On August 14, two famous anime will return to Russian distribution. “Summer Wars” by Mamoru Hosoda is a cartoon that combines the relevant theme of immersion in the virtual world and reflections on growing up. “Princess Mononoke” by the great Hayao Miyazaki captivates with a fairy-tale plot, but makes you think about the relationship of man to nature.
Mamoru Hosoda
Director and screenwriter Mamoru Hosoda made his first animated film in middle school, when he was still a young boy. He often takes ideas for stories from his own life experiences, which is why the director has so many works dedicated to family and the process of growing up. At the same time, he often examines these themes in a fantasy setting, which is how Hosoda makes his characters go through a transformation.
Summer Wars
I am so happy
- Japan, 2009.
- Fantasy, adventure, comedy.
- Duration: 1 hour 54 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.4.
Teenager Kenji spends most of his time in the virtual universe of “Oz”, which has already drawn almost everyone in the world. But suddenly the young man is invited to visit her great-grandmother by his friend Natsuki, who passes him off as her fiancé. While Kenji is trying to fit into the new society, a serious problem occurs: a certain virus appropriates other people’s accounts in “Oz”.
This work picks up on the current issue of mass obsession with the Internet , showing the vulnerability of the virtual world. But at the same time, “Summer Wars” remains a charming story of growing up and searching for oneself in reality.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Toki o kakeru shojo
- Japan, 2006.
- Fantasy, drama, melodrama, comedy.
- Duration: 1 hour 38 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.7.
After surviving a terrible accident, 17-year-old Makoto discovers that she can now travel through time. Inspired by her extraordinary gift, she begins to improve her life, returning to the past time after time to fix something. Makoto finds out the answers to tests in advance, is not late for important meetings, and avoids unpleasant conversations. But it soon turns out that she does not have any superpowers – a special device that belongs to a boy who arrived from the future is to blame for everything.
An incredible story about time travel becomes the basis for a story about first love and the experience of growing up, which is largely associated with awkwardness and shame. Makoto must overcome her fears and learn to live without the help of futuristic miracle gadgets.
Child of the Beast
Bakemono no ko
- Japan, 2015.
- Fantasy, adventure.
- Duration: 1 hour 59 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.6.
This is the story of a homeless orphan boy named Kiyuta and the bear-man Kumatetsu. The boy and the beast live in worlds that should not intersect. But circumstances develop in such a way that the inhabitants of a parallel universe take the child to themselves. Kiyuta becomes Kumatetsu’s ward and begins to learn various fighting tricks from him in order to prepare for the impending natural disaster.
A touching picture tells us that you can not only be born into a family, but also find it yourself. Singles Kiyuta and Kumatetsu find in each other what they needed, but did not even suspect it: warmth and support.
Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki is a famous Japanese animation director and one of the founders of the animation studio Ghibli. In his works, he often draws attention to such complex topics as war, pacifism, ecology, man’s attitude to nature and growing up. Many fans became acquainted with the genre thanks to Miyazaki’s films, which became famous all over the world.
Princess Mononoke
Mononoke-hime
- Japan, 1997.
- Fantasy, adventure, drama.
- Duration: 2 hours 13 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.3.
Prince Ashitaka fought a boar possessed by a demon. The young man won, but the animal managed to touch him and pass on its curse. In search of salvation, Ashitaka sets out on a journey. Soon, he unwittingly becomes involved in a confrontation between Lady Eboshi, who is cutting down an ancient forest, and the animals and spirits who are trying to stop her.
In the fantasy anime, Hayao Miyazaki reflects on human interference in nature. In the image of Mrs. Eboshi, he shows cruel businessmen who are ready to do anything for their own benefit. It is not difficult to guess that the director in this story is on the side of the defenders of the forest.
Porco Rosso
Kurenai no buta
- Japan, 1992.
- Fantasy, melodrama, adventure.
- Duration: 1 hour 34 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.7.
Pilot virtuoso Marco Pagotte became so disillusioned with people that he cursed himself and became like a pig. After the Fascists came to power in Italy, Marco began working for the government, protecting merchant ships from attacks by air pirates. They didn’t like this very much, so they decided to eliminate Marco by forcing him to fight the real king – ace pilot Curtis.
Porco Rosso is one of Miyazaki’s most mature stories, dealing with themes of dictatorship, the horrors of war, and the loss of humanity. It is reminiscent of film noir in genre , but is filmed in the author’s signature kind style and leaves hope for a bright future for the characters.
The wind is getting stronger
Kaze tachinu
- Japan, 2013.
- Drama, biography, history.
- Duration: 2 hours 6 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.8.
Jiro Horikoshi dreams of flying airplanes, but suffers from myopia. As he grows up, he realizes that a career as a pilot is not in the cards for him, and becomes an aircraft designer. At this time, World War I begins, and Jiro has to create combat airliners.
