The survey site “Voice Note” surveyed and announced the popularity ranking of “favorite animated movies”, including CG anime works.
746 Voice Note members who answered “I watch anime movies” in the prior survey voted for all anime movies ranked in the top 100 highest-grossing movies of all time released in Japan by KOGYO TSUSHINSHA. 1st place was “Spirited Away”, 2nd place was “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train” and 3rd place was “Princess Mononoke”.
1st place “Spirited Away” is a feature-length animated film produced by Studio Ghibli and directed, written and based on a novel by Miyazaki Hayao. The film depicts the main character, a young girl named Chihiro, who wanders into a mysterious world with her parents and grows up through various encounters and experiences.
Survey respondents said, “I like the story and the world view of the characters,” indicating that the film is supported by people of all ages and both sexes. Also, when the movie was shown again in 2020, it ranked first in the nationwide movie attendance ranking, and it seems to have the appeal of “never getting tired of being watched it again and again”.
In 2nd place, “Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer the Movie Infinity Train Arc” is an animated film produced by ufotable, based on the manga “Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer” by Gotouge Koyoharu. The film is a sequel to the TV anime and depicts the battle on the Infinity Train that took place between volumes 7 and 8 of the original manga. The film is still in theaters as of April 16, 2021, and has surpassed “Spirited Away” to become the top grossing film of all time in Japan.
Many of the respondents to the survey said that the characters were particularly appealing, and the figures show that the film has attracted a large number of people, both children and adults.
3rd places’ “Princess Mononoke” is a feature-length animated film produced by Studio Ghibli and directed, written and based on the original story by Miyazaki Hayao, just like “Spirited Away”. The story takes place in Japan during the Muromachi period. The protagonist, Ashitaka, meets San, a girl who is human but lives as a wild dog, and begins to search for a way for the forest and humans to coexist.
According to the voices of the survey respondents, the film was highlighted as being popular for reasons such as its “grand theme and interesting story.
In 4th place was “Detective Conan: Zero the Enforcer” and in 5th place was “Your Name” came in at No. 5. Rounding out the top 10 were “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “One Piece Film Z,” “Frozen,” “Despicable Me 3,” and “Weathering With You”.
By ages, “Spirited Away” topped the list for those in their 20s or younger, 50s, 60s, and 70s or older, “Princess Mononoke” for those in their 30s, and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train” for those in their 40s.
“Spirited Away” (C) 2001 Studio Ghibli/NDDTM
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train” (C) Gotouge Yoshiharu/Shueisha, Aniplex, ufotable
“Princess Mononoke” (C) 1997 Studio Ghibli, ND
