Japanese anime is popular worldwide, and many foreigners visit Japan to experience the authentic anime culture.
Japanese animation films began to be exported overseas around the 1960s and spread worldwide in the 1980s and 1990s, and it became common to refer to Japanese animation simply as “Anime.” Today, in the 21st century, more and more anime programs are being distributed almost simultaneously with their Japanese counterparts.
In this issue, we would like to introduce you to the world's most popular Japanese anime, from the latest anime of the 21st century to legendary anime masterpieces.
- 5 Popular Anime Films of the 21st Century
- 6 Popular TV Anime Series of the 21st Century
- 4 legendary anime films that introduced “Anime” to the world
- 4 legendary TV anime that introduced “Anime” to the world
- 5 Nostalgic Japanese TV anime popular in various countries
- Let's travel through the vast world of Japanese animation!
5 Popular Anime Films of the 21st Century
In the 21st century, Japanese anime films have become a familiar presence around the world, often winning awards at international film festivals.
Here are some of the most popular Japanese animated films released since 2000.
Spirited Away
Winner of the Golden Bear at the 52nd Berlin International Film Festival and the 75th Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, this masterpiece brought Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghiblii fame worldwide.
The film depicts the story of a young girl, Chihiro, who enters a different world inhabited by 8 million gods during a move with her parents, and struggles to survive as she is swept away by a series of mysterious events.
The film delights audiences with mysterious characters and episodes from myths and fairy tales, while depicting a fable-like world that cannot be captured in a simple way.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
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This is the last film directed by Isao Takahata, a close friend of Hayao Miyazaki. It is an animated adaptation of “Taketori Monogatari” (The Tale of the Bamboo-Cutter), which is said to be Japan's oldest extant story, with a hand-drawn touch similar to that of the old picture scrolls “Cho-ju-giga” (caricatures of birds and animals).
While the story follows “Taketori Monogatari” for the most part, the film delves into the inner life of Kaguyahime from a modern perspective.
Using Isao Takahata's original light-colored pictures, he has created an enchanting visual world that is both heartwarming and sharp.
Paprika
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An animated adaptation of science fiction writer Yasutaka Tsutsui's best-selling novel of the same title, directed by Satoshi Kon. It was selected as an official competition film at the Venice International Film Festival and has been highly acclaimed overseas.
In a future world where a device that allows people to share their dreams with others has been developed, there are many incidents of people misusing the device to destroy other people's spirits. The psychotherapist Atsuko Chiba, who has been entering other people's dreams as “Dream Detective Paprika” and treating their mental illnesses, enters the dreams of the victims of these incidents and struggles to get to the bottom of them.
In addition to this film, director Satoshi Kon also produced such masterpieces as Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, and Tokyo Godfathers, but he passed away in 2010 at the young age of 46. This film was his last theatrical work.
Your Name
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This is a blockbuster movie directed by Makoto Shinkai, known for his delicate images using digital technology. It has been a hit in Asia, Europe, and the United States, and has been especially well received in the Asian region.
High school students Tachibana Taki and Miyamizu Mitsuha live in faraway places and have never known each other. A mysterious experience of switching each other's consciousness brings them together, but the “gap” between them and the tragedy of a falling meteorite cause their lives to repeatedly cross paths.
A sentimental and sad love story based on a science fiction setting is enlivened by beautiful visuals and music by the popular Japanese band, RADWIMPS.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train
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It is a blockbuster animated film based on the popular manga and animated TV series by Yoseharu Agatoge that was serialized in JUMP magazine. Both the original manga and the animated TV version were so popular that they could be called social phenomena, and the movie became a blockbuster hit upon its release, breaking the Japanese box office record in its 11th week of release (until then, it had been the only movie to break the box office record ofSpirited Away(The first place).
The main character, Tanjiro Kamado, is attacked by a demon that kills his family and turns his surviving sister into a demon as well. Tanjiro begins a journey to return his sister to human form and becomes a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, an organization that resists demons, and goes through numerous trials and tribulations. The film depicts the story that follows the first season of the animated TV version.
