Best Anime Movies Like Your Name

Many anime films that come out of Japan are dramatic tellings of love, loss, and regret designed to tug at the heartstrings of fans all over the world. The stories that bring tears to the eye and leave a warm feeling in one’s heart are the most memorable. Your Name is one such film that was released among a split audience but made an impression nonetheless.

Your Name is a brilliant and vibrant piece of art that will leave viewers yearning for more. Luckily, there is a sea of films that bear great emotional weight that viewers can cry their eyes out over. Stories of unrequited love, love that did not last, and love that never got the chance to bloom. For those who loved Your Name, here are some recommended anime movies to watch.

Updated October 9, 2024, by C.M Edwards: Your Name won the hearts of millions and became one of the most talked about animated films to come out of Japan by the brilliant creators at Comix Wave Films and acclaimed director Makoto Shinkai, who has cemented himself as a master of storytelling. The story sits on the edge of paranormal mystery, as two teenagers find themselves in each other’s bodies halfway across the country from one another. While volatile at first, the journey both characters go on is unique and well-told. Your Name carries themes that many types of fans may enjoy, including those who like slice-of-life series or tragic romance stories. Fans of the film have a large variety of animated films to watch and continue to fill the void that Your Name leaves behind.

24 Summer Ghost

Using The Supernatural For A Solution To Real Problems

A local legend states that only those close to the brink of death can see the specter that haunts a specific area outside the town. Even more, the ghost is said to be able to answer questions for anyone who is able to perceive it. Three young individuals put the legend to the test as their lives slowly dwindle out of their control.

Tomoya, unable to bear the weight of his academic goals, seeks a solution to his problem while his friend Ayo seeks to escape the hardships she endures at the hands of her own peers. Finally, Ryou must face the fact that his life won’t be turning out the way he planned and may be shorter than he thought. All three of these budding adults hope that the Summer Ghost can answer their questions, which may be their last summer together.

23 Fireworks

Sometimes An Escape Needs Some Insanity

Fireworks is a winding tale that follows many paths to one final climax that hopefully goes in the favor of those involved. Norimichi is a young lad looking forward to enjoying the summer with his friends. As they gather together to make plans, they decide to find out if fireworks are flat and viewed from the side. While Norimichi looks out into the days ahead of him with hope and optimism, a young girl named Nazuna feels like she has reached the end of her rope.

Seeking an escape from her situation and neglected home life, Nazuna drafts Norimichi to run away with her. Unfortunately, Nazuna’s foolproof plan proves more dire than staying where she is. With a bit of hope and a little time travel, Norimichio seeks to give Nazuna the ending she deserves and save her summer.

22 The Place Promised In Our Early Days

A Wonderful Tale Of Reaching Past What Can Be Seen

Another great film by ComixWave Films The Place Promised in our Early Days, is a touching story that spins viewers on quite the journey in a muddled world with blurred lines of existence. Two young friends, Fujisawa and Shirakawa, who share the same devotion to a girl, Sawatari, decide to combine their efforts and fly away to a place they could never hope to reach together.

While hope is a strong motivator, life proves that it has other plans for the three individuals, and their dreams fall into the past. Things take a drastic turn, and the only way to turn things around is to turn a dream into reality. This story sits as one of Makoto Shinkai’s early works and shows just how much he’s grown as a storyteller.

21 Voices Of A Distant Star

A Beautiful intergalactic Love Story

Comix Wave Films is an outstanding studio that excels at telling emotionally powerful stories. When two young friends are torn apart by war, emotions run high as they try to hold onto something small with an enormous gap between them.

Voice of a Distant Star is set in a futuristic Japan that has just been pulled into an intergalactic war. This war splits two love birds apart and keeps them out of touch due to time dilation, forcing their interactions to be years apart. The film approaches the idea of how love can overcome all things, including war, distance, and silence.

20 When The Promised Flower Blooms

A Mystical And Whimsical Journey

More often than not, it is the tragedy that leaves an impression on viewers of an animated film, and the tragedy of When the Promised Flower Blooms leaves a deep cut. Set in a mystical fantasy world, Maquia is a member of an immortal race. She feels disconnected from her own people, and often dreams of the outside world away from her homeland.

