10 Best Christmas Anime To Watch This Holiday Season

It’s that time of the year again! Christmas is coming, and here are some wholesome anime to watch to warm up the mood. Coupled with some hot chocolate, chilly weather, and Christmas lights, we’ve discussed some of the best anime that will surely make you cozy.

Christmas is all about getting together and having a joyous time with your loved ones, and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than with some good anime to get the festivities started? While there surely are a plethora of anime series and movies to watch during this time, with each offering vibrant and different characters, here are a few picks full of Christmas vibes.

10 Winter Sonata

My Anime List (MAL) Score: 7.26

Why Watch Winter Sonata?

• Adapted from a successful K-Drama.
• Features a roller-coaster ride of emotional drama.

Fuyu no Sonata, aka Winter Sonata, is an anime adaptation of one of the best Korean dramas of the same name. The fans of K-Drama are sure to love this adaptation, as the anime offers a fresh perspective to the beloved show with a fruity animation style.

While the story might seem cliche to some, it is sure to take viewers on a nostalgic trip to the early 2000s. The story features Yoo Jin, who, after losing the love of her life, decides to settle down but is faced with the ghost of her past. With brilliant background music and a story filled with tension among the characters, Winter Sonata anime is a good watch during Christmas.

9 5 Centimeters Per Second

My Anime List (MAL) Score: 7.57

Why Watch 5 Centimeters Per Second?

• Tackles the realistic, unspoken side to romantic stories.
• Presents the idea of change gracefully.

This anime movie comes from the brilliant mind of Makoto Shinkai, who’s previously delivered masterpieces like Your Name, Suzume, and Weathering With You, among others. 5 Centimeters Per Second takes on the story of two people in love, separated by distance and the constant struggle not to drift away emotionally.

While the plot of the movie is somewhat of a quotidian-themed one, the flow of this movie is what makes it glow. 5 Centimeters Per Second presents an intricately laid out tale of Takaki and Akari’s childhood love with beautifully presented backgrounds that almost look too good to be animation.

8 Sweetness & Lightning

My Anime List (MAL) Score: 7.53

Why Watch Sweetness & Lightning​​​​​​?

• Tackles the struggles of a single parent.
• Offers an insight into the lovable father-daughter relationship.

Sweetness and Lightning is sure to bring the feeling of coziness to the viewer’s heart with its Kawai characters and the endearing theme. Amaama to Inazuma features the story of Kouhei Inuzuka, a widowed teacher caring for his daughter Tsumugi, often getting the pre-packed food as he heads to his home after a long day at work.

Related

10 Best Anime Like Blue Eye Samurai

Revenge plotlines with vibrant characters, here are some of the anime to watch if you liked Netflix’s Blue Eye Samurai.

Sweetness and Lightning is the perfect slice-of-life anime to watch at Christmas while having a delicious eggnog. The heartwarming anime is sure to take viewers on a joyous ride as he learns to care for his daughter, cook for her, and fill the house with laughter and memories.

7 Kimi Ni Todoke: From Me To You

My Anime List (MAL) Score:8

Why Watch Kimi Ni Todoke: From Me To You?

• A tale of hope.
• Presents a simple story brilliantly.

It is one of the most loved classic anime, which is sure to make for a good Christmas watch with its heartwarming tale of love and hope. A live-action of From Me to You is also there to watch. However, the emotions that the anime conveys with its brilliant voice acting and nuanced characters are unparalleled, which is also one of the reasons for Kimi ni Todoke’s early success.

The story follows a high school girl who is shunned by her classmates because of her appearance, which resembles that of a popular ghost character. Despite being treated unkindly at school, Sawako’s world changes as the most popular boy in school befriends her.

6 Toradora!

My Anime List (MAL) Score: 8.07

Why Watch Toradora!​​​​​​​?

• Has a great flow to the story with no dull moment.
• Offers a different take on romcoms.

Toradora is another slice-of-life anime that follows the lives of high school students Ryuji and Taiga, working together to get closer to the ones they like. Both characters have personalities that contrast with each other and put up appearances that are the polar opposite of what they’re like underneath.

