Photo Credit (Greety Images)

Although Japanese animation frequently features children, it is most definitely not intended for a youthful audience. These movies provide a glimpse into Japanese society’s subconscious. a nation that, during World War II, embraced the concept of the “divine wind”—the selflessness of the kamikaze pilots—and the indisputable military might of the state. But following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan was forced to acknowledge that the United States was a more powerful nation than its godlike ruler.

The most outstanding works from the previous century, including Akira, Ghost in the Shell, The Grave of the Fireflies, and Nausicaa from the Valley of the Winds, dealt in one way or another with the horror of World War II, which cast a shadow over Japan’s national identity, and the role that humanity played in the development of WMDs. The self-reflective subject of a hyper-technocratic society also surfaced at the same time, raising the question of whether the rapid adoption of Western technology will ultimately result in the emergence of a new demon that will destroy the former Land of the Rising Sun.

The larger picture gives more optimism than the films of the 1980s and 1990s, even though certain anime released after the millennium seem to resume this theme (Metropolis, The Wind Rises, Ghost in the Shell: Innocence). The Generation Y representatives, the children of these anime, seem to be engaged in a different conflict than their predecessors.

Their biggest obstacle is figuring out how to deal with the issues that arise in daily life, such as losing a father (Wolf Children, A Letter to Momo), being adolescent and lacking goals (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, 5 Centimeters Per Second), or struggling to define oneself (Spirited Away, The Cat Returns). This generation bears the challenging burden of ultimately overcoming the effects of the war and figuring out how to continue living, even though these issues may appear little in comparison to the devastating monsters of previous films. The top twenty Generation Y films that you should not miss are included in this list. However, keep in mind that although the majority of them are accessible on Netflix, they are primarily limited to European regions. You will want a Netflix VPN with servers in Europe, like ExpressVPN, if you are not from Europe.

Hiroyuki Okiyura’s Letter to Momo (2011)

A good Japanese animation for all ages must include the experience of loss, the contrast between rural and urban life, and the small devils of Japanese folklore. All of them are there in A Letter to Momo, along with a fair share of humor and poignant moments.

As Momo deals with the death of her father, the eerie yet amiable spirits undoubtedly make her chuckle a few times. It is heartwarming to watch Momo gradually come to terms with the fact that she is not alone in her suffering and that her connection with her mother needs to be repaired, especially for those who can enjoy slower-paced films.

In the shadow of some completely humorous and entertaining American animation, this anime does not compete with the mystical perfection of Spirited Away, but it is still enjoyable to uncover jewels like this one, where wit is paired with a touching, compassionate tale. The list of honors that A Letter to Momo received from 2012 to 2014—the Tokyo Anime Award, the Japanese Academy Awards, the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and the Annie Awards—is the best evidence of this.

Goro Miyazaki’s 2011 book From Up on Poppy Hill

Goro Miyazaki, the son of Hayao Miyazaki, did not demonstrate his abilities in Tales from Earthsea, his 2006 directing debut, which was, to put it mildly, a failure. However, his second picture, which is a masterfully entertaining Ghibli production on par with the studio’s finest films, is the work of an already experienced director.

Set in the past, From Up on Poppy Hill tells the tale of a group of schoolchildren who attempt to prevent the closure of their clubhouse. The film, which is an adaptation of a shoujo manga from the 1980s, makes use of the genre’s greatest features, including youthful joy, a developing romance, and an overall energizing environment.

Goro Miyazaki places himself closer to reality than his father’s enchanted realm. Although Umi’s strength and grace are comparable to those of Naisicaa or Chihiro, they are far more reminiscent of Isao Takahata’s characters in Graves of the Fireflies than any of the half-magical Miyazaki heroines. With superb character design and a superb tune by Satoshi Takabe, From Up on Poppy Hill is, all things considered, the best historical shoujo anime available today.