The outside world finds Maquia and brings fire and chaos when humans attack in an attempt to steal the secret of immortality. Maquia survives and wanders, now completely alone, until she discovers a human child. Out of desperation, she decides to raise the child as her own but is ill-prepared for the responsibility and the difference in their growth.

19 Over The Sky

Lovers Separated By More Than Distance

The supernatural aspect of Over the Sky will attract the attention of many fans of Your Name, and the beautiful animation from Saber Works will keep viewers watching until the end. In the film, young Mio is head over heels for her best friend but cannot muster the strength or courage to tell him.

Mio’s conflicted emotions cause an argument, and the two fall apart. After thinking about it all night, Mio can’t wait for the next day so she can apologize. Unfortunately, on the way, Mio finds herself in a different world after being caught in a car accident. Mio’s journey to not only find a way home but also find herself leads on an emotional journey that viewers will be hooked on until finished.

18 To Me, The One Who Loved You

Teen Romance And Its Struggle

Kiyomi Hidaka is a young man with the world on his shoulders as his parents go through a taxing divorce, which forces him to choose sides. Deciding to live with his father, Kiyomi befriends a young girl going through similar circumstances.

As the two grow closer, a thorn threatens their budding love when their parents become engaged. This story has a sweet story and is a two-parter that can be watched from both perspectives.

17 Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop

Similar Art And Story Elements

Words Bubble Up like Soda Pop is a beautifully directed story that, while simplistic in its plot, excels in the emotional portrayal of romantic relationships and young love. Yui is the main character of the series, who becomes interested in a young girl who seems to have the same social inadequacies as himself. The film follows the ups and downs of both trying to become closer to the other.

16 The Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya

Well-Written Characters

A continuation of the popular series, “The Melancholy Life of Haruhi Suzumiya”, this animated film explores the story further, which is a great watch for veteran fans and newcomers to the series.

A strange, reality-altering phenomenon occurs and leaves Kyon on his own with the life he used to have to be a figment of his imagination. While stunned at first about his situation, Kyon wonders if this may be his second chance at life.

15 Clannad: After Story

Just The Right Type Of Sad

Newcomers and long-time fans of the incredibly popular Clannad series will enjoy this continuation of the story set on the eve of two of the main characters’ high school graduation.

The original Clannad anime tugged at the heartstrings of thousands and explored deep emotional situations where love, sorrow, and regret fill each episode. After Story is a movie that explores the anime further and grants the characters a chance to mature and move on.

14 Wolf Children

A Similarly Strange Romance

Wolf Children is a legendary movie that tells a very dejected story about a young mother raising several ostracized children on her own. While attending college, Hana becomes entangled with a young boy in her class. As the two become close, it is revealed that the boy is not of the same race; however, Hana’s feelings do not falter, and they start a family.

The story begins after the passing of Hana’s lover, leaving her emotionally destroyed and all alone to raise two children and deal with the joy and hardships of her situation.

13 The Anthem Of The Heart

Protagonists With Similar Story Themes

The Anthem of the Heart is a beautifully crafted animated film by A-1 Pictures. The film tells a story of true weight when a young girl is cursed by her own regret after accidentally causing her parents to separate.

Naruse struggles with her guilt, which drags her into a deep depression and causes her view and desire for a fairy tale ending to falter. The story does a fantastic job of displaying emotional weight through music. As Naruse struggles to come to terms with her predicament, a light appears at the end of the tunnel that may give her the happy ending she’s always wanted.

12 Bubble

Similar Supernatural Tones

Bubble is a movie set in a dystopian future where the world has been torn apart by an interstellar invasion of gravity-manipulating beings. Split apart by the fluctuations in gravity, the world nearly implodes on itself but hangs on by a thread. The survivors of the human race now survive by any means possible and live as best they can.

Hibiki, A young boy with a reputation, becomes trapped in a dire situation when he befriends one of the beings that initiated the gravity incident and must aid her to get back to where she belongs before history repeats itself.