The Wind Rises is at once the most personal and least fairy-tale of Hayao Miyazaki’s projects. It is a biographical story of real-life Japanese engineer Jiro Horikoshi, with elements from the literature of German writer Thomas Mann, Japanese poet Tatsuo Hori, and Miyazaki’s own reflections on the nature of creativity.
Miyazaki is a big fan of airplanes himself, and he borrowed the name of his studio Ghibli from an Italian airplane model. Ghibli is a symbol of the sirocco wind.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Kaze no tani no Naushika
- Japan, USA, 1984.
- Science fiction, fantasy, drama.
- Duration: 1 hour 57 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.0.
A terrible ecological catastrophe has occurred on Earth: almost its entire surface is covered by a poisonous sea. The only island of peace and safety in this world is the Valley of the Winds – a kingdom ruled by an unusual girl Nausicaa and her wise father. This corner of paradise haunts the inhabitants of other surviving states, who decide to fight for the remaining natural resources.
This is the first full-length animated project created by Studio Ghibli. The film brought instant fame to Hayao Miyazaki and his team, and also laid the foundations for the animator’s style. As in many other works, the central ideas of Nausicaa are the destructive impact of man on nature and the search for ways to coexist with it.
Makoto Shinkai
Makoto Shinkai is an animator, director and screenwriter. He prefers to work alone, using minimal resources. He drew his first cartoons without anyone’s help on his home computer. Shinkai has been called “the second Miyazaki” for his high-quality and detailed pictures, but the artist himself is too modest to agree with this.
Your name
Kimi no na wa.
- Japan, 2016.
- Fantasy, drama, melodrama.
- Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.4.
Mitsuha is a high school girl from a small town lost in the mountains. She dreams of growing up and moving to a bustling metropolis. Taki is an ordinary guy living in the center of Tokyo. They have never met and have never met, but there is an unusual connection between them. In a dream, Taki and Mitsuha switch bodies and gain the ability to live each other’s lives. At first, they perceive it as a fun game, but over time, everything becomes much more complicated.
At the time of its release, Your Name became the highest-grossing anime in history and brought Shinkai international fame. All because of the skillful combination of a fantastic story with hyper-realistic drawing, and also – a heartbreaking and melancholic intonation.
Weathering Child
Tenki no ko
- Japan, 2019.
- Fantasy, melodrama.
- Duration: 1 hour 52 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.5.
Sixteen-year-old Hodaka Morishima runs away from home to Tokyo without any money. In order to somehow survive in the big city, he writes articles for a magazine about the supernatural and soon notices that the city is covered by an abnormal rainy season. One day, he meets his peer Hina Amano – she also lives without parents and is raising a younger brother. It turns out that Hina can control the weather. The teenagers decide to use this ability to earn some money.
In this work, Shinkai, following his idol Hayao Miyazaki, takes up the topic of climate disasters . In the cartoon, the author created a sad, but incredibly beautiful image of rainy Tokyo, which is gradually sinking under water.
5 centimeters per second
Byousoku 5 Centimeter
- Japan, 2007.
- Drama, melodrama.
- Duration: 1 hour 3 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.5.
The film tells about three episodes from the life of Takaki Tono. The action begins in the 90s, when the hero has to break up with his girlfriend. She moves to another city, but the guy manages to kiss her goodbye and tell her about his feelings. However, over time, the heroes become increasingly distant from each other due to the kilometers separating them.
Isao Takahata
Isao Takahata is a director, screenwriter, producer and co-founder of Studio Ghibli. Unlike his friend Hayao Miyazaki, who developed a recognizable authorial style, each subsequent work of Takahata is not like the previous one. In one, he categorically exposes the horrors of war , in another he tells almost anecdotal stories from the life of an ordinary family. At the same time, each cartoon of Takahata is permeated with a subtle understanding of human nature.
The Tale of Princess Kaguya
Kaguyahime no monogatari
- Japan, 2013.
- Fantasy.
- Duration: 2 hours 17 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.0.
“The Tale of Princess Kaguya” is based on an ancient Japanese folk tale, “The Tale of Old Man Taketori.” One day, while walking through the forest, the old man came across a strangely glowing bamboo stalk. When the hero looked at it closer, he discovered a tiny girl who changed his life forever. The cartoon about the “Japanese Thumbelina” is considered the pinnacle of Isao Takahata’s creativity, but the film is not very well known in Russia.
Grave of the Fireflies
Hotaru no Haka
- Japan, 1988.
- Drama, war.
- Duration: 1 hour 28 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.5.
This Japanese cartoon begins shortly before the end of World War II. Seita and Setsuko are orphans who have recently lost their parents. At first, they find shelter with their aunt, but soon find themselves on the streets.
