5 Best Japanese Fantasy Anime Based on Western Classics, Ranked by IMDb

Although anime is most often based on manga, but in rare cases Japanese animation projects can be inspired by Western works.

Some retell them completely, others take only the main ideas, and others refer to characters that suspiciously resemble someone very familiar.

5. Tales from Earthsea, 2006

IMDb Rating: 6.3/10

Tales from Earthsea is the debut of Hayao Miyazaki 's son, Goro, and an adaptation of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea book series.

According to the plot, the universal balance has been disturbed, so the supreme magician Sparrowhawk goes in search of the cause of all the trouble. He meets Prince Arren, who killed his father and fled his homeland, pursued by his own shadow.

The anime, despite all its flaws, can serve as a good introduction for children and teenagers to the magical world of Ursula Le Guin.

4. Mary and the Witch's Flower, 2017

IMDb Rating: 6.8/10

While vacationing in the wilderness, a young girl named Mary finds an unusual flower in the woods that opens the door to the local Hogwarts, where she begins to learn magic.

Mary and the Witch's Flower is an adaptation of the short story The Little Broomstick by British fantasy author Mary Stewart, best known for her The Merlin Chronicles book series.

The work of Hayao Miyazaki's student Hiromasa Yonebayashi looks like Kiki's Delivery Service mixed with Harry Potter, which means it's heartwarming and truly magical.

3. Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, 1975

IMDb Rating: 7.3/10

The anime version of The Little Mermaid is very faithful to Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale – and therefore heartbreaking. In the finale, the Little Mermaid turns into sea foam, so a box of tissues is essential for watching.

But as cruel as Tomoharu Katsumata's anime is, there's one cute character who's not in the book: Fritz the Dolphin. Like Flounder with Disney 's Ariel, Fritz's actions prove that if love is stronger than death, then true friendship is no weaker than love.

2. When Marnie Was There, 2014

IMDb Rating: 7.6/10

Anna Sasaki, has a passion for drawing but no friends. The situation changes when she arrives in Hokkaido, where she meets her classmate Marnie. The girls become friends, but sometimes Anna thinks Marnie is a figment of her imagination.

Joan G. Robinson’s novel When Marnie Was There was ranked eighteenth on Hayao Miyazaki's list of fifty children's books that he recommended as essential reading.

Not surprisingly, his studio, Ghibli, took on the adaptation, which features a shocking twist at the end in the spirit of M. Night Shyamalan's films.

1. Howl’s Moving Castle, 2004

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

Hayao Miyazaki's anime is a loose adaptation of the fantasy novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. The British author's main character Sophie Hutter was a witch and a very courageous character, and the wizard Howl was a womanizer.

Miyazaki turned Sophie into a modest girl and Howl into a narcissist whose problems the girl has to solve. However, thanks to her strong will and perseverance, the main character overcomes the difficulties of being trapped in an old woman's body with dignity.