Sailor Moon S Movie: Hearts in Ice

Most of you are probably thinking, a Sailor Moon movie? As a top pick? Seriously? I'll admit that I have a tremendously large soft spot in my heart for Sailor Moon, and this movie happens to be the first piece of anime I ever owned. Despite possible nostalgia clouding my judgment, the film stands alone fairly well as its own entity thanks to an incredibly touching side story involving Luna (the title heroine's talking cat) that still has the power to make me cry. Along with that, it's standard Sailor Moon fare with better animation, and some surprisingly reflective and touching moments between Luna and Usagi. Is it the greatest animation work? No. Is it cheesy? Definitely, and I love every minute of it each time I watch.

5 Centimeters Per Second

Going into this survey, I realized that I had watched little to no anime movies. After asking a friend for recommendations, I ended up watching this movie and was completely blown away. The animation is gorgeous and adds to the overall feelings of melancholy and longing that the film inspires. It's far from a happy movie, but paints several different ideas of love that are beautiful, sad, and also true-to-life.

Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo

Far from falling into a stereotypical science fiction trap, this movie ends up being a poignant slice-of-life story that just happens to have time-travel involved. Makoto as our slightly selfish, naive, and childish heroine is easy to relate to. Her stubbornness and initial refusal to grow up is something that will resonate with everyone. Her antics will have you giggling one moment, and her maturation throughout the movie will have you tearing up the next.

The use of the time-travel aspect to present her story to the viewer is beautifully done, and although some may be disappointed with the lack of explanation around the more science-fiction elements, this remains my absolute favorite anime movie of all time.