11 Josee, The Tiger, And The Fish

Similar Main Character Chemistry

Josee, the Tiger and the Fish is an anime film created by Seiko Tanabe based on his short light novel and produced by the Bones animation studio. The story is a sweet romantic tale following Tsuneo, a struggling university student with dreams of studying abroad.

Tsuneo works several jobs, one of which introduces him to Josse, a young girl confined to a wheelchair. Initially only trying to further his own personal goal, the more time Tsuneo and Josee spend time together, the more they learn about each other’s circumstances. The film is animated stunningly, but more than that, the author truly portrays genuine emotion from the characters, making them more than just pictures on a screen.

10 Weathering With You

An Unconventional Love Story

Weathering with You is a whimsical tale about independence and making one’s own choices. In a rain-ridden city, Hodaka is a struggling teen all on his own, attempting to take care of himself. His life is forever changed when he meets Hina and her brother.

Their fates are intertwined after Hodoka saves Hina from a dangerous situation, and the small group decides to take care of each other. Hina confesses to Hadoka that she is the cause of the rain and that she is to be a human sacrifice to stop it. Hadoka refuses to let her go and implores her to live for herself, but freedom of choice is not freedom without consequence.

9 Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light

For Fans Looking For Another Tear-jerker

A film that will undoubtedly break the hearts of viewers, Hatorubi no Mori e is an anime romance film created by Yuki Midorikawa and produced by Brain’s Base animation studio. The story is a beautiful journey about love and loss. A young girl becomes lost in the forest, but with the help of a spirit in the form of a young boy, she finds her way home.

Wanting to show her appreciation, the young girl promises to come back every summer, even after being warned to stay away. Years pass and the spirit and girl become close and develop feelings for one another. Their wills are put to the test because if the spirit becomes touched by the living, he will disappear.

8 A Silent Voice

Well-Written Character Depth

A Silent Voice is an anime film created by Yoshitoki Ōima. It is a beautifully told drama about social pressures, emotional trauma, humanity, and reconciliation. The story follows Shouya, a former school bully turned outcast after a prank goes wrong after assaulting a fellow classmate with a disability, Shouko.

The shoe is put on the other foot when Shouya develops his own personal disadvantage in the form of crippling insecurities stemming from his guilt. Fans follow Shouya as he tries to atone and reunite with Shouko and all the friends he lost along the way.

7 I Want To Eat Your Pancreas

Struggling Main Character Who Learns To Love

I Want to Eat Your Pancreas tells the story of the short time Shiga Haruki and Sakura Yamauchi spend together after meeting by happenstance. The two teens spend many days together, and while Shiga is a very reserved and introverted individual, Sakura’s opposite personality of bright and cheerful buoyancy forces him out of his shell.

The bond between the two strengthens, and feelings take root, but as both slowly find that life is valuable and must be held onto with both hands, their time together slowly comes to an end. I Want to Eat Your Pancreas was created by Youru Somino.

6 Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

Another Romance Between Lives

The Flower We Saw That Day is a film produced and created by the studio Super Peace Busters. The story follows a group of friends that have fallen apart, mainly focusing on Jinta Yodami, who is struggling with his life having turned into a NEET.

Jinta is pushed to get back into living and reconnect with his friends by the ghost of his deceased friend, Meiko Hanma, who perished in a terrible accident. While the story was initially released in a series format, it was later developed into a feature film. The story focuses on the trouble of not dealing with grief and holding onto and hiding from pain and has slice-of-life aspects.

5 5 Centimeters Per Second

Beautiful Direction

5 Centimeters per Second is an anime film created by Makoto Shinkai. It is a romance tale crossing over several years, mainly between two main characters. The first chapter follows Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara, two high school students who enter a relationship as they become closer. The second chapter involves the same two lovers as they deal with the struggles of dealing with a long-distance relationship and introduces somewhat of a love triangle.

The final chapter deals with the finality of moving on as the relationship has ended and several years have passed but explores how not dealing with or reconciling with emotion can cause severe withdrawal in a person’s life. 5 Centimeters per Second is a stunningly told film that goes deep into the foundations of love and emotional health.