The Best Anime Film of Every Year of the 2010s, Ranked

Each anime decade has its unique selection of must-watch hits, be it TV series, movies, or even OVA and ONA projects. While anime fans have only seen half of what the medium has to offer in the 2020s, the ongoing decade has already treated audiences to many terrific cinematic experiences, from franchise hits like Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle movie to original masterworks like The Boy and the Heron or Suzume.

However, looking back at the last decade, the 2010s, it’s clear that modern anime has tough competition. When it comes to theatrical releases, the 2010s gifted the world so many timeless masterpieces that each year has at least a couple of films grappling for the top spot. While the best of each year is ultimately up to each fan to decide for themselves, these modern anime movies are already revered as the medium’s top-tier theatrical entries.

2010: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya Pays Tribute to a 2000s Anime Classic

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a title familiar to everyone who watched anime in the 2000s. Haruhi was a true icon of the decade, and 2010 gave the era of her reign a perfect send-off: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. The original Haruhi Suzumiya series is infamous as a quirky slice-of-life series with bizarre supernatural elements and a sprinkle of romance.

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, however, while keeping alive the rambunctious spirit of Haruhi Suzumiya, leans more into its dramatic aspects, delivering an emotional, cinematic, and narratively nuanced film in which the more serious side of Haruhi Suzumiya’s cast gets to shine. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya might be a Christmas movie, yet, ultimately, it focuses on something much grander than an end-of-year celebration — the end of its heroes’ adolescence and the conclusion of one of anime’s most culturally significant franchises.

2011: Hotarubi no Mori e’s Short Yet Impactful Story Is Hard to Forget

Whereas most of the best anime movies are grand cinematic experiences, Hotarubi no Mori e is a much more modest and intimate cult classic that, nonetheless, should be acknowledged as one of its decade’s best. Within a runtime of less than an hour, Hotarubi no Mori e explores a tender story of love, grief, and everlasting memory.

The movie follows the developing relationship between forest spirit Gin, who can’t be touched by humans, and Hotaru, an ordinary girl who returns to meet Gin every summer despite his curse. The story of Hotarubi no Mori e might be simple, yet its emotional poignancy sticks with viewers long after the credits roll. Delicate in feeling and ethereally tragic in atmosphere, Hotarubi no Mori e demonstrates that the most impactful narratives in anime need only earnestness to achieve greatness.

2012: Wolf Children Is a Gorgeous Celebration of Motherhood

Anime auteur Mamoru Hosoda began his directorial career in the 2000s and, since then, has produced some of the most artistically unique, touching anime movies about family, coming-of-age, and self-actualization. 2012’s Wolf Children is still revered as one of Hosoda’s best movies, praised for its unorthodox yet relatable depiction of the relationship between parents and children.

Following a young woman, Hana, who has to raise her half-werewolf, half-human children, Ame and Yuki, alone while keeping their identity a secret, Wolf Children is a beautiful tribute to familial love that, nonetheless, doesn’t shy away from the tribulations of motherhood. Combining magical realism elements with an emotional story with universal themes, Wolf Children weaves a timeless masterpiece that works as a statement to its creator’s boundless talent.

2013: The Best Comedy Anime Peaked With Gintama: The Movie: The Final Chapter: Be Forever Yorozuya

2013’s pick for best anime of the year is undeniably unconventional. Gintama: The Movie: The Final Chapter: Be Forever Yorozuya is an original movie based on the iconic Gintama franchise — a comedy icon beloved for its no-holds-barred humor paired with surprising emotional depth.

Be Forever Yorozuya thrusts familiar heroes into a surreal time travel plot that has everything fans adore about Gintama — unpredictable gags, hilarious parodies, explosive action, and genuine tear-jerking drama. While not originally a part of Gintama’s story (despite being written by its creator, Hideaki Sorachi), Be Forever Yorozuya excels at capturing the series’ signature charm and has, since its release, become an integral part of the franchise fans unanimously love, which is a rarity for original movies based on pre-existing series.

2014: Stand By Me Doraemon Made Every Doraemon Fan Cry

Doraemon might’ve never been a hit in the US, yet it remains an integral part of growing up for countless people around the world. Stand By Me Doraemon, a 2014 tribute to the cult-classic sci-fi comedy franchise, is a rare example of a legacy series adaptation that modernizes its source material without losing any of the heart.

