The 10 most perfect sci-fi anime movies of the last 5 years

Science fiction has always been the perfect vehicle for stories of boundless imagination, and some of the best come from the limitless world of anime and animation in general. Cyberpunk offerings like Akira (1988) and Ghost in the Shell(1995) have set an inimitable standard, while stellar sci-fi anthology films like Memories(1995) revolutionized the genre. Titles like Fantastic Planet (1973) and Paprika (2006) prove sci-fi doesn’t have to explore traditional tropes to leave a lasting impression. Some stories can plunge us right into the heart of biomechanical warfare, while others can take us on a surreal journey with the promise that something beautiful is about to happen. But while the history of anime is rich with sci-fi worlds and characters, the last few years have also been an embarrassment of animated riches.

Keeping this wide variety in mind, here are 10 perfect (the term is relative, of course, tempered by individual expectations) sci-fi anime that have appeared on the big screen in the past five years.

10 Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway (2021)

Image: Shochiku/Sunrise

Society has felt the hypnotic pull of Gundam since the franchise’s inception in 1979. The more recent Mobile Suit Gundam films continue to draw new audiences, with 2021’s Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathawaycharting a new path forward. The first in a planned trilogy, Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway is a follow-up to the iconic Char’s Counterattack, which features an unforgettable showdown between Char Aznable and Amuro Ray. The 2021 film centers on terrorist leader Hathaway Noa, who leads the resistance against the Earth Federation to challenge their corruptive hold over humanity.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway is as much about Hathaway’s inner turmoil as it is about the spectacle of watching mech fights. Gundam has always been political, and this film continues the vicious cycle of conflict to flesh out the complex instincts and ideologies that shape Hathaway’s mindset. The results are spectacular, lending to a film that understands that disillusionment is inevitable in a post-capitalist dystopia.

9 The Orbital Children (2022)

Image: Production +h/Netflix

While Netflix released Mitsuo Iso’s The Orbital Childrenas a six-part miniseries, the acclaimed title hit Japanese theaters as a two-part film in 2022. Iso’s distinctive animation style brings this wonderful space anime to life, paying close attention to the nuances of movement inside a space station. Three children from Earth go on a sponsored visit to meet a young boy named Touya Sagami, one of the last surviving children born in space. Two other space-born kids, Touya and Konoha, are preparing to travel back to Earth, but the mission hits a major snag once a comet strikes the space station’s computer systems.

The Orbital Children is about human ingenuity that only children can dream of, applied to a high-risk environment with an extremely thin margin of error. It's an enthralling showcase of Iso’s fascination with futuristic technology, previously explored in his brilliant anime series, Den-noh Coil. By focusing on a group of children, the two-part film celebrates boundless imagination within a deeply existential context. The speculative use of micromachines and rudimentary AGI helps contribute to the layered worldbuilding, which reveals something new with every rewatch.

8 Robot Dreams (2023)

Image: BTeam Pictures/Wild Bunch

Soft sci-fi has the freedom to explore emotions that aren’t traditionally associated with the genre. Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams is a prime example, as it unfolds like a lovely tragicomedy without relying on a single line of dialogue. A pure distillation of the power of animation, Robot Dreams takes place in 1985 Manhattan, where an anthropomorphic Labrador named Dog Varon gets a robot friend delivered to his apartment. Storytelling conventions don’t apply here, and the film’s expressionistic nature overrides the need for a substantial narrative.

The tragic undertones of the story begin when Robot’s exterior gets rusted by seawater at the beach, rendering it unable to move. This prompts a bittersweet rescue mission, as Dog Varon must overcome major obstacles before reuniting with his pal. Other anthropomorphic beings are brought into the mix, but not everyone has benign intentions like Dog Varon. (Even in this world of make-believe, capitalist instincts reign.) That said, Robot Dreams dares to believe that social alienation can be countered with an earnest bid for connection in a world where a dog and a robot can be dear friends and indulge in the richness of an unconditional bond.

7 Nimona (2023)

Image: Netflix

It’s time to shift gears to sci-fi fantasy. ND Stevenson’s beloved graphic novel Nimona is a beautiful tale of self-acceptance, and its 2023 animated adaptation brings that story to life with great passion and skill. In this futuristic medieval world, commoner-turned-knight Ballister Boldheart (voiced by Riz Ahmed) is framed for a murder he didn’t commit. After Ballister is forced to become a fugitive, he encounters the free-spirited Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), who becomes his only lifeline when it comes to clearing his name.

The film’s animation style is a unique blend of medieval imagery and modern sensibilities. While Ballister’s design is conventional and understated, Nimona moves with a fluidity that evokes a range of vibrant emotions. She is a shapeshifter who embodies gender fluidity, bringing the theme of queer identity to the forefront (solidified through the central gay romance between Ballister and fellow knight Ambrosius Goldenloin). There’s a beautiful sense of exuberance to Nimona, along with an inspiring spirit of rebellion within a setting that limits the unbridled expression of the self.

6 Mars Express (2023)

Image: Gebeka Films

Video game auteur Hideo Kojima recommended Mars Express earlier this year, but that’s not the only reason to watch this French animated sci-fi thriller. The film wears its aesthetic inspirations on its sleeve, but its homage to classic cyberpunk anime is tempered with a sleek identity of its own. The setting is the 23rd century, where private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are busy solving a missing persons case.

A cybernetics student named Jun Chow, who dabbles in illegally jailbreaking androids, suddenly disappears, along with her roommate. Aline and Carlos arrive on Mars to crack this baffling case, but soon get embroiled in a larger conspiracy. Mars Express will remind you of paranoid thrillers like The Conversation and All the President's Men, encased within the context of an impending android revolution. This inspired mix of sci-fi and noir elements, along with its profound cynical bent, morphs Mars Express into a cult classic in the making.