It is an entertaining work that can be enjoyed by everyone, from children to adults.
6 Popular TV Anime Series of the 21st Century
The following is a list of popular Japanese TV anime that have been aired and distributed since the year 2000.
Naruto
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An anime adaptation of Masashi Kishimoto's popular manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. This battle action anime, in which ninjas engage in fierce battles with each other using supernatural techniques, has gained worldwide popularity.
The story follows Naruto, a young boy ninja who is a failure, as he goes through numerous trials and tribulations to hone his skills and spirit and grow up to become a legendary ninja.
The successor to DRAGON BALL, this work has been highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad as the successor to the battle depiction from the middle of the series, and is on a par with Dragon Ball in terms of popularity and sales. It has become a work that rivals "Dragon Ball" in terms of both popularity and sales.
One Piece
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A TV animation based on Eiichiro Oda's popular manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. The original work boasts an astounding record in terms of both volume and sales, and the animated version is very popular both in Japan and abroad.
Monkey D. Luffy, a boy who yearns to become a pirate, eats a devil fruit called the Gum-Gum fruit and gains incredible power that allows him to freely expand and contract his entire body. However, in return, he suffers a fatal flaw as a pirate: he cannot swim for the rest of his life.
Luffy meets many unique friends and fights with unique and powerful enemies as he travels the world in pursuit of the ultimate treasure known as "One Piece".
The story is filled with innovative battle scenes that use Luffy's body that can expand and contract, light-hearted comedy, and touching episodes, making it enjoyable for everyone.
Attack on Titan
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This anime is based on the popular manga by Hajime Isayama serialized in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. The original work was influenced by special effects movies, and a live-action film version was later produced.
Humankind, on the verge of extinction after being attacked by mysterious Titans that suddenly appeared, has managed to build a peaceful world and maintain its vitality by living in a castle within a huge wall. However, their peace was shattered by the appearance of even larger Titans, and at the same time, humans with the ability to turn into Titans emerged. An era of fierce battles against the Titans and the world “outside the walls” begins.
This work, which depicts an overwhelming sense of entrapment, a gigantic mystery, and realistic conflicts centered on the existence of Titans, has been highly acclaimed as an innovative dark fantasy.
Jujutsu Kaisen
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This TV animation is based on the popular manga series by Gege Akutami, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. An animated film version has also been produced.
The story takes place in a world where there are Curses, which are born from negative human emotions and harm humans, and Jujutsu Sorcerers who exorcise them. The main character, Yuji Itadori, was an ordinary boy, but an incident causes him to take a powerful spirit into his body, and he becomes involved in a fierce battle between the spirits and the sorcerers.
This dark fantasy work has gained popularity both in Japan and abroad for its horrifying setting and depiction of battles that make full use of magic spells.
SPY×FAMILY
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This is a TV animation based on the popular manga by Tatsuya Endo, which is serialized in the app version of Shonen Jump (Shonen Jump +).
The story takes place in a fictional world where the Cold War continues between the major powers of the East and West. The story comically depicts a male spy who has infiltrated an enemy country, an esper girl living in an orphanage, and a woman with a secret identity as an assassin, who become a pseudo-family through their own agendas and coincidences, and work together to cope with various troubles they encounter on a daily basis.
It is a heartwarming home comedy work in which three different people with gloomy backgrounds communicate with each other and get through their troubles in a hilarious way.
Oshi no Ko
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This TV animation is based on the popular manga work by Akasaka Aka and Yokoyari Mengo, which is serialized in Weekly Young Jump.
A popular idol, Hoshino Ai, wishes to have a secret delivery, and a male doctor who is also Ai's fan takes charge of the delivery. The male doctor is stabbed to death by Ai's stalker, but is reincarnated as Ai's children (twins named Aqua and Ruby) along with a former female patient who died of illness at an early age, and they grow up.
But this time, their mother Ai is stabbed to death by the same stalker. Aqua vows to take revenge on the mastermind behind the incident, while Ruby aims to become an idol like her mother, and both become active in the entertainment world.
