Summary
Shonen anime includes some of the best work in the genre, providing writers and animators with creative avenues. Notable shounen anime films such as The First Slam Dunk, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, and Persona 3 have overturned common stigmas in the industry. Some of the most enjoyable examples of shounen films include Gurren Lagann’s second film, which enhanced the anime’s finale, and One Piece Film: Red which showcased top-notch writing and classy films like The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Among all the different demographic groups seen in cartoon, shounen Anime is often considered the most popular. Even in the early days of anime, shounen anime, whether original projects or adaptations or original works, always received attention primarily from fans.
Animes that fall into the Shonen demographic are definitely the ones that grow the most, and that goes for movies as well. Just as there have been many shounen anime series over the decades, there have been countless shounen anime films have been released for years and they have been an avenue for writers and animators to work without limits and create some of the best work in the entire medium..
Shonen anime films have earned more than a place in the media, and that’s especially true for a select few.
The first 11 Slam Dunks finally end the classic Sports Anime
Based on Manga by Takehiko Inoue
Release date
December 3, 2022
Manager
Inoue Takehiko
Cast
Paul Castro Jr., Jonah Scott, Alek Le, Ben Balmaceda, Aaron Goodson
Running time
124 minutes
See where it is
Currently unavailable
2022’s The First Slam Dunk is the long-awaited conclusion to the anime adaptation of Slam Dunk. With series creator Takehiko Inoue writing and directing, The first Slam Dunk adapting the manga’s final story with excellent CG animation and creative direction, and expand on the characters to add emotional weight and excitement to the story. Takehiko Inoue has long proven himself to be an excellent author, and The First Slam Dunk shows that he’s also a talented director.
10 Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Is The Perfect Bridge Between The First Two Seasons Of Jujutsu Kaisen
Based on Manga by Gege Akutami
Release date
December 24, 2021
Manager
Sunghoo Park
Cast
Kayleigh McKee, Anairis Quiñones, Allegra Clark, Kaiji Tang, Lex Lang
Running time
105 minutes
See where it is
Crunchyroll
Another great shonen adaptation worth discussing is the Jujutsu Kaisen prequel story, 2021’s Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Jujutsu Kaisen prequel oneshot adaptation, and, in addition to reworking the story to connect better with Jujutsu Kaisen, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Its story has been done with music, incredible animation, and overall direction that stands out as one of the best in the entire series.
The Jujutsu Kaisen 0 manga actually started out as a prototype for the series before becoming a prequel.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 was the only project released in the two years between Jujutsu Kaisen seasons 1 and 2, and overall, it was the perfect way to fill the gap.
9’s final film Persona 3 completely overthrew the usual stigma
Based on the video game by Katsura Hashino & Yuichiro Tanaka
Release date
January 23, 2016
Manager
Tomohisa Taguchi
Cast
Akira Ishida, Maaya Sakamoto, Megumi Ogata, Miyuki Sawashiro
Running time
105 minutes
See where it is
Currently unavailable
While video game adaptations are notoriously bad, 2016’s Persona 3 The Movie: #4 Winter of Rebirth proved this stigma wrong. As the final film in the Persona 3 trilogy, Winter is reborn Finally ending Makoto’s learning about the value of life and friendship, and with the excellent art, animation, and score that accompanies it, watching it all unfold is an incredible sight. The Persona 3 movies have always been a good alternative to gaming, and the high quality of the final movie perfectly demonstrates why that is.
8. Madoka’s Rebellion Magica continues the anime through a major twist
Original story by Akiyuki Shinbo, Yukihiro Miyamoto and Gen Urobuchi
Release date
October 26, 2013
Director
Akiyuki Shinbo, Yukihiro Miyamoto
Cast
Cristina Vee, Christine Marie Cabanos, Sarah Anne Williams, Carrie Keranen, Lauren Landa
Running time
116 minutes
See where it is
Currently unavailable
Not every good shounen film is adapted from manga, and one notable example is 2013’s Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion. The film is a sequel to Puella Magi Madoka Magica, with animation and visuals. The photos are even more surreal and overall more awesome than the anime, but there are also a story that continuously reaches its climax with one twist after another, Movie Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion is the best possible sequel to the original anime. The Rebellion sequel will finally come out in 2024 and hopefully it will be even more successful in living up to its legacy.
