Hey fellow anime fanatics! 👋 We all know the big hitters like Spirited Away, Your Name, and A Silent Voice — but what about those underrated anime movies flying under the radar, quietly stealing hearts and wrecking souls?
If you’re hungry for emotional rollercoasters, stunning animation, and stories that hit you right in the feels (without everyone and their grandma watching), you’re in the right place.
I’ve rounded up the top 9 most underrated anime movies everyone should watch — from magical forests and ghostly romances to time-traveling bassists and talking cats (yep, really). These movies may not have blown up on your radar yet, but trust me, they deserve a prime spot on your watchlist ASAP.
So grab your tissues, your favorite snack, and maybe a cat plushie — it’s about to get emotional, magical, and beautifully underrated. Let’s dive in!
1. Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
(a.k.a. Journey to Agartha – because who doesn’t love an alternate name for extra mystique?)
- 📅 Release Year: 2011
- 🎭 Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Drama
- 🎬 Director: Makoto Shinkai (Yes, Your Name guy – but this one’s his Ghibli phase)
- 🏢 Studio: CoMix Wave Films
🎒 Why You Should Watch This
Okay, imagine this: Studio Ghibli vibes, Makoto Shinkai visuals, and a mystical underworld journey that feels like a mash-up of Laputa and Your Name. That’s Children Who Chase Lost Voices.
The story follows Asuna, a curious and lonely girl who stumbles upon a hidden world called Agartha — a land of ancient gods, lost civilizations, and emotional baggage so heavy even your therapist might flinch. It’s about love, loss, and the very human desire to reconnect with the ones we’ve lost — all wrapped in jaw-dropping backgrounds and epic fantasy landscapes.
If you’re only watching Shinkai for his love stories, you’re sleeping on this full-blown adventure fantasy. It’s criminally underrated, and honestly, the kind of film that makes you want to pack your bags and go looking for a secret magical world under your backyard.
2. In This Corner of the World (2016)
(Not just another WWII anime — it’s a heart-wrenching slice of life you won’t forget.)
- 📅 Release Year: 2016
- 🎭 Genre: Historical, Drama, Slice of Life
- 🎬 Director: Sunao Katabuchi
- 🏢 Studio: MAPPA (Yes, Attack on Titan MAPPA, but this ain’t about Titans — it’s about tenderness.)
🖌️ Why You Should Watch This
Set in Hiroshima during World War II, this movie doesn’t throw the war at your face with explosions. Instead, it zooms in on Suzu, a sweet, daydreamy girl who just wants to draw, cook, and live a peaceful life — even as the world around her starts to crumble.
It’s beautifully subtle. The animation style? Soft and watercolor-like — almost like you’re watching Suzu’s sketches come to life. But don’t be fooled by the pastel colors — this film will wreck you emotionally in the best possible way.
What makes it underrated is how it delivers such powerful anti-war commentary without shouting. It’s about resilience, daily life during chaos, and how ordinary people become extraordinary just by surviving.
If Grave of the Fireflies left you a sobbing mess, In This Corner of the World will do it with a gentler touch — but it’ll stay with you just as long. And yes, tissues are still required.
3. Mirai (2018)
(A wild, whimsical family trip through time — starring a grumpy little kid and his baby sister.)
- 📅 Release Year: 2018
- 🎭 Genre: Fantasy, Slice of Life, Family
- 🎬 Director: Mamoru Hosoda (aka the other GOAT alongside Shinkai)
- 🏢 Studio: Studio Chizu
👶 Why You Should Watch This
You ever get jealous of a younger sibling? Kun, a 4-year-old boy, sure does — especially after baby Mirai arrives and “steals” the spotlight. But then… BOOM! Time-travel hijinks. Kun starts meeting different versions of his family members — past and future — including a teenage version of baby Mirai (yes, it’s weird and amazing).
It’s a small story with big heart. Instead of fighting demons or saving the world, Mirai explores growing up, sibling dynamics, and understanding your roots in the most magical way possible. And it does all this with gorgeous visuals, clever time-jumps, and that unique Hosoda blend of realism and fantasy.
Bonus? It was nominated for an Oscar (Best Animated Feature), yet anime fans barely talk about it. Seriously — if you skipped this one thinking it’s just a “kids’ movie,” think again. It’s a soul-hug wrapped in animated charm, and it might just make you wanna call your grandparents.
