The Best Anime Film of Every Year of the 2000s, Ranked
The 2000s were an exceptionally significant decade for anime. It’s in the early aughts that anime became massively popular and accepted in the West, with the popularization of countless iconic titles, from Cowboy Bebop and Evangelion to Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! Yet, the explosive growth of anime wasn’t exclusive to TV series. The ‘00s were also an excellent decade for anime movies, with every year presenting at least a few all-time classics.
Some of the medium’s best cinematic masterpieces premiered in the 2000s, and newcomers and older fans alike still come back to these movies to experience theatrical anime in its prime. From critically acclaimed hits to forgotten classics to underappreciated gems that only earned recognition years after release, these are the anime movie highlights from each year of the 2000s.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Is a Timeless Gothic Classic That Kickstarted the 2000s
An icon of dark fantasy horror, Vampire Hunter D originated as a series of novels way back in 1983, introducing readers to the somber dhampir D and his various monster-slaying escapades in a post-apocalyptic dystopia. Shortly after, in 1985, Vampire Hunter D was adapted into an anime movie, yet the one version of the story most anime fans are familiar with is 2000’s Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.
A stunning work of gothic horror that immediately immerses audiences in its eerie world, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is an atmospheric masterpiece that evokes profound emotions with its grand sound design, intricate animation, and violent yet touching story. And while it adapts just a small, standalone episode in D’s epic tale, Bloodlust succeeded in making countless viewers lifelong fans of Vampire Hunter D.
2001’s Spirited Away Is Still Revered as One of Studio Ghibli’s Best Masterpieces
There was hardly a film in the 2000s, if not in the medium’s entire history, that was more important for anime’s global recognition than Spirited Away. Even prior to its release, Studio Ghibli was a trailblazer of unique, family-friendly anime features, yet it was Spirited Away that showed the entire world the boundless artistic potential of anime, for which the movie even won an Academy Award.
Despite having roots in Japanese folklore, with the plot following young girl Chihiro on her coming-of-age adventure through a breathtaking yet haunting world of spirits, the film’s thought-provoking narrative about growing up appeals to all cultures and age demographics universally. Even viewers with little interest in anime could appreciate its artistic merits and profound storytelling, resulting in Spirited Away becoming a timeless masterpiece adored by everyone worldwide.
Millennium Actress Is a Bittersweet 2002 Tale of Memories Created by One of Anime’s Legends
Of all anime directors active in the 2000s, Satoshi Kon, perhaps, had the biggest influence on the decade; most of his short yet awe-inspiring career was contained within the decade. Millennium Actress was Kon’s second directorial work after his debut in 1997 with Perfect Blue. Unlike the haunting psychological thriller of his first film, Millennium Actress brings to life a much more hopeful story about legacy and memory, told through the perspective of a retired actress, Chiyoko Fujiwara, reminiscing about her life and career.
In Kon’s signature style, Chiyoko’s memories blend together reality and fiction, dreamlike and ethereal in how they blur the line between her roles and the actuality of her life. Millennium Actress is a one-of-a-kind cinematic treat, peerlessly imaginative and just as thought-provoking as everything Satoshi Kon has ever created — no wonder it stood the test of time as one of anime’s all-time best movies.
Tokyo Godfathers Subverts the Expectations of 2003 Audiences With an Atypical Christmas Story
Just a year after Millennium Actress premiered in Japan, Satoshi Kon returned with his next masterpiece — Tokyo Godfathers. In the director’s filmography, Tokyo Godfathers stands out as a very unconventional story. Instead of bending reality, Tokyo Godfathers grounds things in realism, telling a very heartfelt story about three eccentric homeless people rescuing an abandoned newborn child on Christmas Eve.
Despite its Christmas movie premise, Tokyo Godfathers, in Kon’s best traditions, is a sophisticated tragicomedy that masterfully blends sentiment with exciting, thought-provoking writing in a quirky found family narrative. Everything about this unpredictable tale of miracles holds up excellently over two decades later, from visuals to the film’s earnest message. Tokyo Godfathers might be less out-there than Kon’s other works, yet it’s no less deserving of abundant praise.
2004’s Howl’s Moving Castle Takes Viewers on a Mesmerizing Fantasy Adventure
Returning to Studio Ghibli’s filmography, in 2004 Hayao Miyazaki presented Howl’s Moving Castle — a gorgeous and inspiring fantasy adventure based on a novel by the same name. While noticeably different from its source material, Howl’s Moving Castle became a classic in its own right, telling a story of young hat-maker Sophie, who gets turned into an old woman and, subsequently, gets her fate entangled with that of an eccentric wizard, Howl.