The drama is complex, combining popular themes such as “supporting idols,” “becoming a hero,” and “the dark side of the entertainment industry.”
4 legendary anime films that introduced “Anime” to the world
From the late 1980s through the 1990s, Japanese anime became widely viewed around the world, and the term “Japanese animation = Anime” became popular.
Here we introduce some of the legendary masterpiece anime films that helped spread “Anime” around the world.
AKIRA
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This is a film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's popular manga, which was serialized in Weekly Young Magazine. Although the film did not do well at the box office when it was released in Japan and was only released on a small scale in the U.S., it became a cult favorite among anime fans through video software, sparking a worldwide boom in Japanese anime.
The story takes place in “Neo Tokyo” after World War III. An ordinary biker gang boy clashes with an escaped psychic who was born from human experimentation, and is taken away by the military organization that sponsors the experiment and made into a new experimental subject. From there, the story becomes a great swell of excitement as it rushes forward into the grand mystery of the birth of life and the universe.
This is a masterpiece among masterpieces, whose innovative and subversive animated expression has greatly influenced future creators in Japan and abroad. The music by Geinoh Yamashirogumi is also an integral part, highlighting the unique world of the film.
Ghost in the Shell
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A masterpiece science fiction animation film directed by Mamoru Oshii, based on the manga by Masamune Shirow. Set in the near future where the brain and computer networks are directly connected by injecting microscopic machines into the human brain, the film depicts a battle between hackers who control other people's brains and a cyborg intelligence unit.
Mamoru Oshii is one of Japan's leading animation directors, having directed numerous TV anime and theatrical films, including Urusei Yatsura, Mobile Police Patlabor, and the sequels to this film, Innocence and Sky Crawlers.
Although this film did not do well at the box office when it was released in Japan, it was enthusiastically received by American animation fans and is said to have influenced the science fiction films of James Cameron and the Woschowski Brothers (sisters).
My Neighbor Totoro
Following Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Laputa: Castle in the Sky, this is the third animated feature film from Studio Ghibli, directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Sisters Satsuki and Mei move to a farming village with their father, a university lecturer, to be near their hospitalized mother, and encounter strange creatures living in the rural nature. The small dramas in the sisters' lives and the small miracles of the creatures combine to create a dreamlike story that is a mixture of excitement, sadness, and warmth.
Although the film did not perform well at the box office when it was released, the popularity of the film and its characters exploded through television broadcasts, and it is now one of Studio Ghibli's most popular works. It has been widely viewed and highly acclaimed overseas as well.
Grave of the Fireflies
The film is an adaptation of Akiyuki Nosaka's novel of the same title, directed by Isao Takahata.My Neighbor TotoroThe film was shown at the same time along with
At the end of the WWII, sisters Seita and Setsuko, who lost their parents in the Kobe Air Raid, find shelter with relatives. However, they constantly quarreled with relatives who treated them as a nuisance, so they left home and began living in a nearby air-raid shelter.
Isao Takahata uncompromisingly depicts the young war orphaned siblings with thorough realism.
The film has been highly acclaimed both at home and abroad as a work of art that transcends entertainment. On September 16, 2024, the video distribution service NETFLIX began distributing the film to more than 190 countries and regions around the world.
4 legendary TV anime that introduced “Anime” to the world
The following is a list of classic TV animation series from around the 1990s that introduced “Anime” to the world.
Dragon Ball
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A TV animation based on Akira Toriyama's manga series published in Weekly Shonen Jump. Later, a sequel series Dragon Ball Super was also created based on a new original idea by Toriyama.
The story begins when Son Goku, a boy with superhuman physical abilities, meets Bulma, a girl traveling in search of the seven Dragon Balls that grant wishes, and they embark on an adventure together.
Eventually, the focus of the story shifts from the search for the Dragon Balls to Goku's battles with powerful enemies.
Both the manga and anime gained great popularity in Japan and abroad, and have become legendary works representing Japan. Akira Toriyama's prodigious brushwork, influenced by Hong Kong kung fu movies, greatly influenced the battle manga that followed.
