If you’ve been sticking to the mainstream shonen hits, you’re only seeing the surface of what the medium can do. Finding our favorite anime series and movies is about digging into the projects that treat animation like high-level cinema—prioritizing visually stunning animation, complex anime world-building, and anime directing that takes massive risks with the frame and the edit.
In 2026, these top-rated favorite anime standouts have become essentials for any serious cinephile’s watchlist. We’ve avoided every single anime title mentioned in our previous 50+ lists—no Akira, Cowboy Bebop, or Spirited Away here—to bring you 10 fresh, high-craft picks. These are the legendary favorite anime films and high-craft favorite anime series that offer a pro-level experience through surgical action choreography and deep psychological impact.
Best for: Viewers looking for **anime for cinephiles** that prioritize visual authorship, technical precision, and unique storytelling over standard genre tropes.
Common cinephile pain points this list solves: “Mainstream fatigue” / Predictable plot structures / Flat, uninspired art styles / Finding the entry points to **surgical animation craft**.
Related Lists: The Best Anime to Watch Editor’s Picks / Movies That Set the Standards in Cinema / Editor’s Picks: The Best Movies / The Best Studio Series Worth Watching
What to watch for
When you jump into our favorite anime series and movies, pay attention to the Visual Intentionality. In these picks, every background detail and camera move is used to build the world—look at the blocking and how color represents a character’s internal state. Notice the rhythmic editing and the use of silence; the best anime directors know that what you *don’t* see is just as powerful as the action.
10 of our favorite anime series and movies
1. Mushishi (2005–2014) 🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Hiroshi Nagahama
Plot: A traveler named Ginko wanders through a mythic version of old Japan, studying and solving problems caused by “Mushi”—primitive lifeforms that exist between the physical and spiritual worlds.
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll / Hulu / Funimation
Why it’s a favorite Anime: It is a masterclass in atmospheric world-building. The show uses naturalistic lighting and slow-burn pacing to create a world that feels both grounded and supernatural. The surgical sound design of the forest and the quiet, observant blocking make every episode feel like a high-level visual essay.
2. Millennium Actress (2001) 🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Satoshi Kon
Plot: Two documentary filmmakers interview a retired acting legend, and as she tells her life story, the boundaries between her real life and the movies she starred in begin to blur into a single journey.
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Where to Watch: Prime Video (Rent/Buy) / Apple TV (Rent/Buy) / VOD
Why it’s a favorite Anime: Kon uses surgical match-cutting to move between different eras of Japanese history and film. The rhythmic editing and visually stunning transitions are standard-setting for the medium, proving that animation can handle complex, non-linear narratives with absolute narrative economy.
3. Mob Psycho 100 (2016–2022) 🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Yuzuru Tachikawa / ONE
Plot: An average middle school boy with immense psychic powers tries to live a normal life and keep his emotions under control, but the world around him won’t stop pushing him to his limit.
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Where to Watch: Netflix / Crunchyroll / Hulu
Why it’s a favorite Anime: It features the boldest visual audacity in modern anime. The show switches between multiple art styles—oil paint on glass, sketch-work, and hyper-detailed linework—to represent the protagonist’s mental state. The surgical action choreography and creative blocking make it a technical milestone for 2026 viewers.
4. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013) 🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Isao Takahata
Plot: An old bamboo cutter finds a tiny girl inside a stalk of bamboo and raises her as his own, as she grows into a beautiful woman whose origin and destiny belong to another world.
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Where to Watch: Max
Why it’s a favorite Anime: This is visually authored minimalism at its peak. Takahata uses a watercolor and charcoal style that emphasizes “blank space,” using kinetic brushstrokes to show emotion during high-tension scenes. It is a properly made masterpiece that values style as a primary emotional tool.
5. Steins;Gate (2011–2015) 🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Hiroshi Hamasaki / Takuya Satō
Plot: A self-proclaimed “mad scientist” and his friends in Akihabara accidentally discover a way to send messages to the past, triggering a high-stakes battle against a global conspiracy to fix the timeline.
IMDb Rating: 8.8/10
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll / Hulu / Funimation
Why it’s a favorite Anime: This is surgical narrative structure done right. The show relies on a slow-burn setup and patient blocking in a single lab location to build unbearable pressure. The tonal control—moving from eccentric comedy to a high-octane psychological thriller—is flawlessly engineered.
6. Samurai Champloo (2004–2005) 🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Shinichirō Watanabe
Plot: A young woman recruits two mismatched, elite swordsmen to help her find a “samurai who smells of sunflowers” across a hip-hop-infused version of Edo-period Japan.
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Where to Watch: Hulu / Crunchyroll / Funimation
Why it’s a favorite Anime: It features rhythmic editing and stylized action blocking. Watanabe uses the “record-scratch” as a visual and auditory device to move between scenes. The surgical sound design and the way the sword fights move to the beat of the lo-fi hip-hop soundtrack are “pro-level” essentials.
7. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009–2010) 🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Yasuhiro Irie / Hiromu Arakawa
Plot: Two brothers use alchemy in a desperate attempt to bring their mother back to life, embarking on a journey to find the Philosopher’s Stone to fix the physical toll the ritual took on their bodies.
IMDb Rating: 9.1/10
Where to Watch: Hulu / Crunchyroll / VOD
Why it’s a favorite Anime: It features pro-level ensemble blocking and world-building. The show manages a massive cast and a complex political conspiracy with a surgical narrative economy that never stalls. The action geography in the final arc is standard-setting for large-scale conflict on screen.
8. Ergo Proxy (2006) 🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Shūkō Murase
Plot: In a domed city where humans and androids coexist, an inspector investigates a string of murders caused by a virus that gives robots consciousness, uncovering a dark truth about humanity’s origins.
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
Where to Watch: Hulu / Crunchyroll / Funimation
Why it’s a favorite Anime: It features visually authored atmospheric dread. The show uses a grimy, desaturated color palette and architectural production design to build a persistent sense of isolation. The surgical pacing and abstract visual metaphors make it a cinephile favorite for fans of philosophical sci-fi.
9. Psycho-Pass (2012– ) 🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Naoyoshi Shiotani / Katsuyuki Motohiro
Plot: In a future where everyone’s criminal intent is measured by a biological scan, a rookie inspector and a cynical “Enforcer” hunt down those whose mental state has been deemed a threat to society.
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll / Hulu / Prime Video (Availability varies)
Why it’s a favorite Anime: This is pro-level procedural tension. The show uses a cold, clinical visual style and surgical sound design to make the “Sibyl System” feel physically oppressive. The blocking in the investigation scenes focuses on the technology and ethics of the world, making it a high-stakes must-watch series.
10. Gurren Lagann (2007) 🇯🇵
Director/Creator: Hiroyuki Imaishi
Plot: Two teenagers living in an underground village discover a mysterious drill-shaped key and a small mechanical suit, using them to reach the surface and lead a rebellion against the forces keeping humanity trapped.
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Where to Watch: Hulu / Crunchyroll / VOD
Why it’s a favorite Anime: It features visual scale as a narrative engine. The animation uses bold, stylized blocking that literally grows in size as the characters’ “fighting spirit” increases. The surgical pacing and high-energy direction turn a “giant robot” show into a visually loud and emotionally epic experience.
That’s the end of our favorite Anime List
What to watch next
Next category: TV Shows You’ll Finish Faster Than You Expect (because once you’ve cleared these favorite anime gems, you’ll want a high-momentum series to fill your next weekend).