15+ Award Winning Anime (Recommendations)

Updated August 11, 2022 by Ernie

Anime is often a misunderstood genre, with people underestimating its impact on entertainment. There are outstanding anime series and films out there, and they should be taken just as seriously as non-anime entertainment.

Let’s have a look at 16 Award Winning Anime that proves this!

P.S.: You might also want to check out Badass Dark Anime with OP MC 😉

 

ANIME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT BAGGED AWARDS

 

16. Spirited Away

INFORMATION
Title	Spirited Away
Genre	Fantasy
Type	Film
Studio	Studio Ghibli
Premiered	20 July 2001
Episode Count	n/a
Duration	125 mins

We start the list with one of the most recognized anime films of all time. Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro Ogino, a ten-year-old girl whose parents are turned into pigs by the witch Yubaba. They moved to a part of the Kami world, which is the home of spirits.  Chihiro must work for Yubaba, to try and find a way to save her parents and escape back to the world of humans.

Spirited Away has a list of awards, not only in Japan. It is also popular with both anime and non-anime fans.

 

15. Howl’s Moving Castle

INFORMATION
Title	Howl’s Moving Castle
Genre	Fantasy, Adventure
Type	Film
Studio	Studio Ghibli
Premiered	2004 (Japan)
Episode Count	1
Duration	119 mins

Howl’s Moving Castle is another award winning anime film from the genius of Studio Ghibli.

Set in a world where magic and 20th Century technology mix, there is a steampunk vibe to this film. The main character, Sophie, is a young girl who when cursed by a witch turns into an old woman. When she meets the wizard Howl, she joins his fight to defend their kingdom from invaders.

There is a big anti-war message in this film, as a protest against the war in Iraq. It also looks at aging in a positive way with some added feminism concepts thrown in. It is a powerful film and worth a watch.

 

14. Evangelion: 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone

INFORMATION
Title	Evangelion: 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone
Genre	Action, Drama, Sci-fi
Type	Film
Studio	Gaina, Khara Corporation
Premiered	2007
Episode Count	1
Duration	98 mins

Evangelion: 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone is a retelling of episodes 1-6 of the original Evangelion series.

When Shinji Ikari is called to Tokyo-3 to meet his father, he heads to his father’s organization’s headquarters, NERV. As he arrives, Tokyo-3 is attacked by an entity known as the Fourth Angel. NERV has created a robot, Evangelion Unit-01 to deal with Angels when they attack. Shinji’s father insists that Shinji is the only person who can pilot Unit-01.

The story follows Shinji and Unit-01 and their battles against the Angels, as they keep coming!

 

13. Ponyo

INFORMATION
Title	Ponyo
Genre	Adventure
Type	Film
Studio	Studio Ghibli
Premiered	2008
Episode Count	1
Duration	101 min

Ponyo is another anime film from Studio Ghibli. Released in 2008, it went on to become the fifth highest earning anime film of all time.

Ponyo hitches a ride on a jellyfish but ends up in a jar washed up onto the shore. Sosuke, a five-year-old boy, rescues her and names her Ponyo.

Ponyo wants to become a human girl and can use magic to force herself into that form, however, it has consequences for the human world. A tsunami devastates the area and nature is thrown off balance by her magic.

To get nature back into balance and allow Ponyo to get her wish, Sosuke must complete a test set for him.

 

12. The Secret World of Arrietty

INFORMATION
Title	The Secret World of Arrietty
Genre	Adventure Drama
Type	Film
Studio	Studio Ghibli
Premiered	2010
Episode Count	1
Duration	95 mins

The Secret World of Arrietty is another Studio Ghibli masterpiece. For me, this was an amazing flashback to my own childhood when my grandmother would read me, The Borrowers by Mary Norton, the book this is based on. 

The story is set around the lives of the Clock Family. Standing at just 4 inches tall, they live in hiding in the house of Sadako staying out of sight.

Sho lives with his great aunt Sadako, and one day he sees Arrietty, the daughter of the Clock family. Instead of hiding, Arrietty forms a friendly relationship with Sho, and all is well until Sadako’s maid gets suspicious and tries to trap Arrietty.

The Clock family are now faced with the choice of fleeing their home or risking discovery. This is a lovely, classic story and well worth a watch.

