Movies and Short Series for People Who Are Not Fans of Anime
Anime
Many people like a few individual animated movies and series from Japan and want to watch something else, but feel intimidated by the quantity of titles. There is also an aversion to the stereotypical image anime and its fans have. This is a list for people who aren't really into anime, but feel curious about it.
Purposefully I did not add super popular movies or films from Studio Ghibli. From prominent directors I picked only one of their works. If you like one of these, I encourage you to seek other works from the same director. The idea is to not cram a lot of movies and short series here.
Purposefully I did not add super popular movies or films from Studio Ghibli. From prominent directors I picked only one of their works. If you like one of these, I encourage you to seek other works from the same director. The idea is to not cram a lot of movies and short series here.
Movie, 2021,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Android sings in a musical set in high school.
Movie, 1988,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
Biker gang in futuristic Japan gets entangled in a plot to hide the cause of the third world war.
Movie, 2023,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Aspiring saxophonist moves to Tokyo, forms a band with an ambitious pianist and an amateur drummer.
Movie, 2007,
3 eps
Me:-
Author:8
The distance between two people. One is unable to let things go.
Movie, 2021,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Unique color palette movie about a cute romance between charming characters.
Movie, 2001,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Kid must save his parents from nostalgia.
Movie, 2013,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:6
Two men end up in a strange location and must play a game that will decide their fate.
OVA, 2009,
2 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Guy's life enters a crash course with maniacal girls.
OVA, 1995,
6 eps
Me:-
Author:7
Guy wants to learn more about life as he travels around Japan working odd jobs and meeting gorgeous women.
Movie, 2022,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:6
Sort of "Stand by Me" in rural Japan. Instead of a corpse, trio of friends must find a drone to prove they didn't start a forest fire.
Movie, 2021,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Young girl lives on a boat in a small town and constantly feel embarrassed by her brash large mother.
Movie, 2022,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Blind performer meets physically challenged prankster in ancient Japan. They form a rock band.
Movie, 1981,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
Dependable little girl has divorced parents. She wants to reunite them, but not before her father gets a job.
Movie, 2020,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:6
Disabled girl meets university student. Life happens and it is up them to help each other.
Movie, 2018,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Boy befriends girl with terminal disease, tries to do something for her.
Movie, 2016,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Young woman lives a simple life in Japan during the Second World War.
Movie, 1995,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:9
Future counter terrorist unit faces modern problems with modern solutions.
Movie, 2013,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
Girl wants to become a witch just like her idol.
Movie, 2024,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
Two young girls who love drawing become rivals until they first meet.
Movie, 1979,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
Thief with a heart of gold goes to a small nation to uncover the source of mysterious counterfeit bills.
OVA, 1994,
4 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Director and head writer of Cowboy Bebop do futuristic Top Gun.
Movie, 1995,
3 eps
Me:-
Author:7
Three very different stories. First is dead serious and constantly acclaimed. Second is sort of a comedy and often forgotten. Third is an artsy political commentary.
Movie, 2004,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:10
Three people get stuck in a surreal whale after a shootout.
Movie, 2012,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
Mother lovingly raises two werewolf children.
Movie, 1987,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
Guy becomes a pilot for the program that pioneers space flight in an imaginary nation.
Movie, 2006,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Device allows people to enter dreams. The consequences are unimaginable.
OVA, 2001,
3 eps
Me:-
Author:7
Special agent of the British Library who has the power to control paper must fight against enhanced versions of famous people and characters related to literature.
Movie, 2009,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Ludicrous characters in incredible cars participate in insane races.
OVA, 1999,
4 eps
Me:-
Author:9
The origin story of a samurai and his X shaped scar.
Movie, 2022,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:6
Despite so many difficulties, teenager becomes a high school basketball player.
OVA, 1988,
6 eps
Me:-
Author:9
Girl must prove to everyone, especially herself, that she can become an accomplished space pilot.
Movie, 2018,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Young girl loses parents in a traffic accident, has to go live with grandmother, has to work in an inn haunted by kind ghosts.
