Tacky soundtrack. Lacks explanations re some plot points. Despite its problems, a tight narrative that is still mostly enjoyable.

Love story with parallel universes told in two films. Good production. Pacing is mostly good but a little clumsy at times. Worth viewing.

Shoujo romance about twins Chiki and Mami with their different mentalities towards relationships. Short, simple and relatively lighthearted.

Fresh take on the franchise with mother-and-daughter duo. Set pieces can be better. Good production. Not bad despite a little wokeness.

A solid romance slice-of-life drama about living with regrets. Can use more dramatic tension but mostly avoids being too cheesy.

Whilst not a bad effort overall, they are nothing great. A few are recommended.

Simple premise and structure. Tanjiro’s family is slaughtered by a demon so he fights them, basically a “gauntlet run” to the demon boss.

Recommended if one is a fan of Ito’s work; he has good ideas but not necessarily the best plotting. Not bad but animation is inconsistent.

Red panda with her work and personal life problems. Vents by singing death metal. Relatable and amusing if you are into that type of humor.

Intriguing coming-of-age supernatural-fantasy mystery involving humans with telekinesis set in an idyllic village. Highly recommended.

Long psychological crime-mystery thriller series. Visually excellent. Initially intriguing and progresses well, but ending may be a letdown.

Another alternate reality story. Contrived game survival horror-thriller. Clumsy structure. Moderately intriguing nonetheless.

Good but not great. Decent writing and performances. Nicely shot. Worth watching if one is interested in the genre.

Somewhat predictable. Tries too hard to look cool at times. Good voice acting (Japanese). Not bad but nothing great. Overhyped.

Morishima Hodaka is a 16-year-old high school student who is running away from home. On the ferry making its way to Tokyo in a storm...

A fantasy and slice-of-life romantic-comedy about friendship, romance, the difficulties of adolescence, identity and destiny.

Although there is nothing particularly new, the story is intriguing enough with strong characters and it does look good.

Although it is about friendship, it takes a more ambiguous approach compared to Shinkai’s previous works.

A fantasy-adventure that follows elementary school student Asuna and widower Mr Morisaki as they deal with death and loss.

Set in 1860s Nagasaki, the story follows 16-year-old Kiku, a strong-willed girl, who falls in love with Seikichi, a young Catholic man.

The Place Promised in Our Early Days is Shinkai’s first feature-length work that, like most of his later works, explores friendship.