Every Masaaki Yuasa Film, Ranked

Summary

• "Mind Game", one of Masaaki Yuasa's first works, is one of his most interesting and distinct films due to the unconstrained story structure.
• "Happy Machine" from Genius Party showcases Yuasa's dynamic animation, despite being part of an anthology project.
• "Ride Your Wave" explores the old tale of grief and love but in a refreshing fashion, offering a heartwarming yet devastating story.

Since the start of his career in animation, Masaaki Yuasa has won awards and acclaim across the globe for his movies. He has a distinct style that champions hand-drawn animation and is recognizable for simplistic designs that have a high level of fluidity and a large range of movement. For any fan of animation, this creator is a must-see.

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This list encompasses only Masaaki Yuasa's films. Though we do highly recommend all the excellent anime series by his animation studio, co-founded with Eunyoung Choi, Science SARU: Devilman Crybaby, Tatami Galaxy, Ping-Pong the Animation, Kaiba, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, Kemonozume, and Japan Sinks 2020.

7 Genius Party

Seven Impacts By Seven Directors

Release Date

July 7, 2007

Streaming

Fandango, Amazon Prime, Apple TV

Nestled in an anthology featuring six other creators, Yuasa's short "Happy Machine" is only 15 minutes long, but since the work was created as a part of the bigger project, we're including it. "Happy Machine" follows an infant's journey through a surreal, dream-like world. It's a beautiful, if at times sad and even unsettling, short about what it means to grow up.

While this work does showcase Yuasa's dynamic, fluid sense of animation and strange visuals, it also isn't as strong as his full-length features, probably for obvious reasons. It is, also, not even the best short in the collection. While it is the second-best short, that honor goes to Shinichiro Wantanabe's "Baby Blue" (he's the creator of Cowboy Bebop, so it's not a surprise).

6 Welcome To The Space Show

A Bright, Charming Romp Through Space

Release Date

February 18, 2010

Streaming

Google Play, Fandango, Amazon Prime, Apple TV

Directed by Koji Masunari and Yuasa, this sci-fi adventure starts with five kids rescuing an alien (who looks exactly like a dog) during their self-run summer camp. This kicks off a series of events that lead the group to be stranded in space, dodging space poachers and trying to get home before their parents notice they're missing.

The movie, made for kids and families to enjoy together, is an explosion of vibrant color and creative alien landscapes all wrapped around the children's wonder and exploration. There are even a few high-action moments that really let the animation shine. But, since this project is more Masunari's than Yuasa's, it doesn't rank as highly as others. That, and though the movie is visually delightful, the longer run-time (almost 2 and 1/2 hours) leaves you a little tired by the end.

5 Lu Over The Wall

The Power Of Music And Friendship

Release Date

May 19, 2017

Streaming

Amazon Prime, Apple TV

Taking on the push between tradition and progress, a young man in a fishing village, Kai, accidentally befriends a mermaid, Lu, when he's practicing with his band. Lu's singing makes everyone who hears it want to dance, which is a delight to the band, but the village believes that mermaids bring disaster and attempts to forbid the relationship.

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Of course, Yuasa's fluid style shines in the musical sequences, and this movie showcases how he combines his various influences with traditional animation. Overall, while it has its own strengths and takes its own direction, it's hard not to compare it to Ponyo. For a creator that's known for his avant-garde work, this one feels tame in comparison to the others, and that paired with the younger audience leaves it feeling a little flat.

4 Ride Your Wave

Ride Your Own Wave

Release Date

February 19, 2020

Streaming

YouTube, Google Play, Fandango, Amazon Prime, Apple TV

An exploration of grief infused with water-magic, this movie is charming, heartwarming, and absolutely devastating all at once. Hinako, a girl obsessed with surfing, falls in love with the firefighter who saves her life. Their relationship ends in tragedy when he drowns saving someone else, but, much to her surprise, Hinako starts seeing him in the water anytime she sings their song.

This movie is about how the pain of living is worth how badly death can hurt, and it really does hurt. Probably the most straightforward Yuuasa film, this down-to-Earth approach gives the characters time to shine, and for us to get very attached to their romance. As a take on one of the oldest stories there is, a romance, it offers enough originality to leave us still invested up to the last minute.

3 Inu-Oh

Inventing Shredding In 14th Century Japan

Release Date

September 9, 2021

Streaming

Hulu, YouTube, Google Play, Fandango, Amazon Prime, Apple TV

Tomona is a blind biwa player who meets the unfortunate Inu-Oh, who was cursed to be deformed by the actions of his father. In order to break this curse, he must perform the epic tales of the spirits that haunt him, so that their souls can finally rest. Basically, the entire movie is a massively produced musical extravaganza.

More so than any other Yuasa film, the soundtrack and incredible visuals are perfectly married. An homage to Japanese history and culture that uses glam rock visuals, it's truly like nothing else out there.

2 Mind Game

This Story Has Never Ended

Release Date

August 7, 2004

Streaming

AMC+, Sling TV, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV

Since Mind Game is his directorial debut, it's much rougher than his other projects, but that actually works in its favor. Combining multiple styles (digital animation, traditional animation, live-action footage), the movie tells the psychedelic story of a young man with seemingly no prospects who's killed trying to see a girl he has a crush on. From there, well, the movie is kind of about everything.

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This is experimental animation at its peak, unconstrained by concerns about traditional story structure, allowing the visuals to carry the emotional weight and shape the characters' arcs. It's certainly not for everyone. It is pushing animation as a medium. Love it or hate it, it's a movie that makes a strong impression.

1 The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl

Meeting Like This So Often, It's Due To Fate

Release Date

August 21, 2018

Streaming

Amazon Prime, Apple TV

A movie in love with the unlikely and complicated coincidence that is being alive. A college sophomore spends a long night in Kyoto, drinking and making friends, unaware of how deeply in love with her classmate she is. Technically a slice-of-life movie, it goes so much deeper. A beautiful series of strange vignettes that somehow remain coherent make the rest of the movie difficult to classify.

As the best of Yuasa's work, it perfectly walks the line between his love of surreal, colorful imagery and character-driven stories about the joy of being alive.

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