These films often go beyond fantasy or sci-fi elements, telling stories that deal with real and relatable struggles, such as aging, family, endurance, and love, while others stand out for bold explorations of psychological horror, wartime hardships, and philosophical questions.
Animated films that deal with heavier themes, such as these, are best suited to a mature audience and are far more rewarding for adults. Every grown fan needs to watch these thrilling and moving films at least once in their adulthood.
Chainsaw Man: The Reze Arc
Chainsaw Man: The Reze Arc is not only the newest film on this list, but also the only one that follows an anime series. The movie follows Denji as he encounters Reze, a mysterious young woman who is secretly tasked with stealing his heart. Their connection deepens over the course of the film, culminating in intense, action-packed sequences and heavy emotional moments.
Despite following the first season, Reze Arc can be watched as a standalone film as it’s largely a self-contained storyline within the series. However, to better understand the characters and their relationships, it’s highly recommended to watch the first season.
That said, the film stands out for its gorgeous animation and soundtrack. Denji and Reze’s connection is tragic and visceral yet beautifully explored. Reze Arc is best suited for mature viewers and is filled with graphic and emotionally charged content.
Grave of the Fireflies
Grave of the Fireflies centers on Seita, a teenage boy, and his younger sister Setsuko as they try to survive in Japan during the closing months of World War II. After an American firebombing destroys their home and kills their mother, the siblings move in with their relative before settling down in an abandoned bunker.
Seita and Setsuko try to find moments of happiness whenever they can as they ration meals, scavenge for food, and continuously try to stay warm and cared for. The film has an undercurrent of pain and sadness throughout the story from the war; however, Seita and Setsuko’s resilience shines through, offering warm moments before the tragic finale.
In This Corner of the World
In This Corner of the World is another film set during World War II. The story follows Suzu, a young woman from Hiroshima who married into a family in the naval city of Kure. She manages a household amid rationing, frequent air raids, and personal loss, demonstrating the toll of war on civilians while also sharing their strength and resilience.
The film is most known for its realistic portrayal of life during the war and its beautiful watercolor backgrounds. In This Corner of the World won numerous awards for its focus on daily life during wartime in Japan, often applauded for its depth and emotional impact.
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms centers around the titular character, Maquia, a long-lived Iorph whose appearance remains youthful as they stop aging in their teens. She lives a peaceful life with her people until her homeland is destroyed, leaving her alone until she discovers an orphaned infant, Ariel, whom she decides to raise as her own.
The story centers on the passage of time, exploring themes of motherhood and immortality as Maquia watches Ariel grow older while she remains the same.
Their life together begins peacefully, with only tangible struggles such as feeding Ariel and finding places to live where Maquia’s true identity won’t be discovered. The story centers on the passage of time, exploring themes of motherhood and immortality as Maquia watches Ariel grow older while she remains the same.
The Wind Rises
The Wind Rises follows Jiro Horikoshi, a nearsighted boy with dreams of designing airplanes, who grows into a skilled engineer who shapes some of Japan’s most advanced aircraft. Throughout his life, he struggles through the Great Depression, natural disasters, and illness, all while facing the reality that his passion to create is also being used to serve in the war.
Jiro constantly pours care into every design he makes, particularly the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter plane. However, he must also carry the weight of destruction behind his designs. The Wind Rises is a slow-paced film that explores anti-war themes and moral compromises, and stands out as one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal works.
Only Yesterday
Only Yesterday follows Taeko, a 27-year-old office worker from Tokyo who travels to the countryside to assist with the safflower harvest. During her trip, she reflects on her 10-year-old self, remembering school, family, and the early experiences that shaped her life. These flashbacks are seamlessly blended with the present, showing how her childhood has shaped her and her perception of the world.
The film stands out among Ghibli’s works as a slow-paced, introspective film that is beautifully directed and animated. Only Yesterday is a mature, realistic exploration of growth, memory, and nostalgia. Its themes are universal and incredibly moving, making it a must-watch anime film that fans should experience if they haven’t yet.
Paprika
Paprika centers on Dr. Atsuko Chiba, a therapist who enters patients’ dreams using the experimental DC Mini device under her alter-ego Paprika. However, when the DC Mini is stolen, the boundaries between the real and dream worlds begin to collapse, forcing Paprika to find the dream terrorist before the damage becomes irreversible.
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Paprika is a high-stakes sci-fi thriller best known for its surreal animation and mind-bending themes. It explores the subconscious, identity, and the impact of technology on one’s psyche. The film is nothing short of a masterpiece, directly aimed at older, mature audiences.
Perfect Blue
Perfect Blue follows Mima Kirigoe, a pop idol who leaves her music career behind to pursue acting, only to find herself spiraling as she’s stalked by an obsessive fan and tormented by a mysterious online version of herself. Mima’s identity fractures as she assumes mature roles, torn between her present self and visions of her life as an idol.
The film is packed with tension and suspense as Mima leads viewers through her distorted worldview, which constantly shifts between perception and reality. Perfect Blue is a must-watch psychological horror that explores identity, the dark side of fame, and the line between reality and fantasy.
Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, a nearly fully cybernetic security officer, as she tracks down a hacker known as the Puppet Master, who can hack into the minds of cyborg-human hybrids. As she investigates, Kusanagi confronts questions regarding her own consciousness and identity.
The film is a renowned classic that is action-packed and filled with philosophical questions that dive into memory, agency, and the lines between human and machine. Ghost in the Shell set a high standard for animation quality, standing out as an anime film far ahead of its time.
Akira
Akira is another classic anime film that centers on Shotaro Kaneda, a biker gang leader in the dystopian city of Neo-Tokyo, as he struggles to save his friend, Tetsuo Shima. After a motorcycle accident, Tetsuo gains uncontrollable telekinetic powers that threaten the city and risk awakening a destructive psychic entity known as Akira.
The film is best known for its tense action scenes, groundbreaking animation, and its role in popularizing anime and cyberpunk in the West. Akira is filled with heavy themes that deal with the consequences of unchecked power and political corruption in a dystopian, post-industrial society.