5 Psycho-Pass Providence (2023)

Psycho-Pass ponders ethical standards within a heavily state-controlled regime. Naoyoshi Shiotani’s Psycho-Pass Providence, which bridges the gap between the second and third seasons of the anime series, further expands upon the themes of state surveillance and broken moral systems. The film features Inspector Akane Tsunemori, whose team investigates country-wide terrorist attacks by a paramilitary force. Akane teams up with ex-partner Shinya Kogami once again to navigate the rules of the Sibyl System, the law enforcement group and bio-computer network tasked with preventing crime by identifying latent criminals.

Psycho-Pass Providence is a point of no return for Akane, who wrestles with Sibyl’s hegemonic standards. After all, a person can think about committing a crime under duress, but this won’t necessarily become a reality as soon as the thought is formed. Combining sweeping action with a tense conspiracy, Psycho-Pass Providence explores the grey areas inherent in human restraint, empathy, and compliance. Following the rules is not always in the best interest of humanity, as true progress is built on impulses that aren’t one-dimensional or binary.

4 The Wild Robot (2024)

Chris Sanders’ The Wild Robotwas a critical and commercial success. A strong contender during awards seasons (having earned three Academy Award nominations, while winning the Critics' Choice Awards for Best Animated Feature), this DreamWorks animated film draws inspiration from the evocative works of Hayao Miyazaki. Six Rozzum robots are lost after a storm hits a cargo ship, causing the only surviving unit, Roz, to awaken on an uninhabited island. With no humans around, Roz wrestles with her purpose on an island teeming with wildlife — some friendly, others not so much.

When such a logic-driven being stumbles upon a lone goose egg, a budding instinct to protect this vulnerable bird sparks to life. The Wild Robot is a survival story that compels an unconventional protagonist to undergo a vast spectrum of emotions. We cannot choose who we end up loving, and sometimes, letting them go is the best way to ensure that they grow into their best selves. This touching story evokes the same emotion you feel when you look up at the sky after a long, long time. All you’re left with is wondrous awe and a gentle reminder that there’s more to life than a competitive rat race.

3 Belle (2021)

Image: Studio Chizu

From Mamoru Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time), Belleis a science fantasy reimagining of Beauty and the Beast. In this version, depressed teenager Suzu, who lives with her dad, is consumed by the grief of losing her mother. To deal with this numbing emotional void, Suzu joins a VR meta-universe called U, which acts as an escapist fantasy for teens like her. Inside this fantasy world, Suzu assumes the avatar of Belle, a stunning young woman with the voice of an angel. As Belle finds success with her virtual music career, a brash outcast named The Beast disrupts one of her concerts while on the run from a self-proclaimed vigilante group.

While Belle doesn’t radically reinvent the classic fairy tale, it indulges in lush animation to tell a whimsical story. This aesthetic identity is bold and limitless, using music to embellish an eccentric blend of animation styles that mimics a coming-of-age tale in the age of social media. There’s an unresolved quality to Suzu/Belle’s story, but this feels deliberate. Life doesn’t soothe our anxieties in ways we want it to, and relationships don’t always evolve in the direction we expect. Belle’s storytelling is passionate and messy, similar to the growing pains of a child still figuring out who she wants to be.

2 Suzume (2022)

Makoto Shinkai, who has explored teenage love in Your Nameand 5 Centimeters Per Second, revisits the magic of an inexplicable connection in Suzume. That said, Suzume is not strictly a love story: It's a tale about love and homecoming. The titular teenager, who lives with her aunt in Kyushu, encounters an enigmatic boy named Sōta, who is in search of abandoned sites with doors. Magical realism and slice-of-life elements go hand-in-hand in this gorgeously crafted film, which also contends with the horrors of the real-life Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Although Suzume and Sōta share trust and tenderness, Shinkai evades romance tropes in favor of self-acceptance and inner healing.

Miyazaki’s influence is on full display here, but Suzume forges its own playful identity. At one point, Sōta turns into a chair, and a talking cat leads Suzume on a wild goose chase for good reason. But none of these outlandish strands negate the somber emotional core of the film. Suzume’s journey is different from heroes who step up to defy fate, as her personal trauma is intricately linked to the impending catastrophe that’ll doom Japan. We aren’t rushed into any miraculous epiphanies. When realization does hit, it feels as natural as the wind that sways every tree.

1 Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)

Image: Studio Khara

The final film in Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Rebuild tetralogy, Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Timeis a conclusion of biblical proportions. Evangelion has ended three times so far (four, if we count the manga), but Thrice Upon a Time effectively closes the seemingly endless cycle of trauma and agony. Our protagonist, Shinji Ikari, contends with a new beginning in a world without Evas, but this optimistic arc is hard-earned. Shinji’s father, Gendo, might be eager to eliminate existential angst at the cost of humanity, but the thread of isolation keeps him tethered to his son. This conflicting relationship culminates most unexpectedly, granting Thrice Upon a Time the heady complexity it boasts.

Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno’s lifelong fixation with the story reaches its peak in this unforgettable fourth entry. The visual canvas alone is groundbreaking — raw, pencil-sketch segments punctuate scenes of utter desolation, and a sickening red hue consumes the Earth’s landscape. A sense of catharsis is felt by the time we reach the train station sequence at the end. The sensory nightmare of adolescence is finally over. While the road to adulthood is still rocky and uncertain, it comes with closure and the hope that life will always be worth living in spite of all the pain.

Related

Science fiction is thriving