Ghost in the Shell and Akira might want to get a nod for influence if nothing else.
At least one or two Satoshi Kon movies is a good idea, although Perfect Blue is probably a bit much depending on the person's tastes.
Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Your Name.
A lot of the others that come to mind are either associated with a series so probably not best for a person to dive into without context, or err on the side of maybe a smidge too weird and/or violent (Vampire Hunter D maybe?)
10 good anime movies, with an attempt at broad subject matter and creators:
1) The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
2) Tokyo Godfathers
3) Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
4) Castle of Cagliostro
5) Spirited Away
6) Patlabor: The Movie
7) Princess Mononoke
8) Summer Wars
9) Perfect Blue
10) Your Name
Surplus recommendations if one of those is not suitable for whatever reason.
Patlabor 2 Movie
Weathering With You
5cm Per Second
Porco Russo
My Neighbor Totoro
Kiki's Delivery Service
Ghost in the Shell
Akira
Patema Inverted
A Silent Voice
Hmmmm, if I had to make a list of just 10 movies to introduce someone to anime...
It's a bit tough to make a list like that cuz on the one hand I want the big artistic favorites, on the other hand the teacher's students probably aren't watching those movies they're probably watching shounen fightin' stuff. I started out with just a list of like 10 movies I personally liked, but that's more of a "sell someone on anime" list rather than a real introduction to what anime can do, so I revamped it a little. Trying to aim for - stuff from influential directors, artistically unique, with different styles and intended audiences.
My Neighbor Totoro - Hayao Miyazaki - absolutely masterful animation but it's also unchallengingly in the "for kids" animation zone, it has like a dozen absolutely iconic sequences, it's a little weird but not too weird, a real solid introduction to what anime can do without immediately challenging assumptions about who anime is for and what kind of story animation can tell. Tokyo Godfathers - Satoshi Kon - Kon's most accessible work with a very live-action sensibility and grown up characters, anime telling a mature story while using its animation to add little flights of fancy and emotional impact, without getting truly mind fucky. Millennium Actress - Satoshi Kon - A bit more experimental by Kon, using animation to seamlessly cross time, space, and the 4th wall all within the same sequences, as well as a lot of good conversation-starter references to 20th century Japanese history and popular media. I should probably switch this one out for Perfect Blue, for a dose of horror/mindfuckery, but I just can't bear to do it. Princess Kaguya - Isao Takahata - That Other Ghibli Director, just a massive dose of "holy shit animation can be fuckin' beautiful and doesn't have to look 'anime.'" Your Name - Makoto Shinkai - His best movie, digital animation era instead of cels, a huge emphasis on natural beauty, some really surprising twists on what kind of movie you think you're watching Liz and the Blue Bird - Naoko Yamada - The only female director on the list, Liz is a great demonstration of her iconic female-centered, subtextually queer perspective, and with some really unique sound design and watercolor animation The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - Mamoru Hosoda - I don't think there's a single movie in here that can compete with the sheer joyful kineticism of Girl's running and jumping animations Ghost in the Shell - Mamoru Oshii - Out of the big action-y iconic movies I think this one's aged the best. Post-cyberpunk, lots of buddhist/daoist philosophy references, quite a few scenes that are immediately recognizable because they've been so influential. Redline - Takeshi Koike - Just ludicrously detailed animation and a sense for speed. You could also go with Akira here, but I think Redline has similarly insane animation quality while generally being a happier watch.
In that #10 slot you could go with a Masaaki Yuasa movie like The Night is Short, Walk on Girl, or a classic anime like Night on the Galactic Railroad or an older ghibli movie like Whisper of the Heart or Only Yesterday, or a compilation movie like Memories or Genius Party, or you could just go with one of the newer Lupin movies with their like neo-retro aesthetic. . . .
A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
I'm very surprised A Silent Voice (Naoko Yamada) hasn't got a mention. A beautiful film in more ways than the visuals, it really earns the gut wrenching emotional moments, and all to deliver an uplifting story about redemption and overcoming trauma.
Is the goal just "get this person into anime", or is it to have something they can talk to students about? Like I love Satoshi Kon's stuff, but HS students having watched any of it is not super likely. The MHA movies aren't actually the dumbest suggestion in that case.