This straightforward and not at all childish cartoon shows the horrors of war without showing a single drop of blood. Seita and Setsuko are the silent and unnoticed victims of the humanitarian catastrophe that occurred in the 40s. Their story is told from the point of view of children, so there is room for warmth, naivety and joy.
Satoshi Kon
Animator and manga artist Satoshi Kon is often called the Japanese David Lynch due to the surreal nature of his work and the depths of the human soul that few dare to peer into. His cartoons have inspired directors such as Christopher Nolan and Darren Aronofsky, and that’s saying something.
True sadness
Perfect Blue
- Japan, 1998.
- Thriller, drama.
- Duration: 1 hour 21 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.0.
Pop idol Mima Kirigoe decides to change her profession and try herself in acting. She leaves the band and begins filming a detective series. At the same time, she discovers a blog on the Internet that someone is running in her name. While the heroine tries to understand who is following her, murders begin to occur on the set. Gradually, Mima loses touch with reality.
” True Blue ” is a gritty paranoid thriller that plunges the viewer right into the crumbling consciousness of the main character. Satoshi Kon creates an uncomfortable space of a littered, noisy city where you can’t hide from prying eyes and your own fears.
Paprika
Paprika
- Japan, 2006.
- Detective.
- Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.7.
In the near future, a device called the DC Mini was developed that allowed doctors to enter the dreams and fantasies of their patients. It was not dangerous until it fell into the hands of criminals who began to drive innocent people crazy with it.
“Paprika” lifts the curtain on the world of dreams. The main characters constantly rush between the space of reality and fantasy. The latter is presented as a crazy kaleidoscope, where dreams and memories, collective and personal, past and future are mixed.
Katsuhiro Otomo
Katsuhiro Otomo is best known as the creator of Akira, a manga and animated adaptation that revolutionized the genre worldwide. Otomo became a manga artist after failing to get into art school. In 1988, he made a film adaptation of his most famous work and became famous.
Akira
Akira
- Japan, 1988.
- Fantasy, action, thriller, detective.
- Duration: 2 hours 4 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.0.
The action takes place in Neo-Tokyo, a city built on the site of the Japanese capital destroyed by a nuclear explosion. Kaneda is the leader of a gang of schoolboys on motorcycles. During one of the street races, his friend Tetsuo gets seriously injured and ends up in the hospital. It soon turns out that his pain is not related to bruises, but to awakening psychokinetic abilities. The military, the current government, and the rebels are trying to take possession of Tetsuo’s power. Kaneda must save his comrade from enemies and himself.
Akira was one of the first films to redefine Japanese animation in the Western world. In the 1980s, cartoons were still associated with Disney and children’s stories about anthropomorphic animals. Akira showed the world that animation could be used to tell a mature, philosophical, and gripping story in the spirit of Blade Runner.
Mamoru Oshii
Mamoru Oshii is a director and screenwriter known for his works in the science fiction genre. The Japanese artist’s work combines religion, mistrust of authorities, cyberpunk aesthetics, and a love of cinema.
Ghost in the Shell
Koukaku Kidoutai
- Japan, 1995.
- Fantasy, action, detective, crime.
- Duration: 1 hour 22 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.9.
In 2029, technology has advanced to the point where almost every person has a neural implant. However, this has led to the spread of cybercrime. Through the implant, a hacker can access anyone’s brain and implant non-existent memories or obsessive thoughts. Major Motoko Kusanagi investigates such crimes, and at the same time, she herself is the bearer of a fully cybernetic body.
This anime was a real breakthrough in terms of graphics and influenced the emergence of the best works in the cyberpunk genre . For example, the Wachowskis have repeatedly admitted that they were inspired to create “The Matrix” by Mamoru Oshii’s anime. This is not only a visually perfect work, but also an allegorical philosophical parable about the soul.
Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Yoshiaki Kawajiri is one of the founders of the influential Japanese animation studio Madhouse, which produced many of the films listed in this article. Kawajiri’s vision determined the direction of the company’s development. The director is considered one of the first to introduce more adult and dark themes into Japanese animation: sex, violence, and their interrelationships.
Ninja Manuscript
Juubee Ninpuuchou
- Japan, 1993.
- Fantasy, action.
- Duration: 1 hour 31 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.8.
Traveling samurai Jubei Kibagami is drawn into a showdown between the ninja girl Kagero and a group of powerful warriors. The heroes soon discover that their opponents have supernatural demonic powers, and that Jubei’s old enemy, the demon king Gemma, is behind them.
Bloody and dramatic anime ” Ninja Scroll ” is a chanbaru genre – Japanese historical adventure film, only with fantasy inserts. The main action consists of spectacular and inventive battles, in which the heroes oppose the blade and ingenuity to superhuman abilities.
D: Bloodlust
Vampire Hunter D
- Japan, USA, 2001.
- Science fiction, fantasy, action.
