Five Anime to Watch This Year for Christmas
The next few days are the perfect time to watch a bunch of Christmas anime and start feeling festive. And these are some of our favorites.
One of my favorite things to do leading up to the holidays is to watch a truly absurd number of movies or shows that get me into the spirit of the holiday. It’s almost Christmas, and whether you’re spending the day with family, or flying solo this year, there is a bunch of choice anime to watch to help you feel a little more festive as the weather gets colder.
Tokyo Godfathers
If you’re looking for an anime with some Christmas spirit, it’s hard to go wrong with Tokyo Godfathers. Three homeless people find a baby girl on Christmas Eve and spend the evening trying to find her parents. It’s a story of found family, love, and doing good things for the sake of doing good. But it also delves into their personal stories a little, which gives the audience a fair amount of emotional depth. This is a great stand-alone movie that still holds up nearly twenty years later.
Itsudatte My Santa!
Created by Ken Akamatsu (who you may recognize from Love Hina) this two-episode OVA is all about Christmas. Or, about a boy named Santa who hates Christmas and a girl named Mai who’s a member of the Santa Claus Academy and is going to improve his luck and worldview. It’s cute, short, and not terribly deep, and if you’re in the mood for something easy to watch, this may be it.
Wolf Children
This one isn’t Christmasy as much as wintery. But sometimes what you’re looking for isn’t a Christmas story but a heartwarming one in a cold weather setting. Hana is raising half-wolf-half-human children solo, and between being a single mother and people not really understanding her babies, it’s hard. Wolf Children focuses on the really specific kind of love that parents have for their kids, and it makes a movie that will pull on your heartstrings in all of the right ways.
Komi Can’t Communicate: S2 E4
Overall, Komi is one of those feel-good shows that I love to love. But season two has an episode called, “It’s Just A Merry Christmas” that’s perfect and delightful for this time of year. Komi has social anxiety so bad that it makes it nearly impossible for her to speak to any of her classmates, yet all she wants to do is have good friends. Luckily, all of her classmates are patient, kind, and committed to being her friend. No matter how long it may take to get a sentence out. In this episode, they throw Komi an impromptu Christmas party. It’s just nice.
Winter Sonata
This 26-episode-long anime is the longest pick on this list, but it’s so unique and beautiful that it may be worth marathoning in the next few days. Based on a K-Drama of the same name, Winter Sonata follows Yoo Jin and she falls in love with Joon Sang. But after losing him in an accident she decides to marry her childhood friend. But then Yoo Jin meets somebody who looks exactly like Joon Sang, throwing her entire life off kilter. Again, it’s not super Christmasy, but it’s very wintery. There’s love and there are snowmen, what more do you want?
What is your favorite wintertime or Christmas anime? Do you prefer full series, stand-alone movies, or just watching holiday episodes of longer shows? Does your Christmas entertainment need to be Christmas-themed, or is wintery with a hint of a holiday enough to get you feeling festive? Let us know in the comments!
Ja Ne, Adventurers!