 

11. Wolf Children

INFORMATION
Title	Wolf Children
Genre	Fantasy
Type	Film
Studio	Studio Chizu
Premiered	2012
Episode Count	1
Duration	117 mins

Wolf Children is an anime film, which tackles the feeling of belongingness. Hana loses her partner, who is also a werewolf, whilst he is hunting for food. Left behind with her two children Yuki and Abe, who are both werewolves, Hana must work out how to raise them whilst also protecting them from the world.

Yuki and Abe grow to develop their own opinions on their place in the world and disagree on whether they are more wolf or human. Hana realizes her children must find their own place in the world and as they grow, they both find very different paths as they each embrace the side of their lives that they feel drawn to.

 

10. Attack on Titan

INFORMATION
Title	Attack on Titan
Genre	Action, Dark Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	S1-3 Wit Studio S4-Mappa
Premiered	2013
Episode Count	87 (as of April 2022)
Duration	24 mins

Attack on Titan is one of the most popular anime series out there. Known for its gripping story and violence, it has been a consistent award winner since its release in 2013.

Set in the fictional country of Paradis, residents live in reasonable safety behind huge walls, which protect them from the titans who roam outside the walls. Main characters Eren, Mikasa and Armin join the scouts, tasked with wiping out the titans following the breach of Wall Maria and the death of Eren’s mother.

The characters are well written, and fans often have strong opinions on favorite characters. Personally, I am team Levi Ackermann and Hange Zoe.

 

9. Shirobako

INFORMATION
Title	Shirobako
Genre	Slice of Life/Comedy
Type	Series
Studio	P.A. Works
Premiered	2014
Episode Count	24
Duration	25 mins

Shirobako follows the life of Aoi Miyamori and four of her friends, Ema Yashuhara, Shizuka Sakaki, Misa Todo, and Midori Imai. The girls are members of the school’s animation club and when the story picks up, Aoi and Ema are working for an animation company as a production assistant and animator.

The series focuses mainly on Aoi and her journey as she works on two different anime projects—overcoming problems as she goes.

 

18. Yuri On Ice

INFORMATION
Title	Yuri!!! On Ice
Genre	Comedy/Sport/Romance
Type	Series
Studio	MAPPA
Premiered	2017
Episode Count	12
Duration	23 mins

Yuri!!! On Ice is one of my all-time favorite anime and I could easily use up my word count on it!!

Yuri Katsuki is a world-class ice skater who, following a disastrous competition, considers retiring. His idol, Russian ice skater Victor Nikiforov, sees Katsuki skate one of his routines and gives up his own skating journey to coach Katsuki.

Added to the mix is Yuri Plisetsky (Yurio), a 15-year-old Russian skating prodigy, who Victor also promised to coach. Victor designs programs for them both and along with skaters from around the world, the pair head off to compete. Both are determined to win!

Yuri!!! On Ice is a groundbreaking anime as it features a same-sex couple in Katsuki and Nikiforov, and there is an underlying hint of a relationship building all the way through the story.

 

7. A Silent Voice

INFORMATION
Title	A Silent Voice
Genre	Drama
Type	Film
Studio	Kyoto Animation
Premiered	2016
Episode Count	1
Duration	130 mins

A Silent Voice tells the story of two people drawn together by past trauma.

Shoya Ishida is in a bad place and seeing nothing to live for, decides to “tie up loose ends” before the end. The story then flashes back to his life at school where he gained a reputation as a bully—not entirely unfounded!

Shoya and his friends made the life of Shoko Nishimiya a misery, bullying her because she is deaf. This leads to a fight between the two and the transfer of Shoko to another school. Branded a bully, Shoya is made an outcast.

His loose end includes returning a notebook of sign language to Shoko. He discovers Shoko sees what happened as her own fault and the film looks at how different perspectives of life can affect people in awful ways and how healing is possible, in time.

 

6. Zombieland Saga

INFORMATION
Title	Zombie Land Saga
Genre	Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	MAPPA
Premiered	2018
Episode Count	24
Duration	23 mins

Sakura Minamoto wants to be an idol, but life has other plans and, on the way to post her application, she is killed by a truck.

Ten years later she is brought back as a zombie, together with six other girls who are from different eras but were legendary in their time. Kotaro Tatsumi wants to give Saga Prefecture a boost by creating an all-girl zombie idol group, which comes with its own issues!

To protect them from the “prejudices” of the public against zombies (not entirely unreasonable!!), the girls and Tatsumi do their best to not let their true natures show, which is easier said than done!

