JuicyTalk
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is finally out in Japan, and it’s already living up to the hype. Fan reactions from social media indicate that the writing and visuals are just as good as Mugen Train, if not better, and with it making over $40 million in its opening weekend, the film is on track to become one of the highest-grossing anime films of all time.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is a certified hit, but unfortunately, American fans will have to wait until September to see it. That’s certainly a long wait for what’s bound to be one of the best movies of the year, but fortunately, there are plenty of great anime movies that provide the same sort of visual and narrative appeal as Infinity Castle that people can watch while they wait. A few of those movies especially stand out, as while they might not be Infinity Castle, they still easily make for a great time for any anime fan.
10
Ghost In The Shell
Anime Film By Production I.G; Based On The Manga By Masamune Shirow
Production I.G’s Ghost in the Shell takes place in the cyberpunk future of 2029 and stars Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg working for public security. One day, Motoko and her team are tasked with hunting down a mysterious and dangerous hacker known as the Puppet Master, and in doing so, Motoko goes on a quest to discover what it means to be human and if she can still call herself as such.
While Ghost in the Shell’s story is far removed from Infinity Castle’s, it’s still a great film for its gorgeous visuals, incredible action, and mature narrative surrounding humanity, so Ghost in the Shell is an anime film that has all the same aesthetic appeal as a film like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. It’s a legendary anime film for a reason, and with a new Ghost in the Shell anime in development, now’s the perfect time to watch it.
9
Akira
Anime Film By TMS Entertainment; Based On The Manga By Katsuhiro Otomo
TMS Entertainment’s Akira takes place in the dystopian Neo-Tokyo and revolves around two bikers named Kaneda and Tetsuo. An encounter with the JSDF leads to Tetsuo’s awakening of psychic powers that he quickly loses control of, and it soon falls to Kaneda to stop his friend’s rampage, all while unraveling the mystery of the legendary esper Akira.
Much like Ghost in the Shell, Akira is a film that doesn’t have anything in common with Infinity Castle’s story, but that’s perfectly fine, as Akira, much like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, excels through a combination of strong writing and gorgeous animation and direction. It’s another film cited as one of the best anime movies of all time, and it can easily match Infinity Castle’s quality.
Anime Film By Animate Film; Directed By Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Animate Film’s Ninja Scroll takes place in feudal Japan and is centered around an ongoing rebellion against the Tokugawa shogunate by the Eight Devils of Kimon, a group of ninja with deadly supernatural abilities. The ronin Jubei Kibagami ends up forced to fight against them, but after learning that their leader is a man from his past he thought was dead, Jubei is plenty willing to fight if it means putting him down for good.
In addition to being a fellow period piece, Ninja Scroll has plenty of overlap with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba for being a bloody and violent action story with plenty of heart underneath it all, all while looking amazing from start to finish. Ninja Scroll often prioritizes action over story, but it’s still a great film to watch that Demon Slayer fans are bound to get a lot out of.
7
Vampire Hunter D
Anime Film By Ashi Productions; Based On The Novel By Hideyuki Kikuchi
Ashi Productions’ Vampire Hunter D takes place thousands of years after a nuclear holocaust, where the remnants of humanity now live in fear of vampires. When rookie hunter Doris Lang is bitten by the vampire lord Count Magnus, she only has so much time before becoming a vampire herself, and to save her life, she hires the mysterious D to kill Magnus before it’s too late.
Vampire Hunter D is another anime film that succeeds by combining melancholic storytelling with dark action and gorgeous visuals, and even after 40 years, it still holds up as an incredible piece of dark fantasy. All of those elements have clear overlap with Demon Slayer’s aesthetic, so it’s a perfect film to watch for fans waiting for Infinity Castle to come out.
6
Fate/Grand Order — Final Singularity Grand Temple Of Time: Solomon
Anime Film By CloverWorks; Based On The Video Game By Type-Moon
CloverWorks’ Fate/Grand Order — Final Singularity Grand Temple of Time: Solomon adapts the final arc of the first half of Fate/Grand Order. With all seven Singularities cleared, Ritsuka Fujimaru and his friends in Chaldea have now arrived at the Grand Temple of Time to confront Solomon, the mastermind behind the Singularities, thus beginning the final battle against evil to save the future.
The few adaptations of Fate/Grand Order stories all do great jobs of translating the game into animation, and sure enough, Fate/Grand Order — Final Singularity Grand Temple of Time: Solomon does a perfect job of adapting the game’s themes of heroism and humanity in the face of evil with some of the most stunning animation for any Fate anime. All of those factors combine for a truly stunning film, and anyone waiting for Infinity Castle would be remiss to pass it up.
