Makoto Shinkai’s 2016 blockbuster, Your name, remains one of the community’s most beloved animated films. Apart from its heartbreaking storyline, the anime has garnered a lot of praise from both anime and non-anime lovers for its surreal artwork and spellbinding animation.
your name follows Mitsuha Miyamizu and Taki Tachibana, whose lives were turned upside down after experiencing a strange phenomenon where their bodies were swapped. your name is widely acclaimed as one of the best animated films of all time. That being said, this article lists eight anime movies that a fan of Makoto Shinkai’s masterpiece shouldn’t miss.
Must-see animated films for fans of your name
1) grow old with you
grow old with yousimilar to Your name, is another big hit from Makoto Shinkai which received immense appreciation for its storylines and animation. grow old with you follows Hina and Hodaka amid the incessant rain. After meeting Hina, the latter discovers her power to manipulate the weather.
Hina can stop the rain whenever she wants, which gives Hodaka an idea to use her ability to earn money. However, both soon realize that his unique power has far-reaching ramifications. As your name, Makoto Shinkai was incredibly scrupulous in Grow old with you.
2) A silent voice
Although A silent voice does not include supernatural elements like Your name, both involve characters on the cusp of adulthood as they discover and understand themselves and others. A silent voice follows Shoya Ishida, who was a bully during his elementary school days.
After being ostracized by everyone, Shoya realizes the pain he inflicted on his deaf classmate Shouko Nishimiya. The former felt detached from the very world he inhabited and indulged in self-hatred.
However, after reconnecting with Shouko, he resorted to amending himself and his mistakes. A silent voice was appreciated for shedding light on crucial mental health issues that are often overlooked.
3) Josée, the tiger and the fish
Tsuneo Suzukawa has a great passion for marine biology and loves diving. In light of this, he harbors ambitions to pursue a career overseas, prompting him to juggle several part-time jobs. However, her meeting with Kumiko, who prefers to be called “Josée”, changed everything.
Although Josée was rude to Tsuneo, the latter quickly recognized the former’s inability to walk as the reason for his apprehension. Afterwards, he tried to become Josée’s guardian, but his constant and authoritarian attitude caused him to quit.
Soon, Tsuneo discovers that Josee’s deepest desire is to cross over into the outside world, which seems unachievable in her current state. Turning a new page, Tsuneo changes his mind and decides to accompany Josée in the exploration of the world.
Both your name and Josée, the tiger and the fish are renowned for portraying identity issues and, more importantly, overcoming them.
4) At a glance
At first glance, it would appear that Miyo Sasaki comes from a generic family and household. However, she leads a miserable life with problems stemming from her tenuous relationship with her stepmother.
In the midst of all the stress, Kento Hinode became his personal escape and the antidote to his grief. Miyo loves Kento, but her advances are often spurned.
One fateful day, she receives a magic mask from a mysterious mask seller, which she thought was just an ordinary mask. However, she discovered that the mask grants supernatural shapeshifting abilities to those who wear it. By donning the mask, Miyo transforms into a white cat named Taro.
She uses her cat form to get the affection she needs from Sasaki, but soon struggles between revealing her identity or continuing her act. The characters of both your name and At a glance transcend reality with supernatural events. While Mitsuha in your name can swap bodies with Taki, Miyo in At a glance can turn into a cat.
5) reverse patema
reverse patema follows the titular Patema of the underground civilization and the age of the nation of Aiga. The people of the underground society are forbidden to leave their deep world because they will fall towards the sky. Moreover, even the Aiga nation viewed people living underground as sinners, believing that the gods punished them for their crimes.
However, after befriending Patema, Age ignored the false propaganda made by his nation. Overcoming their disparities, Age and Patema together unlocked the secrets of their origin. Similar to Your name, Patema reversed is also revered as one of the best sci-fi animated films around..
6) Hello World
Hi world takes place in the distant future in the year 2027, where Kyoto has seen tremendous technological advancements. The story follows Naomi Katagaki and Ruri Ichigyou, who share the same interest of being book lovers, but are worlds apart. Naomi meets a mysterious man who also turns out to be Naomi, but ten years from the future.
Naomi tells her current self that he came to change a tragic event that sometimes happens after the former started dating Ruri. Alongside his future self, Naomi hopes to change the course of his destiny to protect the person he cherishes most. Hi world also carries a unique concept of time travel, which differs slightly from your name.
seven) When Marnie Was Here
Anna Sasaki suffers from frequent asthma, but her real constraint stems from her reclusive and reluctant lifestyle. To help with Anna’s condition, she was sent to live in the countryside where she can get clean, fresh air.
After some initial trouble, Anna stumbled upon the strange Marsh House and met a mysterious girl named Marnie, who breathed new life into her. Anna started to come out of her shell and became more jovial around her new friend.
However, there is more to Marnie than meets the eye. That being said, When Marnie Was Here has a setting similar to Your name, because the characters’ lives involve people from their past.
8) Ride your wave
Hinako Mukaimizu is more drawn to her passion for surfing than solidifying her precarious future. One fateful day, her entire apartment was set on fire due to a fireworks accident, but she was saved by a firefighter named Minato Hinageshi. Unsurprisingly, the two later met.
As Hinako is spellbound by Minato’s unique personality and his passion for saving lives, he becomes intrigued by his surfing skills. Ride your wave focuses on Hinako and Minato as they try to move on and learn to fend for themselves. That being said, Ride your wave is somewhat similar to Your name, as the characters must overcome challenges to embrace their true selves.