4. To the Forest of Firefly Lights (2011)
(Short. Sweet. Soul-crushing. You’re welcome.)
- 📅 Release Year: 2011
- 🎭 Genre: Romance, Supernatural, Drama
- 🎬 Director: Takahiro Omori
- 🏢 Studio: Brain’s Base
🕯️ Why You Should Watch This
Imagine meeting a boy in the forest who wears a mask and tells you, “If you touch me, I’ll disappear.” Now imagine growing up together — summer after summer — falling in love, knowing you can never touch. Yep, welcome to emotional pain: the movie.
This gem is based on a short manga by Natsume’s Book of Friends author Yuki Midorikawa, so expect beautiful storytelling with a hauntingly gentle tone. It’s only 44 minutes long, but don’t let the runtime fool you — it will wreck your heart and stitch it back up with threads of moonlight and melancholy.
Why’s it underrated? Because people often brush it off as “just a short film.” But anime veterans know: this is a rite of passage. If you liked Your Name, A Silent Voice, or cried during any Studio Ghibli moment… this is mandatory viewing.
Oh, and that ending? Prepare to scream into the void.
5. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day – The Movie (2013)
(Grab tissues. Then more tissues. You’re not ready.)
- 📅 Release Year: 2013
- 🎭 Genre: Drama, Slice of Life, Supernatural, Tearbending™
- 🎬 Director: Tatsuyuki Nagai
- 🏢 Studio: A-1 Pictures
🌸 Why You Should Watch This
So here’s the deal: if you’ve seen the series, this movie is the emotional closure you didn’t know you needed. If you haven’t — well, do yourself a favor and watch both. The film acts as a retrospective, told from the POV of our grown-up cast, as they reflect on their shared trauma, their lost childhood, and… Menma.
Menma is that one ghost girl who shows up years after her death to remind her childhood friends that grief doesn’t just fade — it lingers, awkward and unresolved. The movie retells parts of the anime, but also dives deeper into each character’s emotional growth.
The reason it’s underrated? Most folks see it as “just a recap.” It’s not. It’s a gut-punch epilogue with new scenes, heartfelt letters, and an ending so cathartic you’ll want to write apology texts to every childhood friend you lost touch with.
In short: Watch this if you want to cry, heal, then cry some more. And maybe scream “Menma… we found you!” just for the catharsis.
6. The Anthem of the Heart (2015)
(When your heart’s too full of emotions… so you literally lose your voice. Yep. This one’s a ride.)
- 📅 Release Year: 2015
- 🎭 Genre: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Musical
- 🎬 Director: Tatsuyuki Nagai (yes, the Anohana legend again!)
- 🏢 Studio: A-1 Pictures
🎼 Why You Should Watch This
Meet Jun Naruse — a bubbly, dramatic girl who loves fairy tales. Until one day, she says too much, a family breaks, and she gets cursed by a magical egg (yes, a literal egg) that seals her voice. Fast-forward to high school: she’s voiceless, emotionally bottled-up, and tossed into a group musical project where singing might just be her salvation.
It sounds weird — because it is. But it’s also deeply moving, exploring how guilt, trauma, and unspoken feelings can cage someone’s heart. This movie is like a healing anthem for every introvert who’s ever struggled to say what they really mean.
And yes — there’s singing. Beautiful, heartfelt, tears-rolling-down-your-face kind of singing. Think of it as Anohana meets High School Musical, but with more emotional devastation and less choreo.
Why is it underrated? Maybe because people don’t know what to expect from a drama-musical hybrid. But honestly? This one sneaks up on you. It’s raw, honest, and by the end, you’ll wish you could hug your younger self and say, “It’s okay to speak up.”
What’s the next underappreciated emotional gut-punch or hidden anime delight? Let’s keep it rolling — your list is already top-tier. 🎤😭💫
7. A Whisker Away (2020)
(Turning into a cat for love? Peak anime logic. We approve.)
