ANIME
1.Howl’s Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城), one of the top-
grossing anime movies in Japan, was released in 2004. It is
based on the British novel Howl’s Moving Castle written
by Diana Wynne Jones, which is adapted into an anime film by
Studio Ghibli. The heroine Sophie is transformed into a ninety-
year-old woman by the witch’s curse. Her adventure proceeds
with the main character Howl and the moving castle.
Release: 2004
Genre: Fantasy
Director: Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎駿)
2.Tamako Market (たまこラブストーリー) is a popular
modern slice-of-life anime movie, produced by Kyoto Animation.
The first part of the story with 12 episodes was aired on TV in
2013, and the movie adaption was released as its sequel in 2o14.
The love story between a high school boy Mochizo and his
childhood friend Tamako is beautifully depicted.
Release: 2014
Genre: Slice of life, Comedy
Director: Naoko Yamada (山田尚子)
3.Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (映画:カウボーイビバップ 天
国の扉), released in 2001, is the movie adaption of the globally
popular anime Cowboy Bebop, which was aired on TV in 1999.
The setting of the movie is Mars on the days before Halloween in
2071, where the Bebop crews follow a terrorist incident that kills
about 400 people.
4.The Anthem of the Heart (心が叫びたがってるん
だ。) was produced by the staff who had worked on the popular
anime series Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. With the
shocking past (the experience of parental divorce), a young girl
named Jun Naruse gets less able to speak but able to sing. For
the school festival, she is designated as a heroine of the musical
as her class’s performance.
Release: 2015
Genre: Drama
Director: Tatsuyuki Nagai (長井龍雪)
Release: 2001
Genre: Action, Science Fiction
Director: Shinichiro Watanabe (渡辺信一郎)
5.Penguin Highway (ペンギン・ハイウェイ) in 2018, based
on the sci-fi novel written by Tomihiko Morimi. The story
focuses on the extraordinary daily life of a fourth-grade boy
named Aoyama and a mysterious woman he calls “Lady”. One
day, penguins emerge suddenly at their town.
Release: 2018
Genre: Fantasy, Slice of life
Director: Hiroyasu Ishida (石田祐康)