Hiroyuki Morita’s 2002 book The Cat Returns

A theme park originally commissioned a little animation for The Cat Returns. Hayao Miyazaki persisted in the project despite the cancellation of the commission, extending it into a kind of test picture for upcoming Ghibli filmmakers under Hiroyuki Morita’s supervision. As the movie grew, The Cat Returns—which was based on Morita’s storyboard—became a lighthearted, avant-garde anime. The film includes Baron Humbert von Gikkingen and the obese cat Muta from Yoshifumi Kondo’s Whisper of the Heart (1995) as a tribute to the classic Ghibli filmmakers.

Haru, the (half) human girl, is forced to marry the cat prince Luna after saving his life, and the residents of the Cat Kingdom stand in for the other members of the cast. In several aspects, Haru’s journey to the Cat Kingdom is comparable to Spirited Away’s Chihiro’s; both must first lose themselves in order to discover their true selves. Chihiro loses her identity and becomes Sen, and Haru transforms into a cat. They can only return to their former selves if they understand how to maintain their integrity in day-to-day interactions.

The Cat Returns is sometimes viewed as a weak combination of Spirited Away and Whisper of the Heart because of these similarities and the two cameo characters, but it is actually a lovely and lighthearted story that teaches us about the complex Japanese custom of repaying favors.

Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Even though Howl’s Moving Castle isn’t the greatest Miyazaki movie of the twenty-first century, it still merits a spot on my list. One of Miyazaki’s most elegant creations is the moving castle itself. It represents the perfect balance between the natural and the technological worlds as a potpourri of steampunk and organic designs. The cursed Sophie takes sanctuary as an elderly woman at Howl’s castle, which is situated in the Wastes between two adversarial nations.

The Witch of the Waste, who curses Sophie out of envy, and Turnip Head, the scarecrow she meets on her trip to Howl’s castle, are two aspects of this anime that are reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz tale. This universe contains a number of characters from Western fairy tales, but it also has the demon of military might, which is best shown in the scene where a city is destroyed by gigantic bombers.

Miyazaki’s remark on international pacifism is made when he transforms the evil witch into a gentle elderly woman. In a transnational fairytale, he brings East and West together rather than looking for someone to blame or a more powerful foe to defeat the opponent.

Hiroaki Ando, Hajime Katoki, Shuhei Morita, and Katsuhiro Otomo (2013), “Short Peace”

Four short films make up the collection Short Peace. The project’s manager, Katsuhiro Otomo, worked with three outstanding animation artists. Although they had previously collaborated with the director on Steamboy and Freedom Project, respectively, two of them—Hiroaki Ando and Shoei Morita—had not before directed a feature film.

In Morita’s short story Possessions, a warrior must repair a number of symbolic objects in order to get out of a shrine. The opening sequences in Otomo’s Combustible look like a computer game, but they also have the aesthetic of traditional Japanese paintings. Additionally, Hiroaki Ando’s Gambo has images that resemble paintings, which emphasizes the value of traditional animation over the more commonplace CGI. Though Combustible manages to be the most inventive in its visual approach, all three of these shorts are beautiful because they make references to traditional Japanese art and religion.

Katoki’s Farewell to the Arms is a dystopian science fiction work, in contrast to the three historical pieces. The absence of the city altogether is the most striking aspect of this episode, which is the longest and best in terms of animation technique when compared to other sci-fi anime. As the conflict between humans and robots intensifies, the city is replaced by nothing but decay. Hopefully, Ando, Katoki, and Morita will soon have the opportunity to make their full-length directing debuts. Short Peace is a fantastic example of what the most avant-garde animators of the era are capable of.

According to Mamoru Hosoda (2006), the girl who sprang across time

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a humorous coming-of-age film about Makoto and her two male pals. is not, as the title might imply, a science fiction animation. Mamoru Hosoda performs what he does best in this animation, which is to portray the straightforward beauty of contemporary Japanese living.

There is no need to theorize on the nature and theory of time travel in order to appreciate this picture, despite the fact that some fans like to assume that the problem of time travel makes the film more complex than it initially appears. Furthermore, the plot is around Makoto’s ability to maintain her friendship with the two boys and discover a purpose for her life beyond having fun; therefore, the ability of certain characters to travel back in time is less important than the plot.