6 top award-winning anime films on Netflix to watch

6 award-winning anime films on Netflix you need to check out

Navigating the vast and seemingly infinite world of anime can be a daunting task, with roughly a dozen genres—from Shonen to Shoujo—and a wide range of animation styles. But taste can often be influenced by word-of-mouth, and it’s helpful, even outside the world of anime, to know others have signed off on a film before taking a one or two-hour-long plunge. That’s why we’ve made a list of the six award-winning anime films on Netflix to watch.

With its featured anime, the streaming giant has highlighted some of Japan’s top anime creators, such as Clannad‘s Naoko Yamada, Your Name‘s Makoto Shinkai, and Wolf Children‘s Mamoru Hosoda to name a few. While their animation is memorizing, these stories are more than just pretty moving canvases. The stories are filled with raw themes, touching dialogue, and abstract symbolism for important life lessons.

Whether it’s a disability, war, bullying, or existential enlightenment about the meaning of life, these award-winning stories aim to get down to the core of the human condition and are contenders with even some of Hollywood’s most moving classics.

Both seasoned anime junkies and those looking for a foundation on which to build a new animation addiction can’t go wrong starting with anime that are now receiving high praise on a global scale.

Check out our list of the award-winning anime films on Netflix to watch.