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Holiday anime

Holiday Anime to Get You in the Spirit of the Season

The winter holiday season is one of the best times of the year where there’s always something to look forward to. Festive lights and other decorations don shops, homes and streets alike, Christmas songs begin to play, and there’s a general cheerful mood in the air.

In Japan, being largely non-Catholic, Christmas is more of a family celebration than a religious event and it’s difficult not to get caught up in all the holiday cheers and the spirit of the season. There are several festivities and traditions that are lined up to make the merriest time of the year be more spectacular to cap of the year in the land of the rising sun. To make the holidays more enjoyable, check out some of the holiday anime to get you even more in the holiday mood.

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (涼宮ハルヒの消失, Suzumiya Haruhi no Shōshitsu) is a Japanese animated drama from 2010 based on the fourth novel of the same name by Nagaru Tanigawa. The story takes place mid-December where SOS Brigade Haruhi Suzumiya announces to the staff that the brigade will be hosting a Christmas party in the classroom of their club. As key club members prepare for the party, they discover that Haruhi has seemed to have been wiped out of people’s memories. Will the mystery be solved in time for the celebration?

Tokyo Godfathers

Tokyo Godfathers (東京ゴッドファーザーズ, Tōkyō Goddofāzāzu) a 2003 classic inspired by the 1948 American film 3 Godfathers. This tragicomedy adventure film was written and directed by the late, great anime director Satoshi Kon. As the story goes, three homeless people of various ages, find an abandoned baby in the streets of Tokyo on Christmas Eve. They venture on trying to find the baby’s parents and run into several curious characters along the way.

Whisper of the Heart 

Whisper of the Heart (耳をすませば, Mimi o Sumaseba), “If You Listen Closely”, a 1995 animated coming of age musical directed by Yoshifumi Kondō, written by Hayao Miyazaki based on the 1989 manga of the same name by Aoi Hiragi and animated by Studio Ghibli. The film was Kondō’s only film as director before his death in 1998. The story revolves around young love and more importantly overcoming the circumstances on reaching your dreams. Whisper of the Heart includes one of Ghibli’s most dashing characters, Seiji Amasawa, the loyal boyfriend of Shizuku. His black hair and black eyes can make any woman swoon.

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Read all about Japanese immersion learning and studying abroad. Check out our eZasshi archives for more articles!