Sailor Moon
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An animated TV series based on Naoko Takeuchi's popular manga serialized in the shoujo manga magazine Nakayoshi. The original story was originally planned to be made into an anime, and both the original story and the anime were explosive hits.
Five beautiful girls, each with a different type of appearance, personality, and abilities, are transformed into “Sailor Senshi” by means of “transformation brooches” and fight against an evil organization using magic.
Basically, each story is a complete episode, with comical elements and love stories woven into the story.
The “Sailor Senshi” setting is based on the “Super Sentai” tokusatsu TV drama series (for boys) and “Bishojo Masked Poitrine” (for girls), among others. After Sailor Moon became a hit, stories of “beautiful magical girls” fighting physically became popular.
Sailor Moon has gained wide popularity not only among the main target audience of elementary to junior high school girls, but also among adult women and male anime fans, and the TV anime has become a series, with live-action TV dramas and musicals also being produced.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
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Neon Genesis Evangelion is a TV animation series created by Hideaki Anno, one of Japan's leading animation directors, which was aired from 1995 to 1996. Numerous sequels and feature films have been made, and these have also been huge hits.
The story takes place in the near future, when most of the population has been lost due to a mysterious catastrophe. In order to fight off the mysterious life form called "Angels" that are attacking the Japanese capital “New Third Tokyo,” boys and girls chosen by a mysterious organization fight aboard the mysterious artificial human weapon Evangelion.
Numerous mysteries scattered throughout the film keep the viewer's interest. The mysterious beings are given names derived from the Bible and Western mythology and folklore, inviting viewers into their spiritual worlds.
The story follows the formula of robot animation since “Gundam,” in which boys and girls are involved in a struggle for the fate of the world and fight on humanoid weapons, but it is novel in that it replaces “weapons → artificial humans” and “machine control → neural connection (mental attunement) between lives.”
The standard characterizations, such as “a somewhat introspective male protagonist” and “a mysterious heroine,” were also reconstructed from a fresh perspective.
Cowboy Bebop
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A science fiction TV animation broadcast at the end of the 20th century. Like Neon Genesis Evangelion, it was created as an original TV work, unlike many anime based on manga. Later, a theater movie was also produced.
The story follows the exploits of bounty hunters who travel around the solar system in a shabby spaceship. The story revolves around interstellar travel, gun battles with bounty hunters, and hacking into computer networks, all with a hard-boiled touch.
The main characters are older, and the story, dialogue, design, and music are all stylish and mature in taste.
In particular, the use of jazz, blues, and rock music performed by top musicians instead of “anime songs” was very innovative. After this work, there have been few animated films with these characteristics.
It was also broadcast in the U.S. and received high acclaim for its unique style.
5 Nostalgic Japanese TV anime popular in various countries
Legendary works that became the origin of today's anime culture and works that gained high popularity in specific countries and regions are introduced here.
Doraemon
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A TV animation based on the popular manga by Fujiko F. Fujio, Doraemon is a nationally long-running program that has been broadcast in Japan from 1979 to the present. Isao Takahata was involved in its production during its initial period. It is highly popular and well known overseas, especially in Asia. Feature-length animated film versions are also produced on a regular basis.
Nobita Nobi, an ordinary elementary school student who is neither good at studying nor sports, receives a cat-shaped robot named “Doraemon” from his future descendant. Whenever Nobita is mean to Gian and the other kids or gets into trouble, Doraemon helps Nobita by pulling out useful tools made with future technology from his four-dimensional pocket.
Basically, each episode is a complete comedy. Although Nobita gains an advantage for a time by using the tools, he gets carried away and causes trouble, or the tools, which were thought to be only useful, have unexpected side effects or costs, and end up as comical failures, which is the standard flow of the story.
The twist and satire in the flow of events leading up to the failure may be the secret of the popularity of this series.