So the first episode of Full Dive was actually pretty amazing in it's own way and had me laughing a couple times. I'm definitely here for this kind of vrmmo thing.
Is the goal just "get this person into anime", or is it to have something they can talk to students about? Like I love Satoshi Kon's stuff, but HS students having watched any of it is not super likely. The MHA movies aren't actually the dumbest suggestion in that case.
the suggestion was not in jest. mha is a cultural touchstone
+2
Options
Dark Raven XLaugh hard, run fast,be kindRegistered Userregular
I wonder how Two Heroes works as someone's first exposure to the franchise. Because I saw that in a theater with a buncha nerds and one particular moment made everyone absolutely lose their entire shit. Like crazy wild cheering, it was nuts.
So the first episode of Full Dive was actually pretty amazing in it's own way and had me laughing a couple times. I'm definitely here for this kind of vrmmo thing.
Eh. It was pretty... uh, screamy, not to mention tons of trashy fanservice and a complete sad sack of a protagonist. Also spent a very long time explaining the premise that, no, actually people hate difficult and realistic games, so any game that's difficult, realistic, or complicated is ACKSHAWLLY unpopular and nobody would ever want to play one, which is, uh, okay. That's certainly a theory. Not sure what the joke is there or why we're spending a third of the episode explaining it, but beats him walking in on girls while undressing.
Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
edited April 2021
This would be my tentative list:
-- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984): Warrior and pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.
-- Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (1986): Goku and his friends must stop King Gurumes from destroying the city for blood rubies and gathering the seven Dragon Balls.
-- Grave of the Fireflies (1988): A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.
-- Perfect Blue (1997): A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.
-- Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998): Scientists genetically create a new Pokémon, Mewtwo, but the results are horrific and disastrous.
-- Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001): A terrorist explosion releases a deadly virus on the masses, and it's up the bounty-hunting Bebop crew to catch the cold-blooded culprit.
-- Spirited Away (2001): During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
-- Tokyo Godfathers (2003): On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.
-- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006): A high-school girl named Makoto acquires the power to travel back in time, and decides to use it for her own personal benefits. Little does she know that she is affecting the lives of others just as much as she is her own.
-- Your Name (2016): Two strangers find themselves linked in a bizarre way. When a connection forms, will distance be the only thing to keep them apart?
I don't know how Cowboy Bebops' movie would land without knowledge of the characters from the regular series.
Perfect Blue is kinda heavy, depending on what she's up for. Millenium Actress or Paprika might be a better Satoshi Kon. That being said, if you're recommending Grave of the Fireflies, Perfect Blue is probably fine.
I would...uh....also recommend not watching the two of the back to back.
I know you’re probably not wanting to turn this into the ghibli film festival but I gotta reiterate again Kiki’s Delivery Service has an artist character who gives Kiki advice that will probably resonate with an art teacher.
Bebop's movie is intentionally designed to be approachable to unfamiliar people. I watched it in theaters with an entire group who'd never watched the show (aside from me), we all liked it about the same.
Look lets be real, high school students into anime have probably watched a lot of anime that may not be appropriate for a teacher to show them. But they've probably seen it.
It's more a question of whether they're going beyond the big name hits/shonen shows.
Zombie Land Saga Revenge's first episode is out on Crunchyroll Premium.
Apparently between seasons the group was getting really popular, so the manager rushed them to a huge performance at a giant concert hall...and they were only able to fill it to a miniscule fraction of it's capacity which left them in crippling debt.
Now all the girls are working regular jobs to earn money while trying to practice for their comeback.
Yeah I watched the Bebop movie a few times before ever watching the show. The only familiarity I had with it was knowing that the show existed and people really liked it.
0
Options
silence1186Character shields down!As a wingmanRegistered Userregular
I've always liked Metropolis. The finale is great.
*Blood C: The Last Dark
*Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa
*Martian Successor Nadesico: Prince of Darkness
*Neon Genesis Evangeleon: Death & Rebirth
*Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion
*Tales from Earthsea
Real Suggestions:
Eh, mostly stuff that's been said. I'll upvote Porco Rosso.
For something not said, maybe "Lupin III: The First" to show a CG anime, but Castle of Calgiostro's probably better for Lupin III content.