5
One Piece: Baron Omatsuri And The Secret Island
Anime Film By Toei Animation; Based On The Manga By Eiichiro Oda
Toei Animation’s One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island is the sixth film in the One Piece catalog. The Straw Hats take a trip to Omatsuri Island for a much-needed vacation, but what should have been a relaxing adventure quickly takes a dark turn as the Straw Hats fall victim to infighting and the horrifying machinations being hidden from them.
Baron Omatsuri is easily the franchise’s darkest outing for its horrific imagery and for how thoroughly it deconstructs the usual formula of a One Piece adventure to ask if the Straw Hats are even really friends. Naturally, those darker elements work to build up a well-deserved ending that reaffirms the positive elements of One Piece, and overall, One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island’s use of deconstructive and reconstructive elements gives it the sort of storytelling that perfectly complements a franchise like Demon Slayer.
4
Princess Mononoke
Anime Film By Studio Ghibli; Directed By Hayao Miyazaki
Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke stars Ashitaka, the last Emishi prince who, after being cursed by a demon, sets off on a pilgrimage to find a cure. Ashitaka eventually comes across the industrial community of Iron Town and ends up involved in the conflict between them, the forest spirits they’ve encroached upon, and San, a girl raised by wolves and the eponymous Princess Mononoke, and his involvement ends up being the key to ending the conflict between the two sides.
Studio Ghibli is one of the most beloved names in anime and animation as a whole, and as most people would know, Princess Mononoke is one of Studio Ghibli’s most iconic films for its gorgeous visuals and how they lend themselves to a dark and provocative action-fantasy story. The action aesthetic gives Princess Mononoke plenty of overlap with Infinity Castle, but even without that, it remains a film everyone should watch.
3
Jujutsu Kaisen 0
Anime Film By MAPPA; Based On The Manga By Gege Akutami
Jujutsu Kaisen 0
- Release Date
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December 24, 2021
- Runtime
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105 minutes
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Megumi Ogata
Yuta Okkotsu (voice)
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Kana Hanazawa
Rika Orimoto (voice)
MAPPA’s Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is, as the title would imply, a prequel story to Jujutsu Kaisen. Starting about a year before the original story, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 stars Yuta Okkotsu, a new student at Jujutsu High trying to find a way to tame his deceased friend Rika after she transformed into a curse, and his quest inevitably leads to him getting involved in a major conflict with one of the biggest criminals in the world of sorcery.
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Jujutsu Kaisen became an instant hit with its first season, and the movie perfectly carried that hype, as Jujutsu Kaisen 0 does an amazing job of expanding on Jujutsu Kaisen’s world and themes through Yuta’s story, all while having some of the most gorgeous visuals in modern anime. Add in how it’s canon to the original anime, and it’s a film that matches Infinity Castle’s appeal in nearly every regard.
2
Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel
Anime Film Series By Ufotable; Based On The Visual Novel By Type-Moon
Ufotable’s Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel is a film trilogy adapting the final route of the Fate/stay night visual novel. In this take on the story, Shirou grows closer to Sakura than he has in any other route, but doing so inadvertently brings out horrors unlike any other and challenges Shirou’s ideals in a way the previous anime never did.
Ufotable’s work on the Fate franchise has always been legendary, and that reached its peak with Heaven’s Feel, as the Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel trilogy does an amazing job of adapting the visual novel’s unflinchingly dark story with utterly gorgeous artwork and animation. Fate and Demon Slayer are easily Ufotable’s most iconic projects, and sure enough, the best Fate movies make for a perfect way to pass the time before the best Demon Slayer movie.
1
The Garden Of Sinners: Paradox Spiral
Anime Film By Ufotable; Based On The Novel By Kinoko Nasu
The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral
- Release Date
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August 16, 2008
- Runtime
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114 minutes
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Maaya Sakamoto
Mikiya Kokutou (voice)
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Kenichi Suzumura
Shiki Ryougi (voice)
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Takako Honda
Souren Araya (voice)
Ufotable’s The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral is the fifth installment in the Garden of Sinners film series. Shiki Ryougi meets Tomoe Enjo, a troubled youth who claims to have killed his parents, and as Shiki and her friends investigate the truth behind it, they find themselves wrapped up in the final plot of the true villains behind the various events of the films up to that point.
The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral easily has the best animation and direction in the franchise and a perfectly thrilling story to match, and it all came together for a film that served as the ultimate climax to the overarching narrative. Its combination of action and dark storytelling has made it one of the best action anime movies around, and there’s no better anime movie to watch before Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle comes out.
