Akira (1988) - 4/5

This is a touchpoint sci-fi film. It’s the kind of movie you see references to everywhere, but the movie itself is more simple than its reputation would indicate. It takes its time establishing the world and cyberpunk elements before getting into the heart of the government conspiracy and psychic powers main plot. But it’s hard to go wrong with well-made 80’s cyberpunk, especially when it’s not as interested in being weird or gritty as it is in telling an engaging story.

Content warning: brief female nudity

Closest comparison: It’s like an anime version of a hybrid between Castle in the Sky and Blade Runner.

Setting: Cyberpunk Sci-Fi
Plot: Government Thriller
Tone: Cyberpunk Sci-Fi

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro - 3/5

Even though he didn’t create the story himself, Miyazaki brings his own personal flair to the mix. It’s a colorful movie, both visually and in its characterization of the main cast. Some antics are more Looney Toons than Princess Mononoke, but the overall effect is still fairly consistent. Ultimately, though, this movie suffers from a lack of a point; it’s all motion and no destination. Still, it’s a fun romp that makes me smile.

Closest Comparison: It’s a thief adventure by Miyazaki, more like Howl’s Moving Castle than Spirited Away.

Setting: Adventure
Plot: Heist
Tone: Comedy

Your Name. (2016) - 4/5

A body-swapping movie? With a romantic main plot? And it’s good? How did that happen? Well the animation is stunningly beautiful, for one thing, and the plot takes some interesting twists right off the bat. It’s unusal that story structure will be a big selling point unless the movie’s playing backwards like in Memento. But here the story structure is used to keep the audience in the dark about some details of the mechanics of what’s going on, so we can discover it along with the characters in the movie. It’s close to a 5/5, but it overplays the ‘new body parts’ gag and the final conflict sequence was too contrived for how long it lasted. Still, great music, gorgeous use of color, and an english dub that has a surprising amount of work put into it. If you like animated movies at all, this is a definite must-see.