10 Best Anime Films Of The '80s

10. Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer (1984)

If you're not familiar with the name "Mamoru Oshii", firstly - how dare you? - and secondly, you may want to take note of the name as it certainly won't be the last time you see it pop up on this list.

Oshii is the director of several critically lauded films, including the increasingly popular Ghost in the Shell, with his work landing him nominations for both a Golden Lion award and a Palme d'Or.

Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer is a sequel to Urusei Yatsura: Only You, also directed by Oshii, adapted from the manga of the same name. Whilst Only You is a brilliant film in its own right, it was a rather faithful adaptation of its source material. The sequel Beautiful Dreamer is instead a massive departure from the Urusei Yatsura manga, so much so that the author Rumiko Takahashi initially rejected its script.

Thank god Takahashi did come around though, as once Oshii was free to adapt the source material he ended up creating a sweet, yet thought-provoking piece on time-loops and dream worlds that taught him to finally understand, in his own words, "how to make a film". For that alone, Beautiful Dreamer deserves its spot.