*Blood C: The Last Dark
*Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa *Martian Successor Nadesico: Prince of Darkness
*Neon Genesis Evangeleon: Death & Rebirth
*Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion
*Tales from Earthsea
Real Suggestions:
Eh, mostly stuff that's been said. I'll upvote Porco Rosso.
For something not said, maybe "Lupin III: The First" to show a CG anime, but Castle of Calgiostro's probably better for Lupin III content.
You monster, no one should have to watch the bolded, nor should it exist
Make her just watch the opening credits of domestic girlfriend and then yadda yadda the rest of it
A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
The only good plot point in Domestic Girlfriend is a reporter trying to write something on this popular new author and just goign "wait why is there like 50 pictures of him kissing his sister. Why is there 50 pictures of him kissing his OTHER sister"
+1
Options
Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
"Hey, I was putting together a list of anime movies for you but instead you should just watch the first season of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure."
-- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984): Warrior and pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.
-- Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (1986): Goku and his friends must stop King Gurumes from destroying the city for blood rubies and gathering the seven Dragon Balls.
-- Grave of the Fireflies (1988): A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.
-- Perfect Blue (1997): A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.
-- Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998): Scientists genetically create a new Pokémon, Mewtwo, but the results are horrific and disastrous.
-- Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001): A terrorist explosion releases a deadly virus on the masses, and it's up the bounty-hunting Bebop crew to catch the cold-blooded culprit.
-- Spirited Away (2001): During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
-- Tokyo Godfathers (2003): On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.
-- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006): A high-school girl named Makoto acquires the power to travel back in time, and decides to use it for her own personal benefits. Little does she know that she is affecting the lives of others just as much as she is her own.
-- Your Name (2016): Two strangers find themselves linked in a bizarre way. When a connection forms, will distance be the only thing to keep them apart?
I really like this list other than not really caring for DBZ and Digimon personally. So I'd probably sub in Princess Mononoke for the sake of gorgeous artwork and My Hero Academia for the sake of being a pretty good modern shounen that is popular with today's youth.
0
Options
Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
Posts
just watching anime because the kids said to
yeah I dunno, probably depends on their tastes
The answer is clearly Digimon: Our War Game
Ghost in the Shell and Akira might want to get a nod for influence if nothing else.
At least one or two Satoshi Kon movies is a good idea, although Perfect Blue is probably a bit much depending on the person's tastes.
Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Your Name.
A lot of the others that come to mind are either associated with a series so probably not best for a person to dive into without context, or err on the side of maybe a smidge too weird and/or violent (Vampire Hunter D maybe?)
1) The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
2) Tokyo Godfathers
3) Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
4) Castle of Cagliostro
5) Spirited Away
6) Patlabor: The Movie
7) Princess Mononoke
8) Summer Wars
9) Perfect Blue
10) Your Name
Surplus recommendations if one of those is not suitable for whatever reason.
Weathering With You
5cm Per Second
Porco Russo
My Neighbor Totoro
Kiki's Delivery Service
Ghost in the Shell
Akira
Patema Inverted
A Silent Voice
It's a bit tough to make a list like that cuz on the one hand I want the big artistic favorites, on the other hand the teacher's students probably aren't watching those movies they're probably watching shounen fightin' stuff. I started out with just a list of like 10 movies I personally liked, but that's more of a "sell someone on anime" list rather than a real introduction to what anime can do, so I revamped it a little. Trying to aim for - stuff from influential directors, artistically unique, with different styles and intended audiences.
My Neighbor Totoro - Hayao Miyazaki - absolutely masterful animation but it's also unchallengingly in the "for kids" animation zone, it has like a dozen absolutely iconic sequences, it's a little weird but not too weird, a real solid introduction to what anime can do without immediately challenging assumptions about who anime is for and what kind of story animation can tell.
Tokyo Godfathers - Satoshi Kon - Kon's most accessible work with a very live-action sensibility and grown up characters, anime telling a mature story while using its animation to add little flights of fancy and emotional impact, without getting truly mind fucky.
Millennium Actress - Satoshi Kon - A bit more experimental by Kon, using animation to seamlessly cross time, space, and the 4th wall all within the same sequences, as well as a lot of good conversation-starter references to 20th century Japanese history and popular media. I should probably switch this one out for Perfect Blue, for a dose of horror/mindfuckery, but I just can't bear to do it.