Mobile Suit Gundam
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This original TV animation by Yoshiyuki Tomino, one of Japan's leading animation directors, is the origin of the “Gundam” series that continues to this day. In Japan, it is called “First Gundam” or “Shodai Gundam” (shodai meaning "1st gen").
It was aired from 1979 to 1980, and a version that was re-compiled into three theater movies was also released, becoming so popular that it became a social phenomenon.
The story takes place in a future world where war has broken out between the “Principality of Zeon,” a dictatorship established on a space colony, and the Earth government. The space colony on the Earth side, where the main character Amuro and his friends live, is attacked by mobile suits (humanoid weapons) of the Principality of Zeon. In the midst of the chaos, Amuro shows his genius and manipulates the new mobile suits on the Earth side to defeat the enemy.
This battle leads Amuro and other boys and girls to board a new type of ship and become involved in a fierce war, as fate would have it.
This work inherits the idea of “humanoid weapons operated by human pilots” from “Mazinger Z” and “Getter Robo” and incorporates it into a realistic war story. It realistically depicted the politics, economics, and conflicts of people during the war period, and had a decisive influence on subsequent animations.
“First Gundam” is not widely broadcast overseas, and in many countries it is considered a legendary work known only to anime fans.
Super Dimension Fortress Macross (aka Robotech)
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This is the first work in the “Macross” series, which continues to the present day. It became popular for its unique style that incorporated elements of “idols” and “romance (romantic comedy)” into the realistic robot anime that followed “Gundam,” and became the origin of the “robot anime with beautiful girls in the foreground.”
When a huge mysterious battleship crashes on the earth, the human race, aware of the danger of invasion by aliens, refurbishes the fallen battleship and builds the “Macross,” a huge fortress capable of flying. Through various coincidences, the hero pilot, heroine, and numerous civilians end up aboard the Macross and become involved in a war in space.
In North America, South America, and France, “Robotech,” a book proposal and re-edited version combining this work with other unrelated works, was broadcast and gained wide popularity.
Lupin the Third
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Based on Monkey Punch's manga, this hard-boiled and comedy anime series was produced over six series beginning in 1971, with the second series broadcast from 1977 to 1980 being particularly popular and re-broadcast many times, establishing the image of Lupin the Third among the public. The second series was also broadcast in Italy and other countries, where it gained high popularity.
The main character is Lupin III, a genius thief who is descended from Arsene Lupin, a gentleman thief who appears in a mystery novel by Maurice Leblanc. Due to copyright issues, the film was televised overseas under a name other than Lupin.
The story is filled with amusing dialogue and rich ups and downs with the addition of unique characters such as Daisuke Jigen, who wields the Combat Magnum with his superhuman marksmanship; Goemon Ishikawa, who saves the day with his famous sword, the Zantetsu Sword, which can cut through any object; and Fujiko Mine, a thief who uses her good looks and rational calculation to play around with her surroundings.
Several film versions have also been produced, most notably Lupin III: Cagliostro's Castle, directed by Hayao Miyazaki before he established Studio Ghibli, which has been highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad.
Heidi, Girl of the Alps
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This is a masterpiece TV animation based on the children's novel “Heidi” by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. Isao Takahata directed (and produced) the film, and Hayao Miyazaki was in charge of scene setting and screen composition. The main staff members conducted meticulous research in Switzerland and Germany, and the animation was created with great care in the depiction of backgrounds.
The story begins when Heidi, who lost her parents at an early age and grew up with her aunt, is sent to live with her grandfather in a hut in a meadow on the plateau. The film depicts Heidi's growth and the changes in the people around her as she interacts with the great nature of Switzerland, the people and animals living there, and Clara, a crippled girl living in the city.
The series was broadcast not only in Japan but also in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and other countries, and gained wide popularity among both children and adults.
Let's travel through the vast world of Japanese animation!
We have introduced popular Japanese anime at a glance, from the latest works to those that have become the origin of anime culture. If there is a work you are interested in that you have not watched yet, please watch it. There are still many more popular anime that we have not been able to introduce. We hope this article will deepen your interest in Japanese anime!
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