A Silent Voice managed to cross into mainstream cinema which is always a massive achievement.

 

5. Weathering With You

INFORMATION
Title	Weathering With You
Genre	Fantasy/Romance
Type	Film
Studio	Comix Wave Films
Premiered	2019
Episode Count	1
Duration	112 mins

Determined to leave his old life behind, Hodaka Morishima leaves the Kozu-shima area. On the way from the island, extreme weather hits the ferry, and Hodaka is rescued by Keisuke Suga, owner of a small magazine which investigates urban myths. They are currently looking at the legend of the Sunshine Girl who can control the weather.

Hodaka meets Hina Amano who turns out to be the very girl they are looking for!  Drawn into her life, Hodaka must overcome his own personal traumas to try and save Hina and restore the balance of nature before it gets out of control.

 

4. Demon Slayer

INFORMATION
Title	Demon Slayer
Genre	Fantasy Action
Type	Series
Studio	Ufotable
Premiered	2019
Episode Count	44
Duration	23 minutes

Demon Slayer has grown to be an extremely popular anime. Taking place in the Taisho era of Japan, the series tells the story of the battle between demons and the Demon Slayer Corps.

Demons were once human. They were turned into demons by Muza Kibutsuji, who injected them with his own blood. Being a demon gives them supernatural powers, including being able to regenerate and possess extreme strength. However, they do have weaknesses and the Demon Corp uses those to their advantage. Demons can be killed by sunlight, wisteria flowers (highly poisonous for demons), and decapitation with a Sun Steel alloy.

For Tanjiro Kamado, his quest to become a Demon Slayer is personal. He wants revenge on the deaths of his family and to find a cure for his sister, Nezuko who is turned into a demon. She still shows signs of humanity so maybe there is hope for the humans yet!

Demon Slayer is an extremely popular series with amazing characters and a great story.

 

3. Violet Evergarden: The Movie

INFORMATION
Title	Violet Evergarden: The Movie
Genre	Drama/Fantasy/Romance
Type	Film
Studio	Kyoto Animation
Premiered	2020
Episode Count	1
Duration	140 mins

Violet Evergarden is an incredible anime series, and the movie carries on with the story. When Daisy, the granddaughter of Anne Magnolia, finds some letters written by Violet, she becomes fascinated by the legends surrounding Violet Evergarden.

The movie takes us 50 years back into the past when Violet was writing letters for a boy with a terminal illness to go to his family. When Claudia Hodgins finds a letter written by Gilbert Bougainvillea, they set off to find him, as up til now they believed he was dead.

The movie shows a story of lost love and a journey to reclaim it, told through a girl’s curiosity about a woman of legend. All in all, ir’s one of the Best Drama Anime.

 

2. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

INFORMATION
Title	Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
Genre	Slice of Life
Type	Series
Studio	Science SARU
Premiered	2020
Episode Count	12
Duration	25 mins

If you watch a lot of anime, you will probably understand Aidori Asakusa’s passion for all things anime. Aidori believes, however, that the concept of an anime is the most important thing. As a result, she spends most of her time drawing in her notebook but doesn’t get around to creating the anime!

Enter Sayaka Kanamori and Tsubame Mizusaki, who join Aidori to create an animation club at their school. The goal is to make an “ultimate world” that, for now, only exists in their minds. This is a wonderful anime for showing how fiction can fit into a person’s world.

 

1. Jujutsu Kaisen

INFORMATION
Title	Jujutsu Kaisen
Genre	Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	MAPPA
Premiered	2020
Episode Count	24
Duration	24 mins

Jujutsu Kaisen is an incredibly popular anime series and is based on a popular manga.

Jujutsu Sorcerers hunt down Curses which are created from Cursed Energy released by negativity.

Curses are a type of spirit whose only aim is to harm humans. Sorcerers use Cursed Techniques to destroy them, some are more powerful than others hence the battles are intense. The series has interesting characters, including Yuji Itadori who ate a cursed finger giving him a bond with a powerful curse, and Satoru Gojo, who has a HUGE fan base and (in my humble opinion), the most stunning eyes in anime.

 

Conclusion

Anime is often seen by those who have never watched any as just cartoons or children’s stories (I know a few of those!!) but there is so much more to anime than that. There is something out there for everyone, depending on your tastes.

As anime series and films win more and more awards, it is time to recognize it for what it is…amazing storytelling!

If you want more recomms, here ya go Best Anime From The 2000.