7 Gurren Lagann’s second movie made the anime’s finale even better
Based on Anime by Hiroyuki Imaishi & Kazuki Nakashima
Release date
April 25, 2009
Manager
Hiroyuki Imaishi
Cast
Cast: Yuri Lowenthal, Kyle Hebert, Michelle Ruff, Bridget Hoffman, Crispin Freeman
Running time
126 minutes
See where it is
Currently unavailable
Another good example of a shounen film not adapted from a manga is 2009’s Gurren Lagann the Movie: The Lights in the Sky Are Stars. A compilation film that includes the second half of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, not just did The light in the sky is the stars making the series’ already excellent visuals and animation even better, but it even changes the story to remove the weakest elements and create a finale that’s even more bombastic than the original. Ensemble films are rarely worth watching, but Gurren Lagann’s second film does so much that it’s worth anyone’s time.
6 Summer Wars is the perfect blend of family drama and sci-fi action
Original story by Mamoru Hosoda & Satoko Okudera
Release date
August 1, 2009
Manager
Mamoru Hosoda
Cast
Michael Sinterniklas, Brina Palencia, Maxey Whitehead, Pam Dougherty, J. Michael Tatum
Running time
114 minutes
See where it is
Currently unavailable
Many good shounen anime films do not belong to any existing series, and a notable example is 2009’s Summer Wars. The film was Mamoru Hosoda’s first major project after the success of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and sure enough, The buying war features Mamoru Hosoda’s signature art and animation style, creating a stunning film that balances excellent sci-fi action with ease and the poignant family drama remains relevant more than a decade later. The themes of Summer Wars would reappear in many of Hosoda’s later works, and that speaks volumes for how great the film is.
5 Weathering With You is Makoto Shinkai’s best film
Original story by Makoto Shinkai
Release date
July 19, 2019
Manager
Makoto Shinkai
Cast
Brandon Engman, Ashley Boettcher, Lee Pace, Alison Brie, Emeka Guindo
Running time
112 minutes
See where it is
Max
Weathering with You follows the breakout success of Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name and not just did Weather it with you Significantly improves the already excellent writing style of its predecessor, but its art and animation come together to perfectly express emotional moments and has some of the best direction of any anime film in the past decade. Although it is often overshadowed by his other works, it’s hard to consider Weathering with You one of Makoto Shinkai’s best films.
4 Dragon Ball Super: Broly is a visual spectacle
Based on the Manga by Akira Toriyama
Release date
December 14, 2018
Manager
Tatsuya Nagamine
Cast
Sean Schemmel, Christopher Sabat, Christopher Ayres, Dameon Clarke, Sonny Strait
Running time
100 minutes
See where it is
Crunchyroll
Dragon Ball is a shounen anime franchise with an incredibly rich catalog of films, and one of its best films is 2018’s Dragon Ball Super: Broly. The film is the first sequel to the Dragon Ball Super anime, and Although the story is very light, Dragon Ball Super: Broly more than makes up for any shortcomings in its writing with surprisingly fluid and vivid art and animation, delivering some of the most beautiful visual spectacle in all of anime. Every new Dragon Ball story naturally has a lot of hype attached to it and Broly has absolutely delivered on all fronts.
3 One Piece Movie: Red is the pinnacle of One Piece’s creation
2 Based on Manga by Eiichiro Oda
Release date
August 6, 2022
Manager
Goro Taniguchi
Cast
Colleen Clinkenbeard, Amanda Lee, Brandon Potter, Jim Foronda
Running time
115 minutes
See where it is
Crunchyroll
Another great shounen anime film from a series with a long history is 2022’s One Piece Film: Red. Although the story is often secondary to the action and comedy in the One Piece films, One Piece Movie: Red tells a compelling, character-driven story and ends with some of the deepest writing in the entire series, and that, combined with the incredible animation and direction, makes for the best One Piece movie to date. One Piece Film: Red was created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of One Piece, and overall, it’s an incredibly fitting celebration.
1 The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya remains one of the best animated films
Based on the Light Novel by Nagaru Tanigawa & Noizi Ito
Release date
February 6, 2010
Director
Tatsuya Ishihara, Yasuhiro Takemoto
Cast
Crispin Freeman, Wendee Lee, Michelle Ruff, Stephanie Sheh, Johnny Yong Bosch
Running time
162 minutes
See where it is
Crunchyroll
One of the best shounen anime series of all time is The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. Kyoto Animation’s adaptation of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is one of the studio’s most popular films, and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya capitalize on the anime’s success by adapting one of the franchise’s best stories with incredible animation and overall direction that still holds up over a decade later. The disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya ended up being a poignant ending to the anime and it is easily considered one of the best stories. the best shounen best cartoon of all time.