Best Anime & Films From Japan: All 28 Lists

Ten anime that genuinely made me cry, chosen by a lifelong otaku in Japan — from Violet Evergarden to Look Back. Includes where each one streams in the US as of July 2026.

Comedy travels badly across languages, so here are ten anime that actually land — picked by a fan in Japan, with current US streaming info for each.

Ten anime chosen for the single moment they pay off, picked by a fan in Japan, from Fullmetal Alchemist to Orb. How Japanese storytelling builds a chills moment, with US streaming info.

Ten Japanese stories that pull the floor out, picked by a fan in Japan. No spoilers, just where the turn happens and how far in. From Odd Taxi to Madoka Magica, with US streaming info.

Ten Japanese stories built around the release, picked by a fan in Japan, from Shin Godzilla to Rurouni Kenshin. Why the setup matters more than the payoff, with current US streaming info.

Ten comfort-watch anime picked by a fan in Japan, from Barakamon to Totoro. No stakes, no despair — just shows that make the evening softer, with current US streaming info.

Ten Japanese stories that refuse to settle, picked by a fan in Japan: Death Note, Monster, PLUTO, Tokyo Story, Rashomon and more, with current US streaming info for each.

Ten Japanese stories built to flatten you, picked by a fan in Japan, from Grave of the Fireflies to Takopi's Original Sin. Content warnings included, plus current US streaming info.

Ten Japanese stories chosen for the last five minutes, picked by a fan in Japan, from Seven Samurai to Frieren. What each one leaves in the room after the credits, with US streaming info.

Nine live-action Japanese horror films picked by a fan in Japan: the videotape, the hypnotist, the leaking ceiling, the endless corridor, and the zombie comedy that tricks you first. Honest reasons and US streaming info.

Ten Japanese character studies picked by a fan in Japan, from Violet Evergarden to Evangelion. The genre with no mechanism, judged only on whether a person changes credibly. With US streaming info.

Ten fantasy anime picked by a fan in Japan, from Fullmetal Alchemist to Frieren. Why Japanese fantasy feels different from Western fantasy, plus current US streaming info.

Ten action anime chosen for animation quality, not hype — picked by a fan in Japan, from Ghost in the Shell to Samurai Champloo, with current US streaming info.

Ten Japanese science fiction picks from a fan in Japan: Steins;Gate, Akira, PLUTO, Shin Godzilla and more. Why Japanese SF is about the morning after, plus current US streaming info.

Ten mystery anime sorted by the kind of puzzle they are, picked by a fan in Japan: Death Note, Monster, Hyouka, Perfect Blue and more, with current US streaming info for each.

Ten comedy anime picked by a fan in Japan, sorted by how the joke is built: manzai timing, gag density, parody. From Gintama to Eizouken, with current US streaming info.

Ten period pieces picked by a fan in Japan, from Golden Kamuy and The Apothecary Diaries to Mizoguchi and Kurosawa. What Japanese historical fiction is actually arguing about, with US streaming info.

Ten Japanese crime stories picked by a fan in Japan, from Odd Taxi and Psycho-Pass to Kurosawa's High and Low. Why the yakuza film is really about hierarchy, plus US streaming info.

Ten adventure anime picked by a fan in Japan, from Spirited Away to The Twelve Kingdoms. Why Japanese adventure is about the walking rather than the destination, with US streaming info.

Ten Japanese horror anime and films picked by a fan in Japan: a medicine seller who must name a spirit before killing it, a sealed village past a real haunted tunnel, and a zombie apocalypse that reads as freedom. Honest reasons and US streaming info.

Ten romance anime picked by a fan in Japan: a confession war between two geniuses, a host club that names every shojo archetype out loud, and two people who can only talk through a fighting game. Honest reasons and US streaming info.

Ten sports anime picked by a fan in Japan for what they get right about the body doing the work, from Haikyu!! to Ping Pong, plus a sumo drama and a 1964 documentary. With US streaming info.

Ten music anime picked by a fan in Japan: a bassist too anxious to look at the audience, a jazz trio in Tokyo, a wind ensemble duet about a goodbye, and a band formed inside a Catholic school. Honest reasons and US streaming info.

Ten Japanese war films and anime picked by a fan in Japan: Hiroshima five years on, a private starving in the Philippines, a home front held together by one mother, and a galactic war about political philosophy. Honest reasons and US streaming info.

Ten Japanese disaster and survival titles picked by a fan in Japan: three Godzilla films that are really about civil defence, a bomb on a Shinkansen, and a classroom playing red light green light for its life. Honest reasons and US streaming info.

Ten violent Japanese films and anime picked by a fan in Japan: Kitano's flat, sudden cruelty, Miike at his most confrontational, a class ordered to kill each other, and a boy who can see what he is inheriting. Honest reasons and US streaming info.

Nine Japanese true-story films and series picked by a fan in Japan: Kore-eda's Nobody Knows, Miyazaki's only biopic, a guide dog's working life, and the radical left eating itself. Honest reasons and US streaming info for each.

Ten Japanese work stories picked by a fan in Japan: an astronaut selection exam, a toilet cleaner in Shibuya, an undertaker, a film editor and a body run like a logistics company. Honest reasons and US streaming info for each.