Japanese animation (anime) is often assumed by Americans to be the province of freaks and geeks. While there may be plenty of low-brow titles available, the other end of the anime spectrum is certainly worth investigating if you haven’t already. Director Hayao Miyazaki’s films My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke charm both children and adults with their endearing creativity and dazzling artistry. Landmark sci-fi works like Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Akira (1998) are still a big influence on today’s action filmmakers. Sprited Away (2001) is Japan’s highest-grossing film ever, and won the Academy Award for best Animated Feature.

Referred to as the ‘Godfather of Anime,’ Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy (1952) was the first series to popularize the big-eyed, bold, graphic aesthetic that we still know today as the anime style. Some notable recent films include The Girl who Leapt Through Time (2006) and Summer Wars (2009) by director Mamoru Hosoda. Both films won the Japan Academy Prize for animation. With direct influence from the artist Takashi Murakami, the virtual world of Oz in Summer Wars is a fresh visualization of our brave new world of social networking. Murakami and Hosoda also collaborated on this 2007 video project for Louis Vuitton:

The last time I was in Japan, I was able to see an exhibition of background paintings by Kazuo Oga, featured in many Studio Ghibli classics. His paintings give just enough detail to make the scenes come to life, but are still abstract and slightly surreal enough to let your memory and imagination fill in the blanks. His renderings of old Japanese country towns and farms are aching with nostalgia.

Not to be missed is Grave of the Fireflies (1988), which follows the story of two young children struggling to survive on their own, and somehow make sense of the world around them, after American firebombing has left them homeless outside of Kobe. While many view the film as an anti-war statement, the focus of the story is really on the relationship between the two siblings. Roger Ebert breaks it down for you here. This will definitely be one of the most touching films you’ll ever see.

For more guides on what to watch, check out Green Tea Graffiti, Tor, or Squidoo.