Princess Kaguya - Isao Takahata - That Other Ghibli Director, just a massive dose of "holy shit animation can be fuckin' beautiful and doesn't have to look 'anime.'"
Your Name - Makoto Shinkai - His best movie, digital animation era instead of cels, a huge emphasis on natural beauty, some really surprising twists on what kind of movie you think you're watching
Liz and the Blue Bird - Naoko Yamada - The only female director on the list, Liz is a great demonstration of her iconic female-centered, subtextually queer perspective, and with some really unique sound design and watercolor animation
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - Mamoru Hosoda - I don't think there's a single movie in here that can compete with the sheer joyful kineticism of Girl's running and jumping animations
Ghost in the Shell - Mamoru Oshii - Out of the big action-y iconic movies I think this one's aged the best. Post-cyberpunk, lots of buddhist/daoist philosophy references, quite a few scenes that are immediately recognizable because they've been so influential.
Redline - Takeshi Koike - Just ludicrously detailed animation and a sense for speed. You could also go with Akira here, but I think Redline has similarly insane animation quality while generally being a happier watch.
In that #10 slot you could go with a Masaaki Yuasa movie like The Night is Short, Walk on Girl, or a classic anime like Night on the Galactic Railroad or an older ghibli movie like Whisper of the Heart or Only Yesterday, or a compilation movie like Memories or Genius Party, or you could just go with one of the newer Lupin movies with their like neo-retro aesthetic. . . .
the suggestion was not in jest. mha is a cultural touchstone
Reccomend Onegai Teacher for sure and of course Domestic girlfriend
After Zonugal is fired they'll have more time for the anime podcast
So ghibli stuff on HBO max is probably the best option.
I’d say start an art teacher out on Kiki’s Delivery Service first, it’ll probably hit well.
Eh. It was pretty... uh, screamy, not to mention tons of trashy fanservice and a complete sad sack of a protagonist. Also spent a very long time explaining the premise that, no, actually people hate difficult and realistic games, so any game that's difficult, realistic, or complicated is ACKSHAWLLY unpopular and nobody would ever want to play one, which is, uh, okay. That's certainly a theory. Not sure what the joke is there or why we're spending a third of the episode explaining it, but beats him walking in on girls while undressing.
GTO, Azumanga, The Gokusen...
-- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984): Warrior and pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.
-- Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (1986): Goku and his friends must stop King Gurumes from destroying the city for blood rubies and gathering the seven Dragon Balls.
-- Grave of the Fireflies (1988): A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.
-- Perfect Blue (1997): A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.
-- Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998): Scientists genetically create a new Pokémon, Mewtwo, but the results are horrific and disastrous.
-- Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001): A terrorist explosion releases a deadly virus on the masses, and it's up the bounty-hunting Bebop crew to catch the cold-blooded culprit.
-- Spirited Away (2001): During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
-- Tokyo Godfathers (2003): On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.
-- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006): A high-school girl named Makoto acquires the power to travel back in time, and decides to use it for her own personal benefits. Little does she know that she is affecting the lives of others just as much as she is her own.
-- Your Name (2016): Two strangers find themselves linked in a bizarre way. When a connection forms, will distance be the only thing to keep them apart?
Perfect Blue is kinda heavy, depending on what she's up for. Millenium Actress or Paprika might be a better Satoshi Kon. That being said, if you're recommending Grave of the Fireflies, Perfect Blue is probably fine.
I would...uh....also recommend not watching the two of the back to back.
It's more a question of whether they're going beyond the big name hits/shonen shows.
Now all the girls are working regular jobs to earn money while trying to practice for their comeback.
*Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa
*Martian Successor Nadesico: Prince of Darkness
*Neon Genesis Evangeleon: Death & Rebirth
*Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion
*Tales from Earthsea
Real Suggestions:
Eh, mostly stuff that's been said. I'll upvote Porco Rosso.
For something not said, maybe "Lupin III: The First" to show a CG anime, but Castle of Calgiostro's probably better for Lupin III content.
You monster, no one should have to watch the bolded, nor should it exist
she must know the full width of what her students are into
I really like this list other than not really caring for DBZ and Digimon personally. So I'd probably sub in Princess Mononoke for the sake of gorgeous artwork and My Hero Academia for the sake of being a pretty good modern shounen that is popular with today's youth.