Howl’s Moving Castle is Studio Ghibli’s artistry at its finest, breathtaking in its visual execution and effortlessly immersive in its intricate worldbuilding. Yet, like all works of Hayao Miyazaki, Sophie’s story is more than a pretty fairytale, containing within itself a subtle depth and poignant messaging about self-acceptance, sacrifice, and even a thoughtful critique of war.
One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island (2005) Is an Outstanding Example of a Franchise Tie-In Movie That Exceeds Expectations
Tie-in movies, especially non-canonical ones, rarely ever get much praise, neither from fans nor critics. Being one of the many original One Piece movies, One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island is not a film most would expect to be anything revolutionary. However, by taking the conventional premise of creating yet another standalone adventure for the Straw Hats and giving it a dark twist, Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island achieves greatness.
While still just as wondrous and thrilling as any other One Piece arc, this curious film has an almost surrealist quality to it, eerie in its dark tone and truly novel in how it handles the established dynamic between the crewmates. The film’s unconventional tone and visuals are early signs of genius displayed by then little-known director Mamoru Hosoda, who will become one of the industry’s leading auteurs in the decades to come.
More Anime Fans Should Give 2006’s Tekkonkinkreet a Try
A true hidden gem of 2000s anime, Tekkonkinkreet is a movie unlike any other, peerless both visually and narratively. A surreal urban fantasy set in the slums of a fictional metropolis, it tells the story of two orphans, Black and White, who run the city’s violent streets and seek to protect them from being destroyed by yakuza tycoons.
Tekkonkinkreet’s premise is undeniably stirring, and the film delivers on the promised thrills with surprisingly brutal, action-packed sequences and mind-bending adventure elements. Yet, at the heart of this colorful film lies a surprisingly somber and tragic coming-of-age tale, bittersweet in its exploration of loyalty and uncompromising in determining what values truly define a person’s character.
Sword of the Stranger Became the Pinnacle of Samurai Anime in 2007
The samurai theme in anime is ever-present and abundant with excellent exemplars, from classic comedies like Gintama to stylistic genre subversions like Samurai Champloo. Yet, if one wants to enjoy unadulterated swordplay action in all of its bloody, ruthless glory, there’s hardly a better anime than Sword of the Stranger.
A competent yet narratively straightforward tale of a wandering swordsman hired to protect a young boy from pursuing attackers, Sword of the Stranger goes all-out on the classic elements that make samurai movies so exhilarating – visual splendor and stunningly choreographed, realistically vicious action. Every strike of the sword has actual momentum, and every move the characters execute in their dance-like duels makes the viewers hold their breath, unable to tear their eyes away from the screen.
2008’s The Garden of Sinners Chapter 5: Paradox Spiral Is the Best Film in the Classic Urban Fantasy Franchise
Ranking a movie from a relatively large series as the best of its year might seem like cheating. Yet, The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral is such a phenomenal entry in its already acclaimed franchise, it certainly deserves all the praise it gets. Movies three through six of The Garden of Sinners series were all released in 2008, and Paradox Spiral presents yet another chapter of Shiki Ryougi’s violent encounters with the arcane.
Yet, both the individual quality of its thought-provoking yet thrilling action-mystery plotline and the film’s striking art direction elevate Paradox Spiral a head above its predecessors and successors. Paradox Spiral’s mind-bending storytelling exemplifies the themes of the franchise better than any other entry in the series, and, when it comes to visuals and direction, even those who have never seen a single The Garden of Sinners film before would agree that it looks better than any other anime from 2008.
Redline Ended the 2000s With One of Anime’s Most Beloved Cult Classics
Not every film, no matter how exceptional, is immediately recognized for its accomplishments upon release. That was, unfortunately, the fate of Redline — a revolutionary sci-fi racing film that, after failing at the box office, became a legacy cult classic revered to this day for its mind-blowing production value. Redline took seven years to produce, comprising more than 100,000 hand-drawn frames of truly gorgeous, stylistically phenomenal animation.
And the effort the creators of Redline put into their vision is impossible to miss. Every scene in the film, from intense racing sequences to something as simple as the protagonist lighting a cigarette, brims with style and palpable zeal, coming together in a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience that is equal parts overwhelming and thrilling.
