Hey people, haven't been here for a while as you see. It's pretty hard to manage doing everything all the time, especially when you're mostly feel so hell depressed.
Anyway! I happen to search for so called 'must watch' animation films half an hour ago, but I was pretty shocked to find out people have such a bad taste when it comes to animation... so I pretty much decided to create my own 10 must watch animation films list. Hope you like it (no particular order really).
I want to note I was intending to list only one film by each director, so you'll be able to watch at least one film by each of those epic people -- it's your job to watch other ones as well. Also, I did not include films based on animation series. The main reason for that is that I don't believe a person should watch a series to watch a single film. I tried to put here 'stand alone' works that represent their makers.
I tried very hard not to list only sci-fi based films but I had to mention a few classics for general education. Of course there are at least 30 more films I would have made everyone watch, but I simply can't effort myself making such a long list. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy my very tiny yet beautiful list.
Well, as we all know, Akira was one of the films that actually exposed the Japanese animation to the western world. It was a wonderful adaptation of the manga that left us all thrilled and thinking. Definitely one of the masterpieces out there. It was this film that made many of the people start watching Japanese animation and be very interested in it, let us thank Akira and its director Ootomo for sharing this world with us.
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I believe this is one of the best films I ever watched. It is touching and dramatic but very realistic and makes you hurt inside. It features a very dark topic in a very direct way through the eyes of a boy and his little sister living during the WWII. With a touch of a light humor at the right moments, the film does not eternally make you feel bitter, but definitely overwhelms you with emotions.
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Oh noes! we all knew I'm going to include Ghost in the Shell here, so don't be so surprised. This film had a great impact on the sci-fi genre of Japanese animation definitely and will be considered as one of the classics of this genre. Presenting a dark, beautiful and dramatic pace, this work turned out to be a milestone for many other following works.
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I love all of Kon Satoshi's works, so I had hard time deciding which film will represent his style the best. Of course I came up with perfect blue and paprika, two wonderful works, but I guess that the most cruel and dreamy film of them all will be Millennium Actress. Featuring a girl chasing her heart and forming herself through time while searching for her beloved. This film was a great hit and definitely a masterpiece.
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A girl discovers that she possesses the ability to time leap -- return back in time to remake certain decisions and change wrongs that have been done. Simple as that begins the wonderful film and steps into the spotlight of other masterpieces out there. It is gentle, wonderfully made and touching in a way. Wonderful work that in my opinion every person out there should watch.
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It was pretty hard for me to decide what work by Shinkai Makoto I am going to place here. As many of you know, he has his unique style he follows, and this style makes him who he is. I believe that this film is definitely the best presentation of Makoto's style, art and world image. I am not fully sure whether it's his most popular film, but it's a masterpiece as some of his other works. It isn't too sentimental, but it is able to touch your heart in many ways other films are not able to.
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It is a classic that I believe should definitely be listed. Not only it is a beautiful film, but also a very deep philosophical piece, discussing the value of humanity and the human society. It has great visuals and a wonderful soundtrack that made all the setting so wonderfully presented. What it is that make us humans, this film is something that tries to touch this important aspect.
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This was probably my hardest choice, as we all know how great Miyazaki is. Upon discussing it with myself, I discovered that no matter what film I will pick, I will have to abandon another good film. However, I believe Princess Mononoke is one of my 'forever favorite' Miyazaki films and the one which will make you experience his wonderful style the most (among other masterpieces he created). In my opinion it is a must watch.
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It is not simply a film featuring two orphan boys living in the street and struggling to protect themselves and their city from well meaning police officers, no good Yakuza and evil property developers. In fact, there is so much more about this colorful and joyful film. For every playful, imaginary and quirky moment, there is a deep, jarring background. Great work done by Michael Arias.
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I was thinking whether I should include it or not, but I kind of believe it's a certain type of masterpiece for itself. It feels like a deep breath into a world filled with monsters and vampires. Featuring a simple story about a woman and a vampire noble who fell in love, this film turns to be more than just a love story. It is intriguing and beautiful, featuring a very special soundtrack and character design.
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I discovered that I will have to do another must watch list later. How could I leave out Neko No Ongaeshi, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Tokyo God Fathers, My Neighbor Totoro, Steam Boy, Paprika, Interstella 5555, Nagagutsu Wo Haita Neko (though it's an ova, basically). Oh god, there are so many great things that you simply can't put all together without missing out a few (or way too many).
