Anime fans are sharing the titles they think everyone should watch, whether they're into anime or not – and Studio Ghibli is proving a popular choice.
"Spirited Away, it's one of the best gateway anime movies," said one user on Reddit. "I'd then recommend them Princess Mononoke and Nauscaä of the Valley of the Wind as good movies before moving on to seasonal anime."
First released in 2001, Spirited Away was a huge commercial and critical success both in Japan and worldwide and was the first hand-drawn, non-English-language film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It follows Sen, a girl who accidentally enters the spirit world and must find a way to free herself – and her parents, who have been turned into pigs by a witch. We think Princess Mononoke is one of the best anime movies of all time, too.
"Mob psycho 100 is one of the greatest stories of accepting yourself of all time," replied someone else, referring to the manga adaptation about a boy, nicknamed Mob, with psychic abilities that aired for three seasons between 2016 and 2022.
"Grave of the fireflies, but instead of 'at least once' it's 'only once'," wrote someone else, with another vote for Studio Ghibli. "That movie is powerful and haunting, but it's slow and painful, and I can only put myself and others through that very impactful pain once."
As for other TV shows, Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo were also popular suggestions. Cowboy Bebop only aired for 26 episodes during its run in the late '90s, but it had a massive impact and helped introduce Western audiences to anime in the early '00s. Samurai Champloo was helmed by the same director, Shinichirō Watanabe, six years later.
For more on what to watch, check out our guide to the best new anime to add to your watchlist.
