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While these CGI-only anime aren’t as prominent or as well-recognized as 2D anime, that doesn’t mean they’re not good. In fact, the opposite is true for some titles. These CGI anime not only raise the flag for their own sub-genre and animation style but also prove that there needn’t be too extreme a stigma for such a visual approach.
Updated July 9, 2022, by Sid Natividad: With acceptance for CGI or 3D animation becoming more and more widespread as studios adapt well to the style, it was only a matter of time before a few masterpieces came popping up. Some of these 3D anime and anime movies have proven that they can match the quality and attention to detail of even 2D anime.
So it’s only fair to the people who worked hard in animating these CGI anime to have their art featured or recognized. We’ve added five more CGI anime that will certainly change the minds of viewers who are on the fence about 3D or CGI anime.
10 Expelled From Paradise
Release year: 2014 Genre: Sci-fi, Action, Mecha Number of episodes: 1 (movie)
The funny thing about CGI is that it fits so much better in sci-fi anime since it’s a relatively “new” technique and tends to produce a futuristic atmosphere. Such is the case for Expelled from Paradise as it combines the big two genres fit for CGI: sci-fi and mecha.
As is the usual case with sci-fi anime that have mechs in them, Expelled from Paradise tells a post-apocalyptic story of Earth. It’s a setting where humanity has left behind their fragile shells and lived as consciousness stored off-planet until some hacker decides to disturb everyone’s peace.
9 Captain Herlock
Release year: 2013 Genre: Sci-fi, Action Number of episodes: 1 (movie)
Captain Herlock is the prettiest CGI anime here since its animation quality rivals that of the Final Fantasy films, but it’s a stronger candidate than those because this anime film is based on a 1970s anime of the same name. Captain Herlock’s story is then similar to Expelled from Paradise.
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Mankind grew tired of conquering the galaxies, so it was time to return to Earth. However, this retreat quickly became a race and power struggle to see who among the mightiest of the military factions can rule over humanity’s home planet. This forced Earth to enlist an elite group of defenders to stave off the returning power-hungry commanders and at the heart of that defense, force is the titular character himself.
8 Knights Of Sidonia
Release year: 2014 Genre: Sci-fi, Mecha, Action Number of episodes: 12
Netflix loves its experiments and Knights of Sidonia is one of those. One can argue that it was handled well compared to the other anime-related titles on the streaming service. Knights of Sidonia is a dramatic and riveting tale in yet again another setting where Earth has been destroyed.
This forced remnants of humanity to live in giant space vessels, typically while in cryo-sleep. That is until an alien race started waking up everyone with hostile motives. Now it’s up to the rudely-awakened Nagate Tanikaze to adjust to his new life and help his race survive against the aliens.
7 Ajin
Release year: 2016 Genre: Supernatural, Action, Mystery Number of episodes: 13
Ajin isn’t a sci-fi anime which makes for a nice change of scenery, especially in a sci-fi-dominated animation mode. Ajin’s story revolves around a titular group of immortal human beings who started appearing in Africa a few decades before the anime’s main timeline.
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One would think that they would be revered but instead, the mortals feared them and each Ajin found became an outcast and was imprisoned. The protagonist named Kei though that the Ajin’s predicament doesn’t concern him— until he survives a lethal accident one day and he soon discovers that he’s one of them.
6 Berserk: The Golden Age Arc Trilogy
Release year: 2012 Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural, Horror, Drama, Action Number of episodes: 3 (movies)
Speaking of non-sci-fi CGI anime, Berserk: The Golden Age Arc trilogy is one of the franchise’s crowning achievements when it comes to anime. That’s because every other Berserk anime adaptation has been either lackluster or disastrous. In any case, this dark fantasy anime is about the struggles of the mercenary protagonist named Guts and his backstory and time with the Band of the Hawk.
Guts is a 6'3" drifter sellsword who runs in with the said mercenary group and forms an odd bond with Griffith, the band’s leader. The anime trilogy film’s CGI is a little rough around the edges but that doesn’t detract from the masterfully-crafted drama and mature story plucked straight from the acclaimed manga.
5 Stand By Me Doraemon
Release year: 2014 Genre: Comedy, Sci-fi Number of episodes: 1 (movie)
A Doraemon movie likely wouldn’t have worked better if it kept its original animation style. The whole series rolled out like a colored manga flipbook since it’s pretty old. Thankfully, Stand by me Doraemon thought outside of that box and rendered the whole film in 3D CGI.
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It rivals Pixar movies when it comes to detail and fidelity but retains the anime’s soul as Nobita and the gang, along with Doraemon all look like modern upgrades of their old cartoon counterparts. It’s also a lot more dramatic compared to the anime series so be prepared for some surprise teardrops.
4 Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Release year: 2004 Genre: Action, Sci-fi Number of episodes: 1 (movie)
Ghost in the Shell’s premier was like the discovery of fire to the sci-fi genre that allowed for a better exploration of the cyberpunk theme. So it’s only right for its filmmakers to come up with a sequel even if it was nearly a decade late. It continues the events of the original film.
The difference is that Major Motoko Kusanagi is missing initially and the task of solving some cyber riddles and nefarious machine plans falls on Batou’s shoulders. Like the original film, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence set its own trend and tried something different, notably with its CGI.
3 Beastars
Release year: 2019 Genre: Drama, Slice of Life Number of episodes: 12
Beastars is an idea that easily could have gone wrong but it’s a story that was handled well and was even adapted with grace and solemnity. It portrays a society with anthropomorphic animals that live and function like human beings except there’s always tension between the carnivores and herbivores.
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At the heart of all that tension is a bittersweet love story between a wolf and a rabbit whose taboo romance leads them to places they never thought they’d explore. Every character model and interaction is also done in a pleasant 3D animation that captures all the necessary emotions.
2 Summer Wars
Release year: 2009 Genre: Sci-fi, Comedy Number of episodes: 1 (movie)
Summer Wars barely makes the cut here since it incorporates a lot of 2D animations but the split with 3D is close to around half and there’s also the fact that it utilizes one of the most masterful uses of 3D for an anime. The film is about a virtual reality that has become so powerful that anyone who tampers with it might as well ruin the real world.
The “real-world” is thus rendered in traditional 2D while the virtual world is all in energetic and electrifying 3D. Summer Wars was thus awarded for this kind of ingenuity and also how its story presents a significant message to the rapidly changing world we live in today.
1 Land of the Lustrous
Release year: 2017 Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery Number of episodes: 12
So far, no anime series has proven that 3D can be more beautiful or more advantageous than 2D, that is until Land of the Lustrous came strutting in like a crystal ballerina. That’s how elegant the anime is and how much effort its creators put into the adaptation.
The series chronicles the life and times of futuristic crystalline beings called Gems who are killed and harvested by another race that wants to use their bodies as decorations. One can probably understand why the showrunners opted for CGI as 2D drawings won’t do the Gems justice. Regardless, this anime is proof that 3D anime is becoming more and more competitive with 2D.
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