20 Anime Movies Even Non-Anime Fans Will Love

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If you think you don’t like anime, then here are some films that could change your mind. By Leah Holmes

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The first question anime fans tend to ask anime haters is, “Have you ever actually watched any?” It may be annoying to non-fans but there’s a good reason for it – outside of anime fandom, the medium often gets written off as being bizarre and inaccessible, and any anime fan can tell you that’s not entirely fair.

Anime is not a genre, it’s a medium, and there really are titles out there to suit pretty much any taste. Akira may be notorious for its mind-bending final act, but here are a few titles that only the most stubborn of non-fans could fail to enjoy…

20 MEMORIES: “MAGNETIC ROSE” (1995)

It’s not “anime”, it’s… Event Horizon , starring Maria Callas (“Magnetic Rose”)

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There are three stories in this triptych (as there usually are), and while they’re all worth a watch, far and away the star of the piece is “Magnetic Rose”. It’s a sinister and atmospheric drama in which a team of deep space salvage operators respond to a strange distress signal coming from a dilapidated space station. Inside it they find an opulent concert hall and what seem to be the possessions of long-dead opera singer Eva Friedal, but as they explore, they find there is more to this place – and to Eva’s history – than meets the eye. Like Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly – which features in the story – it’s dark, tragic… and strangely beautiful.

19 BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE (2000)

It’s not “anime”, it’s… Blade , if Blade were a pigtailed highschooler

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Disregard the horrendous live-action film of the same name – it really doesn’t live up to the original anime movie at all. Noteworthy for its international language production – it was designed to have a mostly English script, rather than having an English dub added later – it follows a schoolgirl named Saya, whose whole purpose in life is ridding the world of bat-like vampiric creatures called chiropterans. It’s a relatively short film at only 50 minutes long, but it’s hacky-slashy action with a side serving of angst… what’s not to love?

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