While Ryuji is a gentle human with a not so gentle looking face, Taiga, on the other hand, is the one to lash at anyone quickly while having a gentle side to her. When the two discover that they both have feelings for one another’s friends, they come together to make each successful in getting closer to their love. What follows is a comedic tale of romance filled with wholesome moments.

5 Whisper Of The Heart

My Anime List (MAL) Score: 8.22

Why Watch Whisper Of The Heart​​​​​​​?

• Beautifully tackles the trauma of young love.
• Splendid slice-of-life anime storytelling.

Whisper of the Heart is another one of many brilliant anime movies by Studio Ghibli. It blends slice-of-life with elements of coming-of-age genres in a beautifully told tale of young lovers who learn to hone their art as they yearn to be together.

The movie deftly showcases the life of an artist, their art, the challenges it comes with, and the vulnerable side of showing their rawness to others. Whisper of the Heart follows the story of two young lovers and artists, Shizuku and Seiji, on a quest for self-discovery and to grow out of their cocoons to become their better versions.

4 My Neighbor Totoro

My Anime List (MAL) Score: 8.25

Why Watch My Neighbor Totoro?

• Offers warm and picturesque visuals.
• Features an original story.

A tale of adventure and memories starts when two siblings move to the lush countryside of 1950s Japan and are welcomed by the mystical spirits that reside in the forest. While the sisters happily await their mother’s discharge from the hospital and reunite the whole family again, this Studio Ghibli movie flawlessly delves into what it’s like being a child and running wild into one’s imagination with whimsical tendencies.

Related

15 Anime That Ended Before The Manga

Series like Blue Exorcist, Berserk, and Hunter x Hunter ended before giving us the full manga story.

The movie explores aspects of Animism and getting closer to nature as a whole while enveloping themes like the fear of loss and muddling through as a child. My Neighbor Totoro, with its eccentric storytelling and reminiscent theme, definitely makes a great Christmas watch with kids.

3 Tokyo Godfathers

My Anime List (MAL) Score: 8.27

Why Watch Tokyo Godfathers:

• A heartwarming tale spun around Christmas.
• Beautifully tells a dark tale in contrast to most Christmas-themed movies.

Coming from the brilliant director Satoshi Kon, who’s previously worked on the anime masterpieces Perfect Blue and Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers is his much-underappreciated work. It is arguably one of the best Christmas movies made, which has come to gain a cult-like following since its release.

The story follows the trio, Hana, Gin, and Miyuki. Three homeless people are scouring through the garbage on the streets of Tokyo when they come across an abandoned baby wrapped in cloth on the cold winter Christmas Eve. The trio take it upon themselves to find the baby’s mother. What follows is a tragic tale filled with comical elements and coming to terms with the ghosts of the past of each character.

2 Wolf Children

My Anime List (MAL) Score: 8.57

Why Watch Wolf Children​​​​​​?

• Tastefully delves into the concept of parental love.
• Features wonderful animation and background music.

Wolf Children is a movie about parental love and letting one’s children find their respective paths as they’re set free. Coming from accomplished director and animator Mamoru Hosoda, the movie features an unconventional family as the children learn their place in the world.

The story follows Hana, a widow who moves to the countryside to keep her half-wolf and half-human children from prying eyes. The father, who was a werewolf, died sometime in the past, with no fatherly figure to guide the children on how to manage their two distinct personalities. They go through difficult situations and finally discover their place in the world.

1 The Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya

My Anime List (MAL) Score: 8.6

Why Watch The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya?

• Offers a perfect blend of humor and drama.
• Slice-of-life with bits of sci-fi elements thrown in.

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is adapted from one of the best light novel series of the same name. It is the continuation of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, which takes place around Christmas. The story follows the events of the fourth novel of the series as the SOS Brigade plans a Christmas party.

However, Haruhi and Koizumi are nowhere to be found. To make things worse, everyone’s memory of Haruhi and the SOS Brigade seems to vanish. The enigmatic anime tale is filled with suspense, romance, and little heartwarming moments that are sure to make a good Christmas Eve watch.

Next: Strongest Grandmothers In Anime