- Duration: 1 hour 42 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.7.
In the distant future, vampires rule the Earth. However, by the time the anime begins, humans have almost completely destroyed them, regaining power on the planet. The half-blooded bloodsucker Dee is hired by a wealthy family to find and return their daughter Charlotte home. She fell in love with a ghoul and ran away with him to fly to a vampire planet. At the same time, a group of bounty hunters are on the trail of the couple.
In this outstanding experimental film, Kawajiri mixed the atmosphere of a Western and gothic horror – two extremely violent genres. As a result, the lone cowboy also became , who combines a wide-brimmed hat with armor and a black cloak.
Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Hiromasa Yonebayashi became the youngest director at Studio Ghibli when he made his feature-length debut with Arrietty. At the start of his career, Yonebayashi worked as an animator on Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle, so his mentor’s influence is strongly felt in each of the director’s works. However, he did not stay with Hayao Miyazaki for long and founded his own company to produce cartoons.
Arrietty of the Lilliputians
Karigurashi no Arietti
- Japan, 2010.
- Fantasy.
- Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.6.
Twelve-year-old Sho comes to visit his aunt’s old house and accidentally saves an unusual tiny girl, Arrietty, from a cat. He learns that the “miners” live next door to ordinary people and try their best to keep their existence a secret. Despite all the prohibitions, a friendship develops between Sho and Arrietty, but it doesn’t last long.
The story is based on the novel The Borrowers by British children’s author Mary Norton. The film won the Japan Academy Award for Best Animated Film of the Year 2021, giving Yonebayashi’s career a strong start.
Memories of Marnie
Omoide no Mani
- Japan, 2014.
- Drama.
- Duration: 1 hour 43 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.6.
Anna is an incredibly lonely girl, who is not understood by her adoptive parents or anyone else. Her only consolation is drawing. One day, during a lesson in the park, Anna suffers a severe asthma attack, after which her parents decide to send her to her relatives to get treatment in a house on the coast. There she meets the mysterious Marnie, who after some time disappears somewhere.
The cartoon became a real hit and received a number of awards, including the 2016 Oscar for Best Animated Film.
Goro Miyazaki
Goro Miyazaki is a Japanese artist and director, the son of Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki the father was against his son taking up directing, arguing that he did not have enough experience yet. But Goro still started working on his own animated series and has already released several independent films.
From the slopes of Kokuriko
Kokuriko-zaka kara
- Japan, 2011.
- Drama.
- Duration: 1 hour 31 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.4.
Since childhood, Umi has been used to being independent and solving problems on her own. She didn’t lose her head even when she had to go to Tokyo for an important meeting with the school’s sponsor to save the building from demolition. While all these events were happening, the girl didn’t even notice how she unexpectedly fell in love.
Set in Japan in the 1960s, the film tells a simple and therefore especially sweet story about the coming of age of two schoolchildren and the lives of ordinary people.
Yoshifumi Kondo
Yoshifumi Kondo is a Japanese animator, designer, and director who worked at Studio Ghibli as a key animator on Kiki’s Delivery Service, Only Yesterday, and Princess Mononoke. Kondo only managed to direct one film, but what a film.
Whisper of the Heart
Mimi wo sumaseba
- Japan, 1995.
- Drama, melodrama.
- Duration: 1 hour 51 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.8.
Shizuku loves books and tries to spend every free minute reading. Soon she notices that all the publications she takes from the library have already been read by a certain Seiji Amasawa. Shizuku decides to find out who this mysterious stranger is, with whom she has such similar interests, and get to know him better.
The script for the film, based on the manga of the same name , was written by Hayao Miyazaki. “Whisper of the Heart” combines a realistic story with miracles, reminding us that magic exists – you just need to learn to notice it. The fantastic landscapes that appear in the cartoon are taken from the work of Japanese impressionist artist Naohisa Inoue.
Mari Okada
Mari Okada was known for a long time exclusively as a scriptwriter, coming up with stories for manga, anime and computer games. Among other things, she worked on the series “True Tears” and “Canaan”. And then she got to her own directorial project.
Decorate the farewell morning with flowers of promise
Sayonara no asa ni yakusoku no hana o kazaro
- Japan, 2018.
- Drama, fantasy.
- Duration: 1 hour 55 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.4.
Makiya comes from a race of people who live forever. Their people are constantly attacked, seeking to learn the secret of immortality, and as a result, the girl is forced to hide in the forest. There she meets an orphan boy and decides to take care of him. But soon Makiya realizes that he is a mere mortal. Therefore, soon the child will grow up, and then grow old.
The plot of Mari Okada’s first cartoon delicately but very touchingly shows an unusual story of motherhood: the main character is forced to watch the changes in a loved one, although she herself will forever remain the same. In such a perspective, eternal life looks far from attractive.