Just to get them out of the way, because we’ve completely glossed over them in the past and their praise deserves repeating, anime movies in 2025 were defined by the overwhelming success of Ufotable. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and Mappa’s Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Rage ArcAs they should be, The former, arguably the starting point for the repopularization of anime as a theatrical experience, exceeded already high expectations among its fans with the studio’s crisp animation, a charming ensemble, and blisteringly fast action, which added the spectacle of being the first film trilogy to end the series, a hat on top of a hat of hype,
But most importantly, what Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle The show was new and felt like a movie (with the conceit of the first installment of a film trilogy). Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Rage Arc Its quality was equally high, yet even more so, it encapsulated an entire arc of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s series as a cinematic experience that would occupy real estate in front of anime fans for years to come.
Yet, despite these two big marquee films of 2025, fans were also treated to the gift of theatrical releases of films that deserve just as much shine as they do being a cinematic experience, mostly thanks to the efforts of GKids and the initiative to create more anime films than re-releases of retro greats like Studio Ghibli. Princess Mononoke and studio din angel egg Remastered in 4K. Those films include films like Science Saru synthesia-fueled music anime interior colorsFilm adaptation of Rock ‘n’ Roll Mountain Gola: On Earth’s movements, And creator Yuto’s emotional track-and-field epic, 100 at a distance of meters,
A recently established format of anime in theaters that has increasingly become a bit annoying is the theatrical preview program. Whether they’re compilations of past seasons of the show Jujutsu Kaisen Or the episodes are strung together as a three-episode test sample of a new show. witch clockThese events have begun to leave much to be desired as dramatic experiences.
On paper, they were interesting. Basically, they were for FOMO-resistant people who definitely wanted to watch hot anime like day and day Before spoilers hit their timeline, as well as a way to be part of those who overcome the artificial lack of viewing Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuX A few weeks before it hits the streaming platform. Some of the problems they had in the beginning were adding documentary material from the creators before the episode, which spoiled whatever surprises were waiting in the wings. But the event began to lose some of its luster due to the ensuing cinematic explosion demon slayer And chainsaw man And the diminishing returns of this format.
The first pangs of irritation with this anime film format were inevitable: having to wait weeks for new episodes, for shows that finally aired. It’s basically like having a gun pointed at your face. Sure, it was your mistake to buy into the previews ahead, but basically forking out your disposable income for a heavily priced movie ticket to watch three (maybe four) episodes of an anime only to feel like a “they don’t know” meme makes it a bitter pill to swallow on a regular basis whenever patient anime fans have online water cooler discussions about said episodes.
Aside from seeing those shows’ opening themes, moviegoers were basically resigned to not feeling part of the entire weekly experience as they shelled out cash not knowing where things were going.
and while Jujutsu Kaisen Fans have no shame about spoiler culture etiquette, no one wants to be that guy who accidentally ruins people’s entertainment because they’ve basically done what video games with paid service subscriptions are warned against: accessing games a few days earlier than everyone else. lyrics of Jujutsu KaisenIts hybrid compilation film-preview program for its upcoming season, Jujutsu Kaisen: ExecutionThis format had the worst of both worlds.
As a compilation film, it didn’t do a good job of showcasing the season’s best moments. Not to be mean, but TikTok content creators do a better job of not cutting into the emotional thrust of these witch-fight moments. The handling of the film only highlighted the weak points of the series’ good-season story when it was abbreviated rather than spread out in an episodic format. And because the series is such a dense information store of concepts and power sets, there wasn’t much real new material worth squeezing in, with its inevitable cliffhanger ending leading to even its action, the series’ strong point, looking a little awkward on the big screen, as the whole thing was jerry-rigged into an arc redolent of an actual movie.
to be fair J.J.Kthis was too far away worst Theatrical experiences of these formatted anime movies (in name only). it might be shaft virgin punk clockwork girlMostly documentary films and a preview programme. Although beautiful, it was inducing not FOMO but ROMO (relief of missing out), considering how expensive movies are and how low this was for the price of admission.
But in view of films like demon slayer And chainsaw man Proving that anime is best experienced as a complete cinematic experience rather than a glorified trailer for a streaming platform, the anime industry seems to be concerned about how it will release its projects going forward. Either it can take its mainstream status as a launching pad to present its films as full-arch experiences, or it can continue to establish itself as a neat novelty act. Hopefully, the global industry will decide to make its future theatrical experiences more similar rage arch And less like glorified preview events from now on.
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