Notably, Stand By Me Doraemon is very friendly to new audiences, starting at the very beginning with Nobita, a good-for-nothing fourth grader, meeting the titular robotic cat from the future, Doraemon. However, those who will definitely appreciate Stand By Me Doraemon the most are people to whom Doraemon was a friend since childhood, and, for all of its kid-friendly charm, the movie clearly appeals to adult audiences with its mature dramatic elements and soulful sentimentality.

2015: Miss Hokusai Is a Criminally Underrated Historical Drama

2015’s best anime movie is one regrettably few people know about, which is tragically fitting, considering the film’s subject matter. Miss Hokusai is a historical biopic chronicling the life of O-Ei, the daughter of the acclaimed ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai, who has worked in her father’s shadow, uncredited and forgotten by history. Unlike what is expected from historical works, Miss Hokusai doesn’t strive to make its historical setting entertaining or relatable for viewers.

The film’s pace is slow and its story is non-linear and oddly lacking conventional structure. Yet, these narrative choices, while contributing to the movie’s lack of popularity, are intentional, making Miss Hokusai akin to an artistic slice-of-life exploration of a very curious, if uneventful, existence.

2016: A Silent Voice Exemplifies Anime’s Profound Dramatic Depth

2016 had, perhaps, the hardest competition for anime movie of the year, mostly because two of the decade’s most acclaimed dramas — Your Name and A Silent Voice — came out within months of each other. Yet, while having similar legacies and near-equal in quality, A Silent Voice has a slight edge over Your Name due to its greater emotional depth and thematic substance.

A tear-jerking story about redemption and forgiveness, A Silent Voice explores a difficult relationship between Shoko, a deaf girl who has been socially isolated due to her disability, and Shoya, her former bully seeking atonement. Visually, A Silent Voice exemplifies the best of studio KyoAni’s famously superb animation, while its narrative is capable of bringing even the most stoic viewers to tender tears.

2017: Night Is Short, Walk On Girl Is a Mesmerizing Dream Brought to Life in Animation

Director Masaaki Yuasa is a rare animation auteur whose works are immediately recognizable by visual style alone. Be it a dark fantasy horror like Devilman Crybaby or a sports drama like Ping Pong the Animation, Yuasa’s anime is always eccentric and peerlessly expressive, conveying emotions through rough, fluid visual strokes.

Night Is Short, Walk On Girl is a tribute to Yuasa’s signature style, chronicling a wild night of partying a nameless girl undertakes through the vibrant streets of Kyoto, while her shy upperclassman tries to find a chance to confess his love to the heroine. Unconcerned with narrative conventions, Night Is Short, Walk On Girl breathes life into a chaotic dream, being a testament to anime’s artistic liberty in a way that makes every viewer infected with its unexplainable yet hypnotizing energy.

2018: I Want to Eat Your Pancreas’ Meditation on Death Is Hopeful Yet Heartbreaking

With a title like I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, one would hardly expect this 2018 anime movie to be one of the saddest theatrical releases of its decade. Yet, what I Want to Eat Your Pancreas hides beneath a quirky title is a touching story of living life to the fullest despite grim circumstances. The movie’s plot centers around a budding friendship between a standoffish, nameless protagonist and Sakura Yamauchi, a cheerful high school girl.

Facing approaching death from a terminal pancreatic illness, Sakura chooses against wallowing in misery and, instead, seeks to have as many memorable experiences as possible while she still can. Despite its tragic subject matter, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas is an inspiring reminder of life’s fleeting wonders and a celebration of human connections that persevere even in the face of death.

2019: Promare Is an Earnest Throwback to a Bygone Era of Over-the-Top Mecha Action

Despite still thriving as a medium icon, director Hiroyuki Imaishi came to prominence way back in the ‘90s, when, in the wake of Evangelion, mecha anime was, once again, in its prime. His directorial debut was the now-iconic Gurren Lagann, and influences of this 2000s classic are celebrated boldly in Imaishi’s 2019 mecha spectacle, Promare.

A loud, over-the-top love letter to mecha anime at its most rambunctious and shamelessly sincere, Promare is a blast of state-of-the-art action and kinetic direction that wears its heart on its sleeve. The plot of Promare openly throws logic out the window, guided by feeling alone. Yet, viewers can’t help but get enticed by its fervent passion, letting Promare’s infectious, hopeful passion make them forget about everything for the duration of the movie and simply enjoy the ride.