- 📅 Release Year: 2020
- 🎭 Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Drama
- 🎬 Director: Junichi Satou & Tomotaka Shibayama
- 🏢 Studio: Studio Colorido (Same folks behind Penguin Highway and Burn the Witch)
🐱 Why You Should Watch This
Miyo Sasaki is a chaotic, bubbly girl with a not-so-subtle crush on her quiet classmate Kento. Normal route: confession. Anime route: acquire a magical mask, transform into a cat named Tarō, and sneak into his life — because, obviously, that’s not weird at all. 🐈💘
But what starts as a quirky rom-com setup slowly unfolds into something deeper. Miyo’s hiding a lot behind that hyper smile — emotional neglect, identity confusion, and a growing desire to escape her human life altogether. And that’s where the mask gets dangerous…
The animation? Whimsical and warm. The story? A fantasy coming-of-age tale with just the right sprinkle of sadness and self-discovery. And let’s be honest — who hasn’t thought about becoming a cat and yeeting away from responsibility?
Why’s it underrated? Probably because it launched mid-pandemic on Netflix and got lost in the shuffle. But trust us: this movie is a feline-flavored metaphor for self-worth and learning to face your feelings — claws and all.
8. Her Blue Sky (2019)
(Childhood trauma, emotional ghosts, and one heck of a bassline — welcome to your next underrated obsession.)
- 📅 Release Year: 2019
- 🎭 Genre: Supernatural, Drama, Romance
- 🎬 Director: Tatsuyuki Nagai (yup, Anohana and Anthem of the Heart — this man LOVES to emotionally wreck us)
- 🏢 Studio: CloverWorks
🎸 Why You Should Watch This
This is peak “emotions you didn’t know you had until anime awakened them” content. Her Blue Sky follows Aoi, a high school girl who dreams of becoming a bassist and escaping her small town. But when her older sister’s ex — a musician who left them years ago — returns alongside his ghostly younger self, things get very time-wibbly-wobbly and very emotionally complicated.
Yeah. There’s two versions of the same guy. One alive, one kind of…a spiritual echo from the past. It’s weird. It’s heartfelt. It’s anime logic at its finest.
But beneath the supernatural twist is a deeply grounded story about family sacrifices, broken dreams, unresolved regrets, and the courage it takes to move forward. The music? Phenomenal. The animation? Absolutely gorgeous. And the vibes? Pure bittersweet banger.
Why’s it underrated? Honestly, it got overshadowed by bigger names around its release and didn’t get an international spotlight it absolutely deserved. But if you’re a fan of emotional realism wrapped in ghostly metaphor — you need this in your watchlist.
9. Flavors of Youth (2018)
(Three tales, three cities, infinite feelings. And yes — you will crave noodles.)
- 📅 Release Year: 2018
- 🎭 Genre: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life
- 🎬 Directors: Li Haoling, Jiaoshou Yi Xiaoxing, Yoshitaka Takeuchi
- 🏢 Studios: CoMix Wave Films × Haoliners Animation League
🍜 Why You Should Watch This
This one’s a triptych — three short films set in different cities of China, each exploring youth, memory, and the fleeting beauty of ordinary life.
- “The Rice Noodles” hits you with food nostalgia so hard, you’ll swear you can smell the broth.
- “A Little Fashion Show” tackles sisterhood, self-worth, and runway dreams with quiet elegance.
- “Love in Shanghai” brings in the romance gut-punch with cassette tapes, missed chances, and time’s cruel march.
The animation? Classic CoMix Wave Films magic — soft, glowing, emotionally drenched visuals. The storytelling? Reflective and mature, more focused on vibe and memory than plot twists. It’s like flipping through a photo album while sipping tea on a rainy day.
Why’s it underrated? Because it doesn’t shout. It whispers. And in a world where loud, flashy anime dominate the charts, this quiet reflection on growing up and growing apart got buried in the Netflix scroll abyss. But it’s absolutely worth digging out.
Watch it when you’re in your feelings, when you miss the past, or when you want something short, sweet, and soul-nourishing.
Wrapping UP
There you have it — 9 underrated anime movies that prove you don’t have to be a blockbuster to be unforgettable. Whether you’re a hardcore weeb or a casual binge-watcher, these hidden gems will give your soul the anime therapy it didn’t know it needed.
So, what are you waiting for? Hit play, and get ready for a wild ride of nostalgia, heartbreak, laughter, and maybe just a little existential dread (but the good kind).
If you’ve already seen some of these or have other underrated favorites, drop them in the comments below! Sharing is caring in the anime community, after all.
Stay nerdy, stay passionate, and keep those anime tears flowing! 🌸🍜🐾
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