Aoba had unspecified mental health issues. Aoba pleaded not guilty at trial and his defense lawyers argued that he was mentally unfit and could not be held criminally responsible.

The Kyoto District Court, however, said it found that Aoba could determine right and wrong at the time of the incident. His capacity for responsibility was “determined to have been neither insane nor mentally incompetent at the time of the crime,” public broadcaster Nhk reported.

After ruling that Aoba was mentally capable of facing punishment for the crimes, the court...

Quick Links Chihayafuru Celebrates Friendship Through a Competitive Sport Kono Oto Tomare! Sounds of Life Produces a Sound Harmony of Friendship, Music, and Romance ReLife Is a Thought-Provoking Take on Life Tamako Market Perfectly Balances the Friends-to-Lovers Trope Komi Can't Communicate Focuses on the Struggles of a Shy Person Hyouka Defines Friendship Through the Eyes of an Introvert Kimi ni Todoke Is a Classic Romance Heavy on Friendship Rainbow Days Is One of Very Few Wholesome Anime About Friendship Skip and Loafer Is One of the Best Rom-Coms To Come Out Recently Horimiya: The Missing Pieces Explores the Background of the Gang's Friendship

The beauty of romance anime is its ability to converge several different genres into a single plot that transcends the mere title of just being a "love story." This widely loved genre is able to embrace almost all sub-genres effortlessly to produce stories that are both...

Classroom of the Elite is a one-of-a-kind anime that provides a realistic approach to the high school survival genre, which many shows have tackled previously but haven't been successful enough. For instance, while anime shows like Danganronpa, School-Live!, and Highschool of the Dead take place in a high school, they lack the unique element that the Classroom of the Elite possesses.

Having said that, even though Classroom of the Elite was adapted with the intention of selling its light novels, it was well-received by fans, becoming one of the best survival anime shows. While everyone assumed there wouldn't be a sequel after a phenomenal first season, it returned in 2022, announcing yet another season to keep fans entertained. With that in mind, here's everything we know about Classroom of the Elite season 3.

Classroom of the Elite Season 3: The Plot

Classroom of the Elite is a compelling story set in Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School,...

Inio Asano needs no introduction to fans of the Seinen genre. From ‘Goodnight Punpun’ to ‘Solanin,’ Asano’s beautiful art style and captivating stories have mesmerized fans for a long time. With a soaring demand for adaptations of Asano’s works, fans are finally getting their wish fulfilled. ‘Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction’ is finally receiving an anime adaptation.

Inio Asano’s ‘Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction,’ often referred to as ‘Dddd,’ was first serialized in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Spirits in 2014. With a total of 12 tankobon volumes, the manga concluded in February 2022.

In January 2021, the series received the Best General Manga award at the 66th Shogakukan Manga Awards, and in 2022, it was honored in the manga category at the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards. In March 2022, Gaga Communications announced an anime adaptation based on the series.

https://twitter.com/DEDEDEDEanime/status/1697021384734507102

On August 30, 2023, the official website confirmed that “Dededede,...

The highlight of every romance anime is the grand gesture where one of the two partners or both confess their deepest love for each other. Anime love confessions is a fan-favorite trope because the audience knows that the prospect of the protagonists ending up together is inevitable. Fans eagerly await who will break the tension first, and lay their feeling bare.

The buildup and tension leading up to that special moment where someone says, "I love you" is simply amazing. Even though every anime love confession has its moment, there are some that go straight to the heart.

Related: Why Rom-Com Fans Should Tune Into Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence

Mochizo To Tamako (Tamako Market)

Mochizo and Tamako grew up side by side in Tamako Market, and eventually, their friendship changed into love. The childhood friends had a hot and cold relationship, but they never realized that they took each other's company for granted.

Childhood friends ending up together is a staple romance trope in anime. Most of the time, it's a complicated love triangle between the main lead and two candidates, one of which is a childhood friend.

The fans obviously love the fierce battle, and secretly, the audience is mostly rooting for the childhood couple. To avoid the obvious climax, romance shows declare the "other" guy or gal as a winner, but there are instances when the childhood friend doesn't get the short end of the stick.

Related: My Happy Marriage Has the Perfect Balance of Shojo Romance and Shonen Action

Junichi And Kaoro (Amagami SS)

Amagami SS is a classic case of one-sided love where one party is completely oblivious to the other one's feelings, even when there are explicitly expressive about it. Kaoro had feelings for her childhood friend ever since middle school. Instead of returning her feelings, Junichi tries...

Lately, many popular anime series have elected to send off their beloved worlds and characters in the form of films. Some recent examples include Haikyuu!!, which will be adapting the final chapters of the manga in the form of a two-part film, the anime-original Backflip!, which is expected to have a film release that takes place after the events of the first season, and Gridman Universe, which acts as a conclusion to both Ssss. Gridman and Ssss. Dynazenon.

Kyoto Animation seems to be especially guilty of this as of late, with many of its recent properties ending in the form of a film. Tamako Market concluded with the film Tamako Love Story, and both Violet Evergarden and Free! ended with two films. This begs the question: are films the better way to end an anime? Here are the upsides and downsides of going down the movie route.

Related: Kyoto Animation...