Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

First year high schooler Midori Asakusa loves anime so much, she insists that "concept is everything" in animation. Though she draws a variety of ideas in her sketchbook, she hasn't taken the first step to creating anime, insisting that she can't do it alone. The producer-type Sayaka Kanamori is the first to notice Asakusa's genius. Then, when it becomes clear that their classmate, charismatic fashion model Tsubame Mizusaki, really wants to be an animator, they create an animation club to realize the "ultimate world" that exists in their minds. (Source: Crunchyroll)

SHIROBAKO

Once upon a time, five girls made an animated film and it was so much fun that they pledged to get jobs in animation so that someday they could make another film together. Now, two years later, Aoi, Shizuka, Ema, Misa and Midori have learned the truth about the anime industry: it's not always fun, it's anything but easy, and having talent isn't always enough to open the right doors. Which is why Aoi's overwhelmed by her job as a production assistant, Shizuka's waiting on tables between auditions, Midori's currently scriptless, Misa's switched to C.G., and Ema's working long hours as a key animator. Is it what they imagined? No. But are they ready to give up? Not just yet! Sometimes, when things happen in animation, they can happen in the most wonderful ways! (Source: Sentai Filmworks)

Millennium Actress

Millennium Actress</i> blurs the lines between the past and the present, and truth and fiction, when a documentary filmmaker fulfills his quest to find the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, and learn why she mysteriously vanished at the height of her brilliant career. When Chiyoko grants the filmmaker’s request, he, in turn, presents her with a token – a key she had lost and thought was gone forever. The filmmaker could not have imagined that the key would not only unlock the long-held secrets of Chiyoko’s life, but also his own. (Source: Dreamworks) Note: The film received an early premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 28, 2001.</i>

SHIROBAKO the Movie

The story is set four years after the events of the original Shirobako</i> anime. Aoi Miyamori keeps busy dealing with the ordinary troubles in her daily work at Musashino Animation. After a morning meeting, Watanabe talks to Aoi and puts her in charge of a new theatrical anime project for the studio. The project has unexpected problems, and Aoi is unsure if the company can proceed with a theatrical anime with its current state of affairs. While dealing with that anxiety, Aoi meets a new colleague named Kaede Miyai. She and the MusAni team work together to complete the project. (Source: Anime News Network)

Perfect Blue

Rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go... Encouraged by her managers, Mima takes on a recurring role on a popular TV show, when suddenly her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima’s reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat he poses is more real than even Mima knows, in this iconic psychological thriller that has frequently been hailed as one of the most important animated films of all time. (Source: Shout! Factory) Note: The film received an early premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on August 5, 1997.</i>

Blue Period

The studious Yatora leaves a dry life of study and good manners behind for a new passion: painting. But untethering yourself from all your past expectations is dangerous as well as thrilling… (Source: Kodansha USA) Note: The anime premiered on Netflix on Sep 25, 2021 in Japan. The TV broadcast started on Oct 2, 2021.</i>

Comic Party

Destiny or delusion? It's a hilarious rollercoaster of laughter and confusion when Taishi, the ultimate otaku, drags his friend Kazuki into the swirling world of ambition, hatred, and love - the world of fan comics! Poor clueless Kazuki must sink or swim when he's dumped straight into the middle of a massive comic convention. Lost amidst hoards of buyers, sellers, and cosplayers, Kazuki is about to be baptized by fire, all in order to lead him toward his true calling: to take over the world through fan comics! Meanwhile, Kazuki's childhood friend Mizuki isn't about to let him be dragged from his normal life without a fight! But will she be able to stop the addictive draw of the new world that lies before Kazuki? Little by little, Kazuki is slipping down the path towards destiny - and Taishi is shoving him every step of the way! (Source: RightStuf)

Seiyu's Life!

Being a professional voice actor is more than having a great voice. Rookie seiyuu Futaba Ichinose must learn about the hard work, determination, and heart that goes into being the voice behind beloved characters. The work is far from easy and nothing hurts more than the dreaded rejection call, but Futaba works through it to achieve her dream of becoming a big-time seiyuu - except she only has two years to prove to her agency that she's good enough to be one. Luckily, she's not alone! Ichigo Moesaki, a self-claimed princess from Planet Strawberry, and Rin Kohana, a seasoned professional since the age of five, will be at her side when they form the seiyuu unit, Earphones. But even being in a unit won't be enough to guarantee Futaba's success if she can't land more roles. Follow these three girls and learn just what it takes to be a professional voice actor. (Source: Funimation)

Otaku no Video

Somewhat based on the real story of how Gainax was founded, Otaku no Video addresses all aspects of an otaku lifestyle. Ken Kubo is a young man living an average life until he is dragged into a group of otaku. Slowly, he becomes more like them until he decides to abandon his former life to become king of otaku &mdash;the otaking! Mixed in are live-action interviews with real otaku, addressing every aspect of hardcore otaku life. Not only are anime and manga fans included, but also sci-fi fans, military fans, and other groups of Japanese geeks.

Re:CREATORS

People have created many stories. Joy, sadness, anger, deep emotion. Stories stir up emotion and captivate. However, those emotions are nothing more than the feelings of a spectator. What if the characters in the stories had their own "will"? In their eyes, are we, the creators of the stories, like gods? Revolution for our world. Punishment for the land of the gods. Re:CREATORS. Everyone becomes a Creator.(Source: Amazon)

Stella of the Theater: World Dai Star

Theater has taken the entire world by storm in the 20th century, and teenager Kokona Ohtori aims to take the big stage. Performers who shine the brightest are called Dai Stars, and for Kokona, her first step into stardom is auditioning for the prominent theater troupe—Sirius. As she cultivates her unique sense for the stage, a story of passion and aspiration unfolds in this super-theater age. (Source: Crunchyroll)

Bakuman.

Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi are pretty much foils of each other. Mashiro, an average 9th grade student but talented artist, and Takagi, an overall advanced 9th grader and aspiring writer. After great convincing, Takagi convinces Mashiro to join him in becoming the greatest mangakas Japan has ever seen. Takagi, with his gift of writing, hopes to become a successful mangaka, and Mashiro, with his gift of art, hopes to marry the girl of his dreams, Azuki Miho. (Source: Anime News Network)

Remake Our Life!

28-year old Hashiba Kyouya has hit a new low after losing his job at a shady game developer. He originally quit his steady office job to work in the creative industries that he admires, but it's proving to be a challenge even for a motivated go-getter like him. As he finds himself back at his parents house, between jobs, he can't help but wonder what would happen if he had a chance to redo his collegiate studies. Maybe things would turn out differently if he had gone to art school instead... and, shockingly enough, he might just get a chance to test that theory. (Source: Crunchyroll) Note: The first episode aired with a runtime of ~51 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.</i>

Anime-Gataris

The anime centers on Minoa Asagaya, a new high school student in Sakaneko Private High School. Despite being a novice to anime, Minoa's classmate Arisu Kamiigusa invites her to make an "anime research club" at school. Through conversations with her classmate Miko Kouenji, as well as various anime-loving upperclassmen, Minoa gradually gets hooked on anime. While they stand against the student council's continuous efforts to disband their club, and they ignore the impending end of the world, they talk about anime, whether in Akiba, or in real-life "sacred place" anime settings, or the hot springs. (Source: Anime News Network)